Horsey photo no 5: most of the horses that someone owns will be 'roaming free' but are periodically rounded up and brought to camp. (usually done on horse, but this guy was lucky enough to own a motorbike). I'm not sure exactly how herders keep track of their stock, but somehow they do. i've heard that horse packs are grouped together around a stallion..
2 comments:
Julia:
What an interesting concept: keeping animals without fences! How many horses does a rancher have at a time?
in the whole of mongolia there are virtually no animals kept behind fences. It is amazing that this system works, somehow. i guess your average herder has 50-100 horses. more if you are wealthier.
all the cows and goats and sheep and yaks are kept without fences. The herding family sets up camp (they live in 'gers' which are white felt round tents, like a 'yurt') and the animals graze in the nearby vicinity. the man goes out and rounds them up occassionally. i've seen them bring them in to the camp at night time in the winter and in dust storms, but not sure if they do it every night.
when the animals get sick of the location, the family packs up and moves to another spot.
the great thing about a ger is that it can be taken down or put up in an hour or so. very flexible living!
interestingly, when i was in the gobi, i saw the goats and sheep and camels come back to camp in the evening of their own accord. the herders just rounded up the stragglers. v.interesting....
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