Matilda Flies The Flag In World’s Toughest Horse Race

Imagine racing across the Mongolian Steppes following 1000 kilometres in the footfalls of Ghengis Khaan’s original pony express. 21 year old Victorian Matilda Branson is going to do just that, flying the flag for Australia in the World’s toughest, longest horse race.

Dubbed ‘The Mongol Derby’, it is the inaugural race organised by UK based ‘The Adventurists’, an organisation that hosts a plethora of adventure-based rallies and races in their fight to raise money for charity while at the same time creating an event to cater for the adventurers amongst us. With only twenty-six competitors selected from throughout the world the Mongol Derby is going to be a race like no other, an ultimate test in endurance. Riding hardy Mongolian ponies and living on mutton and mare’s milk, competitors will race along the path set down by Ghengis Khaan’s original pony express, all in the name of adventure and, most importantly, to raise funds for the charity Mercy Corps. Racers have two weeks to complete the course though it is expected that top riders will do it in around five days. Matilda, who has grown up around horses, is a 21 year old student from the University of Melbourne studying a Bachelor of Arts with Majors in Anthropology, International Studies and French. She heard about the Derby from a friend who was doing a car rally with The Adventurists. Matilda says, “I was looking at their site, then saw the inaugural Derby they were organising, and saw the sign up page. I read a little bit about it and just knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so applied, not really thinking I stood a chance getting in against all the hard-core adventurers and jockeys who are also in the race, but, to my surprise, I got in!” While The Adventurists organise the actual logistics of the race and are behind organising the rough 'path' racers will be following, Matilda says that during the race “we are essentially on our own, racing against each other, with no back up other than one emergency beacon we may set off if we are in a dire emergency and must be rescued.” The Mongolian Steppes do not have roads or even tracks through most of them so rescue could take up to a day to reach a stranded rider. The Adventurists have set up horse stations and organised the horses that racers will change every 40km through the 1000km course as well as undertaking all the liaising with the nomads who own the horses, the vet care and preparation for the horses before and after the race, etc. Other than that, Matilda tells me, they have to carry everything they need with them. There is no back up team and no support vehicle. “We have to carry anything and everything we want with us on our horse, including maps, sleeping gear, clothes, First Aid kits, food, horse equipment (hobbles, etc.), water ... in a 10kg limit, which means I'll have to leave the deckchair at home.” Over the last few months Matilda has been training really hard to get herself mentally and physically fit for the journey. She says she is running, doing weights and “a billion squats - to build up the right muscles!” About a month before the race – which begins on August 21 this year – “I will intensify training in terms of diet and going on longer rides- basically, the more riding I do, the better, as I will be doing about 80km a day during the race.” The horses organised by The Adventurists are local Mongolian horses, semi-wild horses that spend eight months of the year roaming wild in the steppes and are brought into be ridden by the nomads in the summer months. They range in size from 12 to 14hh, and although pony- sized, are definitely classed as horses by Mongolians. The Mongolian horse is an extremely tough breed that has changed little since the Mongol Hordes swept across Asia on their backs in the early thirteenth century. It is the national symbol of Mongolia. About 800 horses are needed by the 26 riders for the duration of the race. Matilda tells me shoeing the horses is not an issue “as the Mongol Derby will be run across wild terrain, not roads, the horses will be unshod as they always are.” The saddles are being made especially for the race by Barefoot Saddles, a New Zealand company; to ride in traditional Mongolian tack would be a death-sentence (Traditional Mongolian saddles are notoriously hard and uncomfortable).The saddle being provided by Barefoot Saddles is a treeless type of saddle designed to maximise the comfort of the Mongolian horses, as it must be able to adapt to many different types and shapes of horses as riders are changing mounts so often. Choice of horse during the race is made each time they change mount. “We will be changing horse every 40km at horse stations, so it's pretty much a first-in best-served choice of horse in terms of selection when we arrive to change, although there will be a fresh horse for each rider at every station.” All riders have a GPS attached to them. Matilda says, “while we ourselves cannot see where we are, you will be able to monitor our progress and clutch at your hair yelling at the computer screen 'No! Wrong way! Go BACK!' when you see us going in loop the loops and round in circles utterly lost.” All of this adventure is a fundraiser for Mercy Corps, a charity that supports rural communities in Mongolia to meet their economic and social needs, helping individuals, families and communities to become more self-sufficient, diversified in their production, and better linked to local, regional and national markets. Over the past five years Mercy Corps has established a strong reputation across the vast Gobi region, and continues to work with business associations and local organisations to ensure a robust economy that preserves ancient traditions. The Mongol Derby is working closely with Mercy Corps in Mongolia to ensure that the money raised from the Derby goes to the herding communities who are going to be so integral to the success of the race. {sidebar id=3}Each rider must raise £1000 (around $2000 AUSD) for Mercy Corps. Matilda says “I am currently halfway there - I have received incredible support from both family and friends, whose generosity I cannot even begin to describe aptly. All money donated goes directly to Mercy Corps, so if anyone would like to donate, just visit my donation page- it is very easy to donate online, set up for even the most technologically-challenged amongst us.” Matilda adds, “I have received incredible support also from my parents and their winery, Mount Burrumboot Estate, and equipment from Horseland Bendigo whose support I appreciate greatly.” What are your greatest fears about the race? “Definitely getting lost is one of the greatest fears I have! I have, according to my mother, the geographical know-how of a tadpole, and she's not far wrong; we are navigating our own way through this race, there will be no bright markers showing the way, only old-fashioned compass-and-map navigating, so that's a bit of a worry. I also worry about steppe wolves and rabid dogs pose a threat too during the race, so I might have to carry one fairly big stick with me!” And your greatest expectations? “A lot of people ask me, 'do you think you'll win?', as this is, after all, a race. Whilst it would be great to win the Derby, as the youngest person in this race by far, I'm up against some fierce competition against some incredibly talented and experienced people including Richard Dunwoody who has won the Grand National in England on several occasions, so I will honestly be happy just to finish the race and survive! I will be so far out of my comfort zone, to overcome all the physical and mental challenges I am going to face and to finish in one piece would be amazing!” You can follow Matilda’s progress in the Derby at Mongol Derby 2009. Visit Matilda’s donation page.