From Baguio to Mongolia for the world’s toughest horse race | The Howie Severino Podcast
Young Baguio horsewoman Solana Perez’s dream to race in the 1000-kilometer Mongol Derby was postponed by the pandemic.
But she finally made it last month as the event’s very first rider from the Philippines. She spoke to Howie Severino about the highs and lows, from the adrenaline rush to the meditative pace with which she finished.
Solana learned to ride horses in her native Baguio, and said she was racing not just for herself but for all the Baguio pony boys who taught her to ride from a young age.
She experienced more than a race but a unique Mongolian frontier culture that took her in like she was one of their own.
But she finally made it last month as the event’s very first rider from the Philippines. She spoke to Howie Severino about the highs and lows, from the adrenaline rush to the meditative pace with which she finished.
Solana learned to ride horses in her native Baguio, and said she was racing not just for herself but for all the Baguio pony boys who taught her to ride from a young age.
She experienced more than a race but a unique Mongolian frontier culture that took her in like she was one of their own.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Good day, Podmates! Howie Severino here again, reminding you that a long attention span is a gift of wisdom.
00:07 We have with us the great Filipino, Solana Perez of Baguio, who just finished the Mongol Derby in Mongolia,
00:16 the longest and toughest race of horses in the world.
00:22 This is 1,000 kilometers in Mongolian grasslands, or what they call "steps".
00:27 In the course of two weeks, usually nine or ten days, with overnight stops,
00:34 while Solana is getting used to it,
00:37 for this race, we made two documentaries about her dreams and her experiences,
00:46 including the cancellation of her race due to the pandemic.
00:50 She is in Baguio now, and I am in Manila.
00:55 Good day to you, Solana.
00:57 Congratulations for being the first Filipino to race in the Mongol Derby.
01:01 Thank you.
01:03 Solana, I saw your videos during the race, the Mongol Derby.
01:10 It was as much an adventure and challenge as it was a race.
01:16 Because ten days, sometimes you don't see your opponents.
01:22 You've been dreaming of this for a long time, Solana, and now it's coming true.
01:27 How do you feel?
01:29 I'm still overwhelmed.
01:31 Until now, I'm still overwhelmed.
01:34 There are so many layers to the experience that happened.
01:39 Before I left the Philippines and went to Mongolia,
01:44 I was still absorbing the process of how many years have passed.
01:52 It was three or almost four years that I was training, waiting for this.
01:58 I can't believe that it's really going to continue.
02:05 Just getting over that feeling and being in Mongolia was hard to describe.
02:15 Now that I'm home, it's over.
02:20 Honestly, I'm having a hard time adjusting to, I guess, normal life.
02:30 Overall, I feel like what I experienced in Mongolia,
02:39 what happened to me in Mongolia, that's real life.
02:46 This is called the toughest horse race in the world.
02:50 How hard was it for you to get through here in Mongolia?
02:59 Okay.
03:01 It's hard to describe from my side as the toughest aspect.
03:11 There were struggles.
03:14 For one, the challenge is that the rider is no longer the one choosing the horse.
03:24 He's now a lottery winner. There's a block element.
03:29 You don't know if you'll get a wild horse or if it's slow or fast.
03:36 That was one of the challenges.
03:39 It's a test of horsemanship.
03:42 One of the hardest parts of the race is that you're exposed to elements.
03:49 The environment in Mongolia is...
03:54 Well, this year, it's very hot.
04:00 It's very hot during the day.
04:04 It's summer there.
04:06 There are no trees.
04:08 The steppe is not very fertile. It's mostly grassland.
04:12 You have to endure the heat.
04:15 During the day, it reaches 30-32 degrees.
04:22 Wow.
04:24 At night, it drops to 8 or 10 degrees.
04:31 That's a big drop.
04:33 Yeah.
04:34 Before the race started, there was a dry run day, a training day.
04:44 I experienced that.
04:47 We were stuck in a place where it was like a storm.
04:53 The wind was strong and the rain was strong.
04:57 You couldn't open your eyes.
