A seventy-year-old grandmother from Wiltshire is trekking 200 miles on horseback for charity.
Cilla Labouchere from Kington St Micheal, Chippenham will be starting her 200-mile journey today (Thursday 1 May) to raise money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and the Bristol-based charity HorseWorld.
Cilla, who has four grandchildren, suffered badly from rheumatoid arthritis but has regained her strength to ride her horse Gypsy, a former HorseWorld resident.
“This is going to be an exciting and testing trip for both of us.
“Gypsy was rescued by HorseWorld when she was an emaiated yearling still wearing the halter put on her as a foal. Her face was partly paralysed so she had to be tube fed for a while.
“Once HorseWorld had helped her to get her health back she came to me in 2003.”
The trek will start from Cilla’s home today and she will ride through Bradford on Avon, Longleat, Lambourn and Tetbury before completing her journey back in Kington St Michael on Saturday 10 May.
She plans to ride about 22 miles a day and hopes to complete the trek in nine days — with one days rest halfway.
“I have been preparing for this ride for the past five weeks by riding for six to seven miles each morning I still ache a but but feel ready to take on the challenge to raise funds for the two charities,” said Cilla.
“I am unsure of how much I will raise but I’m getting a very enthusiastic response so far.”
Jess Winchester from HorseWorld said: “The trek will be a fantastic achievement for Cilla. We wish her all the best.”
