The afternoon was spent making arrangements to drive out to the ranch in Khentii and learning about Mongolian culture. Horses are central to Mongolian life and their hair is believed to contain the spirit of the horse and is particularly sacred.
The state central museum was the perfect place to start….
Burial mounds dating back to the 2000-1000BC contain a single horse head in the direction of the sunrise. In the 6th-8th century Turks began to bury horses with saddles, bridles and other artefacts with their deceased as an accompaniment. By the 13th-15th century only men were buried with horses and equestrian equipment. Women were buried with jewellery, a mirror and spindles for spinning wool. Punishment in the Manchu dynasty (beginning in the 15th century) included whipping with horse whips. This was thought to be a psychological as well and physical torture.
Historically, snaffle bits used to be made from iron or bone. The pommel and the cantle of the saddle are bow shaped making it look a bit like a throne. Saddles and reins are historically decorated with handcrafted embossed silver pieces, showing respect to the horse and the social status of the owner.
Tug’s (banners) were introduced by Genghis Khan in the 13th century. When going into war they would parade a black tug, a white-haired banner on the other hands a symbol of peace. Horse mane is attached to the tug via 81 holes and a strap of goat’s leather. The main tug is larger than the others and must be paraded in the centre of an additional 8 tugs. The white banner donated to the central state museum was worshiped by the donators family for at least nine generations. Black tugs would have a spear head attached to the top of the tug so that it could be used as a weapon in battle. Horses were central to the army which enabled Genghis Khan’s domination of: China, Korea, the Caucasus, central Asia and a large proportion of Eurasia. Genghis Khan set up the ministry of the horse to breed horses for his cavalry. Horses were selected for endurance as they would travel all day taking few breaks. Lunch, traditionally dried meat, was eaten on the move. Other forms of food include dried meat that was mashed into a power. This was then added to hot water to create a broth.
We also visited Sukhbaatar (meaning axe hero) Square which is home to the statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar who united the provinces of Mongolia during the 1921 revolution, with the help of the Soviet Red Army. This resulted in the liberation of Mongolia from China and the formation of the People’s Republic.
As horses were a major part of both Genghis Khans domination and the revolution it is unsurprising that the state emblem of Mongolia contains a horse. The horse is a special and sacred animal for all Mongolians regardless of background. Our trip to the museum highlighted how privileged we are to be taking samples from these horses and how respectful we will have to be.
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