The equestrian field of Gonbad-e Qabus is considered one of the tourist attractions in Gonbad-e Qabus. These competitions are held in two seasons of the year, spring and autumn, every week on Fridays and Saturdays, with the presence of enthusiasts and tourists from other parts of the world at the Gonbad-e Qabus Equestrian Complex. The number of spectators in these equestrian competitions is usually between 3,000 to 7,000, but on Fridays and in the spring season, this number reaches 5,000 to 6,000 as well. The equestrian field of Gonbad-e Qabus is located in the northeast of this county and was established in 1310 with the aim of holding equestrian competitions and breeding Turkmen horses. After the Islamic Revolution, this equestrian complex was entrusted to the management of the Education Organization. The length of this field is 1400 meters and its shape is oval.
The Turkmen horse breed is known as one of the best horse breeds in this area, and the people of Gonbad and Bandar Turkman have been interested in horse riding for a long time. The organization of horse racing competitions as a special ceremony at celebrations, especially in wedding ceremonies, has attracted the attention and enthusiasm of the people for a long time. This sport competition, known as “Eilo” in Turkmen, was ordered to establish the Gonbad Equestrian Complex by the Shah of Iran during the Pahlavi era in 1350, due to the people’s interest in horse riding. Since then, competitions have been held in the autumn and spring periods. Although the holding of horse racing competitions in Gonbad-e Qabus has a history of more than three decades, since 1380 with the establishment of the Turkmen Golden Horseshoe in Golestan province, semi-professional and amateur competitions have begun, and the establishment of this company has greatly helped to improve the organization of Gonbad-e Qabus equestrian competitions.
Currently, about 80 to 90 horses participate in the competitions every week, and each horse has the power and license to participate in one round of competitions. Horses are divided each week based on breed, age, and previous performance, and a technical committee oversees this matter. The excitement and encouragement of the people with the warm voice of the announcer, the special colors and scents give a different experience to the horse racing course, which lasts between seven or eight rounds of competitions with about half an hour intervals.
With all these characteristics, if horse riding excitement is also attractive to you, go to Gonbad-e Qabus in spring and autumn and enjoy watching this exciting sport and competition. When traveling to Gonbad and seeing this exciting competition, plan to visit the Gonbad-e Qabus Tower, Golestan Dam, and Almagol Lagoon along with the Khalid Nabi Shrine.
To go to Gonbad-e Qabus, you can travel from Tehran to the northeast and pass through the cities of Damavand, Ghaemshahr, Firouzkouh, Gorgan, and Aliabad Katoul. This route is very lush and beautiful. There is another route from Tehran to Gonbad-e Qabus that passes through Varamin, Damghan, and Shahrood, with fewer cities in between. You can travel by bus every day from the beginning of the Bihiqi terminal in eastern Tehran to Gonbad-e Qabus. Gonbad-e Qabus does not have an airport, so if you choose air travel, you must use Gorgan Airport and then travel to Gonbad-e Qabus by bus or taxi. This city also does not have a train station, so you must travel to Gorgan by train to reach Gonbad-e Qabus.
