In the north, where nature can be hostile or even deadly, the indigenous peoples had an unspoken rule that the houses should not be locked and that matches should be kept in a conspicuous place. Thanks to this arrangement, travelers could stay at any house, light a fire, and keep warm even when the owners were absent. If they were home, travelers would receive a warm welcome.

Often, people would let complete strangers into their houses. The hosts and their guests discussed the latest news, repaired equipment, and solved puzzles together. For the indigenous peoples of the North, toys have always been more than just entertainment. With their help, people passed on their way of thinking, knowledge, and skills from generation to generation. By playing, children were prepared for adult life where they would become hunters, reindeer herders, and housewives.

The puzzle “the cost of a horse and a foal” is one of the most popular games of the Khanty. Legend has it that a Khanty hunter once met a Russian merchant who had come to exchange his goods for furs and offered the merchant to solve this puzzle. The merchant tried to do it for three days but never succeeded. When he came back, he asked the hunter to reveal the secret. The old hunter agreed, but only in exchange for horses. The merchant agreed, and this is how the puzzle got its name.

The puzzle is a wooden stick with rounded ends and three square holes — one at each end and one in the middle. The rope is tied into a knot around the central hole, and the ends of the rope are passed through the holes at the end. As a result, two loops are formed. A wooden disk is put onto each loop.

A player has to move one of the disks to the other loop without untying the knots. This is done by stretching the knot in the center of the stick and pulling it in such a way that the disk passes through the loop. After that, the whole knot is pulled towards the player through the same central hole, and the disk is moved according to the principle “where the rope leads — there the disk follows.” After that, the entire knot is returned to its place through the central hole.

The puzzle “the cost of a horse and a foal” helped players develop wit, logical thinking, attention, memory, diligence, and patience. It could be played at any time, with any number of participants.