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This February, Jessie Dowling of Whitefield Maine just completed another epically long and challenging horse race! The Gaucho Derby is a 500-kilometer horse race set in Patagonia, Argentina. Dowling placed 15th out of a field of 40 international riders. Like the Mongol derby, the race is a multi-horse endurance race set over a 10-day period where riders navigate their way using a handheld GPS. The Gaucho Derby is billed as the “Toughest Horse Race in the World” and is as much a survival race as it is a test of horsemanship. Contestants carry their own tent, food, and other essential gear, that in total weigh no more than 10 kgs (22lbs) in saddle bags and receive resupply bags of food set along the course route. Riders draw 8 horses at random to ride throughout the race and horses must pass strict veterinary checks along the way.
The course runs through some of the most rugged wild places in the world navigating through steep mountain passes, down scree lined cliffs, across bog filled valleys, barren mesas, and wild Patagonian steppe. The winds of Patagonia are epically strong, and the weather can change in an instant from sun to hail.
Dowling says “The best part of the race is getting to spend time with so many amazing criollo horses (the native breed of Argentine horses). The challenge of meeting a new horse each day and quickly developing a trusting partnership with these strong fast agile horses is indescribably exhilarating and fulfilling.”
Now that Jessie is back in Maine, she is excited to give talks around the state sharing stories about her experiences riding and training for these extreme endurance horse races.
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