Saddling up to support our injured troops

Published 1 Jul 2010 16:00 0 Comments

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HORSES and their riders will be showing support for injured troops in a charity ride.

People and equines from all around the country will take part in the sponsored Horses for Heroes ride at Ascot Racecourse in aid of Help for Heroes.

The five mile ride will take place on Saturday, July 10 and will start at Ascot Racecourse, go past the Jubilee statue in Windsor Great Park and end back at the finishing posts at the racecourse.

More than 700 horses will take part in the ride, which will go through the Great Park. When the initiative was first launched it was hoped that there would be 2010 horses taking part, but organisers say not enough people have entered to make that goal.

Susie Flook will take part with her horse Hattie, a 20-year-old bay who served with the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) Light Cavalry Division.

Ms Flook, of London Road, Ascot, said: "Help for Heroes is such a worthwhile charity.

"Being associated with the HAC both through its Saddle Club and the Light Cavalry as a support rider and also with the Royal Artillery Hunt, I actually know servicemen and women who go out to Afghanistan and it is a very real charity for me."

Hattie's career with the HAC came to an end when she started going lame and could not be ridden, but after some rest and recuperation Hattie is now able to go out on rides with Ms Flook again.

Ms Flook added: "With Hattie being an ex light cavalry horse, it will be such an amazing feat for her too.

"She was once injured to the point of being described as crippled and has now recovered enough to be able to do this and her efforts will help those servicemen and women less fortunate than herself." Help for Heroes raises money to support members of the armed forces who have been injured while serving and Horses for Heroes is a fundraising initiative of Ascot Racecourse to raise money for this charity.

Horses and their riders will set off in groups between 8am-12 noon in half-hour intervals for the leisurely walk and trot ride. The ride is estimated to take about an hour to an hour and a half with the last group arriving back at Ascot Racecourse in the early afternoon.

All participants will then receive complementary tickets for the races taking place at Ascot in the afternoon. Sunninghill Road, behind the A322 Windsor Road will be closed, but the A322 will remain open. Kelly Smith, spokeswoman for the HPower Group which organises such events as the Royal Windsor Horse Show, said: "The ride is a partnership between us and Ascot Racecourse and it is the first time we have done it so we are very excited about it.

"So far we have raised £250,000 for Help for Heroes and this figure will probably rise."

Visit www.horses4heroes.co.uk to find out more or sign up to take part in the ride. Go to www.justgiving.com/susieflook to support Ms Flook's fundraising efforts.

This article appeared in Villager 01 Jul 10

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