These horseback riding tips were written by Fiona Cowie, who traveled with us on the “Horseback riding tour” Mongolia previously. She is happy to share her experience from a travelers point of view with Nomadic Trails.

Fiona has ridden for 9-10 days in North Mongolia to visit the Reindeer Herders tribe. The riding holiday was a 2-week journey in total. View the horse riding tour close up here.

Riding a horse in different terrains:

It is recommended you get some riding practice in before you go to minimize the aches obtained from working seldom-used muscles! Do not worry so much about your technique etc as Mongolian riding is quite different from our European style riding – but a good seat and being comfortable at all paces will definitely make your holiday more enjoyable. If you don’t get any practice in you may ache for a day or two!

Packing tips for horse riding:

• Keep your packing to essentials – especially if you are taking an internal flight where there are weight limits. But do prepare for all seasons!
• A good sleeping bag is essential – go for a little warmer as you can always unzip it, but there is nothing worse than being too cold to sleep.
• A light rain jacket (but not a flappy one which could frighten the horses) and rain pants if you don’t like getting bit wet and cold.
• Light gloves are excellent for not only keeping your hands warm but also keeping them from being sunburned.
• Sunscreen
• Small torch
• Lip balm and a good moisturizer. The wind can really dry your skin out.
• Bandanna – keeps the wind and dust away. Has millions of uses!
• Layers of clothing that can be added or removed depending on conditions. One day you may need a T-shirt, the next a warm fleece! Long sleeve cotton shirts are great for riding in – and keeping the sun off.
• Warm fleece
• Wet wipes – good for washing the dirt away.
• Small gifts from home to share with your new friends or as small gifts – even some photos of your life back home – especially if you live on a farm or with a Hard riding hat (not something you can pick up in Mongolia) Riding boots (with a small heel but not with slippery soles as you may need to walk on rough ground) Sunglasses Small travel towel.
• First aid kit (paracetamol, antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, antibiotics, Immodium, blister relief – maybe something to ease any riding aches and pains!)

Food:

Nomadic Trails provide some lovely nourishing food and you may be lucky to share some meals with local families -enjoy these! But if you have food intolerances it may be wise to pack some snacks. But please try a little of what you are offered – not only as it is polite but also you may just find you like some of the different foods!

Other horseback riding tips in Mongolia:

Don’t forget your sense of humour and a ‘go with the flow attitude’ – treat your itinerary as only a guide – changing conditions may mean changes to the itinerary – trust your guide’s advice. You may end up with a new trip highlight that wasn’t even planned for!

Tell your friends and family you may not always be contactable. Main towns may have wi-fi and many small towns have phone coverage but you are planning on getting away into the countryside so you may not have either for several days at a time. Enjoy the freedom!