Wednesday, September 28, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
21
Commentary...
Rumble of hoofbeats, rattle of bones
By Lynn Woodward
Correspondent
I don’t think I’ve ever been
on a horse more nimble than
that little bay.
He cantered through
knee-high grass on a slope,
striding over hundreds of
ground-squirrel and marmot
holes before I even spotted
them. Smart, too. Unshod,
he slowed to a trot to pick his
way through tricky ground.
When the hills were steep or
rocky footing unavoidable, he
walked to switchback down or
pick his way. And hardy. That
day we were on the move for
about seven hours, maybe 50
km, most of that trotting and
cantering, and climbed two
monstrously steep, muddy
hills, with only a few short
rests.
These traits are typical of
Mongolian horses. But this
one was atypical in three
respects: he was not skinny (I
didn’t say he was fat). He was
sporting a Western saddle.
And he was named… Jerry.
He’s one of about 25 head
that belong to Keith Swenson
and Sabine Schmidt, owners
and guides of Stone Horse
Expeditions & Travel, who
provide riding adventures in
Mongolia. For the last few
years, Sabine has spent a
few winter months in Bend
building Western saddles and
preparing for horse-packing
season. One of Keith’s best
friends lives in Bend, and his
sister in Eugene. Oregon is
another home for the couple.
I went along for three days
of a 12-day packtrip they and
their Mongolian crew (who
also choose to ride in Western
saddles over saddles tradition-
ally used in Mongolia) guided
for six guests through the
gorkhi-Terelj National Park
and Khan Khentii Strictly
Protected Area, in the moun-
tains northeast of Mongolia’s
capital city, Ulaanbaatar. Only
three because beyond that
point, no roads intersect their
planned wilderness route, and
I was to fly back to the U.S.
before their trip ended.
We started from their base
in the Darkhid Valley, trotting
upstream along braids of the
Terelj River. The grass was
thick, and the horses grabbed
bites eagerly. In my years of
guiding, I never let horses eat
while a rider was mounted, as
it often led to a misstep and
fall. Keith told us that we are
to let our horses eat and drink
as they choose to; we would
be riding fast and hard; the
horses need all the food they
can get. Turns out, none lag
and I didn’t see any of them
stumble for grabbing a bite.
And the packhorses were
free; they had no intention of
leaving or lagging; all trotted
and cantered together for long
distances.
The terrain alternated
between waterways lined
with willows, alder and birch,
to dense forests of larch, to
expansive green meadows —
the steppe. The meadows of
photo by SAbine SchMidt
On the steppe for a packtrip. In a Western saddle, riding Jerry.
grasses and forbs with flow-
ers under every step, rolled
on and on — sweeping curves
that turned out to be further
and steeper than they looked.
And yet the distance slipped
easily into the past under the
stride of the horses.
Every so often, Jerry
decided to change his position
in the group. At first I apolo-
gized to the other riders as
Jerry veered out to run ahead
and cut in front of someone.
The other horses did it, too,
and we had to laugh. Soon I
just let Jerry navigate on his
own; he knew the terrain and
his buddies much better than
I did. Turns out, he usually
placed himself just behind
or ahead of another little bay
who is Jerry’s spittin’ image.
That’s Ben. They’re bosom
buddies.
Instead of names, horses in
Mongolia tend to be identified
by color. A horse-centric cul-
ture, many Mongolian words
exist for the various colors.
Some in this herd: Blackie,
Brownie, New Brownie.
Ulaanbaatar (Red Hero) is
a bright sorrel. Blue Roan.
Little Dirty Face. Big Dirty
Face. Occasionally, one is
called Nergui, which means
“No Name.” And sometimes
children are named Nergui.
One river crossing a few
See HOOfBeATS on page 22
HIP
PAIN?
Quick and
affordable relief.
Auto accidents,
workman’s comp.
accepted.
photo by lynn woodwArd
At night, the horses were tied to a ground picket line, otherwise they
grazed hobbled. Here, Big Dirty Face stands ready while the horsemen
Byambaa and Bayaraa saddle the remaining 15 head.
Serving Sisters Since 1976
oing on
g
t
e
g
o
t
ot
Need
g
e
v
’
e
W
?
cts
fall proje g you need!
everythin
FREE
Local
Delivery
Lumber • Hardware • Paint
Fencing & Decking • Doors & Windows
Hours: M-F 8 to 5, Sat. 8 to 4:30, Closed Sundays
440 N. Pine St. • 541-549-8141 • www.hoyts.net
Three Sisters Chiropractic
& Pain Management
Dr. Inice Gough, DC | 541.549.3583
— Since 1997 —
Customized Echo 3-in-1 Utility Trailer
10 x 7.5 ft. muti-use trailer with
removable sides, ramps for loading
from side or back, and steel halo bars.
• 1 or 2 ATV Hauler
• Multiple Kayak Hauler
• 4-sided Wood Hauler
• Attached Spare Tire
• Secure Tie-down Storage
ge Gas Can
• Storage for 2 Larg
Large
Cans
$2,700
Call 480-773-1255