Rochester woman in Mongolia for Gobi Gallop, world's longest charity horse ride

ROCHESTER — As a lifelong horsewoman, Christina Keim has ridden long distances on horseback before.

She’s ridden a mule down the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Trail, horse packed to visit mustangs in the Eastern Sierras of California and twice completed the three-day 100-mile distance ride at the Green Mountain Horse Association.

But nothing compares to her current equine challenge, the Gobi Gallop, the world’s longest charity horseback ride across Mongolia. Alternating between two Mongolian horses, she will cover 500 miles in 10 days in support of the Veloo Foundation, which supports disadvantaged children in the country’s capital.

Keim, 46, left for Mongolia on May 30 and will begin the ride June 2. This year’s route will cross rivers, go over mountains and along the Mongolian steppe as the horses and riders leave from the wilds of Sukhbaatar Province and finish up outside Ulaanbaatar, the capital of the country which is bordered by China and Russia.

“It’s the adventure,” Keim said of what attracted her to the ride. “It’s not something anyone I know has ever done or experienced. For me, that just sounds like a thrill.”

She is also eager to support the Veloo Foundation’s Children of the Peak Project and hopes to raise $10,000 for the nonprofit.

Experienced equestrian based in Rochester

Keim is a longtime professional equestrian who owns Cold Moon Farm in Rochester. She is also the president of the New Hampshire Horse Council. She’s been an avid distance rider for the past decade, initially getting into the sport when she had a horse that didn’t fit the traditional show ring mold.

“I really love to ride out,” she said. “I think you can see and experience some pretty amazing things on horseback that you wouldn’t get the opportunity to enjoy when you visit in other ways.”

The type of conditioning necessary to participate in long-distance rides led to a different type of relationship with her horses.

“In the process of getting ready and doing your rides, you spend so much time with your animal that you get to know them pretty intimately. It’s a real true partnership,” she said. “When we’re successful, knowing it happened because of our partnership is a pretty powerful feeling.”

What led her to the Gobi Gallop

The germ of her desire to ride in the Gobi Gallop began during the coronavirus pandemic when she finally read that stack of books on her bedside table. Several of the books centered on the theme of how horses have influenced the development of civilization and the role they fill in the world now.

“In every single book there was some fairly significant attention paid to the horse culture of Mongolia,” she said.

Like others, Keim’s impression of Mongolia was the history with savages like Genghis Khan, which didn’t track with what she was learning. “As I read more, it seemed like this was a great example of how the history we’ve been taught didn’t accurately reflect the history that actually occurred,” she said.

She turned to the internet to look up more about the role of the horse in Mongolia and came across information about the Gobi Gallop. That ride is not to be confused with the Mongol Derby, which is better known because of a memoir about the race, and much more intense. In that, the horses are “mostly feral” and the riders hang on and survive. “I decided that was a little too much adventure for me,” she said.

To take part in the Gobi Gallop, she had to apply, submit three references, and go through a Zoom video conference interview with the founder of the ride. Keim asked about the type of horses she would be riding after observing the somewhat wild horses in the Mongol Derby.

“These horses are owned by a family, and this is how they’re making their living by providing safer mounts for people who would like to come learn about the horse culture of Mongolia,” she said. “They are rugged, sturdy creatures. They are, I’m sure, tough as nails.”

How Keim prepared for 500-mile ride

The horses are exercised year-round to prepare for the ride. Keim took the winter off from riding and has been back in the saddle since mid-March. “We will find out how prepped I am,” she joked. “I’ve been trying to spend as much time in the tack as possible.”

She’s been riding two to four hours a day and doing regular yoga to prepare. “I like the stretching and the centering and the alignment, but I think also yoga has taught me you can do hard things, and you’re probably going to get through it,” she said, adding, “It might be uncomfortable.”

Her past training for distance riding with her own horses has taught her that there is a mindset to this style of riding. “I don’t run but I would imagine it’s similar to what a distance runner does; you get into a state of being,” she said.

Keim connected with riders who have done the ride in an online chat group to get a sense of what to expect. “I’m told by folks that have done the ride before that day three is the low point,” she said.

They said the first day is filled with excitement, the second day you’re still propelled by adrenaline, but on the third day, you start to get sore. “And you’re kind of wondering what you’re doing out there,” she said. “If you can get through day three, then you feel like you can do it forever.”

She hopes her ride will raise awareness of another side to the country. “I think it’s important for us to remember how small the world really is,” she said. “Even though I will literally be on the opposite side of the globe, I think the connection of horseman to horseman is going to make it feel like home.”

To donate to Keim’s charitable cause for her ride, go to: veloofoundation.com/christinas-gg-fundraising-page.html

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Rochester NH horsewoman Christina Keim in Mongolia for Gobi Gallop