A boy who adopted an abused pony is now taking part in a sponsored horse ride with her.

Tai Tookey, 13, who lives in Eastbourne, came across Misty 18 months ago when he went to a horse rescue centre with his mum Mikayla Tookey, 37.

Misty was three years old at the time, and was painfully thin.

She had suffered abuse and had never been ridden or trained.

Tai has loved horses since he was five and had been taking riding lessons, but the family had never owned a pony before.

They wanted to rescue Misty even though they were unsure if they would ever be able to ride her.

Mikayla said: “We fell in love with Misty and wanted to give her a loving home even if we couldn’t give anything else.”

After a few months of looking after Misty and gaining her trust, Mikayla did some research and decided to prepare her for riding.

She said: “It wasn’t easy but we braved it and she was so accepting of everything we threw at her.

“Within no time we were able to hack her out even in the heaviest traffic and she was so good.”

As time went on, Misty’s confidence and strength increased, but this began to cause difficulties for Tai when riding her as she started to bolt.

Tai said: “It was scary at first, I fell off about ten times but we carried on teaching her and she is doing really well now.”

She found out about the sponsored hack organised by Brooke, a charity which helps working horses, donkeys and mules, and decided to sign Tai up.

My Hackathon, now in its second year, runs until October and challenges riders across the UK to hack 100 miles in 100 days and raise £100 for the charity.

Mikayla said: “It is a chance for Tai to go back to doing what he loved in the beginning and regain confidence beyond the school and yard whilst raising money for an incredible charity.

“Tai has never given up on Misty despite his fears and My Hackathon came at a perfect time for them both.”

Equestrian and Brooke ambassador Richard Waygood said: “I’m proud to support Brooke’s My Hackathon again this year.

“Hacking is essential for a healthy, happy horse, and it’s good for you too.”