The national sport of Afghanistan, buzkashi, is often likened to polo as both are played on horseback. Except such comparisons fail to capture the viciousness of the game, which makes uses of a headless goat carcass instead of a ball. The aim is for a rider (known as a chapendaz) to gather up the goat and complete a circuit of the playing field whilst his rivals attempt to beat it away from him with their boots and horsewhips. Legend has it that Genghis Khan made use of the sport as a means of toughening up his armies.
 
Buzkashi plays a central role in The Horsemen. Tursen (played by Jack Palance), who lives in a poor northern province of the country, is considered 'the greatest chapendaz who ever lived' and that mantle may soon be passed to his son, Uraz (Omar Sharif), at the upcoming royal buzkashi on the outskirts of Kabul. They are proud men whose lives revolve around the game and its almost ancient notions of honour, heroism and masculinity. When Uraz fails to win the tournament he decides that he must prove his manhood through other means and so takes the most perilous route home imaginable - a mountain trek that sees him contend with extremities of climate and terrain as well as the broken leg he picked up (and refused medical treatment for) during the game.