“I CAN honestly say that it was the most amazing, exhilarating experience of my life,” says stud owner and racing manager David Redvers.
He completed what is perhaps the horse world’s toughest challenge, the 1,000km Mongol Derby, in 2016 alongside Rathmore Stud’s Peter Molony.
David said at the time: “To ride a Mongolian pony flat out for 15km here is the closest you get to flying. I am completely and totally emotionally drained but at the same time exhilarated by the experience.”
Not to be outdone, David’s wife Laura and her great friend Louise Daly - one of Redvers’ joint-masters of the Ledbury hunt - took part in the inaugural Gaucho Derby, a 500km race across the wilds of Patagonia in March 2020.
Both races were organised by a group of clever, slightly crazy people under the umbrella of the Adventurists, better known outside the equestrian community for races such as the Mongol Rally (different kind of horsepower; diesel-fuelled this time), the Rickshaw Run in India and the Monkey Runs on motorbikes in Morocco, Romania and Peru.
However, from 2021, Mongol Derby head honcho Tom Morgan and his cohorts have formed a new company, the ‘Equestrianists’, to focus solely on long-distance, multi-horse racing.
They plan to add a third race to their roster, this time in North America, and to create a World Series from the three races.
“Under this new banner, we’re deep into the planning to set up the greatest equine racing series possible,” says Morgan. “We are dedicated to finding and celebrating those unique places where horses, humans, and history coexist in cultures that have defined our relationship with these majestic animals. This is a series of races that will test horsemanship and endurance of riders in new and unprecedented ways. This is the Dakar Rally of horse racing.”
The first Mongol Derby, which was modelled on the postal route established by Genghis Khan in 1224, took place in 2009 with 25 riders “to see if a 1,000km race on semi-wild horses across Mongolia was even possible,” says Morgan. “Every race generates interesting stories, and it has grown organically.”
Unique race
Morgan points out that one of the aspects of the Mongol Derby that makes it unique in horse-racing is that each rider is partnered with multiple horses.
“This makes it much more about the rider, whereas ‘normal’ races are really all about the single horse involved,” he says. “While the Mongol Derby is the toughest race in the world, it is tough on the humans and gentle on the horses that make it all possible.”
Morgan and his team have always placed horse welfare absolutely at the heart of everything they do. “From the beginning we had some sponsorship from a company involved in the endurance world, and they flew in people from the FEI to advise us; our rules [regarding equine heart-rate levels and so on] are more stringent than in endurance racing. We drill it into people that it isn’t possible to win at the expense of the horses.”
David Redvers adds: “The scenery was beyond anything you can imagine, my riding companions were the best fun, but the Mongolian ponies are the most incredible animals on the planet.”
The 40 Mongol Derby competitors come from all over the globe each year; the 2019 winner, Bob Long, was a tough-as-teak 70-year-old from Idaho. Australia and South Africa are well-represented among the past winners, while the UK has two (both female) and Ireland, one - Donal Fahy in 2012.
“The races are a compelling mixture of fascinating stories about the competitors - it isn’t just about the winner and the losers; it’s people fighting the elements, the terrain and the competition - and the link between the horses and the cultures of the countries in which we stage the races,” Morgan explains.
1,500 horses
The amount of organisation involved is huge; the Mongol Derby involves around 500 people, all in, and 1,500 horses. It means it isn’t a cheap trip for competitors - around $14,000 - but, he points out, lots of people get sponsorship to help them in this extraordinary endeavour.
“Over the years our competitors have raised more than £1 million for charity,” he says.
“In Mongolia we’re now supporting the Mongolian NGO Steppe and Hoof. Their objective is to support the herders and their animals and work to save the unique traditions that are part of the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle as it comes under fire from climate change and urbanisation. In Argentina we’re still investigating how donations could be well used.
“We also invest a huge amount of time and resource in ensuring our events support the local people as they take place. In Mongolia we’re inviting regional vets and veterinary students to work alongside our international vets on the race. We’re also organising a series of training workshops to help local vets gain access to world class veterinary knowledge to ensure ongoing benefits to our host community and a lasting positive impact.”
Competitors tend to be a mix of those who - in some form - ride horses for a living, be it as a cowboy, polo player, jockey or event rider - and incredibly determined individuals with desk jobs.
Age and background are immaterial; physical fitness and, most significantly, mental toughness, adaptability and a willingness to embrace what Mongolia - or Patagonia - has to offer are what matters. The ability to navigate - and to ignore bruises, saddle sores and plenty of minor injuries helps…
The coming year is going to be a busy one for the Equestrianists. The Gaucho Derby takes place in March, and in the spring they will start the test riding for the North American Derby - which may take place in 2021, if the gods are kind - and then in the summer they are running two Mongol Derbys back to back; the postponed 2020 edition followed by the 2021 version. If taking part in one of these incredible, insane races lights your fire, check out www.equestrianists.com.
Could you ride in an Equestrianist Derby?
- What you wear needs serious consideration. You need to be as light as possible and as comfortable as you can be (that’s kind of a joke, you won’t be comfortable). The weather will be crazy; it can and does switch from torrential rain to sharp frosts to blazing sun. It’s nearly never the weather you’d choose to ride in if you could. Most riders opt for pretty hi-tech stuff – but then there’s Texan Frank Winters, who completed the 2019 Mongol Derby in fine style wearing his Wranglers.
- Fussy eaters need not apply. This is the Mongolian steppe. There will be goat, and you’ll like it. There will also be mares’ milk. There may also be the lightest touch of diarrhoea and vomiting.
- If you rely on Sat Nav to get you to your local supermarket, these races probably aren’t for you. Navigational skills are crucial. You need to be able to read a map and read the terrain around you. It’s hard, especially when you’re exhausted and all your brain can think about is your bed.
- You need proper resilience. You need to be able to laugh at the utterly absurd position you find yourself in (after you’ve had a quick cry, which is ok). The semi-wild, fabulously tough and highly independent Mongolian horses will make a total fool of you. They will buck you off, and they may well disappear, with your kit on board, into the blue yonder. But get them on your side and going and they will do what they have been bred to do for hundreds of years – carry you, at speed across this most incredible, most beautiful landscape.
- The indigenous people know more about horses that you will ever do. Their cultures are utterly symbiotic with the horse; they are horsemen of genius and you will need their help and advice.