Teenager completes 240-mile ride in 23 days
A teenager has raised thousands of pounds by completing a 240-mile ride in memory of her best friend.
17-year-old Lucy Harley rode her pony, Wella, from Princes Mead, Winchester, to Daymer Bay, Cornwall, in 23 days.
The Newbury A-level student has raised over £6,000 for Allegra’s Ambition through the challenge.
The charity was set up in memory of Lucy’s best friend Allegra, who died suddenly in February last year, 16 days before her 16th birthday.
Allegra’s Ambition aims to help young people enhance their lives through sport and outdoor activities.
“I am so happy that we have raised more than our target of £5,000,” Lucy told H&H.
“The generosity of our friends and even strangers has been overwhelming and we are so grateful.
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“Throughout the ride the kindness of strangers has been amazing. So many people offered to have us, Wella and I, to stay and we really couldn’t have done it without people being so welcoming.”
Lucy said one of the highlights of the ride was finishing on the beach in Cornwall.
WE'VE DONE IT!https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Lucy-Harley1Posted by Ride for Allegra on Wednesday, August 24, 2016
“It was amazing and Wella loved it,” she said.
“I wanted to do something special in her memory — we were at prep school in Winchester and Allegra loved going on holiday every year to Daymer Bay.
“Friends and family were there to support us which made the experience really special.
“I think the most challenging part was the map-reading. I did go a bit off track on some occasions but I had a GPS which helped a lot.”
Lucy covered up to 20 miles a day with 18-year-old Wella.
“She was absolutely perfect,” Lucy said. “She got very fit during the ride and I think she really enjoy seeing new places every day and meeting new friends along the route.
“I couldn’t have wished for a better behaved pony to do it on and it made it so much easier knowing that Wella would be relaxed even if a truck came rushing past.
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“She was definitely happy to be home, have a good roll in her field and just relax.”
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.