Stefanie’s Mighty Mongolian Adventure in Support of The Right to Play
AISTS alumni, Stefanie Buettner, is taking on the world’s longest and toughest horse race known as the Mongol Derby in support of Right to Play this August.
Inspired by the Genghis Khan’s original “pony express,” 40 international competitors ride approximately 25 horses across 1,000 km of Mongolian wilderness in less than 10 days. During that time, riders fend entirely for themselves, navigating across the steppe with no marked trails and taking shelter with Mongolian herdsmen along the route or camping alone with their horses at night.
The horses that are provided for Derby competitors have all been introduced to a saddle and bridle, but their level of training and comfort around humans varies widely. As a result, this adventure is notoriously difficult to complete, with only half of the competitors making it across the finish line.
Snapshots of the Mongol Derby (photography by The Equestrianists),
Stefanie has decided to take on this physical and mental challenge to test her horsemanship, celebrate her 30th birthday on August 19th and to raise funds for Right to Play as sport has always been close to her heart. Originally from Canada, Stefanie graduated from AISTS in 2016 and currently works for the sports marketing agency Infront in Zug, Switzerland. She has also previously been involved with the Toronto 2015 Pan-American Games, the FEI (writing a paper on horsemanship competence) and Equestrian Canada. For this reason, she understands the power of sport to change lives and is looking forward to being able to support the amazing work of Right to Play.
For every dollar donated, half will be collected for Right to Play initiatives with a fundraising goal of 7,500 CHF while the other half will be collected in order to support the entrance fee, training, travel and equipment to compete in this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Learn more about this adventure.
Stefanie Buettner | Alumni 16′
Associate Marketing Sales Services at Infront Sports & Media AG
This article is written by Stefanie Buettner.
