Tiny Horses and The Mongolian Armies That Ride Them

You will want to take a look at these beautiful Tiny Horses and the Mongolian Armies that ride them. These tiny horses from Mongolia live outdoors all year, having to deal with temperatures that range from 86 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to minus 40 degrees in the winter. The tiny horses graze and search for food on their own. The mare's milk is processed into the national beverage known as airag. The tiny horses serve as riding and transport animals for the nomads who live there, and they are used for the daily work of the nomads and in horse racing. These adorable and beautiful tiny horses are said to have helped the warrior Genghis Khan found the great Mongol Empire. Genghis Khan relied on his tiny horses to provide him with food, transportation, drink, sport, hunting and entertainment. Mongolian cowboys show off the riding skills of their ancestors on these tiny horses. The photos of these tiny horses being ridden by the nomads in scenic Mongolia are quite a thing to see. The tiny horses made excellent warhorses because of their stamina, hardiness, self-sufficiency and ability to forage. Every year in Mongolia these horses are taken to the Khentii Province in eastern Mongolia for the Winter Horse Festival.

These tiny horses are hardy and adapted to living out in temperatures that can reach minus 45 degrees, and they can forage for food in any condition. Mongolian horses are small but stocky and strong and great for endurance riding. Besides transport, Mongolians use horses for sport - horse racing is a nomad's favorite game. Horse racing in winter is a change for nomads to examine their preparation for the cold winter, and practice their horse herding skills. Cold temperatures and pasture covered with snow will not stop nomad men who love horses. Being in the middle of hundreds of horses galloping around and being herded by fashionable nomad men is amazing. The anatomy of a horse allows the animal to make good use of speed to escape predators and horses also have a well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight or flight response. A horses' need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait, combined with horses being able to sleep both standing up and lying down.

The tiny Mongolian horses are thought to have remained mostly unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan, who lived in Mongolia from 1162-1227, was the founder and Great Khan or Emperor of the Mongol Empire. After the demise of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire became the largest contiguous empire in history. Genghis Khan came into power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia at the time. After he founded the Mongol Empire and was proclaimed Genghis Khan he then started the Mongol invasions that resulted in the conquest of most of Eurasia.

You will find this interesting article on tiny horses and the Mongolian armies who ride them on the "Daily Mail" site. This site has all sorts of interesting stories from news (world news, headlines and photos), television and showbiz, Australia, health, science, money, video, travel and more. Some of the stories you'll find on the site include unsettling historical photos, the most priceless moments ever caught on cam, celebs who are unrecognizable after plastic surgery, lost photos of history that are pretty unnerving and plenty more. *