Ashley Benton of Bladenboro will travel to Columbus, Ohio, on October 13 to compete against 27 other girls to be the official representative of the largest single breed horse show in the world, the All American Quarter Horse Congress.

Benton is currently the 2004 Eastern Quarter Horse of North Carolina Queen, a title which won her the opportunity to compete in the international competition.

She is the 21-year-old daughter of Tim and Pam Benton of Bladenboro. She has been involved in the American Quarter Horse Association for the past six years, and has been riding and showing horses since she was seven.

Benton will compete throughout the six days of the competition for over $70,000 in prizes and the opportunity to travel throughout the United States and Canada representing the All American Quarter Horse Congress and the American Quarter Horse Association. During the competition, she will be tested on her knowledge of the AQHA rule book, her horsemanship ability, and judged on her personality through an oral interview.

If Benton is crowned on October 18 at the Congress Awards ceremony, she will remain at the Congress for another week during which time she will present awards, hold photo shoots with many sponsors, and have the responsibility of spreading her love and knowledge of the Quarter Horse Congress and the American Quarter Horse Association throughout her reign.