Taking on the Mongol Derby

Thursday March 11 2010

Death is a possibility.

Danger and fear is a probability.

Pain and hardships are a given.

By taking part in the 2010 Mongol Derby in August, "you are greatly increasing your risk of severe physical injury. You could break limbs, suffer internal injuries, become paralysed or even die," according to their website.

So why then would a 39-year-old woman ("I have it on good authority that women do not have birthdays after 39...so I guess I am 39") want to take on the "toughest horse race on the planet," a 1000-km horse race across the wild Mongolian Steppe?

Kat Swigart, of Fullerton, California, answers: "To meet the challenge. All aspects of it, as it is truely a unique challenge with all the facets to it: the riding challenge (which is but a small part of it), the physical fitness, the mental fitness, the planning and preparation - all of the things that led me to be a Boy Scout (literally, I have a membership card with my name on it for the Boy Scouts of America) in high school. I got my survival in the wilderness merit badge on a 9-day, point to point, backpacking trip in the Sierras when (not by intent) half-way through the trip a bear (or bears?) got all our food. The Mongol Derby is an excellent test of the Boy Scout motto of 'Be Prepared.' And there is also the fund-raising challenge to be met at the same time - which is not an irrelevant part of the challenge. This appeals to the MBA in me.

"This but scratches the surface of the challenges I will be facing between now and the end of August. Tell me of another event that presents the same challenge/s....and maybe I will try that one next. Assuming I come back alive (not a guarantee, by any means)," from the Mongol Derby, she says.

Without a marked trail over rough, sparsely inhabited terrain, being exposed to any kind of weather and temperatures, and with limited medical help in ready access, calling this horse race a "challenge" is an understatement.

Riders will have 10 days to cover 1000 kilometers, riding (by map and GPS) to Urtuus (horse stations) approximately 40 km apart, mimicking the old postal system of Genghis Khan, where they will switch horses and continue on to the next Urtuu. Riders are limited to carrying 11 pounds (2 kg) of equipment with them on the horses, so they'll have to rely on local herding families at the Urtuus for food and drink. Additionally, to participate, riders are required to raise 1000 GB Pounds (about $1500) for a Mongolian charity to be announced.

Last year's Mongol Derby, the inaugural running, was not without controversy. The perceived casualness of the organizers, The Adventurists, over the welfare of the 6-800 horses that were to participate, prompted concerns from outsiders, the result of which led to assurances that horse care was of primary importance. Veterinarians were on hand at the Urtuus to monitor horse welfare; and after the ride, organizers reported that less than 2% of the 700 horses that took part in 2009 required treatment, which was all minor first aid. It led to an innovative veterinary training program launched by the organisers of the Mongol Derby that will train more than 20 local veterinarians to ensure the welfare of the horses for this year's ride.

While the horses should be well looked after, the riders are, well, sort of on their own, other than pre-race training for participants that will be provided by Maggie Pattinson, Chef d'Equipe for the British Endurance Squad. Since there is no marked course, riders will make their own ways to the horse stations. They'll carry an emergency beacon they can activate if there's an accident, but there's no guarantee help will be close.

Getting lost, and getting ill from food and drink are Kat's two major concerns. Getting hurt is not. "I can get hurt anywhere; I would be a basket case if I spent my life worrying about getting hurt." She is hoping to refresh her orienteering skills enough between now and then so that getting lost won't be an issue, and she plans to bring along a small stove, "so I can cook the s*** out of everything I eat or drink."

The idea of riding long distances over multiple days is not new to Kat. She's been riding endurance since 1991, and she's done a lot of multi-day rides. Her most rewarding and challenging ride so far has been the defunct Outlaw Trail in Utah, over remote and inaccessible trails that Butch Cassidy and the Hole in the Wall Gang used to escape pursuers. "Doing all 5 days of the Outlaw Trail on the same horse, my first endurance horse, was a choking up experience as I was approaching the finish line of the last day and thinking, 'I can believe we are really going to do this.' Incredible satisfaction. I confess, IF I finish it, I expect the emotion to be even greater from completing the Mongol Derby."

It's probably the biggest challenge Kat has ever taken on, but, she says, "I really haven't given it that much consideration." It's not about how big the challenge is, and it's not about winning. It's about setting a goal, working toward completing it, and testing yourself.

Kat Swigart puts her foot in the stirrup and heads forth into the Mongolian wilderness on a semi-wild Mongolian horse on August 7th.


