The legend of the iron-hoofed horse

The iron-hoofed horse ranked third in the Inner Mongolia horse competition. Legend has it that it was once the best horse of the Royal Guards of the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the Mongolian cavalry dominated the world, and it had outstanding military exploits.

In "Keshiketeng Banner Chronicles", there is a legend about the iron-hoofed horse: "Thousands of miles of wind and clouds of clouds can't catch up with Baicha's iron-hoofed horse!" And when it participates in the competition, "The horse straightened its body, stretched out its neck, flung out its four hooves and chased forward as if it was flying. At first it looked like lightning, and then it looked like a whirlwind. The rocks kicked up by its hind hooves were as big as a bowl, flying in the air, and everyone who saw it was stunned. Shocked. They all shouted: 'It's really like an iron hoof!'"

The iron hoof horse first appeared in Baichagou, Inner Mongolia. In an article dedicated to introducing iron-hoofed horses, there was such a record: “There is a Baicha ditch in Keshiketeng Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia. The ditch is more than 300 miles long. The ditch is surrounded by hills, full of rocks, and the road is rugged. However, the Baicha Valley has abundant water and grass and a pleasant climate. It is this unique environment that breeds the Baicha Iron-hoofed Horse.

The Inner Mongolian Iron-hoofed Horse is facing extinction and is said to be Genghis Khan's war horse.

January 19, 2011 09:19 China Youth Daily

Baoyin Dalai (right), Alateng and their iron-hoofed horse. Photo by Zhou Xinyu

Photo by Shu Ni.

The iron-hoofed horse. Photo by Shu Ni

Baoyindalai’s home is located between three yurts. Photo by Zhou Xinyu

The last iron-hoofed horse

Our reporter Zhou Xinyu

Planning: Green Mirror-Inner Mongolia herdsmen use loan sharks to protect iron-hoofed horses

Baoyinda believes that the blood of Genghis Khan flows in his body. He also believes that the iron-hoofed horse he is protecting with all his strength is the descendant of the war horse that helped Genghis Khan's army sweep across Eurasia in the 13th century.

This 49-year-old Mongolian herdsman has a round black-red face and a stocky face. His tall figure always had a shy expression and a naive smile on his face, which only became apparent when he mounted his black horse, waved his whip, and roared into the dust. The unique heroic spirit of Mongolian men

“I must keep this species. If you don’t keep it now, it will be gone. This matter is urgent! "Baoyindalai patted his thigh and said, "If the iron-hoofed horses are really amazing, the day will not be far away when all Mongolian horses disappear from the grassland! ”

The Mongolian horse changed the world, but the world abandoned it

Baoyindalai’s yurt, Gongge at the foot of Baiyin Aobao Mountain in Keshiketeng Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region On the Er grassland. The type of pasture where his home is located is called "Hanggai" in Mongolian. It has rolling mountains, sparse trees, gentle rivers, dense grasslands, and cattle and sheep that have been companions of herders for thousands of years. And horses.

One day at the end of 2010, a group of horses were grazing quietly on the hillside. The heavy snowfall not long ago had not completely melted, and the white snow covering the yellow grass was trampled by the horses' hooves. Deep nest.

Baoyindalai and his old friend, 62-year-old Alateng, bought these horses with loan sharks. According to their knowledge, there are only these iron-hoofed horses left. The last 100 or so horses were produced.

The iron-hoofed horse is short and strong but has great endurance. It is also known as the four famous horses in Inner Mongolia along with the Ujimqin white horse, Abaga black horse and Ordos Wushen horse. Baoyinda's father, who was a stable boy, cherished his treasure all his life. "Its hooves are small and hard, not prone to cracks. It does not skip or jump when climbing uphill, and it can walk on the rugged mountain roads with rocks everywhere." " Baoyinda introduced that in Inner Mongolia, the iron-hoofed horse is the only fast horse that can hit the road without holding hands.

