Pair complete 1,000-mile horseback journey

Two women have completed a 1,000-mile (1,609km) journey from John O'Groats to Land's End on horseback.

Alison Zuend and Jo Treweek from Devon set off on their horses Poppy and Bonny on 1 May, raising more than £20,000 for Alzheimer's Research UK during the journey.

The ride was inspired by both women having witnessed the impact of Alzheimer's disease, Zuend through her father and Treweek through her mother, who died of the condition during the ride.

Speaking after they crossed the finish line, the pair said they have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity of the people along the journey.

Treweek said: "We are tired, happy and sad at the same time - mixed emotions.

"We have had an epic ride through unseasonably cold weather in Scotland 3 months ago, to heat waves in England that meant 04:00 starts to the day.

"We are looking forward to some lie-ins and being in our own beds!"

She added: "We have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers on this journey and couldn't have done it alone.

"We are thrilled to be exceeding our £20k target of funds for Alzheimer's Research UK.

"Alzheimer's and dementia are such cruel diseases, and hopes of a cure lie in research. We are so happy to be able to make a contribution."

The horses have travelled through rivers, across bridges, over the Pennines, the Fosse Way and the Malverns while trying to avoid roads where possible.

Zuend said: "Keeping them safe and happy and gaining their confidence every day is an enormous challenge.

"The route and how to get from A to B has also been extremely difficult because the things that make this route possible are man-made and the things that make this route very challenging are man-made, in particular traffic on the roads."

A support trailer operated by volunteers travelled ahead of the horses and provided essential logistics and occasional accommodation.

"So it's joining together where we need to stop with the horses that's got grazing for the night and where the big barriers are like bridges, like rivers, like motorway crossings and things like that," said Zuend.

"So you have to sort of piece it together from where you're stopping, what you need to avoid, and then trying to find as much bridleway as possible."

The women have been documenting their journey on social media through their Adventure B4 Dementia profile.

Treweek said after losing her mum to Alzheimer's, it would be difficult to return to day-to-day life once the journey has finished

"That's going to be a big gap when I go back because I've been looking after her for a long time until this trip, so that's gonna be a shame," she said.

"We're trying to raise funds because we're really, really anxious that there should be a cure found at some point."

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