Safety & other tips for horseback riding in Mongolia

If you have decided to take horseback riding tour in Mongolia, you might want to look through some basic information about riding Mongolian horse, safety instructions and other useful tips. The following information will help you have memorable experience when horseback riding in Mongolia.

BASIC INFO FOR RIDING MONGOLIAN HORSE

Riding a Mongolian horse is rather simple, even if you have never ridden before. There are not many strict instructions to follow. Local families, who know their horses’ behaviors very well, manage your tour and thus you will be provided with their most well-trained horses.

1. Always approach a Mongolian horse from the left because they are not used to being approached or mounted from the other side, especially from the back.
2. Before mounting a horse, check the saddle is tight, so that it does not slip while going steep paths and tighten the reins to make the horse still and mount quickly.
3. After you are on horseback, you do not need to use your legs to ask your horse to walk, trot or canter. Just say "Chu” to make your horse move.
4. To turn your horse left, simply move your hand to the left, pressing the right rein against the right side of the horse’s neck and pushing their neck to the left. Do the opposite to turn right. And to stop your horse, simply pull back on both reins at the same time.
5. Do not leave the horses alone when not riding. If you have the ropes, then horses must be tightly hobbled or tied. Ask your horse guide for help if you do not know how to do this.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR HORSEBACK RIDING

Even the most experienced horseback riders should take safety into their consideration. If you are new to horseback riding and/or not confident about the experience, your local guide and horse instructor/local horseman/ will gladly help you to get the finest experience. We will provide each rider with safety helmet, and it is recommended for you to bring your riding chaps and other gadgets of your choice. Or we will be happy to help you find and rent these items.

1. Avoid clothes that rustle or loose to prevent frightening the horses. Also, do not put on or remove clothing while riding horses. If you need to take off your clothes, tell your guides to stop for a while.
2. To prevent your feet getting caught if you fall off, make sure your shoes fit easily and not jamming too far within the stirrups. Keeping the pressure of the stirrup on the ball of your feet would help you keep your balance.
3. Always remember to ride with a tight rein. The horses can move very quickly, when they are frightened by sudden moving objects such as paper or wire and animals, e.g. marmots, hares and birds.
4. During rain or snow be aware that horses can slip, especially whilst riding on the hills. You can always dismount and lead the horses down slippery and/or steep slopes.
5. Never wrap the reins around your body when riding, leading or sitting on the ground.
6. Do not lean forward because horses often do sudden head movements to get rid of small flies that bite the inside of their nostrils and ears.

RECOMMENDED PACKING LIST FOR HORSEBACK RIDING TOUR

When you pack for horseback riding tour, keep in mind that the lighter your package the better it is for both you and the tour. Most horseback riding tours in Mongolia do not have vehicle support due to the remote nature of the riding zone. Therefore, usually every 2 guests are provided with one pack-horse. There’s not much room on a pack-horse so it is better to pack only the things that you would really need. We recommend you the following list.

1. Comfortable riding trousers
2. Lightweight rain jacket or rain poncho (one that does not make rustling sound)
3. Riding boots (Riding boots have heels so that your foot can’t slide too far forward in the stirrup or get caught in the stirrup if you fall. However, if you won’t bring riding boots, you may use horse riding gaiters and chaps)
4. Lightweight foldable sun hat with a brim and chin strap. (Hat is more useful than sunglass since it can keep the sun out of your eyes and protect your hair from getting caught in branches at the same time. Chin straps are necessary to keep the hat on your head instead of potentially fly off in the wind and frighten your horse)
5. Mosquito repellent (especially if you ride between June and August)
6. Gloves (Wearing gloves will protect your hands from getting rubs from holding the reins)
7. Down jacket (Morning and night are sometimes cold, even in summer so lightweight down jackets would will keep you warm and packs down small in your bag)

FOOD ON HORSEBACK RIDING TOUR

On our horseback riding tours, you would be mainly camping in tents. The meal would be a simple mix of traditional Mongolian and some European meals. Since all loads including food are transported by pack animals, it is hard to store fresh vegetables or other ingredients that spoil easily. Therefore, preserved foods such as dried and tinned goods are primarily used. Breakfast is usually simple, consisting of bread, cheese, jam, butter, tea and coffee. Lunch would be light, consisting of sandwiches, snacks and soup if it is a cold day. Dinner would be hot dish like stew or pasta with deserts such as chocolate or canned fruit.

We hope the information above will help better prepare and get the most out of your horseback riding tour in Mongolia. Your horses will take you places that vehicles simply cannot reach and reveal the gems of Mongolian beautiful nature.