In pictures: Kyrgyz goat grabbing

Group riders kok boru players near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The sport of kok boru, or goat grabbing, is popular in the countryside of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan. The BBC's Martin Vennard has been to fields outside the capital, Bishkek, to watch a game.

Group riders kok boru players with a goat's body near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Players on horseback tussle over the body of a goat which has had its head and feet removed and is soaked in water to toughen it. Sometimes a sheep or calf is used.

The goat is placed at one end of the field before two teams charge up the field to grab it.

The first person to arrive picks it up and his team-mates try to protect him from their adversaries, who are trying to grab the goat. The aim is to be the team to drop the dead animal on the goal spot.

The teams vary in size from two upwards. It can be quite violent, with the players using short whips on their horses, but also - probably unofficially - on their opponents.

Some of the players wear Soviet-era padded military helmets for protection. They look like pilots' helmets, but are actually tank crew equipment.

People watching a game of kok boru near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

People of all ages, many on horseback, come to watch the games. They sit and stand in a line at the end of the field where the teams start from.

These games took place about 30 minutes drive outside Bishkek and were in honour of a recently deceased local businessman, Seidaliev Kanibekti, whose picture was on display.

The games are played across Central Asia, Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, and are said to date from the days of Genghis Khan. They demonstrate the skills of the nomadic horsemen.