Women on Horseback ▎ A Guide to Tibetan Nomadic Women

Wind Language, photographed by Claire Eggers

"If you ask me who my friends are,
the steed beneath my saddle is my friend."
(Daofu, Sichuan)

"Do you come from above or below?
If you come from Shangser above,
Tell me, is my horse still at Shangyun'er?
Among the herd, does it fare well and at ease?
Do not hide the truth, tell me plainly—
I miss it so, I can hardly bear my days."
(Xiahe, Gansu)

"This horse is just like me.  
Both of you, ride swiftly back to the master."  
With that, he leaped down from the black horse,  
Handing the reins to his two friends.  
The black horse, unwilling, neighed and whinnied,  
Tears as large as eggs streaming from its eyes.

(From *The Five Treasured Instructions: The Chapter on Consorts*, describing the words spoken by Padmasambhava's disciple when bidding farewell to his friends Zesei and Vuzha.)  
Cited from Xia Min's Horse Culture and Tibetan Folk Life

Tibetan Horse Culture

Horse Culture

Since ancient times, horses have been crucial in the production and daily lives of nomadic peoples. They served as essential means of transportation for nomads migrating in search of water and pasture, and they formed an integral part of nomadic culture. As one of the most intimate domesticated animals in the production and life of the Tibetan people, horses played significant roles in various societal functions over the years—in ritual culture, labor, military preparedness, and seasonal pasture rotations.

During the Tibetan Empire, due to the flourishing of animal husbandry and the frequent military use of horses, various official positions were established in Tibetan history to manage horses. For example, the "Stable Official" of the Tibetan Empire period was a role responsible for the care and management of the riding horses of rulers, ministers, and military steeds. (Xia Min; *Horse Culture and Tibetan Folk Life*)

The complete set of horse equipment specially commissioned by General Yutok Tashi Dhondup (a Tibetan aristocrat and official of the Kashag government). The historical tradition of crafting exquisitely made, ornately decorated ceremonial saddle blankets in Tibet continued until the mid-20th century. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Horse keepers must diligently attend to the daily care of their beloved horses, including providing water, supplying feed, grooming, showing concern, and taking protective measures (such as carefully selecting riding stirrups, saddles, hoof care and shoeing, and choosing bits and harnesses for driving). Only through such meticulous care can the steed perform to its fullest potential.

Additionally, among the various protectors in Buddhism, there is Hayagrīva (also known as Horse-Headed Vajra). This protector originates from India and is considered an embodiment of Avalokiteśvara's essential nature. His appearance is that of a horse-headed human figure, wrathful and formidable, capable of subduing demons and malevolent forces. "In both the upper and lower tantric colleges of Tibetan Buddhism, he is revered as one of the protective deities, regarded as an emanation of the compassionate Avalokiteśvara and other Buddhas."

Thangka Appliqué of Hayagrīva at Sera Monastery, image source: Google

In the ancient tantric traditions, there exist specialized teachings on Hayagrīva. Some monasteries still preserve the Sanskrit-Tibetan bilingual text "A Brief Treatise on Hayagrīva." The Gelug school venerates both the eight-headed and six-headed forms of Hayagrīva, with the Hayagrīva Chapel at Sera Monastery being the most prominent and frequented site for worship.

The horse is a domesticated animal that has been personified and deified, giving rise to the distinctive horse culture in Tibet.

Herdsmen burn cypress branches to fumigate their horses for good luck at the Yushu Horse Racing Festival, photographed by Getty Images.

Folk Horse Racing

Horse racing is an important component of horse culture, and the horse racing festivals centered around it embody the Tibetan people's celebrations of harvest, rituals to honor deities, remembrance of ancestors, heroic competitions, and emotional exchanges. Tibetan horse racing has a long history, documented in the famous Tibetan epic "Gesar," which recounts how the hero Gesar became king through a horse race and also won his beloved consort through racing. It can be said that Tibetans, through horse racing, express their reverence for heroes as well as their admiration for strength, wisdom, and courage.

In Tibet, many renowned horse racing festivals are celebrated both domestically and internationally. Today, various scales of horse racing events are held annually in many Tibetan-inhabited areas, such as the Damxung Horse Racing Festival, the Northern Tibet Horse Racing Festival, the Gyantse Dama Horse Racing Festival, the Kangding Horse Racing Festival, the Panpo Grassland Gathering in Qinghai, and the Tianzhu Horse Racing Festival in Huarui, Gansu.

Horse racing in the Kham region, photographed by Falsalama.

In addition to the more renowned grand events, many local small-scale horse racing gatherings in Tibet are held continuously from late spring and early summer through late autumn. In my childhood memories, the joy of each summer pasture was following my parents to horse racing festivals of all sizes. These lively gatherings awakened the grasslands after the long winter, bringing people together in celebration to experience long-awaited excitement. After a season of rest and recovery, riders led their radiant steeds onto the grounds—a scene of utmost grace.

