We are two middle-aged, wimpy ladies who are going to train with our (unconvinced) horses to do a BE(80) in 2017.  This is a one-day event requiring stamina and strength that we currently lack.  A BE(80) is a British Eventing competition that requires a horse and rider pair to ride a dressage test, jump a round of show jumps at 80-85cm, and then jump a course of cross-country fences at 80cm, all in one day.  The cross-country course will typically by 1600-2800 meters long and should be ridden at a speed of 435 meters per minute (or you receive time penalties!). 

This will be tough, but we have decided to do this to raise funds for Willberry Wonder Pony, set up by the inspirational young event rider Hannah Francis to support bone cancer research and grant horsey wishes to the seriously ill. We've been training all winter and in all kinds of weather to get ready to face this challenge!

Nicola and Ollie

I learnt to ride in my teens by hacking around the Cornish countryside. Once I left home at 18 riding became an occasional hobby, but my passion for horses never went away. Fast forward some 30 years to 2013 –seemingly out of nowhere - my son Louis got the riding bug and I found myself at Trent Park Equestrian Centre each week for his lessons.

Before long I am back in the saddle and for the first time in my life having proper riding lessons. It’s a bit of a shock to the system, but hugely rewarding nonetheless. And then in April 2016 we welcome Ollie into our lives and the learning curve gets really steep!

Ollie is a grey 15 year- old thoroughbred cross horse.  He’s 16.1hh (quite
big for the non-horsey!) who loves jumping and Polos.    He’s as keen as anything and tries his heart out but we’ve had our challenges.  Last
Summer, after numerous falls, I really lost my nerve, particularly when it came to jumping.  Close to giving up, in August I heard about the Wobbleberry Challenge to complete a BE80 one day event in 2017.  I kicked myself up the backside, signed up for the Challenge and got back on Ollie.  We still have a way to go but slowly we are getting there and we’re not giving up until we do.  

Julie and Iris

I have loved horses since my very first riding lesson at age 8, but after my days of Pony Club and riding on my university's team were over, it became more challenging to ride on a regular basis.  I rode friends' horses and found people whose horses needed exercising and managed to stay in the saddle that way, but I rode for years with no instruction and developed plenty of bad habits!  When I moved to London in 2009, I started riding at the Trent Park Equestrian Centre taking lessons once a week just so I could get some horse time.  

Two years ago, just before my 40th birthday, I met the lovely Iris, an Irish Sport Horse now 10 years old.  It was love at first ride, and I finally got my first ever pony!  At that point, I hadn't done much jumping in close to 20 years, and it's been an exciting re-discovery of lost skills.  It's a lot more frightening than it was as a teenager, but I decided to do the Wobbleberry Challenge to push myself to get out there and do the things my 8-year-old self dreamed of doing.

Please support us and the amazing Wobbleberry Challenge, in whatever way you can.