Willberry Wishes were recently contacted by Kayleigh, Ryleigh’s Mum who told us that Ryleigh was diagnosed with a brain tumour three years ago and sadly has relapsed. She adores horses and ponies and although she has never ridden, Kayleigh knew she would love to experience a pony ride.  Willberry immediately had a plan in mind, and got straight on the case, getting on the Wishes hoofline to his two favourite ponies.  Willberry wanted Ryleigh to have an all-round experience of everything that a pony mad little girl would do; catching the pony from the field, grooming, and that extra special excitement of riding a pony.

Ryleigh has an older brother Dominic who also loves animals, so the perfect choice was to bring them to Hannah’s farm as they didn’t live too far away. Willberry worked his magic quickly so that Ryleigh could have her special treat the day after her 6^th Birthday.

Ryleigh, Dominic and Kayleigh arrived at the farm, and once they had settled in Ryleigh led Doris the Shetland to her yard to have a cuddle and a full groom.  Ryleigh really liked brushing her fluffy mane and smoothing her soft coat, giving her special cuddles.  Dominic groomed Millie and helped to get more straw and hay for the stable. 

     

            

Ryleigh sat on Teddy like a princess, and walked around the farm, saying hello to the cows as she passed.  Dominic was keen to have a go as well and gave a squeal as Teddy went into trot.  Ryleigh sat and watched her brother ride but was keen to get back on board.  She was an absolute natural and so brave and calm, enjoying the connection with the ponies.  Dominic enjoyed seeing the tractors, hens and he had a definite connection with the cows, as he kept going back to see them.

Willberry always likes to feed his guests, so we had a picnic lunch with special Willberry chocolate cake!  Doris and Teddy munched their grass in the garden with Ryleigh and her family while everyone refuelled with food.  Teddy was a superstar and showed off his lying down trick.  Ryleigh was keen to ride Doris, so we borrowed Teddy’s saddle and Ryleigh got on board - Doris loved it and so did Ryleigh.  Willberry loved seeing Ryleigh with both ponies, she looked so happy and connected.

Ryleigh had one more wish and that was to feed the ponies apples and carrots – so both Ryleigh and Dominic gave Doris and Teddy their succulent treats.  Willberry wanted to give Ryleigh her own special Berry pony to have by her side, wearing a lovely pink scarf which is Ryleigh’s favourite colour. After much careful consideration Ryleigh decided to name her pony Elsa.

Ryleigh and Dominic left the farm with a final goodbye to the cows, with their special presents and a unicorn easter egg for the journey home.  Doris and Teddy had an amazing time, being cared for by Ryleigh, a very special little girl who we adored meeting 💗

Thank you to Alice for bringing Teddy the Shetland, Doris could not believe that she got to see her boyfriend so soon after Arena UK, it was so kind and generous. Also thank you to Vicky for coming at such short notice to take the beautiful photographs.

A lovely lady called Fiona sent Willberry an application for a Willberry’s Wish for her good friend Joanna, who was diagnosed with brain cancer.  Jo, like our Hannah, had been working through a bucket list of her own, and Willberry and his team were delighted to be able to help tick one or two of them off her list.

So it was that Jo was treated to a wonderful day out care of Willberry’s Scottish hero and international event rider Wills Oakden.  Jo had asked for a flatwork lesson with him on her horse Freddie, and as soon as we asked him he was delighted to be able to help.

With Fiona as driver, they left home about 8am, all packed up with Joanna, Freddie, FredBerry, his cousins BalhaganBerry and BikerBerry!

When they arrived, Wills met them and took them to meet all the horses, and how many there were! Wills showed them a little black mare, telling them the story of how he bought it in a deal which involved riding an unbacked donkey that you couldn't catch! Jo and Fiona had concocted a plan with Jemma, Willberry’s Scottish Angel who works for Wills, as a little surprise for him too!

Almost every horse gave Jo's head a good sniff, like they were giving her their own support and love.

After the yard tour they sprung their challenge on Wills to have a ride on Freddie Side Saddle – and he gallantly agreed!!

Then it was time for Jo's lesson. Freddie, Jo's homebred horse has a wicked sense of humour which he demonstrated when he saw the mirrors but settled down and behaved impeccably with Jo.  “I don’t think I have trotted or cantered so much in a lesson recently, but my cardiovascular stood up to it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Riding Freddie always makes me feel better and free.”   Wills really made them work, but wow what a transformation - Wills was thrilled at how well it all came together.

