We're off! The inaugural Mongol Derby veterinary training week took place last week and has been hailed as an unqualified success by all participants. Jenny Weston, our chief vet for this year's Derby, and her colleagues at Massey University, New Zealand, developed and delivered a top-notch curriculum, which will not only help ensure the equine contestants are in top condition before, during and after their 40kms Derby dash, but help the Mongolian vets raise standards of veterinary care across the country. The 18 vets who took part split their time.
Between 31 May and 8 June 2010 the Mongol Derby, in association with Massey University, New Zealand, is going to be running the first ever Mongol Derby veterinary training programme. During this time 20 handpicked Mongolian equine vets will be trained by Massey University's 4* FEI vet Jenny Weston in every aspect of equine veterinary care.
While the nine day course is specifically tailored towards the needs of the horses taking part in the Mongol Derby, the material also covers everything from reproduction and obstetrics to pharmacology and wound management. The course will be split between classroom training in Ulaanbaator and practical vetting in a soum. At the end of the course each vet who attends will be given a practical examination and all those who pass awarded with a certificate. All the vets who pass the course will then be employed during the 2010 Mongol Derby.
The intention is that this excellent training programme will take please each year, and will provide a lasting veterinary legacy in Mongolia.