No one, bar Genghis Khan, that too only in legend, has ever been able to ride one. Takhi which translates as spirit, remain the last of the wild horses and to get to them you have to reach Mongolia! The country has an indefatigable relationship with the horse that has lasted centuries; it has over three million of them.
Takhi, Image credit
Takhi or Przewalskii horse is one of the seven equide species in the world. They are the only living link between the world’s first horses, which galloped the earth some 55 million years ago, and today’s domestic horse.
From 1930s Takhi became threatened in Mongolia (Dovchin, 1969), and currently are listed as very rare and highly endangered in the Mongolian Red Book ( Shiirevdamba et all, 1997). It became extinct in the wild. Then was reintroduced in different regions of Mongolia.
Hopefully you are not confusing them with domestic horse breeds. The genuine species are few and can be found only in Hustai National Park, 60 miles south-west of Ulaanbaator, where, under the shadows of the Khentii mountain range, they roam.
Steppe landscape of the Hustai National Park.
On the plains of Hustai there are more than 450 plant species, many perfect fodder for takhi. A distinctive dark eel-stripe runs from the mane to the tail of the species. Short, chunky and muscular, these horses look very different to their domestic cousins, with huge nostrils and large, rectangular faces.
During spring, they wear their ‘between seasons’ coats of butterscotch, caramel and toffee.
Thick necks support their handsome heads; stubby ears are full of straw-like hair; and manes are upright and stiff like those of zebras. Takhi are strong horses engineered by nature to survive earlier, tougher times. The short summer coat changes to a longer pelt with thick underfur in winter. Mares fiercely protect their young, and during mating season stallions will kick each other to death to gain dominance.
Here they live a remote existence...
To get there you can get in touch with Panoramic Journeys who offer tailor-made, small-group journeys in Mongolia. So do plan a trip to see for yourself the last of the wild horses in the wild.
Photos by Sara Evans
Source: The Telegraph
