AUGUST has been a busy month for Spooners and West Dartmoor Pony Club member Henry Ware with national competitions, meaning he and his horse Chilli Bean have had to travel far and wide.

In early August it was the regional tetrathlon competitions at Melton Mowbray, with teams of five representing each pony club region. Including teams from regions in Scotland, Wales and Ireland there were 18 teams competing, each team member shooting, running, swimming and riding a cross country course.

The Area 16 team, which covers Devon, Cornwall and part of Dorset, performed consistently and were reserve champions, beaten by a Welsh team with Henry coming eighth individually in the competition.

It was then straight onto the National Tetrathlon Championship at Bishop Burton College, near Beverley, East Yorkshire where Henry represented the Spooners in the intermediate individual competition and the South West Area team in the international competition.

Alson in these teams was Tom Bayley from the Mid Devon Pony Club and he and Henry climbed steadily up the rankings after each event to both finish with a clear round in the cross country. Henry finished fifth overall and Tom sixth; the South West team finishing second to the Irish team.

This was soon followed by the Pony Club Novice Showjumping Championships in Cheshire, where despite riding and jumping well Henry was unplaced.