Karen’s Musings & Endurance Ride Stuff

The photo of this Mongolian horse was taken in June – he’s shown here hobbled.

If anybody would like to comment on a post you can click on “comments” at the bottom and do so – or shoot me an email.  I don’t expect everybody to agree but please be civil and respect other peoples’ viewpoints.

Meanwhile, with all of the PR’s being put out now by the Adventurists and Mercy Corps. it appears that they are going to have a large and adequately trained vet staff available to be able to handle vetting all 625 to 800 horses (I read different #’s in different places, either way – it’s a LOT of horses) – both before, during and after the event takes place.

Please visit these sites: The Adventurists and Mercy Corps and ask them to ensure the safety of the horses being used in this event.  The more voices they hear, the better – look at the changes made already!  Also, here again is the link to the Long Rider’s page where you can find more information or go directly to a petition that you can sign.

Now that I’ve learned all I have about the Mongol Derby I definitely wouldn’t be interested in doing it myself.  At first, I thought it sounded like fun.  It might be fun for a couple of days but then it would get less exciting real fast changing horses every 25 miles not to mention that everybody says these horses are pretty uncomfortable (for those of us used to Arabians) and like riding jackhammers.  There are far better ways to experience an adventure from horseback!  For example, check out xprides.com.

Participants are also going to need to have good health insurance.  Check out what the US State Department site says about medical services in Mongolia:

“MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Medical facilities in Mongolia are very limited and do not meet most Western standards, especially for emergency health care requirements. Many brand-name Western medicines are unavailable. Ulaanbaatar, the capital, has the majority of medical facilities inside the country; outside of Ulaanbaatar, medical facilities and treatment are extremely limited or non-existent. Specialized emergency care for infants and the elderly is not available. Infectious diseases, such as plague, meningococcal meningitis, and tuberculosis, are present at various times of the year. Sanitation in some restaurants is inadequate, particularly outside of Ulaanbaatar. Stomach illnesses are frequent. Bottled water and other routine precautions are advisable.

Serious medical problems requiring hospitalization and/or medical evacuation to the United States can cost tens of thousands of dollars. A June 2005 medical evacuation from Ulaanbaatar to Seoul, Korea, cost the patient $87,000. ***Doctors and hospitals usually expect immediate payment in cash for health services. Medical evacuation companies will not initiate an evacuation without a fee guarantee beforehand and in full. ***”

Another rider has suggested that the participants need to carry guns (and be trained on how to use them) and should get night vision goggles.  I could see that (pardon the pun) – as I would like to ride in the cooler hours to minimize the heat stress on the horses.  You could make better time.  Horses see better than we do in the dark but for safety purposes the night vision goggles would be great to have along for the rider – that way if you run into a pack of wolves or wild dogs you could not only see them, but use your gun to defend yourself.  An even better suggestion was that the riders should carry cash with them to offer to anybody that they impose upon.  I found that to be true myself when we were traveling on the long XP rides – everything comes at a price and it’s a gesture of good will to offer to pay your own way.

Now onto more comments from others.  This is from somebody who is in the US Army and works in third world countries:

A special meal...pass the salt please! mmmmm....boiled bowels!

Kent’s claim that Mongolian herders do 40 to 60 kilometers on horseback a day doesn’t make sense. I can’t believe a herder would drive livestock that far in a day. Even if a rider rode circles around the herd all day long I don’t understand how a herder would put in 40 kilometers a day on horseback.

I find it amusing that these folks who call themselves “adventurists” would rely on GPS devices as the means of navigation. No adventurer worth his salt would use GPS. A real adventurers would use map and compass – now that’s a good challenge. I’m not against carrying a GPS for use in an emergency – that’s a way to manage risk.

This is from another rider who has ridden across Mongolia and has first hand experience about what the conditions are really like.

The nomads horses may very well travel 40-60 km a day but not galloping full speed and being encouraged.

Weight limit – he’s wrong.  Any horse will buckle under too much weight.  All this talk about how much weight the horses carry – Mongolians use camels when they move or have heavy jobs – and these days – everywhere – big trucks.

Yes – the horses do live with the herd most of the year – socializing like you say.  In minus 40 degree weather and starving to death!  Even without a zud it is hard for them to get food because the steppe grass is so thin, short and sparse…

Does he honestly think that The Adventurists is going to pay Mongolian trainers??? – Wasting their time preparing horses for strangers to ride for one day??? Hello!

For his tying up the horse – see the attached photo I received from my friend. Take a look. That’s one way to do it.  While you’re at it, take a look at the horse’s ribs. This photo would have been taken on about June 24.  The fact that this horse is under saddle is evidence that it is one of the owner’s preferred mounts. Healthy looking?  Right!

Sorry Buddy – they take airag as a laxative.  I travel around with these guys and they tell me this all the time.  Why is it a laxative? Because of the damn bacteria.  So some airags may have more laxative effects than others.  Be glad if you get diarrhoea.  It could be a lot worse. How about Undulant Fever, Salmonella, E-Coli?  And when they are milking the horse, how about if a few worm eggs fall in for flavour?  Be my guest!  Cheers! Have a test for parasites when you get home.  Maybe they won’t show up because they have already migrated to your liver.

And about the condition of the horses – being so strong and au natural out there – lets be frank – they are skinny from being wormy and bug infested too. If your vets do anything it will probably give a good bout of worm medicine.

More, from somebody else:

The whole thing is like the TV show “Survivor”—  I think that the organizers have missed the boat here because if a TV crew were along, the pubic would be fascinated in seeing the riders having all of their personal troubles but certainly would be appalled at the troubles the horses might have.  That sums it up for me—-the people will not get sympathy as they had the choice to not go—but the horses might be trapped much of the time as has amply been addressed.

I’ve got more, but it’s getting to be too much to keep up with it all.  It really does look like everybody’s letters and comments have made a difference.  If it weren’t for the Long Rider’s Guild, some of these positive things might not have happened.  Before they got involved there was no weight limit for the horses.  Now there weight limits and vets involved and they are now promising to take care of the horses and saying all the right things.  I thought that Merri had a great idea in sending observers to this event, in this post “Shifting Priorities“.

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