Scottish vet embarks on ride of a lifetime

Kate McMorris and her horse Marilyn have set out to ride solo from John O’Groats to Lands’ End to raise money for charity

On World Vet Day, 30^th April 2022, vet Kate and her homebred horse, Marilyn, set off on a once in lifetime adventure. It’s not a journey for the faint-hearted – Kate and Marilyn will be tackling difficult terrain, mountains and moorlands, roads and ravines and unchartered tracks, often facing some of the harshest weather Britain can throw at them. Kate will be using her experience as a vet to look after Marilyn’s wellbeing every step of the way, no matter what conditions bring.

The journey is a realisation of a 30-year-long dream for Kate, who loves the great outdoors and exploring new areas. The idea came to her during vet school after she rode an impressive 200 miles on her pony Sam. Despite being a challenging ride, it gave her a taste of adventure.

But her latest ride isn’t just to satisfy Kate’s love of adventure, she’ll also be raising money for two charities that are close to her heart. The first is Pets as Therapy, a national not-for-profit organisation that aims to give everyone, no matter their circumstances, access to animal companionship to help improve their wellbeing. The second charity is Vetlife, which provides vital mental health and financial support to veterinarians, which as a profession has one of the highest suicide rates in the country.

Kate said: “Like many, I’ve been moved by inspiring stories of human endeavour and wonderful kindness, across the country during Covid. It’s stirred me to see what I might also do to help those charities near and dear to me.”

To attempt such a huge endeavour took a lot of preparation, and she continued: “For Marilyn, I’ve been taking her to lots of different places so that she doesn’t find it stressful staying in a new environment every night and made sure she’s not routine-bound. She had physio, farrier, dentist, saddle fitter and dentist appointments before we set off as well as a fitness regime that included visits to the water treadmill. For myself, I had dentist, optician, and podiatry appointments, I also lost two stone in weight so that Marilyn has less to carry.”

If you’d like to support Kate and Marylin you can do so by visiting their JustGiving page, head to justgiving.com/team/gbvettrek