Gobi Gallop

Just 12 years ago, however, Veloo had never been astride a horse. She tried it for the first time at age 50 when she and her husband, Chelvan Veloo, first moved to Mongolia.

“I was already learning the language,” says Julie. “I realized if I was going to understand this culture and history, I was going to have to sit on a horse. I thought, ‘If these kids can do it, how hard can it be?’ Twenty-however-many times of falling off later—it can be hard! But I was determined to ride.”

Her persistence paid off, and by 2013, she and a group of six friends rode 707 kilometers for fun across the Gobi Desert over nine days, in what officially became known as the inaugural Gobi Gallop.

The idea of a making it a fundraiser in subsequent years added purpose to it, with international riders participating and raising extra money for the Veloo Foundation, averaging roughly $75,000 each year.

Specifically, the Veloos’ Children of the Peak recipient charity aims to stop survival garbage dump-scavenging before it becomes generational. Partnering with M. Batsaikhan (Baagii) and B. Sarantuya (Saraa) of Horse Trek Mongolia, they created and implemented it together.

Blue Wolf Totem Expedition

The 10 years of success with the Gobi Gallop developed into a more ambitious adventure: the cross-Mongolia, three-month Blue Wolf Totem Expedition ride.

“I tried to get everything in: the pre-history, the Silk Road, Genghis Khan, the eagle hunters, the reindeer people, deer stones, and burial sites,” says Julie. “Archaeology lives on the land here. And you can still go out and see it. Anywhere else on the planet [that] would be fenced off.”

The 17 riders, ranging in age from 27 to 70, were accompanied by some 20 support crew and a herd of around 40 horses, which were often contracted from local herdsmen. Riders averaged 50 km per day (31 miles) with a day off every 10 days, and rode through the Gobi desert, the steppes, the Altai mountains, glaciers and enormous valleys, visiting with all five Mongolian tribes.

Full of Surprises

For Australian endurance and dressage rider Duncan McLaughlin, everything fell into place as though the ride was meant to be.

“I was intrigued by the long ride in pretty country,” he says. “I was always interested in different aspects of horsemanship, so I thought it would be really interesting to go to the home of horsemanship to learn more about the horse culture there.

“Once the Mongolian horses get going down the trail, they’re really steady, so sensible, and hyper-aware of their surroundings, even though they seem super quiet.”

As for the people, McLaughlin was surprised.

“It’s a very showy culture,” he says. “You think they’re going to be subdued because you think of Genghis Khan and that stern, very self-contained face. But they’re very flamboyant people. And that big blue sky. It’s phenomenal.”

Self-Discovery

Endurance and trail rider and horse trainer Jill McKenzie of Georgia (USA) felt the pull to visit Mongolia when she saw a fellow endurance rider astride a reindeer in Mongolia. Her research revealed the Veloo Foundation and the Gobi Gallop.

She applied and qualified to ride in that event, but when the Blue Wolf Totem Expedition was announced, she knew she had to participate.

“I wanted to grow and stretch myself, both in my riding and personally,” says McKenzie.

Visiting with the reindeer people was one of her most spectacular memories.

“Riding up to the reindeer people was magical,” she recalls. “We felt like we were on top of the world because it was so high up. You’d see this beautiful, colorful tepee surrounded by holly bushes and wild oak, and then all around you were these beautiful white reindeer. I did get to ride one. It was amazing!

“I learned a lot about myself,” McKenzie continues. “In times of trials, I have a lot of discipline.”

For many riders, one big challenging issue was chafing from riding in the traditional Mongolian saddles.

“We came up with ‘Chafe for Charity,’” she laughs. “I’ve done hard things, but I’m tougher than I thought. And the camaraderie was amazing. I felt a kinship at different times with different people. The 17 of us are bonded for life because of what we went through together.”

McKenzie gained great respect for the Mongolian horse.

“I would consider this the capstone to my horse career,” she says.

Escape to Mongolia

Endurance rider Heidi Telstad of British Columbia, Canada, had yearned to get back to Mongolia ever since winning the Mongol Derby in 2016.

“The Mongol Derby is such an exciting event, but definitely fast-paced, so I felt like I missed out on the Mongolian culture and beauty,” she says. At 1,000 km (621 miles), that race is deemed the longest in the world. “This three-month trek sounded like an opportunity to finally fulfill that dream.”

With an excess of stress at home, Telstad was looking for an escape. She found it in this epic adventure.

“Highlights were getting to see every inch of Mongolia,” she says. “If you ever want to really see a country, ride horses across it. The most magical [sight] was coming upon this huge sand dune in northwest Mongolia. There was a river running underneath it!”

The Last Day of the Mongolian Trek

Even for Julie—who figures she has now ridden more than 50,000 career miles—the wonderment of this long expedition never wore off, even though she knew exactly what was coming up ahead of the group.

“Every day, it would get better and better,” she says. “The route was so spectacular. The last full day of riding, we were heading up to the highest peak in Mongolia. You start in this big open valley along the Milk River, which flows from the glacier at the end point, surrounded by towering mountains. You can feel the echoes of history, and that humanity has used this valley for these amazing spiritual purposes since forever.

“I was out of my mind with how incredible it was,” she continues. “It is magic beyond comprehension.”

