Photo essay: Mongolia’s fearless child jockeys race for glory at Naadam
We witness a rite of passage up close at Mongolia’s biggest annual sporting event, as children as young as five years old show off their horse riding skills racing across the steppe
It’s 6am and raining when we crawl reluctantly out of our sodden tents, pitched late the night before in Uliastai, western Mongolia, where we have set up camp to watch Naadam, the country’s biggest annual celebration. Also known as the “three manly games”, the event is a chance for people to show their skills at racing, wrestling and archery, and many dress in their finest clothes for the occasion.
Though the biggest event is held in the country’s capital, Ulan Bator, smaller regional celebrations like this offer a chance to get closer to the action.
We eat a hasty breakfast and get in the cars, as we’ve heard the horse race will start at 7am. A long, bumpy off-road wild goose chase follows, as no one we ask seems to know where or when the race will start – not even the tense trainers and jockeys standing around. One policeman snoozing by the barrier tells us he has no idea and not his responsibility, while another sends us in a massive circle which brings us back to our starting point.
Then, suddenly all the cars seem to start driving in the same direction, and trucks bearing race horses rattle behind us, overtaking us in their haste to get to the starting line. We soon find a car park where crowds of locals are gathering, crouching between cars drinking salted yak milk tea, mugs of vodka (both of which they generously share with us to take the edge off the early start) and chewing on boiled mutton chops.