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Re: [RC] The Mongol Derby - Elizabeth WalkerNo matter how well prepared - stuff happens. It happens at AERC rides, too. However, I don't think the organizers want their organization to get a black eye, either. I suggest that folks read the information on their site. It would appear that they are trying to think in advance of what could go wrong, and prepare for it.- The horses are supposed to be conditioned ahead of time, in coordination with a vet. I think the horses owners are responsible for conditioning, but I'd have to go back and check. - There is a vet from Great Britain, and the head vet from Mongolia involved in this. The GB vet has 32 years of experience, but the site doesn't say whether that experience includes anything comparable. It also didn't say whether those 2 vets would have any other veterinary support, or if it was just them. - There is motorized support available. There are supposed to be folks in vehicles following along the route (if I read that right), and 4 vehicles on 'standby'. - All riders have to have 2 days of pre-ride training, and the ride management can pull any rider that they feel would be a danger to himself or his horse(s). - All applicants were screened before being accepted in the first place, as they had to have both equestrian and 'adventuring' experience. - The riders are subject to a weight limit. Can't remember what it was, and it was in Kg, so I don't know what that means in pounds. I seem to remember 86 kg, with a 10 kg gear limit, but that is from my (admittedly poor) memory. Gear is to include camping equipment. - Again, each horse is being asked to go only 25 miles. That does not eliminate problems, but it has the potential decrease them, as long as the horses are conditioned properly, and the riders know and observe 'speed limits' based on how the horses were conditioned. For those folks who are concerned that this is going to be a disaster, I have a suggestion. Rather than condemning the race before it starts, what about reading the information on the site, and then emailing the organizers with constructive suggestions, based on your AERC experience? A better method would be to appoint someone to collect and organize the suggestions, and then present those suggestions as a coherent email, rather than inundating the organizers with hundreds of separate ones. On Jun 30, 2009, at 4:32 PM, Lif Strand wrote: Upon reflection, it appears that maybe I'm wrong to be concerned. Maybe Mongolian ponies are so tough they can be raced without prior conditioning, and they can carry more weight than a normal equine, and it doesn't matter if the rider knows how to ride or how tired the rider is, and Mongolian ponies don't need to have been wormed or trained or even broke to ride to be raced. And maybe those riders really will forgo the adventure and glory and won't succumb to race fever, so that they will in fact stop in the middle of the trail if there's a problem and wait around for a vet to arrive to check their mount before proceeding. And maybe the advertised "bleeding kidneys, broken limbs, open sores, sun stroke, moon stroke and a list of dangers longer than your arm" will somehow all not involve the ponies, who will remain unaffected by any of this. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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