According to records, in 1950, the iron-hoofed horse won 58 He reached the finish line in just minutes. There is a local proverb: "Thousands of miles of wind and thousands of clouds of clouds can't catch up to a horse with hundreds of iron hoofs." "

"Keshiketeng Banner Chronicles" records the scene of iron-hoofed horses participating in the competition: "The rocks lifted up by the hind hooves were as big as bowls and flew in the air, and everyone who watched them were stunned. The same call: It’s really iron-hoofed! "

Local people believe that the iron-hoofed horse has a noble bloodline. From a very young age, Baoyindalai learned from his parents that the iron-hoofed horse was originally a special horse for Genghis Khan's imperial guard. "13 At the beginning of the century, Genghis Khan led his Mongolian cavalry across the Eurasian continent. The super endurance of the iron-hoofed horses showed an unparalleled advantage in this war. "Bao Yinda said, his face particularly rosy with excitement.

There is a local legend about how Genghis Khan's war horses took root here. Tuohuan Timur, the last emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, was forced by Zhu Yuanzhang's army They had to continue to retreat northward, all the way to Baoyindalai's hometown - Keshiketeng. A small part of the army and horses lived among the people and hid in the rugged mountainous area, which is now the Iron Shoe area of ​​Keshiketeng. As a result, horses have been able to multiply locally.

However, this famous horse is now on the verge of extinction, which makes Baoyinda extremely heartbroken. “The number of Mongolian horses has dropped sharply. The most precious iron-hoofed horse disappeared from the grassland. I feel sorry for my ancestors! "Baoyindalai's voice was trembling.

This descendant of two generations of horse herders learned to ride a horse at the age of six and has never left the horse since. From the memories passed down from generation to generation, he learned about the grassland Baoyinda was fascinated by the past when tens of thousands of horses galloped and people depended on each other.

The reality around him is that horses seem to be quietly withdrawing from the life of a shepherd. People are no longer inseparable from horses as before, and there are no more thousands of horses galloping on the grasslands. Instead, there are more motorcycles and cars every day.

The data from Inner Mongolia Agricultural University Vice President Manglai seems to support Baoyindalai’s observation. In 1975, the number of horses in Inner Mongolia was 2.39 million. By 2002, this number had dropped to 914,000, and in 2010 it dropped sharply to less than 500,000. Among the nearly 500,000 horses, there are less than 100,000 true purebred Mongolian horses.

“In the 13th century, Mongolian horses were like today’s Boeing 747s, with speed and efficiency far ahead of other means of transportation.” As the son of a herdsman, Manglai has been engaged in research on Mongolian horses for more than 30 years. He is also the Secretary-General of the Inner Mongolia Horse Industry Association.

“The Mongolian horse changed the world, but the world abandoned it.” Mang Lai lamented.

I will always protect you, no matter who it is, they can’t take you away from me

In Baoyinda’s heart, the horse is the closest friend, the one who can use his life to Brothers who trust each other.

Baoyin Dalai, who grew up on a horse, is well versed in the art of communicating with horses: Mongolian horses are extremely docile to their owners and can identify their owners by their smell and sound. When a stranger approaches, it will make a threatening sound; once it hears the owner's shout, it will immediately become quiet. Horses follow their owners. A horse tamed by a person with a bad temper will have a bad temper. On the contrary, a horse tamed by a person with a gentle temper will also have a docile temper.

"When they suddenly stop and turn their ears while eating grass, it means that danger is not far away. If they yawn continuously, it means that the weather will be good the next day." Baoyindalai He smiled, as if talking about his beloved children, showing a satisfied look.

What Baoyindalai cannot forget is that the horse even saved his life. He still remembers that it was a winter night in 1985, and the round full moon hung in the sky.

That day, Baoyinda came to herd the horses and walked a long way. At night, he was sleepy and tired, so he lay in his snow nest and fell asleep. In his sleep, he vaguely felt his mount kicking him gently with its front hooves. Baoyinda opened his eyes drowsily and saw that everything seemed normal, so he fell asleep again. Just as he closed his eyes, the horse kicked him again. Based on his experience raising horses since childhood, he felt that something unusual must have happened. He quickly got up to check and found a wolf squatting a few meters away!

