Second but young riders still smiling

North Wairarapa Pony Club may not have taken out the Bruce Forbes Team Event, but they still came away from the event smiling.

The equestrian competition was held this week at the Clareville showgrounds, and featured 16 teams from around the North Island, including defending champions from North Wairarapa.

The team came second to New Plymouth's A team, but were still among the winners, with the Burkhart Tray for best training individual score going to local rider Millie Cudmore.

The 13-year-old from Masterton was happy to have won especially since she has not had her pony very long.

"I just went out and had fun," Millie said. She also received a new personal best for her dressage score.

Millie, who has been riding competitively since she was 8, said the team didn't mind missing out on the top trophy this year.

"It was a different team this year and we had some new people in the team who had never done it before," she said.

"We went out there thinking not about winning, [but] about having fun, which we did."