Equiery World Travelers, continued...
main and other racers underwent pre-race training, which included a lot of information about logistics and rules. T ey also had a short ride
to get used to the Mongol ponies. “We had to provide our own personal gear and GPS equip- ment. T e organization that runs the Derby provided everything needed for the horses as well as the support staff ,” he said. T is support staff included veterinarians, medics, herders and various other race crew. “T ey all did a re- ally great job keeping us safe and moving for- ward,” Germain said. On the fi rst race day, two riders fell right at the starting line and the horse Germain was set
to ride took three people just to tack up and get him on. “T e good thing was he was super fi t and very fast!” But then, about 30km into his fi rst leg, the pony went lame. “He just seemed to take a bad step like he rolled an ankle on a stone so I got off and walked him for a while. He looked fi ne again but as I started to get on, he just went wild.” Germain ended up being dragged for a short distance while trying to keep the pony with him by hanging onto the end of the lead rope before he got the pony to stop. On his second attempt to get on, the pony wheeled around and kicked him in the chin. “I let go and he ran off so I hit my ‘help’ button and medic and crew came and found me,” he said. Back at
base camp, he got stitched up, got back on an- other horse and continued on his way. “Day two saw hail, snow and rain all in one
day,” he remembered. “It took me fi ve hours to get to station three before I continued on after a short break.” T e next few days were a blur un- til day six… “My fi rst horse was a great fi t horse that was super fast so there was no rating him for the fi rst few miles.” Germain explained that at each check, vets took the horses’ vitals and would assign penalties if a horse came in too hot or too out of breath. “My second horse was very unfi t and I had to get off several times and just lead him. It was like three hours of walking
continued...
One of the many horse stations along the route of the Mongolian Derby BOARDING, TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION BASCULE FARM LLC
AVAILABLE We are a full service eventing and dressage training facility.
We specialize in adult amateurs and juniors who ride
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a better partner with your horse! From Beginners to Advanced, we can help you and your horse reach your goals.
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Trainers: Dick and Julie Hagen, Carlie Serif, Chris Knuth, Andy Armstrong, & Erin Freedman 20800 Whites Ferry Road, Poolesville, MD 20837 • 301-972-8943 •
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30 | THE EQUIERY | OCTOBER 2017 800-244-9580 |
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