Gayle Ritchie joined The Big Hoof charity trek, on horseback, in Perth.
I was a bundle of nerves when we rocked up in Perth’s South Inch car park with two horses in tow.
My friend, Karen Inkster – who runs an equestrian centre near Dunkeld – was at the wheel, and seemed cool as a cucumber.
Karen was taking part in the charity trek run by The Big Hoof, and while she would ride her Standardbred, Connie, she’d invited me to join her on her gorgeous Arab x Trotter, Promise. I’d never ridden Promise before – I’d only just met her – so we hadn’t had a chance to bond.
There was also the fact that Promise is ridden bitless (without a bit in her mouth), barefoot (without shoes, although wearing protective ‘hoof boots’), and in a Western saddle – a very kind, but also very different style of riding from what I’m used to.
Knowing we might join the trek for around 18 miles, I was keen to take it all in my stride… until I saw the funfair setting up, the tour buses reversing, and the bin lorries doing circles around the car park. Panic kicked in.
Bombproof
“Don’t worry – the horses are pretty much bombproof,” reassured Karen, as I mopped my sweaty brow.
To my surprise, it seemed she was telling the truth. Neither lorries, buses, waltzers not dodgems elicited the merest batting of an eyelid from our trusty steeds.
After a quick grooming session, we hopped on and headed to St John’s Kirk – smack, bang in the middle of the city centre.
It felt a bit John Wayne as we walked, and briefly trotted to catch the pedestrian crossing.
Shoppers stopped in their tracks to gaze up at us, whether in shock or admiration I’m not quite sure.
We were meeting The Big Hoof team, founded by Dunfermline-based actor and adventurer Louis Hall, and the plan was to ride to Little Glenshee.
The team, meanwhile, had already been on the road for three days, having started off in St Andrews. Their final destination was Iona, a mere 205 miles away!
Louis’s exploits
I knew of Louis’s previous exploits and had chatted to him about them – including his last, in July 2022, which saw him ride 1,800 miles from Italy to Spain to raise money for Ukrainian refugees. I’d been curious to meet the 27-year-old, and now was my chance.
Karen and I found Louis, plus his travel companion, Kiki Ho, and their two Arabs Sasha and Istia waiting for us outside the church.
A massive crowd had gathered to take in the spectacle – not only was Louis dressed in his kilt but he’d gathered together a group of walkers from Glasgow-based mental health charity Venture Trust, along with long-distance runner Francesca Goodwin, and Highland pony Moy from Ardverickie Estate near Newtonmore who was carrying some of the crew’s gear.
Walking with pack pony
Also up for the challenge was 69-year-old Sue Manning, who was walking the entire route with her Welsh pack pony, Kirsty.
Sue, who lives on the banks of Loch Tay near Lawers, appeared fighting fit.
We set off en-masse through the streets, passing shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants, eventually making our way onto the North Inch, and along a riverside path.
Some sections were pretty overgrown, requiring Karen and I to hop off our horses and walk them in hand.
Crossing a rather rickety bridge, I stumbled and almost landed in a burn, much to Karen’s amusement.
After a couple of snack stops, we arrived in Luncarty, popping into a small shop for sustenance.
It was at this point that the rain came on, and we sheltered under trees in an adjacent park.
I took the opportunity to catch up with award-winning actor Louis, asking what inspired him to organise this epic trek.
The Big Hoof charity trek
“After my expedition through Europe, I wanted to make an impact here at home, using the power of the horse as our way to connect with each other,” he explained.
“I liked the idea of riding along ancient trails and historic routes, fund-raising as we go – and Venture Trust seemed a wonderful charity to work with. And doing St Columba’s Way – but doing it in reverse, from St Andrews to Iona – sounded fun.”
A major highlight for Louis is being able to connect with those he’s raising money for – participants on the charity’s outdoor therapy programme.
“Some of them had no experience of horses, but they loved it and want to join our next adventure,” he said.
“The horses can do so much good, and to see people riding them and getting huge pleasure from doing so is just amazing.
“One guy was struggling with unemployment and another was a recovering alcoholic.
“This was totally new to them, but they loved the outdoors, they loved the walking, they loved the whole adventure.
“Others talked about they way they felt free to think, or how they enjoyed connecting to the strangers around them. Some suddenly felt a sense of peace in their lives; the experience sparked their imagination.”
‘This is just braw!’ – Charity trek participant
One young guy I chatted to told me he lived in Shettleston, in the east of Glasgow. He had barely been out of the city. The grin on his face said it all.
“This is just braw!” he exclaimed. “I’m already excited about the next trip. I’d never been near a horse but now I know I love them!”
