Stone Horse Expeditions & Travels LLC

Stone Horse Expeditions – Transformative Riding Adventures in Mongolia
We ride remote trails and camp at scenic sites, off the beaten track. Our small group expeditions are unique, low impact back country adventures. They combine cultural and wilderness experiences in some of the most outstanding scenery in the country.
35 + Years Experience in Wilderness Guiding
We have worked in wilderness travel and conservation throughout our careers that span over 35 years in wild places, among them Antarctica, the deserts of Oman and Mongolia’s gobi. We have explored our expedition routes in Mongolia for over 20 years on horseback. Our trip leaders have trained as EMT and first responders, and staff are first aid qualified. First aid kits and satellite phone for emergency use are always with us. All these years in remote places, and the many experiences we’ve gained have given us a solid back ground in wilderness expedition logistics and safety.
We lead all our expeditions ourselves to ensure the highest quality experience. Our team at Stone Horse offers you the right mix of local and international experience to make your travels an unforgettable adventure. The Stone Horse Team is made up of Mongolian and international personnel who have worked in tourism and wilderness travel for many years. Keith Swenson and Sabine Schmidt are the owner/operators of Stone Horse Expeditions. As adventure tour operators, we take special pride in the quality of our horse riding tours into some of the most pristine and naturally beautiful areas of Mongolia’s parks, and in making your holiday an unforgettable horse trek adventure.
Our guests appreciate our care for the environment and for our horses, the high quality riding and camping equipment, great expedition food and individual service from the moment you contact us. As our guest, you enjoy fully supported horseback riding in Mongolia – scenic campsites, good food, quality expedition gear, and your horse matched to your riding level.
First and foremost, our adventures will give you the experience of a life time that just might change your outlook on life for good. Feel connected with the earth and life, and find your truth. But you want to enjoy that experience knowing that you are in good hands, traveling with like minded people, that safety and comfort in the saddle and in camp are taken care of. Equipment for riding and wilderness camping, hygiene and nutrition should not be your worries and distractions from the real adventure of being with your horse, surrounded by scenic beauty, exploring new horizons, and perhaps even finding your true self…
Small Group Travel
When we say small groups, we mean a maximum of 6 to 8 riding guests. This makes for a great experience and high quality of service. Our support team on expeditions is usually five, including us as the owners/operators, two or three wranglers and a camp assistant. This allows us to give our guests the individual attention they deserve, providing personal service, safety and information to each guest. There are more than the 8 good reasons listed here to choose Stone Horse Expeditions. And small group size is one of the top reasons.

Low Impact Ecological Conduct
As owner/operators looking back on professional careers in conservation and park management, we run our wilderness expeditions with a high standard of ecological conduct in terms of waste management, use of water and grasslands resources, and mode of travel. We avoid waste/packaging as much as possible, and carry out all our rubbish – and sometimes that of others. We alternate campsites so as not to degrade grassland, forest and water resources at these scenic sites. We respect the grazing and water resources of the customary users in the National park we ride in – the nomadic livestock herders.
Natural Beauty and Scenic Landscapes
Gorkhi Terelj National Park is known for its picturesque landscapes of rolling grasslands, towering rock formations, forest clad hills and clear rivers. The Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area is the largest road less area in Mongolia, a scenic wilderness of forests and mountains. We travel into the remote back country, and use horses only. Our pack horses bring all the supplies and provisions. We do not rely on vehicle support, and therefore can access the most scenic sites and enjoy truly remote wilderness experiences.
Short Distance Travel to Start Your Riding Adventure
Our staging area is close to Ulaanbaatar City, between 60-90 minutes drive from your city hotel. You don’t waste time with vehicle or air travel to get to the start of your riding adventure. Yet, our staging area is close to scenic riding country. It is about an hour’s ride to the pass that marks the entrance into Gorkhi Terelj National Park. Besides saving time, you also create less carbon emissions by cutting down on vehicle or air travel.
Our Own Expedition Horses
We do not rent horses for a trip, or for the season. We own our own horses – 34 experienced expedition horses. Saddle and pack horses who know their jobs well, and who are a team. As any horse owner or lover knows, they all are great individuals and sentient beings. We care for them year-round, with fodder in the winter and with regular veterinary checks, hoof and tooth care and de-worming.
All our horses are easy going and responsive, yet of different spirit and character. Spending time with them year round, on the trail and in their home valley, we know each and every one of them well. Therefore, we are able to match horse and rider so that riders of all levels can enjoy the ride and the scenery, and their horse, and can hone their riding skills at the level they want.
Stone Horse Expeditions was borne out of our love of horses and of wilderness travel. We expanded on our core herd that we already had from years of wilderness explorations. Owning our expedition horses that know each other also means smooth running of the trip, as opposed to horses of different herds and owners sorting out their rank and differences on a trip, thus effecting enjoyment and safety during the tour.
Quality Saddles and Camping Equipment
We use modified western trail riding saddles, handmade in our own Stone Horse saddlery. Sabine learned Western saddle making at Sierra Saddlery School in New Mexico. Equipped with the skills and knowledge to construct robust and comfortable saddles – with the seat being the key to balanced riding- she set out to develop “Stone Horse Saddles” – lightweight trail riding saddles designed to fit Mongolian horses well. After many seasons of wilderness expeditions, we can attest to the durability of the saddles, and many guest testimonials have given Stone Horse saddles high grades for comfort and safety, as well as for beauty. All our guest saddles have safety features, the most important of them are safety cages to prevent a rider’s foot from being caught in the stirrup. The saddles have cruppers and breastplates to stay in place on steep terrain.
As a further safety measure, we provide helmets to all guests, and for comfort for those who do not bring riding boots, we provide leather half chaps.
For camping comforts, the standard kit we issue to every guest includes, besides helmet and half-chaps, saddle bags with two side bags and a top bag, sleeping bag and inner sleeping bag (and an extra outer bag from September onwards), pillow case, two water proof sacks for clothing and sleeping bag (carried by the pack horses), and sleeping mattress.
Sleeping tents are provided for single, double or more occupancy according to preferences of solo, couple or group travelers. We do not charge a single supplement for single traveler/tents.The camp consists of the sleeping tents, a dining tent and the kitchen tent. From September onwards, the dining tent is heated by a collapsible wood stove that we carry in the cool season. There is a hand wash station, and on request a simple camp shower. Arriving at the camp site, the first thing to go up is the camp kitchen and the table with refreshments – coffee, tea, biscuits, electrolyte drinks in the hot season, as well as wine and snacks while dinner is being prepared.
Our Expedition Food
Two of the pack horses carry the camp kitchen and the food – including lots of fresh vegetables. Our menu is nutritious and varied, including such dishes as bean burritos, lentil curry, pizza, chili, goulash, spaghetti and often on first nights of the trek, a barbecue. We cater for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters, and accommodate individual needs such as gluten free. Meat lovers might enjoy the Mongolian cuisine that we prepare for our wranglers and other staff if they prefer it.
With healthy and nutritious food, and individual needs being accommodated, our guests stay well and keep up their energy for the expedition days. And wine and extras such as birthday cakes when the occasion calls for it, keep up spirits and make for great campsite evenings.
Destinations of Our Horse Riding Expeditions in Mongolia
We know the destinations we take you to – we’ve explored them by horseback for years, finding extraordinary scenic routes to share with our guests. As long time professional conservationists, we’ve worked to help protect the beautiful areas we travel through.
Chingiis Khan roamed these mountain areas as the boy Temujiin. The Khentii Mountains are the backdrop of our horse riding expeditions in Mongolia. They hold the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park and the Khan Khentii Special Protected Area. It is a mystical place in history, this, the largest of Mongolia’s wilderness. We escape the modern world, and by horseback are greeted to breathtaking scenery with each new day. Make this your destination to nature, your destination to rediscover yourself.
Gorkhi Terelj National Park Expeditions in Scenic Landscapes shaped by Nomadic Traditions
Gorkhi Terelj National Park is great country for horseback riding and exploring – wide open valleys and rolling hills, trails along rivers, over forested passes, down through high grasses to discover another valley. Explore the hills and grasslands, rest below rock formations arising from the steppe. Experience true hospitality and the ambiance of a Mongolian Ger (more known as Yurt in the West). Live the local culture, and be at ease with your horse – be at ease with nature.
Khentii Mountains Expeditions into the Heart of the Taiga Forest
Challenge your spirit of adventure. Enter the Khan Khentii, steeped in the spiritual history of Mongolia. Its wildness will reward you with magnificent scenery, and the solitude of the Northern forest. Follow ancient horse trails to the sources of the rivers. Encounter wildlife. Make a high mountain passage with our pack horses. Stop at alpine lakes. Enjoy camping comforts in the wild. Bond with your horse – and listen to the silence.
Our Commitment to Conservation
Conservation of the environment is one of the main reasons why we enjoy taking people on horse tours into some of Mongolia’s most pristine and wild areas. Sharing this with you gives us joy and confidence that others from around the world will also understand that conserving the biodiversity of nature is not a luxury, but a necessity of life that all of us must protect. We believe that Thoreau’s notion that “In wildness is the preservation of the world” is something people must both feel and experience to truly understand.
We put our commitment to conservation into practice both with our expeditions and with ongoing local projects around our base camp area. On our expeditions, we not only adhere to a high standard of ecological conduct and low impact wilderness travel. We actively work with park authorities to improve wilderness protection and visitor management at the wilderness destinations we take you to. Learn more about the Wilderness Conservation Adventure.