Willberry spoke to Charlotte on her Wobbleberry competition at West Wilts aboard her trusty stead Windmill Ellen. 

Here is what she had to say about the challenge..

''We did it!!! We completed our Wobbleberry Challenge at West Wilts on 7th September 2018.  I had various events throughout the year pencilled in to try and complete the challenge but due to adverse weather these all got crossed off the list.  As my warm up event I entered the Hannah Francis ODE near Radstock in July and came a very respectable 6th in my 70cm section (despite pilot error on the course and going slightly astray!). This event was so friendly and well run it gave me the confidence to enter West Wilts which I did on the last day entries were accepted which lead to various panicked calls to the British Eventing office who were super helpful and very patient with me!   On the day of my Challenge I had a whole team from my yard come along to support me and my amazing pony Windmill Ellen was a superstar.  Ellen is a 14.1hh Connemara and her favourite thing in the whole world (apart from eating) is jumping!!! We had a 37.5% dressage (stressage definitely our weakest phase) and a double clear!!! We did pick up some time penalties xc but it was such an amazing experience I will just have to remember to push on a bit next time (I am absolutely going to do another!!). I have MS so riding is not always easy for me but my MS nurse told me years ago never to give up horses and riding because of all the benefits physically and mentally so I am not going to let her down. I am blessed to have Ellen who is definitely my horse of a lifetime, we have built a great relationship over the 3 years I have owned her and I totally trusted her to look after me that day and do her best.  I was poorly for a while after the challenge because it does take a lot emotionally and physically to compete but it was so worth it and I am so proud of what we achieved that day for Ellen and I, for Hannah and for all the other Wobbleberries still to compete but who will achieve their dream one day I am sure.''

I think its safe to say Charlotte is made of tough stuff! Willberry is soooo proud of their super completion.

Wendy got in touch with Willberry's Wish team about how she wanted to go and visit the famous Frankel. Willberry and his team got straight to work, speaking to Victoria Murrell who works at Banstead Manor stud Juddmonte Farms Ltd where Frankel spends his days.. Willberry also managed to get a trip to National Heritage Centre For Horseracing & Sporting Art organised before their trip to meet Frankel.

Along came the 7th December, the day for Wendy's wish. The sun shone as everyone made their way to the museum. Wendy and Julie were lovely. By stroke of Willberry magic, the first person we bumped into at the museum was Bob Champion!! He was on his way up to Olympia but wished them a good day. The paintings of the race horses were magnificent and the silks from the jockeys going back years in glass cases were extraordinary. 

The RoR have a small yard at the back of the museum where they can keep up to 8 horses for the start of there re training. They gave a demonstration of their work which Wendy and Julie (Wendy's daughter) went and watched. We had to be sure to keep an eye on the time as we definitely could have spent longer at the museum.

After lunch was finished at the museum we got back in the cars and headed out of Newmarket town and into immaculate countryside to arrive at Banstead Manor Stud.  Despite a quick sat-nav error and arriving at the mares unloading bay they arrived through the high metal gates up the drive to a beautiful manor house and the offices.

Wendy and Julie went with a lovely man from the yard and grabbed a seat in the sun as the 5 stallions were paraded out for them. Wendy said she'd had a brilliant time and was even lucky enough to give Frankel a carrot!!

What did Wendy think of her wish?

”What a wonderful Willberry Wish my daughter, Julie Hurst, and I had when we visited Newmarket in December in beautiful sunshine! The Museum in the morning was very interesting and the live demonstration of the Retraining of Racehorses quite fascinating.  They do such a good job. After a delicious lunch there Julie and I progressed to the main event of meeting Frankel and the four other stallions at the Juddmonte Stud. It was such a privilege to have all the stallions paraded before us as we sat on our 'director's chairs' and then to be able to pat and feed Frankel with carrots was oh so special! We will treasure the memory for ever. Our guide was so welcoming and knowledgeable, too. Very many thanks to him and the Stud. We also really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful and varied trophies that Frankel and the other stallions had won. Truly a day to remember!” 

Willberry is so glad he managed to bring a smile to Wendy’s face. 

Clare Reeves contacted Willberry’s Wishes in November 2017.  In April 2017 she was diagnosed with a grade three triple negative breast cancer.  She was only aware of her condition when her little mare began nudging her breast every day, and she realised she had a lump.  She has undergone a double mastectomy and hysterectomy, but apart from her young family her focus throughout was being able to get back to riding her little mare Frankie.  Frankie was very green and so one of Clare’s Wishes on her list was to have a sympathetic instructor who could help her and Frankie gain confidence together with the big goal to ride around a Wobbleberry event.

Willberry found a wonderful instructor James McCullough and arranged for ten lessons to fit in with Clare’s chemotherapy and operations over the Spring and Summer months.  James helped them enormously and gave her the confidence to finally compete in her first Wobbleberry event in September, where she successfully completed all three elements and was absolutely elated just like Willberry!

 Being the Wonder Pony he is, Willberry also managed to link Clare up with the showjumping legend, Nick Skelton. Clare headed to his yard and was treated to an amazing day there, with Nick showing Clare around all the yards, hosting a yummy lunch and even a tour of his son’s racing yard and the gallops in his mini Moke! 

Clare is an incredibly tough, positive girl who has fought her way through a dreadful time, whilst fund raising for Willberry at the same time.  She is enjoying good health now and is going from strength to strength on Frankie.

Bring on the 2019 season!