Trekking vet Kate McMorris has already raised over £6,500

A HOMESICK horse is one of the problems vet Kate McMorris has had to contend with during her solo charity ride from John O’Groats to Lands End.

Kate (50), who is a director at Seadown in Hythe, started her mammoth 1,300-mile journey on 24th April – World Veterinary Day – on her six-year-old Palomino, Marilyn.

Having reached about the halfway mark Kate admitted she is finding the going rougher than she had imagined, saying: “Marilyn wasn’t really enjoying the first couple of weeks.

“Not being in her normal surroundings or with other horses, especially when turned out in an unfamiliar field, unsettled her.

“But she has really got into it now and we are both doing well.”

Kate is heading south from Scotland to Cornwall, riding for five to six days and resting for two.

She said: “The trouble has been that the paths have been a lot stonier than I was imagining. That has slowed us up a lot.

"The Corrieyairack Pass in the Highlands was especially gruelling but we kept going.

“The paths in Scotland were really bad and there were a lot of times I had to get off Marilyn and lead her up and down really steep hills and even mountains.

“That has made my calf muscles really suffer and I have them strapped up with physio tape at the moment.”

“But I’ve not been saddle sore at all.”

Marilyn has been receiving regular acupuncture and physio sessions along the route to help her cope.

Kate said their accommodation has been a mixture of wild camping and staying with people on social media who have offered her a bed for the night.

In Scotland she even got to stay in a castle and was also in Appelby in Cumbria at the time of the Gypsy horse fair.

She said: "I made a star appearance on a Gypsy YouTube channel which was fun.

"I’ve met some wonderful people along the way – that’s been a highlight of the trip. Some horse riders have even joined me on stages of the trek and it was lovely to have company.

"We have been given such a great welcome along the way as a lot of people have been following our progress on social media.

“I am hoping to reach Lands End at the end of July. What I am looking forward to then is going home and seeing my other animals as I am really missing them.”

Kate has already raised nearly £6,500 for Pets As Therapy, a national charity which ensures people have access to the companionship of an animal regardless of their circumstances and VetLife, which provides emotional, financial and mental health support to those in the veterinary profession.

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/team/gbvettrek