Kat on Lakota, with her running partner in the Swanton 75 mile Ride N Tie

Top Photo: Kat and Snip on the Outlaw Trail

Shifting Priorities (Mongol Derby)

Wednesday July 1 2009

I see with a lot of pressure from horse people worldwide, the Adventurists putting on this Mongol Derby (who are not an equine tour company, and have apparently never put on a horse event in a first world country, much less a third world country), have suddenly proclaimed horse welfare "firmly" at the top of their agenda.

Now, instead of "Essentially once the starter gun goes off you are on your own", and instead of 2 jeeps "following the race from a distance" there is now a "fleet of back up jeeps," or a "fleet of jeeps," or the event is supported by five off-road vehicles running alongside the riders (um, which five riders?) and 2 standby 4x4 vehicles.

Now instead of having no established route to follow, and the riders being on their own: "Luck? Judgement? Ask a passing herder? Ride in concentric circles for a week? Divination... You will be given a map before the start with the locations of each Urtuu and the rest is down to you," there is an "established route" to follow, or a "route marked out by the horse stations."

Now, instead of the riders "tackling the challenge of semi-wild horses and surviving alone in the wild steppes of Mongolia", and "It's dangerous, it's unsupported and you could die," now the "safety and welfare of the horses and riders on the Mongol Derby is of paramount importance to us as organisers. With a network of first class professionals, both veterinary and medical, the Mongol Derby's support network is exemplary; before, during and after the race." Now, the "welfare of the horse is guarded and monitored at all times" (I'm a little vague on the math here... 26 riders and horses - or 600 horses, if you want to count all of them - spread out over days or weeks and how many kilometers, with the 5 off-road vehicles following the 5 riders.)

Most enlightening and comforting, now there is also an "extensive horse welfare program and emergency back up system" in place. There's a "fantastic team of equine experts and veterinarians", or "respected British and Mongolian equine experts," or "a network of Mongolian vets". (Mongolia must have a lot of vets, no?) An unnamed British equine vet "with 32 years of experience" will follow the Derby in one of our "fleet of back up jeeps" and the Mongolian vets will have with them "high quality veterinary medicines."

Now instead of: "They're going to give us GPS locations to the wells, where we'll be able to get water, and they don't guarantee that the wells will have water" (apparently said by a contestant - but surely this can not be a real quote!), a recent revision was made "to increase the number of water sources" (um... new wells dug?) that have been clearly plotted for horses and riders, or, an "extensive list of confirmed water sources." Now the provision of water is a prime deciding factor in the route for the horses. Now, "The route will under no circumstances be taken through any area without adequate water provision and has been designed with this primarily in mind."

There still is that weight thing, though. Horses can safely carry up to 20% of their body weight. Mules can carry 25% safely. 95 kg, or 209 pounds, (the weight limit of the riders plus equipment and personal things), is 20% of a 454 kg, or 1000 pound animal. I haven't seen a 14-hand pony yet that weighs anywhere close to 1000 pounds.

Karen C in her blog entry today raised some valid points, besides wondering what really happens to the horses after they are raced. Namely, who is supplying batteries for the GPS units? My GPS only goes 11 hours without a charge (or plug in, which you won't have at the Urtuus in Mongolia). What about the emergency beacons? They will need fresh batteries too. Keeping the GPS's and emergency beacons functional every day would seem rather important since they are paramount to horse and rider safety, and riders will be limited on the weight they can carry. Will the Mongol Derby organisation provide enough batteries for all 26 riders every day at each Urtuu?

All of this new info is from the June 30th press release and the newly released Mongol Derby Horse Welfare and Race Logistics Information from the Adventurists.

It all looks great. After all, IT'S ALL WRITTEN ON PAPER, SO IT'S TRUE.

Right? (Although, which written word is true: those before the press release, or those in the press release?). Now we can all stop worrying and start kvetching about something else.

(An aside, TOTALLY unrelated to this event. I do not believe everything my government and governmental officials have put in writing, or told me, the last decade. Some of it has indeed proved to be false. And now, back to the Mongol Derby.)

Now, aside from the weight factor, I commend the Adventurists organization for seriously addressing valid concerns from serious horse people around the world, and from CLEARLY disassociating themselves from endurance riding or racing. ("The Mongol Derby is not an endurance race for the horses...")

However, I remain skeptical of all of their written declarations.

Since only the riders and Adventurists organization will be there in Mongolia during the Mongol Derby, the world won't really know if all or any of these written declarations will come to pass, will they?

So, how about this: if the Adventurists are dead set (no pun intended) on their wild and crazy Mongolian Adventure, and they are dead serious (no pun intended) on horse safety being at the forefront of this entire adventure, why don't they also bring along a few independent expert horsemen to independently audit the event?

