son of Jesegei
Duguidan is the eldest son of the large Vinokurov family. His mother is from the Khabarovsk Territory. And his father is a real northern horse breeder. Therefore, the boy literally grew up riding a horse. His first long equestrian journey took place at nine months. Then the parents visited the mother’s homeland with her son, traveling a distance of 500 kilometers.
– Of course, then I did not notice anything, but when I was taken there at the age of three, I remembered a lot, – says Duguidan.
I remember the landscapes and the people we met along the way. But only when he grew up a lot did the young man realize the strength and endurance of the Yakut horse, the only breed in the world that can graze outdoors in the most extreme frosts. It was thanks to her that the ancestors of the Sakha people settled on such a large territory. And it is no coincidence that the Yakuts consider themselves the children of the god Jesegei, the patron saint of horses. Realizing this fact, Duguidan had a desire to declare the Yakut horse to the whole world.
pure english adventure
The glorious trip to Moscow turned out spontaneously. “I just didn’t want to become a liar,” Duguidan explains. And it was so.
In 2018, a group of foreigners came to my father’s equestrian base. Family Mongols brought tourists from Europe. They liked the northern hospitality, and in 2019 foreign guests again visited the Vinokurovs. Among them was Nikita Gretsi from England, who dreamed of riding from Magadan to London. He wanted to choose a suitable horse for such a trip: Yakut or Mongolian.
After a ten-day stay in Oymyakon, the dilemma was resolved. Nikita chose a Yakut horse and invited Duguidan to accompany him.
“Then I refused,” recalls the interlocutor. – Nikita stayed with us for half a month. She taught him to ride horses. She left, but persistently wrote and asked to go on a trip with him.
Six months later, Duguidan agreed.
“I just dreamed that I had to go,” he replied to my silent question.
This was in March 2020. The guys agreed on a joint project and made a route. Nikita brought a horse from Verkhoyansk, and Duguidan began to prepare it for a long journey. In the winter, just before the trip, when his daring plan was replicated in the media, Nikita suddenly got ready to see his relatives and went to England.
– I asked him not to go, I warned him that the borders could be closed due to the covid, but he did not listen, and the borders were really closed. I stayed here, and every day someone would ask me when I would leave, Duguidan shares.
From childhood, the father taught his son: “Promise, do it.” Then the Yakutian decided to go on a journey himself and redrew the route, deciding to start not from Magadan, but from his native Oymyakon. He started looking for sponsors, but couldn’t find them. Supported by relatives and a couple of stores. But he found himself a replacement for Nikita Gretsi: Duguidan’s son-in-law Michil Neustroev volunteered to go.
On March 5, 2021, the Yakut horsemen set out. Before the trip, Duguidan’s father asked: “I am sure that the horses will reach there. Can you bear it yourself?” As the famous song says: “Dad is not your mother.” Duguidan was hurt by this, but he still did not know that it was precisely this harsh phrase from his father that would stubbornly help him to go on, even when there was not a penny left for hay for the horses and there was no one around him. . .
people are the force
Duguidan’s journey can become the basis for the training “How to achieve a goal without money.” There were very few funds and sponsors, but there was a great desire to glorify the Yakut horse in the world space, as well as the support of the people and providence.
The simple villagers were the first to lend a hand. At each nasleg, the cyclists were greeted by local residents. They gave feasible sums, gifts and amulets. And if the guys were more prudent, they would try to pass through more villages on the way to Yakutsk.
Duguidan’s faithful companions are the horses Honor and Haastaah. Photo: From the archive of Duguidan Vinokurov
– I thought that we would find everything we needed in the capital of the republic, – says Duguidan.
But in reality, everything turned out to be not so simple. First of all, not only glory fell on the riders, but also the anger of the Guild of Equestrian Travelers, the resentment of Nikita Gretsi and many unpleasant comments. Secondly, the guys did not find sponsors for the entire trip. They were given saddles, ammunition, certain sums, but it was clear that this would not be enough for the road. After all, it was necessary to accompany with food for the horses.
– I have never asked to raise funds for the trip, – says Duguidan. – This, in my opinion, is low. He was ready to work on the road, chop wood, shovel snow to eat, and lodge for the night, but he would never come back. And you know, in order to see how wide the soul of ordinary Russians is, it was worth going on this trip.
The man called the heads of the settlements on the way, asking for help, and the people never refused either in Yakutia or outside of it. At meetings with the public, the media or schoolchildren, the guys talked about their native republic, the Sakha people and the unique breed of Yakut horses.
True, it was not possible to visit the settlements so often. Travelers often spent the night in an old car bought by relatives, far from civilization. In it they carried hay and other feed for the horses. Someone from my acquaintances was alternately behind the wheel, sometimes I had to hire someone.
unexpected help
A miracle happened on New Year’s Eve in the Irkutsk region, when the guys were on the verge of despair.
– We were completely out of funds. We went to Baikal, welcomed the holy lake, and suddenly the bell rang. Vladimir Fedorov called, a well-known businessman in Yakutsk, who offered us financial assistance and rented a Gazelle for our escort,” says the cyclist.
It would seem that now nothing will stop travelers from getting to Moscow, but the Yakut proverb says that in life there are equal shares of happiness and torment. Between Novosibirsk and Omsk, one of Michil’s horses lost an eye and had to be returned. Then the second horse tragically died and Michil ended the ride. Duguidan was left alone. Just before Omsk, the driver went on the run, left the car at a gas station and sent a message.
– I tied the horse in the forest, hitchhiked back and overtook the car, – recalls Duguidan. – If I had surrendered, I would have disgraced the entire republic. It is a huge responsibility.
In the Tyumen region, the police detained the traveler with machine guns. Some locals complained that Duguidan had stolen his horses. He only helped the flag of the Russian Geographical Society, under the auspices of which the Yakutian traveled. The cops didn’t know much about horse breeds.
Second trip
By the summer of 2022, Duguidan completed his mission and arrived in Moscow, making a gift for the centenary of the republic. There was no better campaign to promote the Yakut horse in history. The brave rider was honored at the highest level, several prizes were awarded and new projects were proposed.
Returning home, the traveler soon prepared for a new extreme journey. He decided to get to Kolyma in the winter of 2023, spending the night in the snow under the open sky. Previously, the Yakuts lived in Magadan and constantly rode horses to visit their relatives. That is, Duguidan decided to repeat the path of his ancestors.
– The second trip did not have such a wide resonance as the first, – says the oymyakonets. – But I have accumulated a large number of video materials that I want to post on social networks. I don’t have a good laptop for this yet, but it will appear, it’s a matter of time.
Duguidan also dreams of opening an aboriginal horse museum, founding a riding school, and collecting horseback rides.
“Time itself will tell what I will do in the future,” says Duguidan. – I did not become rich financially, fame too, as it turned out, has its drawbacks. But I realized how important it is to achieve your goals and what true happiness is. It is then that you feel sincere gratitude and love everything around you.
