Wide steppes, Taiga and the desert Gobi: Over centuries Mongolia has been the land of horses and riders. Real wild horses live in Mongolia, world wide the last group of them. Living conditions are hard. Minus 30 degrees Celsius are a regular feature of Mongolian winters.

In the era of legendary Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan it was said that Mongolian horses were so big you needed a ladder to mount. But in fact the horses used by his troops were small and tough and could gallop up to 160 kilometres per day.

These horsemen legions were the basis for the power of "world ruler" Genghis Khan. He united the nomadic Mongolian tribes for the first time. In the 13th century, Mongolia was the largest empire in history, stretching from Hungary to Korea and Vietnam. Horses served as a quick connection between the far apart regions until the world empire broke up and got under Chinese and Russian rule.

The Mongolian People's Republic founded in 1924 maintained close connection to the Soviet Union. After 70 years of Communist rule Mongolia turned peacefully into a parliamentary democracy. The governmental economic policy supports liberalisation and industrialisation of the country and is helped by a high educational standard among the population. Roughly 40 per cent of Mongols still live as cattle breeding nomads.

In the steppes where only a few roads exist horses are still the best means of transport. One of the most pressing tasks therefore is the improvement of the infrastructure. Environmental problems are not exclusive to cities - the clearing of forest and extensive pasture have led to soil erosion in some steppe areas.