Grand Dog Escapes- Derby Stories

Every rider likely experienced at least one or more hectic-high-speed- hunts from the frothing, charging, barking wild dogs in Mongolia. These dogs are some sort of black and tan Great Pyrenees resembling mutt mix, usually adorned with dredded coats and slobbery mouths. While big and dopey looking laying about their gers, they sure wole up when they sensed a potential invader riding by. Passing by gers, it’s always best to give a wide birth. But sometimes, due to terrain or mere convenience, I’d find myself quite close along my chosen route. The advantage of saving time often resulted in a grand chase from a dog pack. The wild eyed dogs would come barreling out barking and ready for the chase! And they were not messing around.

Now in this moment the rider has a few options- 1. If the particular horse being ridden was responsive to direction and steering, one could slow their mount down and potentially avoid a chase all together. By defusing the dogs and simply walking by. However this option was generally not an option, and instead what was more available, was to run like hell and try to loose the dogs in an epic escape! I carried pepper spray in my vest pack, which I could reach and grab with my right hand, aim and fire down at the dogs-across my body under my left arm like a bandit with her pistol cocked ready and loaded. It seemed our wild horses knew the drill. They leapt forward with little encouragement when the dogs began their pursuit, bolting quick and agile as ever. The dogs would attempt to nip their heals or leap up to grab hold of their tails or riders leg.

The chase never lasted more than a half mile or so, but boy what a way to reinvigorate the pulse! No dull moments on the Steppe.

Post Derby- reintegration check in

I’m back from the Derby and am in an absolute state of bliss and blues. The reintegration is quite a process after such an extraordinary journey and a lot of my heart is still timelessly dodging rodent holes along the Mongolian Steppe. Here’s a little check in. Thanks for continuously holding space and supporting and loving this adventure with me.

Derby Stories- The Missile Story

Missile story: HS8 6:50am

A herder advised I stay clear of the valley to the right. Evidently there was Russian artillery shooting going on. Noted-I thought-stay straight don’t drift right. I was on a spotted scruffy horse that was relatively good as long as I didn’t move or made any sounds. It was raining so I was in full rain gear and took special attention to keep the rustling sounds to a minimum. He was fast, agile and determined to go. I did my best to stay quiet and out of his way to keep him thinking about his feet and not me. We were going at a pretty good sprint, dodging rodent hole ridden terrain.

About 30 mins into the leg, out of the corner of my eye wizzed by an odd freshly exposed trench in the ground. Then another, and another. I swiveled my eyes looking at the ground around as we hurled along. We were bolting along these odd 5 foot long trenches scattered about. They were not deep but certainly as if something large had skidded to a halt there. Oh boy… with a closer look, the skids revealed what appeared to be extremely oversized bullets. Heck! I’ve very much ridden directly into the exact valley I thought I’d avoided. If Scruffy taps one of these missiles with his hoof will it blow up? ARE WE GOING TO BE SHOT AT? I could see the valley stretched on ahead then ascended up into a mountain pass. Left and right the grey and silver missiles lay quiet and dead. I hadn’t heard any explosions yet but when would they start back up? It was around 7:30am.

The only thing I concluded to do was get out of there quick. I released my lead rein that I had coiled up short, sending Scruff forward in a renewed burst of speed. The once muted rain gear awoke and we absolutely flew the rest of the way toward the pass.

This Derby I tell ya, nothing but twists and turns and just when you think nothing more will surprise you.

Scruff and I had a new found understanding of one another. I suppose he could have been a bit tired by the time we crossed out of harms way. But he didn’t seem to mind my movements quite as much as before I even took his photo. We were about 18km out of the next HS, on course and merrily basking in our luck as we concluded our morning foray.

The Mongol Horse

The Mongol Horse.

An animal tough as nails and willing to negotiate a passenger but not without good reason. My first ride on a Mongolian horse was a treat. The little bugger flew, I never felt the ground below us. I could see how uneven and rolling the terrain was, but his feet were a flurry of motions buffering me from any of the bumps along the way- it was brilliant. He knew exactly where his feet were and I just needed to stay out of his way. This was a lesson for the derby, and one that kept me safely aboard most all the beasts throughout the race.

