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Re: [RC] Mongol Derby - Barbara McCrary


I cannot figure out why there were people opposed to Dave's first XP ride which he put on in 1983.  I had crewed for a man and wife during the 1979 British Post Office-sponsored ride from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA.  I was on duty only one week, but I could see the merits of this type of riding.  Granted, our team had 4 horses each, from which they could choose and could alternate in at any point during a day.  One day, I remember, was 80 miles long.
When Dave first wanted to put on a 5-day 250-mile ride, he called me and asked me to help support it.  There was one board member in particular who was fighting against Dave's idea, or perhaps against Dave himself.  I felt that the 5-day plan would work just fine, based on what I had seen on the 1979 event.  Since I was on the AERC board at the time Dave wanted to sanction his 1983 event, I recommended the event be sanctioned.  The board voted in favor of sanctioning it and I was excited to be able to attend.  It was a fascinating event and I think I rode and completed at least three of them...1983-84 and 1985.  From this, and many succeeding 5-day rides, I learned that our horses kept improving performance through Day 3 (the peak day), then leveled out on Days 4 and 5.  Ridden sensibly, the horses loved the game and just got better and better as the days went by.
 
Barbara
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2009 8:20 AM
Subject: [RC] Mongol Derby

We did not rely much on computer when the Duck first put out the idea of riding a 5 day 250 mile ride. The outcry from AERC members was great via phone and gossip. He was going to kill horses, the Pony Express trail would be littered with the dead. I was at a Board meeting when it was discussed with the Duck making his presentation and pretty much being shot down.  He finally got approval, but not before near fisticuffs were exchanged. He proved it could be done with horses in better shape at the end of the ride than when they started. 

I have ridden the same Mongolian pony for 11 straight days for 5 to 7 hours a day in Mongolia. He did not have shoes, he foraged for food, he had a sweet personality and he was tough as were all the other ponies ridden by the others in our group. They will not let them out of the country or he would be in my yard now. The person to talk to about Mongolian ponies is Linda Svendsen with Boojum (a Google search will bring it up) in Montana. She has had almost 25 years of riding these ponies as has her 200 plus pound husband. She understands the Mongolian culture and how the horse fits into it. Her opinion would be critical to my approval or disapproval of the upcoming Mongol Derby. Julie Suhr
Julie Suhr



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Replies
[RC] Mongol Derby, Marinera