Mongol Horse Trail
25 June 2024
The Riding
The Accommodation
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Two of us shared a nice spacious teepee tent with campbeds and extra blankets provided - much appreciated when it decided to snow. There was also a toilet and a shower tent set up every night which was a very welcome surprise. Camp spots were lovely and tents were nicely spaced out. We spent 2 nights at each location which was a bit more relaxed than a full-on trail, giving us the option to return to camp for lunch on some days and not riding at all on one day when the weather was awful.
The food exceeded my expectations with a plentiful supply of cold meat, cheese, eggs, bread, etc. for breakfast and 3 courses (salad or delicious soup, a main, usually of pork or chicken with pasta, rice or potatoes, and a dessert) at lunch (if we were at camp) and dinner. Packed lunches were very generous and water, tea, coffee and snacks were available whenever the yurt was set up, just in case we were peckish. We had a couple of local dishes which were also delicious but I was a little disappointed (I think!) not to try a more traditional mutton stew, perhaps just once.
Before Your Holiday
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I was surprised not to see Lara Prior-Palmer's 'Rough Magic' - the book that inspired me to finally do this ride - on the suggested reading list. It's a remarkable tale, but also gives a real sense of the Mongolian landscape and what it's like to ride there (albeit the horses on our trip were more reliable than some of those in the book!)
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With only two of us on the ride, we felt rather spoilt to have Eric, our guide and translator throughout the trip who took fabulous care of us, Dgera, the brilliant horse guide, two camp crew, the always cheery cook and her assistant, 5 horses and 3 yak/hainak carts, all just for us!
The beautiful wild flowers in meadows and forests were a delightful surprise. The prolific horse flies in a few areas less so, requiring diligent swatting with a carefully chosen bit of foliage.
Lastly, a word of warning not to underestimate the Mongolian weather. We started the week in bright sunshine and temperatures in the upper 20s, mid week the camp was battered by a huge thunderstorm and strong winds followed by snow and hail, reverting to bright sunshine by the end of the trip. I have to say, I was prepared for it to change hour-by-hour but not so much for a full 48 hours of cold and wet which we were lucky not to have to ride in all day.
Sorry it's taken so long to complete this feedback! It's impossible to sum this trip up in a few short paragraphs, there is so much I could say.
Tam who has been on 24 In The Saddle rides. A unique riding adventure in a land of horses | You need to suspend 'soft' British pre-conceptions about riding and horse care on this trip and be adaptable to whatever might happen but for me that's a big positive!
The horses may live wild all winter, but really seemed to understand their job when on the trail and mine (nicknamed Bryan as they aren't given names) didn't put a foot wrong while I was riding him (although he did decide to go off exploring one night with the horse he was hobbled with, which caused some consternation and meant we had to ride with the yak carts the following day while Bryan and friend were found and retrieved!)
As the notes say, you do need to be fit enough to trot/canter for 20mins (or more) at a time and be confident enough to do that over rough terrain and up and down hills - I think time spent at a walk was mainly for our benefit as the guides and horses would run all day. You don't necessarily need to stand in the stirrups like the Mongols the whole time though.