COMPLETING a coast-to-coast challenge on horseback proved to be a hairy ride for two sisters.

Janine and Gail Smith have raised more than £1,000 for the autistic and young people's charity, Daisy Chain, by riding more than 200 miles from St Bees Head, in Cumbria, to Redcar, Teesside.

But away from the North-East and North Yorkshire, they found themselves confronted by ill-defined tracks with no signposts, a fast-flowing river, a bog and mad drivers on the trans-Pennine A66.

Unable to use footpaths and stiles for walkers and only some stretches of cycleway, the duo still managed to achieve their goal Janine said yesterdin six days.

ay: "It was definitely an experience and a lot of things went wrong - like my horse deciding to jump a gate while I was opening it. This challenge is rarely done on horseback and I would definitely not recommend it to anyone else, unless you are in an organised group with lots of support.

"Despite our good map and time-tabling, we found the bridleways weren't always maintained and in some places it was dangerous."