Mongol Derby Day 2

TheAdventurists.com - Stories, photos, videos, map

Day 2. August 10, 2017.

Day 2 Roundup - Michelle Tanaka (2015 joint 3rd place rider)

Riders got straight into it with icy cold hurricane-like conditions first thing this morning. As crew vehicles trundled through the muck, horses once again proved themselves to be the fastest means to cross the steppe. Provided riders stay on, that is.

…Which a handful of Derbyists had some trouble managing. This morning JC unbridled her horse as she came off. Fellow riders plus five crew members couldn’t catch him (turns out he was waiting for a motorcycle rescue, diva). HS required a carry-forward after her stallion made off into the storm. AK’s horse bolted during a saddle adjustment, outrunning two herders on their fastest steeds. Eventually he lost enough steam to be caught outside a soum, 15 kilometers away.

Frontrunners EF and MP held their lead throughout the day (wearing warm layers and properly-fitted tack, no doubt). Only three riders are caught between urtuus tonight; we’ll see how RHW, WC, and JW do in the morning without the warmth of a ger.

Urtuu 5 is hosting a record 20 riders tonight. The Naughty List grows longer as riders prefer the three-hour late riding penalty to another night out on the steppe - see details on the Leaderboard.

More at:
https://www.theadventurists.com/the-jibber/2017/8/9/mongol-derby-2017-rolling-news

Mongol Derby Day 1

TheAdventurists.com - Stories, videos, map

August 8 2017

Carnage mounting. Hellacious weather. Cold, wet, suffering riders - mainly those camping out last night (paying off for some, but mostly not for others). Weather causing horses to run for the hills, mounted or not. Bend down to adjust your jacket--horse gone. Reigning champ WC even called for help just short of U3. Vets looking after both two- and four-legged animals. First retirement: JF (Julia Fisher). Looks like fractured ribs, on her way back to UB, understandably devastated. EF and MP pushing hard at the front, maintaining high speeds and breezing through urtuus. Will it pay off, or will they be hypothermic by day's end? Even Unenburen, our head horseman, advised riders not to ride out of U3 this morning due to poor visibility. Not so much a race hold as a plea to hold off until the hurricane subsides. If anyone doubted this is indeed the world's toughest horse race, here you go. No apologies from Mother Mongolia today.

The 2017 Derby launched today at 11:10 (local time) 41 brave riders from across the globe battling for the Derby crown. In 1000km and less than 10 days one rider will have their name etched in the history books, but many more will fall along the way.

More at:
https://www.theadventurists.com/the-jibber/2017/8/9/mongol-derby-2017-rolling-news

Great Britain: Annie Joppe’s endurance blog: the final countdown is on

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Annie Joppe
10:55 - 8 August, 2017

Another two weeks has passed and the European championships are only just over a week away!

Life and work still carry on but there is so much extra packing to be done. How could I need so much stuff for a competition?

Obviously everything needs to be cleaned: feed containers, bowls, buckets, rugs, numnahs and so on. The worrying thing though is that I seemed to have carried this cleaning frenzy to excess. Everything is being cleaned, absolutely everything, not just the equipment I need to take with me but ALL my horsey equipment and ALL the containers they are packed in and, even worse, the whole tack room is being scrubbed out from top to bottom!...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/blog/annie-joppes-endurance-blog-final-countdown-628469#74JZoLsHk0kAul2T.99

New Zealand: Endurance Put to the Test

Times-age.co.nz - Full Article

Aug 9, 2017

JAKE BELESKI
jake.beleski@age.co.nz

Most of us have never ridden the distance between Masterton and Wellington on horseback, but that is exactly what Wairarapa College’s Ana Whitehead will be doing next week.

A straight line between the two places is an 81km trip, and at next week’s trans-Tasman endurance equestrian event in Queensland she will be competing in an 85km ride.

Whitehead is from Tinui, but is now in Year 10 and boarding at Waicol.

She was part of the four-strong team named to head across the Tasman next week, with the other riders coming from Raetihi, Fairlie and Marlborough.

Ana said yesterday she completed her first endurance ride when she was 10 years old, and was excited to compete at an international level.

“The opportunity only came up recently — it was kind of a quick process,” she said.

“It was definitely something I wanted to try and achieve — it’ll be a great experience.”

She has competed in Australia before — in the Southern Cross Challenge — but said that was a junior event and a bit more “low-key”.

One of the biggest challenges she will face is adapting to a new horse, which she will only meet when she gets off the plane in Australia.

“I get to ride it a couple of times and then ride it in the event straight away which is a bit daunting,” she said...

