Armenian traditions of equestrian sports

Horse games are games typical of Armenian folk culture. Various equestrian games are known: spear games, equestrian competitions, horse races, chariot races, team and individual equestrian competitions, etc. Horses undergo special physical training for equestrian games, as a result of which strong steeds are selected. Horse games are an integral part of the history, culture, lifestyle of the Armenian people and an integral part of folk festivals. In the past, they were played during folk holidays, pilgrimages, weddings, and were also a means of training the youth for combat. Horse games have had a pronounced ritual function in our country. In the folklore culture of the Armenian people, in fairy tales, and in the epic "Sasna Tsrer", descriptions of horse games have been preserved, when the winner of the ritual competitions, putting his horse riding skills into practice, wins the heart of the bride, including the kingdom of her father, or at least half of it.
Armenians had an ancient tradition of horse breeding traditions, as evidenced by the results of the excavations of Teishebaini, where skeletons of two breeds of horses were discovered. The tradition is also evidenced by the mentions of Armenian and Greek historians, in particular about the Armenian cavalry, the ayrutzi. Naturally, Armenians also had a rich culture of horse games. According to ethnographer V. Bdoyan, horse games were known throughout the territory of historical Armenia. They were viable until the 30s of the 20th century, but were gradually forgotten in parallel with industrial and urban developments. The memory of the tradition has been preserved mainly due to the existence of the Yerevan racecourse, where these games were shown until the 50s of the 20th century. Then horse games were restored in the 80s of the 20th century.
Source of text and photo: https://int-heritage.am/traditional-horse-games/