by J. Edward Chamberlin with Geoff Chamberlin
Balanced like a circus performer, he stood in his stirrups and swept down to the banks of the river. He was riding herd on 100 horses, carrying a long pole with a loop at the end.
When his hat blew off in the high wind, he broke into a gallop and snatched it up off the ground without breaking stride. As we came close, he nodded, the laconic greeting of the working cowboy … except that we weren’t on the western plains, but on the eastern steppes, in Mongolia.
It is high country, brutally cold in the winter and hot in the summer, but not as far north as you might think: most of Mongolia is south of the 49th parallel.
The sun shines more here than anywhere in the world they say, and the eternal blue sky has been worshipped since the dawn of time. It was back then that Mongols first rode horses and developed one of the great horse cultures of all time.
I had just written a book about horses, a book that begins in southern Alberta where my grandfather went in 1885 to run cattle on the open range, and plains Indians held onto their own great horse culture. But the real beginning of any story about horses and how they shaped our world is out there on the steppes of Asia.
Geoff, my son: “Then let’s go to Mongolia and ride horses.”
Me: “Wonderful idea.”
continue reading "Mongolia on Horseback: A Ride Back in Time"
There is no good time to make the “hard decision.” It is often prior to winter that senior horse owners struggle with what steps to take to ensure that their horse will stay healthy through till spring.
Canadian-born Russell Baze became racing’s winningest jockey December 1 when he broke Laffit Pincay Jr.’s record with a victory aboard Butterfly Belle at Bay Meadows in San Mateo, California.
A capacity crowd was on hand recently for the exciting finish to the Trainers’ Challenge, just one of the events on the closing day of The Mane Event in Chilliwack, BC, that drew clinicians, exhibitors, and spectators from across North America.
A Texan woman has paid more than $150,000 USD to clone her retired barrel racing horse who won the world title 10 times. Charmayne James now has a foal clone from her champion gelding Scamper.
One of the advantages that trail riding has over other forms of equitation is the relaxation of social and hygienic standards. Part of this is practical. When you’re out in nature and “nature calls,” you do what you have to do.
