American Cowboy Shares Epic Mongolian Adventures

Will Grant, who describes himself as an American cowboy and is the brother of faculty member Newell Grant ’99, gave a presentation to the Westminster community Dec. 13 about his 2011 participation in The Mongol Derby, the longest, hardest horse race in the world. He competed with 35 other racers in the 1,000-kilometer race across the sparsely populated terrain of Mongolia. The riders were issued a new horse every 25 miles as they traveled from one station to the next in a race that is a loose re-creation of Genghis Khan’s 13th-century, fast-horse mail relay and employs more than 1,000 Mongolian horses and 300 support staff.
 

Will recounted the dangers, injuries and the harsh conditions he faced during his adventure. Along the way, he stayed in yurts, made new friends and decided he must return again. “I fell in love with Mongolia,” he exclaimed.
 

Will grew up in Colorado and loves all things related to the open range. He is a graduate of Taft School and Sewanee: The University of the South. He also earned a journalism degree from the University of Montana and currently lives in Santa Fe, N.M.
 

He wrote an article about his derby experience for Outside Magazine and was later offered a book deal that enabled him to return to Mongolia this past summer for three months to live with nomads and write a book about that experience. “This was a real adventure off of the grid,” he said. “Everybody helps in the Mongolian camps, even the kids.” He wanted to learn from the Mongolian cowboys about their “wild and raw horsemanship.”
 

Will talked about the nomadic culture, which is based on livestock, the living conditions and the people he met. “They liked that I embraced their lifestyle,” he explained. “They taught me so much about the culture of the horse and how to manage horses. It was different from what we do. They are people after my own heart and really had a profound impact on me.”
 

Will said the whole point of his trip was a lesson in heritage and culture. He encouraged the students in the audience to “find a way to overlay their personal interests with professional opportunities.” He is currently writing the book about his summer trip.