|
Selcuk Davulcu, 31, a horse groom for the Dadas (Comrades) local sporting club, prepares the horses during a game of Cirit, a traditional Turkish equestrian sport that dates back to the martial horsemen who spearheaded the historical conquests of central Asia's Turkic tribes, between the Comrades and the Experts local sporting clubs, in Erzurum, eastern Turkey, Friday, March 5, 2021. The club officials said that Davulcu, a man with Down syndrome has been communicating with people just for the last four years thanks to the horses as they played a big role on his rehabilitation.The game that was developed more than a 1,000 years ago, revolves around a rider trying to spear his or her opponent with a “javelin” – these days, a rubber-tipped, 100 centimeter (40 inch) length of wood. A rider from each opposing team, which can number up to a dozen players, face each other, alternately acting as the thrower and the rider being chased. Cirit was popular within the Ottoman empire, before it was banned as in the early 19th century. (Photo by Kenan Asyali/AP Photo)
|
