A HORSE ride from Portland to Wootton Bassett has raised more than £1,000 for Help for Heroes.

Kaz Jones, 47, of West-on, her daughter Sian, 22 and their equine friends Frankie, a 17-year-old ex-race horse and Maori, who is a mature 27, made the epic trek.

Wishing to do something to help a good cause, the fact that the family has a strong military background and some family and friends serving in Afghanistan made Help for Heroes an obvious choice.

Kaz said: “As our two horses are part of our family, we wanted Maori to be involved before she is too old to help to raise money for a good cause”.

Sian, who lives and works in Essex, joined her mother for the 120-mile ride by bridleways and byways in which they were supported throughout by their close friends and horse enthusiasts Lisa And Julian Langrish, the owners of Perryfields Ltd on Portland.

The couple provided the back-up lorry which was the accommodation for themselves and the two riders plus they took care of the welfare of the horses, seeing to their feeding, drinking and washing them down.

Kaz said: “We just could not have done it without Lisa and Julian”.

Patriotic clothes with reflective jackets bearing the Help for Heroes logo were worn by the riders while the horses had equally patriotic tack with white saddle cloths decorated with the Union Flag for their arrival at Wootton Bassett.

Both Kaz and Sian praised the generosity of Portland farrier Colin Deeney and equine chiropractioner Tiggy Townsend of Wyke who saw to the horses pre-ride care free of charge.

Their aim was to raise £1,000 for the charity but now it looks as though it will be closer to £1,500 once all the sponsorship is in.