A 60-year-old man has completed a 874-mile ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats with his 20-year-old horse.
It took Barry Johnson and coloured cob Barney four months to conquer the challenge, raising more than £11,000 for the RNLI in the process.
Barry, who was was furloughed from his job as a hotel porter due to Covid-19, said the ride was something he’s “always wanted to do”.
He has owned Barney for 17 years and described him as “reliable and tough”.
Barry thanked all those who had supported him along the way.
“Some of you gave me food when I was hungry, dried my clothes for me or helped me find a good spot to camp and tether my horse,” he said.
The trek was not without drama, and Barry shared his hardy cob’s amazing comebacks.
“Barney was downed three times – once on slippery tarmac, once when a branch got stuck in his stirrup and the worst was when we crashed into a bog on Bodmin Moor,” he said. “By then he was strong and mauled his way out, but I did get a rib injury.
“When you do an expedition like this, you do need a large slice of good luck and you operate one day at a time.”
He added that he would consider doing another trek as he “enjoyed it so much”.
