Go to Villagebet.com.au for free horse racing tips - Click here now
Forum Home Forum Home > Horse Racing - Public Forums > Racing Forum
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Mongolian Derby
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login


Thoroughbred Village Home Page. For village news, follow @TBVillage on Twitter. For horseracing tips, follow @Villagebet on Twitter. To contact the Mayor by email: Click Here.


Mongolian Derby

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
Gay3 View Drop Down
Moderator Group
Moderator Group


Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Location: Miners Rest
Status: Offline
Points: 51818
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Mongolian Derby
    Posted: 16 Aug 2019 at 8:19pm
I'm sure we have a thread on this but apparently not with Mongolian in the title Confused


Justine’s “incredible feeling”

August 15, 2019 11:57 am


After eight days of physical and mental torture, Justine Hales said the aftermath of the Mongol Derby, which she completed overnight, “was a bit weird.”

“I thought “what do I do now? What do I do tomorrow? It was an amazing experience, amazing people,” Hales said.

Hales finished equal third in the world’s longest horse race, a year after friends Adrian Corboy and Annabel Neasham teamed up to win the 1000km endurance test across the Mongolian steppes.

Corboy, Neasham and Hales are all employees if Maher/Eustace Racing.

“It was great; four of us grabbed each other’s bridles and crossed the line together with our arms raised in the air. It was an incredible feeling,” she said.

“I was about three o’clock in the afternoon when we finished. We were so knackered. We were basically drunk after one beer, we were so dehydrated. As soon as it got dark, we were all asleep.

“But we’re going to have one hell of a booze up when we get out of here, which is basically some base camp in the middle of Mongolia.”

The race was won by about “two or three hours” by 70-year-old Robert Long, from Wyoming; a very dedicated competitor, Hales said.

“He even brought over his own nutritional shakes,” she said, with a chuckle.

The second day was the worst.

“It was horrendous. It was so cold. It just rained and rained and we couldn’t dry our clothes. It got pretty hot after that, really hot, but at least we weren’t wet,” Hales said.

Hales survived intense medical scrutiny before being able to compete after having her gall bladder removed a week before leaving Australia.

“They were all over me before the race but they were cheering at the end,” she said. “Other than being extremely tired, I feel great.”

Hales has resigned from her role as pre-trainer for Maher/Eustace and will take up a job on a stud farm near Euroa when she returns.

By Matt Stewart RSN927 Racing Editor 

Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!
Back to Top
acacia alba View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 31 Oct 2010
Location: Hunter Valley
Status: Offline
Points: 41243
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2019 at 8:29pm
I think it was something to do with endurance ?  Vague idea it was a discussion about horses over distance, or something ???? 
animals before people.
Back to Top
Second Chance View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 02 Dec 2007
Status: Online
Points: 45319
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2019 at 8:38pm
There's brief mention in the Chautauqua thread.  Here's an extract from the prior year result:

Wangaratta horse rider Adrian Corboy reflects on his shared victory in the Mongol Derby

·        

Anthony Bunn

 

A DIET of water and cigarettes helped Adrian Corboy triumph in the world’s longest horse race in Mongolia.

The Wangaratta horse breaker reflected at home on his success in the Mongol Derby on Wednesday, a week after crossing the finishing line in joint first place with Brit Annabel Neasham.

“I just wanted to get home, I was exhausted, I hadn’t slept for six days and just ridden 1000 kilometres across the Mongol steppe,” Mr Corboy, 37, said of his reaction to winning.

“It didn’t hit home until a few days later that we had won the Mongol Derby in a time of 6½ days with no vet penalties, the first time that had been done.

“I suppose it’s an achievement.”

The glory did not come without hardship, at one point the pair, who represented the stable of Caulfield Cup-winning trainer Ciaron Maher, were mired on their ponies in metre-deep mud.

“They were stuck to their guts and we couldn’t get out because we would have got stuck,” Mr Corboy said.

“We weren’t even thinking about the race then, we were thinking about survival.”