In Mongolia, the horse is a sacred being. They are honored, respected and a life source to the people. Mares aren’t ridden, and instead produce milk and foals. Their milk is fermented and made into a nutritious and slightly boozy drink called airag. It’s sour and tastes a bit like goat and grass. A bowl was offered wherever I went. 

Geldings and stallions are handled for utility and racing, and aren’t gentled for the sake of their own survival.

Mongolian winters are extreme and inhospitable. The animals forage, surviving due to their grit and wit. Taking the wild out of the horses would ultimately kill them. Herds of horses roam free and untethered. When they are needed, they are lassoed by herders. Their fire and protest is a sight to behold. Once saddled and mounted and the initial protest is over, they fly carrying their rider spectacularly.

Geldings have their manes cut short, while stallions carry theirs long. A horse with a blue silk tied around it’s throatlatch, holds success as a retired and honored mount.

A few lessons: 

Never approach the horse from the right.

Keep a hand on the line and stay close to their head, they spin and kick quickly.

Don’t be surprised if the horse spooks at your attempts to offer affection.

Talking to them works wonders. A song will slow their minds.

If your camping out, hobble your horse and tie it to another. You may otherwise search for your mount for hours.

Never under any circumstance get off your horse between legs. You’ll likely have them spook at you, and pull away or drag you.

Be prepared to bolt

Be brave 

Be polite

Expect the ride of your life

Accept the unexpected

Derby stories-A Rough Start Day 1

At the start line, each rider is assigned their first mount at random. I was handed a chunky dun with a kind face. When I mounted, he was mellow and unfazed-which is not necessarily a great sign when what I needed was a demonic psycho runner, ready to launch for the front of the pack.

All 47 riders gathered at the start line-the countdown began. Deirdre and I had planned to ride directly as the crow flies to HS1. We didn’t know any better and it seemed like a fine choice, those hills weren’t so big after all. Wrong.

It was a good lesson to learn early, but ended my first leg with a rather demoralizing scene.

Alex joined us on our unique navigational choice, and en route we three truly had a lovely time. It was beautiful a first leg of the derby and nothing could have made the landscape more idyllic. We rode with purpose and enjoyed each others company.

My horse who had been a good boy off the start, cantered for a good 6km but quickly offered not much more than a plodding trot. At one point he threw out a few lackluster bucks. That was odd I thought, but I chalked it up to a fly bite.

We arrived at HS1, Deirdre and Alex’s horses vetted straight through, with heart rates in the 40’s. My horse vetted at 68. Vets Cozy and Sarah assured me he would drop quickly.

After 10 mins his heart rate stayed at 68 and 15 mins into my 30 min max, he began showing signs of colic. My heart sank, this was not looking good. I walked him and kept him up from rolling. But at the 30 minute mark, my horse was definitely unwell, the vets moved forward to treat him and I was given a 2 hour time penalty to sit straight away.

I was deflated, my whole body felt heavy and I felt so guilty for putting the horse into that position. I had made only one derby goal for myself and that was to prioritize horse welfare. Here I was on my very first leg, with an ill horse!

I gathered myself together and tried to mime to the herder what was going on. He was acting very embarrassed and wanted to take back the horse. As the vets were returning with an IV bag, he grabbed hold of the rein, pulled the bridle free and turned the sick horse loose.

Now what? I forced back my tears as I explained to the vets what was going on. I think the herder just wanted to make it all better.

In turn it was agreed to just let things go, I’d sit my penalty and then continue in 2 hours. I was in last place, had my first penalty and was feeling rather down.

I sat inside the ger, tried to cool down and pull myself together, closing my eyes trying to focus on the next leg.

Everyone had left HS1 other than Cozy and a driver. At an hour and a half into my penalty, Cozy came to fetch me. He had spoken to HQ and they wanted me to push onward.

We went out to the line and there was one horse left. He was flustered and upset, and without any herders around, Cozy and I tried to saddle up the tense little guy. He was not pleased, I wrestled his head as Cozy tried to get the saddle over his back. He wriggled and fought and eventually broke my rein and bolted off over the hills ditching my saddle as he leapt away. It was quickly decided that I’d be driven to HS2.

It was a strange start, not one I could have anticipated. But now writing this, I’m amused by my own ignorance, as the only thing that anyone riding the derby should expect is the absolute unexpected. There’s no telling what twists and turns await you. That’s the beauty!

