Horse-racing is one of the three traditional skills of the Mongolian young man where good horses and skillful horse-riders have always enjoyed supreme credits. Therefore, horse-racing has naturally been the favorite sports activity cherished by the herdsmen in Mongolia.

Two types of horse-racing activities were held there, namely, trotting-horse racing and galloping-horse racing. For the former, the horse would be equipped with a full set of saddles and proper-sized horseshoes, and it is required to amble forward (e.g. move along using both legs on one side alternately with both on the other). It is a competition of speed, stamina, steadiness, and posture. The latter competes for speed and stamina, with the winner being the one first to get to the destination. The riders in the competition are mostly agile boys of 12 or 13 years old. To ease the load of the horse and ensure the safety of the riders, the galloping horses are generally not equipped with saddle or with light saddle. The riders would only wear gorgeous colorful costumes with flying red and green straps on their head, fully displaying their vigor and valiancy. The competition generally covers 25 to 35 kilometers. Compared with the trotting-horse race, the galloping-horse racing is more commonly seen and of more riders with several dozen at least or over one hundred sometimes. As soon as the competition begins, the riders would quickly spring onto the horse and start their journey, leaving the audience gamboling and cheering for them.

By the custom of the Mongolian minority, the horses would be commended after the competition if they have place in it. They would stand according to their performance and be commended with a horse-praising poem chanted by some honorable seniors. After that, milk wine or fresh milk would be splashed on the horse winning the first place to congratulate it. Apart from the two traditional horse-racing forms, new ones such as the steeplechase have also emerged, which have greatly enriched and vivified this sports activity.