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Title: Message

Actually, they work hard to prepare their best horses for the Nadaam Festival. It is considered a disgrace to have a horse die there or at any race. Even later, if one of their race horses die, it is a disgrace, and they will try to hide the fact that it died. And if the horse is sick, they know how and will quickly end the pain. But no, they are not attached to their horses like we are. They are a source of pride and a measure of wealth, not loved and cared for as pets. But I don't think they eat them, but they do like the fermented mare's milk.

 

Kathy

 

Elizabeth wrote:

Yep. This is purely my unsubstantiated opinion, but I don't see the Mongolian people getting very sentimental about their horses. They take pride in them, yes, but I think they have a very different view than most folks from 'developed' nations: basically, if it can't do the job, eat it.

I also am of the opinion that their Nadaam festival serves as a way of culling horses that aren't up to the job, so if a horse dies while being run flat out for 15 or 25 miles, it wasn't good enough to begin with.

After several hundred years of this type of management & culling, the horses in the population are going to be "pretty tough".

Again - this is totally my opinion, not based upon any kind of fact. :)