05:00 I trained for that because it's monsoon rains here in Baguio.
05:05 That's what happens during the rain.
05:09 The difference in Mongolia is that there's hail.
05:15 The rain is mixed with hail.
05:21 In other words, the rain is like frozen ice.
05:28 Yeah, it's like ice.
05:32 It's like frozen ice.
05:34 Is it painful if you get hit by hail?
05:39 It's painful.
05:41 It was so painful.
05:43 At that time, since the horses are semi-wild,
05:49 they were afraid of rain jackets.
05:54 The sound of rain and the flap of the rain jacket
06:01 was scary to the horses.
06:04 We didn't take our rain gear out.
06:08 We were fully exposed to the hail with just a t-shirt.
06:15 I was whipped for 40 minutes.
06:18 It hit my ears and my neck.
06:22 We just held on to the horses.
06:27 The horses stopped.
06:31 They didn't want to walk or run.
06:34 They were just waiting for the rain to pass.
06:39 We just held on to our horses and waited.
06:43 We were there for about 40 minutes.
06:47 Yeah.
06:49 In the video and the pictures I saw,
06:52 you didn't get to see much.
06:54 There were no trees or structures.
06:57 The land was vast and there were no houses.
07:01 So, the elements and weather conditions you experienced
07:08 were different.
07:09 There was nothing like that in Baguio.
07:11 There were falling pellets and ice pellets.
07:14 I know you trained in Baguio.
07:17 There's horse culture in the parks in Baguio.
07:20 You have pony boy friends.
07:24 You're part of the pony boy community.
07:26 And girls.
07:27 There are girls there.
07:29 In Baguio, you only ride a few horses.
07:35 But in this competition in Mongolia,
07:41 you cannot bring your own horse.
07:44 Because it's a big advantage if you ride your own horse.
07:47 Aside from that,
07:50 a horse cannot ride 1,000 kilometers a day.
07:54 So, the mechanics of this,
07:57 as you said earlier, you draw lots.
08:00 You cannot choose your horses.
08:02 It means that the horses you ride are already there.
08:05 These are Mongolian horses.
08:08 Mongolians trained and lived there.
08:12 You have no experience with those horses.
08:16 And then at each horse station,
08:19 you change horses.
08:21 Is that right?
08:22 And then you get to spend the night to rest the riders.
08:25 And then the next day, you ride a different horse.
08:28 Is that right?
08:29 So, between every horse station,
08:32 usually, it reaches 20 to 35 or 40 kilometers.
08:39 It also depends on the terrain where they will put their stations.
08:44 And then at every horse station,
08:48 you will choose the lottery for your next horse.
08:54 So, the process is,
08:56 when you arrive at the horse station,
08:59 you will sign in.
09:01 You will give your name or your rider call sign.
09:05 And then they will check the time,
09:09 when you arrived.
09:12 And then right away, you report to a vet.
09:16 The vet will check the condition of the horse you ride.
09:21 They will check the hydration, the heart rate,
09:25 and if it was injured.
09:28 If any, overall well-being of the horse.
09:32 And then you will continue monitoring
09:37 until the heart rate of your horse drops.
09:40 And then only when you've passed your vet check,
09:44 you can choose your next horse.
09:49 So, ideally, during the race,
09:51 you should be able to reach 3 to 4 stations per day.
10:00 So, on average, you should be doing 80 to 120 kilometers per day.
10:07 Did you always have tame, well-behaved horses?
10:16 Or did you have horses that you were able to tame?
10:20 Because you were able to tame them.
10:22 Were they wild or tame?
10:26 Actually, I was very lucky because all of the horses I was able to tame were kind.
10:35 I never fell off during the whole duration of the race.
10:41 The other riders, what happened to them was really bad.
10:46 They had serious injuries.
10:49 Some of them fell off and their horses left them.
10:55 Oh, wow.
10:56 But for me, the majority of the horses were very calm.
11:06 It was like they were really taking care of me.
11:10 My only problem with calm horses is that they are really slow.
11:16 That was one factor that I was able to eliminate.
