Page 103 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL WINTER SPRING 2022

“Because he knows you’re afraid,” Gorji said. I The old man grinned. He didn’t speak English,
wondered how I could fear a horse the size of a but he dismounted to help me onto my horse. Then
pony but the reason didn’t matter: this horse was he took a long rope, attached it to my horse’s bit,
not moving. coiled it, and jumped back on his horse. We started
Gorji attached a rope to my horse, and for the off and within minutes were galloping across the
next two hours, pulled me on my horse up the trail. plain, so close together my knee knocked against
It was the most unpleasant riding experience of his. Faster and faster we raced across the wilder-
my entire life. ness. Not a fence, not a road or stone wall – noth-
Still, I was determined to gallop in Mongolia. The ing for miles and miles and miles.
next day, Gorji hired the most experienced horse- Every now in then we’d pass a family outside
man in the country. My joy turned to dread as an their ger tent and as we galloped by, the smallest
81-year-old man arrived on horseback leading a kids would point to me and burst into hysterics,
second horse. He smiled at me through a toothless but I didn’t care. We just kept right on galloping,
mouth, “Is this a joke?” I asked Gorji. flank to flank, knee to knee. I felt tears of joy begin
“This is the most famous horseback rider in to stream down my cheeks and had to remind my-
Mongolia,” Gorji replied. self, cowgirls don’t cry.

WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM 103