Hello, Derby fans. We meet again. At long last, the wait is over. It’s been an agonisingly slow, dreary year since our 2024 Mongol Derby riders galloped across the finish line somewhere in the Mongolian wilds. But never fear: the Derby drought is almost over. In just a week’s time on the 4th of August 2025, the start flag will go down on the 14th official Mongol Derby and we’ll all be saved from existential boredom by another 10 days of Derby thrills and spills.

While the crew are busy scrubbing tack, charging GPS trackers and herding up champion racehorses from across the land, riders are beginning to descend on Ulaanbaatar. Months – if not years – of careful preparation are about to be put to the test in the longest and toughest horse race on the planet. Over 1,000km of self-navigated racing across the untamed Mongolian steppe, atop just marginally more tame horses.

As these intrepid adventurers wing their way to start camp from far flung corners of the globe laden with copious quantities of anti-chafing cream, you may be asking yourself: just what kind of screw must you have loose to take on this monumental equine adventure? We’ve been wondering that ourselves, so we thought we’d take the opportunity to introduce you to the cast of the 2025 Mongol Derby: behold, the riders.

This is quite a premium crop, if we do say so ourselves. A very healthy 45 riders are set to thunder across the start line next Monday, once they’ve been through a few days of rigorous training under the watchful eyes of our expert Derby crew. Obviously, they all have one thing in common: a suicidal passion for horses. And riding them a very long way, very very fast. But aside from that, one of the things we love most about our Derby jockeys is how incredibly varied they are.

That being said, some things stay pretty similar across most Derby cohorts. Girl power shines through, with 30 ladies taking the reins compared to 15 men. As usual, the US is fielding a very strong national side, with 20 riders flying the Star-Spangled Banner. The Aussies are the next most represented nation with 8 making the trip from Down Under, with the UK taking third largest team with 6 riders. The rest of our field come from places as varied as the UAE and Iceland, and South Africa by way of Scotland in the case of Naidene Stander (NUR). Her passion for all things equine began at the tender age of 2 back home in South Africa, and has stuck with her through her move to Scotland. At home her herd of 12 horses keeps her busy, when she’s not showjumping or backing them herself. A sucker for punishment, she’s gifted herself a spot on the Derby as an unconventional 40th birthday present.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the exceptional level of horsemanship required to get round the Derby, many more of our riders also started their careers in their saddle at a precocious age, just like Mongolian herders. New Yorker Alex Beneson (ABE) took up the reins aged 5, and has since then gone on to advance through the showjumping ranks while also spending time western riding and bringing on plenty of youngsters. Grace Netter (GNE) has had a similarly varied lifelong relationship with horses: despite spending most of her time in the saddle eventing in Australia, she’s also dabbled in everything from vaulting to cattle drives. Brit Blake McCusker (BMC) was practically born in the saddle, to horse-mad parents. A professional breeder, starter and trainer, he’s never far from a horse. His search for the biggest challenge to his horsemanship and riding has led him to the Derby. We’d say he’s come to the right place.

Taking the youthful advantage to a whole new level, Brit Elizabeth Ingvaldson (EIN) will be the baby of the pack this year at just 21 years old. But you’d be foolish to dismiss youth for lack of experience: while her aunt, mother and grandmother were all international endurance riders, she’s here to trump them all and take on the toughest equine endurance challenge in the world. At the other end of the spectrum, the appropriately named Irishman Frank Furlong (FFU) arrives at the steppe 64 years young with years under his belt team chasing, drag hunting and show jumping. He’s also just successfully completed the Mongol Derby Academy prior to the Derby to get as familiar as possible with his Mongolian mounts. Could either youth or experience take home the Derby crown this year? 

Or could another, more Derby specific type of experience come up trumps? We have a champion in our midst: Anna Boden (ABO) was the joint Gaucho Derby victor back in 2022, and she’s sure to mean business. Having spent her childhood leaping over terrifying hedges out hunting in England, she’s no stranger to long, tough days in the saddle. We are still waiting for the first Double Derby champion: could 2025 go down in Derby history if she clinches victory?

Or, perhaps it’ll be experience of Mongolia and the spectacular – if occasionally particular – Mongolian horse that will give one rider the edge. Gerda Pohl (GPO) is already a Derby veteran, having crossed the finish line in 2015. Now based in Nepal where she rides her Tibetan pony daily, she’s a lifelong equestrian with experience with everything from Haflingers and Arabians to Warmbloods. And she’s not the only one with history with the steppe: Bianca Farmas-Griffith (BFG) is back for her third crack at the Derby. With her last two attempts in 2023 and 2023 scuppered by a serious of unfortunate events, will it be third time lucky for the LA native?

Yet more riders already have a deep love for Mongolia herself, before falling for her horses. Dennis Alverson (DAL) first fell in love with Mongolia for its wildness and incredible people while guiding taimen fishing. He’s an accomplished outdoorsman, horseman and former US national skijor champion to boot, who’s even guided horsepacking trips in Yellowstone. He certainly ticks all the required skills boxes for Derby success.

Or could it be some serious endurance riding creds that give jockeys the upper hand? The Derby is, after all, the pinnacle of ultra endurance riding. Aussie Pippa Henderson (PHE) is not only a dedicated endurance rider but also a vet: quite the CV. Expect to see her sailing through the strenuous Derby vet checks. After doing a marathon ride back home down under last year, she is more than prepped for the mental and physical challenges of the steppe. Fellow vet Alison Thomas (ATH) has also been hooked on endurance since aged 19, while also dabbling in polocrosse and somewhat unconventionally grew up riding ex-racehorses to muster cattle. Certainly multi-talented.

Another distance riding fanatic, Melissa Montgomery (MMO) began riding by jumping on ponies and exploring the mountains as a child, then discovered the thrill of endurance riding as an adult and never looked back. She’s already completed Race the Wild Coast in South Africa, and also loves psychotically long ultra trail runs. Stamina and grit should not be a problem. Plus, she comes with a sidekick: Ali Woodward (AWO). Also a passionate endurance rider who gets a kick out of forward thinking horses, she should find herself right at home clinging onto a Mongolian rocket.

And they’re not the only ones hoping to find strength in numbers. Heading to the Derby in a rather high stakes marital experiment, Brandon Fiore (BFI) and wife Lucy (LFI) are ready to test their skills (and the strength of their union). They work together back home in Aus training fiery racehorses so are well used to riding some firecrackers, and bring a deep love for the outdoors to their Derby campaign. Will love conquer all, or will a friendship prove unsinkable? Two riders from the UAE are here to test the latter theory. Khalifa Al Hamed (KAH) is a seasoned international endurance rider, having ridden in 3 world championships and over 100 races. He almost tackled the 2016 Derby but had to pull out last minute due to injury: he’s back and fully fit, with Eisa Al Khayari (EAK) by his side. EAK happens to have some pretty handy wilderness experience from working in search and rescue operations, and on top of that likes an opinionated steed: given the chance, he’ll pick the loopiest horse of the lot. Will he have met his match with the mighty Mongolian mounts?

As the old adage goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The thing is, when riding the Derby speed is a pretty useful thing to have on your side, as well as distance. Could tackling the Derby as an individual for competitively minded riders spice up the standings? Brit Bertie Siggers (BSI) grew up bombing around the English countryside hunting, eventing and team chasing. She’s no stranger to hurtling across uneven ground at breakneck speed, which should come in handy considering the greatest hazard on the steppe: cute little marmots and their not so cute burrows. Michael Pollard (MPO) is certainly no stranger to competitive pressure: he rode on the US team at the Pan Am Games in 2011. Outside of horses, he loves the wilderness and pushes himself in endurance climbing, and has horses in his blood. He takes after his grandfather who ran away from home to train horses at the circus.

David Malenoir-Evans (DME) has been polo crazed since picking up the sport at Sandhurst in his twenties. Although he since traded the Army and the UK for tech and California, he’s still a passionate player bringing some handy horse skills to the steppe. He shares his passion for polo with Austrian Florian Senger-Weiss (FSW), who’s honed his skills playing at a Uruguyuan estancia where he’s also put in some long days in the saddle gauchoing. On top of that, he loves nothing more than camping out in foul weather and testing his navigational nous. Except to see him rubbing his hands in glee while the rest of the field sob in the face of a ferocious Mongolian summer storm.

