I will never forget the unexplained feeling of dread that came over me during Hopetoun Horse Trials in June of 2015. It was seeing a W next to Ben Hobday‘s entries. Something wasn’t right.
A few weeks later, Ben revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer (Burkitts Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma). As expected, the Eventing community rallied and showed their support and Ben began treatment to kick cancers a**e.
Ben completed chemotherapy in the September and, against all the odds, he competed in his first three-star since diagnosis the following Spring. Through the tears, I had the biggest smile on my face when I saw Ben in the warm-up arena at Burgham Horse Trials. It was such an amazing sight to see him looking healthy and back in the saddle, doing what he loved.
Two months later, just shy of a year since we knew of Bens diagnosis, he jumped a double clear at Badminton Horse Trials with the beloved V8 Supercob Mulrys Error.
Never have we heard the crowd cheer so loud and never have we been so grateful of a Badminton completion as we were with Ben and the part-Clydesdale gelding who stole all our hearts.