Tack

This, of course, is one of the most important components of the trip. Peggy's tack not only has to fit her and suit her, but it has to be easy to take care of.

The biggest worry is the saddle. A horse's saddle must fit perfectly or they can develop back problems. When you consider that Peggy not only has to carry my weight but also her saddlebags, picking the right saddle becomes even more essential.

Luckily, Bates have come to my rescue. They're an Australian company whose UK branch have kindly offered me a saddle. I've opted for their Kimberly Poley saddle, which is an Australian one.

Australian saddles look a little different from the usual English ones that you see on horses in this country. They're cut with straighter flaps, so that they don't impede the horse's shoulder, and they have two small pommels, called poleys, at the front which help hold the rider in place in steep country. They also have far deeper seats than English saddles.

The Australian saddle is based on English ones, but since it was modified by stockmen who had to spend all day in rough terrain herding cattle and sheep, it's an ideal choice for long distance riding. Aesthetically and physically it still bears a strong resemblance to English saddles - an important consideration for a rider who has spent all her time on horseback in an English saddle. It also means that I'm riding in a saddle that isn't too far evolved from the astride saddles of Celia Fiennes' day.

Bates have also brought in a new innovation, their Cair panel system. Instead of stuffing the saddle panels with material (often wool) as most manufacturers do, their latest range of saddles are padded with air pockets. This means that the padding can't get moved out of place in the way that more conventional saddles change shape, and it's far kinder to both horse and rider. Instead of a solid layer between us, part of that layer is air, which means that my weight is more evenly distributed across Peggy's back, which should benefit from the process.

I currently ride Peggy in two bridles. One is a conventional bridle with a standard snaffle bit, as you might see on any riding school horse in the country. The other is a newer style, without a bit, from America. They both have their advantages. Peggy was schooled in a bit, and certainly moves better in one for shorter periods of time. If I want to do any work with her on improving her overall demeanour, I ride her in this.

The other, the bitless bridle, is rather different. It controls the horse with pressure on the noseband, and with two crossed throatlashes attached to the reins. So if I pull on the left rein, for example, instead of pulling on the left side of Peggy's mouth, the throatlash pushes her from the right hand side. This mimics the way horses move each other around - mares will guide their foals by pushing them in the correct direction.

The bitless bridle also gives me more control in emergencies. Peggy is fully capable of ignoring commands from a bit but this bridle effectively gets her in a headlock from which she can't escape. It doesn't hurt her and it's far more less likely to do damage to her than yanking on her mouth would do.

It also means that feeding her along the way is much easier. Instead of Peggy spending six hours with iron between her teeth, she has a free mouth for when she needs to graze. More details can be found at www.bitlessbridle.com.

All my tack is synthetic where possible. Leather is traditional for horses, but leather requires constant care and maintenance, which, since my saddle is leather, takes more time. With her synthetic equipment, I can just wash it down with water, sometimes with a special shampoo, and leave it to dry.

Then, there are Peggy's shoes to consider. Most horses wear metal shoes which are nailed to their hooves. The reason for this is that a horse's hoof is designed to be kept at a standard length by normal movements on grassland. However, horses that are ridden are travelling far more than they would in a herd and are often ridden on harsher surfaces than grass. Metal shoes aren't cruel even though many people think they must hurt, but horse hoof is a tough material, and the horse feels nothing.

However, metal shoes must be replaced regularly and have a tendency to fall off at bad moments. They can't just be stuck back on either, which means that they can be inconvenient for long-distance travel. Instead, I had hoped that Peggy would be wearing Old Mac's Horse Boots. These are Australian again (the Australians certainly take their long-distance riding seriously) and strap on over the hoof in much the same way that a shoe fits a human. They've got a sturdy grip on the base, where the hoof is entirely covered, and if they come off, I could just get off Peggy and strap them on again.

Unfortunately, Australian horses are built on a smaller scale than UK carthorses and Old Mac's just don't make their boots in a large enough size for Peggy. So it's back to metal shoes - I shall be carrying an Easyboot, which is a type of replacement boot, for times when Peggy casts a shoe.

This means that I need to have a list of farriers and blacksmiths around the country - Celia may have benefited from a time when every town and village had one, but I must plan more carefully.

Finally, there's the saddle bags. Most of this trip will be done without a backup car, which means that I must carry all my gear and Peggy's on her. For this, I've found some excellent American bags, which are made out of Cordura (the same material rucksacks are made from) and which have a special pad to distribute the weight across her back. I have five bags - two large back ones, two small front ones which come complete with water bottles and a larger, cantle bag, which straps across the top of the pad. However, depending on our needs, I plan on leaving the cantle bag at home and travelling as light as possible.