What to Expect When Riding Horses in Mongolia

When you plan on going to Mongolia, riding Mongolian horses is more than likely on your list of things to do. Mongol horses are basically unchanged since Genghis Khan time. Do not call them pony’s, they are horses even if their stature is much shorter than other horses. They are strong, and they can ride full out gallop for 10 km without stopping. They also live outdoors year round with temperatures at +30 degrees Celsius and down to -40 degrees Celsius. The mare’s milk is made into a terrible tasting alcoholic beverage that every Mongolian loves.  

Mongolian horses do not get names like in Western countries.  When riding horses in Mongolia, I always named my horse I got for the duration of the tour. I named my horse Maverick. 🙂

There is only one command the horses recognize. “Chu” pronounced “choo”. Now the horse many not always recognize your accent saying this, as I tried to say it many times to no avail. Then my guide would come over and whisper it to my horse and off I went. Haha.  This basically means go, and the more you say it the faster you go. To stop you just pull back on the reigns.

They are always ready to run…hold on and be in control, as your horse will most likely want to start galloping at certain times. When you have fresh legs it is incredible to go a top speeds across the steppe. When your legs are tired, it is scary as heck! ha

You begin to understand why Mongolians sit on the ground on their side/hip. After riding horses in Mongolia all day, your butt sure gets tired and sore. So take a tip out of the local’s book when you’re off the horse and sitting down on the ground, sit on your side/hip to take the weight off your butt.

A trick to help with the friction of your pants on your legs while you are on your horse is to wear leggings under you pants.

You don’t need to have experience riding horses here. The horses are extremely well behaved. I did two different horse riding experiences one was more technical through forests, up hills, down hills, through bogs, and rivers and ice. And then I did one on the open land where it was flat and great for riding at fast speeds. I had ridden horses before but many years ago and only a few times.

Make sure you stretch your legs out fully throughout your ride. Your knees get very tired and stiff if you don’t either stand up on the stirrups or take your feet out of the stirrups to fully extend your legs while on your horse.

Know how long you will be in the saddle each day. It is usually anywhere from 3-9 hrs. I rode for 9 hrs on one trip, and by the end of the day my legs felt like jello. I declined going to full gallop at the end of this ride back to our camp because I was afraid my legs wouldn’t be able to hold me on the horse for that type of ride. This was the only time we were able to ride fast on this trip since it was more of a technical ride. I was happy with my decision, but also sad that I missed out on it. Fortunately I was able to experience full gallop riding on my next tour on the steppe. It really is an experience you shouldn’t miss out on.