Comments on: So what happens to the Mongolian horses after the event? http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2009/07/mongolian-horses-event/ miscellaneous musings about horses, health and life in general Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:28:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/ hourly 1 By: Kent http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2009/07/mongolian-horses-event/comment-page-1/#comment-3434 Kent Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:30:56 +0000 http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/?p=3304#comment-3434 The horses will be fine. Mongol ponies bear no resemblance to the horses ridden by those in the equestrian community who are raising such a fuss. In fact, this creates an opportunity for the equestrian world to examine it's own behavior towards horses. Mongol ponies regularly carry Mongol herders 40-60 km per day. No big deal and no weight limit. When the race is over, the horses get to rejoin the herd (where they spend the vast majority of the year, anyhow.. unfenced and unbothered (except by the occaisional wolf). They get to be REAL horses, socializing, fighting, breeding, roaming. Contrast their mental and physical health with the four legged creatures who populate the barns of the equestrian world. Bred to the notions of humans, not horses, kept in beautiful, clean, well watered stalls and paddocks, virtually never allowed to interact in herd behavior with other horses. No wonder they often exhibit behavior that is detrimental to their own well being and need to be constantly monitored and vetted and fed with special foods. Don't get me wrong. There's a place for show dogs with strange hair cuts and theirs a place for equestrian athelets engaging in human designed activities. But comparing your hunter jumper to a Mongol pony is silly. So the horses will be fine. If they are given some additional conditioning, along the lines of the conditioning the Mongols use for the Naadam racers, that would be great. But I guarantee you that if you ask a Mongol herder if his horse needs an extensive conditional and feeding program so that he can successfully trot 40 km, he'll look at you like you are crazy. Again, they are fit simply because of the fact that they are constantly in a herd setting. The riders will drop like flies because a couple of days in a row of the fast trot these ponies have will wear the skin off their butts and their calves. I've seen it many many times. You can't post it and unless you learn to ride like a Mongol real fast you are going to suffer greatly. What concerns me more is the culturally and historically inappropriate "selling" of this so-called race. This bears no resemblance to traditional horse racing in Mongolia. And while it's true (and admirable) that the Urtu system should be understood and perhaps revived with events that recreate it, it would not be a race, but a ride that balanced speed against the certainty of getting the message through. It's a shame that there are no Mongols invited to this party. Their lack of participation is, to me, a telling sign of the organizers cultural blinders. They seem to have been caught up in this whole silly "fighting boredom" notion which frankly insults Mongols. "We're so bored over here in Devonshire that we have to come and whoop it up inyour quaint little culture. Oh, and we'll drop off a check for the local charity so we can all feel good about the event". But a couple of other items to comment on in the previous post. Trees to tie your horse to: Oh, please. Do you not think that after 3000 years of riding horses in treeless landscape that they don't have a method for tying their horse up when they take a c*&p? It's called a solbor, a long lead line held coiled in your hand at all times and which you never let go of, even if you're drunk and fall off. A Mongol can hobble his horse with that solbor faster than most western riders can dismount. The reins, roping style, are pulled back over the back of the cantle and the horse just stands there, hobbled and can't lower his neck to eat. All the horses are used to this system since the first time they are ridden. Airag as laxative. Bollocks. Airag is consumed in large quantities and is considered to have lots of healthy properties. If it were a laxative, there would be a lot of soiled dels across the landscape and the centuries. Mongols eat their horses. They treat them differently but no less validly than we treat our horses in the West. This outrage over horse health and abuse is ill informed and frankly, will fall on deaf Mongol ears. They've been riding longer than all of us. The larger issue is the cartoonization of their horse culture where rich (and I mean in relative terms to the local Mongola family), bored travelers play out their fantasies of adventure. My litmus test for any such travel experience, horseback or not, is whether local people are participating as well, on an equal basis. That is sadly lacking in the Mongol Derby. The horses will be fine. Mongol ponies bear no resemblance to the horses ridden by those in the equestrian community who are raising such a fuss. In fact, this creates an opportunity for the equestrian world to examine it’s own behavior towards horses. Mongol ponies regularly carry Mongol herders 40-60 km per day. No big deal and no weight limit. When the race is over, the horses get to rejoin the herd (where they spend the vast majority of the year, anyhow.. unfenced and unbothered (except by the occaisional wolf). They get to be REAL horses, socializing, fighting, breeding, roaming. Contrast their mental and physical health with the four legged creatures who populate the barns of the equestrian world. Bred to the notions of humans, not horses, kept in beautiful, clean, well watered stalls and paddocks, virtually never allowed to interact in herd behavior with other horses. No wonder they often exhibit behavior that is detrimental to their own well being and need to be constantly monitored and vetted and fed with special foods. Don’t get me wrong. There’s a place for show dogs with strange hair cuts and theirs a place for equestrian athelets engaging in human designed activities. But comparing your hunter jumper to a Mongol pony is silly.

