October 2022 Issue

Are you looking for Custom or Standard Horse Stalls to fit your style and dimensions? PLEASE CALL (717) 656-8219 OR EMAIL FOR A FREE ESTIMATE! WE SPECIALIZE IN: CUSTOM HORSE STALLS ALUMINUM EXTERIOR DOORS  Sliders  Dutch Doors  Dutch Windows  Carriage Doors WE OFFER DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION ON ALL OUR PRODUCTS AND ALSO COMPLETE BARN INTERIORS  Tack Rooms  Stall Mats  Wash Bays etc. INTERIOR RENOVATIONS PORTABLE STALL RENTALS AND SALES sales@sunsetvalleymetalcraft.com | 717-656-8219 | www.sunsetvalleymetalcraft.com EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN October 2022 Page 9 By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Trainer Callie King recent- ly completed the August 2022 Mongol Derby, placing third out of an international field of riders crossing 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of Mongolian terrain on native ponies. “Years ago, a family friend sent a newspaper clipping about the race to my mom with a note on it that said, ‘this sounds like Callie’. She was right. That clipping went up on my dream board,” King said. In 2019, King applied to enter the 2020 race, but that and the 2021 races were cancelled due to the pandemic. Over 250 applicants went through two different interviews as part of the selection process. In addition to learning about the applicants’ rid- ing experience with green horses, there were also questions about non-riding experience with long distance events and physically difficult challenges. The riders are allowed up to ten days to complete a course of 1,000 km, but that is measured as the crow flies. Working around rough terrain adds miles. It ultimately took King 1,270 km— almost 800 miles--from start to finish. The course is not marked in any way. Riders are given a GPS device and coordinates to guide them to the next station. “Sometimes it was pretty simple, almost a straight line, other times we had to make choices,” King said. Stations are located 40 km, about 25 miles, apart. At each sta- tion, the riders trade in their horse for a new mount. The horses were provided by local herdsman and offered a wide variety for the riders. Some were horses used every day to work the herds while others had very limited experi- ence under saddle. “They’re amazing little horses. They’re pony height, most are 13.3 to 14 hands, but they ride like a horse. They’re just so tough. They live semi-fe- ral in herds of 20 to 30 or more. They’re born out there running on the steppes and live out there from the time they are foals, they’re out there year-round,” King said. “The winters in Mongolia are pretty extreme, so they’re just really tough, hardy little ponies that can really run. Just from their lifestyle, they’re moving so much to get enough grazing, but then the herders use horses regularly to herd their horses, sheep and goats so they’re really a working horse.” Riders were given a saddle for the race, but had to bring their own stirrups, leathers, and any padding they wanted to use. The race organization paid local herd- ers to use their horses, and there were new mounts at each station. Horses are vetted before the race and at the end of each leg. Riders are not permitted to continue until the horse is given the all-clear. Competitors had from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to ride each day, stopping for new mounts at horse stations every 35 to 40 km. If a rider did not make it to a station at the end of the day, they had Local Trainer Finishes Third in World’s ‘Longest and Toughest’ Horse Race the choice of backtracking to the nearest station for the night or camping on the trail at their farthest point. Camping had the advantage of enabling the rider to skip returning to the previous night’s ending point in the morning but camping also required the rider to take full care of their horse over- night. In some cases that resulted in horses getting loose, leaving riders to try to hunt them down. Another option that King took advantage of in one case was asking for hospitality at local homes. She stopped for the night, went to a yurt, and gave the family a note explaining what she was doing. “They took me in, they took care of my horse for me, and gave me a place to sleep. It really was an amazing way to experi- ence the culture. They’re horse people. The feeling of fellow horse people was there even through the language barrier,” King said. “We got to meet a lot of peo- ple, that was one of the things I loved about how the organization ran the race. There were a lot of opportunities to spend time with the herders,” King said. Every day riders switched to a new horse. In some cases, the horses were selected at random while other stations gave riders an opportunity to select their horse for that day. “I preferred picking,” King said though she found that it was not always easy to tell which would be a good horse. “I had (Continued on page 27) Callie King, founder of HorseClass and operator of Honey Brook Stables in Honey Brook, PA, rode nearly 800 miles through the high desert plains of Mongolia to finish third in the 10 day Mongolian Derby. Riding semi-feral horses with few of the comforts of civilization, she finished the race in just eight days. Photo credit: Shari Thompson/The Adventurists