Mission Statement

At the core of this project is a deep motivation for storytelling. As the giftHORSE wranglers ride west, sometimes alone, sometimes with Mongolian herders, they aim to form bonds with the people they meet along the way and identify families whom most desperately need and want a horse. By purchasing mares, geldings and studs in richer regions and distributing them to poorer rural families, we support the cultural legacy of the nomadic tradition. Our hope is to encourage the use of the horse as a sustainable, renewable resource for transportation, milk, meat, and horsehair. It is through this act of trading a horse for a story that giftHORSE will have an impact on families in Mongolia and serve as a vehicle to bring their stories to adventurers around the globe. The project will be documented via hi-def video, photography, and writing.

Nearly half of Mongolia’s people still maintain nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyles. These herders rely critically on hardy Mongolian ponies for their livelihood, but as Mongolia enters the global arena of a free-market economy and land privatization looms as a threat to the sweeping unfenced landscape, the economic and cultural future of the nomad is uncertain. Our hope is that through our trans-Mongolian journey we can gather information about nomadic life which will ultimately help larger non-profits, NGOs and local governments in assessing the status and needs of the herders. The giftHORSE project aims to document the culture of the nomads through each individual’s story, each horse given, and each mile covered.

The Route

A BRIEF OVERVIEW

1. CHOYBALSAN: We start our journey in Mongolia's eastern most aimag capital. The area served as a trading center for ancient caravan routes across central Asia and retains this legacy as the economic center of Eastern Mongolia.
   
2. DELGERKHAN: Reputed to be the birthplace of Chinngis Khan, this open steppe land is one of the last great, undisturbed grasslands of the world. Sparsely populated, large herds of gazelles move freely throughout the steppe.
   
3. AMARBAYASGALANT MONASTARY: One of the few remaining Buddhist monastaries to survive the Stalinist purges - built by the Manchu dynasty in the traditional Chinese style.
   
4. LAKE HOVSGOL: One of the most scenic areas in Mongolia. Contains 1% to 2% of Earth's fresh water - so fresh you can drink it straight from the lake.
   
5. TSAAGAN NUUR: Home of the Tsaatan reindeer herders and site of our umbrella organization, Itgel's, extensive field work. The Dukha people who inhabit this region rely on their reindeer herds primarily for milk and transportation.
   
6. KHANGAI NURUU: We'll continue west skirting the Northern boundary of Mongolia's second highest mountain range, a beautiful, rarely visited area of dramatic sand dunes and lush valleys.
   
7. HYARGAS NUUR: Located in the Uvs aimag, one of the least visited areas of Mongolia. This lake contains hot springs along its Northern edge.
   
8. OLGIY: Toward the end of our journey we transition into the Kazakh dominated northwest, home of the legendary eagle hunters.

The giftHORSE Project is driven by both individual and corporate goodwill. Below is a list of our supporters as of May 12, 2006.