Willberry had some help from his super duper patron Kitty King Eventing for an extra special Wonder Pony project today!

It was time to award the incredibly special Hannah Francis Award to the inspirational young eventer, Fin  at none other than the prestigious Badminton Horse Trials.

Fin can only be described as a superstar - successfully bringing on her own, and clients, young horses all whilst supporting her mum who was diagnosed with cancer and overcoming challenges faced at school. Hannah would be SO chuffed to see Fin awarded her special bronze 

CONGRATULATIONS FIN 

A HUGE thank you to Kitty for her unwavering support, and for taking time out of the competition - Team Willberry have our fingers, toes and hooves firmly crossed for tomorrow!

Finally, additional thank you's must go to Hannah Cole Photography for the great snap  and Amy Goodman. Sculptor & Portrait Artist for creating the gorgeous bronze of Hannah  

#inspiredbyHannah 

Seven-year-old Dylan is pony mad.  Ponies are his life, and he was off competing almost every weekend, until earlier this year when he began to feel unwell.  After six months of misdiagnosis, it was confirmed that he has Ewing Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer which mainly affects children and young adults.

His mum Jessica wrote to Willberry asking if Dylan could have a Berry pony in the first instance, but Willberry was determined that he could do something much more than that for little Dylan.  When he asked Jessica if he had any special wishes, she said he would love to go to the London international Horse Show, and if possible, sit on Santa’s sleigh.

This was definitely something that Willberry could help with, as the organisers of the show have been so helpful with wishes in previous years, we were hopeful that they would be again.  Well of course they needn’t have worried, they were incredibly helpful and the wheels were all set in motion for the big day...

Dylan arrived first thing with his Mum Jess, they were both so excited and headed straight to the shops, the shopping at The London International is huge and they were not disappointed!

Dylan and his Mum went to the afternoon performance on Saturday and could not believe the show, The GS Equestrian Pony Club Mini-Major, The Kennel Club Large Dog Jumping Grand Prix, Devil’s Horsemen, Shetland Pony Grand National and so much more….. Dylan loved it and was so full of energy when it had finished, amazing considering he had received treatment only the day before.

Willberry met Dylan and Jess after the show with the lovely Fiona from The London International Horse Show, and we went to find Father Christmas.  Father Christmas greeted Dylan and asked him if he would like a ride on his sleigh, well of course Dylan was up for that!  Pulled by two beautiful horses, Dylan and Father Christmas shot off around the arena……..WOW!

Now on to the backstage tour, Dylan was off like a shot speeding off on his crutches – straight to the Shetlands.  Dylan helped Vera feed some of the ponies, and even got to meet ‘Duble’ his favorite.

Dylan went around the stables stroking noses and then to his delight on his way out, Dan Delsart had brought the amazing ‘Granby’ out to see him.  Willberry couldn’t believe how tall he was -  ‘Granby’ was a giant!  Dylan had had lessons with Dan on his own pony before he became poorly.

Dylan was incredibly still full of energy when Willberry said his goodbyes - Dylan you are one tough little boy so keep #kickingcancersbutt ❤️ 

Molly’s Mum Anita contacted Willberry in the Spring of this year as she was deeply touched by Hannah’s story and wanted to come to the stand at Badminton to say hello with her 8-year-old daughter Molly.  Molly had recently relapsed with leukaemia, and although her little pony Jimmy Choo was keeping her spirits up, she was still struggling this time round with the illness.

Willberry immediately wanted to give her something amazing to look forward to and asked Anita if Molly would like a special treat as a Willberry Wish?  Molly said she would love to go to the London International Horse Show, and once again Willberry knew he could make this wish come true!  Before long, thanks to the help and support of the organisers at London, they soon had planned for Molly and her family to make the trip to the best horsey Christmas show on earth!

Molly was so excited to meet Willberry and couldn’t wait for the show.  In the morning Molly and her Mum and sister Charlotte did some retail therapy to later be met by her Dad to enjoy a family surprise.  Willberry met Molly and her family with the lovely Fiona from The London International Horse Show, and we went to find Father Christmas.  Father Christmas greeted Molly and to everyone’s surprise invited them onto his sleigh, pulled by two beautiful horses.  Molly’s smile was huge.

