History
Horseball (Europe) - Pato (South America) - Buzhashi (Central Asia)

Pato" is an ancestral sport in Argentina that remains the national game of Argentina. The modern version of this game, played today, combines elements from polo and basketball-on-horseback. The word Pato is Spanish for "duck", as early games actually used a live duck inside a basket instead of the ball. Accounts of early versions of pato have been written since 1610.

The playing field would often stretch the distance between neighboring estancias (ranches). The first team to reach its own casco (ranch house) with the duck would be declared the winner.

Pato was forbidden for several periods due to the violence—not only to the duck; many gauchos were trampled underfoot, and many more lost their lives in knife fights started in the heat of the game. In 1796, a Catholic priest insisted that pato players who die in such a way should be denied Christian burial. Government ordinances forbidding the practice of pato were common throughout the 19th century.

During the 1930s, pato was regulated through the efforts of ranch owner Alberto del Castillo Posse, who drafted a set of rules inspired by modern polo. The game gained legitimacy, to the point that President Juan Perón declared pato to be the national game in 1953.

In modern pato, two four-member teams riding on horses fight for possession of a ball which has six conveniently-sized handles, and score by throwing the ball through a vertically positioned ring (as opposed to the horizontal rim used in basketball).

The winner is the team with most goals scored after regulation time (six 8-minute "periods"). The ball is made of leather, with an inflated rubber chamber and six leather handles. The player that has control of the pato (i.e. holds the ball by a handle) must ride with his right arm outstretched, offering the pato so rival players have a chance of tugging the pato and stealing it. Not extending the arm while riding with the pato is an offense called negada (refusal).

During the tug itself, or cinchada, both players must stand on the stirrups and avoid sitting on the saddle, while the hand not involved in the tugging must hold the reins. The tug is usually the most exciting part of the game.

Pato is played competitively and also by amateurs, mostly on weekend fairs which usually include doma (Argentine rodeo).

Buzkashi (from persian, buz = "goat" + kashi ="drawing") is a traditional Afghan sport played on horseback. The name translates literally to "goat grabbing", implying that the game originated in the ancient practice of horseback goat-nabbing during the times of Aryans. The Aryans were skilled-riders who could swoop up a goat while riding a horse at full gallop. The goal of a Buzkashi player is to grab a calf, and then get it clear of the other players, across a goal line.

Competition is typically fierce, as other players may use any force short of tripping the horse in order to thwart scoring attempts (though the use of knives or guns is discouraged). Riders usually wear heavy clothing and head protection to protect themselves from players' whips and boots. Games can last for several days.

Serious Buzkashi players train intensively for years, and many of the masters (called chapandaz) are over forty years old. Playing well also requires specially trained horses that know to stop still when a rider is thrown, and to gallop forcefully as soon as their rider gets hold of the calf in order to gain an edge in the game. The horses are said to enjoy the game as much as the riders.

A game of Buzkashi is featured in an early scene of Rambo III. The game is the core subject of a novel by French Novelist Joseph Kessel titled Les Cavaliers (aka Horsemen) as well as of the film of the same title featuring Omar Sharif. The game is also a key element in the book Caravans by James Michener and the film of the same name staring Anthony Quinn. A scene from the film featuring the King of Afghanistan watching a game is in fact Mohammed Zahir Shah. The whole sequence of the game being witnessed by the king was filmed on the Kabul Golf course where the national championships were played at the time the film was made.