A WOMAN from East Cornwall is set to leave her full-time work and head off to the African bush to take part in a gruelling 170km horseback ride for charity. Jess Farrell from Callington works as equestrian manager for Percy?s Country Hotel, near Virginstow, where she cares for about 15 racehorses and breeding stock. In February she will be swapping the wet West Country winter months for the horseback ride in Africa to raise money for overseas equine welfare charity ?The Brooke?. Riding for up to eight hours each day and camping every night in the heart of the African Rift Valley in Kenya, she will be travelling through vast, unspoiled savannah plains, rich with wildlife. Mixing long days in the saddle and tough riding conditions will provide the ultimate challenge. Jess said it was something she had wanted to do for several years, and knowing she could make a difference to thousands of working horses and donkeys that provide a livelihood for desperately poor people in the developing world, made it all the more fulfilling. The charity ?Brooke? relieves half a million suffering horses, donkeys and mules each year that work for poor people in developing countries. The money Jess raises will be used to support Brooke?s programme of veterinary care and education in Kenya. The ride of a lifetime begins on February 10. She has paid a registration fee of £250 and now needs to raise £2,750 in sponsorship before leaving. Anyone interested in sponsoring her should call 01579 370326 or 07792 707061.
