In six months, more than two dozen horses and equestrians will pair up to take on 1,000 kilometers of rough Mongolian terrain.
For most, the Mongol Derby presents a daunting task. For 22-year-old UF anthropology senior Sallie Dehler, it represents a dream.
This just may be the year she reaches it.
Dehler has advanced to the top five in a competition to be sponsored as a competitor in the 10-day derby set for Aug. 6, which is dubbed as the longest and toughest horse race on the planet.
The Adventurists and Horse Hero, both companies of the derby, will sponsor one equestrian and waive the $9,800 entry fee in exchange for the rider’s documentation of his or her experience through video and blogging.
The finalists have submitted autobiographical videos that are posted on Horse Hero’s website, trying to reel in as many votes as they can before this Saturday to become the winner, who will be announced next Monday.
Dehler first became intrigued with the derby when a friend e-mailed her a link to its website about a year ago.
Her interest in Mongolia grew when she heard her professor tell stories of the country during a two-month trip to Ethiopia last semester for an archeological dig.
“Horses have always been sort of a plaything to me,” she said. “It’d be interesting to see a culture that really relies on them for a huge part of its life.”
The Mongol Derby will present a change of pace for its competitors, as riders will compete on an array of different horses lent to them by local nomads that live along the race’s route.
Dehler said competing on unfamiliar horses will present a major challenge.
“Horses are incredibly sensitive,” she said. “Riding a brand new horse like this, a brand new one every day no less, will be difficult. Every horse has their own quirks.”
Katy Willings, an Adventurist and the director of the Mongol Derby, said the path is a re-creation of a 13th-century horse messenger postal system.
Riders will change horses every 40 kilometers and there will be stations with Mongolian veterinarians ensuring the health of the horses. and local families preparing food for the racers.
“People have to be able to rely on the hospitality of total strangers,” Willings said. “You share a meal with a family you don’t share a language with.”
She said that it’s up to the racers how they wish to allocate their time, whether it’s resting with the nomads or continuing along the path that they will navigate on their own using only a map and GPS.
“It’s quite a dangerous, risky event,” she said. “You need a bit of luck with you to win. There really are so many things that could go wrong. It’s them, the horse and everything the course throws at them.”
But Dehler is no stranger to adventure. She worked as a wrangler at a Wyoming ranch that had more than 200 horses, repelled down a 130-foot waterfall and led backpacking expeditions through Maine’s White Mountains.
Despite all Dehler’s experiences, she said the feeling that washes over her when she’s horseback riding is unmatched.
“It’s very empowering and calming at the same time,” she said. “I get a kind of focus with it that I don’t get with many other things.”
To vote for Dehler and see her contestant video, visit horsehero.com/mongolderby/finalists.