Female horse racers

When speaking of Tibetan women at horse racing festivals, what often comes to others' minds are beautifully adorned, elegantly poised ladies. Yet, on the actual racetrack, female participation is rarely seen.

Image source: National Geographic Magazine

Due to differences in social roles, Tibetan women's relationship with horses primarily revolves around herding, seasonal pasture rotations, and life events such as weddings and funerals (horses are among the dowry livestock for Tibetan women in marriages, and when a family member passes away, regardless of gender, a fine horse is often offered to the local living Buddha to serve as the deceased's mount). The competitive aspect of horse racing and its connection to women may be less widely known.

Enthusiasts of folk horse culture speculate that Tibetan women's proficiency with horses has a long history. According to Zaxi Ye, a practitioner of folk horse culture, as early as the era of Songtsen Gampo, there were women specifically engaged in horse breeding and the study of equine culture. A folk text titled *The Explanation of Horses by the Daughter of Joru* is attributed to a woman from the Joru family, a lineage of horse-keeping officials. This work meticulously documents the origins of horses, the relationship between humans and horses, horse naming conventions, standards for evaluating horse physique and weight, horse breeding techniques, and more. A folk proverb states, "No woman's knowledge of horses surpasses that of the daughter of Joru." This suggests that Tibetan women's study of horses has deep and enduring roots.

Women at the Horse Racing Festival, image source: Go to tibet

Beyond the study of horses, I had the fortune to witness women's horse racing in person during my childhood, an experience that left a deep impression on me. Through inquiries with friends from various regions, I learned that traditions of women's horse racing exist across Tibetan areas, though the number of female participants remains relatively small. Through various channels of consultation, I was fortunate to connect with several women horse racing enthusiasts from my hometown. In conversations with them, I repeatedly came to appreciate the captivating charm of Tibetan women galloping on horseback across the grasslands.

NO.1 Rinchen Wangmo

Rinchen Wangmo, 37, is from Yeniugou Township, Qilian County. She has loved horse racing and horse breeding since childhood and has raised three horses to date. Her oldest horse is now over twenty years old and has been released into the wild. She married at the age of 17, and among the dowry livestock gifted by her parents was a fine horse. Her only concern was whether she could continue her passion in her new family, but fortunately, her husband is understanding and supports her hobbies of horse breeding and training. To this day, she has participated in countless horse racing festivals, large and small. Over the years, the best prize she has won from horse racing is a blanket.

Blanket, a prize in horse racing festivals around the 1990s to 2000s.

In recent years, after taking on the role of director in the local village women's federation organization, she began organizing women in the village who are passionate about horse racing to participate in racing festivals. At the same time, she has also organized several women-only horse racing events on International Women's Day, which have yielded positive results, and the scale of these races has gradually expanded.

Initially, only women from her own village participated, but over time, women from other villages have also joined, with participation ranging from over twenty to thirty or forty individuals. During other horse racing festivals, when the number of female participants is too small to form a separate group, they sometimes race alongside the men's group. When there are enough participants, they can race in a women's group. There is no difference in race distances or rules between men and women. However, the majority ride at a walking pace, with fewer riding at a gallop.

Rinchen Wangmo and her companions. Women often wear practical attire during horse racing to prevent accidents.

In recent years, women horse racing enthusiasts have formed their own WeChat group, with members mostly being women from pastoral areas. Before the pandemic, they had opportunities to attend horse racing festivals in places such as Sunan, Gansu; Haibei Prefecture, Qinghai; and Zoige, Sichuan. Now, their hope is for life to return to normal so they can participate in horse racing events once spring arrives.

NO.20388 (screen name)

NO.20388 (screen name), aged 35, is from Mole Township, Qilian County. She began horse racing at the age of 18. The elders in her family love horses and have long taken meticulous care of the family’s horses, so she only needs to showcase her riding skills at the racing festivals.

Girl and Horse, artist: TongLu, image source: Google

However, after getting married and starting her own family, she moved away from the elders and had to begin learning how to care for horses from scratch—taking on the task of raising them herself. This is a profound discipline, but fortunately, her husband also helps with the care of the horses.

In the process of caring for horses, it is essential to help them endure the long winters on the plateau. Therefore, she believes winter is a crucial season for horse care. It involves not only tending to the horses' feeding needs but also ensuring they get regular exercise.

A pastoral couple with a horse, saddle blanket, saddle cover, and bridle forehead piece, image source: Lu Jinsheng's "Compendium of Tibetan Art."

