Kok Boru means blue wolf,  a traditional game of Kyrgyz people played on horseback called Ulak Tartysh. The history of Ulak tartysh is as old as the Kyrgyz people’s history.

Kok-Boru has its own history coming from the very distant past. There was a time when the head of the family went out for the hunt to feed their families. Livestock remained under the supervision of the elders, women, and youth. Wolves often attacked livestock. Upon the return of the family head from the hunt angry men would chase after the wolves. They would pick up the running wolves from the ground and throw them at each other almost playfully. In modern days; this game requires two teams to throw a sheep or goat carcass into their opponent’s well on the ground, which is usually set outside the village.

The game is a combination of football and horseback riding. The only rule in the game is to make a goal “salym” with the body of a slaughtered sheep into the hole which is known as “Tay Kazan”.

The main aim of this game was to teach young warriors and their horses to not be afraid in a crowd on the battlefield. But lots of things have changed since then and now the game Kok Boru has branched out from the main game Ulak Tartysh.

Nowadays Kok Boru is a dynamic and spectacular one-hour game with excitement. It is divided into 3 periods of 20 minutes each, with 12 players in each team but only 4 can play at the same time for each team. The weight of the sheep is approx 30-35 kg.

Alongside Kok Boru, people still play old-style games Ulak Tartysh and “Torpok ulak tartysh”, where calf 70-90 kg is used instead of 30-35 kg sheep. This style of game is only played during very special occasions and celebrations such as the birth of a child or buying a new house.