"This horse saved my life and is my benefactor." Baoyindalai's eyes were a little wet, "From now on I will no longer ride it and raise it until it dies."

< p>In Baoyindalai's heart, horse is not only his savior, but also the source of all glory and confidence for his grandfather and father. In my grandfather's time, horse herding was the most proud profession for men on the grasslands, and only the noblest and bravest herdsmen could do it. And my grandfather was a Wrangler. At most, he kept more than 1,000 horses for the people of Gacha (village). At that time, horses galloped freely on the vast grassland of four to five million acres.

Bayindalai’s father, Balajir, took over the horse roping pole from his father at the age of 16 and became a horse herder. He never left the horse again in his life. One day in 1966, when Baoyindalai was 4 years old, a grassland in his family's brigade caught fire, and more than 300 horses on the brigade happened to be in the fire scene. My father, who was working as a stable boy in the brigade at the time, was urgently called to the scene. Facing the raging fire, Balajir rode his horse and jumped through the wall of fire against the wind. The other horses galloped out after him. In the end, only some of the mane and tail hairs were burned off, but no damage was done to the horses. Balajir thus became the hero of Gacha.

Because of the contribution of this horse, Balajir no longer lets the horse work, and has always treated every one of its offspring kindly. After Balajir's death in 2001, Baoyindalai continued this mission. He felt that looking at the descendants of his father's mount, it was like his father was still around. He often stroked the horse and murmured to himself: "I will always protect you and your children and grandchildren. No one can take you away from me."

Leave the horse behind From Baoyinda's point of view, letting them live and let them gallop on the grassland is a commitment to his family, and it is a major event worth risking his life for.

Actually, it’s not that he doesn’t know that the Mongolian horse, which was originally so unconstrained, has long since lost its space to gallop freely. In the late 1980s, after the grassland implemented dual contracting for grass and livestock, net fences were put up everywhere, turning the vast grassland into broken "chessboards." Within a limited scope, hundreds of livestock forage on a designated pasture day after day, causing rapid degradation of the grassland, forcing herdsmen to reluctantly part ways, and driving large numbers of horses that depend on each other to death.

Not only that, in Gacha, where Baoyinda is located, the originally vast grassland is being encroached on by more and more farmland, artificial forests, protected areas, tourist areas and various mining sites. . Now, there is very little space left for herders to graze their cattle.

On Baiyin Aobao Mountain near his home, there is a sandy spruce forest, a living fossil in the plant world. For the herdsmen at the foot of Aobao Mountain, this woodland has been their winter pasture since ancient times. However, this forest land has now been designated as a forest farm and protected area, and horses will be punished if they enter.

Also starting in the 1980s, the local government banned herders from raising goats. By 2003 and 2004, like other grasslands in Inner Mongolia, the goats in Keshiketeng were basically extinct.

Soon after, the government again called for a ban on camels. In the past three years, "cutting" horses has become a new policy.

“The living space of horses has been squeezed again and again.” Baoyinda recalled, “Dari Sumu (Township) issued several notices to herdsmen prohibiting horse grazing, and some people opposed it. If you can't stand the pressure, you get rid of the horses."

Those who insist on raising horses will face fines from Sumu Grassland Station. In the past three years, President Baoyindalai was fined more than 10,000 yuan. It is said that some were fined even more.

“With the introduction of cars and motorcycles into the grasslands, the number of horses has been decreasing at an extremely fast rate. Now coupled with the pressure of policies, horses may disappear from the grasslands in the near future. "How to keep the Mongolian horses, especially the iron-hoofed horses, has become a topic that Baoyindalai and Alateng must talk about every time they meet. Since their father's generation, the two families have been herding horses together.

