WILDER MIND

ABOUT ME

When asked, friends and family use many different words to describe me. These range from complimentary terms such as driven, bubbly, fierce; to more questionable choices such as ‘a hurricane’, impulsive, naughty, chaotic. Recently, a close friend of mine replied “loves bad decisions” to sum me up in three words. This may well turn out to be rather apt!

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One of four children, with parents that refused to believe, despite their own hardships, that anything was out of reach to us; I have grown up surrounded by strong, curious and big personalities. Meek and timid would not have survived in our family! Going back to my Romany gypsy roots, my mum has always said it’s not surprising horses and adventure have been two of my great loves. It’s in my blood.

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I’ve led a very fortunate life, spending my childhood and early teens racing ponies around the rolling countryside and sprawling beaches of Devon. Since then life has taken me to around 45 countries, spanning six of the seven continents. I’ve sky dived, scuba-dived, abseiled off the top of Table Mountain, mountain biked down death road in Bolivia, zip wired without breaks through the jungles of Peru, motor biked from the north to the south of Vietnam and dodged many near death experiences on various modes of transport along the way. If I should find myself an old lady one day, I want to be able to smile and quote old Forest Gump “… at least I didn’t lead no hum-drum life.”

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This is perhaps what led me to apply to take part in the world’s longest, toughest horse race; with no endurance or professional riding experience. The first step may have been somewhat of an impulse, but once I had actually been offered a space, once it had become an obsession of mine, I knew that because of everything I am, there was no way I could turn it down.