Fife woman with MS takes on three-day horse ride in charity fundraiser

She can no longer walk without the support of a stick.

Now Ruth, her friend Peggy Nicholson, and mum Roz Davie, will ride a combined total of 45-miles around Lochore Meadows over three days to raise funds for MS Society Scotland

The trio are taking part in the challenge as part of Scotland’s Virtual Kiltwalk which takes place as part of MS Awareness Week.

The trio have already raised over £600, but, thanks to the Hunter Foundation, all funds generated will be topped up by a further 50 per cent.

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Ruth said: “I used to do some awareness raising for MS when I could still walk, but now my mobility has deteriorated, I can’t do the riding shows I used to do.

“My horse, Jay, isn’t a Riding for the Disabled horse but the minute I get on her she is the most sensible, level headed animal I have ever met.

“Since the girls at my stable got me my own custom mounting block with smaller steps, I only need one person to help me onto my horse instead of three.

"So I’ve been able to get on more walks with Jay over the last two months and this has really built up.

“I’ve done four miles at any given time and by the time I get back, I can’t feel a thing and need a lot of support to get off and rest for an hour to recover.”

Ruth adds that her horse has motivated her through lockdown.

“It’s been absolutely amazing. Jay gives me the purpose to get up in the day, through lockdown she has been everything to me,” she added.

“I really wanted to raise money for the MS Society, so I thought now that I’m able to walk more with Jay, why not do the Kiltwalk?

“I spoke to my friend, Peggy, who comes on her horse with me, because I can’t go out on my own, and we decided between us and my mum that we would take on the challenge.”

If you would like to donate to Ruth’s Kiltwalk, please visit: https://virtual.thekiltwalk.co.uk/fundraising/ScotlandsVirtualKiltwalk2021-RuthWhite

Or to take on your own challenge and raise money to stop MS, please visit: https://www.mssociety.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise.

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