Horse racing at Khui Doloon Khudag

Mongolian racing is endurance racing across open country. Horses compete by age class, six in all, over distances that grow with age: two-year-olds (daaga) run 10–12 km, while seven-year-olds and stallions cover up to 23–26 km. Hundreds of horses start together in each race; across the festival thousands race in total.

The races start and finish at Khui Doloon Khudag, roughly 35 km west of Ulaanbaatar, where a temporary city of gers rises for the festival — airag bowls, khuushuur pans and horse trainers from every aimag. Everything here is free: no tickets, no stands, just the steppe and the finish line.

Riders are young — the sport belongs to children of herding families who grow up on horseback. Before the start they circle singing the giingoo, a high, ancient melody that calms the horses. The five leading horses of each race earn the title airagiin tav and are praised in verse; the winning trainer earns honours as carefully ranked as the wrestlers'. In the daaga race even the last horse is honoured with a song wishing it the 'luck of ten thousand horses' — bayan khodood.

Practical notes: the main races run on the mornings of 11–13 July, with key finishes around 12 July. Leave the city by 6 am, bring sun protection and water, and treat riders and horses with the distance you would give any athlete at work — drones are restricted near the courses.