October 2021 Issue

Page 24 October 2021 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN By Suzanne Bush “Wherever you go,” Con- fucius said, “go with all your heart.” Go with courage and an open heart. Go with a willing- ness to learn and to challenge what you think you know for sure. There are people who go places and look at the world. And then there are those who accept Confucius’ challenge and go with all their hearts—embracing the experience and seeing the world. People like Sally Jellison, an en- durance rider from Muncy, PA. “I had just been in a really bad accident and had a broken back and broken neck and was lying on the couch for a long time throughout the winter of 2017-2018. I needed a goal to get me out of my depression and I couldn’t think of a better, more unrealistic, goal than competing in the Mongol Derby,” she says. The Mongol Derby. In Mon- golia. A 1,000 km race across the steppes, tracing the ancient mes- senger routes created by Genghis Khan in 1224. From Muncy to Mongolia, an Endurance Rider Chases Thrills The Road Back The organizers of the Mon- gol Derby call it the longest and toughest horse race in the world. They point out that it is not a pony ride or a guided tour. “There’s no marked course, no packed lunch- es, no beds to sleep in. That’s the whole point. It’s just you, your team of horses and a thousand kilo- meters of Mongolian wilderness.” It was just the kind of chal- lenge Jellison could embrace. “I signed up for the Derby, got myself back into shape, riding as many horses as I could—young horses, green horses, difficult horses,” she says, even as she was dealing with the trepidation about getting back on a horse. “It got me off the couch after that horrific accident. I was dealing with ‘oh my gosh now I’m scared of riding.’ I just couldn’t bear the thought of not riding. Hav- ing that Mongol Derby goal was a good thing. I lost weight, got back in shape, started running again.” She says that endurance sports are part of her DNA. She had been active in long distance sports like running and swimming, so A three day LargeAnimal Res- cue clinic will be offered Novem- ber 12-14 at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Area in Elkton, MD. The clinic, geared to public safety officials, first responders, veterinary professionals and eques- trians, will be instructed by Justin and Tori Mcleod of 4Hooves Large Animal Services. Participants will learn how to move large animals safely and quickly in cases of disaster or injury while preventing injuries to human rescuers. The Large Animal Rescue Training Planned course offers classroom instruc- tion as well as hands-on scenarios using specialized equipment and equipment readily available to first responders. The clinic is limited to 40 attendees. The cost is $200 and lunch is provided each day of the clinic, which runs from 8 am to 5 pm each day. Auditors are welcome at the rate of $25 per day. For more information or to register phone (443) 553-6184 or email fairhillera@gmail.com . endurance riding came naturally to her. “As a runner I kind of trained myself—this may sound a little nutty—to test my ability to recog- nize pain versus discomfort and to identify the difference. Is this discomfort or do I need to stop?” She had been testing her limits in endurance riding since 2005, so the Mongol Derby seemed like a good match for her adventurous streak. Unfinished Business Jellison flew to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, in Au- gust 2019. She was primed for an adventure and understood that unpredictability was baked into the race. The organization that runs the Mongol Derby, Adven- turists, leaves a lot to the imagi- nations of those who are contem- plating signing up for the race. “You tackle up to 1,000 km of Mongolian steppe on semi-wild horses, changing steeds every 40 km. You navigate and survive on your own wits and skill, living among the herders. It’s you and your horse versus the wild.” So, there you go. And there, fearless- ly, went Jellison. The first two days they spent at base camp where they met the first group of Mongolian horses and were able to ride them a bit. Each rider also got a GPS unit to help them navigate from one horse station to the next. “Even though I was a navigator in the Navy, I wasn’t familiar with how to use the GPS,” she explains. “Especially when you’re on a wild horse gal- loping across the steppes. I would pull out my glasses, check my posi- tion, turn the horse around.” “I actually know the owner of the company (that runs the Der- by),” she says. “He is English and they were brainstorming things that would be attractive to thrill-seek- ers” when they struck on the idea of the Mongol Derby. “You’re literally getting on a different horse every 25 miles,” she says, and not every horse is equally interested in competing. “Some of the horses are somewhat broke and some of the horses have barely ever had a saddle on their backs.” She says that she got some good horses, and some that just didn’t want to run. “I did a lot of running with my horse. That gets pretty old, but I was satis- fied with my performance. I never came off a horse!” The race begins with a mass start. All the riders take off and Jellison says that some riders lasted less than a minute in their saddles. Besides rainy and cold weather, there were other hazards riders had to contend with. Like marmot holes that could trip the horses. She had been advised to just stay on the horse—the Mongolian horses know how to deal with the holes. “I was chased by wild dogs at one (Continued on page 38) Injured in a horrific riding accident, Sally Jellison, right, set her sights on the Mongol Derby while recuperating from a broken back and neck in the winter of 2017-2018. The 1,100 km race through the steppes of Mongolia on semi-wild horses challenges riders to survive on their wits and skill with very little support.