Litang Horse Racing Festival

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Hi All.
Had to wait a week for the horse festival but boy was it worth it, a real Tibetan experience.
The horse racing ground is about 5 kms outside of the city and easy to get to. Just follow the mass exodus.
They don't seem to race the horses but gallop up and down the fields doing extravagant moves like leaning right off their horses to touch the ground or to pick up lengths of cloth which are put out onto the ground. There were quite a few accidents as the field was very wet and slippery as it had been raining for a couple of days, but, no one was injured and all the horses were fine too.
It has been 10 years since the last festival because of political protests. In fact there was a massive police and army presence. This didn't deter the locals who were whooping the cowboys on and also throwing fireworks to gee the horses up.
A wish of mine has been fulfilled as I have been wanting to see one of these events for such a long time.
Our time in Litang is over. To be honest 8 days here has been too long as there is little to do in Litang itself. I have really enjoyed the hospitality of the Tibetan people who have been extremely friendly and welcoming. TASHI DELEK.

Enjoy the photos

JAH Bless

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