New DPRK Site Spotted: Mirim Equestrian Riding Club

We were the first Americans to visit the Mirim Equestrian Riding Club in Pyongyang this December! This impressive horse riding center has an indoor training facility, 7 outdoor riding courses, a pavilion, restaurants, sauna and more! The Mirim Equestrian Riding Club was built in 6 months (almost unbelievable) and it opened on October 25, 2013. There are 120 horses in total at this facility, 67 Orlov Trotters from Russia and 53 domestic horses called Gwan Gok (관곡종) from the Rason region. The center will likely get 20 more horses next year, we were told by the Director of the Mirim Club. Over 100,000 people have visited this facility since it opened. We were there on a Sunday afternoon, and it was surely packed. We had an inkling because we saw a stream of green/yellow taxis coming out of the facility as we were driving in.

FACILITY DETAILS

The indoor facility is designed for the beginner rider. The outdoor course has 2 main rings. The outer grass ring is 1,850 meters in circumference. The inner sand ring is 1,750 meters in circumference. There is an outdoor pavilion that allows you to watch those riding. And in the summers, there is a huge air conditioned tent with log tables and chairs, a microbrewery and snack bar. Much of the facility was made using logs to give it a natural feel.

Current winter hours: 9am – 1pm and 2:30pm – 5pm

Anyone from 2 to 70 years of age can ride here.

Best seasons for riding are in the spring and fall.

HOW TO RIDE A HORSE AT THE MIRIM EQUESTRIAN RIDING CLUB:

1) Join one of our North Korea tours. Our New Years Tour will be the next tour to bring you to the Mirim Riding Club. See here for How to Book a North Korea Tour.

2) Pay the entrance fee of approximately $35 USD. The entrance fee covers riding gear (a padded vest, a hard hat, gloves, leather coverings for your legs, 1 hour of horse riding with an instructor, and a shower or use of sauna afterwards. If you do not wish to ride, but rather watch and have access to parts of the facility, there is a 2 Euros entrance fee.

3) Purchase 2 bags of carrots for 1 Euro each to feed to the horse pre and post riding (the horses get hungry… one almost ate an iPhone!).

4) Saddle up and ride! You can spend your hour in the indoor facility for new riders, or for more advanced riders, in the outdoor rings. You can even practice jumping outside.

5) Once you’re done, wind down with a draft beer (delivered fresh daily) and dried pollack (local snack of choice while drinking).

Andrea, first American to ride at the Mirim Equestrian Riding Club: