A man has completed a three-week trek visiting Dorset’s hill forts, accompanied by his faithful Dales pony, who he led in hand for the entire adventure.
Roger Sewill and Scarlet took on the challenge from 14 April to 5 May, encountering everything from unpredictable weather and kit malfunctions, to blocked paths and bogs.
The pair even found themselves with screeching apes to one side and cars speeding past the other, as they walked along the road beside Monkey World.
Roger said the trip strengthened the bond between himself and his mare, and leading her in hand allowed him to become more in tune with her behaviour.
“I do ride, but my interest has always been long distance walking, and when we got Scarlet I realised there was a lovely opportunity to walk with her,” he told Your Horse.
“She could carry my pack, and we could go off on adventures together.
“I really enjoy the unrestricted approach, allowing Scarlet to have a voice as she walks beside me.
“She walks slower than I would normally, and I really enjoy trying to engage with her space, so when she stops and looks into the horizon, I also stop and do that.
“Your paces come in sync with the horse when you’re walking – photographers along the route kept saying, ‘Roger your steps are identical with Scarlet’s’.
“They bring you into their herd more than you bring them into yours.”
Roger noticed how Scarlet carefully selected and picked at different grasses and plants along the route, as well as making subtle changes of position to ensure she was on the flattest area of the track, even if that meant switching sides with him.
“She was pulling herself into the center of the road so that her center of gravity was balanced and all the stuff on her back was balanced – I suddenly found myself in the middle of the road too and realised that was more comfortable,” he recalled.
“I allowed Scarlett to help me notice more things that I would have just missed in my normal horse world, or just walking by myself.”
Accompanied by a student film crew from Bournemouth University, who documented the trip, Roger and Scarlet navigated all manner of terrains and obstacles.
At one point, the pair found themselves stuck in an overgrown path between fallen logs, but Scarlet was able to find her way out of trouble with remarkable ease.
“Each time she scrambled over huge logs and through really thick shrub,” Roger explained.
On another occasion, when Roger was struggling to descend a narrow and steep track, Scarlet carefully made her way down, ensuring she didn’t step on Roger and cementing his trust in relationship.
This wasn’t the first challenge Roger and Scarlet have completed, and in 2024, the pair trekked 200 miles from Surrey to Dorset.
Roger said he found that challenge a steep learning curve, but Scarlet soon settled in to the routine and became stronger as the trek continued, as she also did on this year’s adventure.
The land agent is now in the process of planning his next trek, taking Scarlet back to the Yorkshire Dales to walk the Pennine Way and focus on Dales ponies and their history.
Lead image by Shannon Marsh-Lloyd
