The Mongol Derby is almost exactly like any other horse race. Well, any other horse race which has been invaded, nay, pillaged, by the Spirit of Chinggis, extended to gargantuan proportions across myriad wildernesses, and imbued with The Adventurists patented ingredient, glorious mayhem.

In 2011 the Mongol Derby further secured its plumage to its headwear, being announced as the World's Longest Horse Race, before promptly seeing off all-comers for the title of the Toughest Horse Race to boot. Of the 23 brave souls who set off, just 13 made it across the finish line still in the race. Others succumbed to injuries, exhaustion and the multiple misfortunes dished out by the hardships of the steppe, and these were endured in almost all cases with stoicism and humour worthy of a Mongol Warrior. Assuming they were funny.

We are now accepting applications for the fourth edition of the mighty Derby. Dates are 7th - 20th August 2012.  Why not swap the naff closing ceremonies of the Olympics for some throat-singing, bone-flicking, mongol wrestling good times before thundering off into the sun to cover 1,000km on Mongolian wild horse-back? Keen?

How to apply

Here’s a quick how-to of what happens next:

1. Fill in the Application Form - Apply Now
2. Await call from Katy (Mongol Derby Chief) to talk about your suitability - Early October
3. Chew fist off while applications are mulled over
4. Send flowers, chocolates, air miles to Adventurists HQ, Equitation and Tack Cleaning Department (please mark packages clearly, *cough*)
5. We make offers to the first 15 Derbyists - October 17th
6. We announce the 1st XV to the world - October 31st
7. Then the dates of the second round of sign-ups are announed where a further batch of places will be made available.

2011 Blogs

Over the course of the Derby stories and photos were being beamed right back to Bristol through various techinical marvels, here's a selection of the blogs posted around that time:

• Mongol Derby Updates
• Finish Line Photo Gallery
• Round up blog - A fortnight of sweat, tears, and no small amount of blood...

Need more experience?

If you cannot ride a horse yet, but still harbour Derby ambitions, we still want to hear from you. As Malcolm Gladwell writes in his bestseller Outliers, genius is attainable through 10,000 hours of dedicated practice. There are... hang on... 7,761 hours between now and the next Derby.  Hmm, ok, not quite genius then, but still - if you are prepared to train, we’re prepared to listen. For training advice, contact the Derby team on our Contact Us page (select 'Derby Question' from the drop down).

Written by Katy Willings - Mongol Derby Chief