The Wobbleberry challenge is for “middle aged, wimpy riders to compete at a BE80 by Autumn 2017 and raise money for the wonderful Willberry Wonder Pony – inspired by Hannah Francis"

"A shy, elusive creature, the wobbleberry's natural habitat is spectating at BE events, and supporting other riders - but all this is about to change!!!
Key Characteristics:

- not currently fit enough to get round a cross country course
- not currently brave enough to get round a cross country course
- old enough to know better, and know that this will hurt!
- dedicated - to raising money, to training, and conquering the fear
- supportive of each other - aiming to be weeble-esque, "we wobble, but we don't fall down"."

Dammit. That’s got me written all over it!

I have had the goal of competing at a BE90 since I got my first horse Uni way back in 2000 but sadly, 16 years later I’ve still not achieved it.

Not long after getting Uni I discovered for the first time that actually, I’m quite competitive! Sadly, Uni does not share my enthusiasm, she prefers to stay in the warm up ring with the other horses. But we persevered weekend after weekend, year after year at unaffiliated competitions in all disciplines but I have genuinely been eliminated at jump 1 more than any other person on this earth (I even broke my thumb getting eliminated at jump 2 at my first and last affiliated British Showjumping Novice competition).

After getting eliminated at jump 1 representing my Riding Club about 6 years ago in a show jumping competition I decided to retire Uni from competition and concentrated on finding myself a second horse who would help me achieve my dream.

In March 2015 I met and fell in love with Gus, 17 hands of gorgeous gingerness. He is PERFECT. A gentleman and very laid back. THIS IS IT! I thought, I will manage that BE90!

Gus is a very different horse from Uni, he’s much bigger and a whole different ball game to ride, but his temperament is fantastic so we started training and I started regaining my confidence, if not my balance, on the big man.

Then in August 2015 Gus got a splint and had to come out of work. He recovered well and we started riding again just after Christmas but he suffered with intermittent lameness and then in June this year it was determined that the conformation on his front feed had deteriorated and he would need remedial farriery and time to get his feet back in shape before he could be ridden.

His treatment is going extremely well and I am now able to ride him in walk on a surface. I’m hoping that this winter we can start trotting and cantering on a surface and get out to some dressage competitions and that in the Spring we can start some hacking and jumping and will be able to achieve a BE80 next year as our first step towards that BE90.

It’s been a very long term dream. So many of my friends have sailed passed me and competed British Eventing, and they've all had their challenges too, but it's starting to become a bit embarrassing. I’ve worked hard for it over the years and even moved my whole family to make it a possibility to own 2 horses but it still is just out of my grasp. I turned 50 this year and each year it gets harder to find the courage and confidence to do it too.

So when I saw this Wobbleberry challenge I knew I had to sign up.

I may fail at this challenge and not make it in 2017, Gus may not be sound enough to do it, but I will achieve it. I will.