LUCIE B, YEAR 11

The first week of August was the start of a memorable challenge as I undertook my Silver Duke of Edinburgh Open Expedition on horseback in the Brecon Beacons. Meeting the five other riders for the first time was exciting but a little nerve-wracking as we had never met before, only via Zoom.

We spent the next four days on our practice expedition camping in the Brecons and learning how to navigate the Welsh countryside, manage our horses to ensure that they were safe and well cared for, and avoid errors such as pitching our tents on a hillside or forgetting to close the tent flaps so that the sheep didn’t take advantage of some cover. We had a few near misses!

Our tents, equipment and food were carried by our horses in tightly packed saddlebags, which had to be of equal weight to help the horses stay balanced on the mountain sides, some of which were extremely steep. We zig-zagged across the Brecons, crossed rivers and negotiated woodland and country lanes; the scenery was spectacular.

Three weeks later we all met up again for our qualifying expedition. This time we were better prepared for the challenges of the terrain, as well as how to pack our food and equipment, and faster at catching our horses at 6am from the large overgrown fields. They definitely had other plans and didn’t always make it easy for us!

I have made new friends, had many laughs (as well as tears), improved my horse-riding skills and certainly been challenged. I am now looking forward to completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition on horseback with some of the same riders next year.