So the horses will be fine. If they are given some additional conditioning, along the lines of the conditioning the Mongols use for the Naadam racers, that would be great. But I guarantee you that if you ask a Mongol herder if his horse needs an extensive conditional and feeding program so that he can successfully trot 40 km, he’ll look at you like you are crazy. Again, they are fit simply because of the fact that they are constantly in a herd setting.

The riders will drop like flies because a couple of days in a row of the fast trot these ponies have will wear the skin off their butts and their calves. I’ve seen it many many times. You can’t post it and unless you learn to ride like a Mongol real fast you are going to suffer greatly.

What concerns me more is the culturally and historically inappropriate “selling” of this so-called race. This bears no resemblance to traditional horse racing in Mongolia. And while it’s true (and admirable) that the Urtu system should be understood and perhaps revived with events that recreate it, it would not be a race, but a ride that balanced speed against the certainty of getting the message through. It’s a shame that there are no Mongols invited to this party. Their lack of participation is, to me, a telling sign of the organizers cultural blinders. They seem to have been caught up in this whole silly “fighting boredom” notion which frankly insults Mongols. “We’re so bored over here in Devonshire that we have to come and whoop it up inyour quaint little culture. Oh, and we’ll drop off a check for the local charity so we can all feel good about the event”.

But a couple of other items to comment on in the previous post.
Trees to tie your horse to: Oh, please. Do you not think that after 3000 years of riding horses in treeless landscape that they don’t have a method for tying their horse up when they take a c*&p? It’s called a solbor, a long lead line held coiled in your hand at all times and which you never let go of, even if you’re drunk and fall off. A Mongol can hobble his horse with that solbor faster than most western riders can dismount. The reins, roping style, are pulled back over the back of the cantle and the horse just stands there, hobbled and can’t lower his neck to eat. All the horses are used to this system since the first time they are ridden.

Airag as laxative. Bollocks. Airag is consumed in large quantities and is considered to have lots of healthy properties. If it were a laxative, there would be a lot of soiled dels across the landscape and the centuries.

Mongols eat their horses. They treat them differently but no less validly than we treat our horses in the West. This outrage over horse health and abuse is ill informed and frankly, will fall on deaf Mongol ears. They’ve been riding longer than all of us. The larger issue is the cartoonization of their horse culture where rich (and I mean in relative terms to the local Mongola family), bored travelers play out their fantasies of adventure.

My litmus test for any such travel experience, horseback or not, is whether local people are participating as well, on an equal basis. That is sadly lacking in the Mongol Derby.

]]> By: Robert H. Sydnor http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2009/07/mongolian-horses-event/comment-page-1/#comment-3433 Robert H. Sydnor Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:08:22 +0000 http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/?p=3304#comment-3433 Karen Chaton has done us readers a huge favor by some careful research into this sham endurance ride in Mongolia. A cruel tragedy for horses, for sure. There is no showing that either the riders or the horses are pre-qualified for this kind of extreme ride. Notice that the organizer from Scotland lacks the courage and ethics to provide the actual name of the licensed Veterinarian from the United Kingdom that (supposedly) will be in charge of this ride. In the United States, we members of the American Endurance Ride Conference have total faith in the licensed equestrian Veternarians that are retained by the AERC ride managers. The AERC-approved veterinarian is posted many months before the ride occurs. The Vets have total control of our horses, and their professional medical opinions are honored and obeyed by all AERC riders. This is a win-win deal for our horses, who cannot verbalize their feelings to us. In the words of Tevis Founder Wendell Robie, a horse needs to be "fit to continue" at all times...even after 100 miles. We horsemen need to mobilize public opinion against this shameful death-ride in Mongolia. Again, our appreciation to all readers of Karen's horse-blogs. Robert H. Sydnor, Member, AERC RHSydnor@aol.com Fair Oaks, Califoria Karen Chaton has done us readers a huge favor by some careful research into this sham endurance ride in Mongolia. A cruel tragedy for horses, for sure.
There is no showing that either the riders or the horses are pre-qualified for this kind of extreme ride. Notice that the organizer from Scotland lacks the courage and ethics to provide the actual name of the licensed Veterinarian from the United Kingdom that (supposedly) will be in charge of this ride. In the United States, we members of the American Endurance Ride Conference have total faith in the licensed equestrian Veternarians that are retained by the AERC ride managers. The AERC-approved veterinarian is posted many months before the ride occurs. The Vets have total control of our horses, and their professional medical opinions are honored and obeyed by all AERC riders. This is a win-win deal for our horses, who cannot verbalize their feelings to us. In the words of Tevis Founder Wendell Robie, a horse needs to be “fit to continue” at all times…even after 100 miles.
We horsemen need to mobilize public opinion against this shameful death-ride in Mongolia.

Again, our appreciation to all readers of Karen’s horse-blogs.

Robert H. Sydnor, Member, AERC
RHSydnor@aol.com
Fair Oaks, Califoria

]]> By: gp http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2009/07/mongolian-horses-event/comment-page-1/#comment-3432 gp Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:49:38 +0000 http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/?p=3304#comment-3432 sounds absolutely barbaric gp sounds absolutely barbaric
gp

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