Mounted officers patrol Inner Mongolia's vast grasslands

Police vehicles are of little use across the sprawling Hulunbuir Grasslands in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, where vast stretches of sparsely populated terrain are impassable for motorized transport.

Along the Morigele River in Chen Barga Banner, a unique mounted police unit takes to horseback. Officers gallop across pastures and over rugged terrain to maintain security for local herders.

When nomadic families carry out seasonal pasture transfers with their livestock, the team rides alongside to offer protection and support.

Guo Yuhe contributed to this story.