Claire Schreder (CSC) is also familiar with the competitive pressure of equine sport, having grown up in the showjumping ring and training her own horses. Since then, she’s developed a love for fox hunting out in the wilds, combining riding with her love of the outdoors. Her idea of a post-College party holiday was schlepping up Mount Kilimanjaro. Up for a bit of a physical challenge, and then some. Also hungry for a challenge to her daily routine is Jessica O’Quinn (JOQ), a corporate tax attorney and dressage rider in her normal life. She’ll no doubt find something familiar to her usual equine discipline in the Mongolian horse’s capacity to pirouette daintily out of reach while you try desperately to get your foot in the stirrup. 

She’s not the only lawyer who finds themselves far from their desk. Livi Strang Steel (LSS) also balances a lifelong horse addiction – kickstarted by a borrowed miniature Shetland back home in Scotland – with a legal career. With some serious eventing, hunting and racehorse riding training experience under her belt, the wilds of the Derby were impossible to resist. And she’s not the only one of this year’s riders with a proven need for speed. Alice Knoll (AKN) majored in equine science before going on to work as a racing exercise rider and trainer. Coupled with working as a vet assistant and also whipping-in with her local hunt, she has quite the all-round education. Jenn Laidlaw’s (JLA) passion for horses has taken her all across the US, following various jobs in the racing industry which have brought her to her current role as broodmare manager at Lanes End Racing. Racing horses, and caring for them, come pretty naturally to her. Surely a pretty handy combo for keeping your equine partners happy during the Derby?

Bridging the gap somewhat between our professional racing jockeys and the Western world, Mongol Derby Academy 2024 graduate Kirsty Barnes (KBA) may have left an international career in racing behind her, but she’s lost nothing of her passion for horses. While she’s also done some in-hand showing of Arabians, these days she’s a convert to the Aussie disciplines of campdrafting and cutting. And she’s not alone. Compatriot Sam Phelps (SPH) is a true Aussie cowboy: raised on a cattle ranch riding rodeos, he’s now into campdrafting alongside camping out in the outback with nothing but a bedroll. Also already pretty handy with a Garmin thanks to his hunting experience, he’ll be undaunted by striking out to camp in the wilds with only his horse for company.

Aussie grit is certainly not in short supply in this Derby. Hugh Wrigley (HWR) is hoping to reap the benefits of a childhood spent dodging wombat holes while mustering sheep on his mum’s ponies in New South Wales. A mid-life eventing crisis following an office career put him back in the saddle on his property in North Carolina. He’s sure to be in for a flashback to some childhood trauma when he encounters the terror of the Mongolian marmot hole. Fellow farmer Lach Mackinnon (LMK) is also relying on a lifetime of cowboying in the outback to guide him home, helped by the navigational nous picked up in pilot school. A former pro polo player, he’s got some seriously varied riding skills to deploy on the steppe.

Not to be outshone by his neighbours, Kiwi Marten Satterthwaite (MSA) flies the flag for New Zealand. A sheep and cattle farmer who grew up roaming around the country with his whole family on horseback, some of Marten’s fondest memories are bound up with horses. Currently unsure whether he’s experiencing a “(late) mid-life crisis” in tackling the Derby, but one thing’s for sure: crisis or crowning glory, this will go down as the ride of his life.

Neither are we lacking the spirit of the Wild West in this year’s Derby. We have some serious American cowgirls inbound. Haley Fitzgerald (HFI) hails from Wyoming, where she spends most of her time riding in the mountains, packing and hunting with her horses. A lifelong rider and type 2 fun enthusiast, she’s come to the right place to put her horsemanship and wilderness skills on show. Will she find a kindred spirit in Esme Waldmann (EWA)? Currently living in neighbouring Montana, she feels perfectly at home in the mountains with only equines for company, whether horse or mule. She comes from a long family line of horse lovers, although she’s the first bonkers enough to take on the Derby.