Additionally, diligent attention must be paid to the horse's appearance management, including shedding control, mane trimming, and tail grooming. With such care, once spring arrives, the horse can gradually be taken to participate in races. During horse racing festivals, she competes on her own horse and sometimes rides others' horses to help them win prizes. So far, she has consistently achieved top rankings and has secured first place several times when performing well.

When it comes to adorning her horse, she has a particular fondness for more attractive saddles and saddle blankets. In the past, the elders in her family would carefully store saddles, and now she shares this habit, avoiding casually leaving them in storage for fear of damage by rodents. In fact, most of these items were originally part of her dowry when she married, and they have been preserved in excellent condition to this day.

Women at the Amdo Horse Racing Festival, image source: Tibetan wild yak adventures.

In recent years, proper horse racing festivals have not been held in various regions. However, I continue to care for my horse as always, often taking it out for exercise. When horse racing festivals resume as usual, I believe we will be able to perform well.

NO.3 Taimao (screen name)

Taimao, 28 years old, from Gangcha County, Qinghai Province. She began horseback riding at the age of 8 and has participated in horse racing festivals 19 times to date. Her first horse racing festival was at 14, and her highest achievement was in 2012 at the Qinghai Lake Fish-Watching and Release Festival, where she competed in the men's group as the only female rider and won second place.

At that time, by Qinghai Lake, the 14-year-old girl and her beloved horse became a breathtaking sight. After marriage, she continued to maintain her passion for horse racing and developed her own set of theories and skills in horse breeding and training.

According to her approach, the strictest method of horse care involves not allowing the horse to graze freely. Instead, she feeds the horse once in the morning and once in the evening, avoiding unrestricted grazing. Maintaining strict dietary management helps the horse retain good posture and physique. In winter, covering the horse with a blanket helps preserve its coat color and texture.

However, she often finds it hard to be too strict with the horse and prefers to let it graze and drink freely on the grassland. After all, horse racing is just a hobby, and she believes both the horse and the person should find joy and fulfillment in the process.

Silent Rider

My father is a stern and reticent herder. To my regret, I have never attempted to communicate with him. This silent father-daughter relationship often resembles a peculiar understanding and respect between two eccentric individuals—unwilling to disturb or breach each other's boundaries. It could be said that I do not understand him, nor does he understand me.

In my childhood memories, every summer during the horse racing festival, I would ride to the event alongside my father, while my mother and elder sister stayed home to tend to the livestock. On the second day of the festival, it would be my turn to herd with my father, while my mother and sister attended the horse racing festival.

Photo of the author riding a horse

In my memory, though my father was a man of few words, he was passionate about life and deeply attuned to ritual. He loved horse racing and never missed a festival. If he took me along, he would carefully groom his horse before setting out and ask my mother to tidy me up as well. At the festival, he would always buy me ice cream. For me, the small summer ritual on the grassland was ice cream and the horse racing festival.

If he couldn’t take me to the festival, he would always bring back a gift for each of us when he returned home—ice cream without fail. Remarkably, the ice cream never melted by the time he arrived. Looking back now, he must have raced home on horseback without delay.

Father posing with female riders at the Spring Horse Racing Festival (third from the right).

Coincidentally, I was planning to write an article about women's horse racing in my hometown. Knowing that he had extensive knowledge about horse racing and horse breeding, I engaged in conversations with my father over several days. His passion for horses is evident even from his screen name—རྟ་མཆོག་རྒོད་པོ། (Wild and Noble Steed). Though we typically only chatted during holidays, we now began one conversation after another about horse racing festivals and fine horses. When reminiscing with him about the horse racing festivals we attended together in childhood, I was surprised by the detailed and nuanced nature of his memories.

Thus, this brief article has deepened my understanding of the essence of Tibetan women galloping on horseback, filled me with reverence and confidence in the herding women of Tibet, and also allowed me to see my father in a new light.

Herd of horses, image source: Google.

Perhaps the reason I enjoy writing on topics related to the grassland lies here—it feels like a ritual of gathering, picking up what I deeply love and have forgotten, comprehending the forms of love and life imbued with the texture of the grassland; understanding the charm of grassland herding women, filled with honor and courage, and the deep, silent affection between grassland fathers and their steeds.

Image source: Ziwu, Photographer: Yuanren

Glory, Courage  
With Women

References:
"*Horse Culture and Tibetan Folk Life*", Xia Min
"*A Study on the Reproduction of Maqu Horse Racing Culture*", Cairan Daoji
"*On the Yushu Equestrian Culture and Its Characteristics*", Suonan Qiuzhe

Author's Introduction:
Yangmo, born in the Huangcaogou pastoral area of Qilian, Qinghai, grew up in a multi-ethnic community and has lived a life moving between the provincial capital, small towns, and pastoral areas. Dedicated to exploring media communication on the empowerment and issues of grassroots women in Tibetan regions.