The Long Horse Ride is a journey on horseback from Beijing to London.
The first stage started after the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is set to arrive in London in time for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

The ride will bring a message of goodwill from Beijing in the Beijing Olympic year to London in the London Olympic year, and will raise money for disadvantaged children worldwide.

It is planned that the ride will be carried out in five stages, three of which will be through China, following the course of the Great Wall, and crossing the Gobi desert to the Yili grasslands. The opening trial stage started from the end of the Great Wall at Laolongtou, Shanhaiguan on October 4th 2008 and reached Badaling on October 23rd. From China the route will lie onwards through Kyrgyzstan and Kazahkstan, passing north of the Caspian and Black Seas and through Europe.

The ride is being backed in China by the China Horse Federation and is raising money for the British based charity Schoolchildrenforchildren www.schoolchildrenforchildren.org and the China based charity the China Children and Teenagers Fund. School projects will be identified along the route of the Chinese section of the ride to benefit from funds donated and distributed by the charities, and to tie in with the journey itself. In the first year money is being donated to the Dandelion school for migrant children in Beijing.

The venture is being led by pony breeder, international pony judge and national endurance rider Megan Lewis who will complete the entire distance. Both British and Chinese riders will participate in various sections of the ride, and it is planned to include paying guest riders at a later stage. Accompanying Megan on the first stage were Rowena Haigh and Mr Peng Wen Chao, together with guide Mr Ren Hong, and ride manager Mr He Guo Sheng,

The ride will use local breeds of horse suited to the local conditions and terrain.
For the first leg five Chinese bred horses were used, two being named Bei bei and Jing jing after the Olympic mascots.

Have Horse Will Travel will be working with Megan and will take bookings for riders who are interested in joining her at any stage in the second leg of her journey along the Great Wall.
This is scheduled to start at the beginning of April 2009. Starting from Badaling, the journey goes along the Ming Great Wall of China to the other end at Jiayuguan expecting to arrive by the beginning of August 2009
Megan expects to cover about 20-25 miles a day, and be in the saddle for up to eight hours a day, taking a day off every week, and perhaps a little longer every month.

She will have a back-up vehicle, principally to carry horse fodder, but it will also take personal luggage. She also intends to carry camping equipment, which will be used if it is allowed or necessary.

Potential riders can look at Megan’s diary www.thelonghorseride.co.uk to get an idea of what to be prepared for with respect to accommodation etc. Riders will be expected to pull their weight with regards to looking after their horses, etc - this is an expedition, not a holiday! Travel arrangements can be booked through Have Horse Will Travel. Contact Emma on 01303 862 996 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it