Help Rebecca ride in the Mongol Derby
Donation protected
The Mongol Derby has earned its title as the toughest and longest horse race in the world. Recreating the mail delivery system developed by Chingis Khan in 1224, the 1000 kilometer race across Mongolia traverses mountain passes, open valleys, wooded hills, rivers, wetlands, floodplains, sandy semi-arid dunes, rolling hills, dry riverbeds and, of course, open steppe. Riders who compete in the Derby must rely on their riding skills, physical endurance, navigational acumen, and no shortage of luck. They must also rely on the nomadic Mongolian families who provide them with food, lodging and, every 40 kilometers, a fresh horse. Only forty-five riders are chosen per year to compete in the Derby out of hundreds of international applicants. Racing by day and staying with Mongolian families in yurts by night, the chosen riders undertake the adventure of a lifetime.
After two rounds of interviews, I am thrilled and excited to have been selected to race in August 2023! Riders are permitted to race from approximately 6:30 am to 8:30 pm each day. They can only carry 11 pounds (5 kg) of weight and cannot themselves exceed the body weight limit of 187 pounds (85 kg). In addition, they must be mindful of the horse’s well-being. Regular vet checks monitor the horse’s heart rate. Riders receive time penalties for working their horses too hard.
In the run-up to the race, I will need all of the support I can get to ensure my success in this challenge! It is my ultimate goal to raise $20,000 of which $14,000 is the entrance fee and $500 goes to the charity supported by the Derby (http://www.steppeandhoof.org/) working to preserve the nomadic lifestyle of Mongolian families. The entrance fee pays for the use of 25 horses, a full time medical and veterinary team, the help and support of 250 Mongolian herders who provide and tend to the horses, a purpose-built endurance saddle, race crew, race camps, food and accommodations on the Steppe. The rest will be divided between flights, medical insurance, riding gear, pre-race accommodations, and the charity of my choice.
The charity I have chosen to support is focused on female empowerment through language acquisition and interpretation. There are currently over 80 million displaced people in the world, many of them are women and approximately half are children. Pushed out from their countries due to climate change, civil unrest, violence, or extreme poverty, they find themselves in new and uncertain surroundings with little understanding of the culture or language. Women are especially negatively impacted by this circumstance.
Without the ability to speak the local language, women cannot work or help their children navigate vital health and education systems and they miss the opportunity to develop supportive social and economic networks. Ultimately, forcibly displaced women find themselves socially isolated, depressed, and dependent on male providers or government largesse. Language acquisition and interpretation services are, therefore, key to their ability to thrive, to support their families, and to integrate into their new communities. Because of this, I will be supporting CIELO (https://mycielo.org/), a female-led indigenous organization that provides life changing interpretation training and language support to forcibly displaced indigenous communities. Please consider supporting them by supporting me.
I am exceedingly positive about my chances of success in the Derby. With your support I can reach my financial target and do some good along the way. Please consider donating whatever you can. Any small amount will help. In return, you can depend on me to train hard and strive to win! A 70 year old gentleman won it last year so anything is possible!
I encourage you to learn more about the Mongol Derby at https://equestrianists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/ and more about me on Facebook (Rebecca Hester), Instagram (reb.j.hester), or Twitter (@rebjhes). Thank you for reading this and for your support!
Sincerely,
Rebecca J. Hester
After two rounds of interviews, I am thrilled and excited to have been selected to race in August 2023! Riders are permitted to race from approximately 6:30 am to 8:30 pm each day. They can only carry 11 pounds (5 kg) of weight and cannot themselves exceed the body weight limit of 187 pounds (85 kg). In addition, they must be mindful of the horse’s well-being. Regular vet checks monitor the horse’s heart rate. Riders receive time penalties for working their horses too hard.
In the run-up to the race, I will need all of the support I can get to ensure my success in this challenge! It is my ultimate goal to raise $20,000 of which $14,000 is the entrance fee and $500 goes to the charity supported by the Derby (http://www.steppeandhoof.org/) working to preserve the nomadic lifestyle of Mongolian families. The entrance fee pays for the use of 25 horses, a full time medical and veterinary team, the help and support of 250 Mongolian herders who provide and tend to the horses, a purpose-built endurance saddle, race crew, race camps, food and accommodations on the Steppe. The rest will be divided between flights, medical insurance, riding gear, pre-race accommodations, and the charity of my choice.
The charity I have chosen to support is focused on female empowerment through language acquisition and interpretation. There are currently over 80 million displaced people in the world, many of them are women and approximately half are children. Pushed out from their countries due to climate change, civil unrest, violence, or extreme poverty, they find themselves in new and uncertain surroundings with little understanding of the culture or language. Women are especially negatively impacted by this circumstance.
Without the ability to speak the local language, women cannot work or help their children navigate vital health and education systems and they miss the opportunity to develop supportive social and economic networks. Ultimately, forcibly displaced women find themselves socially isolated, depressed, and dependent on male providers or government largesse. Language acquisition and interpretation services are, therefore, key to their ability to thrive, to support their families, and to integrate into their new communities. Because of this, I will be supporting CIELO (https://mycielo.org/), a female-led indigenous organization that provides life changing interpretation training and language support to forcibly displaced indigenous communities. Please consider supporting them by supporting me.
I am exceedingly positive about my chances of success in the Derby. With your support I can reach my financial target and do some good along the way. Please consider donating whatever you can. Any small amount will help. In return, you can depend on me to train hard and strive to win! A 70 year old gentleman won it last year so anything is possible!
I encourage you to learn more about the Mongol Derby at https://equestrianists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/ and more about me on Facebook (Rebecca Hester), Instagram (reb.j.hester), or Twitter (@rebjhes). Thank you for reading this and for your support!
Sincerely,
Rebecca J. Hester
Organizer
Rebecca Hester
Organizer
Christiansburg, VA