Thank you to The Equestrianists – Organizer of The Mongol Derby – for permission to use the photos you see in this story.
The Mongol Derby is known as the longest and toughest horse race in the world. 1000km (650 miles) across the Mongolian Steppes where the terrain is mostly flat with valleys and dry ditches with few trees, water was scarce, and the race horses are half feral. We hear the horses are pretty good once you get them moving forward, but steering and stopping were an adventure. Even finishing the race is an impressive accomplishment, with roughly half of all race participants not finishing at all.
Stan Michael (Bishop, GA) finished 8th in the 2022 Mongol Derby. If you are a member of AAHC’s Facebook group, then you likely followed along in real time throughout Stan’s 9 day trip. It was really fun to come together as a community to cheer for our hometown jockey.
Local Culture
Families on the Mongolian Steppes live in “Urtuus” or horse stations with a nomadic herding lifestyle. They practice Buddist or Shamanist beliefs.
Living in family units – groups of families together – they move 3 or 4 times per year. The families manage herds of sheep, goats, and horses. Stan says it takes them about an hour to break down their “gers” and 2 hours to set up in their new location.
Stan says the locals welcome strangers – when he showed up at the end of the race day, tired and hungry, they would welcome him and cook up a hearty meal. Stan says meals were goat with sheep or sheep with goat – with rice or noodles and sometimes “fried pies” of bread on the side.
The Mongolian Horse
The horses are herded by the families and live out on the steppe (similar to what we would call “the range” here in the US). They are tough – living out 24/7 in the weather, searching for food and water. There are no fences.
The horses are descended from the mounts of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan and the riders are expected to honor their heritage. All the mounts were male – stallions and geldings. Mares are revered – Stan says mares are almost sacred. It sounds like all horses are revered in the culture – horses are a part of the Mongolian heritage. Horses who have a split (clipped) ear have earned special honors.
The horses are around 14hh – hence the weight limit mentioned below in the derby information. They are barefoot and have lots of stamina. Only the fittest horses qualify to be used in the race.
Under Saddle
Stan says the hardest aspect for him was picking a good horse. The herders are not allowed to help. Hilariously, Stan says he learned that no matter the question he asked, the answer was always “yes”. “Is that horse fast?” “Yes.” “Is that horse good?” “Yes.”
The horses are amazingly surefooted. They are known for watching where their feet go (marmot holes are a risk) and picking the safest route themselves. Which is nice because the horses are not known for their steering.
The horse’s tack is made from goat hide – Stan was allowed to bring his bridle home. He used the same bridle for every horse he rode. The stirrups are tied under the horse’s belly so leg aids are nearly impossible – plus the horses don’t know what they mean anyways. Riders are advised to stay light in the saddle as the herders mostly stay in a light seat or off the horse’s back completely at gaits above the walk. The horses are not accustomed to the posting trot but generally adjust quickly – not so with the leg aids.
About the Mongol Derby
Riders have 10 days to complete the 100km endurance style race. 1500 local Mongolian horses are provided for the 45 human competitors – though after following Stan’s journey I admit the participants seem to be “super” human 😉 Stan mentioned being impressed with the amount of work that went into organizing the race.
Race participants could ride from 7am to 7pm at night and movement is GPS tracked. Along the 1000kms were 28 Horse Stations. Coming into each station, the vet checked the horse’s heart rate, and if the heart rate didn’t fall by a certain amount within a specified time, then the rider got a penalty (more below on the vet checks). Then, each station had a string of horses to choose from – or – at a few stations, riders drew their next mount from a hat so they did not get a choice.
Riders weight is limited for the well being of the horses. They could have up to 187 lbs on them (body weight, boots, clothes, etc) and could tie up to 11 lbs in a pack to the saddle. Stan packed his sleep system, rain gear (he was glad he invested in good rain gear as it rained for 3 or 4 days), a bit of dehydrated food, a first aid kit, and some hard candy to gift to the local children, and some pocket knives and cigarettes to gift the herders.
A vet checks the horse at vet stations or – if the race participant camped away from a station for the night, the vet would go check the horse at the GPS location/campsite. Vets want to make sure that race participants aren’t pushing the horse too hard and that the horses are well hydrated. Vet penalties are tracked on a vet card – 1 hour for the first penalty, and an hour added for each penalty – if a rider gets 4 penalties, they are kicked out.
Stan did a Q&A when he returned home to Bishop
You’ll have to have the link to listen. You cannot find the video by searching Youtube.
If you live in or near Bishop, you likely waved at Stan riding along the road this summer as he was getting in shape for the race. (Want to learn more about riding on the road? Check out this article from AAHC intern Molly Smith with tips for staying safe riding on the road)
One of my favorite stories that Stan told (starts at 28:20) is about after he finished the race. Stan was invited to share a beverage with herders. The head herder toasted Stan, saying he was a “good horseman and he thought (Stan) rode like a Mongolian.”
Want even more of this story?
Awesome video of Stan and 2 follow competitors heading out of a station early in the race:
Stan at Horse Station 26: “This is the best horse I had since I been here. He had the need for speed.” <3
Stan and fellow competitor Ben crossing the finish line.
Why are there no race photos of Stan in this story and only embedded content directly from social media?
PR at The Equestrianists (organizer of The Mongol Derby) is working to get us photos and we will update this page with a gallery when they send us photos.