<div>Tax Deductible Donations Accepted <a href="https://creative-visions.networkforgood.com/projects/296628-tracing-the-footsteps-of-the-ancients" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Here</a> at Creative Visions, a 501c3 fiscal sponsor to my project. Or with Veloo Foundation <a href="https://www.veloofoundation.com/doniga-feliz-markegard.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.
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<div>You can also Venmo me directly @Grass-Fed
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<div>Horses are integral to the life of Mongolians. They depend on these horses for transportation, milk and ceremony. I will not only live with the Herders on the Steppe, but I will do so on horseback. In the summer of 2026 I will participate in two rides. The first being one leg of the longest charity ride in history, the <a href="https://www.veloofoundation.com/blue-wolf-totem-expedition-2026.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blue Wolf Totem</a> and the second being the longest and toughest horse race in the world, the <a href="https://equestrianists.com/mongol-derby/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mongol Derby</a> . I will utilize my participation in these rides to raise awareness of nomadic herders and their role in stewarding grasslands. I will also do this to carry the message of regenerative agriculture. It is not too late to reverse desertification.
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<div>As a regenerative rancher I will travel to Mongolia to live with the herders and bring their stories back. There is a certain quality of people who grow up surrounded by nature, working with land and riding horses. It is like we share a universal language. The connection is felt, not spoken. A level of trust and connection results between cultures where the shared language is caring for the land. By living amongst the herders I will connect with them and work to understand the significant role they play, and the challenges they face as part of the regeneration of the world's last tract of intact temperate grasslands.
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<div>The Mongolian Steppe has entered into my dreams, a vast land rich in diversity. The open expanse is dotted with camps of herders, their gers (yurts) and large herds of animals with horses at the center. It is like a vision that I have known I would be part of, just like I am part of the grasslands that surround me in California as I, like the herders, depend on my home grasslands for my livelihood.
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<div>Every image I have seen of the grasslands of Mongolia is a landscape that although vast and with profound beauty is also a land that holds the stories of a destructive past. Historically the grasslands were healthy with abundant forage. Now due to economic pressures that have led to overgrazing and a changing climate, the grass is barely holding on by the roots. It is a land that has faced challenges that are indicative of rural lands across the world. The way of life for those who tend to the land has been altered by outside forces. It seems as though the Steppe is on the brink. On the brink of either a collapse of the way of life for the nomadic herders or on the brink of a revival. I want to be part of that revival.
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<div>The Mongolian Steppe has something that other grasslands do not - herders that live amongst their herds and still carry the skills and knowledge of the ancient past. Working my entire life with rural communities I have seen a similar story play out: large NGO’s as well as governments coming in to implement practices that may have unintended consequences when it comes to the revival of rural communities, land or the longevity of the practice being funded. What I have seen as successful generational projects in rural areas is when the people who have the knowledge of place and the connection to land, because their families' livelihoods depend on it, are the true stewards and instigators of lasting change. They want to see their way of life continue and want to share the stories of what efforts are working well and the actionable steps for the future. I want to be the one sharing those stories directly from those most impacted. It is also in this global exchange of herders and ranchers that we can find solutions close to home.
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<div>I see myself as a messenger, much like how the Mongol Derby is designed after the Chinggis Khan postal network, where riders carried messages to horse stations set up across the Mongol Empire. I will travel that route on horseback. I will then travel back to California to carry the important message from a culture that is holding onto their traditional ways by a thread. It is often in putting ourselves into challenging situations and living on the edge that we find new ways of being and uncover the unknown.
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<div>Why I need to raise funds -
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<div>I was able to secure a grant to cover the base costs of getting to Mongolia, however when the opportunity of the Blue Wolf Totem Charity ride came up I opted to expand my ride in order to raise awareness for the children of the displaced herders. If you would rather give directly to the Veloo Foundation, I also have a <a href="https://www.veloofoundation.com/doniga-feliz.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">charity page</a> set up for the ride.
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<div>"No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe."
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Riding Mongolia in Solidarity with Nomadic Herders

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