It was only when a boy, a teen at most, emerged in a storm and helped guide them out they were able to escape the bog.

“He came out of nowhere, I called him our guardian angel,” Mr Corboy said. 

ps: note for Matt (known for his inaccuracy) Stewart: Adrian Corboy is not an employee of Maher/Eustace.








Back to Top
SkyDancer View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 02 Aug 2014
Location: Cranbourne
Status: Offline
Points: 8428
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SkyDancer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2019 at 8:53pm
I am pretty sure Adrian does the breaking in for Ciaron Maher, well at least he used too.

They are good mates
Back to Top
Second Chance View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 02 Dec 2007
Status: Online
Points: 45319
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2019 at 9:04pm
Precisely.

Corboy owns and runs his own business which provides services to Maher/Eustace.
Back to Top
SkyDancer View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 02 Aug 2014
Location: Cranbourne
Status: Offline
Points: 8428
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SkyDancer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2019 at 9:41pm
Thought so
Back to Top
SkyDancer View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 02 Aug 2014
Location: Cranbourne
Status: Offline
Points: 8428
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SkyDancer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2019 at 9:43pm
Ciaron was supposed to go last year, but had the fall from Jameka and broke his leg not long before he was due to leave.
Back to Top
VOYAGER View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2007
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 18699
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VOYAGER Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 2019 at 2:34am
I think the previous posts, were saying that Nature Strip was being set for the race

Or maybe it was one of Robbie Laing's maybe Miss Rock.

Remember, it might take intelligence to be smart , but it takes experience to be wise
Back to Top
Gay3 View Drop Down
Moderator Group
Moderator Group


Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Location: Miners Rest
Status: Offline
Points: 51818
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 2019 at 1:00pm

After more than a week spending 12 hours per day on horseback, one Idahoan finished what’s known as the world’s toughest horse race — and set a record doing it.

Robert Long, of Boise, crossed the finish line of the Mongol Derby on Wednesday morning (around 9 p.m. Tuesday in Boise) after riding more than 600 miles across the Mongolian Steppe. The race, which is in its 11th year, is meant to replicate the route of Genghis Khan’s horseback messenger system of the early 1200s. At 70 years old, Long is the oldest person to ever win the Mongol Derby, beating 41 other competitors from across the globe.

In a Facebook Live interview from the finish line, Long joked about the grueling trek.

“My horse just won the Mongol Derby,” he said. “It’s nothing, you just ride 650 miles on a death march. There’s nothing to it.”

It’s a task that would be daunting to just about any equestrian, said Long’s girlfriend, Stephanie Nelson, in a phone interview.

“This type of grueling, body-bruising ride ... (most of us) are not prepared for that,” said Nelson, who lives in Donnelly.

48520601736_1dd6a9cf3d_k.jpg Robert Long, of Boise, rides across the Mongolian Steppe during the sixth day of the Mongol Derby. Long, 70, won the race, meant to replicate the route used by Genghis Khan’s postal delivery riders. Sarah Farnsworth Courtesy of the Mongol Derby

Even Long, who has been around horses his entire life, had never attempted something like the derby prior to signing up last fall. Nelson said he began training with endurance riders immediately, completely his first endurance race in January. Most endurance rides top out around 100 miles.

“Bob isn’t just the oldest, he has ridden better and stronger, camping out more, than anyone else,” said Tom Morgan, head of the Adventurists, which puts on the race. “We opened up the course this year to make navigation a key skill again, and Bob absolutely nailed it. The man is tougher than a box of concrete.”

To make the race even more challenging, the entire derby is ridden on small, scrappy Mongolian horses that are “semi-feral.” Each rider switches out horses at multiple veterinary checkpoints to ensure that the animals aren’t overworked. According to a news release from the derby, Long switched horses 28 times during the eight days he was on the trail.

Many of the horses come from local Mongolian families, who lend their racing horses and workhorses for the derby, and even allow riders to share their homes along the route.

