Bilgees arrival – Half starved horses

It is 17:00 o’clock as Tanja comes running in the hut. “Bilgee is here! I run towards him!”, she calls excitedly the Baishin (hut) again leaving. I put on my jacket, slip in the thick shoes, take the camera case and sprint outside. As I see Bilgee and the horses in company of Tanja and Tsendmaa. (How are you doing?) I call “Saijn bajna uu Bilgee! (Hello) Mend saihan Bajna uu?”, joyfully to him the hand shaking and embracing. He answers “Dsgeer, saijhan”, (Thank you, excellently) he is answering laughing.
Shocked I have a look at the horses. “They look frightfully,” I say. Yes, the horses are in a bad state, confirms Bilgee. “What has happened? Why have they lost so much weight?”, I ask as we now walk together to the log cabin. “I do not know. It could be that Tulgaa when he returned the horses to Mörön did not let them enough graze. The shepherd of the military has reported to me that he has got the horses already in the bad state and was not possible for him to get weight back on them,” he explains. My look meets Tanja she has at the sight of our animals tears in the eyes. “How can one only do to animals such a thing? This is a cruelty,” she says with shaking voice. “Can we travel with them generally?”, I ask Bilgee. „I have brought them here although people told me one or two of them will not survive. You see they have made it up to here. We must slowly ride. Then it will go well. How far is it up to the camp of the Tuwa?î he asks. 30 kilometers. “If we split the distance in two days and without luggage the ride is no problem.” “Without luggage?”, I ask myself how we should bring our equipment and food in the camp. “Come in the house, eat something and rest. I have prepared a strong soup for you”, says Tanja. As Bilgee puts of his deel I admire it. “A fantastic deel”, I praise. “I have slept on the ride in it and have not frozen.” “You have spent the night outside?”, asks Tanja. “Yes. No problem. The coat and a fire have kept me warm.” For hours we talk lively and exchange our experiences of the past months. “How does it go for your injury?”“, it interests me. Bilgee shows us his hand. “You lack half a forefinger!”, I shout. “Yes, was a bad injury. Have no more feeling in the finger. It is a little problematic when it is cold.” “All in all, you have still had big luck. Injuries with power saws have cost quite whole hands and legs”, I say on which Bilgee nods the head. “It is wonderful to see you again after the long time. We will have a fantastic trip.” “I am curious how you like it with the Tuwa”, I say. “I also.” “However, we have an unforeseen problem. Will the horses survive?”, I ask. “Is there grass in the taiga for the horses?”, he asks anxiously. “Only two kilometers behind the camp, there lies a nice valley.” “This sounds promisingly”, he answers. “I cannot simply believe that the shepherd of the military has left our horses half starve. We had specially bought a truck load full hay. Saraa has organized the horse feed. Can it be that the hay has never come there?”, considers Tanja. “We are here in Mongolia. Everything is possible. Even if Saraa has worked up to now mostly well we know, she pinches some money for her services. However, not so much one will notices it but it has happened over and over again”, I answer. “Do you think the horses did not get the hay at all?”, asks Tanja. “I do not want to maintain it. There are no proofs. Ayush, Tsendmaa and Bilgee say, the horses would have to look definitely better if they did have regular hay consumption”, I reply. “However, perhaps, the shepherd has also not looked after the horses,” Tanja says.

“Does the military cheat? Nevertheless, they still want remaining 200,000 Tugrik for their prison windows.” “We have given the horses in their responsibility and they insured us to maintain them well. And look what has happened. They get from us not any more Tugrik. Even if the horses should survive, it will last them very long to look healthy again.”