Siobhan got in touch to tell us about this amazing little girl called Esmae, who has had a very tough time with treatment for a brain tumour.  Devastatingly, Esmae has lost her sight due to the location of the tumour.  Willberry immediately got his thinking cap on.  What could he do for Esmae?  He was told she wanted to meet a pony and, as Esmae has an older sister, Darcy, and brother, Kaedon, Willberry was extra keen to see multiple smiles on this ‘Willberry’s Wish’.

Of course, Doris, Hannah’s miniature Shetland, was a must, just the right height for Esmae to have special pony cuddles and feel her silky mane.  Mmm, but who else could come to the party?!  Vicki kindly offered Bilbo, their beloved pony whom Hannah used to teach at Pony Club, PERFECT, though Willberry wasn’t sure how Bilbo would feel about coming out of retirement!

Everything was planned and Kelly (Esmae’s mum) thought it may be easier for Esmae if we went to their house in Langford………. but then the rain came, the forecast was dismal, and Esmae really doesn’t like rainy days anymore, so we had to work fast and find a solution because Willberry simply couldn’t have Esmae, Darcy and Kaedon disappointed.  He had promised.  All the equine centres were booked in the region, so Willberry put his hoof senses to good use and did a recce of Langford to find a school at the University of Bristol, Langford Vets.  They very kindly let us use their indoor school which saved the day – thank you to Steph and all at University of Bristol for being so kind and generous.

The rain was pouring as Esmae arrived with her family, but everyone perked up when we went into the school.  Doris and Bilbo waited excitedly to meet everyone.  Esmae was so brave – the sand in the school was a little uneven but nothing was going to stop her from touching the ponies.  What an amazing little girl – her senses so in tune, her hands touching Doris, she felt her mane and then wanted to feel Bilbo.  Darcy was very nervous of the ponies, but Kaedon wasn’t.  He was full of energy and then decided he liked running, so began to run around and around the school.  Soon he thought it would be more fun to race a pony!!  Now Doris loves a race ...

                                      

 And Esmae didn’t want to miss out either!

Willberry brought a lovely picnic, so after a number of snack breaks it was always quickly back to the ponies.  After a while, Esmae thought she would like to sit on the ponies, first Doris and then Bilbo.  Doris’s walk was a bit forward going and she preferred Bilbo’s laid-back attitude. 

She enjoyed every minute with the ponies, going from one to another, feeling, touching, smelling, and then riding.

Esmae is an amazing, unstoppable, courageous little girl; we are so pleased to have been able to bring lots of smiles for you and your family 💓

Thank you to Victoria Clare Photography for generously joining us and taking such beautiful photographs, and to Vicki and Jayne for giving up their day and allowing Bilbo to join the party! 💓💓

Willberry received a Wish application from an amazing girl called Bryony who needed some horsey therapy after a tough time.  Bryony is 22 and last year had to have her kidney removed, then endured 8 rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.  This obviously knocked the stuffing out of her physically and mentally, and she deserved something lovely to look forward to and help rebuild her confidence and strength.

Her wish was to spend a day at Badminton on cross country day, so Willberry knew he could make this happen but wanted to add some extra treats to make her day extra special! 

Willberry sent Bryony the admission tickets and car pass in advance with a few special goodies, and the day finally dawned.  Despite all the dreadful days of rain previously, Sunday stayed dry and the sun shone, drying up the gloopy mud that made shopping a little bit harder work!  Thanks to the ever-supportive Event Director Jane Tuckwell, Willberry was able to offer Bryony and her friend Nicky a special surprise - VIP treatment in the Portcullis Club beside the Main Arena.  They were treated to breakfast, then lunch (with a glass of wine!) and afternoon tea to finish!  Well, they needed to do some serious course walking and shopping to make some room between meals so off they went!  After a sumptuous lunch Nicky dragged Bryony around more of the course, and then they came to Willberry’s stand to meet the Wish team Willberry, Rachel and Toni, and also all the wonderful volunteers who have helped so tirelessly all week on our busy stand.  It was so lovely to meet face to face for a chat, but there was one more surprise in store for Bryony... 

An hour later they met again in the late afternoon sunshine in front of Badminton House, and who was there to greet them but Olympic gold medallist and Badminton competitor Tom McEwen!  Bryony spent some time chatting with Tom and his fiance Harriet, and it was fascinating to hear all about Tom’s superb clear cross country round, and how thrilled he was with his horse, Toledo De Kerser.

Tom then asked Bryony if she would like to come for a sneak peek of the stables which she obviously jumped at!  So he took her off for a behind the scenes view of the horses who were quietly recovering from their cross country efforts, and the beautiful old stable yard, even getting a cuddle with the main man Walter himself!  What a treat!!

It was such a special day for Bryony, and we were so pleased to give her such a well deserved treat with some wonderful memories to share with her friends and family.

Our thanks go once again to the generosity and support of Jane Tuckwell, and of course to the legend that is Tom McEwen, who was a good friend to Hannah when she was poorly, and has been a staunch supporter of Willberry and his team every since.  Thank you 💓💓💓

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 ❤️ 

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 ❤️ 

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.