Mongolian
Horsemen
What
better way to see Mongolia than as the locals
do, by horse ? Chinggis Khaan and his armies travelled
to Europe by horse, and to this day it remains the
most common and reliable form of transport. Horses
can go where roads and petrol do not exist, and
where walkers would be exhausted by the rough
terrain. Most nomadic families have a herd of
horses, the size of the herd being a status symbol.
In the summer months mare's milk is fermented
to make "airag", a drink which is much
loved by all Mongolians and drunk in huge quantities.
A good horse would be a man's most prized possession,
and all animals are well cared for.
2008 Horse Riding Tours
We will arrange horses to suit your riding experience, guides, transportation food and accommodation for your horse riding trek in Mongolia. Click on the links below
On
our horse riding tours we take with us local horsemen
to look after the animals. The nomadic people,
who have probably been riding since they were
two years old, use wooden saddles, sometimes finely
decorated with big silver studs. For foreigners
these are like a form of torture, therefore we
use English or Russian style saddles. We try to
find horses that are suited to your riding experience,
and the distance and speed at which you ride can
be adapted to suit you.
Riding camels, yaks and reindeer
Horses
are available everywhere in Mongolia, and most
of our tours include at least a few hours horse
riding just to give you a taste of the real thing.
In some parts of the country local people ride
camels, yaks, and even reindeer. If you go to
the Gobi Desert the chances are you will have
an opportunity to ride a camel, or if your tour
is in Arkhangai Province (Central Mongolia) a
rideable yak could be found, at least to pose
on for a photograph !
A typical day during a Horse Trek
Every
morning the cooks will serve a hearty breakfast
to prepare you for the day ahead. Whilst we are
packing up, the local horsemen will be saddling
up the horses. Start riding at approximately 9
o'clock, keeping to a pace which is comfortable
for everyone. If the standard of riding varies
greatly between members of the group, we can divide
into smaller groups, each with their own local
horseman in charge. We stop at mid morning for
a snack, then for an hour at lunch time. The cooks
will have travelled ahead by jeep to prepare the
meals. Continue riding in the afternoon for a
further two or three hours before arriving at
camp.
Accommodation and Facilities on Trek
Some
of our tailor-made horse riding tours are based
at the ger camps and we take day rides in the
area around the camp. On continuous horse treks
like our scheduled group tour, we are riding in
such remote places that there are no facilities
and we camp in tents. This is a really wild experience,
with the lack of luxuries such as a flush toilet
or hot running water, being as much part of the
adventure as the horse riding itself. We provide
a pit latrine and toilet tent at each camp site
and most nights we camp near to a river so that
(cold) water is available for washing.
