Travel Guide

Horse riding is still a major form of transport in this remote region of Mongolia. Nomadic tribes still cross this land on horseback and lead lifestyles that haven’t altered much in the last thousand years.

Although you can do a trip like this on your own, it’s difficult to organise and most outfitters will arrange for you to stay with local families, try traditional dishes and visit still little known temples.

The scenery is wild, wide and sprawling, grassland poked with wildflowers spreading up into the snow topped mountains – perfect for long distance views, then pockets of dense forests – cool, clear and genuinely unspoilt by people.

This kind of trip is becoming easier to do, with operators beginning to venture into Mongolia in larger numbers. A two week trip in the Darkhad Valley timed with the Naadam Festivities is offered by several guide services, and would be my suggestion for people who don’t mind the idea of other tourists around – a cultural as well as scenic adventure. Naadam is held in July.

Things to Consider About Horseback Riding

Weather

The weather in many destinations in Mongolia is often dry and hot. Rain can last for weeks, even in the desert, and even during dry seasons a strong bout of rain can occur, therefore waterproof and easy drying clothing is a good idea. Protection from the sun in the form of hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen are important in most rainforest locations, particularly those where you will be in rivers and lagoons. Nights, even in the steppe and mountains can be chili.  In more temperate climates and mountains, rain or snow can appear at any time specially early summer or later summer. One minute there’s sun, the next the sky is full of thick gray clouds. Always be sure to prepare for any possible weather condition while riding.

Horse Health

While we cater to foreign tourists generally guarantee that their horses are well fed and groomed, you’ll find that the horses provided by local guides are lame and full of sores. In most cases there is little you can do. If you find someone abusing a horse and not caring for it properly you may report to company. Sometimes speaking or volunteering with an NGO or animal rights group can help. But Mongolians respect their horses.

Food and Water

When traveling in countryside eating strange foods and the chance to drink unfiltered water is quite common, as are certain ailments. Medicines to counter these travel illnesses are recommended such as antibiotics and diarrhea medicine. Only drink bottled water, as the chance for cholera and water borne diseases. If you cannot get bottled water or intend to drink water from mountain streams and rivers, or just want to cut down on your plastic bottle waste, try iodine tablets, purifying drops, or water filters or try to drink boiled water.

Medicine

In many of the world’s best horseback riding destinations are in regions surrounded by dense forests where insects, and especially mosquitoes, are everywhere. There is 1 case of Malaria has been registered in Mongolia. So Malaria tablets such as doxycycline or mefloquine are recommended to prevent the sickness, although you need to check which pill works in which part of the world as some mosquitoes are resistant to some medicines. The best protection against malaria though is basic protection against mosquitoes such as bug spray (best with DEET), mosquito nets, wearing long sleeves, mosquito coils, and the countless other remedies. Most of Mongolians have a little knowledge of it.

Horseback Riding Overview

Horseback Riding Basics

Horseback riding is simply riding a horse. The ride can be on a trail through the mountains, in a national park, to see wildlife, and a canyon, through a forest and rivers. How long and how far you go depends on you. Some riding is more difficult and is more intense than others. The majority of rides that tourists take are of the day or half day sort where a guide leads them through a path that is run almost on a daily basis. Other rides last for weeks. These involve camping in the wild and covering dozens of miles today and traversing a vast and sometimes difficult terrain.

Horseback Riding – Beginners

Although most can get by with no formal training to ride a horse, many prefer not to. Horseback riding lessons are an extremely popular activity at ranches. But Mongolians count everyone as proper riders even the ones from the city which he or she never has mount horse before.

The majority of beginning riders stick to day trips. They are often extremely sore after a day of riding even with a great saddle, so multiple day treks is sometimes out of the question. It takes a little bit of time to get adjusted to riding a horse. They aren’t machines. They need to be told what to do and the horse reacts differently to every rider. Each person needs to spend a bit of time with a horse before they can really start thinking about trekking off into the wilderness. Day trips can be quite varied though. They can be gentle trots or a tour of a national park.

Horseback Riding – Advanced

Steeper ascents, higher altitudes, and longer trips are favored by the advanced horse rider. These hard core adventurers head to isolated locations, often weeks away from the modern world that are home to pristine terrain, rare wildlife, and little known tribes and cultures and these are often the goal of top riding expeditions. The farther away and the more remote the better. These horse junkies love GPS, maps, compasses, and gadgets and love to bring them along if it doesn’t weigh them down.

Many will even set out on their own without a guide. The thrill of survival in the wilderness and knowing the lay of the land may be part of the thrill for some. When they do go with a tour operator, they go with the best. They want the best horses, the most experienced guides, and they want to know the specifics of altitudes, the type of food, and wildlife they will encounter.

Preparing for your Horseback Riding Trip

Horseback Riding Training

The absolute best training you can do on a horse is to ride more frequently. The more you ride the more comfortable you will be on the horse and the more comfortable your horse will be with you. Most people do not own a horse, so taking day tours or short rides and using different horses whenever you can is a good way to see where you stand.

Riding lessons are perhaps the best way to get to know how to ride and prepare yourself for different situations. Professionals can teach you how to sit properly, as well as fall off. There are numerous skills to learn and many are near impossible to pick up without some sort of training. Jumping for instance is a hard earned skill that involves loads of practice. Riding lessons can last just a few hours or even weeks that involve distance trekking. Many tour operators offer training programs.

Horseback Riding Gear

If you aren’t comfortable in your riding gear and saddle, chances are you are going to have a miserable trip. Even if going on a tour that provides every piece of necessary equipment, you may want to look into your own riding gear that can be purchased in tack and feed stores, online, or from mail order catalogs, especially if you have special needs.

