County hosts equestrian event to show culture
“Drink to get drunk, ride to fly (gallop),” says Ungog, president of the Jiatang Equestrian Performance Troupe.
“The clop is in our blood. We will not fear the risks of getting hurt while riding,” the 62-year-old Tibetan adds.
In summer — a beautiful season in the grasslands — horseback riders reveal their skills and courage while celebrating this year’s Jiatang Equestrian Culture Festival in Chindu county, Qinghai province.
Ungog’s troupe gave spectacular performances on the Jiatang grasslands, located at an elevation of more than 4,400 meters, during the three days of the festival that started on July 16.
The riders and their horses fascinated viewers with difficult movements while galloping on the mountains.
The riders did activities such as handstands, backbends, shooting and presenting flowers, and stunts like riding two horses at the same time.
Ungog has connected with horses since a young age, and he has tamed more than 10.
He says horses from ages 5 to 9 are usually very fast. While some people might prefer horses with a “moderate temper” for such shows because they are easy to tame and train, he says for the Jiatang grasslands, furious horses are more popular.
“Gentle horses cannot run wildly, and without speed, the equestrian performance will not be rakish enough,” Ungog says.
“Horse racing is a great Tibetan culture, and it needs innovation to keep the balance between tradition and modern equestrian approaches. Of course, the younger generation relies on modern transportation tools more, but I’m glad to see more young people joining the equestrian association.”
Palden is an association member who performed in the first annual equestrian festival last year. He participated this year, too.
He says traditional performances include shooting, brandishing a sword and picking up the hada (a long piece of white silk Tibetans present to honored guests) while riding a fiery horse; modern projects like presenting flowers and wine on the back of galloping horses are skills he picked up in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
When asked whether he likes motorcycles or horses more, Palden laughs and says: “Horses, because they are from the grasslands and will not hurt nature.”
Pagyu Gyata, the director of publicity for Chindu county, says the festival aims to show the equestrian culture as the soul of the Jiatang grasslands, and it is about environmental protection as well.
“The festival shows the value of nomadic culture to visitors and also local residents.”
He says the festival reminds local people, from officials to herdsmen, to pay more attention to environmental protection to show their culture in a better condition to the world.
“After all, culture is the foundation of life,” he says.