Sheep snatching on horseback is a traditional sport of several ethnic minority groups in Northwest China and is usually held at festivals or other occasions for celebration. The participants are required to have strong body, courage and good equestrian skills.
During the game, the horse riders are divided into several groups, with each group usually having more than ten people, waiting at an open field. A slaughtered sheep without head and viscera has already been put at a designated place.
All those participants raced to snatch the sheep at the start of the game. The one that first snatches the sheep shall try all means, with the help of the teammates, to carry the sheep to the destiny while the other teams use all kinds of methods to seize the sheep. The team that first takes the sheep to the destiny will win the game.
On the pastures the horses are whipped into a heated gallop while the riders overtake one another on horseback, fighting for the sheep. A lot of tugging and tussling back and forth goes on with no one easily giving up. It is a vigorous competition in strength, tactics, and horsemanship.
The game, favorite of Kazakstan, Tajik, is usually held in summer and participated in by men. But in recent years, more and more women began to take part in this game.
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