Mongol madness

I have something to share with everyone, a bit of news I've been keeping quiet, but now the cats out of the bag, so to speak.

In August next year I will be going to Mongolia. Not just a little touristy holiday, that's not my style. No, I'm racing 1000km on horseback, riding semi wild traditional mongolian mounts, with no set route, or road to follow. There will be blood, sweat and tears, but 'No Pain, No Gain' is fast starting to become my motto. This isn't just a race but is labelled by some as "the world's toughest horse race"', the infamous Mongol Derby. Tough for the riders, not the horses which you swap every 40km.

Why? For a good cause of course,  to be part of it you have to be, as well as crazy, willing to raise money for charity.

This suits me just fine. When i went to Egypt in march of this year, it changed my life, I'm not ashamed to admit it.

I have always been passionate about animal welfare, and well animals in general. It's how I ended up training wild horses , because I couldn't see them to go to slaughter? But Egypt made me realize I wanted to do more than that.

The Mongol Derby, is also something I've had on my wish list for years. The logical next step after working with wild horses, is riding semi wild horses across a country that has the most ancient ties to the early domestication of equines, right? Plus riding that distance, with no roads, literally across the wilderness is something that appeals to the very core of who I am, something I'm drawn to like a magnet.

So I entered the race, made it through the interviews and got selected as one of the first thirty-five participants offered a spot. I can't even express how excited I was, when I got accepted, barely sleeping for days.

There are two charities I'm raising money for, one is Kiwi Care Team this is who I have been to Egypt and more recently Fiji with, as a volunteer. I'm am fiercely passionate about the work KCT is involved with. I have seen things so horrible traveling with them it breaks your heart, but have also seen how a little bit of help in the right direction can change things for the better.

 As a non-profit organisation KCT works to provide education and training for local people in developing countries who rely on working animals for their livelyhoold, to help ease the suffering of the animals, and demonstrate better animal welfare techniques that in then make the animals more profitable for the people. Emergency medical aid is also provided, and the team work with local vets
and charities to provide ongoing solution after we leave.

Cool Earth is the charity nominated by race organizers that I'm also raising money for. They are helping saving the world rainforests, to inhibit the rise of CO2 level and prevent climate change.
Again another cause I beleive in and is for the good of all of us, living on this planet

So I have set myself a goal $10,000 by August next year when the race begins, all of which will be split between  Cool Earth and Kiwi Care Team. This is going to be a huge challenge for me,  a race to train for, a buisness to run, wild horses to be tamed, and now a fundraising campaign to get underway. But we only live once and we might as well be busy.

So I set myself up a fundraising page
https://www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/Mongolderby2013 and now I want you to help me help save the world in 2013. Donate, share, give me ideas, encouragement or inspiration, whatever it is I need your help! A little goes a long way

https://www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/Mongolderby2013