H.O.R.S.E

Main Piece:  So horse is a basketball game. Well like not an actual game but like you play it with a basketball and you need a court. Basically the game is like a trick shot game. And whoever doesn’t make the shot five times looses. Me: Can you elaborate on that? Ok so the game is played by however number of people you want. First you have to choose a order that the players are going to be in. So the first person goes and could do whatever trickshot they want. So if they miss then it is the next persons turn. If they make it then the next person would have to do the same trick shot. If they make it then the next person would have to the same shot until it goes back to the person who made that trickshot…But if someone misses a tricksot then the person gets a letter. The first letter is H then O then ughh R then S then E. That’s why the game is called horse. And you loose when you spell out horse. Oh so lets say you made a trickshot and then the next person missed it then they get a letter and then the person after him does not have to do that trickshot anymore. Like they could do their own.  Context: Kevin and I were playing video games and when we took a break to eat I asked him if he could help me with my collection of folklore. He agreed and allowed me to record the conversation with the condition that I would not post the video interview. We were both sitting on the couch.  Background: Kevin is a 20 year old attending California State University Los Angeles. Both his parents are from El Salvador but he was born and raised in Huntington Park, California. Kevin stated that he enjoyed this game very much because it was his way of practicing and having more fun with his friends. He stated that he actually learned this game from his teammates when he would stay after practice and just play with them. Although, he did mention that the version of H.O.R.S.E he plays now is slightly different than when he learned it. The people he plays with now have the rule that if they miss a trickshot that is their own, they will also get a letter. My thoughts: Although folklore has no clear definition, a key component is that you learn it from other people in a non institutional place. This is clearly seen in Kevin’s example. He learns this game from his friends. Also, as stated by Alan Dundes “there must be multiplicity and variation. The game H.O.R.S.E is also fits into the category. There are many different variation to the game but the underlying mechanics of the game are still the same. I have actually played the game and I to learned it from friends. I also know another variation of horse called P.I.G. It is the same game but instead of having five letters you now have three.