When Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga visited the White House in July 2019, he gave a symbolic gift to 13-year-old Barron Trump—a Mongolian horse. The Trumps named the horse Victory. It's unclear which horse in the photo above is Victory—the mare or the foal?
Horse's are highly respected in Mongolia, a country located between Russia and China. Mongolian horses were vital to the warrior Genghis Khan’s conquests in the 12th and 13th centuries. Today, the number of horses in Mongolia (approximately 3 million) equals or exceeds the number of people.
The short, stocky animals (12 to 14 hands) are strong and tough. Their thick coats allow them to survive brutal winters when temperatures may dip as low as -40F. Mongolian mares are milked to make a popular fermented beverage called kumis.
Barron Trump's interests seem to lie more in the area of sports—soccer in particular. Victory will not be traveling to the White House. The horse will remain in Mongolia. It's highly doubtful Barron will ever make the trip to ride his horse. By the age of thirteen, Barron was already as tall as his father (6' 3"). His height would make him look rather awkward on a small Mongolian horse.
It turns out Barron isn't the only one to have received a horse from Mongolia. A month after Barron's gift, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper received a 7-year-old horse he named Marshall, after World War II general George C. Marshall.
Former vice president Joe Biden and former defense secretaries Chuck Hagel and Donald Rumsfeld were also given horses which remain in Mongolia.