I got a good nights sleep and was able to start fresh day 2 at HS2 7am sharp thundering south on a little bay.

Derby Stories- the real race

First thing out of HS14 I got an amazingly fast looking black horse. He was lean and squirmy perfect to cover some ground on. Two herders worked together to hobble the horse to get him saddled. When they took the hobbles off, dragon horse was up and out in the blink of an eye. We watched as he bronc bolted down away from the station and into the horizon with my gear. Adios fast horse! What a beauty and what an athlete!

A few herders raced off after him on motor bikes, while Dr Coz and I looked on waved goodbye as my little black dot disappeared.

One of the gifts of the derby is a constant practice of non-attachment. If you’re pulled from the present and wish it otherwise, you’re wasting your time. It is what it is, and it’s just the way it’s meant to be.

@adventuristbarbie, @dr_cozy and I kicked back and got to chatting. Stevie asked me about why I was in the derby and how I got to it. We quickly passed the basics and dove into the real reasons. The parts where we push farther than ever before to meet ourselves in a new raw light. The part about how we get to meet our outer most edge and experience life from its perspective of being the most vulnerable yet so alive. It’s a challenging concept to put to words but if you know, you know. It’s a place where most think it’s the end of the journey, but in reality it’s just the start.

45 mins after dragon horse left, crew decided to send me off with spare parts so I could continue until my gear was retrieved. I hopped on a little dun who whinnied to his buddies as we trotted up and out of HS14 for good.

This horse was so kind and sweet and uninspired for speed. My mind was so at peace and content from my convo with Stevie that even though we weren’t making great time, things were really pleasant. Then as the smile stayed glued to my face, it got better. A perfect full rainbow appeared right in front of me, and I got to ride into its brilliant arch. Who gets to ride into a rainbow on a beautiful horse with a heart so full?

A huge thanks to the black dragon horse that ran away with my gear and let me have that chat with Stevie and Dr Coz, practice my presence and acceptance of what the moment had to offer. So good!

Derby Stories-The kick to the face

Day two HS5 we had two hours to make the last leg of the day. All the horses on the line looked thick boned and pretty dense. I was suspect of the horse handed to me only because of how stocky he seemed, but the herder assured me how fast he was and we moved ahead quickly to bridle and saddle the Red Boy.

He moved around as he was saddled but didn’t buck or flip out as many of the faster horses would, so I hopped on and trotted around until Bianca and Kaleigh were ready.

Once they were mounted we pointed northwest and the horses took off full steam, except my horse stuck it to the dirt one stride in and launched into a full bronc. The boy split in two giving quite the rodeo. I rode it out for a bit but he wasn’t letting up. I rolled off his right side and on the way down he clocked me in the face with his rear hoof. I heard it crack and as he took off back to the horse line and I stood up, I felt the blood oozing from somewhere on my face. Nothing hurt though and for a moment I wondered if maybe it was just the adrenaline blocking pain from my split face.

I walked back to the HS where medic Cat took a look. Just a small laceration on my lip but otherwise nothing broken or even remotely out of place. Red Boy nailed me in the perfect spot where I’d eventually have a rainbow bruise sequence across my face and a nice few days of swelling but otherwise zero pain, zero damage and I was cleared to go. At this rate I had just an hour and a half to make the next station and heck did that bucky Red horse fly! Once remounted he bolted 23km at full tilt. I’ve never been more out of control in my life. We passed everyone that had left the station just before me and thankfully caught up to another rider miles ahead who was also on a bullet and was able to yell navigational directions at me while we hurled through space and time. We made it to the next station just at the cutoff time.

In some ways I’m pretty thrilled that horse had feet like fire, it was my fastest leg in my whole derby. It might be the leg I also felt the most terror, but let’s face it- I loved it.

Derby Stories-The Storm

It was between HS19 and HS20 when we rode into our second big lightning storm of the Derby. Heidi, Gabrielle and I were trying to outrun it but the thunder cracks were quickly directly overhead. The strikes were so close the intense grumbling of thunder shook us as we galloped underneath it. It started to rain then hail and it just seemed to get wilder with every stride. We had our buffs pulled up and could hardly open our eyes because of the hail.

