Rough Magic

Prior-Palmer, Lara. Rough Magic: Riding the World's Loneliest Horse Race. New York: Catapult 2019. Print

First Sentences:

It was May 2013 when I wa cooped up in an attic in Austria, au pairing for a family with six Ferraris.

They lived in a converted hotel in the jaws of an Alpine valley 

Description:

Sometimes an absolutely fascinating plot and setting can make up for an average writing style. Such is the case for me with Lara Prior-Palmer's exotic tale of competing in the 1,000 kilometer Mongol Derby, Rough Magic: Riding the World's Loneliest Horse Race.

I had never heard of this fascinating race, much less that it was an ongoing 10-day race over uncharted barren lands. I also didn't know the Mongolian Derby re-enacted the pony express mail delivery system created by Genghis Khan in the thirteenth century. The speedy ponies of then and now allowed letters from Siberia to arrive in Poland within twelve days across a route flanked by the Gobi Desert, the Altai Mountains, and Siberia. 

With a last-minute decision to enter leaving author Prior-Palmer only one month to "prepare," she set about learning about the ride, seeking advice (not forthcoming) from previous riders and her Aunt Lucinda who was a famous distance rider (and who gave her a can of Anti Monkey Butt power for sore bottoms), and preparing her meager supplies. 

Why do human put so much thought into some decisions yet plunge into others like penguins into freezing ocean....Maybe I had a simpler desire to settle something unsaid, away from home. Or a longing to be wild and snort about like a horse 

Competitors would be allowed only a horse, five kilos of clothing and supplies, and a unreliable GPS. The entry form was ominous:

By taking part in this race you are greatly increasing your risk of severe physical injury or even death....If you are seriously injured you may be hundreds of miles away from the nearest hospital.

Thus begins this engrossing narrative of Prior-Palmer's ride of a lifetime. She was the youngest person to ride in the Mongolian Derby, and certainly the least prepared. When her first horse (provided by hundreds of Mongolian herders throughout the route) went lame and refused to run, she knew she was in for trouble. 

The race required she change mounts every four hours, provided at 25 relay stations where officials checked the horse's heartbeat to make sure he hadn't been overworked. A high heart rate meant the rider had to spend time in the station until medics deemed the horse fit, a loss sometime of hours.

Along the way, Prior-Palmer describes the vast, trackless plains she had to navigate; the herders she met; the hamsters and marmot holes that threatened to break a horse's leg or at least throw its rider; the 4,000 year old bronze carvings of animals in the middle of nowhere; and of course, her profound boredom. 

It's a fascinating read, a personal challenge to the author that she conveys to us lucky readers in clam, concise descriptions. Through hills and plains, as well as constant downpours, she perseveres towards the finish line and a very surprising ending.

On a related note, The New York Times had an article today about the latest running of Mongol Derby and its 70-year-old winner. Check it out at:     www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/sports/mongol-derby-winner.html 

Happy reading. 

Fred

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