Horses, humans and history
The relationship between humans and horses has shaped the history of our species. Empires rose on horseback, hoof-trodden trade routes spanned the globe, cultures and religions grew around these incredible animals. Cut to the modern day and horses are not the everyday partner of choice for day-to-day work.
But there are places left on earth where our equine buddies still form a major part of people’s lives and cultures.
We’re building a World Series of gigantic horse races that celebrate this incredible relationship. The greatest equine races on our planet. True tests of endurance and horsemanship.
It all started with the World’s longest horse race, the Mongol Derby. This and the sport of long distance multi-horse racing was created by The Adventurists and the story continues in its new home here at the Equestrianists.
Horses first, humans second
Horse welfare is our top priority and governs everything we do at the Equestrianists. It’s been the backbone of our rules and approach to racing from day one. It’s why we created the multi-horse race format in the first place; it means the riders face an incredible test of endurance but the horses don’t. After all, the riders have made a conscious decision to take part but the horses are our responsibility.
We have a huge crew focused on caring for, vetting, training, and selecting the horses. We work with some of the most experienced vets in the world to run, manage, and constantly improve our protocols.
Positive impact
EWS races are built to leave a lasting positive impact with the communities who host them.
Over the years our riders have raised over $1 million for charity. In Mongolia we’re now supporting the Mongolian NGO Steppe and Hoof. Their objective is to support the herders and their animals and work to save the unique traditions that are part of the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle as it comes under fire from climate change and urbanisation. In Argentina we’re still investigating how donations could be well used.
We also invest a huge amount of time and resource in ensuring our events support the local people as they take place. In Mongolia we’re inviting regional vets and veterinary students to work alongside our international vets on the race. We’re also organising a series of training workshops to help local vets gain access to world class veterinary knowledge to ensure ongoing benefits to our host community and a lasting positive impact.