Laughter and tears as the adventure is finally over - it's the final day of the Mongol Derby 2018

As the midfield sail in, enjoying their last horses and time on the steppe... a grim fight ensues at the back of the field to get an official placing. It's Day 8 of the Mongol Derby 2018.

AC & AN float in to the finish, leaving DH cheated of victory for a third time. Hoorahs & heartbreak on the steppe as we head for the finish of the world's longest horse race.

A river crossing, flies and the race starts to get away from DH. It's day 6 of the Mongol Derby.

Rodeos, help buttons and an increasingly tense front end. Never good. It's day five of the Mongol Derby 2018.

A lone rider still outpaces the chasing packs behind her, while surprising changes of pace further back in the field show the shifting nature of the race as the riders approach and pass the half way point (500 kilometres in).

Thrills, spills ... and Sunday pills? Saturday on the longest, toughest horse race in the world.

From storms and floods to blue skies and bright sunshine... day 2 of the Mongol Derby 2018.

Storms, flooding, wild horses, heartbreak, action, adventure... it can only mean one thing. The tenth edition of the world's longest horse race has begun - the Mongol Derby 2018.

The riders have been busy out on the steppe. Meeting their first Mongolian horse, testing out their kit on the saddles and setting out on a short test leg.

It's begun. After a year of preparations, sweat and buggeration 43 riders have made it to the Mongol Derby start line. That alone is no mean feat.

Mongolian horses were the intercontinental ballistic missiles of the thirteenth century. They carried the all-conquering Mongol warriors across half the world.  Diminutive, sturdy, fearless, wild and unbelievably tough. They are revered in Mongolian culture, and have changed very little over the centuries, remaining essentially free from human interference.