They then swapped saddles to the side saddle, Joanna got on and gave Wills a short demo of How to Ride Sideways. Wills then popped on board and had a short lesson and certainly rose to the challenge, riding in walk trot and canter and looking quite a natural! It really made Jo’s Day watching Wills riding her homebred boy!

To complete the visit they were also treated to a lovely lunch and chat with Wills, his wife Stephanie and their gorgeous little girl Charlotte.  What a day!  Fiona took them all home again where Jo, Freddie and all the Berries had a well-earned lie down but some wonderful memories to re-live

Our enormous thanks go to Wills for making a dream come true for Joanna and her boy Freddie, to Stephanie for her generous hospitality, and also to Jo’s great friend and supporter Fiona, who helped make this happen.  We couldn’t do this without the kindness and generosity of people like you 💗

In the meantime, Jo’s Bucket list goes on and the Challenges are still getting added, so watch this space for more news!

Willberry’s Wishes were contacted by Chrissie, a good friend of Robyn Tierney, from Ireland, to ask if they could give Robyn some horsey happiness after the death of her beloved Dad to cancer.

Robyn’s love of horses was inspired by her dad, Ivan. He learnt to ride horses slightly later in life and eventually became Master of the local drag hunt. After buying her a horse of her own, Robyn joined her dad out on the field.

Five years ago, whilst out on a hack with Robyn, Ivan had a fall and was taken to hospital for a few simple checks. Sadly, the results in hospital gave him a shock diagnosis of cancer. Despite his advancing illness through chemo, Robyn’s Dad supported her horsey experiences throughout the next five years. Robyn took over the care of her dad’s horse as well as her own, but as her dad became increasingly unwell, her riding took a backseat and she lost some of her inspiration to ride.

Chrissie thought it would be lovely for her to get away for a short break, ideally with somewhere to ride a horse too.  Whilst Willberry had little knowledge of Ireland, he put his wand into action and found the magical Westport Woods Hotel on the beautiful west coast in County Mayo, run by Michael O’Connor.  Michael was very sad to hear of Robyn’s difficult few years and was delighted to help us to organise a weekend riding break and some rest and relaxation in his stunning spa hotel. 

When we got in touch with Robyn to tell her of our surprise break, she was absolutely elated!  Although the trip was postponed due to Covid restrictions, Robyn enjoyed a fantastic weekend there in September, together with her mum and brother to help enjoy the stay.

The first day’s riding was on a beautiful warm sunny day, spent on miles of golden beach, picking through pools and estuaries, then opening the lungs for wonderful head clearing gallops along the wet sands.  Robyn said it was the best experience ever:

“I remember the feel and sound of Cody’s hooves touching the cobble at the edge of the beach and I’m pretty sure this is the point the wide grin was fixed on my face permanently for the next 3 hours!!! I was fortunate to catch a glimpse of my brother walking on the beach in the distance. When he saw us coming, he captured the most wonderful video of us cantering flat out across the open beach. So grateful to have this memory caught on camera! The timing could not have been more perfect.”

The second day turned out to be the opposite extreme! Lashing rain and strong winds buffeted the hotel when Robyn woke up, but the true horsewoman that she is, she donned her waterproofs and headed to the yard without a second glance!  This time they took to the mountains, over rugged crags and challenging steep stoney tracks, but Robyn was equally overwhelmed with the scenery and the exhilaration of being on a horse up there with the world beneath you.  Although she was totally drenched by the time they got home at the end of the day and was ready for a soak in the bathtub at the hotel, she enjoyed both days equally, and was so glad that her mum and brother could be there too to share the wonderful break away.

“My dad was my best friend and in sharing our passion for horses it made us so close, it is wonderful to have someone to share your horses with and I miss him immensely. I feel close to my dad when I’m with horses and in my heart I brought him on those amazing treks in Westport too. I brought with me a Willberry hat silk and I wore a wee pin of Wilberry on my back protector, and I hope in some way that meant Hannah was able to enjoy my treks with me too. I know anyone who loves horses would have been as happy as me.”

Willberry was absolutely thrilled that the break gave Robyn so much pleasure and joy after such a terribly difficult and sad few years, and our thanks go to Michael and his team at Westport Woods Hotel for giving Robyn such wonderful experiences and memories to keep forever 💗

Tabish is an incredible 13-year-old girl who was sadly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2019 and is undergoing 3 years of treatment.  She used to ride when she was younger, but in the tough times after her diagnosis her mum Jo decided it would be a wonderful tonic for Tabs to start riding again.  As she didn’t have her own pony, Jo decided to put a request on her local whatsapp group to see if anyone had a horse or pony that Tabs could ride from time to time.

