Benter is headed to national championships

One day after school, kindergartener Courtney Benter returned home with the same wish as many children her age.

“I’m going to call grandpa and see if he’ll buy me a pony,” young Courtney told her mother, Brenda.

While visiting the Pennville Elementary School library that day, she had come across a book with illustrations of ponies and decided she wanted one.

Her grandpa, Dick Paxson, delivered on that dream. Courtney named her pony, which had dark hair and white markings that looked like socks, Ruby.

Courtney’s mom, Brenda, assumed the fascination with ponies was a fleeting childhood interest that would soon “phase out.”

She was wrong.

On Saturday, now 16-year-old Courtney and her family will head to Atlanta for the National Barrel Horse Association Youth & Teen World Championships where she will compete throughout next week.

She did not make it there by chance. Courtney invests immense time and energy into her riding. And it started the moment she got her first pony.

Brenda remembers having to find entertainment for herself while spending so much time in the barn with Courtney and Ruby.

“She was on that pony so much I put a recliner out in the barn,” recalled Brenda, whose accommodations would also include a TV and Andy Griffith VHS tapes.

In third grade, Courtney’s cousin, Sarah Paxson, began leading her and Ruby around barrels at races.

“Eventually, I was confident enough to ride it myself,” said Courtney.

After three years, Courtney’s parents saw their daughter’s commitment to riding and decided to get her a white appaloosa pony and put her in lessons.

For the last five years, she’s worked once a week with trainer Jenny Creech. Her improvement has been substantial.

“When (Courtney) first came, we could hardly get her pony to trot,” said Creech. “So, she’s went from that to winning barrel races with 100 entries in it, of adults, youth riders and everybody in between. It’s been a huge progression.”

Courtney rode her new pony, Oakley, so frequently that she acquired another horse, Denver. It was only after Denver was injured that she started riding Cee My Shiny Heinie (nickname Shiny), one of Breech’s horses.

After about a year riding together, Courtney started racing Shiny. Those close to her noticed something different.

“When she rides (Shiny), they’re such a good team,” Brenda said. “They’re just like one. It’s so fun to watch.”

Today, Courtney and Shiny are full-time partners.

“She’s the fastest (horse) I’ve had,” said Courtney, who also works for Creech training young horses and wants to pursue a career in the equine industry.

Courtney rides Shiny every other day to keep the horse in shape and typically races every weekend. She wakes up an hour before the rest of the family so she can care for her horses and complete any barn chore she may need to do.

“The amount of work she has put in to get to where she is now is not something a typical 16-year-old does,” said Brenda. “She’s out there for hours and hours.”

Courtney is currently tied for first in the youth division for the International Barrel Racing Association, with the national finals slated for Sept. 27 through Oct. 2 in Cloverdale. She is eighth across all age divisions.

She recently won the Winchester Prescott Memorial competition on May 30, raking in almost $1,200 in prize money and securing an entry to the Buckeye Regional Championship “Best of the Best” competition Aug. 28 in Columbus, Ohio.

“Courtney’s different than some of the lesson kids because she wants to learn, she wants to try and she wants to improve,” said Creech. “She wants to be the best and you have to work hard to do that. She puts in the time and effort.”