American rider Justin Nelzen has won this year's Mongol Derby, a 1,000km race across the steppe that celebrates the horseback messenger system used by Genghis Khan, reports Horsetalk. A sort of survivalist, endurance pony trek, competitors race between horse stations placed 40km apart, at each of which they change their native Mongolian horses for fresh mounts.

The race took eight days to complete and was not easy. "You have to be tough waking up with aches and pains and facing another 12 or 14 hours in the saddle. But it couldn't have been a better experience," said Nelzen.

Source The Guardian