11:20 Because the pace I was able to do was really slow and steady.
11:27 I think out of all the horses that I was able to tame,
11:32 maybe there were only 3 or 4 that were really a race horse.
11:37 I wasn't able to stop them from running.
11:42 They just kept running.
11:45 I was able to tame only 3 or 4 of them.
11:48 As for the others, sometimes they have some odd behaviors that are challenging.
12:01 But in comparison to the other riders who were able to tame wild horses,
12:09 I think I was very lucky.
12:12 You were eliminated in the race.
12:14 Yes.
12:15 Because you did not achieve a certain time or what happened?
12:23 Yes.
12:24 The mechanics of it is that since the course of the race is very wide,
12:30 if you are too behind, there is a threat of elimination.
12:38 Because the organizers can't maintain the logistics if there are too many riders left behind.
12:48 And the one in the lead is really ahead.
12:53 I got the call from headquarters, from the organizers,
13:01 that they were looking at me on the map.
13:04 And my average pace per day was not enough to finish on time.
13:12 So ideally, by day 10, the race should be over.
13:18 That was their ideal schedule.
13:20 And they were checking my daily pace.
13:24 I would really be lacking.
13:27 So on day 6, they gave me an ultimatum that I should be able to ride 4 or 5 horse stations today
13:40 or else I would be eliminated.
13:42 And then that was, yeah.
13:45 I tried on that day. I really tried.
13:48 But a lot happened to me that day and it just became impossible.
13:56 So yeah, I think out of the 1,000 kilometers, I finished around 650 to 700.
14:07 Was that a big disappointment for you, to be eliminated?
14:12 Yeah, at first.
14:16 The day itself when I was eliminated, it was really disappointing.
14:25 And what I was thinking was, it's not that my effort was wasted,
14:33 because I know that I tried my best.
14:35 But what I was thinking was, the effort of the Ponyboys who trained me,
14:41 who helped me prepare, was wasted.
14:44 I received a few messages from home that were encouraging.
14:51 And at the end of the day, I think I was just relieved.
14:57 Relieved that it was over for me, my career.
15:03 When the time pressure was gone, that you need to be competitive,
15:10 you need to chase your schedule.
15:13 I really enjoyed it and I was able to bond with other riders.
15:20 I was able to still join the race, but more as a spectator,
15:28 more as an admirer of Mongolia and of the other riders,
15:35 rather than as a competitive rider.
15:40 So at the end of the day, I had a peaceful resolution on the outcome.
15:47 Yeah, the others, of course, they continued their careers,
15:54 but I saw the video of those who finished.
15:59 And I also saw a video of you crossing the finish line with other riders.
16:06 The others who were injured, there were those who posted that their horse fell,
16:15 they fell on their heads, and their arms were injured.
16:20 So there were quite a number of risks involved here.
16:23 Yeah, I think one of the worst injuries this year,
16:28 I think on day one, he had punctured lungs.
16:34 So there were a few injuries that they really needed to be evacuated
16:40 out of the race course because it was really serious.
16:44 I think it was one of your cousins who posted on social media
16:49 that you had a "catastrophic gear failure."
16:54 It quotes "catastrophic gear failure," but she didn't elaborate.
16:59 Would you want to share what that was about?
17:03 So that's what happened to me when I was eliminated.
17:08 Because on that day, I was really chasing those 4 to 5 stations
17:15 so that I wouldn't be eliminated.
17:17 So what happened was, me and a few other riders,
17:25 we left the first horse station at 7 a.m.
17:29 Then within 2 1/2 hours, we finished the first leg.
17:38 So that's good time on schedule, that was really promising.
17:43 I still had hope.
17:45 But what happened during that leg, since I was really pushing my horse
17:52 and I was running, I was thinking that I needed to be on track
18:01 and that I needed to be there as soon as possible.
18:05 Unfortunately, my hydration system, my hydration bladder
18:10 was in my backpack, which is required for all the racers.
18:18 It was really chafing, it was wearing and tearing.
