THE GIRL AND HER HORSE

Abstract

The puberty ritual among Mongols, particularly the Torghuts, is a horse-riding ceremony when a child reaches five or seven years old. There are no gender distinctions during the ritual, and it is celebrated by close relatives and neighbours, marking the child as a grown-up. After the ritual, the child can independently ride a horse and travel longer distances. This video extensively explores a girl’s retirement from horseracing, concluding her seven-year racing career. Over her seven-year racing career, she won numerous medals, mainly championships, and became renowned as the best female rider in the region. However, Badmatsetseg’s parents confirmed that she will no longer participate in races but will ride horses at home if she wishes. The video also includes interviews about female riders among the Torghuts, who were once rare and often rode racehorses for specific reasons, such as helping an injured horse recover naturally.