A championship bond has forged between two local barrel racers; she’s a pre-teen with racing in her blood and he’s an under-sized horse with underwhelming pedigree.

The barrel racing arena is where the duo of Samantha Pinkney and Smoking Okie really shine.

Samantha is only 10 years old and Okie is a bit older, at 11. The two have been together since last Christmas.

They have been taking on, and beating, opponents much older than her and much bigger than him.

The goal of the sport is to race around three barrels in a clover-leaf pattern, in the fastest possible time.

“She's got a knack for it, a natural knack,” says Samantha’s father Kevin.

As good as they are at barrel racing, Samantha and Okie are even better at pole bending - another timed race where you travel from one end of the arena and back, weaving twice through a pattern of six poles.

A wall full of trophies and ribbons is evidence of the team’s success. Samantha says the bigger the crowd, the more her horse responds.

“When he hears people cheering, he goes faster, like you can just feel him bounce,” says Samantha.

Her dad says the horse gets almost as excited as he does.

“I'm very excited for her, more so than if I was on it. I get a big kick out of her doing it,” says Kevin.

Samantha has racing in her blood. Her late grandfather, Dave Pinkney, is a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and her father and several uncles are also harness-racing drivers.

“I guess it came to her naturally. We had horses here on the farm. At age three she was on their back and we kind of took it from there,” says Kevin.

While Samantha may have impressive bloodlines, Okie does not. Everything about him is small, except his heart.

“He's kind of a freak of nature,” says Kevin. “He's got no real blood line, but he loves his job and he's just awesome at it.”

Samantha loves how Okie listens to her and his attitude.

“He's my size and he's not mean, like all the other ones bite and he doesn't,” says Samantha.

Some universities in the United States offer scholarships for western riding and Kevin would love to see his daughter have that opportunity someday.

In the meantime, Samantha and Okie will continue to compete on the local and national circuits, leaving barrels, and the competition, behind them.