A LOOE woman has described herself as being 'completely unphased' by her forthcoming entry into the longest and toughest horse race in the world.

From among hundreds of applications, 25-year-old Charlotte Treleaven (pictured) has been chosen as one of the elite 35 riders to take part in the annual Mongol Derby.

It is a 1,000km multi-horse race across the wilderness of the Mongolian steppe which takes nine gruelling days.

About 1,000 Mongolian horses will be carrying the riders under the strictest welfare conditions. These small little horses once carried the all-conquering Mongol warriors across half the world and are said to be still standing fearless, wild and ubelievably tough to this day.

They are gathered prior to the race for training from the Nomadic families and breeders along the route.

Charlotte, who travels to Mongolia a few days prior to the race which starts on August 10, works at Jackie du Plessis's national hunt training yard near Saltash, and says her passion is racing, hunting and team chasing.

'I will be riding about 25 different ponies during the race which doesn't bother me one bit, as my job involves exercising race horses and breaking in young horses,' said Charlotte.

'This is an absolutely fantastic opportunity for me. Jackie is happy for me to go and has told me to "grab it by the horns" and make the most of it.'

Charlotte is hoping that two charities will also benefit from her epic race. They are CHSW's Little Harbour near St Austell, and Greatwood, which rehabilitates race horses to help children with special needs. You can make a donation through justgiving. com/teams/mongol-derby

Charlotte is a former pupil of Liskeard School and Community College and gained a degree in equine sports science at Hartpury, Glos. She is the daughter of Andrew and Mandy Treleaven who, until recently, were the owners of Treleaven's Ice Cream.