Perfect for a long ride, and a work of art to boot

By Alexis Hooi (China Daily)

Updated: 2015-08-22

Maker of traditional Mongolian saddles strives to keep craft alive When cowboys from the West prepare to get into the traditional Mongolian saddle for the first time, they may think they are in for a very painful ride.

Four pieces of wood make up the compact, high frame of the Mongolian saddle. Knobs and other metal fittings are usually found on the seat, coming into contact with some of the most tender parts of a horseman's anatomy.

But for Mongolian saddle maker Zhao Xiuwen, there is nothing more suitable or beautiful for horse riding.

"These saddles are made for Mongolian horses," he says. "Their design, especially the intricate ones with precious metals and embroidery, is imbued with the traditions of the grassland and its way of life."

Zhao, 68, is one of the last craftsmen of his kind in Duolun county in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

He started learning how to make saddles when he was 14, at one of the main State-run workshops in Duolun. The county, an hour's drive from the ruins of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) emperor Kublai Khan's legendary summer palace Xanadu, has historically been a center of trade and cultural exchange between the Han and Mongolian ethnic groups. Han businessmen would barter their agrarian-based goods from the central plains with the region's herdsmen, who offered their livestock and dairy products. The Mongolian tradesmen also boasted horses famed for their stamina on their natural grassland habitat.

"It's only natural that Duolun became a center of production for horse saddles and other tack," Zhao says. "Buyers would come from the east and west of Inner Mongolia, Qinghai province and even as far as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to buy our saddles."

But with the declining use of horses in modern times, Duolun's saddle-making industry inevitably went into decline, too. Over the past few decades more herdsmen have also been replacing their steeds with motorized vehicles.

Zhao's two sons and three daughters chose not to take over their father's business. His invaluable skills and experience seemed in danger of being lost, until he managed to find an apprentice, who is in his late 30s, this year.

"It's tough, time-consuming work," Zhao says. "Few people would consider making a living from this."

Zhao spends about 13 hours a day in his workshop at home, creating his saddles from scratch. He starts by chipping out the main frame, made of white birch that comes from nearby forests in the Fengning Manchu autonomous county of neighboring Hebei province. Adornments such as silver pommel-cantle linings and leather applique, delivered from the city of Xilinhot in Inner Mongolia, are then added to the painted saddles to help transform them into works of art.

Every month Zhao makes about 10 saddles with basic designs. Those that are more intricate take much longer. Collectors of top-end traditional saddles are willing to pay tens of thousands of yuan for each item, he says.

Some of Zhao's customers place orders for elaborate saddles after they are inspired by visits to Duolun's privately run Horse Tack and Saddle Museum, known in Chinese equestrian circles for its priceless pieces of antique equestrian equipment.

But Zhao puts the same painstaking care and expertise into all his saddles, including the everyday ones that local herdsmen buy.

"Every horse is different and the saddle used on each of them should also be as unique as possible," he says.

"I ask the owner about the horse that the saddle is meant for. I try to look at the animal myself, to size up its physical characteristics, so the saddle can fit comfortably."

First-time riders of Mongolian horses will quickly realize that Zhao's compact, high saddles are perfect for sitting in as the mounts, with their short backs and inimitable amble, stream across the vast steppe.

"The Mongolian horse is smaller than other breeds," Zhao says. "But it's also sturdier, tougher and more practical for herding on our grasslands.

"In that sense, the traditional Mongolian saddle is a perfect fit for our horses."

Saddle maker Zhao Xiuwen creating a saddle in his work shed in Duolun county, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.Alexis Hooi / China Daily