A saddle with a divided horn (a perch for a hawk, which indicates it is a hunting saddle). Made of leather, wood and white metal stirrups. In overall style the Kirgiz saddle resembles a reindeer herder’s saddle. Made near Bokanbaev on the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul; bought from a herder who had made it for his son; the latter did not want to be a herder but to practice photography. The Kirgiz ‘sit’ in the saddle (in contrast to the Mongolians who ‘stand’ in the saddle, see specimens in the Horniman Museum collection), and ride at a walk or a gallop. The Kirgiz hunt with eagles or falcons from horseback.
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