Home of the world’s longest and (toughest) horse race – “Mongol derby”, which is officially claimed in the World Guinness Records, – Mongolia is the land of nomadic culture, vast open space and of course, horses!

In Mongolia, most people learn to ride horses when they are like 5. Mongolian horses are relatively stubby, but strong as they are trained at young age and used for transportation, sustenance, companionship and racing.

Mongolians enjoy horse racing throughout the year. However the most extended and the exciting one happens during the Naadam Festival. During the festival, participating horses are divided into six categories based on their ages. Distance of the race varies in each category: two-year-old horses race for 10-12 km (6-7,5 miles), for instance, stallions race for 23 km (14,5 miles) on average, and seven-year-old ones race for 25-26 km (15,5-16 miles). Moreover, though, the distance varies from race to race depending on the surface of the race field in different locations.

Horse jockeys are usually between 5 and 13. Due to the lengthy distance of the horseracing, jockeys are preferred to be light, yet experienced. During the race, jockeys not only ride horses, but also they are responsible for cherishing their horses with a special song called “giingo” and raising their spirits.

With no doubt, several months before the race, both horses and jockeys go through intense training. Especially the horses are given a special diet and treated with tenderness during the said period. In the race, horses and their jockeys coming in first five are rewarded and revered. Like the winning wrestlers, winning horses are given titles like “tymnii eh” or the leader of ten thousand. Horse trainers, whose horses perform exceptional in consecutive races, are also given special honors like “Leading trainer”, or “National famous trainer”.

During the Naadam Festival, from 10th to 12th of July, around 180,000 horses race throughout the country (in 21 provinces and 329 soums).

Praising race horses

Praises to their horses, regardless of their victory or losing in racing, reveals Mongolians’ sincere affection to their horses. Many versions of praises for horses are sung throughout the country. However, all the versions of praises share the common sense of acclaiming their horses’ strength, patience, competitiveness, and spirit which a painter could draw and a man could imagine in their mind as real upon hearing. Simultaneously, Mongolians never make fun of or tease their lost horses; instead, they prefer to smoothen their losing feeling and give forgiveness by praising their horses in an encouraging manner.

Praise for the loser of the two-year-old horses – the youngest of all the race horses, for example, are portrayed as follows:
The owner of this steed made a mistake
So, his tie got too short,
His jockey got too young,
The whip was too small,
Too many holes and obstacles faced on the way,
Regardless of his attempt of jumping over,
He got left behind like a cow-cart and
Came last this time, but would be the lead of the ten thousand next year.
Because two – year horses are the youngest of all the horses racing in six categories, they get special attention and dignity from the audience. A proof of which is that the loser of the two-year-old-horses is bestowed with the same prize as the winner of that race.