Boots – While tennis shoes are sufficient during short rides on easy terrain they are far from ideal and can even be a safety concern. Specially designed riding footwear keeps your feet from slipping through the stirrups or your legs getting caught which could lead to a fall from the horse where serious injuries and deaths often occur. There are numerous styles of boots depending on the type of riding you like to do. For long trail rides leather riding shoes and paddock boots are your best bet. A combination of leather boots and chaps are important for show riding and jumps.

Saddle – The saddle is the most important piece of equipment you have when riding a horse. The saddle is the seat for the rider, which is attached to the horses back. Saddles have been used in some form or another for several thousand years. They are made of wood and leather -sometimes of synthetic materials- and help make every ride more comfortable. There are two main types of saddles in Mongolia: Mongolian and Western. Mongolian saddles are what are used for military purpose for a long ago but still keeping the style. Western saddles are the more common.

Jeans or Breeches – Yes, jeans actually have an official function. For western riders they are often the choice pant. Breeches, which are most often made of cotton and lycra, are the form fitting pants popular for long rides.

Helmet – On the trail there are helmets are important that are comfortable, lightweight, and vented and an easy precaution that could save your life.

Overall

The most isolated locations in the world are too far to be reached on foot and lack roads to get there by car. That leaves one major form of transportation: the horse. Exploring the vast, isolated regions of our planet takes four hoofs, a saddle, and a good guide. Tours take you to ger camps and cattle drives amid vast plains as well as mountain treks over rocky passes. Ancient ruins, ovoo (piles of stones or wooden tee- pee like sacrifices on the top of passes)…your horse will lead the way.

It took me 2 weeks to physically recover from our trip, the memories will stay for ever.

Thank you so much for looking after us and showing us your amazing country,

thank you for always doing it with a smile and bringing much laughter.

It was a very special trip that will have always have it’s own place in my memory and my heart

JULIE BEECHER

Thanks for everything!

Wonderful experience!

Michael Hudson

The recce to Mongolia was an unforgettable experience.

The vast open Steppe, the friendly local people, the history, the horse race, the tiny, tough ponies and the food – especially the authentic fare we were able to sample like goat, curd cakes and airac! An ideal trip for those wanting their first taste of a horse trekking adventure.

Didi Goodenough

Mongolia is for those who really want to get away from it all rather than just talking about it…..we covered mile upon mile of the most stunning wilderness scenery, with strictly no mobile phone or email reception to interrupt the reverie for the best part of two weeks.

Bliss. We hardly stuck to the itinerary, but it didn’t matter one jot in a place like Mongolia.

The highlights? Camping at some or other place, the land underfoot was carpetted with edelweiss, with a stunning sunset, campfire….and a bush shower!!!

The perfect night in Mongolia.

Nicolette Krajewski

Tom, Tulga and his team were excellent, very knowledgeable and friendly, and anxious to share their knowledge. The organisation appeared seamless – accommodation, food, vehicles, horses, camels all appeared on time and as expected. Forget boiled greasy mutton and no vegetables – we ate very well indeed with plenty of salads.

The cook team would erect their tent at lunchtime in the middle of nowhere and produce a three course meal in no time at all! Even the dreaded fermented mare’s milk proved drinkable. Sharing eclipse glasses with the local population was an unforgettable experience and we hope it was for them, because otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to see it from beginning to end. And the greatest impression of all was the vast beautiful emptiness of the country…

Janet Locke

We learned a lot about Mongolia – and how nice Mongolian people are! It was a great holiday and we loved it all. The ger camps were better than I had expected and the facilities were better too than I’d imagined, having stayed in yurts previously in Kyrghizstan. We were very comfortable in all the ger camps…

We were hugely impressed by Tulga’s team when we were at the eclipse ger camp and when we were camping – I’ve never seen such excellent wilderness loos (with seats!) and his showers were a thing to marvel at.

Peter & Jenny Alderson

The itinerary went through a number of iterations before the tour and it was an excellent introduction to a fascinating country… To experience Mongolia,

horse ride over the Mongolian steppes and live in gers – it could not have been a better introduction

to such a fantastic landscape and people.

Roger & Lyndsey Jones

My trip to Mongolia was amazing. The landscape was beautiful and I felt that I was on top of the world most of the time. The people were so warm and genuine. This was my first trip abroad on my own and Tulga and Dowa, our guides, and Nagi, our driver, made me feel so safe and secure that all my anxieties disappeared as soon as I met them.

It was a pleasure to see how the nomads live and to be invited into their lives for a short time. Mongolia is so beautiful and peaceful – I can’t wait to go back again.

Lisa Fry

Send  your inquiry to;
Mr. Tulga
Nomadic Trails Co.ltd.,
Bayangol District, 6r khoroo, Aminii Oron suuts 11 7B
Ulaanbaatar 44 P.O. Box 793 Mongolia
Tel/fax: + 976 11 68 82 56
Mobile: +976 9904 0894

info@nomadictrails.com

www.nomadictrails.com

Private Groups

If you have a group of friends or relatives, or are part of a club or organisation, and would like to travel on a private tour organised by Nomadic Trails – either using an existing Nomadic Trails itinerary, guide and departure date or by tailor-making a trip of your own – we’d be happy to help.

In fact, we feel this offers the best of both worlds, enabling you to tailor-make your holiday, travel when you like, and with exactly who you want!

Not only that but by arranging your own group you can qualify for significant discounts.

If you manage to get 10 passengers we will give 1 place free of charge;

if you get 8 passengers we will give the lead booker a 50% discount;

and if you get 6 passengers we will give the lead booker a 25% discount.*