The new year brought about some big changes for 17-year-old Cydney Benes, of Boca Raton, Florida. After sharing a partnership with the AQHA mare Rockin Raisinette for almost all of her show career, her family decided to retire the 2003 bay mare by Rocked And Steady out of Zippos Golden Raisin.

This year Cydney, the daughter of Edgar Benes and Tammy Schuster, is making her all-around debut with her mother’s show horse, Call Me Blazin Hot, a 2003 sorrel gelding by Hot N Blazing out of Call Me KC. Cydney has shown Blaze in Hunter Under Saddle classes in the past. In fact they won the Novice Youth Hunter Under Saddle at the Quarter Horse Congress in 2010. But this year they will also compete in Horsemanship, Equitation and Western Riding.

“I’m excited to see what the future holds for us in our new classes,” she says.

She already knows he has a big personality.

“Whenever you go to take a picture of him he will yawn and stick his tongue out and roll his eyes so I always capture really funny faces and it just is his personality when you look at the picture,” Cydney says. “He also does this thing when he has a fly on his leg… he will take the other leg and cross it over the other one itching the fly away.”

Cydney trains under the guidance of Dean Bogart Performance Horses in Florida. She is looking forward to competing at the AQHA Youth World Show July 31 to Aug. 8. They are qualified in Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation and Horsemanship.

Last year she and Blaze placed fifth in Hunter Under Saddle and she and Rockin Raisinette were 12th in Showmanship.

After the Youth World Show is over, she’ll be focused on preparing for her favorite show of the year – the Quarter Horse Congress.

“Although it is one of the most tiring shows, being there is an exciting feeling,” she explains. “Between the cold weather, the late night hot chocolate runs and of course all the great fair food makes it my favorite. I love the competition at the Congress as well. Being able to compete with over 100 people in classes is a fun experience and a I love every second of being in the show pen there. It is such a great feeling.”

Cydney has already enjoyed a lot of success at the Congress. She has placed in the Top 10 in Horsemanship, Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle and Showmanship.

Cydney has been involved with horses all of her life. Her mother comes from a horse show family and still competes today. It was Schuster who got Cydney interested in showing by introducing her to Lead Line classes at the age of 2.

“I began showing the Hunter Circuit when I was 3-years-old,” she explains. “I showed in the Lead Line in Wellington (Florida) at the Winter Equestrian Festival. There I showed a little white pony named ‘Jaque de Ponay.’”

Cydney attends Spanish River Community High School in Boca Raton, Florida, where she is a junior. She served as secretary of her TV production class and won a spot in the school’s Leadership Class. In addition she served as president of the Florida Quarter Horse Youth Association in 2014.

Cydney will graduate from high school in 2016 and hopes to continue to ride in college.

“I’m not sure where I would like to go yet,” she admits. “As of now I am exploring all of the NCAA schools that I can attend for riding.”

She says Dean Bogart is her hero and insists he is always there for her while she is showing, or anything else.

“He is always striving for me to do my best night and day, whether it is school related or showing,” she explains. “He works hard with all the horses as the groom/ trainer/ driver/ toilet unclogger/bus driver and everything in between.”

Cydney says her grandparents are also very important to her.

“They are there at almost every show always cheering me on,” she says.

When she is not riding Cydney enjoys spending time on the beach and hanging out with friends and family. She is also an avid sports fan and attends football, baseball, basketball and hockey games.

Her mother owns and operates All That Show Clothing so Cydney’s love for fashion and shopping comes naturally.

“My dream vacation would be to go to Milan as it is the fashion mecca of the world,” she says.