Something new

Photo by TheAdventurist

It has been a bit quiet on the blog the past month but now I’ve got a lot of exciting news to share. I’ve been working on a lot of different stuff lately and it’s been a lot of ‘behind the scenes’ work but now things are moving forward in a big way. I won’t keep you in suspense for too long so here’s the first reveal: I got accepted to compete in the Mongol Derby! The Derby, which will take place in August 2019, is the longest and toughest horse race in the world. The 1000km long course recreates Chengis Khan's legendary postal system that was created in 1224. Every year, around 45 competitors from countries all over the globe take part in the race (and usually half of them finish it).

Photo by TheAdventurist

I will have 10 days to complete the course, it will take not just horsemanship skills but survival skills and determination. I will ride 25 different, semi-wild horses through rough terrain including mountain passes, open valleys, wooded hills, rivers, wetlands, sandy dunes and open steppe. Besides it being an awesome adventure, I will also raise money for different charities and the Derby supports local people in Mongolia who play a huge role in making this race possible. If you want to support me, have look at this link: Aly's Mongol Derby Horse Race

Of course I will be blogging about the preparations leading up to the race (not looking forward to all the hours I will have to spend in the gym to get in shape). 

Photo by our partner in Montenegro

In other exciting news: Heleen and I are starting our own company! It’s called ‘Centaur Trails’ and focuses on helping people find the perfect horse riding holiday. This project is something Heleen and I have been thinking about for a few years now as something that ‘would be cool to do in the future’. I often get asked if I have any suggestions on destinations and stables, with all the travelling I do, so we decided this would be a good time to get started and see if we can make this into a business. In the first phase, we will focus on Dutch clients but over the years we are hoping to expand to an international market. We will be offering horse riding holidays worldwide and will also organise tailor made trips with or without your own horse. 

We are planning the official launch for May but of course there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done. We are busy building our website, social media and of course with finding the best companies to work with. I am super excited about it, it’s the perfect combination of my two passions: riding and travelling. I realize how lucky and privileged I am to be able to do both right now and have all these amazing experiences, sometimes it feels like a dream. I hope that we will be able to help people a little in living their dream. Of course I will keep you posted on our progress on the blog! For now, check out the new Centaur Trails logo, done by Heleen!

And in case you were wondering, I’m in Iceland at the moment and it’s pretty amazing. I will tell you all about it in next week’s blog so stay tuned ;)