The Mongol Derby

Today I have the pride, the privilege...nay, the pleasure of interviewing a woman more courageous than any knight. Barbara Seele is a true intrepid adventurer with a spirit stronger than a thousand wild Mongolian horses. And Mongolian horses she will be riding on an epic adventure following Genghis Khan's legendary postal system.

Barbs, you’re setting off to do the Mongol Derby this August. That’s the longest, toughest horse race in the world! I mean, you’ll be riding 1000km on horseback as fast as you can with no marked route! What the heck were you thinking?

Simple intrigue. Call of the wild. And for once, just a sense of clarity and peace: I'm going to enter. Full stop, or rather: exclamation mark!

(How does one respond to such an extraordinary undertaking?) What sorts of preparations are required to get ready for 10 days of galloping across the Mongolian steppe?

Initially I just thought: ride ride ride. Now I realize it's a whole lot more. Can one ever be truly prepared? One of the wisest things a past-derbyist said to me is: "practise making your own luck. And just be sensible and practical." I think there are three parts to 'preparing': 1) physical prep: for me this involves riding (as much trotting bareback as possible - it's a toughie), running in the mountains (keeps me sane), following my gym program, and doing as much fun stuff as possible: surfing, climbing and slacking. 2) Mental: getting used to being in lonely, seemingly forlorn situations, and not losing hope - breathing, and 3) spiritual (without sounding too esoteric) - creating an open space with no expectations to allow the horses, the people, the land to teach  and guide me.

And then of course, this vegetarian of 17 years will begin to eat meat on the 7th June to prepare myself for the Mongolian cuisine of mutton & goat.

What essential supplies will you need to carry with you?

So we're only allowed to carry 5kg of supplies (ha ha, this I only found out after entering). Time to de-clutter my life and figure out what I really need. Back to basics. This will include a sleeping bag, first aid kit, headlamp, emergency blanket, futurelife, spare socks, waterproofs, a spare pair of contact lenses (essential), tack repair kit, thank you gifts for the Mongolian families, GoPro, Polaroid camera (hopefully), Flicka, and a few photos of loved ones. Have I thought of everything?

You’ll be riding to support two charities, namely the S.A. Riding for the Disabled Association (SARDA) and Cool Earth. Could you give us a little more information of what they do?

SARDA is an organisation that supports disabled children by offering horse riding lessons (therapy in motion) free of charge. I will specifically be supporting the Durban branch. Being in contact with horses has changed these children's lives. Many learn to walk, and utter their first word when on the back of a horse. I have met the horses and teachers at SARDA and was deeply moved by their work. Equines are sensitive and wise beyond comprehension. There's something about the company of a horse that makes the soul of a (wo)man feel good. SARDA relies on funding and sponsorship, and it is an honour for me to be participating in the Mongol Derby to support this charity.

Cool Earth is literally one of the coolest charities I know. They just get it right. Cool Earth is the official charity of the Mongol Derby organizers (The Adventurists). This amazing charity works with local communities to protect the rainforest. It's how they do it that counts - communities are involved in every step of the process, and only a tiny amount of the donations goes to administrative purposes. This is one community based conservation project that works - and they need our support for it to keep working and to prevent the rainforest from being destroyed. Having grown up on a beautiful farm in the Natal Midlands, and having studied Biodiversity & Ecology, supporting Cool Earth comes as naturally as breathing in (deeply) the cool, dark, moist air when running through a forest.

Again, an honour to be raising funds and awareness for these two charities.

I have a million and one things I would love to ask you, but I’ll limit it to just one last question: what are you most looking forward to?

To being on the back of a Mongolian horse, closing my eyes, feeling the wind in my hair, opening my eyes and seeing (and feeling) the vast Mongolian steppe.

 

May you have a safe and incredible ride! You can find more information about Barbs and how to donate to SARDA and Cool Earth on http://www.barbsinmongolia.com/

A big thanks to Shaun Irwin for the stunning photos!