Nelson said that in addition to meticulously planning his route — there was no marked trail in this year’s derby — and gear, Long had to plan which gifts to bring for the families that hosted him.

“He took a bunch of blue ribbons (from U.S. equestrian events), and every time he came in first, he’d take a ribbon and tie it on the horse’s tail,” said Nelson, explaining that the blue ribbon is very significant in Mongolia.

48528422721_640dc08b2d_k.jpg A blue ribbon from an Oregon equestrian event is tied in the tail of a horse ridden by Boisean Robert Long on the seventh day of the Mongol Derby. Long tied blue ribbons in the tail of each horse he was a frontrunner on. Sarah Farnsworth Courtesy of the Mongol Derby

In the Facebook video from the finish line, Long tied a final ribbon on his winning steed’s tail after being presented with his own blue silk scarf.

“The communities just took him in as their own, and I think (the ribbons) were a big key to his success,” Nelson said. “By the time he was ready to go, they were scrambling to give him their best horses.”

And it wasn’t just the horses that ensured his success. A post on the derby’s Facebook page called Long “the most bad ass cowboy you will ever meet.” A former Healthwise employee with a Ph.D. in public health, Long also has skills in extreme mountain trail competitions, bronc training and ranch horse versatility work. He’s also a meticulous planner, Nelson said.

“He researches and plans down to the gnat’s eyelash,” she said. “He had a prescription for how he wanted the race to go, and it went pretty much perfectly.”

48520616991_7883630cae_k.jpg Robert Long, of Boise, on the fifth day of the Mongol Derby. The horse race takes riders 1000 kilometers across the Mongolian Steppe, and Long was a frontrunner for much of the derby before finishing in first place on Aug. 14, 2019. Sarah Farnsworth Courtesy of the Mongol Derby

Long navigated with a Garmin GPS, taking calculated risks like riding through tough marsh terrain to shave off time and stay ahead of the pack. His horsemanship background came in handy when choosing and bonding with his many mounts, Nelson said — an especially important rapport when dealing with unfamiliar horses.

“You get on these suckers and hope you’re pointed in the right direction,” Nelson joked. “It’s very different from how our horses are trained here.”

Nelson, a GIS expert by trade, kept tabs on Long’s trek via a live tracker, which let her feel as if she was riding along with him.

“He rode like Bob,” Nelson said. “And if you know Bob, you know that’s different from everybody else.”


Read more here: https://www.idahostatesman.com/outdoors/article233989787.html?fbclid=IwAR0Mrotmx8OpBH9rwVUOXAkul2ZxqypkgOnXVTtO49cE3bhGizHA08SrhBQ#storylink=cpy
Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!
Back to Top
Gay3 View Drop Down
Moderator Group
Moderator Group


Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Location: Miners Rest
Status: Offline
Points: 51818
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2019 at 7:36pm


Hales reflects on Mongol Derby


New Zealand Racing Desk


Expat Kiwi Justine Hales is celebrating a massive achievement after completing the world’s longest horse race, the Mongol Derby, a race held for charity.

Hales, who currently manages the Cavallino Estate pre-training operation for leading Australian trainer Ciaron Maher, tackled the 10000km event that recreates the horse messenger system developed by Genghis Khan in 1224 for the first time and finished a meritorious equal third behind 70-year-old Wyoming native, Robert Long.

The exact course for the race changes every year and is kept secret until shortly before the race begins. The terrain invariably includes mountain passes, green open valleys, wooded hills, river crossings, wetland and floodplains, sandy semi-arid dunes, rolling hills, dry riverbeds and open steppe.

Riders are provided with access to 25-27 Mongolian horses, a support team, pre-race training, and access to support stations along the way. The horses themselves are semi-wild and riders must change horses every 40km at the support stations.

Riders typically spend 13 to 14 hours a day in the saddle, with the race lasting around ten days with less than half the racers usually finishing the race in any given year.

It was against that backdrop that Hales took on the unique challenge and although she led at one point, a hoof issue with one of her horses towards the end of the race dropped her back before she eventually finished third.

