Josh Edwards, the 2023 PRCA Pickup Man of the Year, might have recently retired at the legendary Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo but he is far from done on the back of a horse.
It makes sense for a man like Edwards to love testing himself and crave adrenaline filled adventures. On top of being a decorated pickup man, he has competed in Iron Man Races and coming up, is an adventure of a lifetime for Edwards, a Mongolian Horse Race called the Mongol Derby.
“I was selected to compete in a 660-mile, cross country horse race in Mongolia where you ride wild Mongolian horses. It’s a ten day race, it’s basically just an adventure race,” Edwards said.
The invitation came at the perfect time in Edwards life as the Mongol Derby is held in August, which was just another sign for Edwards that retirement was the right decision.
Moving forward, preparation is key for Edwards but he is looking forward to the experience and adventure that the race will bring.
“There’s so many facets to it whether it’s horsemanship, whether it’s planning as far as how to navigate the race, there’s no map, there’s no coordinates to get where you’re going... So between the horsemanship of riding feral horses and navigating terrain and country that I’ve ever been in... Just all those things, it’s such an interesting concept to me, it’s just kind of tailored to what I like to do,” Edwards said.
Edwards picked a fitting way to spend his first summer as a retired pickup man. Come August, he will be on the back of wild Mongolian horses chasing an adventure like never before.
