The Long Horse Ride is a journey on horseback from Beijing to London between the Olympics through the steppes, deserts, mountains and forests of China, Central Asia and Europe.   If you have not done so already, please visit my website www.thelonghorseride.com and blog diary www.thelonghorseride.blogspot.com . 

In October 2008, together with Rowena Haigh, Ren Hong and Peng Wenchao, I completed the first trial leg of the ride from Old Dragon's Head, where the Great Wall of China reaches the sea, to Badaling in Beijing district.

Since then the ride has been officially partnered by the Chinese Equestrian Association and backed by EnduranceGB. In April 2009 I set out again with two Chinese companions to ride on Shandan horses to the other end of the Great Wall at Jiayuguan. Unfortunately after only nine days riding, I fell off my horse Zorbee, snapping my collarbone, breaking six ribs and puncturing a lung. After three months recuperation I set out again, and on October 22nd 2009 we successfully reached the western end of the Great Wall at Jiayuguan.  In doing so, I have become the first person on record to ride on horseback the entire distance from one end of the Ming Great Wall of China to the other.

After a winter break, I will be starting again in April 2010 to follow the northern Silk Route across the Gobi desert to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Apart from carrying a message of goodwill from Beijing to London in their Olympic years, the ride is for a very worthy cause.  Schoolchildren for Children will be donating money to schools projects along the route, helping disadvantaged children to achieve the educational benefits they would otherwise do without.  In China the money will be channelled through the China Children and Teenagers Fund to specific projects, and I will be able to see how the money is being used and report on the schools as I progress.

For 2008, Schoolchildren for Children has donated money to the Dandelion school for migrant children in Beijing to cover the cost of essential textbooks. See their website www.schoolchildrenforchildren.org  for other life-changing projects they support worldwide.

And of course none of the money you donate will be used by Schoolchildren for Children for administration costs, SO EVERY PENNY REALLY WILL COUNT.

Your donations will make all the broken bones and hours in the saddle worthwhile!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Schoolchildren for Children will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.


Umpteen thanks for your support!