“It was an amazing experience and just great to finish third,” Hales said.

“You can’t really explain what the race is like as being out in the vastness of it all is beyond words.

“The winner had been training for a year and was dedicated to his cause, just an amazing bloke.

“I did have the lead at one stage but my horse stood on a stone and developed a massive stone bruise which had to be taken out.

“He did come right but it cost me time so I ended up camping out with a few of the other riders who I ended up crossing the line with at the finish.

“There were a lot of people who dropped out early on, so just to finish was pretty cool, although it still hasn’t sunk in that we rode 1000km.”

Hales reported that she was in good physical condition despite the gruelling conditions that were experienced.

“I’m alright actually, with the worst part probably having chapped lips,” she said.

“I didn’t get any chafing and my knees held up but it will be interesting to see when I jump on the scales.

“I was pretty fit as I had done a lot of work before the event.

“It is different for everyone in what you go through but thankfully the horses were very good and not really like some of the horror stories they like to tell you beforehand.

“There were a few hairy moments but I think with the number of horses there are, it was okay.”

Hales was adamant that a repeat attempt at the race was out of the question.

“No way,” she said.

“I’ve done it now and that’s it.

“I would come back to Mongolia though as the countryside is absolutely spectacular and every day you seem to be going through a different country.

“I would recommend it (the race) to people but I won’t be doing it again.”

Hales had her gall bladder removed just weeks before leaving Australia, making her feat even more meritorious.

Originally from Dannevirke, Hales has recently resigned from her role with Maher and Eustace and will take up a position with Rockmount pre-training facility when she returns.



Edited by Gay3 - 20 Aug 2019 at 7:38pm
Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!
Back to Top
acacia alba View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 31 Oct 2010
Location: Hunter Valley
Status: Offline
Points: 41243
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2019 at 11:29pm
OMG those mongol horses must be tought nuts. 
animals before people.
Back to Top
Gay3 View Drop Down
Moderator Group
Moderator Group


Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Location: Miners Rest
Status: Offline
Points: 51818
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Aug 2022 at 4:58pm
Yes, he's Stan Aitken's son Big smile Congrats!

Tyler Donaldson-Aitken (Oz) & Howard Bassingthwaighte (Oz) crossed the finish line!!
These fellas raced the majority of the race together, riding some seriously feisty steeds and conquering a fair share of obstacles. They are pretty hardcore equestrianists.
It’s no easy feat finishing the Mongol Derby, join us in a massive congratulations as they earned themselves joint 6th place!
Tyler is sponsored by:
Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!
Back to Top
Shawy38 View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 13 Jun 2015
Status: Online
Points: 17255
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Aug 2022 at 5:34pm
Great job guys! Tyler broke our colt in last yearThumbs Up
Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing
Back to Top
acacia alba View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 31 Oct 2010
Location: Hunter Valley
Status: Offline
Points: 41243
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Aug 2022 at 1:12am
No,,,from my following of the derby, its a sheila from the US and another from South Africa crossed the line together ????
Maybe me wrong ??  But ??
animals before people.
Back to Top
acacia alba View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 31 Oct 2010
Location: Hunter Valley
Status: Offline
Points: 41243
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Aug 2022 at 1:14am
animals before people.
Back to Top
Second Chance View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 02 Dec 2007
Status: Online
Points: 45319
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Aug 2022 at 10:08am
They just crossed the line together, no-one suggested they won the race.
Back to Top
Gay3 View Drop Down
Moderator Group
Moderator Group


Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Location: Miners Rest
Status: Offline
Points: 51818
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Aug 2022 at 11:14am
"............. they earned themselves joint 6th place!"

Conversations at the Finish Line: Your 2022 Mongol Derby Winners!


Deirdre Griffith (USA) and Willemien Jooste (SA) crossed the finish line of the 2022 Mongol Derby two days ago as unplanned partners. The two riders hadn’t anticipated riding together, but had unexpectedly met up to ride out to camp on Day 2 of the race, and never turned back.

