Horses

(This will be the last post until 16th July. Off up country!!!)

Horses are everywhere. You cannot escape them. They are parked like cars on the steppes. For every Mongolian there must be more than 100 horses.

They are very appealing. Small but tough and a little feisty.

To see them charge across the steppes with a fully grown man on theirs backs testifies to their stamina.

I know nothing about horses, but the saddle seems to be differently placed on Mongolian horses. Very far forward. Makes mechanical sense to me. All the riders weight is on the horses front legs, reducing the bending moment on the animals back. The rider must feel all the time he/she is going to be tipped over the horse’s head