“There are no goats or camels in the grassland anymore. If there are no horses anymore, I don’t know if this grassland is still grassland?” Sitting in his yurt, Baoyinda came to drink slowly. Taking a sip of milk tea, he said, "The grassland, the five animals, and the people who graze them have always been one. Without any one of them, the grassland culture, grassland ecology, and grassland spirit will have problems."

Without horses, Mongolian men are like without legs, souls and dignity

Despite having been worried for several years, Baoyindalai and Alateng have not taken any action. What really made them feel the seriousness and urgency of the matter was a notice issued by the local government in 2009. In this notice, the Keshiketeng Banner government requires all Sumu to adhere to the principle of keeping horses in pens all year round, and requires herdsmen who do not have the conditions to keep horses in pens to put all their horses out of the market before November 15, 2010.

In the view of Baoyindalai and other herdsmen, horses are free-born, even semi-wild animals, and cannot be locked up at all.

"Horses usually only eat fresh grass tips, and they eat different grasses in different seasons. They often only go home every ten days and a half. Which herdsman can keep them in captivity?" Alateng showed a look of disdain. , "The so-called captivity is to make the horses disappear from the grassland."

The horse trained by Alateng has won many prizes in Naadam, so he is called "Ao Yaqi" locally. It is a person who has special skills in horse training and horse training. Baoyinda also admitted that Alateng knew horses better than he did.

They knew it was time to take action. Together, they estimate that by 2011 at most, all places in Keshiketeng Banner will strictly implement the policy of restricting horse breeding, and the first one to bear the brunt is the iron-hoofed horse.

Today, there are only more than 100 purebred iron-hoofed horses left, concentrated in the Baicha area of ​​Keshiketeng. Baicha belongs to a farming area, and each family only keeps one or two horses. In order to live a stable life, locals may quickly get rid of all the horses.

"If we don't take action, I'm afraid we will never see the iron-hoofed horses again!" Baoyindalai and Alateng were worried that the already endangered iron-hoofed horses would disappear from the grassland overnight.

They decided to rush to Baicha as soon as possible and buy back dozens of horses to form a herd so that the iron-hoofed horse population could continue under protection.

The price of an adult iron-shoed horse is about the same as that of an ordinary horse, about 4,000 yuan each. Baoyinda's annual income from herding is about more than 40,000 yuan. In addition to daily expenses, he also has to support one child in high school and another in college, so there is no surplus. Alateng is 62 years old, the grandfather of three grandchildren, and he doesn’t have much money.

But in the eyes of these two herdsmen, protecting the iron-hoofed horses is a destiny, regardless of whether they have the conditions and ability.

Bao Yinda still remembers a story told by his father: When Balajir was 13 years old, on the way to a relative’s house on horseback, he met several people wearing Japanese military uniforms. They said Ba Ge Ya Lu, and without any explanation, they came over and snatched his horse away. Balajir ran home crying and told his mother what had happened. The mother hurriedly asked people to search everywhere. A few days later, she finally found the horse hundreds of kilometers away from home.

"It's just that it was already dying." Speaking of this past incident he learned from his father, the burly Mongolian man suddenly sobbed, "The Japanese rode it until it could no longer move. He threw it on the road."

Baoyinda explained that the Mongolians believed in the strange connection between humans and horses. His father was still a teenager at the time, so his grandmother had to save it for him no matter what. The horse must be retrieved, otherwise the young man may be unable to hold his head up for the rest of his life.

Under the careful care of the whole family, the recovered horse finally came back to life and lived for more than ten years. After his death, his head was cut off by his owner and enshrined on a higher hillside not far from his home according to custom.

“Without horses, Mongolian men would be without legs, souls and dignity.” Baoyindalai summed up the significance of horses to Mongolian men.

He and Alateng decided to take a risk - borrowing usury to buy horses. They borrowed 60,000 yuan, and the scheduled loan period was three months. If the loan is not repaid at the maturity date, there are two ways: one is for the lender to catch cattle and sheep to pay off the debt; the other is to extend the loan period, but the interest will be doubled, and the previous interest will be counted as the principal.