A wonderful lady called Pippa immediately offered her own horse to ride, which was a lovely horse but at around 17hh a little overwhelming for Tabs!  She then found a friend’s smaller horse for her to ride, and as soon as Tabs sat on Monty she was in heaven! 

It was Pippa who contacted Willberry and his team to see if they could help Tabs develop her riding skills with some riding lessons at the nearby equestrian centre run by Julia Bodman.  Well of course Willberry was delighted to help, and so Tabs began to have regular lessons on Monty, which she absolutely adored, and which gave her something wonderful to look forward to in between hospital visits.

Willberry went to see her in action in a lesson with Julia and were very impressed to see what a natural and competent rider Tabs was. 

She had a week of lessons and Julia had hoped that by the end of the week she might be cantering, but by the end of the lesson on Monday Tabs was cantering and even jumping a small jump!! 

Julia was flabbergasted!  Tabs and Monty showed what a great team they were, and Willberry gave them some extra gifts of a smart Willberry numnah for Monty and a Willberry jacket for Tabs – ready for when they go to their first show together!

Pippa also took Tabs to The Hannah Francis One Day Event at Larkhill, where Tabs was given the VIP treatment with a driven course walk and even the chance to sit up in the cross-country commentary box to watch and hear how it all works!

      

Willberry is so thrilled to help Tabs on the road to being a top rider, and who knows, even becoming our next Olympic gold medalist!! Our thanks go to Julia Bodman who has given Tabs so much confidence and belief in such a short time, and we just can’t wait to see what she does next 💗

Lindsay has been an incredible supporter of Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony for years, using her marathon running to raise money for the charity.  Sadly, last year she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent gruelling chemotherapy treatment and a mastectomy at the end of January.  Incredible lady that she is, she was back running and pushing herself despite the treatment, and in October she actually completed the virtual London Marathon just four days after a chemo session, raising an incredible £1200 for Hannah and Willberry, with her very special little Ringoberry by her side throughout!  Lindsay is also one of our amazing 16 runners for Bath Half, we are thrilled to have her as part of #teamwillberry 💗

Well, Willberry decided that Lindsay deserved a special treat for everything she has gone through, and worked with his volunteers to think of a big surprise during these limited times.  Something extra special that wasn’t too far from her home in Ivybridge in Devon.... no competitions open to spectators yet.... no big events happening.... how about somebody very special in the eventing world..... Bingo!!  A treat for Ringo!! And Lindsay of course 😊 Who better to go and visit than our country’s leading lady, Olympic medallist, Badminton and Burghley winner, World Games and European Championships gold medallist, the wonderful Mary King!

As soon as we asked Mary if she could give Lindsay a trip around her yard, she said an immediate and unequivocal “Yes!” and a date was set!

And so, on a slightly damp Wednesday in June, Lindsay and Ringoberry made their way excitedly to meet a true Eventing legend in real life!  She took her three best friends along with her too, who have supported and cheered her through all her difficult times, and their close bond is obvious.  Jill and Maryberry, Sam and Remyberry and Zoe and Ladyberry came with Lindsay to meet the Wish fairies first for a coffee in a local café, where the little Berries were equally thrilled to meet their own hero – Willberry!  What a time they had telling Willberry all about their lovely owners and the fun they had together with their horses.

Soon it was time to go and meet Mary, and what a warm welcome they received, both from Mary and her lovely dog Barney who hounded everyone to throw him a ball constantly!

Mary spent so much time chatting about her career, built from a clearly very determined small child with no horsey background through tough years of training with the indomitable Sheila Wilcox to her hugely successful eventing career, which is far from finished yet!

Lindsay and her friends were shown all around the yard, met some of Mary’s lovely young homebred horses and even had a guided tour of the impressive lorry, complete with slide out which Zoe accidentally triggered by leaning on a button!!

To top off the amazing experience they were even treated to tea and homemade flapjacks by Mary in her beautiful home – they had to keep pinching themselves!!  Lindsay and Mary even had a common bond as Mary is competing in the London Marathon later this year, so many tactics to discuss!

Willberry had decided the morning held one more treat for the lovely ladies, so they all went to Sidmouth for a lovely lunch at the Fort Café overlooking the sea, which despite the yukky rain which had settled by then was still a fantastic place to complete the wonderful morning.  Ringoberry and the other Berries just had to go and dip their toes in the surf too, even though their manes and tails got a little soggy too, it was worth it!

We cannot say a big enough thank you to Mary King for her kindness, warmth and generosity in giving her time to share her home with Lindsay, it meant the absolute world to her and will be a memory she will never forget.

Keep running and keep #kickingcancersbutt Lindsay – you can do it 💗