How about a horse expert (who really does ride horses, a lot) from the Adventurists organization (surely there is one), a rider from the Long Riders' Guild, and a third horse riding expert that both agree upon? They can ride in the fleet of jeeps following the riders. That way there can be no question that the WRITTEN WORD is actually what goes down. Riders will still have their uninhibited wild and crazy adventure, horses will indeed be taken care of, the horse world will be put at ease, and Tom Morgan will be absolutely vindicated

How about it, Tom??

OUTRAGE

Monday June 29 2009

Take note of this upcoming 'Mongol Derby' in August - billed as 'The Longest Horse Race in the World'.

Racing 1000 km across 'wild Mongolian terrain' - 25 international 'riders' on hundreds of native horses (i.e. the little Mongolian ponies), will change mounts every 40 km "so the horses will be fresh" (read: not injured or dead), over no marked course, with no confirmed water stops - "They're going to give us GPS locations to the wells, where we'll be able to get water, and they don't guarantee that the wells will have water," says one of the participants.

And, there's the big question about veterinary control. "Hopefully we won't get any horse injuries because the nature of the Mongol Derby means it is the rider under stress not the horse," says the website. (Horses, with presumably no conditioning programs, carrying heavy riders with various or no degrees of endurance or racing experience, racing 40 km, not stressed?)

"12-14 hand" ponies (weight limit for riders is 187 pounds - !) will be "semi-wild" and unshod. "if your horse sustains even a minor injury you will need to get off and walk it to the next Urtuu. (No word on how, if the horse breaks a leg, or crashes metabolically, one would be able to do this.) You will receive training on how to spot injuries and assess their severity before the race in Mongolia."

The website says there will be 'veterinary backup to come to its rescue', but the overall welfare of the horses has yet to adequately documented. No veterinarians have been named to oversee the horse’s medical needs. And how would one do this for 1000 km, when the participants may take up to 3 weeks to finish, where there is no marked course? "They're providing us with these yellow brick trackers, so we can activate the emergency beacon if our horse is injured and we can't walk it in," a rider said.

When asked if V.E.T. Net, a Mercy Corps program which trains Mongolians, would address this critical issue, the charity spokes people did not respond.

And speaking of charities, to further twist things the wrong way, the world-wide charity Mercy Corps has accepted £25,000 in exchange for helping the English travel company to organize this event.

“Mercy Corps are delighted to be a part of the first ever Mongol Derby,” said Jennifer Adams, Mercy Corps Event Development Coordinator in Scotland. No word from Jennifer on how, or if, any of that £25,000 'donation' will be spread to the Mongolian nomads who sell or lend (or, perhaps, are told to do so? Makes you wonder) their horses to this 'race', or how, or if they will be reimbursed if their horses are injured or die.

"Bleeding kidneys, broken limbs, open sores, moon stroke and a list of dangers longer than your arm stand between you and victory,” warns the official race website, to entice adventurers and adrenaline junkies.

Hey, I'm all for fun and adventure, and adrenaline junkets; and personally I don't care if people want to put their lives in danger, that's their business. But if it's all about the pain and danger to, and stress on, the humans, why not have them walk, or run, or drive? Why endanger hundreds of horses that nomadic Mongolians depend upon for their way of life? Why should even one horse be made to risk its life for this bit of 'fun' by foreigners?

If you want to ride endurance, come ride in the Tevis Cup or some of our 5-day rides, or the Tom Quilty or the 5-day Shahzada in Australia. If you want to horse tour around Mongolia, take an organized tour with someone who has been there before (The Adventurists, putting in this 'race', have not. Ever.) You can even go with endurance riders, Christoph Shork and Dian Woodward of Global Endurance Training, who lead organized tours over there in conjunction with Boojum Expeditions, a REAL expedition and adventure travel company. You can ride 8 hours a day and learn something about the Mongolian people and culture, not exploit them.

This Mongol Derby is not a sporting event. This is not endurance riding. This travesty of a 'race' is a disgrace to the horse world and an insult to responsible riders and competitors and horse organizations around the world. If you are participating in it, I would really like to know your reasons. Please feel free to comment or email me if you are one.

There will be more to come in my blogs as things develop with this. For now, you can read an Article by the Long Rider's Guild, "Racing into Trouble". You can also read much more on the Mongolia page on The Long Rider's Guild.

And if you care, you can sign a petition to stop this HERE on the Voices for Horses page.

If you'd like more on this "Official Charity" Mercy Corp who is accepting money for helping with this, click here and form your own opinions.

More to come.