'Beasts of war': Afghan buzkashi horses prepare for traditional battle

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan - The rugged men of northern Afghanistan raise their buzkashi horses to be warrior princes, ready for the savagery of polo with a headless carcass.

Mounts, like their riders, must be brave, strong and fast to compete in the traditional sport of buzkashi, which means "dragging the goat" in Persian.

The game involves ripping a 50-kilogram carcass from the fray of horses and dropping it in the "circle of justice" traced on the ground in lime - after doing a lap of the field at a full gallop.