I am going to ride in the Mongol Derby 2027, a 1,000 km horse race across the Mongolian steppe! Last month I received and accepted an invitation from the event organizers. This blog post will be brief! Just some background on the event and my decision to participate, a quick note on funding, and to-do list. I will go into more detail on everything over the next twenty months leading up to the race, as I chronicle my preparations.
The Mongol Derby 2027 promises to be a magnificent journey. I will strive to share it as best I can.
(Photo credit for all pictures of Mongolia goes to The Equestrianists, with thanks to Holly Conyers.)
Above: A rider in the Mongol Derby 2025 heads out alone. (That will be me, alone!) Photo credit: the Equestrianists (find it on this page).
A brief introduction to the Mongol Derby
The Mongol Derby takes place during the first two weeks of August. It consists of a 1,000 km (621.37 mile) horse race across the steppes of Mongolia. Participants ride Mongolian horses, switching steeds approximately every 25 miles at horse stations or “urtuus,” run by Mongolian herders. (Read more from the Equestrianists: On the ground in Mongolia.)
The first Mongolian Derby was run around 2009. At least, I remember hearing of it shortly after I moved back to California, and that was August 2009. At the time, it was run by the Adventurists. Currently it is run by the Equestrianists… a quick search reveals that they are a spin-off company created to organize horse races specifically. Besides the Mongol Derby, they put on the Gaucho Derby in Patagonia. I would love to do the Gaucho Derby, and was given the option to ride either race, this year or next.
In fact, I would have opted for the Gaucho Derby if it didn’t take place in February, during my spring semester. (I am a professor of psychology; see my liquid syllabus.) Maybe next time!
Watch a brief ABC report: Mongol Derby: World’s Longest, Toughest Horse Race
Above: An evidently unplanned dismount during the Mongol Derby 2025. The tales of the tough, wild little horses do not discourage me! Photo credit: The Equestrianists.
On my crazy desire to ride it
As far back as I can remember, a cornerstone of who I am has been horses. A cornerstone of who I am as a horseperson has been my desire to do everything that can be done with a horse. Of course, I am very well aware that there are horse disciplines I am and have always been unsuited for… (Not that this has always kept me from wishing I could!) But one thing I am suited for (or at least very much enjoy) is racing in all its forms. (Except barrel racing. I just can’t imagine riding amped-up horses running full tilt around small objects!)
Naturally, as soon as I heard of the Mongol Derby–the ultimate horse race–I decided I was going to ride it some day. For me it was just par for the course.
I will at some point talk more about my life with horses in my Mongol Derby blog posts! In the meantime, this blog tells a good part of the story!
Above: Four Thoroughbred colts on the track in Madrid in spring 1992. I am on Wooton on the right. Riding at Hipodromo de la Zarzuela was my introduction to racing horses.
More about my background with horses:
Read my Equestrian About Me. It has footage from an old AP press interview I did while racing in Spain.
Equestrian Adventuresses no longer seems to exist, but when they featured me in a podcast, I shared it in this blog post (which has pictures of my adventures): My podcast with Equestrian Adventuresses
An old interview with my publisher: Racing Against Wild Boars in Spain and Why We’re Lucky to Have Both Western and Cowboy Dressage: An Interview with TSB Author Jessica Black
But why now?
I applied to ride the Mongol Derby 2027, because I didn’t want to keep putting it off. Not getting any younger, and my life’s not getting any easier. Almost two years ago I camped next to Stevie and Dylan Delahunt of Intergalactic Equine at the Fire Mountain Pioneer Ride 2024 (read my post about River’s first 50 and Fantazia’s last there). Stevie–who is involved with the organization of the Mongol Derby–encouraged me to apply. Seeing one of Stevie’s posts on Facebook in August reminded me–it was time!
I’ll cover the application process in a separate post soon. Suffice it to say here that it is an easy process. Then came to thinking… Can I afford it? Should I commit now?
That’s when I talked to an old friend of my mother’s, Wendy Oswood, who successfully completed the Mongol Derby 2022. She told me it was a transformative, life-changing experience. We talked for nearly two hours. (I hope she will agree to an interview for a blog post down the line.) By the end I was convinced.
I NEED a transformative, life-changing experience.
Even if it will also take an enormous amount of planning and comes with certain risks.
Above: Riding Jazz in the Marble Mountain Wilderness in summer 2023. I planned all my tracks with Gaia before riding. The steppes of Mongolia should be easier to navigate.
