Tumursukh - Head Ranger looking over some of the region he is responsible for . Photo : Joel Caldwell
They call them The Blue Horses . ‘ They ’ are Mongolian Park Rangers , and the Blue Horses are Yamaha AG200s donated by folk from all around the world . Sadly , many of those Blue Horses are now languishing in disrepair , no longer fit-for-purpose due to a lack of basic maintenance and repairs .
THE BACK STORY We , Mike and Angela of By The Backroads Ltd ( formerly Britton Adventures ), have been organising adventures in Mongolia since 2007 . In 2014 we were approached by a joint Mongolian- American project . The project ’ s aim was for people to fundraise and ‘ buy a ranger a bike ’. A rally was organised so each donor could ride the bike from the capital Ulaanbaatar to northern Mongolia . Once there , they would hand over the bike to the ranger with whom they had been matched . Having ridden in Mongolia many times since 2007 , Mike knew how much the motorcycles would mean to the rangers . Having quality machines would help greatly with their efforts to patrol and protect Mongolia ’ s national parks . Mongolia ’ s national parks have pristine valleys and forests , many endangered animals , still potable lakes and rivers , rare flora , and unique landscapes . Many of these natural treasures are
By the Backroads ’ crew driver and his family
24 KIWI RIDER