It is not possible to imagine Mongolian history without horses, and I think it is not possible to view the future of Mongolia without horses as well. Mongolia is not Mongolia without horses.

- J. Tserendeleg, president of the Mongolian Association for Conservation of Nature and the Environment

Mongolia is synonymous with horses. Przewalski’s horse, the last wild horse species on earth, is native to Mongolia. Genghis Khan’s great Mongol empire of the 13th century was won by exploiting the military potential of horse cavalry. Even today, Mongolians are known as some of the finest horsemen in the world.

There are deep ecological and historical reasons for Mongolians’ love affair with the horse. The steppe country north of China – too cold and dry for settled agriculture, but blessed with endless grazing lands – has been home to a succession of nomadic horse cultures for over two thousand years

Now that’s what I call bareback riding

Fittingly then, Naadam, in both the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China and independent, democratic Mongolia to the north, is all about horses. A horse parade kicks off the festival’s opening ceremony, and each day there are formal equestrian shows and horse races. Apart from the formal events, plenty of people just take the opportunity to ride across the green pastures surrounding the festival.

Look Mum, no hands

It’s not all pageantry though. Horses have always been serious business in Mongolia – they were and remain vital to the pastoral economy of the steppes, and horses were the basis of the Mongols’ military prowess. Horse-racing, like the wrestling and archery competitions at Naadam, historically provided an opportunity to combine martial training with a bit of fun.

Helmets, obviously, are not obligatory

On the grasslands, horse races are a bit different from the Melbourne Cup. Traditionally, races were run across the steppes; today, they are held on a track, but the race distances are still long by Western standards – 2500, 5000 and 10,000 metres at Naadam in Inner Mongolia, and up to 30 kilometres in independent Mongolia. Because the races are intended to test the speed and endurance of the horses rather than the skill of the riders, most of the jockeys are children between 8 and 15 years old.

When you’re that young, who cares about dieting

With such long races, and perhaps helped by the young age of the riders, horse injuries aren’t that uncommon. We saw one horse get confused during a race and crash into the railing separating onlookers from the track, while another horse was too dazed to move out of the way of oncoming riders and got hit from behind. Fortunately, both horses were able to walk themselves to safety.

The claret flowed at Naadam’s Mongolian wrestling competition

It looked like a mismatch.

The defending champion stood in the center of a ring formed by the spectators, winner of five straight matches, 6 feet tall (1.83 metres) and over 100 kilos.

The challenger was one of the smaller men to enter the ring, around 5’9” (1.75 metres) and solidly but not massively built, maybe 85 kilos.

The men circled each other cautiously for a few moments before locking arms at the shoulders. Then began the slow, painstaking work of finding an advantage. Each man tried to work his fingers under the other’s leather vest, around the other’s belt, anywhere that would provide the leverage for a throw.

Matches begin with wrestlers grappling for better position

Of the three sporting competitions at Naadam, wrestling is the most popular and most exciting. There are no weight or age classes and no time limits – lean teenagers can compete with flabby (but large) 30-year-olds in matches that go on for half an hour or more.

The object of the match is simple: throw your opponent to the ground, making him touch down with his hand, knee, or any other part of his body. A wrestler may grab his opponent’s vest or belt, but may not grab his opponent’s legs. (Tripping is allowed.)

Getting a few fingers under the vest can be the difference between winning and losing

Ten minutes had gone by and neither man had an obvious advantage. The challenger slid his right hand around the back of the champion’s neck and tried to twist; the champion maintained balance and grasped the challenger’s right shoulder with both hands. Seeing an opening, the challenger ducked under the champion’s extended right arm and locked his arms around the champ’s waist. In an instant the larger man was off his feet, thrashing about helplessly. A yell, a throw, and the former champion was on his back in the dirt. Match over.

Head under the armpit and lift!

The defending champ extends an arm in desperation

A new champion

Horsemen on the grasslands of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region

By now you’re probably starting to get to know a little bit about the wall – how it was constructed, where it was constructed, what material it was made from and some unique things about the places it passes through. But do you know why the wall was built? Was it designed to keep someone out or to keep someone in?

The traditional story is that the Great Wall was built to protect peace-loving Chinese farmers from war-crazed Mongols like Genghis Khan and his plundering hordes. The truth is a tad more complicated. In the first place, the Chinese were building changcheng, or long walls, for military purposes long before Genghis got his first pony. More generally, the Chinese built long walls for offensive purposes as well as defensive, and they often provoked Mongolian raids by refusing to engage in peaceful trade or interfering in internal Mongolian politics.

Still, academics generally agree that the wall was designed to separate the agricultural Han Chinese south of the wall from the nomadic Mongols to the north. And the stereotype of the bloodthirsty Mongols is alive and well.

Don’t be fooled by their smiles, this is actually a Mongolian version of the haka

We wanted to see for ourselves just who these “fierce” Mongolians were, these men of astounding horsemanship who had the Chinese trembling in their boots. So we took a few days off the wall and hopped on up to Hohhot, the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where we got a car ride to the grasslands and entry to the annual Mongolian festival, Naadam.

Buddhist monks bless the start of the festival

In the past, Naadam was an economic and social gathering, a time for Mongolian tribes to get together, trade goods, show off some of their best horses, and who knows, maybe plot their next raid against the Chinese. Eventually competitions in the warrior sports of horse racing, archery and wrestling became central to the festivities.

Today, Naadam is more of an all-around cultural festival, with music, eating and fashion as well as the traditional sporting contests. In the country of Mongolia, Naadam is celebrated at the same time every year; in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China, Naadam takes place when the grasses of the high plateau turn green.

The women of the steppes were known for their beauty

If you’re nearby when the authorities decide the grass is green enough, one or two days at Naadam are worth the effort to take it all in. Even if you’re just there for the opening ceremony, you can still see a lot – exotic dancers, beautiful singers, really strong men and some pretty cool horsemanship.

The two-stringed morin khuur’s neck is in the shape of a horse’s head

During the couple of days we spent in the grasslands we stayed in the traditional Mongolian dwelling, a yurt. This is a round, tent-like structure of wooden beams and felt that the nomads would carry with them and erect where they settled. Nowadays, the fancier yurts built for tourists are fixed structures that include glass windows, sliding doors and TVs (but still no corners).

The five-star yurts at Naadam (much nicer than the one we stayed in)

But ours still got internet coverage

And finally, what do Mongolian men need to keep up their wrestling strength? Food, and lots of it. Below is something that got wheeled past us in the corridors of the dining hall.

Vegetarian warning: graphic content