Fighting for the goat skin, Kukhbar competition at the Eagle Festival, Olgii, Western Mongolia
The Eagle Festival takes place in the fall in Olgii, Western, Mongolia and the eagle hunters come from miles around to participate in the competitions including: best Kazakh costume, eagle and horse harness; fastest return to hunter after release; archery; camel races; and Shyrga Tartu or eagle returning to a lure towed behind a horse. The Kukhbar competition is one of the highlights of the Eagle Festival in Olgii, Western Mongolia. Kazakh tribesmen mounted on horses battle heatedly to see which one can capture a goat skin from the other while staying on his horse. After several rounds of competition a winner is declared. The horses are as important as the men in the competition as they assist the men in getting good positioning. A referee keeps a sharp eye on the competitors. This is an image from the Kukhbar competition.
Size: 5000px × 3333px
Location: Eagle Festival, Olgii, Western Mongolia
Photo credit: © Terry Allen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: adventure, attire, competition, competitors, culture, eagle, festival, field, fighting, goat, hard, horizontal, horse, horseback, horses, kukbar, kukhbar, leaning, mongolia, olgii, pulled, pulling, referee, riders, sideways, skin, spectators, steppes, traditional, travel, vans, western