I had a chance to talk with both riders to hear about their experience, the highs and the lows of the Derby, key takeaways, and helpful tips for future participants. A big thank you to Erik Cooper of The Equestrianists for connecting us.

Both Deirdre and Willemien immediately expressed their gratitude of having the partnership to support them through the race. “It’s helpful to have another person to help navigate and make decisions, but also to keep you smiling, to keep that optimism,” Willemien stated. Deirdre shared similar sentiments, expressing “It would have been hard to do alone. And the horses go better when they’re together.”

The partnership between Deirdre and Willemien served them well, combining the two riders’ experience with packing and distance rides with navigation practice. Both Deirdre and Willemien come from horse-related backgrounds.

Deirdre, of Jackson, WY, grew up riding English and in Pony Club, which she mentioned was a wonderful upbringing with horses. During her time in high school at the Thacher School in California, Deirdre was introduced to and involved in everything horse related: rodeo, gymkhana, and eventually, packing.

Packing horses turned into Deirdre’s passion, which she continued through her time in undergraduate and graduate school at the Colorado State University. Continuing to work on ranches and on packing trips through her time in school, Deirdre moved to Wyoming after graduation to work as a wrangler on these pack trips.

While these experiences uniquely prepared Deirdre to take on the Mongol Derby, preparing for the race didn’t come without nerves. With a determination to set and achieve a goal, have something to focus and train on, and show her young children that they too can achieve goals they set, Deirdre’s focus, experience, and resiliency set her up for success.

Willemien has a horse background as well, although had come back from a riding hiatus to participate in the Derby. Growing up on a farm in South Africa with horses, cattle, and dogs, Willemien is no stranger to working around animals. That said, Willemien hadn’t been riding much when she saw the Mongol Derby on social media.

Seeing the Derby for the first time on social media in 2019 immediately captivated Willemien. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” she reflected. “I applied out of a moment of weakness, I guess!”

In preparation to further train for the Derby, Willemien began her endurance riding endeavors in 2021, which helped in fitness for riding long distances. It certainly was useful practice, as crossing 1000km of Mongolian steppe is no easy feat.

Despite years of experience and practice in preparation for the Derby, both riders stressed the importance of navigation time and time again – “You’re not just following a line on a GPS… navigation is complex, and plays a big factor of where you need to go to save your horse’s energy while getting as far as possible,” Willemien states. “Although we had a GPS, it is even more important to be able to read a map, to understand elevation, and to ask “is it worth it?” to go over or around an obstacle,” Deirdre suggests. So, future participants beware: practice with those maps!!

While each rider sets off in the Derby as an individual, they are by no means alone. Neither Deirdre nor Willemien had been to Mongolia previously, yet felt so welcomed and accepted from the first day.

“We stayed many nights with families in their gers,” Willemien reflected. “It is remarkable how everyone works as a team. When you come in from a long ride, no matter how terrible you feel, you are met with people that are happy to see you, and happy to help.”

“What really struck me was the generosity [of the families] to take in complete strangers and give us the food off of their tables, and space in their gers,” Deirdre commented.

Even thought the riders were facing the challenge alone, each of them on riding their own race, and on their own horse, help and encouragement were never far away. From the friendships built between riders, the welcoming atmosphere created by the families along the steppe, the support, care, and attention to detail from the vets, medics, and coordinators working to organize the race, and each and every friend and family member back home cheering for their person, each rider was riding with a group of people rooting for their success.



Edited by Gay3 - 06 Aug 2022 at 1:12pm
Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!
Back to Top
acacia alba View Drop Down
Champion
Champion
Avatar

Joined: 31 Oct 2010
Location: Hunter Valley
Status: Offline
Points: 41243
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Aug 2022 at 5:10pm
OhhhEmbarrassed Idiot me CrySorry Gay.
animals before people.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.05
Copyright ©2001-2022 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.109 seconds.