Zanskari Horses: Stahspey,Turchit and Dong Phab.

 Tsering Tashi

Tsering Tashi, a 70-year-old from Langmi village in Zanskar, Ladakh, India, recalls a time when nearly every family in the region owned around two horses. He explains that before roads were built, horses were vital for transporting people and goods across Zanskar’s challenging terrain. These horses allowed people to travel to distant places like Suru Valley, Kargil, and beyond. His family, deeply passionate about horses, once owned between 25 and 30, continuing a tradition passed down by his father.

Tashi shares an intriguing legend about the origins of horses in Zanskar. According to the story, two magnificent horses mysteriously appeared from the mountains in a place called Changkha. Tashi believes that the current Zanskari horses are descendants of the Chamurthi horses from Himachal Pradesh, which are thought to have descended from these two mystical horses. In Himachal Pradesh, these horses were renowned for their strength, believed to come from grazing on special herbs called Yarsa Gombu. The legend further tells of how, when these horses fell ill, a mystic named Lobon Lundup healed them and wrote a book called Stahspey. This book remains a standard reference for treating horse health problems among many veteran horsekeepers in Zanskar.

The best horses can be identified by unique features, such as deer-like ears, large nostrils, and star-shaped markings in nine places on their bodies, with the most prominent one on their foreheads. He adds that horses are classified by color, with names like Nakpo, Mukpo, Nyonpo, and Koktal. Based on the quality of their ride, the finest horses, known as Yorga, are highly prized for their smooth and comfortable ride.

    shaped hair partition

One of Tashi’s fondest memories is from when he took a Zanskari horse to Leh to sell. There, he met a Tibetan man named Khamba Tamdin, who showed interest in the horse but questioned its purity. Tamdin used a method unfamiliar to Tashi to determine the horse’s lineage. By pressing on the horse’s front leg and examining its skin, Tamdin concluded that while the horse’s father was likely a pure Zanskari, its mother was not. Tashi, despite his years of experience with horses, was surprised by this method used by the Tibetans.

Zanskari Horse     

In Zanskar, a traditional practice called Turchit involves entrusting a pregnant horse to another person for care until it gives birth. Once the foal is born, the horse is returned to its original owner, while the caregiver keeps the foal. Another custom, known as Dong Phab (Gelding), is used to tame aggressive male horses. A specialist called a Sthashetpa performs gelding on the horse to calm it down, usually when the horse is around six years old, although for particularly strong horses, the procedure may be done as early as four. In the past, only one Sthashetpa was available in Parkachik, but today there are two more, in Lungnak and Ralakung. The fee for this service is typically ₹3,000, along with a traditional offering of Phey.

Photo No 2 and 3 courtesy of Stanzin Rabga, Reijing, Zanskar