This Is the Longest, Toughest, Most Hardcore Horse Race in the World

This is Mongolia’s answer to the Kentucky Derby.

What involves 1,500 semi-wild horses and around 50 participants from 17 countries racing over 600 miles through the Mini Gobi Desert, across massive sand dunes, high mountains, and the Mongolian Steppe?

The Mongol Derby takes everything you know about a horse race and makes it more challenging—it even has a waiting list to participate.

“The top part is surviving the elements and having this relationship with an unknown horse, that isn’t domesticated like our horses in the west,” said Erik Cooper, 2012 participant and Media Manager for the Derby. “It lets you know what kind of horseman or horsewoman you are. Can you understand the animal within seconds?”

The inspiration for the race was none other than Genghis Khan, the first leader of the Mongol Empire in the 1200s. One of his accomplishments was creating a medieval postal system called the Yam, which was totally unique to the time. To accomplish this, he used sturdy Mongolian horses to ride at a gallop to established post houses, carrying mail and tribute to the farthest points of his lands.

Learning about this history while on a car rally race from London to Mongolia, founder Tom Morgan decided to replicate Khan’s rides for the creation of the Mongol Derby. The first race took place in 2010, challenging each rider to reach the pinnacle of endurance and horsemanship.

It’s no small feat to participate in the longest, toughest horse race in the world. Cowboys, Grand Prix jumpers, polo players, and every other type of experienced equestrian sit on a waiting list, sometimes for several years, just to get a chance to experience the sparse countryside by fast horseback. There are no restrictions, other than size. Jockey weight must be under 187 pounds fully dressed to ride in special endurance saddles, developed to ensure the horse stays in excellent condition during the long rides.

Age isn’t a measure of greatness. In Mongolian culture, several generations of family members live in gers, or yurts, together, and the elders hold a special position of respect within the home. In 2019, 70-year-old cowboy Robert Long was the overall winner of the Mongol Derby, and his trip across the finish line became a cultural exchange. Mongols lined up to honor his triumphant win, along with the teams and participants from across the world.

However, as prey animals, horses often mistrust any new situation or person. Having what equestrians call “horsemanship,” the ability to calmly handle an animal and gain its trust, is a challenge for most any ride, much less one that starts with very little introduction. Every rider knows that horsemanship is the key to a successful and safe ride every time.

For some, riding in the Mongol Derby is a lifelong dream. Podcaster and polo player Gideon Kotkowski discovered the event scrolling through Instagram in 2019.

“It felt like it was the ultimate horse person challenge, and I always felt I had a special connection to horses and could ride anything. I had to prove it to myself,” he said.

He dreamed of the race, even printing pictures of the event to add to his wall, waiting for a time when he could afford to travel and ride in the Derby.

“Every day I woke up, I saw those pictures and every day I went to sleep, I saw those pictures. I believe I visualized it into existence,” he said, “A couple of years later, I got a promotion at my job and realized if I didn’t sign up now, I’d never do it. I reached out and competed in 2024.”

Like all the participants, Kotkowski flew into Ulaanbaatar, the capital and urban center of Mongolia. Though he was excited at the start of the race, reality immediately set in. The horses lined up at the starting line and surged as a group into a gallop, when a rider quickly had an accident.

“At the first horse station, I see this lady fall. That set the tone for the rest of the race. Not even an hour had passed and I see another contender walking because her horse ran away. I checked that she was OK. It’s a competition, but the most important thing is that everyone survives,” he said.

The riders take care of each other, and the Mongol people in the remote location also pitch in. Because the terrain can be harsh, all a rider has to do is ask if they could stay in a ger with a family. They’d immediately be welcomed inside to share food and drink and enjoy a place to rest.

Each horse in the Derby is only ridden once, carrying its rider from one base camp to another. When they arrive, veterinarians check the animal’s condition for any stress, and riders are penalized by adding time to their next start for any violation.

Kotkowski found the horses a new challenge at each stop.

“You get a slow one, maybe you get a faster one. My second horse was a quick one; he took off and sprinted in the wrong direction. I looked down at my GPS to see if I’m going in the right direction and the batteries had fallen out. It was my first experience, not even the first half of the day in my Mongol Derby, and I don’t have a GPS anymore.”

After a few days in the saddle, Kotkowski found himself more sore than he’d ever experienced before as a rider. He’d improvised a sheep skin pad to ease his chafed legs out of a carcass he found on the trail. He was hungry and tired.

“By day four, I woke up with some hope. I had been thinking that I couldn’t believe I signed up and paid this much money to suffer. But by day four, I realized I was in the middle of Mongolia, further away from base camp than I was to the finish line. I realized the only way out was through.”

The ninth and last day proved to be the toughest.

Gideon KotkowskiKathy Gabriel Photography

“I woke up that day and thought, this is going to be my last day. And the first thing that happened to me is that I forgot to check out of the vet station,” Kotkowski said.

That mistake would have caused a two-hour delay, so he chose to turn around and fix the mistake. He didn’t want to lose any time again for an error, so Kotkowski decided to get off early and walk the horse toward the next station–that way, they both could catch their breath.

“I’m stiffer than a tree, and I can barely move. When I got off my horse, I spooked him. I held onto the reins because you can’t lose the horse. I ate a face full of dirt, and when I got up, he kicked me right in the chest,” he said.

After a bit, Kotkowski managed to catch the horse again, making his way through to the next station. He got on and it started pouring rain.

“We just got absolutely drenched for like an hour, galloping through the rain and not knowing exactly where we’re going,” he said.

At the last station, a few miles from the finish line, his horse stepped in a marmot hole, tripping and throwing Kotkowski to the ground. Thankfully, instead of running away, it calmly waited for him to get up and ride again.

“My mom was waiting on me at the finish line,” said Kotkowski, “I had motivation to get there. It was insane.”

The Mongol Derby was the bucket list experience that Kotkowski believed it would be, but he almost lacked the words to do it justice.

“People ask me how I feel about completing it, and I still don’t know what to say. It’s the feeling of accomplishment of something that I’ve dreamed of doing. It makes me cry, you know what I mean?” he explained.

If you ride horses and think you’d like to participate, the Derby holds an event before the race to make sure you’re able to handle the conditions.

“We do pre-race training that you can do before the race starts,” said Cooper, “It makes sure that everybody who shows up really can do it. If we think you are a hazard to yourself or the horses, we won’t let you start. You have to be serious about what you undertake.”

Cooper believes the Mongol Derby offers a unique opportunity to experience history firsthand.

“It’s such a life-changing experience, and to be able to live with the most famous horse culture on the planet while it’s still intact before modernization, is so special,” he said, “The people are still riding horses and living this nomadic life. There are no fences, and nobody owns the land. We say this is more than just a horse race, it’s an adventure.”