18:24 So when I got to the next station, I was really wet
18:28 and all my water was gone.
18:31 So I lost a lot of time.
18:35 Ideally, on that next station, if I could catch up to the 4 to 5 stations
18:42 in one day, ideally, I would be there for 10 minutes.
18:45 I would just refill my water and if there were snacks available,
18:51 I would just eat them and go to the bathroom.
18:54 Then, lottery and leave immediately.
18:56 That's the ideal flow of events.
18:59 But since my hydration system was broken,
19:03 I was stuck at that station for about 45 minutes.
19:10 I lost a lot of time because we tried to repair it.
19:17 I had friends in the crew, in the organizing team,
19:22 they helped me.
19:24 We put duct tape, we put zip lock.
19:29 We really did everything we could to keep the bag from leaking,
19:38 to keep it functional.
19:40 But I lost almost an hour because of that.
19:46 Then, by the time I left for the next station,
19:52 it was around 10.30am or 11am.
19:57 That was the hottest time of the day.
20:02 And the horse I pulled for the lottery was slow.
20:11 Then, the course to the next horse station,
20:18 that was also one of the most challenging in my entire career.
20:23 It was mountainous, it was hard to navigate.
20:29 Since it was tricky, you were really stuck at the GPS.
20:35 You couldn't just run your horse straight ahead.
20:40 You really had to check the map and climb a few more mountains.
20:45 Basically, what happened there was the hydration system failed.
20:55 So, there was some bad luck involved.
20:58 How many participants were there in this event?
21:02 43.
21:04 Only 43 from around the world?
21:06 So, you were the first Filipino to compete.
21:13 Were there a lot of Asians?
21:15 I saw mostly Caucasians, I guess American and European.
21:21 Mostly American and British and also Australian.
21:29 And then mixed.
21:32 Yeah.
21:34 Mixed gender.
21:36 And then there were four from Pakistan.
21:41 Okay.
21:42 How about locals, Mongolians themselves?
21:46 Can they qualify or do they want to compete?
21:53 Yeah.
21:58 Last year, there were two Mongolians competing.
22:04 Of course, they won first and second place.
22:09 It was just right.
22:11 So, I think qualifying is not a problem for them.
22:16 But what happened last year is I think they were government-sponsored to join.
22:23 So, most of the time, the Mongolians don't compete in the race.
22:31 But they join the race as hosts.
22:35 So, they are the ones who use the horses.
22:38 So, it's a mixed competition.
22:41 The men and women are competing against each other.
22:44 Or is there a women's division or a men's division?
22:49 No, it's a mixed race.
22:51 And then, finally, who won?
22:56 First place was Linda.
23:00 I'm not sure of her family name.
23:03 The women won?
23:05 Yeah, she's a really good rider.
23:08 I think the thing that set her apart from everyone else was her focus on the race.
23:21 Is this a Mongolian-organized event?
23:24 How long has it been going on?
23:28 So, the company that runs the event is actually based in the UK.
23:35 They're called The Adventurists.
23:38 They also organize other events.
23:42 So, you said that after you got eliminated from the race,
23:50 you continued riding horses to the finish line.
23:57 But it became more of an experience rather than competition, of course.
24:03 And then, you said that because there was no more pressure to race against others,
24:12 you were able to experience a lot more and got to know the local people, other riders.
24:20 After I got eliminated, I rode the blood wagon.
24:27 So, I only rode again the last leg of the race.
24:37 So, from Station 28 to the finish line.
24:42 We did a ceremonial crossing of the finish line, the riders in the adventure class.
24:50 But I didn't actually get back on the horse until that day.
24:57 So, I had three or four days of rest that I really just stayed with the riders who were in the blood wagon.
25:09 There was one video where you were telling your family about what you experienced.
25:21 You spent the night in their home.
25:24 And then, you cried because you felt so bad for them.
25:32 Even though you were only together for a short while.
25:35 So, why did you cry?
25:39 Well, actually, that happened during the race.
25:45 I wasn't eliminated yet.
