Venturing Abroad In Mongolia

I rode a horse for the first time in life this week. It was with the SteppeRiders tour company. I figured it would be some sort of crime if I didn’t ride a horse while in Mongolia, so I booked a horse ride.

The Stepperiders tour company is pretty great because they can pick you up and drop you off in Ulaanbaatar. I was told to be ready for pickup at 9am. 9:45am rolls along so I decide to call. The phone number I had previously called to make a reservation is no longer in service. I try a different a number. No dice. A third number? Ah, success. “Oh yes, Joe. Don’t worry. We’re on our way” and by 10:15am I’m on my way to riding a horse.

Soon after making everyone's acquaintance, a few of the other riders and I, as well as 3 guides, saddle up and ready up to ride. I’ve never ridden a horse. But I get my things on. What are they called? CHAPS! I wear those. And I get up onto my saddle. I did that pretty well. They then ask me,

“Have you ridden horse before?”
“Nope.”
“Ok. Uush is stop. Chu is go. Pull his head left and right to go left and right.”
“That’s it? Sounds easy. Chu!”
The horse is unresponsive. I whisper in his ear, “Ok, horse. Look we have mutual interests here. You want me off your back. I want to ride on you for maybe a few hours. So the sooner we get started, the sooner it’ll be over. “
“Why are you talking to the horse?”
“Well he wasn’t responding to Chu.”

It soon becomes apparent I don’t know how to ride a horse. I think for the sake of the group, one of the guides just takes the reigns from me, and she controls my horse. Riding a horse was an interesting experience. I didn’t quite realize how bumpy they were. Especially when they gallop. Galloping is a little terrifying, I’ll be honest. It also is quite a workout. The bumpiness is so that you almost have to constantly be standing in your saddle to avoid falling out. The scenery was a wonder to behold, though, and defies description by the written word.

Afterwards was much nicer, I got to sit, pet the horse, eat food, drink tea. I think the horse much preferred me not on his back because he was nuzzling me. I learned the horses we rode were semi-wild. Semi-wild means they still travel in herds, and the Mongolian people kind of do, kind of don’t own them. I don’t completely understand it. In any case, I then waited around for a few hours, and I remembered they probably don’t know I want to go home. I told them. And maybe about an hour later the car came back, and I was back in UB.