To-do list for the Mongol Derby 2027
As usual, I started by making the first of what will be many to-do lists. All of which will evolve! Please share any suggestions, especially if you have experience with the Mongol Derby or similar events.
Completed
(It’s always good to start with a few things you can cross off!)
Write a blog post announcing my entry(As I hit publish…)- This will be the first in a regular blog post schedule.
- At least one blog post a month dedicated to sharing my adventure. I’m making a list of topics. Ideas?
- If you have completed the Mongol Derby or a similar event and would be willing to be interviewed for a blog post, please let me know!
- This will be the first in a regular blog post schedule.
See a sports medicine expert about my hip.- I’ve had pain in my right hip since spring 2020. Yes, I have worked on it. My hip flexibility has gotten pretty good. (See my blog post describing the exercises that have helped: Dealing with hip pain associated with horseback-riding.) I don’t have nearly the pain I did through four years ago, but I still can’t carry things without pain. Maybe need to focus on strength.
- I saw the orthopedic surgeon I’ve been seeing off and on for a few years. He has ordered an MRI.
Up next
- Write a sponsorship letter.
- This is tremendously important, because the entry fee for the Mongol Derby 2027 is $19,000! Entrants must raise at least £500 (currently $658) for the charity Steppe and Hoof, a non-profit dedicated to helping Mongolian herders.
- I will soon have the sponsor letter prepared. Having already contacted two potential sponsors casually and received enthusiastic responses, I am feeling optimistic.
- Prepare a detailed list of everything I’m going to need to successfully complete 1000km on horseback in ten days.
- I can then send sponsorship letters to all the companies that could potentially provide gear necessary for the race.
- Many items are already part of my endurance riding gear. Anything new will need to be tested with time to make adjustments.
Activities to start ASAP.
- Depending on results of MRI, pursue appropriate treatment of hip. I expect PT and targeted strength training.
- Add testosterone to my hormone replacement therapy.
- Testosterone enhances muscle mass, strength, and energy and limits inflammation. It is associated with cognitive function. Testosterone levels in women start declining in their third decade. Although there is insufficient research to support the hypotheses that testosterone therapy will increase my strength and decrease joint, I have decided it’s worth trying.
- I plan to blog about this as well, after reading the research. At the moment, I can tell you we need more randomized controlled trials.
- In the meantime, I have seen the doctor (
Visit 1) who originally prescribed my current hormone replacement therapy regime. (WebMD article on estrogen and testosterone in women.) Pending lab results, she will prescribe testosterone.- If you are local, you can find my doctor at her new clinic in Visalia, Neria Health and Wellness.
- Testosterone enhances muscle mass, strength, and energy and limits inflammation. It is associated with cognitive function. Testosterone levels in women start declining in their third decade. Although there is insufficient research to support the hypotheses that testosterone therapy will increase my strength and decrease joint, I have decided it’s worth trying.
- Learn the language! I plan to master enough Mongolian to be able to communicate the basics. There are several dialects. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to take in-person classes locally. Fortunately, Language Trainers has offered to sponsor me for an online course.
- Several friends suggested I learn Russian instead, as most Mongolians (particularly older generations) understand enough Russian to get by. The presumption was that I would find it easier to learn Russian. Sadly, I can find no local Russian courses either.
Above: River is doing her best to prepare me for riding ornery half-broke Mongolian ponies 😉
Long term planning
- Figure out how to get and stay strong for riding long distances when my horse keeps breaking! (read the latest: Yet another issue with River.)
- I’ll be bringing Fantazia back into condition, but she’s older and arthritic.
- Potentially get another horse to ride? I’d only be interested in leasing. If you’ve got a horse that needs miles, let me know.
- Find insurance.
- I will need insurance to cover the entry fee and the race itself (me while participating in an extreme event).
- Look into flights and hotels.
- I don’t think I can buy a flight a year and a half in advance, but I can start looking.
- Will need separate travel insurance for this.
- Hone my navigation skills. I frequently use topographical maps to plan tracks, but these often automatically follow trails. (Read about how I planned my rides in the Marble Mountains.)
- I would like to find a course on navigation.
- Maybe I should participate in “orienteering” competitions. (I just discovered their existence!)
- There is a National Association of Competitive Mounted Orienteering! (But no chapter in California).
- Anything else I should be worrying about?
Above: Another picture of Mongolia! I can’t wait. Photo credit: the Equestrianists.