Healing horsemen from the Arkhangelsk region in Russia, 1890. Photograph by Yakov Leuzinger (1855–1914).

Although sometimes likened to quacks, the “mezenski konovaly” horsemen were highly respected by the rural populations of the Arkhangelsk region in Russia. Equipped with their richly ornamented saddlebags, they traveled the countryside offering their services as healers for horses and livestock. Their expertise was passed down from father to son, but their “profession” disappeared in the 1920s with the arrival of licensed veterinarians.