With the borrowed 60,000 yuan, Baoyindalai and Alateng ran to Baichagou, more than 100 kilometers away from their home, in early August last year, looking for iron-hoofed horses from house to house.

A few days later, two large rented trucks finally transported 16 iron-hoofed horses to the pasture of Alateng's family after trekking for a day and night. As soon as the car's tailgate was opened, these purebred horses from afar fluttered their manes, neighed, and rushed towards the grassland like arrows.

Among the 16 horses, two are foals just born this year. For Baoyinda, if you take in their mother, you must also take in the foals, otherwise the two little guys may die early without the care of the mare.

"Although it is unrealistic to rely on 16 horses to continue a breed, this was the limit of our abilities at that time." Baoyinda smiled naively, as if he was not concerned about loan sharking. worry.

They have decided that even if they sell their cattle and sheep, they still want to keep these iron-hoofed horses that have lived on the grassland for thousands of years.

If no one responds, this time Naadam will serve as an elegy for the Mongolian horses.

Before this, in the face of the declining number of horses on the grasslands, Baoyinda came and Alateng had long felt that something should be done. In the summer of 2009, they decided to unite horse herders to find a solution.

They plan to set up a local "Horse Cultural Association". However, the two of them were not sure how many people would respond.

“In the past, no herdsman’s home was without horses. Horses were the only means of transportation on the grasslands. But now, even the herders have begun to think that horses are of no use, except for participating in the Naadam Horse Racing.” Baoyinda For example, in Gacha, where he lives, there are less than one-third of the herdsmen who raise horses. Even he himself bought a motorcycle two years ago. If he goes out to run errands on a nice day, he rides a motorcycle.

In August of that year, Baoyindalai and Alateng discussed that the Malaysian Cultural Association would recruit members from their respective Gachas. "If we can attract more than a dozen or twenty people, it will be considered a success."

Unexpectedly, as soon as the news spread, more than 240 herders signed up to join the association in just a few days. These people, in total, have more than 3,000 horses, and they live in almost every Gacha in the entire Keshiketeng Banner.

The two brothers were overjoyed by the enthusiasm for registration. In order to celebrate the establishment of the Malaysian Cultural Association and to enhance understanding among members, they decided to organize a Naadam Conference.

The event was originally scheduled to end on one day. However, the response of the herdsmen once again caught them by surprise. Early in the morning that day, herdsmen from far and near rode their horses and drove their sheep, one after another, towards the event site. Baoyinda remembered that every herdsman had a smile on his face and was happier than during the New Year.

Baoyindalai and Alateng hurriedly gathered familiar members, took out tents, tables, chairs and tableware from their respective homes, and transported them to the event site one after another.

In the end, the event lasted for three full days, and some people still felt unsatisfied. Baoyinda estimated that more than 6,000 people participated in the event, and 300 horses participated in various competitions alone, making it the largest Naadam event in Keshiketeng in decades.

“We set up more than 100 tents and slaughtered dozens of sheep to entertain the guests.” Speaking of the grand occasion, Baoyindalai’s voice was a little excited.

Most of the items and expenses required for this event are provided voluntarily by members. Someone picked a good horse from home as the prize for the first place in the horse racing competition. In order to entertain guests, someone took the initiative to kill several of his own sheep. As organizers, Baoyindalai and Alateng each spent more than 10,000 yuan.

This money is mainly used to make souvenirs distributed to members. It was a wooden memorial plaque in the shape of a screen, with two white horses, green grassland and blue sky engraved on it. On the back of the pattern, it is written in Mongolian and Chinese respectively: "The two yellow horses born among Genghis Khan's group of 100,000 horses are favored by the Holy Lord and have become the spiritual symbol of the entire Mongolian nation."

