Northland adventurer takes riding in Mongolia to new level - on yaks, camels and reindeer

Chloe Phillips-Harris rides a yak during a recent trip to Mongolia.

Whether it’s careering across vast Mongolian landscapes on a barely tamed horse, or plodding along on a yak, reindeer or camel, Northland horsewoman Chloe Phillips-Harris is taking her love of extreme riding to the world.

Phillips-Harris recently returned from leading another Great Nomad Expedition, a gruelling 28-day, 1200km crossing of Mongolia using animals belonging to nomadic herders.

Though it’s certainly no walk in the park, people of all backgrounds signed up to test themselves; men and women aged 21 to 66 from various countries including the Czech Republic, Australia, the UK, Canada and the United States.

“It’s not just a jolly ride for tourists, it’s total immersion,” Phillips-Harris said.

“It’s for people seeking adventure or a way to test themselves.

“It’s the Mt Everest of being in the saddle.”

Phillips-Harris fell in love with Mongolia in 2013, the year she took part in the epic Mongol Derby, known as the longest and toughest horse race in the world.

The 1000km course across the Mongolian-Manchurian steppe is ridden on semi-tamed horses, and riders endure being in the saddle for up to 12 hours a day.

The route is modelled on the horse relay postal system created under Genghis Khan in 1224.

Chloe and Irina Pyke on Mongolian horses, a horse breed that traces its roots back to the time of Ghengis Khan.

Far from being put off by the discomforts of such an extreme race, Phillips-Harris returned every year for the next six years, including riding it twice more while filming it, and working as an event organiser and referee for the race.

She then set up a company leading several types of expeditions after forming a partnership with Mongolian locals who help supply and organise the animals.

The 35-year-old Kerikeri resident is now over there three months of the year.

“I love the challenge and the vastness,” she said.

“The Great Nomad Expedition a test of endurance, it’s definitely not a holiday tour.

“You can’t ride 1200km without testing yourself and having some tough days.

“You have to experience difficult conditions.

“The first trip this year was 35C and then it got down to below freezing as we headed north.”

Reindeer are among animals ridden on the Great Nomad Expedition across Mongolia, along with yaks, camels and horses.

The Great Nomad Expedition starts on camels for the first three days through 140km of desert, followed by horses which are changed every 30km over the next 900km.

Riders switch to yaks for the next 50km over mountains, then reindeer for the remainder of the trek through forests and taiga of the north.

Phillips-Harris said she relies on a huge network of herders to supply “hundreds of animals” needed for the 10 to 15 people who set out on each trip.

“It’s just really beautiful and it’s not fenced in; on the last expedition, we did 1200km of riding and didn’t have to cross a fence or open a gate.

“I love the animals, it’s always a driving passion, and I love the people as well ... it’s a chance to show off and test out their lives.”

The other “hardcore” trip Phillips-Harris leads is the Gobi Cold Expedition, where riders traverse the Gobi Desert on camels over the coldest winter days for 300km.

During the first expedition in January 2018, the temperature plunged to -47C.

There are slow and leisurely expeditions that use only yaks, and the reindeer trek is also easy to moderate.

A group of yak riders stop for a drink during a tour in Mongolia.

The yaks are slow and steady and “really comfortable”, the horses hardy and fast, camels “huge”, while the reindeer are harder to balance on because of their loose hides. They also hate their antlers being touched.

Phillips-Harris said the trips aren’t just about riding animals; they celebrate Mongolia’s vast open spaces, diverse nomadic cultures, and their way of life.

Next year, after 12 years of travelling to the landlocked Asian country, she would have clocked up 10,000km across Mongolian terrain – that’s around six times the length of New Zealand.

“They are a way to remember what we can do physically and how incredible the animals are - and how beautiful the world is.”

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.