I could see flashes of lightning behind my eyelids and could feel Heidi and Gabbi at my sides, all of us sitting as deep in our saddles to stay out of our galloping horses way, encouraging them to run as fast as they’d take us. We flew through the storm-so real, so pure, so exposed, so alive! The storm had us in its grips and all we could do was be a part of it. This is what it’s like to be alive! This is the chaos that reminds us about the thrill of life.

I loved every moment.

Mongol Derby competed 14th place

That was the ride of my life!

I feel so humbled and stripped down to the rawest version of humanness. It was tough but on a level that can’t really be described. There were only unexpected and unruly turns of events that were completely out of my control- so wildly out of control it was perfect.

This wasn’t just a race about riding horses across Mongolia, it was a deep journey into ourselves as human beings. One that let us dig into who we are and how we show up as the purest versions of ourselves. We were stripped to the basics because that’s really all we needed. The kindness and love of families and crew, a smile from a herder at work, a wave, the hug from a stranger- all brought unimaginably needed connection when I’m such a vulnerable state. But perhaps more striking was the relationship we got to cultivate with our own minds and hearts. Raw with emotion and no where to hide, we had the honor to experience true presence and connection brought into the moment by the wildness of the horses and the steppe we flew over for 1000+km.

Unbelievable!

I am so alive and so humbled, and I’m overflowing with gratitude.

Many many stories to come.

Leaving for the start line

My saddle bag is packed, I’m in my full Derby kit, and all riders just passed their weigh ins.

The energy is vibrating amongst riders and while it’s overwhelming, I can call to the monumental time and efforts dedicated to preparation, the support and love I have from my amazing community, to embrace the unknown.

Here we are embarking on a truly inane adventure, where most of its success will be in the hands of luck and fate. It’s a good time to let go off expectations, let go of any plan and let pureness of heart and courage, the power of feeling and listening take the reins.

This is it, off to the Steppe!

Mongolia

I’ve arrived!

Horses are in every inch of Mongolia. The air smells of animals, the grass perfectly mowed by goats, sheep, horses, cattle and yaks, and the overall respect for these beings is remarkable and consistent. There is so much to take in and be in awe with.

I went for a hike yesterday with two friends on a hill south of the City. We came upon this little band of horses. Unknown if they were owned by anyone or not, it seems like the horses really own themselves for the better part of their lives here. They weren’t too bothered by our presence but it was clear this stallion out himself between us and his mares just to be sure.

Made me think about how removed the west has become from nature and our fellow beings. We have the opportunity to integrate and work together like the Mongolians have and are so beautifully modeling. So much to take in.

My Final Mongol Derby Gear List

Gear gear gear!

It’s been a year of curating the best gear for me for the Mongol Derby! We can weigh in at 85kg (187lbs) as rider and what we are wearing on our person, not including water. And our saddle bags are limited to 5kg (11lbs). This video is a breakdown of exactly what I’m bringing.

Comment with any questions!

Gear list: Hydration pack-Solomon ADV Skin 12 unisex

Water bladder- 1.5L Hydropak and 2 x 500ml Hydropak

Water purification drops-Aquamira

Sunscreen-Naked Zinc

Chapstick-Burt’s Bees

Buff-Simms Solarflex

Gloves-Roeckl Grip Knife

Zip ties Ski strap

Electrolytes-Jigsaw Health and Nuun

Greens powder-Super Greens

Vaseline

Sleeping bag-Western Mountaineering Summerlite

Liner-Silk Thermolite (ditched at some point)

Mat-Inertia XFrame Klymit

Bivvy-MSR (Never used but glad I had it)

Stuff sacks-Sea to Summit compression waterproof

Rain coat-Arcteryx Beta AR goretex

Puffy-Big Agnes

Base layer-Patagonia R1

Shirt-FreeFly bamboo long sleeve

Shirt-SmartWool NitraKnit 200 long sleeve (gave it to another rider at some point)

