Former Equestrian Earns NCEA Distinguished Alumni Award
Not everyone has the good fortune to combine their athletics and professional passions, but South Carolina equestrian alumna Courtney Borton Ament (2002-2006) has been able to blend her love of horses and her journalism degree into a successful business. For her efforts, Ament has earned the National Collegiate Equestrian Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award for Media and Communication.
“I was thrilled,” Ament said. “I think (Equestrian Coach) Boo Major nominated me, and I was honored to be nominated and recognized.
“It’s been a true blessing. There’s the old adage, ‘if you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.’ That’s always hit home for me. I’ve always loved the horse show world, so I couldn’t be happier in getting to marry my two passions on a daily basis. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Now living in North Carolina, the New Jersey native is the owner and publisher for InStride Edition, a print and online magazine she started in 2013 with her parents. The monthly publication is dedicated to people who breed, raise, and train show performance horses at the highest levels.
“The magazine is a monthly print and digital counterpart publication which focuses on horses that perform in a wide range of events,” Ament said. “It is the go-to magazine for the pleasure horse industry.”
The magazine has grown quickly with more than one million hits on its website each month.
“We have a great advertisers and talented writers who help get the word out about how great the magazine is and how involved we are in all of the associations,” Ament said. “We like to be involved in all aspects of the pleasure horse industry. It’s really important for us to stay on top of all the latest news. What sets us apart is our editorial staff. It’s one of best out there, and we’ve won a few awards for editorial content.”
“My best memories of my time at South Carolina are the team camaraderie.”
– Courtney Borton Ament
Ament is no stranger to success. She was not only a member of South Carolina’s 2005 National Championship Equestrian team, but she also earned SEC Academic Honor Roll honors all four years on campus.
“My best memories of my time at South Carolina are the team camaraderie,” Ament said. “We were one of the closest teams I’ve ever seen! We did all kinds of things together, and a lot of us continue to do that. I still see a lot of my teammates at shows.”
She also participated in many community service activities, earning at least 20 hours of service each year in school.
“Community service has always been important to me,” Ament said. “They instilled that into us at South Carolina. They did a great job with that and how important it was to always give back to the community. I continue to do that. Locally, I’m still a member of the Junior League.”
Before she and her family started InStride Edition, Ament worked for the National Snaffle Bit Association’s official publication, The Way To Go Magazine, which she helped grow into one of top print publications in the country.
“It definitely helped get our feet wet,” Ament said. “We’ve always prided ourselves in producing a publication with the highest quality advertising and content. Publishing an association’s magazine allowed us the opportunity to explore sales efforts that translate into a growing advertising base and superior editorial content that drives readership. We took that experience and applied it to the development of InStride Edition, growing it into one of the most successful and well-respected publications in the show horse industry.”
Ament looks forward to moving her magazine forward and continues to enjoy mixing her love of horses with her professional life.
“I love that every single day is different,” Ament said. “It’s never dull! One day I could be coding for the web site, the next day I could be interviewing a world champion, and the next day I could be gathering everyone’s ads for the next magazine. I love the traveling side of it, too.”
Ament and her husband, Jonathan, and newborn son, Sawyer, live in Charlotte, N.C.
