Khentii to host horse festival

Munkh Khariltsaa NGO in cooperation of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Khentii Province’s Mayor’s Office and Culture and Arts Authority will host the annual horse festival titled, “Ten Thousand Horses of Steppe”, in Khentii Province from November 2 to 4.

At a press conference held on October 29, the festival’s organizers said that the horse festival takes place every year to present the nation’s unique value of horse culture to future generations and foreigners living in Mongolia, and promotes winter tourism.

The organizers noted that the festival has been held annually for the last five years. They emphasized that nearly 30 foreign tourists from several countries, including France, South Korea, the United States and Sweden, came to Mongolia to attend last year’s festival and learn more about Mongolia’s horse culture.

In addition, they added that the nation’s horse culture is a key part of Mongolian nomadic life.

Some herders from China’s Inner Mongolia will participate in the festival to compete with Mongolian herders in the competitions held during the festival. The festival will feature horse racing and riding, horse bucking and lasso competitions.

According to last year’s report on the nation’s livestock population, there were 66.2 million livestock, 3.9 million of which were horses.