Breeches-Kerrits ice fill

Long johns-SmartWool

Rain pants-Helly Hansen

Half chaps-Ariat Scout Chap

Boots-Ariat Terrain

Helmet-Tippary Sportage

Socks- 2x DarnTough Marino

Underwear- Seducci and Smartwool

Sports Bra-SmartWool

Lighter wrapped in Gorilla tape

Headlamp-Blackdiamond

Batteries- AAx4 AAAx4

Toothbrush and toothpaste

Adhesive bandages

Tampons x7

Eye drops-Optique1

KT tape

Activated charcoal

Amoxicillin-antibiotics

Macrobid-UTI meds

Fluconazole-yeast infection meds

Lomoril-antiDiarrhea

Flexeril- muscle relaxer

Aleve-pain med

Derby Dreaming 7/1/22 training update

Heya! It’s been a fantastic jump into summer and with it wrapping up the days until the derby. I’ll begin traveling on July 11th with a stop in CA then off to Seoul the at last Ulaanbaatar. You are all why this has been possible THANK YOU! I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this dream of mine, and the power of having a big dream. Enjoy!

Stable Connections Podcast episode 30 Len Haug

Listen Spotify here

Listen on Apple Podcast here

In today's episode Lena Haug talks to us about how she went from training horses, to getting her pilots license, and now is on her journey with prepping for the Mongol Derby. Enjoy! 

Episode Links: 

Mongol Derby: https://equestrianists.com/guides/mongol-derby/

 UC Santa Cruz: https://www.ucsc.edu/ 

David Ellis: https://lsranchnaturally.com/LS-who-Dave.html 

David Lichman: https://www.davidlichman.com/about.php 

Aimee Brimhall McCord : https://www.inspirationalhorse.com/

My Derby Saddle Has Arrived

The Mongol Derby HQ reached out to us riders a little while back, and asked if we could have our saddles shipped directly to our homes, and for us to then travel with them to Mongolia. Freight is abnormally slow and problematic lately, so to ensure safe arrival of this critical piece of equipment, shipping them to riders made the most sense.

I got a big box delivered yesterday and got to put my very own derby saddle together straight away! I rode for a short while yesterday. Then today, I took my saddle out for a longer ride. I think we went out for just over 3.5 hours. I’m really feeling comfortable in it! I think more than I expected after my first impression yesterday. The wider twist was easier to get used to after shortening my stirrups a bit. I also really like where the fenders lay, they naturally allow my leg to stay underneath me, but also have a wide range of swing movement, forward and back, as needed. I still want to find an alternate to the Velcro pouch on the pommel. I ride a lot of green horses, and having a quick grab onto the pommel is critical for me to anchor down when things get western. The Velcro ripping sound would likely send the bugger even more crazed if I were to grab for the pommel and instead tear off the pouch. 😉

https://youtube.com/shorts/j3bLdNie4oY?feature=share

March 2022 Montgomery Creek Ranch colt starting

For the past 10 days, I have been training at the amazing Montgomery Creek Ranch, up in a remote part of Northern CA. This 2000 acre ranch is sanctuary to over 200 wild horses, and also a training facility for mustangs that are then sold to their forever homes. These mustangs are gentled first and foremost, bringing them into the human world full of their curiosity and confidence. I’ve seen amazing work done here by the head trainer Nancy O’Neill. She is a skilled horsewoman, gentling the wild horses in a way, that they are fully nurtured and educated. This art takes time and knowledge. In my life working with mustangs, I’ve seen more botched trainings than good ones. Mostly due to the lack of knowledge from the human/trainer, and their lack of understanding the importance of deep trust building that it takes with a wild horse. There are no shortcuts and there’s no one technique that will make a mustang trained. If you want it done right, come check out what Nancy is doing, she’s the real deal.

During my time here, I have taken five gentled horses that are of age, and am starting them under saddle. These young horses have a foundation from their gentling, so that moving the education from the ground to on their backs is not a far stretch. It is such an honor to guide a horse through this process. I get to support and challenge them, know when to move them and when to pause, when to ask them to lope off and when to step off. It’s a fine dance, one that never gets old and never feels like the last one. My goal is always to have a colt feeling bold and curious, knowing deeply that they were heard throughout their whole session. If their foundation is strong, these horses can go anywhere, and make riders of all disciplines feel connected and communicating, making the horses valuable and safe. 

These days feel timeless and so rewarding! 

I’ll be here at MCR through the weekend (3/14/22), then next stop will be down to San Luis Obispo area, for a few more colt starts and endurance training.