Across Mongolia young boys work hard on their horse racing skills during the weeks leading up to the country's summer Naadam festivals. The jockeys, some as young as 11, often work and live with a horse trainer in the countryside, taking care of the horses and practicing for the big day, when the stocky equines charge across the steppe for up to 29 kilometers (18 miles).

During Naadam, spectators gather at the finish line, hoping to touch the horses as they pass, because the sweat of the fastest horses is considered good luck for the year to come.