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Matilda Branson

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<h1 align="center">Crikey! You love fermented mare's milk too?</h1><h1 align="center">My name's Matilda Branson, and I think it's a bloody awesome idea to ride 1000km across Mongolia for charity.  </h1><h1 align="center">Welcome, bienvenidos and wilkommen to my blog- here you can join me, albeit virtually, on the emotional rollercoaster ride to the lead-up to the Mongol Derby and I would love it if you would share it with me.  </h1> <div style="text-align: center"><img height="372" src="images/gallery09/1950/400x400.jpeg" width="309" /></div>  <h2 align="center">ABOVE: Matilda in Pony Girl mode. Pigtails ahoy! </h2> My name is Matilda Branson.  I'm a 21 year old Australian student dabbling in International Relations and Anthropology.  On the 21st August this yeat I'm off to Mongolia to ride 1000km in two weeks across the Mongolian steppes in the Mongol Derby, the toughest, longest horse race in the world.  Riding hardy half-wild Mongolian ponies and living on mutton and mare's milk (the daily fare of Mongolian nomads who we will be living with in gers during the race), the race path will 'follow', in the loosest sense of the term, Ghengis Khaan's original pony express route, changing ponies every 40km, all in the name of adventure, and, most importantly for me, to raise funds for the charity Mercy Corps.Dubbed the 'Mongol Derby', it is the inaugural race organised by Bristol-based 'The Adventurists', an organisation that hosts a plethora of adventure-based rallies and races in their fight to raise money for charity whilst at the same time creating an event like the Derby which caters for the hot-blooded adventurers amongst us.  With only 26 competitors selected from throughout the world including myself representing Australia, the Mongol Derby is going to be a race like no other, the ultimate test in endurance.Being raised on a farm in central Victoria in the southern part of Australia, and having grown up around horses, I'm ready to race. Coping with saddle sores never seen before by mankind, living with Mongolian nomads and racing across the steppes in a manner similar to that of Hidalgo-meets-Seabiscuit, it's going to be, quite literally, one hell of a ride.  Being 21, I fear that pouring a beer as a part-time job whilst at uni doesn't quite foot the bill for participating in the Derby and raising funds for the charity, Mercy Corps, so if you'd like to jump on board this adventure, just let me know!  You can donate directly towards Mercy Corps by going to http://www.justgiving.com/matildainmongolia. Any questions, just send me an email at [email protected], or ring +34 685 594 955.

Team Matilda the Mare Milk Drinker