‘Never do you think it’s going to happen to you’: Pippa El Derby on her cancer journey so far
Pippa Hutton with Chancer at The Talland School of Equitation near Cirencester in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 18th April 2024
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Pippa El Derby (née Hutton) is a former European dressage team rider and instructor at The Talland School of Equitation alongside her mother, renowned trainer and Horse & Hound columnist Pammy Hutton.
Pippa was diagnosed with breast cancer in November last year and in the latest issue of H&H magazine (30 May), she talks candidly about her cancer journey so far.
“When the doctor came in and told me the news, it didn’t feel real,” reflects Pippa. “Never do you think it’s going to happen to you.
“I mean I’d just turned 30, my husband Adam and I were about to start trying for a family – it was an exciting time. Then one evening, after a long day’s work, something just didn’t feel right. Even then though, no one thought it was cancer.
“But after getting referred the doctors came in and sat us down and said, ‘It’s not good news’. That’s when the tears started running and it hit me, this is real, this is happening.”
The main issue for Pippa has been how her diagnosis has disrupted her plans to start a family of her own.
“A baby is really important to me but I’ve been told that if I want to have children I need to have my eggs frozen as soon as possible. This has meant my cancer treatment has almost taken a back seat.
“Other than the low success rate, the problem is that because my husband already has two amazing kids I can’t get this done on the NHS and the treatment is such a ridiculous amount of money.”
Throughout the turbulence of the past few months, horses have been Pippa’s reprieve. So has her diagnosis and all that it has entailed so far has changed her perspective on the horses and competing.
“I love competing – it’s what I was born to do – and I miss it. I had been hoping to get back out on the international stage this year, but the diagnosis has put a huge spanner in the works,” she said.
“My dream will always be to get back there again but when you’re faced with someone telling you that you might die, you’re like, ‘Wow, hang on, competing internationally, if it doesn’t happen it doesn’t bloody happen.’ Life is more important than that.
“Before all of this, I got so wrapped up in the horses, but now I can kind of see that there’s more to it. My horses have turned into pets now a bit if I’m honest, but they’re loving life.
“The other day I had an hour before I started teaching and I gave Duela – who is 22 now – a nice trim and then she just followed me around the yard, headcollar on, rope over the neck.
“We were able to go into the indoor arena and see Mum, which made her day. For me it’s been those small moments, just spending time with them that have been so important – the horses have saved me 100%.”
To read our exclusive interview with Pippa El Derby in full, and hear more about her experience, don’t miss this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine, in shops from 30 May.
You may also be interested in…
‘A small horse with a genuinely big heart’: Olympic star still thriving in retirement at 33
Pammy Hutton: ‘Outrage and scandal trickle down – are we contributing to dressage’s downfall?’
Charlotte Dujardin on how motherhood has changed her outlook as a competitor – ‘it’s really opened my eyes’
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