KING’S LYNN: Alison’s riding challenge
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Horse riding adventurer, Alison Richardson, has been back in the saddle to trek across some of the most remote and spectacular scenery in the world.
She has just returned from taking part in the British Horse Society’s six-day Challenge Ride in Lesotho.
Alison, who works in the commercial department at Brown and Co, Lynn, was among a group of riders out for adventure and also raising money for the BHS Welfare Fund.
She said: “We went to The Kingdom of the Sky, which is situated in the centre of South Africa and the entire country is higher than 1,000m.
“Lesotho ranks amongst the poorest countries in the world and we were were shocked by the poverty that was very evident in the remote communities.
“The villages have no water supply or drainage and no electricity. Subsistence farming is still carried out on tiny plots of land on the side of steep mountain ranges using traditional methods.
“There are very few roads and goods are transported along treacherous rocky paths on the backs of tiny donkeys. Amongst all this we met a remarkable lady who looks after 19 orphans and has just taken in a young pregnant girl who had been disowned by her family.
“Georgina supports the children by washing and selling clothes, and acts as both their carer and their teacher.”
She added: “Our accommodation was in mud huts where we slept on the floor. Water was fetched from the local spring, filtered and chlorinated while food was carried on pack ponies and heated on a gas ring each night. Lunch was dried crackers and processed cheese!
“Our guide for the week was the son of the local chief who had previously trained in Germany as a showjumper but has returned to his homeland to support the family. He was keen to improve the care standards of the local horses and we left bandages and first aid kits.
“The Basotho ponies we rode were sure-footed, hardy and good natured, averaging around 14.2hh.
“A typical day meant rising at 5.30am, being on the horse by 7am and riding for up to eleven and a half hours a day. The ride crossed high mountain ridges, up steep rocky trails, passed through lush green river valleys and saw some magnificent waterfalls and spectacular views.”
While funds raised from the trip go towards the BHS Welfare Fund, money spent in Lesotho went directly to the communities the riders stayed with and to the owners of the horses they rode.
Alison has taken part in a number of previous BHS challenge rides, including treks across Peru and Mongolia.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
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Light showers
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