Pristine Condition Customer Relations Manager and Army Reservist Recreates Wartime Cavalry Offensive

Customer Relations Manager and army reservist, Freja Galliven, completed a 100km horse ride through France and Belgium to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

Freja took part in the International Cavalry Association’s Pursuit to Mons last month to commemorate the last cavalry offensive of the conflict.

The 70 riders followed the route from Cambrai to Mons taken by the allied forces as they pushed the Germans through Belgium in 1918.

Freja begins:

“I was utterly honoured to be a part of something like this. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and an extremely memorable experience.”

Freja is a reservist in the 94 Berkshire Yeomanry, Royal Corps of Signals and rode Gisella, a 17-year-old ex-trotter.

Preparation for the challenge was tough which included riding in formation for long periods in Windsor with the Light Cavalry, part of the Honourable Artillery Company. The ride itself took eight days and involved sitting on the horse for about seven hours a day in a period saddle while wearing a wartime army uniform.

Freja added:

“We would stop for lunch and there would be organised parades in some of the towns. Each night we would bed down the horses and set up in a field or local park before trying to get our heads down.

My friends and family thought I was absolutely bonkers for doing it but it was both humbling and moving to take part.”

Freja raised more than £700 for Brooke, an international animal welfare charity dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules.

Freja continued:

“I joined the officer training corps as an extra curriculum activity and it opened my eyes to the opportunities within the army. I decided it would be a better career choice than joining the police, which I had hoped to do.”

Freja has long-loved horses since her childhood. Her late grandfather, Ove Hoglund, who lived in Sweden, used them for work.

Freja finished by saying:

“He relied upon them heavily to earn a living through ploughing fields and dragging cut- down trees off the snow-covered mountains. I would go over to Sweden and spend time with him and with his horses every day. One thing I learnt from my grandfather was that these magnificent beasts should be treated with respect and gratitude for the unrewarding work they do for us.”

To read more on Pristine Condition's connection with the forces, please click here.