Once we’d finished our lunch, we set off on the next stage of our travels. This turned out to be pretty hairy.
We rode up a main road just a stone’s throw away from the clogged A9, with lorries and buses shuttling past us at speed.
Crossing the A9, we headed up a more peaceful road towards Tullybelton. Alas, the heavens well and truly opened.
Waving goodbye to charity trekkers
With only a few miles to Little Glenshee, Karen and I decided to bail. We were drenched and we had to rely on Karen’s lovely mum to come and collect us.
It had been some experience – Promise is an absolute darling, and a brave, bold, girl at that. Connie, too – what a fantastic little horse.
Waving goodbye to the team, I pledged to catch up with Louis when he’d completed the challenge.
I followed their exploits on Facebook, wishing I could’ve ridden the entire route, as they navigated increasingly gorgeous landscape, staying overnight in bothies, guest houses, barns, or wild camping. They made it to Iona in just 13 days – no mean feat!
Mammoth trek
More than 40 people, eight horses and two dogs had joined the adventure.
“People came and went but there was a core team of around 12, and everyone was self-sufficient,” said Louis.
“The youngest person we had was eight and the oldest was Sue at 69.
“We averaged about 15 miles a day, which wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, and Sue was right up there with us the whole time.”
Following the mammoth trek, Sue and her friend Jessica Lauman-Lairson walked Moy, the Highland pony, 70 miles back to Ardverickie. Talk about gluttons for punishment!
The high moments for Louis were vast. But the day the group “left the tarmac” and headed into a glen near Little Glenshee (just after Karen and I had departed, sadly), was a major highlight.
“The world suddenly opened up and there was this incredible rich, green landscape, with little streams,” he shared.
“I remember that freeing feeling of being in uncharted territory with no phone signal.”
Memorable moments from The Big Hoof charity trek
Other memorable moments included a party on the banks of Loch Tay with fireworks and a ceilidh, camping at Bridge of Orchy, and reaching Oban, where they left the horses and took the ferry to Mull, hired bikes, and carried on to Iona.
“Iona was like a dream,” said Louis. “We got the first bit of sun we’d had in a few days and it was a peaceful finish to a long journey.”
Ultimately, the Big Hoof team’s ride from St Andrews to Iona raised almost £6,000 for Venture Trust – and the funds keep trickling in.
Louis started riding as a young boy, but it was a trip to Mongolia in 2014 that cemented his passion for horses.
Having heard about a tribe there who helped people with mental health issues through horses, he thought they could help a friend who was battling his own demons. It worked – Louis’s friend got better when he was around them.
After returning from Mongolia, Louis began working in a stable in London, then becoming a riding instructor in the city’s Hyde Park, while also auditioning for a string of acting roles.
In 2020 he founded The Big Hoof, a charity which organises ridden long-distance fund-raising challenges for unique causes and aims to “promote adventure and well-being through the power of the horse”.
During Louis’s first big charity ride, on Highland/Connemara pony called Irelanda on loan from Ormiston Highlands in Kingussie, and in memory of his friend Leo who had died aged 26, Louis raised £38,000 for UK-based charity Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
And in 2021 he rode 100 miles from Cornwall to Devon to raise £3,000 for Afghan refugees.
His trip last year was truly epic, setting off from Siena in Italy with his horse, Sasha, in March.
The pair made their way through Tuscany to the Ligurian mountains, on to Basque Country, through the Pyrenees, a mountain range straddling the border between France and Spain, and on to the famous Camino de Santiago trail before completing their journey in Cape Finisterre on the west coast of Spain in July.
As he rode, he raised £24,000 for Ukrainian refugees and “outsider” artists.
So, what next? Louis’s deliberating adventures in both the UK and Romania later in the year. Long term, he has his eyes set on the USA and the Silk Road.
- Venture Trust helps support adults and young people struggling with mental health and wellbeing issues. The outdoor therapy service is a free, confidential service for 16 to 25 year old and ex-service personnel.
- There’s still time to donate – thebighoof.com
- In 2019 Louis won the Best Leading Actor award at the Rome International Prisma Film Festival. And he played the lead role in Stella, a feature film set in Galloway out last year and now available on STV Player.
- Karen Inkster runs natural equine centre Equine Unlimited on Dungarthill Estate near Dunkeld. She offers horse holidays, livery, overnight trips into the hills, clinics and friendly competitions. Karen promotes bitless and barefoot riding and the use of positive reinforcement training – but you don’t have to be bitless or barefoot to use the facilities. Her horses have starred in a host of films, including a Western movie inspired by Star Wars, and have featured in the BBC’s Grand Tours of Scotland series with Paul Murton.
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