Mongolia’s child jockeys are key to its nomadic heritage, but are they in danger?

Light and agile, children have long held the reins in Mongolian horse racing. But the hazards of the sport make it anything but child’s play

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Horse rider Dolgorsuren Batoyun (centre) is pictured as a child. Now grown up, the first woman member of Mongolia’s national polo team looks back fondly on the “cultures and customs” her father (right) taught her. Photo: Dominique Backhouse

Published: 12:21pm, 16 Dec 2025Updated: 3:47pm, 16 Dec 2025

From auspicious horse-themed phrases and couplets to whether your luck is in, check out our Year of the Horse 2026 series to discover all you need to know about the coming Lunar New Year.

In Mongolia, horses are not just animals – they embody the nation’s spirit.

Horse racing is an integral part of Mongol culture. The bond between man and equine is formed through trust and skill on the open steppe.

“The philosophy of Mongolian horse racing is distilled into a simple, sacred principle: a horse cannot win without its jockey,” says D’Artagnan Giercke, director of the Genghis Khan Retreat, which organises an annual international polo tournament on its grounds within the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape, a Unesco World Heritage site in central Mongolia.

For centuries, horsemanship has been a pillar of Mongolian culture.

“It is a huge honour to be chosen [to be a jockey],” Gierke says. “You have a lot of kudos if you are successful.”

Genghis Khan Retreat director D’Artagnan Giercke is pictured as a child. Photo: Dominique Backhouse

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Mongolia’s child jockeys are key to its nomadic heritage, but are they in danger?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Light and agile, children have long held the reins in Mongolian horse racing. But the hazards of the sport make it anything but child’s play

Light and agile, children have long held the reins in Mongolian horse racing. But the hazards of the sport make it anything but child’s play