Let me share some honest truths about wilderness riding for beginners...

I recently joined a 7-day wilderness riding camp in Hulunbuir and many friends asked me about it after seeing my posts. As someone who's been through it, here are some tips for choosing a riding camp to help you avoid pitfalls! 1️⃣ Safety stirrups, safety vests, helmets, and insurance are must-haves! Safety comes first—don’t cut corners to save money. A fall can seriously disrupt your life and work. 2️⃣ Tack is often overlooked by beginners. Many operators use cheap tourist saddles to cut costs💰, only for you to discover they’re hard and uncomfortable. English or Western saddles offer more comfort but are pricier! 3️⃣ The ideal student-to-coach ratio is 1:3, with coaches positioned at the front, middle, and back of the group. A 1:4 ratio is also acceptable, but anything lower isn’t ideal. 4️⃣ Groups with over 20 riders often lack enough coaches to attend to everyone. I chose a 12-person group, so any issues were promptly addressed! 5️⃣ Consider the coaches’ expertise. Mongolian riding styles are wilder and less suitable for beginners, while English styles are more stable and safer. Our camp combined both, and I loved the evening video reviews where coaches pointed out and corrected our mistakes. 6️⃣ Riding is exhausting, and poor sleep makes it worse. Always check photos/videos of accommodations. Grassland stays typically include yurts, camping, or guesthouses. Traditional yurts have poor soundproofing, limited washing facilities, and lots of bugs—thankfully, they’re rare now. 7️⃣ Check the horses’ condition. Tourist horses often lack stamina, and untrained ones pose safety risks. We rode well-trained Mongolian horses—gentle and strong. 8️⃣ Opt for 5–7 days of riding. Shorter 2–3 day trips suit experienced riders for sightseeing, but beginners need more saddle time to build a solid foundation. 9️⃣ Avoid monotonous routes. Our trail included Breeze Valley, Heishantou Ancient City, and Xiadianzi Wetland Ranch, featuring forests, grasslands, wetlands, and mountain paths—every day brought new scenery, perfect for improving skills. 🔟 Clarify if photography costs extra. My camp included a professional photographer for stills, videos, and drone footage, with simple edits and all raw files—no hidden fees. 1️⃣1️⃣ Check if meals are basic or group-style. Luckily, ours served varied dishes daily—chefs mastered both northern and southern cuisines, offering roast meat, hotpot, lamb chops, skewers, and stir-fries, plus unlimited fruits and drinks. 1️⃣2️⃣ Timing matters! May–September is the best season to learn, with June–August offering the best views (and highest prices), especially during the July–August summer peak.