Great Britain: After 50 years West’s greatest horse race could finally be over

Westernmorningnews.co.uk - Full Article

By Western Morning News | Posted: March 22, 2015
by Mike Bramhall

The 50th running of one of Britain's toughest endurance horse races across Westcountry 'wilds' could also be its last.

For half a century, the Golden Horseshoe Ride on Exmoor has tested riders and horses to the limit over a 100-mile course which takes in some of the most remote moorland in southern England.

The three-day event, starting on May 17, also features a series of other rides, and attracts more than 200 riders and supporters who pump more than £60,000 into the Exmoor economy.

But as organisers gear up for the golden anniversary meeting, Barbara Wigley, chair of the organising committee, said she feared it could be the final furlong for the cherished event.

She said: "It is the 50th and possibly the last. It is my last – I have been chairman for the past nine years – and I am stepping down, as are the rest of the committee.

"It has taken over my life. We are looking for someone from Endurance GB to take it over, but no one has come forward yet. There needs to be a rescue plan. But if this is going to be the last one, we will go out with a bang."

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