This a beautifully made film following the riders in a roughly 1000 km distance race across the wide open steppes of Mongolia. And they are riding a succession of native horses, no bigger than the average child's pony in most Western countries, and nowhere near as well schooled and behaved as most riding horses we Westerners are used to.
The film is edited from footage shot during three races (if memory serves) in different years and presented as one race. However, this fact is mentioned and it really doesn't make the film any less interesting or enjoyable.
The race is ridden in stages, the riders staying with native families in their gers overnight before continuing their adventure on a fresh horse in the morning. The films gives a little bit of background information about the various participant - horsepeople from all corners of the world: There are the two Irish racing jockeys, a South African horse whisperer, an American professional girl, an easy going Dutchman and various other characters. Some are in it to win it, others for the experience alone. But make no mistake, this is not about the prize (any prizes are in kind, no big cash sums here), it's about the adventure.
All participants have to deal with various setbacks, some little mishaps, others more serious accidents with injuries. After all, the horses they get to ride are the half wild animals of the Mongolian herders, which live wild and roam the endless grasslands for much of the year, and which are rounded up only a few days before they are needed for the race.
Much of the film is filmed from horseback, the filmmaker having participated in the race several times. The moment when the horses start bucking and the screen goes black, followed by the one single spoken word that surely would escape every seasoned horseman/woman in this situation (the f-word, what else?) is epic. And made for a huge laugh at the screening where I was lucky enough to see the film.
It's really worth seeing this on the big screen, the wide open spaces of Mongolia are absolutely mindblowing. This is a stunning film, narrated with a good sense of humour and a goodly measure of compassion by a man who's been there and done it all himself. Several times over. Loved it when I saw it, will definitely try and watch it again.
The film is edited from footage shot during three races (if memory serves) in different years and presented as one race. However, this fact is mentioned and it really doesn't make the film any less interesting or enjoyable.
The race is ridden in stages, the riders staying with native families in their gers overnight before continuing their adventure on a fresh horse in the morning. The films gives a little bit of background information about the various participant - horsepeople from all corners of the world: There are the two Irish racing jockeys, a South African horse whisperer, an American professional girl, an easy going Dutchman and various other characters. Some are in it to win it, others for the experience alone. But make no mistake, this is not about the prize (any prizes are in kind, no big cash sums here), it's about the adventure.
All participants have to deal with various setbacks, some little mishaps, others more serious accidents with injuries. After all, the horses they get to ride are the half wild animals of the Mongolian herders, which live wild and roam the endless grasslands for much of the year, and which are rounded up only a few days before they are needed for the race.
Much of the film is filmed from horseback, the filmmaker having participated in the race several times. The moment when the horses start bucking and the screen goes black, followed by the one single spoken word that surely would escape every seasoned horseman/woman in this situation (the f-word, what else?) is epic. And made for a huge laugh at the screening where I was lucky enough to see the film.
It's really worth seeing this on the big screen, the wide open spaces of Mongolia are absolutely mindblowing. This is a stunning film, narrated with a good sense of humour and a goodly measure of compassion by a man who's been there and done it all himself. Several times over. Loved it when I saw it, will definitely try and watch it again.
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