25:48 I explained to the mechanics that if the curfew is already cut off at 7pm,
26:00 you can't continue riding.
26:03 So, it's up to you to find a place to camp.
26:07 And the requirements for camping is that your horse needs water and grass to eat.
26:20 Those are the requirements for camping.
26:22 And for your own shelter, it's up to you.
26:26 So, basically, what happened was, the curfew was already cut off.
26:34 I only saw my family in the distance.
26:42 Their house was there.
26:45 I noticed that they had a small child and they looked happy.
26:56 Basically, they had good vibes.
26:59 They had an aura of being good people.
27:04 So, I approached them.
27:06 I only knew the basic words in Mongolian.
27:14 So, I asked for water for my horse.
27:18 They immediately took care of my horse.
27:23 So, I let my horse down.
27:25 They removed the saddle.
27:28 They brought a basin with water.
27:34 When I saw that, I knew that I was safe there because I could take care of my horse.
27:40 Even if it was a stranger's horse, a total stranger, I could approach them and take care of them.
27:47 So, it's like, okay, I'm safe here.
27:50 I just felt very at home right from the start with this family.
28:00 Then, when a crew member of the race, the interpreters, arrived,
28:11 because that's also their protocol if you're going to camp outside a horse station.
28:17 They'll just check up on you if you're okay in your place.
28:22 So, when they arrived, the interpreter talked to the family
28:30 so that they could understand that I was with this horse.
28:34 I had a tracker.
28:36 I would send messages and updates to the organizers.
28:40 Basically, please take care of her.
28:43 I just remember that Nadmid, the wife of the family, the mother of the family,
28:57 told the interpreter, "Don't worry. We understand her because she's our new daughter."
29:14 So, I was adopted as their daughter right away.
29:20 They really took care of me.
29:23 They put me to bed.
29:26 They made sure that I had everything I needed.
29:29 They fed me really well.
29:36 The next day, I had to leave because I actually delayed them.
29:46 Because riding time is supposed to start at 7am.
29:53 But I thought that I'm probably never going to see these people again.
30:04 That's also one of the reasons why I was eliminated.
30:11 Because I really just wanted to spend as much time as possible with these people.
30:17 So, I left their place at around 8.30am.
30:24 I was given an old dhel.
30:31 So, a dhel is the traditional Mongolian attire.
30:36 At first, they just let me borrow it because they saw that I wasn't wearing my raincoat.
30:46 When we were already brushing our teeth and getting ready to sleep,
30:53 they saw that I didn't have a rain jacket.
30:56 All the toiletries and everything were outdoors.
31:01 Because their lifestyle is nomadic.
31:05 So, they let me borrow this dhel.
31:08 I just commented that this is my favorite color.
31:14 The next day, when I was about to leave and was about to pack my stuff,
31:21 I suddenly noticed that the dhel was already tied up.
31:26 They tied it to my saddle so that I could bring it with me.
31:34 Why did you join the Mongol Derby?
31:38 Wow.
31:42 There were a lot of reasons.
31:46 I was preparing for 3.5, almost 4 years.
31:52 So, along the way, I picked up a lot of reasons.
31:57 But I think, aside from wanting to bring pride to the Ponyboys,
32:11 to the people who taught me how to ride,
32:14 I was also looking for personal validation.
32:23 Because I'm sure a lot of young people can relate.
32:32 But the feeling that you haven't found what you really want to do
32:42 or you haven't found your calling.
32:46 And I've tried all sorts of things.
32:52 Mostly, I work as a visual artist.
32:56 But when it comes down to what I want and what I think I should be doing,
33:04 I realized that I'm better at guiding.
33:12 I think it's the best thing I do.
33:15 And unfortunately, it's not really recognized as a viable livelihood.
33:25 I mean, until now, the local Ponyboys have struggled here.
33:30 And for the longest time, I was just their customer.
33:38 I mean, I was their friend, but coming from my privileged upbringing,
33:46 it's not something that was passed on to me that you can be a Ponyboy as a job.
34:00 It's more of a hobby.
