Becky Sampson and her nine-year-old 14.2 piebald pony, Bertie’s Quest are going for a hack. Not just an ordinary hack. They are planning to ride all the way from London to Tokyo.

Their journey will take them across two continents, 15 countries, the United Kingdom - France - Germany - Czech Republic - Slovakia - Hungary - Romania - Bulgaria - Turkey - Iran - Turkmenistan - Uzbekistan - Kyrgyzstan - China and Japan, cover 15,000 miles and take no less than four years.

They will travel through Western and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, China and Japan, via the ancient trading routes of the Silk Road.

Amongst the many challenges they will face are the Tien Shan Mountains and the Taklamakan Desert, which translates as ‘he who goes in does not come out’. They will experience temperatures as high as +50 degrees and as low as -20.

The reason: To raise money for SOS Children although, Becky, who is 25, and from Putney in London, admits she is also looking forward to the adventure.

“ In training for this adventure,” she says, “ I have completed first aid and survival courses, as well as a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate, which will enable me to teach whilst I travel. I understand how education has enriched my life and value what I am learning every day, and see this as a chance to share my insights and learn from people I encounter and work with as I travel.
“I aim to raise £15,000 for SOS Children during the ride – that’s £1 per kilometre.”

The idea, she admits, did not come on the spur of the moment.
“From the age of 10, I knew I wanted to travel by horse. An article I read about a man who was halfway through a ride around the world further fuelled my dream, and I knew at that moment that that was what I wanted to do.

“My first taste of adventure came when I was 17, after begging my father for years to allow me to travel. My persuasive powers paid off; I swapped school books for suncream and travelled solo throughout Europe.

“On my return, I went to college to study agriculture, which gave me the opportunity to have my first horse. Seastorm.

I didn’t bother with horse boxes. When it came to the holidays, we would ride home. The sense of freedom was exhilarating. It also served as an introduction to the problems faced by long riders - finding suitable places to ride; the wear on horse shoes; finding places to stay for the night. That was my first introduction to long distance riding, and gave me a thorough grounding in travelling by horse.

“A couple of years later, whilst riding on the border with China and Tibet, I met a girl who was on her way to Kashgar, a major trading port on the Silk Road. I’d never heard of it before, and as she described it to me, I began to imagine myself riding along the Silk Road, following the routes of traders that would have travelled to the markets of Kashgar centuries ago.

“It wasn’t until I returned to England that my dreams started coming together. One of my ambitions had been to have a horse in London and ride from home to ’somewhere’. As the original plan of the Silk Road was thousands of miles anyway, extending it by a few more didn’t seem like a problem.

“ On further research, I discovered the most Eastern point of the Silk Road was actually at Nara, in Japan. The trip was extended once again; and then again, to Tokyo, to join up two major cities, one in the West and one in the East.

“Asides from the ride itself, I wanted to do something worthwhile whilst travelling. I have always enjoyed working with children, having volunteered with a bereavement charity for children who have lost a loved one. By combining my passion for children’s welfare with my enthusiasm for horse riding and travel, I feel that I am fulfilling not just one goal, but several.

“The skills I have acquired in preparation for this trip will help me on this journey; I have the basics in several languages, been on survival courses and have had to put the skills I’ve learned in to practice; completed first aid training, been on a navigaton course and taught conversational English and have since gained a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) qualification. I am really looking forward to visiting the SOS Children’s Villages en route during the ride, which I hope will enrich the lives of the children I meet as much as it will mine.” 

Becky went on to speak about her travelling companion, Bertie’s Quest , or Bertie for short.

  “At 14.2 hh, he is fairly small. But it’s the perfect size for riding long distance, as jumping on and off for rest periods, opening gates etc is far easier than struggling to find a make shift mounting block to scramble on anything bigger!

“ Bertie is 9 years old. He was imported from Ireland as a youngster. Since then, he has been living in the Welsh Hills with Lise, owner of Plas Equestrian, and has trained alongside her endurance horses. Because of this, Bertie has an excellent fast walk and very comfortable trot. He is fantastic over all sorts of terrain and brilliant in traffic. Nothing seems to phase him - from flapping maps to slipping saddlebags, he takes everything in his stride.

“ He is also very friendly, always wanting a cuddle or anything that might resemble food! He is the perfect travelling companion. I’m looking forward to our adventure together.”

Best of luck, Becky – and, of course, Bertie.

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