We have a veterinarian here in MN who has been going to Mongolia for many
years to work with veterinary students there. In one of his presentations
I saw a few years ago, he said the tribesmen did not believe in giving their
horses water the day before or the day after this race. Obviously, many
horses would become severely dehydrated, and the owners did not trust the
vets enough to let them give IV fluids. I'm not sure, since I haven't
spoken with Dr. Juergens in a couple years, but the last time I did he said
there had not been as many deaths since they've started convincing
people to hydrate their horses better. The horses in Mongolia,
although highly prized, must live in extremely harsh conditions with very little
access to water on a daily basis. It is truly survival of the fittest, and
while it seems horribly cruel to us, the horses that complete this race are
the ones who can deal with these everyday conditions, and are the ones who
will pass this hardiness on to subsequent generations.
Chip (who is driving out to where she boards her horses twice a day
right now to bring them warm soaked food in this -15 F weather because they are
her babies and she loves them and is very glad we don't live in
Mongolia!)