34:05 So when I signed up for the Mongol Derby,
34:08 that's what I was looking for.
34:12 It's the skill, the knowledge that I got from the Ponyboys.
34:20 What about the horses that you like?
34:24 Why did you get close to horses?
34:27 First of all, I don't think love is enough for horses.
34:38 Because my whole life, I've been exposed to riding and the lifestyle of Ponyboys.
34:51 So it's really a part of me.
34:55 It's hard to separate.
34:58 But I think what it boils down to,
35:05 my conclusion is,
35:09 I guess something that people will understand is their freedom.
35:21 Once you ride a horse, it's a different feeling.
35:30 I mean, of course, it's hard to take care of a horse.
35:36 There are a lot of hardships around being a horsewoman in general.
35:41 But once you're riding, there's just this understanding between you and this animal.
35:51 It's teamwork.
35:57 It makes you feel good.
36:04 You developed this horsemanship and your relationship with horses here in Baguio, in Wright Park.
36:14 And it became a community for the Ponyboys.
36:18 So how are they now?
36:22 You said they have their own struggles.
36:25 So how is the situation of the Ponyboys in Baguio?
36:32 Well, honestly, aside from the pandemic,
36:37 that was the biggest and most sudden challenge that the Ponyboys have faced.
36:46 Of course, tourism was prohibited at that time.
36:50 Being a Ponyboy is very much part of the tourist industry.
36:57 Tourists are the ones who are really carrying the income and livelihood.
37:03 So for two years, they had no income.
37:12 And they still had to find a way to feed their families and take care of their horses.
37:20 And a lot of horses died because they couldn't be fed or they were just sold.
37:29 And then the caretakers looked for other jobs.
37:35 Aside from that, now there's inflation.
37:41 So the thing about having horses here in Baguio is that there are a lot of needs for the horse
37:51 that you have to import from other provinces if not other countries.
37:58 So their food is not produced here in Baguio.
38:03 So with inflation, of course, the price goes up and you have to ship it.
38:10 So the horse maintenance becomes more expensive.
38:19 And then aside from that,
38:24 I think there's just an overall lack of understanding of the industry from the local government
38:36 and also from the general public.
38:40 So what's happening in Wright Park now is they're building a parking building
38:49 for tourists who are going to Mines View, to Mansion House.
38:55 But what happened is to build this parking building,
39:02 they demolished the houses of the horses in Wright Park.
39:08 And with no plan for alternative housing or alternative placement,
39:16 basically they just said that they will build a building
39:22 and if you're the owner of the horses, you're in charge of whatever happens to them.
39:29 Which is just not fair because a lot of...
39:35 Of course, the pony boys are already struggling during the pandemic.
39:41 And the horses that live in Wright Park, they're not just going to go home.
39:48 I mean, the other pony boys don't have space for their own family.
39:55 It's hard for the horses to go home.
39:58 There's been very little, if no support from outside of the industry
40:07 to come up with solutions for the pony boys.
40:14 So they're really struggling now.
40:18 How has the experience of the Mongol Derby changed you?
40:25 It's hard to say because I just came back.
40:34 But it's...
40:37 It's made me appreciate people more and it's really,
40:45 it's made me rethink the acts of kindness that we can give to each other.
40:56 And now I'm also reflecting on, as a Filipino, our culture of hospitality.
41:08 Because I feel like the word "Bayanihan" that we apply to ourselves,
41:22 I only hear that when there's a disaster.
41:28 And when the survivors or victims of natural calamities ask for help,
41:37 when there are donation drives, it just became a buzzword.
41:45 That's what I'm saying. Which, I hope no one gets offended by what I'm saying.
41:54 But that's just my feeling that I think on some level,
42:01 we lost the true meaning of it.
42:06 And being in Mongolia, experiencing their culture,
42:11 experiencing the possibility that even a total stranger
42:17 who's just riding a horse in their area,
42:22 if you just approach their family and ask for help,
42:26 even if they don't know you, even if their house is really small,
42:32 they will do everything they can to help you.
42:41 It's really natural for them to help fellow travelers.
