The reasons we changed our plans were to ensure water and grass for the horses.  My Mongolian partner riders believed that the Khangai mountain range (Khangai Nuruu) would provide lush vegetation and plenty of streams and rivers.  They were wrong.  Not only did we not find resources, but there were few nomads or gers in sight (therefore little help or advice when we needed it).  From the few shepherds we encountered, we learned that many were moving to greener pastures in the north.  We were ourselves sometimes able to give suggestions to migrating herders because of the trail we had already left behind.

After Tsetserleg, we rode into high altitude mountains (almost 9000 ft.) with sweeping, barren plateaus.  Only one river provided the water sources we expected and only for a few days.  The final five hundred miles took us for days on end through steppe that was desolate from overgrazing.  That meant almost no grass was available and often the arid land was over-run with mouse colonies.  In Mongolia, steppe mice invade the underground making tunnels that are, for the most part, invisible to the eye.  It is a very different situation to the holes that Marmots and Ground Squirrels make that can be seen by the horse and rider.  The mouse burrows collapse with the weight of the horse and his leg sinks hard and fast into the ground for at least twelve inches.  If your animal is moving quickly, there is a risk of tripping and falling - even breaking a leg.  If you are chased by a predator, your risks of getting away effectively are hindered by the dangerous underground.

Our route was the following:  we left the Hangard Tourist Camp on Lake Khuvsgul and rode to Muron (in Khuvsgul Province) – then on to Bulgan in Bulgan province.  From there we rode to Arkhangai Province (Khashht Village) and to Ovorkhangai Province (Kharkhorin city), then back up through another corner of Arkhangai Province to Tsetserleg city.   Our problems started in Bayanhongor Province through places like Jargalant, Zag and Huree Maral (places I called Hell!)  I strongly recommend that Long Riders not follow the latter part of this route.  It will put your horses at great risk.

In the north-eastern part of Govi Altai Province we passed through the towns of Delger and Guulin, then on to the southern parts of Zavkhan Province to Shiluustei and Tsagaanchuluut.  Back in Govi Altai (Province) again we got lost twice in the Gobi Desert (frightening) before reaching Altai City, where we were obliged to buy hay to accommodate the horses because the desert steppe was so barren.  We carried the hay with us all the way from Altai City to our final destination, the ovoo of Black Horse Mountain.