Plate note: A young boy, still too young to race, walks towards the horses to help tend them during the day’s events. The horses are tethered in the traditional Mongolian manner to a zele (зэл), a long rope stretched between upright posts to which horses are tied. In Mongolia, familiarity with horses begins long before a child is old enough to ride in competition, and caring for them forms an important part of learning the traditions of horsemanship. Location: Khui Doloon Khudag, Naadam, 12 July 2026. Photograph: T. Monhtsetseg. CPinMongolia.com.

Plate note: A young boy, still too young to race, walks towards the horses to help tend them during the day’s events. The horses are tethered in the traditional Mongolian manner to a zele (зэл), a long rope stretched between upright posts to which horses are tied. In Mongolia, familiarity with horses begins long before a child is old enough to ride in competition, and caring for them forms an important part of learning the traditions of horsemanship. Location: Khui Doloon Khudag, Naadam, 12 July 2026. Photograph: T. Monhtsetseg. CPinMongolia.com.

Plate note: A young boy, still too young to race, walks towards the horses to help tend them during the day’s events. The horses are tethered in the traditional Mongolian manner to a zele (зэл), a long rope stretched between upright posts to which horses are tied. In Mongolia, familiarity with horses begins long before a child is old enough to ride in competition, and caring for them forms an important part of learning the traditions of horsemanship. Location: Khui Doloon Khudag, Naadam, 12 July 2026. Photograph: T. Monhtsetseg. CPinMongolia.com.

Plate note: A young boy, still too young to race, walks towards the horses to help tend them during the day’s events. The horses are tethered in the traditional Mongolian manner to a zele (зэл), a long rope stretched between upright posts to which horses are tied. In Mongolia, familiarity with horses begins long before a child is old enough to ride in competition, and caring for them forms an important part of learning the traditions of horsemanship. Location: Khui Doloon Khudag, Naadam, 12 July 2026. Photograph: T. Monhtsetseg. CPinMongolia.com.