'Ten Thousand Horses of Steppe' festival approaching

Art & Culture
baljmaa@montsame.gov.mn
2019-10-28 17:43:40

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/.  ‘Ten Thousand Horses of Steppe – 2019’ festival to promote the lifestyle of Mongolian herders and preserve intangible cultural heritage is to begin on November 1 in Batnorov soum of Khentii aimag to run for three days.


This year’s edition of the annual festival is being co-organized by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Culture and Arts Department, Governor’s Office of Khentii aimag, Batnorov soum and “Munkh Khariltsaa” NGO. Horse herders from every corner of Mongolia are set to gather on the steppe in the eastern Mongolia for the festival along with their two thousand horses and more than 50 horsemen from Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China are on their way to participate in the festival.   


During the festival, ‘Shurguu - 2019’ (means hardworking) tournament with a total prize fund of MNT 10 million, will be held among the 20 select horsemen from each aimag. In addition, horse racing and horse-lassoing competitions, taiga dog racing, expo of Khentii brand products, presentation of horse breeds, horse parade, child jockey parade, arts concert and horse photography exhibition and an event to select the best mare of Khentii aimag are scheduled. 


The festival was initiated in 2015 with the purpose of upholding the livelihoods of local people and the economy of Khentii aimag, which leads by the number of its horses in Mongolia and its people. The event is also aimed at developing winter tourism in Mongolia, attracting tourists to the region, safeguarding the nomadic tradition of horse herding and promoting the talent and capabilities of herders. 


In November 2018, the last year’s Ten Thousand Horses of Steppe’ festival attracted more than two thousand foreign tourists from Germany, USA, UK, Australian Poland, France, China and Japan and Mongolian viewers.