August Mongol Derby Day 6: Luck of the draw

Equestrianists.com - Full Story

Holly Conyers
16th August 2022

Day 6 of the August 2022 Mongol Derby has drawn to a close, and things are heating up. After a long, hot day in the saddle, our leading trio of riders are camped at HS21, meaning only six horse stations remain between them and the finish line. If they keep up their current eye-watering pace, we could be crowning our victor in just two days’ time. But it’s still impossibly close to call: will the final champion be one of the group of six leading the race, separated by just one horse station tonight, or will a long shot tear through to the head of the pack? It’s all to play for, as we run through the day’s updates.

After the slightly soggy last couple of days, riders may have been relieved this morning to peek out of their gers at a gorgeous dewy morning, bright sunlight all around. Most riders spent the majority of the very toasty day (bar the odd summer shower) travelling along the beautiful Tuul River between HS15 to HS18, sacred to Mongolians...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/august-mongol-derby-day-6-luck-of-the-draw/

August Mongol Derby Day 5: Halfway horse

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Holly Conyers 15th August 2022

Day 5 of the August 2022 Mongol Derby, and our glorious jockeys have made it at least halfway through the ride of a lifetime. Five days down, another five maximum to go (most likely less for our eventual winner). And yet, the podium positions remain too close to call. The leading pack, comprised of the six riders bedding down at HS17 tonight, has put some daylight between themselves and the next closest threats, a rival sextet stationed at HS16. But in Derby terms, a one horse station advantage is hardly cause for comfort: easily won or lost by a stroke of navigational genius or disaster; a champion racehorse or a steady plodder. The next few days remain crucial, as we take a look at how today’s events unfolded as competitors passed through pre-historic rock formations, sand dunes and hilly terrain...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/august-mongol-derby-day-5-halfway-horse/

August Mongol Derby Day 4: Ride, rinse, repeat

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Outlaw Kate
14th August 2022

Day 4 will go down in the riders’ memories as the day their gear either stood up to the ravages of weather or failed miserably while the skies chucked down moisture to an already saturated and soggy steppe. Did we mention that this race is tough? And Mother Nature can be a bitch? Not only are riders gunning for 100+ kilometers per day, they are withstanding incredible physical stress as they weather the weather and keep on pointing their horse’s nose towards that elusive finish line goal.

It’s at this point in the race that the little things matter: the candies/snuff/vodka graciously shared by the herder families at the horse stations; the warmth of the fire in the ger at the end of the day; the good humour of the medics as they patch up your butt. This race is an exercise in perseverance and an interesting case study on the effects of small acts of kindness, to say the least...

Read more at:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/august-mongol-derby-day-4-ride-rinse-repeat/

August Mongol Derby Day 3: it ain’t over till it’s over

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Outlaw Kate
13th August 2022

Day 3 of the Derby forced us to ditch everything we thought was a certainty when we shut the lights out on Day 2. At close of play yesterday the mighty Viking Olof OSU was sitting pretty, camped between HS6 – HS7 and while his lead was not substantial enough to completely disregard the chasing pack, it should have been sufficient to propel him to the next station and beyond with a bit of breathing space. However, the HQ switchboard sprang to life at 05:45 with this grim message from OSU relaying those fateful words: “Lost horse. I’ll go searching.”

Oh, the camping conundrum. As every Derby rider knows, camping is as much part of the Derby as chafed thighs or smelly socks and way more fun. But it comes with the risk that when you crack an eye open at 05:00 your horse might have hobble-hopped its way off to greener pastures, leaving you with a bewildered expression on your face, clutching an empty saddle...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/august-mongol-derby-day-3-it-aint-over-till-its-over/

August Mongol Derby Day 2: I get by with a little help from my friends

Equestrianists.com - Full Story

Outlaw Kate
12th August 2022

Day 2 of the August 2022 Mongol Derby dawned clear and sunny but with a forecast of rain in the cards to shake things up a bit. Would those last-minute gear decisions – to pack or not to pack the rain pants – come back to bite any riders in the @ss? Not only must these riders withstand a grueling 12 hours plus in the saddle, but they must also look Mother Nature in the face and smile as she slaps them about the mug with blistering temperatures followed closely by near-freezing soggy conditions. Fortitude indeed...

Read more at:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/august-mongol-derby-day-2-i-get-by-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/

FEI Tribunal issues Consent Award in equine anti-doping case

Inside.FEI.org

05 August 2022
Author: FEI

The FEI Tribunal has issued a Consent Award in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.

In this case, the horse Dactyle D’Aqui (FEI ID 106XH16/UAE), tested positive for the Banned Substance Testosterone, following samples taken at the CEI2* 120 – Bou Thib (UAE), 24-25 December 2021.

The athlete Muhammad Ali Fazal Amin (FEI ID 10103705/PAK (UAE)) and the trainer, Ahmed Ali Salman Hassan Al Sabri (FEI ID 10041041/UAE), both elected to admit the rule violation and accept the consequences in order to benefit from a six-month reduction of the otherwise applicable ineligibility period of 18 months.

In its final decision the FEI Tribunal disqualified the athlete and the horse from the event and imposed an 18-month ineligibility period on the athlete and the trainer; the provisional suspension each already served shall be credited against the imposed ineligibility period. The Horse was provisionally suspended for 2 months as of the date of the Notification Letter. The athlete and Trainer were also fined CHF 5,000 each and the trainer was asked to pay costs of CHF 1,000.

More at:
https://inside.fei.org/media-updates/fei-tribunal-issues-consent-award-equine-anti-doping-case-4

August Mongol Derby Day 1: The lone ranger

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Holly Conyers
11th August 2022

A hot and heavy Day 1 of the August 2022 Mongol Derby draws to a close, and one brave man has proved he can handle the heat to propel himself into an early lead: Olof Sundstrom (OSU), a Swede bearing an improbable resemblance to his Viking forefathers, has arrived to conquer the steppe. Camping out with one of Mongolia’s many unbelievably hospitable families this evening, he is the only rider to have made it beyond HS3 today. But he’s in no position to rest easy: no less than 12 competitive riders have made it into HS3 tonight, just 8km behind him. Will he manage to put more distance between himself and the trailing pack tomorrow, or will they hunt him down?...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/august-mongol-derby-day-1-the-lone-ranger/