Read more here:
http://times-age.co.nz/endurance-put-test/

Australia: Diary of an Endurance rider : the Journey to the World Championships

Equestrian.org.au - Full Article

Posted by Tayla Hadzi on 09/08/2017

Tayla Hadzi was selected in June 2017 to represent Australia at the upcoming FEI World Endurance Championships for Juniors & Young Riders from 22 – 24 September 2017, in Valeggio sul Mincio, Italy with her mare Oso Edith. Here she shares with us her story ...

"I started Endurance seven years ago at the age of 14. My interest in Endurance began when I started riding at Splendacrest Endurance Stables near Toowoomba, Qld. From the beginning, I have always wanted to compete at the highest possible level that I can. I remember watching the World Youth Endurance Championships in Abu Dhabi in 2011 and knew that was where I wanted to be someday. I competed in my first FEI ride in 2011 at Red Range on Ausden Prince Mahal, aka Rabbit, who is owned by Jay Randle. This combination helped me continue and start qualifying for the World Youth Endurance Championships in Italy 2017. I did my first 3 * 160km ride at the end of 2015 on Rabbit and we completed it in 10hrs and 35mins and took out First youth and Best Conditioned as well as Best Managed horse in both the youth and open divisions. Having ended that year of Endurance on such a high I was ready to take on the next year to do bigger and better things.

I flew down to Melbourne at the beginning of 2016, meeting like-minded people who all had their sights set on competing or being part of an Australian Endurance team. This was a great introduction to all of people who were ready to help all of us on our journey.

In January 2016 I joined Oso Arabians in Albury, managers Amanda and Andrew Kettlewell had a big professional Stable that I was keen to be a part of. This was an exciting new step for me making Endurance my life. Working at Oso has taken my riding to a new level, competing in different states and spending many hours in the saddle.

Oso Arabians was host for the Australian team camp and the first FEI ride of 2016. This was a very busy and exciting week, prepping horses for the FEI ride as well as working and participating in the camp. The camp was an awesome opportunity for everyone to get know each other as well as having many guest speakers share their knowledge with everyone. Meeting previous Australian team competitors, selectors and team vets. After a very informative week I was partnered with Oso Lorikeet for the 120km 2* and came away with a completion and 4th Youth...

Read more here:
http://www.equestrian.org.au/news/diary-endurance-rider-journey-world-championships

Mongol Derby 2017 Beginnings

TheAdventurists.com - Full Article

August 8, 2017 Mongol Derby
The Mongol Derby doesn't do things by half. It's known as the toughest horse race on our fine planet for very good reasons. Victory, or indeed abject hardship could be within reach for any of the riders.

Before we detail those to watch, let's have a little report of yesterday's goings on from our team on the ground. Over to adventure Chief Miss Katy:

"The riders have finally got their feet on the steppe and enjoyed the steep learning curve of the first test ride. New saddles and bridles, huge new horizons and a whole new species to contend with - the mighty Mongolian horse. Yesterday (Sunday) riders were briefed on essential protocols such as using their satellite trackers, and the all-important urtuu changeovers - procedures and etiquette. All weighed out successfully at 85kgs dressed or less, and most even got to enjoy a cupcake before they tackled the scales. A few of the bigger guys have lost several kilos to do this and should be congratulated. The next few kilos will come off much more easily in the coming weeks.

Riders have seen the whites of each other's eyes; some asked detailed and clearly competitive questions of the referee teams, keen to understand every possible lever and advantage available to them during the race. Others had questions about safety, what happens when it all goes tits up and what the food is like. Needless to say, the food will be...different to what they might usually feast upon. Others were eerily quiet and are therefore hard to categorise. We have another two days pre-launch to see who is in it to win it and who are already praying to the gods to get them home safely

Folks are (as usual) bricking it about the navigation. Our course briefing and beautifully rendered maps, created by Daren Parr, seemed to settle most down. At every urtuu there will be a stack of maps for the next leg, with a simple key of terrain, ascent/descent, and key obstacles. All laughed nervously at the prospect of the railway crossing at Bayan around half way - get a Mongolian horse through a railway underpass? Really? Yes, really. Also most laughed when he said, "you're going to cross two roads". In 1020kms...

Read more here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/the-jibber/mongolderby17onestowatch

The Mongol Derby 2017: Meet the Riders

TheAdventurists.com

August 8, 2017 Mongol Derby
The world’s longest and hardest horse race should not be taken at all lightly. As well as the odd bone here and there it has broken many a heroic soul. Starting this Wednesday, forty-three tenacious and toe-curlingly brave riders prepare their bodies and minds for the upcoming onslaught. Many of them will not make it to the finish line, though you can be sure they’re going to give it every damn iota of effort they have within themselves.

Ladies and gentlemen, in their own words, it is our honour to present to you the marvellous Mongol Derby entrants for 2017...

See them all here:
http://www.theadventurists.com/the-jibber/2017/8/7/the-mongol-derby-2017-meet-the-riders