Arrow riders were an essential element of the Mongol army during the time of Genghis Khan and his successors, ensuring the transmission of messages of all types in the vast expanses dominated by the Mongols, at the average speed of 1400 to 1800 km per week (except winter or rough terrain).
To achieve these record performances, they sleep and eat in the saddle. They have the right to requisition the horses they need, including the best horse of the highest Mongolian rank they come across. Their horses are harnessed with bells, which warn travelers to pull over to the side of the road, to allow them free passage.
Finally, these men chosen among the most enduring wear equipment that facilitates their task, such as bands supporting the kidneys or the head.
The importance of this long-distance communications system was such that it was entrusted to an oerleuk (a kind of marshal).