Local Rider Takes Part In Mongol Derby

The Mongol Derby, dubbed the longest and toughest horse race in the world, takes riders through the grasslands of Mongolia for a distance of approximately 621 miles over the course of 10 days. The route that the riders travel is designed to re-create the horse messenger system developed by Genghis Khan in A.D. 1224.

A local participant in this year's Mongol Derby was Callie King of Honey Brook, a trainer and riding instructor, who took part in the challenge for the first time.

"A few years ago a family friend sent a newspaper clipping about someone who had done (the race) and there was a note, 'This sounds like (you),'" King said, when explaining how she heard about the event. "I put the newspaper clipping up on my (bulletin) board in my office and always wanted to do it."

During the event, participants ride native Mongolian horses. "They are small and super tough horses. They live semi-feral. There are no fences or arenas. They live on the Steppe (Mongolian grasslands)," said King.

During the Derby, there were 28 house stations where riders were able to take a break and change horses. "You change horses every 35 to 40 kilometers (approximately 21 to 24 miles)," King explained. "When you come in, your horse has to 'pulse down,' which means their heart rate has to be below 56. That ensures that riders are not over-pushing the horses."

The challenge for riders is to be able to navigate to the next horse station. "They give us GPS with the location marks of where the next point was that we were riding to," said King. "There is no trail or set course. You get to the next point, get your next horse and keep going."

King was able to complete the race in eight days. She said the most challenging parts of the race were navigating through the rain and the length of time spent in the saddle.

"Mongolia has a lot of plains and rolling green hills and not many trees. We did go through some big mountains, sand dunes, rivers and marshes," King said. "Genghis Khan set up the old mail system, and (the Mongol Derby) re-creates that route. The Pony Express was based off of it."

Since participants could only ride until 7 p.m., King camped out or stayed with local families during the evenings. "When you change horses, you are stopping at family (homes). Sometimes you would stay at a horse station and have dinner, or you could camp," she noted. "Those families were very generous."

Even though it was her first time competing, King finished in fourth place. "I got a little bronze medal and bragging rights," she shared. "It was such a cool experience."

There was also a fundraising component to King's ride. Through donations from family, friends and clients in the horse community, King raised more than $24,000 for Equitation Initiative. "They help with veterinary care and education in rural communities, mostly in Latin America," she noted.