This photo taken on July 1, 2024 shows a horse and its keeper at a horse ranch in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, north Afghanistan. Photo: Xinhua

As a symbol of pride and a means to compete in the national game buzkashi, or goat grabbing, many people in Afghanistan keep horses to vie for the traditional championship and earn renown for themselves and their horses.

Although some describe buzkashi as a "wild game," the centuries-old traditional sport has a significant number of fans among the war-weary Afghans.

"I like horses and respect them as nice animals. The horse is a symbol of bravery; it is a loyal animal, and that is why the people of Afghanistan love it. I also love it," said Sayed Karim Hashimi, a horse keeper in the northern Balkh province.

Head of the local company Yama Petroleum Group and the chief of its buzkashi team, Hashimi, said with pride that he has been keeping horses and supporting the national sport for the past 20 years.

A businessman by profession and a staunch fan of buzkashi, Hashimi told Xinhua in his horse stable: "I have 57 horses. Some are from Afghanistan, and some have been imported from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and even from Russia."

A horse takes a bath at a horse ranch in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, north Afghanistan, on July 1, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

The culture of keeping horses at home and breeding them in villages is a centuries-old tradition among Afghans. Horses are primarily used for competing in buzkashi as well as a mode of transport in the countryside, carrying their owners and commercial goods to local bazaars in the hilltops and mountainous areas.

As a national game, the buzkashi tournament is held among teams from several provinces, with the final championship organized annually in the national capital, Kabul. Winners receive cash, cars, and other valuable goods from government officials, businessmen, and private firms in recognition of their achievements.

"The buzkashi team of Yama Petroleum Company secured first position and earned the championship in the second round of the tournament held in Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital of Balkh province, among 13 teams from across Afghanistan last year," Hashimi told Xinhua joyfully, celebrating his achievement in horse keeping.

"The culture of horse keeping and buzkashi has been on a constant rise and development in Afghanistan," said Hashimi, the middle-aged fan of buzkashi.

Horses are pictured at a horse ranch in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, north Afghanistan, on July 1, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Nevertheless, keeping and training horses require a substantial budget and professional trainers in economically impoverished Afghanistan to prepare the horses for buzkashi competitions.

"The horses eat straw, barley, eggs, sesame oil and honey every day. Currently, I feed them a mix of barley flour and sesame oil. During buzkashi, I give the horses eggs," Mukhi, a horse trainer, said.

Having worked as a horse trainer for over 19 years, and currently training horses on Hashimi's farm, Mukhi mentioned that he has loved horses since childhood. Preparing a horse to contest in buzkashi is a lengthy and challenging process.

This photo taken on July 1, 2024 shows horses and their keepers at a horse ranch in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, north Afghanistan. Photo: Xinhua

"Keeping horses in Afghanistan's northern provinces, especially in Balkh province, has a long history. To keep horses, significant efforts were made in the last century," Balkh provincial director for Information and Culture, Zabihullah Nurani, told Xinhua at his office recently.

"Buzkashi has a long and old history in Afghanistan. Even before Islam influenced this region, buzkashi was played here in Balkh, and the game is still played here today," Nurani said.