Classroom lesson · Wildlife · 🇲🇳 Mongolia

The Mongolian Horse

Small, sturdy, and the heart of Mongolian culture

A small sturdy Mongolian horse galloping across the open steppe

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

The Mongolian horse is a small, stocky breed that has lived on the steppe for thousands of years. It is shorter than most European horses but incredibly tough - it can survive freezing winters outdoors by digging through snow to find grass below. In Mongolia there are roughly 3 million horses, which is more horses than people!

Tell me more

Mongolian horses live semi-wild, roaming the steppe in herds and only coming in when herders need them. They are not stabled or pampered - they live outside year round, whatever the weather. This makes them incredibly hardy. A Mongolian horse can travel very long distances across rough terrain without tiring the way a softer breed would.

Horses are central to Mongolian identity and daily life. Mongolian children often learn to ride before they can read, and many five-year-olds can handle a horse confidently on the open steppe. There is a saying in Mongolia: 'A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings.' Horses are used for herding, travel and racing - not just for riding for fun.

At the Naadam Festival every July, child jockeys aged as young as five or six race Mongolian horses across the open steppe. The races can be up to 30 kilometres long - far longer than any horse race in Europe. The winning horse gets a special title and the jockey is celebrated as a hero. Crowds cheer, songs are sung and the horses are honoured with a drink of fermented mare's milk.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

01Horses are so important in Mongolia that children learn to ride very young. Is there something in your culture that children learn earlier than in other places?
02Why do you think small, tough horses might be better suited to Mongolia than big, tall horses?
03How might life on the steppe be different without horses?

Try this

Classroom activity

Write a diary entry from the point of view of a Mongolian child jockey preparing for the Naadam horse race. What would you eat for breakfast? How would you feel? What would the steppe look like at the start? What sounds would you hear?

The Mongolian Horse

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Discussion prompts

Classroom activity

Other things that make Mongolia special

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