Braving Mongolia in the ‘world’s hardest horse race’

Riders tackle 1,000km of terrain on semi-wild steeds, relying on survival skills and pure grit to make it to the finish line. Annabel Grossman finds out more from this year's winners

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When riding across the Mongolian steppe, one mistake can mean game over.

This mistake can be anything, from losing a piece of kit to your horse stumbling in a marmot hole while navigating the vast stretches of open landscape. The wilds of Mongolia are beautiful but unforgiving, as 45 riders discovered earlier this month when they competed in the “world’s toughest horse race”.

The Mongol Derby is not for the fainthearted, with riders crossing 1,000km (620 miles) of rugged terrain on semi-wild horses, relying on their survival skills, horsemanship and pure grit to reach the finish line.

Out here on the steppe (the wide open plains that characterise this land), the competitors live among local herders, often staying in ger, traditional Mongolian tents, with families. The riders change their mounts every 20 miles at morin urtuu (horse stations) and must deliver the animals in good health at every stage.

Throughout the race (this year, competitors took between eight and 10 days to complete the course), riders found themselves cantering through wide-open valleys, navigating mountain passes, crossing rushing rivers, and traversing rolling dunes.

The Mongol Derby has its origins in 1224 and Genghis Khan

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