Gobi Gallop 2023

     june 2 - 15 , 2023
    Gobi Gallop Gala june 17th, 2023

     10th anniversary edition

    Application Form

    Things you need to know ( AND agree to!) before you apply for the Gobi Gallop!
    • The Gobi Gallop is the longest annual charity horseback ride on the planet.  It is a TOUGH ride - this  is a serious endurance ride.  700 kilometers (that’s about 440 miles for those of you who don’t do kilometres!) in 10 days!  
    •  While most days we will ride for around 8 hours, you will need to be sufficiently fit to ride up to 14 hours in a day. 
    • We will be outside in the wilderness traversing many different types of terrain.  There WILL be : Miles of blazing desert,  Holes ( gopher / marmot/ fox etc), steep slopes UP & DOWN, river crossings, bog, and all manner of other unanticipated equestrian challenges. There will be times when we are separated from the support vehicle.             
    •  For your own safety and the enjoyment of all participants, you have to tell us the truth about your height, weight and riding history.  If we find you have misled us, we will ask you to leave the ride and forfeit your entrance and ride fee and donations are never refundable.
    •  You will be required to raise (or donate) $4,500 USD for Veloo Foundation's  Children of the Peak Sanctuary Project. 
    • You will be required to complete information for your Gobi Gallop Fundraising Page on Veloo Foundation website and you will be required to raise funds through sponsorship on this site,  These funds will go directly to help the children at the Children of the Peak Sanctuary and will be a VERY great help to some of the poorest children on the planet and will make you feel great! You may NOT raise funds through any other alternate crowd funding type site.
    •  The Gobi Gallop 2023 will be limited to 20 participants.  Yup.  Only 20…that’s why we are so picky about the qualities of our applicants.
    Ok, Great! Now you're ready to get on with it!

    Photo of you riding

    Please upload a  recent photo of you riding so we can see what kind of riding you are used to.
    Max file size: 20MB
    Height & Weight
    We need to know your relative size so that we can ensure we have a horse suitable for you. Mongolian horses are, by and large smaller than the average horse and for their welfare we like to ensure that our riders are not too heavy. Please note that there is no hard and fast weight limit rule. Each rider is assessed on a number of criteria with weight being only one.
    Riding Experience

    Mongolian horses are not only smaller than the average western horse, they are trained completely differently.  They  free range in herds and are intentionally kept a little on the wild side so they will not become prey to wolves and the like.  We will give you training on how to ride them  and what they can and can't tolerate but keep in mind this will not be like riding your comfortable, bomb proof horse back home -   Mongolian horses can be a real handful sometimes.  What makes you think you can ride the Gobi Gallop?  Please describe your riding experience - discipline(s), competition, backing and breaking, how much, how recent, where in the world?
    Riding Reference

    Please give us the name of someone who can verify that your experience is as you have

    described, or that your skill level is what you think it is. This needs to be someone not related to you.  We need to independently

    corroborate this as we have found that sometimes folks just plain exaggerate.  Please let

    ​ them know that we will be getting in touch with them.

    Outdoor Adventure  Skills & Endurance Experience  

    It's hot, you have saddle sores,  deer fly bites in places you didn't know you had, there are holes, you haven't slept because the dog was barking all night keeping the wolves away, the horse you're riding has just spooked because you put your hand in your pocket and your riding pants could up an walk away by themselves they are so filthy...and you've got another 30 km to ride today if you want to finish. Still think you're tough enough to ride the Gobi Gallop? Please describe your outdoor, endurance and adventure experience, any travel to remote areas, and appetite for the road less travelled? 
    What kind of situation would you consider a real emergency on the Gobi Gallop?

    Why do you want to ride the Gobi Gallop 2023?

    Please limit your reply to only 2000 words.
    Costs


    The  price for the Gobi Gallop 2023 includes a $500 USD non refundable deposit, $4,500 ride fee ( to be paid to Horse Trek Mongolia directly) and a requirement to raise a minimum $4,500 USD  for Veloo Foundation.  

    PLEASE keep in mind that this is a CHARITY ride so the first $4,500 ( your ride fee) will cover trek expenses and will support a number of herder families who work hard to train our horses in traditional Mongolian endurance techniques. Your charity portion       will go directly to help the Veloo Foundation - Children of the Peak Sanctuary Project.   ALL of the money you will pay / raise for this ride will stay in Mongolia and will benefit herders, children and handicapped people. That's a good feeling isn't it?

    Have you got a plan to finance your place?  

    We will be asking for the first non refundable deposit of $500.00 USD upon acceptance to the ride  and the final payment of approximately $4,500.00 USD within 90 days or by February  15th 2023 - whichever is later .   You will be allowed  fundraise  (or pay directly if you prefer) for the  Charity portion  of $4,500 USD and, in fact,  will be encouraged to fundraise more than the required $4,500. 

    You will have until May 15th, 2023 to raise the full $4,500 USD. Accepted riders who do not meet this deadline will forfeit their place on the ride and will not receive a refund.   We will provide you with tools and models to help with the fundraising and we hope that all the riders will raise well in excess of the required $4,500 USD. 

    ​Qualified American and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt.


    What's Next? 

    Thanks for applying.  Once you press the Submit button below you won't be able to change

    your application    , so if you have anything to add or need to send us more information please

    add it in the Additional Information box below or      email it to us

    ​horsetrekmongolia@gmail.com

    You'll get an email confirming that we've got your application and we'll aim to get back to you within a week, hopefully sooner. The next step is a phone interview with one of the Gobi Gallop selection team. 
    How did you hear about the Gobi Gallop 2023

    Please give us details of which media outlet or website that you heard about us from  - or if it  was via a former rider for example please let us know which rider. Thanks.           
    Additional Information
    ​
     Just in case you had some other pertinent information to add that you couldn't fit in

    anywhere else  on the application.