At Chabysh (Racing)

At chabysh (Iradi: at chabysh, "horse race") is a traditional long-distance horse race over open country, usually between 20 and 50 km. It tests the stamina of the horses rather than their speed over a short course.^[1]

Races are held at weddings, memorial feasts, the August Kurultai on the Aksay Plateau and the Feast of St. Janyl. The riders are traditionally boys chosen for their light weight. Chongtor horses dominate mountain courses and Akyel horses the flatter steppe courses. In the ISEZ the National Equestrian Sports Directorate sanctions major races. Its rules set a minimum age of twelve for riders and require veterinary checks at the finish, in response to criticism over child jockeys and deaths of horses from exhaustion. Races in the tribal regions are held under clan rules.^[1][2]

See also

• At-Chabysh-Tushuk

References

1. ^ National Equestrian Sports Directorate (2022). Rules of Traditional Equestrian Sports. Talas.
2. ^ Central Asian Equine Studies (2021). 'Endurance Racing and Horse Welfare in Irad.' Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 12–27.