Cheering on a West Australian endurance rider - 1,000 kms in ten days

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My husband and I take photos at endurance horse-riding events and one of the regular riders is currently in Mongolia competing in Mongol Derby, a 1,000 km (621 mile) race across the Mongolia Steppe, and currently the longest horse-race in the world. The course recreates the ‘pony express’ system developed by Genghis Khan in 1224. The nomadic Mongols are a great horse-raising people and to own a lot of horses is seen as a sign of wealth. Horse-racing is a favourite pastime for the nomads. The small, tough horses are semi-wild and have changed little since the days of Genghis Khan. They live outdoors all year round, enduring winter temperatures of -40 °C (-40 °F) in winter to 30 °C (86 °F) in summer, and are given no supplementary feeding but forage for themselves on the steppes. The ride is held over ten days and involves 25 stages with the riders changing horses at each ‘station’. Forty-six riders are competing this year but often only half finish the event. Each horse does 40 km then the rider switches to a fresh mount. Riders and any gear they carry must weigh 85kg or less. They have the option of staying with local families or camping out. Horses are selected at each stage in consultation with the owners. Vets monitor the condition of the horses and time penalties are imposed if a rider pushes his/her mount too hard. Photo of a Mongolian horse courtesy: Latebird, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons