Unique packhorses of Giat street

(Baonghean.vn) - In the middle of the dynamic and noisy Giat street (Quynh Luu), people can still see the leisurely horse-drawn carriages with an old-fashioned look. The vehicle that was thought to be a thing of the past still exists here, making Giat town more 'unique' and memorable.

In contrast to the modern and bustling beauty of a developing town, horse-drawn carriages leisurely carrying goods on the alleys bring a unique poetic feature that can only be found on Giat Street.

According to the locals, horse-drawn carriages began to appear more frequently in Giat since the government decided to ban homemade vehicles. Accordingly, without money to buy modern means of transport, many people switched to horse-drawn carriages.

Nowadays, a horse costs about 20 million VND. This amount is only equal to a calf, but the economic efficiency that a horse-drawn carriage brings is much greater. Because horses have good "stature", they can run hundreds of kilometers a day, while the transport weight can be up to 1 ton.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thong had to travel to Ha Tinh to choose a suitable horse. Since having a horse cart, his work of transporting construction materials has been more convenient. Gradually, he considered the horse as a member of his family.

Mr. Thong shared that raising horses is very difficult because horses are picky eaters. Normally, horses only eat rice bran powder and ground corn, and only eat lia thia (purple grass with long round leaves that likes to grow in water areas). To "please" the horses, each time he delivers goods back, he personally prepares the food to ensure the horses' health.

Another horse-drawn carriage owned by Mr. Ho Ngoc Van is preparing to depart. According to the owner’s experience, a true horse must have a big belly, thin skin, smooth fur, not too big ears, a light face, a tight nose, and slightly flared lips…

With strong hooves, horses are powerful weapons for galloping on long and short trips. Originally living in remote places in mountainous districts, horses are unfamiliar with the noisy and bustling atmosphere here, so the breeder must have a process of domestication. After bringing the horse home, the horse must be familiarized with the soil, climate, especially crowded scenes. After this time, the breeder will start taking the horse to a large grassy area or field, then harness and hook the cart to pull. After the horse is familiar, it will start carrying goods with the owner.

It is estimated that Giat Town currently has more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages. Amidst the hustle and bustle of machines and engines, horse-drawn carriages bring a strange sense of peace, making anyone who has passed by here once remember it forever.

China