42:49 And I really hope that's something that I want to bring home and maintain from there.
43:03 Any advice for people listening now who are telling themselves,
43:11 "I want to do that too. I want to be like Solana. I want to join the Mongol Derby."
43:18 Would you discourage it, encourage it? Any precautionary advice for those listening now?
43:27 My advice is, I would really hope that before joining,
43:35 figure out your mindset.
43:40 Because if you want to win, if the race is really your goal,
43:48 I can say that you will really have a hard time from the get-go.
43:56 And you have to be willing to face that hardship and face that challenge.
44:02 It's physical, it's mental.
44:04 And the difference between me and the riders who placed in the top 10, first place, and all of that is,
44:17 I really focused on the experience of meeting the locals,
44:25 of immersing myself in the culture.
44:29 And every new landscape that I go through, I fully immerse myself and take my time in it.
44:39 So it became more meditative for me.
44:43 Which is not to say, I'm not invalidating that you shouldn't win.
44:51 Because of course, it's a race. It's a race. Some people will really have that goal.
44:56 But just think about your mindset right from the beginning.
45:00 Because when I first started training, I really wanted to win.
45:07 I wanted to win so badly.
45:09 And a lot of things happened to me during training, because of the pandemic and everything.
45:17 And I started to appreciate a different way of looking at it.
45:23 And my number one warning, which is also related to the mindset,
45:31 is that it's really hard to adjust to a normal life, to a regular life after the race.
45:44 So just think of it as me being really relaxed during the race.
45:51 My number one goal at that time was to just enjoy and experience, make friends.
46:01 When I saw that the Mongolians were really hospitable and kind,
46:07 my goal was to show that Filipinos are just like that.
46:12 And if there's a Filipino who will be joining the derby again,
46:17 I hope that's also the attitude that the locals will see.
46:22 But just imagine that that's my mindset.
46:27 I really enjoy it. And I'm super safe throughout the race.
46:32 I didn't fall, I didn't get hit, I didn't have any injuries.
46:38 It's such a big experience, and there's adrenaline,
46:42 there's a heist of joy and happiness that you can experience there.
46:49 It's so rich, so profound.
46:52 And now, you're going to crash.
46:58 So just imagine that if you enter the race with the mindset of,
47:04 "I need to win, I need to place," and you get injured,
47:11 or you just didn't get the result you wanted,
47:17 I imagine that the crash, the readjustment period into normal life,
47:23 will be a lot harder.
47:26 And that's the reality of the Mongol Derby.
47:32 Are you already thinking about what's next for you?
47:36 The next challenge?
47:38 I don't know how I'll continue my life with horses,
47:46 because that's what I said,
47:49 that the pony boy industry is really struggling now.
48:00 I have lived a comfortable and privileged upbringing,
48:06 so the consequences of the struggle is not really affecting me as badly
48:14 as it's affecting them.
48:16 But it's still hard to be a horse owner here in Baguio.
48:23 Basically, I haven't seen the future where the pony boy industry will continue
48:33 and it will be viable again.
48:38 So that's definitely a big challenge.
48:42 I need to find a way on how to make all of this work.
48:52 Yeah, and then eventually, I hope to join another career,
49:02 maybe the Mongol Derby again,
49:05 or maybe there are other similar careers but in different locations.
49:15 Although, for now, I just want to go back to Mongolia.
49:22 Okay, we'll look forward to the next chapter.
49:27 Thank you so much for sharing all of that.
49:30 Glad you made it back safely.
49:32 Congratulations again on such a unique achievement and experience.
49:38 Good luck on your next challenge.
49:40 Yes, I'm sure there will be more than one.
49:43 So yeah, Solana Perez, horsewoman of Baguio.
49:48 Long live, Solana.
49:50 Thank you, Howie.
49:52 Hi, I'm Howie Severino.
49:54 Check out the Howie Severino Podcast, an original for GMA News and Public Affairs.
49:59 New episodes will stream every Thursday.
50:01 Listen for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other platforms.
50:06 (♪)