Baoyinda recalled that when he decided to hold this Naadam event, he originally felt deep sadness in his heart. "The idea at the time was that if no one responded, this Naadam would serve as an elegy for the Mongolian horses." Looking at the iron-hoofed horses grazing on the hillside, Baoyindalai's voice was choked with sobs.

However, during those three days, the herdsmen's reluctance to abandon the horses far exceeded his imagination. The most common sentence he heard was: "We can't live without Mongolian horses!"

"What makes Mongolian horses so fascinating to herdsmen? The wheel of the times is really going to turn Mongolia The horse was taken away from the horseback people, and the Mongolian horse that they regarded as life disappeared in their own hands? "A Beijing girl who was traveling in Keshketeng and happened to participate in this Naadam recorded herself in her diary. confusion and thinking.

A grassland without horses is a grassland without a soul

Baoyindalai and Alateng gradually realized that what they had to fight was not just the fate of an animal that would decline. , it is also the loss of the traditional way of life on the grassland. And what they want to protect is not just a species, but the soul of grassland culture.

Baoyinda’s home is located among three yurts lined up near the spruce forest on the sand. The yurt on the left belongs to his uncle Hexig Taoketao, a professor at Minzu University of China. This world-renowned Mongolian scholar left the grassland after being admitted to the Minzu University of China in 1961 and has lived in Beijing for 50 years.

But he still retains the habit of returning to the grassland to live for a period of time every summer. He also has a beloved purple horse, which he keeps in the horse herd in Baoyinda.

In the yurt on the right of Baoyindalai, his younger brother Baoyinbater’s family lived. Since a brick house had just been built nearby, Baoyinbaater was about to move out of the yurt.

Nowadays, the yurts that were once ubiquitous on the grasslands have become very rare. According to Baoyindalai's estimate, this winter, there are only more than 20 yurts left in Keqi Banner, and the vast majority of herders have moved into settled houses.

The stubborn Baoyindalai chose to persevere. "Mongolians place the colt and horse milk bucket at the west end of the yurt; the saddle faces north; the horse harness pole is placed on the west side of the yurt, and the middle part must face the yurt." These rules passed down from his ancestors made him feel Living in a yurt is my only choice.

For Baoyindalai’s uncle, 62-year-old Wulichou, protecting Mongolian horses is his only choice. This old CPPCC member is a well-known labor model and rich expert in Keshiketeng Banner. In 2002, due to the ban on goat grazing in Qili, the old man sold all the more than 2,000 goats he raised in order to set an example for other herdsmen.

“Although I suffered great economic losses at that time, I was willing to protect the grassland.” The old herdsman with dark gray eyes said, “But goats and horses have complete importance in the hearts of herdsmen. Different, if you don’t even raise horses, how can you still be called Mongolian?”

In his concept, horses are associated with the prosperity and development of the Mongolian people. In Mongolian culture, the horse is the mascot among the five animals and is something worshiped, like a god. If the horse disappears, Mongolian culture will also disappear.

In Wuli's view, liking horses is the nature of the Mongolian people flowing in their blood. "Just like the Han people, even if they have no land, they still have to plant a few green onions in the cracks of bricks." He now keeps dozens of horses and rarely sells them. He only has to sell a few horses when there are too many to keep.

“Prairie culture has created horse culture, and Mongolian horse culture supports the vitality of grassland culture.” Wu Liqiu said word by word. In his understanding, horses are the messengers of civilization deep in the memories of prairie people and the spirits in prairie culture. Mongolians love horses dearly, because Mongolians grew up on horses, and the Mongolian nation should live in harmony with horses.

"The character and behavior of Mongolian horses affect Mongolian people's views on people and the world. In other words, Mongolian horses influence Mongolian culture." Baoyindalai nodded thoughtfully and agreed.

For example, he gave the example that when the Mongols had many horses, they did not count how many horses they had, but how many "ermazi" (bred stallions) they had. Herdsmen believe that Ermazi is trustworthy. As long as Ermazi is not missing, there will be no shortage of horses in the herd.

