Good News

In 2009 we were extremely fortunate to be sponsored a trailer by the Jiazhuo company. It was indispensable for carrying vital supplies of fodder, hard feed and water for our hardworking horses, particularly in the desert areas we crossed, and for transporting them in emergencies - the low ramp made it easy to load them at the side of the road. The trailer also had many other advantages. We were able to leave the horses tied safely to it while we used the unhitched jeep to drive on errands. A little kitchen at the front allowed Peng and Li May to fry up noodles or other delicacies for lunch. The solar powered plug point was immensely useful for charging all our electrical equipment, and meant I could get on the internet even if we were in the middle of nowhere.
The pull out canopy was a luxury in the August heat, and the photo below shows us relaxing in comfort at a rest stop somewhere in the middle of the Inner Mongolian grasslands. The tethering rope is attached to a horse at the other end - as long as we had one or two of them tethered, we could leave the others loose to graze.

However I have had a concern that the jeep and trailer would not cope with the rigours of the rougher terrain I expect to encounter further west in Xinjiang, particularly if we ride through more remote and scenic country.
I was therefore delighted to receive an e-mail from Wutzala to tell me that the Jiazhuo company have generously agreed to sponsor us a more suitable truck. I have sent my recommendations, and Peng is in charge of making sure the specifications are as we would wish!