World Nomad Games 2026
This is Kok-Boru, the national sport of Kyrgyzstan beloved across Central Asia for its unrelenting intensity and spectacular display of horsemanship. Few outside of the region have heard of Kok-Boru, but there is a small group of self-described Christian cowboys from the US who can’t get enough. A group of nine ranchers and rodeo men, most from Utah, have made the 6,600-mile journey to Kyrgyzstan’s largest resort town, Cholpon-ata.Taking two weeks away from their families and ranches and together spending nearly $100,000 to cover travel, gear and stipends, the men are competing in Kok-Boru’s most elite level: the World Nomad Games.
The Americans have shown up for the Games since 2014, though despite 12 years and five tournaments, they have yet to win a match. They keep coming back anyway. Despite a deep passion for horses and a commitment to competing at the highest level, the team is not logistically set up for success at the Games. The nine players only got one practice together in the US, mainly because American horses are not trained to handle the physicality of Kok-Boru. They are also the only self-funded Kok-Boru team at the Games, with the other countries involved — Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — receiving government support. All support the US team received came from Kyrgyzstan’s International Kok-Boru Federation. “We’re at a disadvantage every time,” said Willert. “We’re total underdogs, but that’s kind of the point of sports. For us to keep coming back and getting better — we get that respect, even if we’re not winning.”
“It’s one of the most important elements of our culture, especially the traditional part of our culture, because our ancestors have played this game for many centuries,” said Kyrgyz Nomad Games volunteer Jantai Saparbekov. “It symbolizes our traditions being passed from generation to generation.” These Games are six days of cultural, athletic and intellectual competitions rooted in Central Asian nomadic heritage — a heritage that goes back 4,000 years according to Kyrgyz political scientist Arzuu Sheranova. The lifestyle lives on; in a country where only about 35% of citizens reside in cities, many still live somewhat migratory existences. The main venue, the Kyrchyn Gorge, is located about an hour and a half from downtown Cholpon-Ata and feels like entering the deep Kyrgyz mountains. A vast open field tucked between snow-capped peaks, the gorge serves as home to several sports, a mud-built castle turned into a local food bazaar, and fields of yurts. Participating countries got to host their own expositions; the American yurt featured a cutout of George Washington, US history trivia and cornhole.
That’s real horse ridin’
My wife means to lose weight. That’s why she rides horseback nearly every day.
And what is the result? That horse lost 10 pounds last week.
Two buddies were commenting on their friend Harry’s bad luck at the track. The first one said, “It is funny you know how lucky Harry is at cards and how unlucky he is on the horses.” His buddy said, “Nothing funny about it, they won’t let Harry shuffle the horses.”
My horse has insomnia and keeps everyone awake.
She is a nightmare.
‘Horseback Riding’ should just be called ‘Horse Riding’…
because where else would you sit?
September 11th Birthdays
1988 – Elizabeth Hentstridge, 1980 – Araiana Richards, 1967 – Maria Bartiromo, 1961 – Virginia Madsen
1965 – Moby, 1977 – Ludacris, 1967 – Harry Connick Jr., 1969 – Scott Patterson