Another question I frequently get asked is, “How do you train for this race?” so I thought I’d break down a bit of what my preparations for the derby look like. 

The biggest part of training is spending LOTS of time in the saddle and on a variety of horses with different personalities. I’ll be riding about 30 different horses over the course of the race pulled from herds of semi-wild Mongolian ponies belonging to the nomadic herders living on the steppe. The way horses are handed out is based on a lottery system, so basically I won’t have any say in what horse I get. That means I have to be prepared to ride anything from the “plodder” horses to the “out of their mind” horses and everything in between. 

Earlier this fall I purchased a rescue mare named Liberty to do the majority of my training on. When I bought her, I didn’t know any of her history due to the fact that she’d been a rescue case, and quickly realized she knew almost zilch. I sent her to the incredible Laci Wiggins for two months of training who did a fabulous job putting the basics on her. I’ve found Liberty is a sweet and sensitive horse with a mind of her own.

 She bucked me off on our first ride together, then proceeded to spend the next fifteen minutes on a joy ride galloping around the pasture with her saddle flipped upside down and eventually got a hind foot caught in the stirrup and a front leg caught in the reigns. After I managed to catch her I got back on and we had a successful ride, and I decided she’s probably a great representation of the sorts of horses I’ll be riding in Mongolia! 

Other ways I’m training is by adding in strength workouts to prepare my body and familiarizing myself with the Garmin gps I’ll be using to navigate the steppe. Navigation for the race is done by plotting points to the different check-ins throughout the course and determining the best route to take. It’s the thing I feel most unprepared for, so I plan on taking some hiking trips with my dad leading up to the race and utilizing the gps for directions to get more familiar with plotting routes.

 I also have to decide what gear to take, which is limited to a total of 180 lbs of total rider weight including clothing and equipment I carry on myself, and eleven pounds of pack weight, so i have to be strategic with what I bring. 

And last, but certainly not least, eating lots of bacon! And no, I’m not joking. This was mentioned to me by one of the derby crew who noted that a lot of the food that we will be served by the Mongolian families will be extra greasy, so prepare your stomach ahead of time! Thankfully, I take my bacon very seriously and will dutifully be eating bacon on a regular basis as the race approaches!