Molly and her family then went backstage and what a sight as Le Regiment de Cavalerie de la Garde Republicaine went past on their way the main arena!  Before Molly had time draw breath, we were off again, this time to meet Merrylegs who is retiring after Monday’s performance in the Shetland Grand National.  Merrylegs is one of the smallest racing shetlands in the team at 39 inches, and it was obvious that he immediately took a special shine to Molly. Vera managed to gather all the jockeys from the Shetland Grand National team together to meet Molly, which was very special, giving Molly a signed programme from this year’s team.  The tour was rounded off with a beautiful rosette from a competitor in the 148 class.

Finally, after so much excitement already, it was time for the performance itself, and what a spectacle it was!   Molly had the most amazing time and enjoyed the special magic that is always created at the London International Horse Show.

Our very special thanks go to the team at London International Horse Show, Fiona, Wiggy and Megan.  We would also like to thank Fiona who photographed some very special moments for us.

Molly, Willberry has loved meeting you and your family, you are amazing, keep #kickingcancersbutt ❤️

Kristi has been battling duodenal cancer which has sadly returned once more, and she had a longstanding dream to meet the superstar Valegro.  When Kristi’s friend Jane asked Willberry if he could help, Willberry got straight to work and contacted Carl Hester’s fantastic team.  They were immediately keen to help out, and even though Valegro is now retired, they were delighted to invite Kristi to the yard to meet him.

Kristi and Jane arrived at the beautiful yard in Gloucestershire where Carl and Charlotte Dujardin are based, and were surprised to be greeted by peacocks, hens and guinea fowl before they could even see a horse!

Alan Davies, International travelling groom for Carl and Charlotte, came to greet them and took them to meet all the beautiful dressage horses in the yard...... WOW!!! One intelligent head after another came out to say hello, and enjoy the cuddles from the ladies, with Jane taking a particular shine to the stunning mare Times Kismet.  After a tour of the arenas and a wonderfully entertaining insight into ‘behind the scenes’ life from Alan, it was time to meet the great man himself...          

Valegro and Uthopia had two special stables to themselves with views of the fields, and Kristi could barely wait to stroke him!  With the stable door wide open, he stood politely and soaked up the adoration and love as if it were only to be expected!  Uthopia was equally gracious next door, and two kinder, more gentle horses would be hard to find.  Valegro (aka Blueberry) even had his own Blueberry horse treats made especially for him by NAF!

Kristi and Jane finally had to drag themselves away and leave these incredible athletes, but they took with them some very special moments to store in their special memory banks ❤️

Our huge thanks go to Alan Davies for so generously giving us his time, and such fascinating and funny anecdotes of life looking after the very best dressage horses and riders of our time.  We are forever grateful and send all our love to the whole team there.

Rachel wrote to Willberry wondering if he might help her through difficult times by fulfilling a dream of hers.  Rachel was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2018 and underwent the gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy, followed by extensive surgery.  To stay positive throughout her recovery, Rachel set her sights on a Wobbleberry event with her lovely mare Dushy, but decided that at 18 perhaps Dushy was a little beyond such excitement!  She bought an ex racehorse called Kes in December 2021, only to discover two weeks later that the cancer had returned and was incurable.

Rachel is determined to make the most of her life, and so she decided to ask Willberry if he could help her to chase her dreams of completing the Wobbleberry challenge, with the help of a training session with the inspirational event rider Jonty Evans.

Jonty knew Hannah and has always been a staunch supporter of the charity, even throughout his own physical and psychological battle following his horrific riding accident at Tattersalls event in 2018.  So when we asked him if he could help us by giving Rachel some of his valuable time, this incredible man said an immediate “Of course”!” and we began to make plans.

As Rachel lived a long way from Jonty, he very kindly offered her a stable for the night for Kes, and we found a gorgeous hotel nearby for Rachel and her husband Pete to relax and enjoy after the lesson.

And what a fantastic lesson it was.  Jonty shared the wealth of his knowledge and experience with Rachel, and the partnership grew in confidence throughout, jumping the bigger fences with ease by the end of the lesson.  Rachel’s smile just got bigger and bigger!  The following morning there was an unexpected treat in store for Rachel when she arrived at the yard; Jonty offered to let her ride the legendary Cooley Rorke’s Drift or “Art” as most of the equestrian world knows him.  Rachel was blown away by such a lovely treat and had the most amazing time on board, although she said afterwards “I don’t think I did him justice!”

We are forever grateful to yet another staunch friend in the wonderful eventing world, Jonty, who gave his time, insights and support so readily and generously.  Jonty, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  We can’t wait to see Rachel and Kes at an event next year, so #keepkickingcancersbutt Rachel and we will all be cheering you on soon❤️