{{short description|Turkic word for skillful and brave person}} {{For|the Djigit missile launcher|9K38 Igla}} {{More citations needed|date=August 2022}} thumb|Modern horse and rider '''''Jigit''''' (also spelled as '''''Dzhigit''''', '''''yigit''''', '''''zhigit''''' or '''''igid''''') is a word used in the North Caucasus and Central Asia to describe a skillful and brave equestrian,<ref>[http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/ushakov/788222 Толковый словарь русского языка Ушакова]</ref> or a brave person in general. The word is of Turkic origin.<ref name="Джигитовка">Great Soviet Encyclopedia. [https://archive.today/20070906153524/http://www.cultinfo.ru/fulltext/1/001/008/026/081.htm Джигитовка]</ref>
The derived term ''''jigitovka'''' (or ''jigiting'') means the special style of trick riding that originated in the Turkic cultures of North Caucasus and Central Asia, and is also popular with Cossacks, who adopted it from the Circassians.<ref>Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. [http://gatchina3000.ru/brockhaus-and-efron-encyclopedic-dictionary/035/35472.htm Джигит]</ref> When performing dzhigitovka, the riders at full gallop stand up, jump to the ground and back to the saddle, pick up objects from the ground (such as coins, hats, etc.), shoot targets with various weapons, ride hanging on the side or under the belly of the horse and do other acrobatic feats.<ref name="Джигитовка"/>
Since the early 19th century jigitovka has been demonstrated in circuses and horse sport competitions, and made its way to popular Western culture – for instance, Cossacks (actually Georgian horsemen from Guria) demonstrated jigitovka as part of ''Buffalo Bill's Wild West'' Show.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2001-05/wildwest.html |title=Thomas M. Barrett. All the World's a Frontier: How Cossacks Became Cowboys |publisher=Neh.gov |access-date=2014-01-16 |archive-date=2014-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116131321/http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2001-05/wildwest.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Jigitovka was also used in the training of cavalry forces in the Russian Empire and USSR. Modern jigitovka as a circus performance includes complex stunts usually performed by a group of riders.
== Equestrian Jigitovka == [[File:Circassian horsemanship during Sir Herbert Samuel's second visit to Transjordan.jpg|thumb|A Circassian performing jigitovka in Transjordan]] In 2016 jigitovka was officially recognized as a sporting discipline in the Russian Federation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://horsetimes.ru/posts/news/dzhigitovka_ofitsialno_stala_vidom_sporta/|title=Equestrian Jigitovka has Become an Official Sport (Russian)}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120328123737/http://anandalila.livejournal.com/129675.html Russia dzhigitovka] * [http://www.biblio-globus.ru/description.aspx?product_no=9624311 Horse Training. History, training dzhigitovka Russia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328123836/http://www.biblio-globus.ru/description.aspx?product_no=9624311 |date=2012-03-28 }} * Georgian Trick Riders in American Wild West Shows, 1890s-1920s by Irakli Makharadze, Publisher: McFarland * [http://www.fksr.ru/download/Gzhigit.pdf Official 2017 Equestrian Dzhigitovka Rules in Russian]{{Dead link|date=February 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CraSbkTdhQs&t=1290s Russian News Report on 2017 Equestrian Dzhigitovka World Championship]
{{Equestrian Sports}} {{Turkic topics}}
Category:Mounted games Category:Culture of Turkmenistan Category:Turkic culture