Kat wrote on 7/1: As near as I can see it, this event has all the makings of being an excellent test of true horsemanship combined with ingenuity, perseverance, planning and adaptability. This, as much as any other horse event I have ever heard of, is the absolute poster child for the motto "to finish is to win." Kat also wrote on 7/2: And being a "risk taker" myself, I can guarantee you, that if all the participants who are signed up for this event are also died in the wool risk takers, that not a one of them is going to ride their horses into the ground out in the middle of the Steppes of Mongolia.
I wasn't going to comment but some of this really annoyed me. In April, a few so cal riders were introduced to a very nice woman who was entered in this event. She loves adventures, was a pilot, traveled the world, and rode dressage two or three times a week. When we first met and was telling us about the event, she thought she would ride about 100 miles a day, she was going to be competitive and place high in the race. She had absolutely no idea or experience about human or equine endurance/distance events. I have no doubt that this woman could have easily rode her horse into the ground through ignorance. It was clear she missed the "to finish is to win" motto that Kat finds in this event. She was going to completely wing it. She hadn't taken into consideration what she would need to be self sufficient and meet the maximum weight requirement. She didn't take into consideration that she would be riding in unfamiliar saddles that may cause rubs, sores, destroy knees, etc. She didn't consider how she herself was going to deal with unforeseen weather conditions. She herself had done nothing to physically prepare herself for this event.
But, I do give this woman a lot of credit. She did seek out help on the AERC website through the mentor page. But of course, this was after she was accepted by race organizers as a participant. As she learned more about distance events she realized that 5 months was really not a lot of time to prepare. She switched her deposit to the New Year's rickshaw race in Nepal. (Endurance in a vehicle with another driver I believe :) In light that this is the first time the organizers have done a horse event, there are bound to be problems, glitches, etc. This would be a difficult enough event for someone at her experience level if the event was guaranteed to run smoothly. She may enter this event next year and will have a year to prepare, train, and get more experience.
When I visited the race website in April, I felt the organizers were creating a 'yahoo' atmosphere for the event. I know that is what adventure racing and extreme sports are all about. But the adventure racers I have met and those that do dangerous or extreme sports actually train and prepare for the conditions they will encounter. Train for the conditions you will be competing in holds true for humans and horses. Mandatory training sessions within a week of the event will probably do very little to help one prepare if you didn't bring the right equipment, make sure it works, pack the correct clothing, be prepared to deal with all kinds of adversity, figure out what works if you get rubs from the saddle or sore knees. Physically you are probably not going to increase your own fitness or endurance in just one week to make much of a difference. This could be a really interesting event if there was a different tone set by organizers. From what I personally experienced, I don't think the organizers put much thought into having qualified or experienced participants. Maybe because of their inexperience in solitary human/equestrian multiday distance events they don't know.