My father told him a story: There was a herdsman who noticed that his son Mazi was sweating profusely when he came back for several days in a row, so he followed the herd of horses to find out. It turned out that Ermazi was fighting with a tiger on the mountain. The tiger's claws always hit Ermazi's horse mane and got tangled in it. The tiger slapped it with its palm, and the horse's body was a little crooked. When the tiger's claws were retracted, the horse's body was pulled back. The herdsman thought the horse's mane was in the way, so he knocked it off at night. The next day, Ermazi went to fight with the tiger again. Unexpectedly, the tiger slapped Ermazi into the ravine. It turns out that it was the horse's hair that protected his son, preventing the tiger from photographing his vital parts.

For Baoyinda, herdsmen beat their horses' manes every spring, but they never beat their horses. But not every herdsman knows this story. Some herdsmen think that the reason why Ermazi is not maned is that he must hold Ermazi down when maneing. This will destroy its prestige and be detrimental to Ermazi.

“A capable man also has his own personality. A man must protect his wife and children upright, and the majesty of a hero cannot be destroyed. These rules among the horses are subtly embedded in the values ​​​​of the Mongolian people.” He said.

The answer is floating in the wind

By chance, Baoyindalai and Alateng borrowed loan sharks to protect the iron-hoofed horses. Two environmental organizations in Beijing found out. The story touched some people who care about the grassland. With the help of volunteers, Baoyinda received 16,000 yuan in donations and 44,000 yuan in loans, and repaid the original 60,000 yuan loan shark.

But Baoyinda did not feel relaxed at all. He knew that horses need to be in groups to breed, and they have the instinct to prevent inbreeding. At least thirty horses are needed to form a relatively healthy horse herd. At that time, they only had 16 iron-hoofed horses, which was far from enough from the perspective of population reproduction.

After discussion, the two brothers gritted their teeth and borrowed another 30,000 yuan from usury. This time their goal was clear: add a few more mares and find a satisfying foal.

At the end of September last year, the most arduous autumn weeding work in Gongger Grassland was coming to an end. Alateng and Baoyinda came to make an appointment and went out to buy horses together again. The two rented a large truck and spent a whole day wandering around the Zhirui and Ulanbu areas in the southern part of Keshiketeng Banner, and pulled back seven horses with iron hoofs.

Together, the two brothers calculated that these 23 horses can breed several ponies every year. When the number increases, they will be slowly divided into several horse groups, which may be able to meet the needs of healthy breeding.

In early November, more than 200 herdsmen from the Horse Culture Association jointly wrote a letter to the government of Keshiketeng Banner, requesting "withdrawal of the order to put all the horses out of the market."

Professor Manglai forwarded this letter to the relevant leaders of the autonomous region.

I don’t know whether it was because of this letter or because the road was blocked due to heavy snowfall in the Gongger Grassland. When the time came, the person checking the horses did not come.

In mid-December, Baoyindalai received good news from Manglai: The Inner Mongolia Horse Industry Association had asked the leaders of the autonomous region for instructions, and a government document on the protection of iron-hoofed horses would soon be issued.

Although I have never seen the government documents mentioned by Professor Manglai, on January 15 this year, Baoyinda waited for several special "guests". They "represented the governments of Keshiketeng Banner and Dali Sumu" and came to ask "if there is any difficulty in raising horses." Baoyinda speculated that the document Manglai mentioned might have come true.

Now, Baoyindalai is enveloped in mixed emotions every day: If the government really issues a document, the iron-hoofed horse may be temporarily protected. However, apart from preserving a small number of living specimens of famous horses, where will the once glorious Mongolian horses be tomorrow?

He often recalled the scene at the end of the grand Naadam event: after the game, the horses and riders gradually dispersed, the grassland returned to its original tranquility, but the sound of Mongolian horses seemed to still echo in the distance. The sound of rapid hoofbeats and powerful neighing was carried away by the wind.