Over a dozen horse riders and nearly anything is allowed. See all photos in Kok Boru Collection.
15 products
Gallop Against the Clouds
Gallop Against the Clouds
Mist of the Mounted
Mist of the Mounted
The Look of Legacy
The Look of Legacy
Charging Through Dust
Charging Through Dust
Tumble on the Tundra
Tumble on the Tundra
Sprint of Solidute
Sprint of Solidute
Harmony in Motion
Harmony in Motion
Encounter of Courage
Encounter of Courage
The Gathering Force
The Gathering Force
Discover Kok Boru Collection Story
There is one thing you can say about the Asian horsemen, they do ride efficiently. It’s difficult to spot any kind of communication or harmony between the rider and his animal. Participants lead with a heavy hand, recklessly tugging at the reins while foam around horses’ mouth slowly mixes with blood. Apparently the best suited animals for the game of Kok Boru are the ones actively engaging in it. Fast, strong, relentless and kicking - fighting with the same discipline as their riders.
Kok Boru means ‘gray wolf’ in Kyrgyz language. In the vast valleys and mountain meadows herds of sheep, cows and horses were grazed. In this harsh mountainous climate animals guaranteed survival. They were the most closely guarded treasure. Shepherds had a difficult job of fighting off the wolves that came to hunt. Workers didn’t have firearms or weapons so they chased predators until they fell from exhaustion. Afterwards, shepherds would “play” with its body. During these fights they trained their own dexterity. That’s how it worked thousands of years ago…
Later, they used a body of a sheep or a goat. Riders weren’t divided into teams, every man fought for himself. And the strongest one that got hold of the animal and was able to run away with it, kept it as a reward. It was later served as a meal. The game took days and there were no rules as to how the game should be played. Participants fought brutally, running into each other on horses. Animals were taught to bite the opponents. The players used whips on each other and it happened often that some were pulled straight from the saddle and under the hooves of running horses.
Millenia have passed but men in Sary Mogul participate with the same kind of enthusiasm as before. The rules have officially been written down in 1949, but here folks tend to uphold the centuries-old traditions. Nearly anything is allowed.
Riders consumed by the competition do not respect even the natural boundaries. Speeding horses run up the hill, crashing into the audience. Except the reward, nothing matters.