A teenager from the district picked up an impressive haul of medals in an international cavalry sport competition held in South Africa – despite having a fractured ankle.

Joseph Midgley, 16, from Denholme, had his ankle X-rayed shortly before he travelled to South Africa to represent Britain in the tent pegging contest.

He only received the results while he was actually in South Africa, shortly before he was due to participate in the day-long competition but decided to go ahead anyway and picked up a gold medal, three silvers and a bronze.

Tent pegging is a sport with ancient military origins in which a horse rider armed with a lance or sword must ride at a gallop towards a small ground target and successfully pick it up using the weapon.

They can compete as individuals, in ‘half sections’ of two riders or ‘sections’ of four riders. They are judged on their speed and technique as well whether they can pick up the target.

Joseph, a year 12 student at Parkside School, Keighley, said although he had been riding horses for two and a half years he only began tent pegging after attending trials in Bristol six months ago.

He flew to Durban, in South Africa, as part of a boys team of six. They rode against a much stronger South African side and, though they did not win, Joseph said they gave their opponents a tougher challenge than had been expected. He said: “It was fantastic, the experience of a lifetime. We thought it was really hot, though for the South Africans it was their winter so they were dressed in warm clothes.”

He said his ankle had been hurting from a previous horse riding injury.

“It was uncomfortable and I had to have some pain killers, but I definitely wanted to go ahead and compete,” he said. “It’s still painful now and I’ve got some more hospital appointments.”