A young rider with a rare heart condition is inspiring others to take part in the #MyMiniHackathon challenge for equine charity Brooke.
Seven-year-old Lucy Rayner, who has survived two open heart surgeries, will be hacking 10 miles in 100 days with her pony Maxwelltown Meric.
She will raise £100 from the challenge, which the welfare charity will use to help improve the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules in developing countries.
My mini hackathon is part of Brooke’s new fundraising campaign #MyHackathon which challenges keen riders to hack 100 miles in 100 days to raise £100.
Aimed at younger riders or smaller horses, my mini hackathon suggests supporters lead their ponies 10 miles in 100 days to raise the same target.
Mini hackathon participant Lucy, from Taporley in Cheshire, was diagnosed with hemitruncus when she was eight months old and had to be fitted with an artificial pulmonary valve.
Although she will require further surgery as she grows, she has not let the condition hold her back and rides her pony Meric regularly.
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Horses have been a central part of Lucy’s life and rehabilitation since she was 22 months old and got her first pony, miniature Shetland Teddy.
Lucy’s mum Catherine will help her on her mini hackathon, though she herself can only ride a little due to a riding accident 20 years ago which left her with nerve damage.
Catherine hopes that taking part in Brooke’s #MyMiniHackathon will help Lucy with her ongoing recovery while raising money to help the animals Lucy loves most.
“I’m very proud of Lucy and I’m looking forward to us doing this mini hackathon challenge together,” she said. “Lucy loves horses so much, they have helped her through her various hospital visits and she even had a photo of Teddy by her bed when she had her second operation, so it made sense to support a charity that helps millions of horses in the developing world.”
Brooke operates in 11 different countries and funds projects in four others, reaching more than two million working horses, donkeys and mules each year.
The hackathon fundraising initiative will raising money for Brooke’s latest campaign How The Other Horse Lives.
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