A couple of years ago I took part in a charity event called the Mongol Rally, an epic road race from the UK to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. When, after 50 days on the road, I finally arrived in Mongolia, I learned that the rally wasn’t the only Mongolian event going on at the time.
The Mongol Derby, organised by the same people who plan the Rally, is the longest horse race on the planet. In fact, just a few months ago this claim was finally recognised by the Guinness Book of Records. The two week event pits expert riders from around the world against each other in a 1,000km race across the Mongolian steppe.
Now, I’ve only ridden horses in Mongolian once (great fun), and I have little interest in a long distance horse race, but the Mongol Derby holds a place in my heart due to the fact that I met my beautiful girlfriend, Otgontsetseg, while she was working as a translator for the Derby in the summer of 2010.
Now, the thing about the Mongolian steppe is that the weather can turn in an instant. Several times while out on the steppe I’ve been caught in sudden duststorms and blizzards that seemed to come out of a blue sky. Luckily for me (as I’m a soft, pampered westerner) I had the refuge of my vehicle, but when you’re out there on horseback the situation is entirely different.
Riders, then, have to plan carefully for the trip. They have to think about the weather conditions they will face. More than that they have to think about what the horse can comfortably carry. The race is all about saving weight, so riders can’t take along several coats to suit every type of weather they will face.
After speaking to riders from the Mongol Derby from 2009 to 2011 I’ve come up with a couple of ideas for clothing and accessories vital for a ride like this.
The first is the Canada Goose Freestyle vest. I wore this one myself in the late fall of 2010, surviving 24 hours on the steppe after crashing my car in the middle of nowhere. The vest is a great, lightweight solution for those times when you really can’t wear a bulky winter jacket.
Next up is the Woolrich Woolen Mills Mountain Parka. Again, this is a lightweight cotton jacket that provides maximum insulation with minimum weight. The winning rider on the Mongol Derby 2010 recommended this jacket to me. I tried it out around Ulaanbaatar just recently and found it to be an incredible coat.
Finally, I have to mention the Nautica N14536 Chronograph. This watch seemed to be a favorite among the riders – perhaps because it was one of the only decent watches available in Mongolian stores, and partly because, at a little under $100, it was a great watch that could be destroyed by the rigours of the race with too many tears shed. In the weeks following the end of the 2010 Derby I bought one of these for myself and one for my girlfriend, and despite the -40 degree Mongolian winter, the regular sandstorms of the Gobi Desert and the fact that we throw our watches around with little care or attention, the Nautica chronographs are still in perfect condition.
So, if you’re looking to take part in the Mongol Derby or any other endurance horse race you should check out these three items. They all come with the highest recommendations, and they all look just great.
Happy trails, folks!