On this final day, the group crossed the 3,600-km mark.

“I was riding by myself, because you know it’s coming to an end, but it’s such an incredible crescendo,” Julie says. “And I didn’t really expect that it was going to be such a big thing to cross 3,600 kilometers, but when it actually happened—when this random number ticked over on the GPS, and you know you pulled it off—it’s indescribable. Everybody’s had this unimaginable, spiritual, completely mind-altering time. You’re in this pristine wilderness, and everyone started crying and hooting and hollering at the fact that we had done it.”

Crowning the event was the charity aspect of helping people in need.

“We raised just under $150,000,” Julie says. “It’s an amazing thing to go do something like this and to help kids at the same time. Now we have two kindergartens, a summer camp, community library, and a sewing center. We provide employment for [approximately] 40 people, and this money will help continue these projects.”

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Based on the ancient horse messenger system used by Genghis Khan — in a country where the horse is king — at 1,000 kilometers, the Derby is the toughest test on the planet for equestrian endurance riders. Whilst horses are changed roughly every 35km, at checkpoints strung out throughout the country, riders must endure being in the saddle for up to 200km a day and face the challenges of riding over 28 different semi-wild horses. The riders must face the animals’ varying temperaments and bucking abilities, and the inevitable falls and mishaps that happen along the way while navigating through challenging terrain, including giant sand dunes and freezing mountain passes.  

The thirteenth edition of the Mongol Derby kicked off on August 2 and looked set to be a firecracker from the off, with 42 riders from 11 different nations competing for the prestigious win. 

Watch this recap of day one of the Mongol Derby.

Day one saw Spanish rider Xavier Ferrer riding at the front of the pack for most of the day, but he wasn’t in the lead as evening fell. Having had a reversal of fortune when he abruptly parted ways with his horse en route to HS3 (horse station 3), Xavier had to hitch a ride back to HS2. This left German rider Judith Jaeckle at the front of the race as night fell.  

Over the next eight days, Judith was never far from the front of the race and showed true horsemanship skills by never having to redraw a horse (new to the race this year, every horse station was a ‘lotto’, meaning riders had to ride the horse they were given, rather than picking a horse themselves, testing their horsemanship all the more. You could, however, choose to ‘redraw’ a maximum of three times in the race if you didn’t like the look of the horse you were first given). 

The real battle of the race would come on its final stretch, as Swedish rider Linda Hermann — who had been in a game of cat and mouse with Judith over the previous days — finally managed to overtake the German rider to take the lead. . . but only just, and it certainly wasn’t a two-horse race. Hot on the ladies’ tails was American Marine Matthew Perrella, whose navigation prowess and luck of the draw with some seriously fast racehorses, now put him in contention for the Mongol Derby win. 

As it came down to the last two horse stations, Linda found herself deep in a bog. Luckily she and her horse were fine, but it was a very tense moment and a vet team was dispatched before her horse was cleared to continue. This slowed the Swedish rider down, and allowed Judith and Matt to both gain ground, riding on very fast horses. It was down to the wire, but Linda was able to make it to the final horse station, before the finish line. She cleared the vet check (these checks happen at every checkpoint to ensure all horses are OK and haven’t been ridden too hard), and remounted on a seriously fit racehorse while still in the lead. The win seemed hers, as long as her horse passed the final vet check at the finish line. 

But Judith and Matt had other ideas and reached the final horse station almost within eyesight of Linda. They both changed horses swiftly. With Matt on one of the most feral and fastest horses on the course, he crossed the finish line shortly after Linda, with Judith a mere few minutes behind him. 

With bated breath, everyone waited for Linda’s vet check to clear (a penalty would lead to her losing the win), but finally the news came that her horse’s heart rate was below the 56 beats per minute requirement and the win was hers. Matt and Judith cleared their vet checks shortly after crossing, with Matt claiming second place and Judith third. 

Not only was the race an incredible success for all those involved, but it also helped raise a huge amount of money for charity. The Mongol Derby to date has raised over $1 million for charities, with each rider asked to raise funds for good causes. Among them was the race’s official charity partner, Steppe and Hoof, whose objective is to support the herders and their animals while working to save the unique traditions that are part of the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle as it comes under fire from climate change and urbanization.  

Matthew Perella was also raising money for The Righteous Life Rescue Ranch, which he founded to help retired horses and death row dogs, as well as to provide equine therapy to veterans with PTSD, those with special needs, and anyone seeking inner peace and overall improved health.   

For more details on the Mongol Derby, visit www.equestrianists.com.  

Comments from Winner Linda Hermann at the Mongol Derby Finish Line

Linda on being stuck in the bog en route to the last horse station: 

“I had a lot of pressure today. . . but [the horse] just got up and nothing was wrong with him. The vet cleared him and we continued to the final station.” 

Linda on her favorite part of the race: 

“Riding alone.” 

Linda on expectation vs. reality:

“The rodeos at the horse station, I expected that, and I got it. Most notably being kicked in the stomach.”

Linda on the horses she raced on: 

“The thing is, when you’re going so fast on some of these horses, there’s a feeling that, ‘If my horse trips, I am dead,’ but they didn’t trip. The risk and the feeling was just incredible.”

— Edited Press Release

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