EAST AURORA, N.Y. — 26-year-old Claire Taberski grew up in Orchard Park riding horses.
"I started riding at the age of 10 at a farm in Orchard Park," she said.
"I think I was just one of those girls that always loved horses and loved ponies like every little girl's dream, but I never grew out of it," the equestrian added.
Taberski was the captain of the Equestrian Team at Canisius College and works with horses every day. She is a life-long equestrian and is always looking for her next adventure.
When an internet search led Taberski to discover the longest and toughest horse race in the world, she knew she found her next adventure.
"I thought this is the craziest thing I've ever heard of and thought I would apply," she said.
Out of hundreds of applicants worldwide, she was selected to compete in the Mongol Derby in Mongolia.
"Only 40 riders internationally are chosen every year to do this," she said.
The 622-mile journey will take her nearly ten days to finish.
"I ride the semi-feral horses in Mongolia," she said. "Every 25 miles I get to another horse station and pick a new horse. So I'm not riding the same horse throughout the course of the entire race."
The race fee is $15,000 and with travel expenses and gear, Taberski expects the adventure to cost about $22,000.
She told 2 On Your Side that she is hoping to find a corporate sponsor.
If she does, she will donate the extra money from her Go Fund Me account to Crisis Services of Buffalo.
"If I can pull it off it would be like, I don't know the greatest thing I've done to date," she said.
Taberski's adventure will kick off in August of 2020.