A column of Asian ponies carrying saffron-robed monks trots down the steep trail towards a Buddhist temple as the morning mist rises from the thick jungle foliage of northern Thailand.
At the arched entrance, a crowd of hill-tribe villagers, local dignitaries and a handful of tourists gather with fresh provisions to offer morning alms. Along with rice, fruit and vegetables, they proffer milk cartons for the growing bones of the novice monks, whose average age is 12.
As the lead rider approaches the wooden gate, he turns back to the group of boys and states in a stern, fatherly tone, 'Remember that we must always be strong and put on a brave face. Stand proud and never be afraid of anyone.'
Such words might seem a bit odd coming from a man of the cloth, but in the hills of northern Thailand - overlooking Myanmar's lawless jungle - the head monk's comments represent his 'tough love' for his adopted family.
The morning procession has become a daily attraction at the Golden Horse Temple, renowned as a haven for orphaned children and unwanted animals. The hilltop sanctuary, which stables more than 200 ponies, was founded by former Muay Thai champion Sameu Jaipinta after he hung up his gloves 10 years ago. 'I wanted to get away from the city life,' recalls Jaipinta, the son of a rice farmer, 'so I decided to become a monk for seven days.'
During his self-imposed retreat, Jaipinta travelled to several remote villages along the border, where he witnessed the destruction wreaked by the narcotics trade. Ruthless traffickers often recruit the Chao Khao people as 'mules' to transport packs of amphetamines and heroin across the border from Myanmar's mobile drug laboratories. But a lengthy jail sentence - or the death penalty - usually awaits those captured by border patrols, leaving many children as orphans. 'I saw many drug dealers and users who were wasting their lives. It was very sad,' explains the heavily tattooed Jaipinta.