Csikós means "guardian of sheep flock" in Hungarian. In the past, ownership of horses placed these horse people above cattle or sheep herders on the social scale. Known for their horse training, particularly for the use of a long, artisanal whip, the Csikos number only a few dozen today and work primarily as breeders for the Epona stud farm. However, this traditional pastoral society continues operating in the puszta of Hortobàgy, a vast marshy plain in Eastern Hungary inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.