Long Ride 4 Life 100 days fundraiser horse ride from Queensland – Tasmania

Take 4 Horses, 4 Dogs and 4 Humans, Add Leukaemia, a Heart Attack and
3,000km and You've Got An Amazing Story of Courage (and Saddle-Sore
Bottoms!).

The Long Ride 4 Life (LR4L) originated through a crazy idea about how to transport four horses from Queensland to Tasmania.

Why not ride them, we thought? 4 people, 4 horses and 4 dogs?? It can’t be that hard!! Two city slickers, a 76-year young mustering fanatic … and a Dutch architectural technician, along with 4 horses and 4 dogs will travel 3,000 kms over 100 days down the stock routes of eastern Australia to raise money for charity.  The Long Ride 4 Life is a journey of a lifetime.

Leaving from the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Heritage at Longreach in Queensland on July 16th, 2014 and following routes which will include many of eastern Australia’s towns that many people have never heard of, the journey will end with a crossing of Bass Strait, to arrive in Ulverstone, Tasmania on 1 November, 2014, in time to enter the street Parade for Show Day. That’s a lot of sore backsides!!

Terrill Riley-Gibson, a self-confessed city slicker and cowgirl in high heels and her Husband Andrew Gibson will soon embark on this ride of a lifetime.

The Gibson’s lives were turned upside down six years ago when Andrew was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukaemia. A few years later as Andrew was recovering from life-saving stem cell transplant from his brother Peter, Terrill suffered a stress-induced heart attack. Having survived these brushes with death, the Long Ride 4 Life is their way to give something back
to the Leukaemia Foundation.

They hope to raise $250,000 and the money will be shared with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Terrill’s 76 year young father Harold Riley will also join the ride. Harold has spent most of his life mustering in the Queensland outback, and acknowledges a debt of gratitude to the RFDS who were there to rescue him after many work related accidents and falls from horses.   

Dutch architectural technician and horsewoman, Anna Hoogeboom has returned to Australia and will add a global focus and fulfil her dream of trekking outback
Australia.

Throughout the three months, the group will stop at bush camps and one-horse
country towns where they will meet and be greeted by the townsfolk. From
Longreach to Ulverstone, the group will camp out under the stars, with their self-funded motorhome that will support the ride, their four horses (Wallaby, Lucky, Pedro and Jasper) and the four dogs (Rock, Minnie, Lucy and Terrill’s dog Snap). Snap will turn 16 on the ride, which is proof that you can’t keep a good dog down.

The Long Ride 4 Life is about the spirit of Australians.

From city-dwellers to country folk, it will tell a story of passion, family and community. It is also a story about fundraising, supporting the Leukaemia Foundation and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) with the aim to raise $250,000 and increase awareness about the life saving stem cell registry.

Saddleworld proudly join the many generous sponsors who have got behind this very worthy cause and have supplied 4 sensational EUROHUNTER rugs to ensure that the horses were comfortable and warm on the chilly winter nights.  We look forward to hearing news updates to share.

You can follow the Long Ride 4 Life on their Facebook Page  …  CLICK HERE