Plenty more riders work with horses day in day out, in myriad jobs. Anna Guony Baldursdottir (AGB) is the proud owner of a herd of an impressive 26 Icelandic horses, which she keeps at home and counts as colleagues in her riding tour operation. Having grown up on a sheep farm in rural Iceland, she might find herself feeling quite at home amongst the enormous flocks that roam the steppe (and the never ending supply of mutton on the menu). Autumn Clarke (ACL) started out in the hunter and equitation ring, and developed a passion for working with young or misunderstood horses. She’s since fallen into the world of fox hunting, and has now been a whipper-in at the Live Oak Hounds for the past 9 seasons.

Similarly hunting mad, Kami Bitting (KBI) is a professional huntsman with the DeLaBrooke who also brings on young horses professionally when she’s not eventing or training other riders. Also drawn to Mongolia by her passion for the preservation of wild places and cultures, she’ll be soaking up the remote tranquility – or chaos, depending on the day – of the steppe. Similarly enthusiastic about the opportunity to find herself lost in the middle of a true wilderness is Uta Hesterberg (UTA), a globetrotting vet who’s worked for the UN and loves adventuring in remote places, ideally onboard a horse. A successful graduate of the 2024 Mongol Derby Academy, will her extra training help her clinch the lead?

Also reliably to be found outdoors, whether on a horse or hiking, Cortney Kangas (CKA) is now based in the Southeast of the US, but has lived pretty much everywhere during her career in the marines. Now a full time vet who discovered riding as an adult, her first equine love has been Arabians. Will the Mongolian horses steal her heart? She shares a military background with Dave Finkel (DFI), an Army veteran with extensive survival experience and a deep passion for horses. A versatile rider, he’s dabbled in everything from hunter jumpers to polo and reining, on everything from TBs to mustangs. Let’s see how the steppe tests his pretty impressive skill set.

While many of our riders have made horses their career in some way, plenty more are simply completely horse-obsessed. For Kat Buccelli (KBI), riding the Derby will fulfil a closely guarded dream for over 10 years now. Pony mad since childhood, she’s always finding ways to connect with new horses wherever she goes. Fascinated by Liberty and horse behaviour: you’ll find her happily befriending the grumpiest horse on the line. Another incurable horse nut, Lieve Donnellan (LDO) grew up in a non-horsey family, much to her great annoyance. She got herself in the saddle aged 10, and has since then squeezed in showjumping, bush and beach rides, eventing training race horses, some western and even a safari. Prep for the Derby has involved bringing on two youngsters. A wise idea: plenty of the horses to be found on the Derby lines are likely to be feeling rather spritely. 

Olivia Hankel (OHA) has “Spirit” to thank for her horsey career. Obsessed with the film since the age of 6, she eventually nagged her parents into purchasing an ancient bomb-proof mare who nurtured her riding talent for everything from dressage to jumping. Having completed the 2023 Mongol Derby Academy, now she’s living out her own incredible equine adventure against the backdrop of the Mongolian steppe.

Alex Otto (ATO) is also heading to the steppe yearning for the isolation and challenge of the Derby. An LA girl ready to swap iced matcha lattes for airag, she’s fully intending on bringing some trademark glamour – as well as some serious riding skills and a good helping of steely determination – to her Derby round. Not to be outdone, likewise bringing some unique style to the steppe is Dutchman Tom Kompier (TKO): a Japanologist and archaeologist by training, a civil servant and karate instructor professionally, a birdwatcher and entomologist in his spare time, a long distance runner for the fun of it and crazy about horseback trail rides. Quite the mix of passions. But will they be the perfect recipe to conquer the steppe?

Not long to go until we find out.

We’ll be starting to bring you daily updates from the frenetic energy of start camp in just a few days’ time, as riders come face to face with the Mongolian horses and the dreaded baggage scales. Once the Derby kicks off, we’ll be live on our social media platforms, so make sure you’re already following along on Instagram (@mongolderby) and Facebook (Mongol Derby). As the flag goes down, live race tracking will also go up here on our website, so you can check in on your favourite rider’s location any time you want during the Derby. Holly will also be back to writing daily detailed updates right here on our blog, so you’ll feel like you’re right there sharing the many highs and lows of a Derby round alongside all the incredible horsemen and women taking on the longest and toughest horse race in the world this year.

For now, you can read further info about each of our brave riders in their own personal bio, available here. For previous Derby tales, you can also read back through all our previous race reports and news.

The countdown is on.