Riding Success to the Top: Courtney Grace Stalvey
Kids ask for all types of crazy things for their early age birthdays. Right at the top of the list is a pony. After all, nothing is cooler than having a pony to show off for all of your friends at your party. For Courtney Grace Stalvey, now a senior at Lowndes High School, that’s exactly what she got for her 6th birthday present. She and her friends enjoyed the party and the ponies were a big hit. That was actually a big moment for Courtney Grace, as she had not always felt comfortable around horses, or any other animals. “I was a little nervous about it at first, because I had always ben terrified of animals as a young kid,” she admitted. However, once the party was over, Courtney Grace had overcome her fears, and was ready for more. She immediately asked for horse riding lessons for her 7th birthday. She was hooked on horses, you can say. “We went to the same lady that had brought the ponies to my party, and I ended up taking lessons for a year,” says Courtney. That lady was Kim McGhee of KB Horsecamp in Hahira. The lessons started off with just the basics, said Courtney. “The lessons started off with me learning how to simply ride the horses and take care of them, then that turned into learning the ins and outs of each rodeo event,” she said. She had done so well over that year of taking lessons that McGhee decided that Courtney Grace was ready for the next level. “Kim called my Dad on Friday to tell him that she had signed me up for the rodeo the very next day,” said Courtney. And just like that, her rodeo career was off and running. That first rodeo for Courtney Grace was at the age of 7, at Justamare Farms in Hahira. Courtney recalls how excited she was for the event. “I rode a horse named ‘Rain’, and we did barrel racing and goat tying. I fell in love with the adrenaline and the process of being a part of a rodeo. I was extremely excited,” she said. That was eleven years ago, and she’s been at it ever since. Although she lives in Georgia and is a student at Lowndes High School, she is part of and competes with the Florida High School Rodeo Rodeo Association’s Florida High School Rodeo Team as well as The Florida Little Britches Rodeo Association. Courtney participates in three separate events-Goat Tying, Barrel Racing, and Breakaway Roping. The rodeo season runs from September to May, and Courtney competes against fellow competitors at the high school level, 9th -12th grade. They compete for points in each individual event, and those points accumulate over the season. The top four competitors in each event advance to the Nationals High School Rodeo Finals. If you take one look at her achievements and accomplishments, its obvious that Courtney Grace has mastered the art of rodeo. As part of the Florida High School Rodeo Association’s High School Rodeo Team, Courtney Grace’s accomplishments include the 2019 Goat Tying National Qualifier, 2020 Goat Tying Champion, as well as the 2021 Goat Tying Champion. Her accomplishments with the Florida Little Britches Rodeo Association include the 2020 Goat Tying Reserve Champion, the 2021 Barrel Racing Reserve Champion, the 2021 Goat Tying Champion, and the 2021 Girls All-Around Champion.
Courtney Grace’s parents are Tommy Stalvey Jr and Candi Day. Tommy talks about his daughters rodeo career with both pride and amazement: “When Courtney Grace first mentioned that she wanted to rodeo, I thought it would just be little weekend local rodeos. I never would have imagined that we would end up travelling all over the country rodeoing,” he said. “It has been a wonderful experience.”
Written By: Phil Jones
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