The Mongolian horse is a key part of the nomadic culture in this vast and wild country. They are smaller than most other horses around the world, likely because they require fewer calories for survival of the Siberian-like winters. The majority of Mongolian people still lead nomadic lives, and when they move to the capital, they bring their horses along.
A Mongolian Horse is Rarely Alone
Horses are herd animals and living in the nomadic human culture, they are rarely fenced in. While traveling in various parts of the countryside, I saw herds of mares and foals herded into corrals whereupon the foals were taken out of the corral and given their first harness. Some mothers were obviously familiar with this separation process, and split off from the herd, running away with their offspring. However, no one worried, since the horses didn’t run far, and returned once they calmed down.

Just north of the Gobi Desert the vegetation is short. This vegetation is wild irises and spicy wild onion.

Enjoying the sunshine and green grass on a warm day, the horses lazily move out of the road as cars drive up.

Filled with action, this is a the day that mother and baby horses are driven into a corral. The foals and fillies are separated from their mothers, with chaos ensuing as mothers call out to their offspring. The young horses struggle against the strong men as they are led to a line a few yards from the corral, where they are tied. Frequently the youngsters soon calm down.
The Mongolian Horse Provides Alcohol
Mares milk, like any liquid with sugars, can be fermented. This alcoholic milk, or airag, tastes similar to beer, but is white, just like regular milk. Mares are milked when they have a baby, same as cows.
Naadam Festival
Naadam is an annual festival each summer, which includes a lot of alcohol, wrestling, and horse racing. Families train their young horses for kids to ride in races.

I was in the middle of this valley when I heard galloping hooves behind me. I turned around in time to take this single shot. Good luck at the Naadam Festival races!
Horses for Transportation
Horses are used for packing occasionally. Most families I met have a motorcycle or truck to transport their household as they move 3 times a year, following their age old nomadic routes, so no longer use horses for this purpose.
However, there are various horse trekking tours available for tourists. I found my own guide upon arrival at the Red Waterfall, and daily costs were approximately $50 USD all-inclusive for food, horses, staying in a shared ger. Since it was only me and my guide, we usually slept in the family’s ger, not in a tourist ger.

My guide and I spent 5 days riding from 1 ger to another. We rode 4-7 hours, depending on the distance between places we could find lodging. We did not carry food or tents.

We stayed 2 nights in one ger camp, so took a day ride to a lake. The horses stood in the shallows drinking for several minutes.
At The End of The Rainbow
Have you visited Mongolia? Where did you visit? If you haven’t visited Mongolia, is it on your wishlist? Would you rather visit the Gobi Desert and ride camels or the north and ride horses? Let me know below!
Mongolian Horse Trekking Tours
I have never been on a horse trekking tour anywhere in the world. However, I’ve looked them up over the years, since they do look amazing. Please see my Tours that Look Cool page.
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Want to travel in Mongolia without a tour? Here’s the best Do-It-Yourself-Mongolia Guide.
Here’s how I ended up in Mongolia for a month.
Want to improve your travel photography skills? Here’s my Pinterest board Travel Photography Tips with lots of tips on lighting, framing, and more! Or, search ‘photography’ in the search bar at the top of this page.
I would love to go to Mongolia and ride these famous horses! They look so skinny though, can they really hold all that weight? Have you tried the alcoholic milk? Great post!
Hello Lyssie!
I didn’t see many skinny horses in Mongolia. Generally they’re really well fed, since the graze in the open. However, horses certainly do have a limit as to how much weight they can carry.
Yup! I tried the alcoholic milk– that’s how I know it tastes kinda like beer (which I don’t like much, either).
Thanks for taking time to write, and I look forward to hearing about your own Mongolia trip one day!
Jess
This article makes me appreciate the beauty of horses. We went to Iceland and they were very beautiful there also. I am very afraid of horses though, so I would pick the camel ride. LOL.
Haha! You’re right: Horses can be scary– especially when they’re afraid of something. You know the fight or flight instinct? They try to ‘flight’ every time by leaping and jumping. I guess you saw that in the photos.
The camel ride is fantastic!! Excellent choice!
I hope to one day visit Mongolia and it would be awesome to ride horses like this! Great info and photos, will have to save this post for when I get there!
Hi Kristy,
Yes, definitely save the post for when you get there one day! I had the hardest time finding this sort of information before my trip! Hopefully you remember to let me know how your trip goes, or send me your snapchat before your trip. Snapchat is such fun! Of course, you’d definitely need to get a Mongolian SIM card for that.
Best wishes!!
Jess