The pack animal situation reminded me a lot of Grand Canyon in my home state of Arizona. Getting supplies out of Lukla and up to the higher elevations were done in one of two ways; pack animals including humans (known as porters), horses/mules and yaks/zhokpas. I’ve already talked about humans as porters so let’s move on to horses.
Like Grand Canyon, namely supplying the Havasupai village of Supai and the lodge at Phantom Ranch, vehicles other than helicopters are not present. All supplies are delivered either via animal or helicopter.
Since prehistoric times horses have played a major role in Asian civilizations. They were common across the entire continent, were bred, traded and used for various tasks. Depending on the region, they were used for; transport, military, and agriculture. In the mountain regions, horses were bred smaller and more robust. This group is saddled with propane tanks headed for the higher elevations.
The horse is well known for its stamina, intelligence, friendliness and most importantly its sure-footedness.
On the whole these horses are somewhat calmer, harder working and not as shy as their European brothers and sisters. They tend to not be skittish and the mountains are their home so they know every stone and trail like the back of their… hoof.
These horses are accustomed to a nomadic way of life and have a very robust physique, their heads are well proportioned with very expressive, alert eyes and their ears are always listening attentively for any sound.
Several of the pack herds were adorned with head ornaments. The saddle horses used for human transportation had very colorful saddle blankets peaking out from under their riders.
Sleigh bells were unique to the horse caravans as opposed to larger, deeper sounding cowbells or yak bells on the yaks and zhokpas. Horse trains moved quicker and we could tell before we saw them what type of animal group was headed our way. 
Really interesting, and I love the images, especially of the colorful saddle pads and bells.
Superb Series…great composition and color.
Clark Iverson
Best of the West
Another great commentary with wonderful photos!
Love this edition! All photos have been so exceptional, and commentaries educational and interesting. I’m an animal lover and this post filled me with “aw”s and “oo”s. Thank you, Vicki for all the posts!
Loved the beautiful saddle blankets and bells! I’ve enjoyed every edition of this series, especially the way you decided to structure it. Fascinating!