Saddle sores, wild camping and wolves: Arthur Dobell takes the Mongol Derby challenge

In the early hours of next Wednesday morning, young bloodstock agent Arthur Dobell will begin the daunting challenge of the Mongol Derby, billed as 'the longest and toughest horse race on earth'.

The event requires riders to navigate 1000km of the Mongolian Steppe, changing ponies at dedicated stations and proving they can look after both their mounts and themselves.

"I've known of people who've done it over the years and it's always been something that appealed to me to challenge myself," says Dobell, who has worked at studs around the world and been assisting Newmarket-based Oliver St Lawrence for the last two years. "The opportunity came up so thought I'd have to go for it. I'm a bit nervous but I couldn't be more ready."

The 27-year-old has taken his preparation very seriously.

"I used to worked for Ed Bethell and have ridden on and off," he says. "I'm 6ft 5in so I can't really ride any of the Flat horses but over the winter I've been riding Amy Murphy's jumpers -  sadly I was never allowed on Kalashnikov - and when they went away I was riding polo ponies. 

"It's all about the weight limits; you have to be 85kg wearing your riding gear. So I've been doing a lot of work with Oliver Whiteman, the nutritionist at Peter O'Sullevan House, who has been very helpful. It's been pure protein for about the last six months, so it's not been great fun."

Once he has touched down in Ulaanbaatar, Dobell and more than 40 other participants have a few days of final training warning them of the perils along the way. There are riders from many different countries and a variety of backgrounds, from American ranchers to even an experienced elephant jockey from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The likes of JD Moore, Chris Maude and David Redvers have represented the racing world in the event in recent years.

"They walk you through how to survive in the Mongolian steppe when wolves come at you and that kind of thing," he says matter-of-factly. 

"There are horse stations where you can camp or if you like you can camp on the Steppe, but you need to activate a sort of SOS beacon to do that, they have to make sure there's water near you for the horse and that you've properly looked after it. You also have the option of going up to random herder families and asking if you can stay with them for the night...I think they give you a sheet which says in Mongolian, 'Can I sleep here please?'."

Dobell's participation has been supported by the Bahraini Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s Victorious Racing and he has a JustGiving Page with which he is raising money for Steppe & Hoof, an affiliated charity which looks after the local horses which form part of the traditional nomadic way of life, as well as Retraining Of Racehorses.

It should take him just over a week to complete the course and he does sound quietly ambitious, for all that he states that his aim is "just to get round". Not even the wolves, which are not thought to be a frequent hazard, are troubling the 27-year-old's thoughts.

"I suppose it's just the longevity of it," he says. "With people who run marathons, they say it's not the actual thing, it's just how long it takes that gets you. Then there are the saddle sores that everyone talks about!"

To donate, visit JustGiving.com and search for Arthur Dobell.

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