Topeka teen is one of the top riders in the world. Her horse Samson just got a surprise.

A heartfelt bond between a girl and her mustang is leading them to big achievements in competitive riding.

16-year-old Angeline Saliceti is no stranger to the Extreme Cowboy Association, and neither is her mustang, Samson, as they've been competing together since Angeline was 6 years old.

In early 2014, Angeline was the youngest rider in the Extreme Cowboy Association's world championships in Hamilton, Texas. Two years later, when she was in the fifth grade, she won the world championship, with the highest score in two rounds, winning first place overall at Circle T Arena.

Saliceti spent almost six weeks in Belgium, France, at the Equita Lyon where she participated in the European cup open extreme cowboy race in 2017 and said it was "easily the largest" show she had attended before.

Now, the bar continues to rise as Saliceti navigates through the courses with her racehorse.

This year, Saliceti was awarded the Youth Reserve World Champion. In 2021, she was awarded the youth world championship. She competes in the youth division for youths ages 12 through 18 years old and is the youngest to compete within the "Futurity" division of the shows. Futurity is for 3- and 4-year-old horses.

"I think I put more pressure on myself, than anything else, because I am so young," Saliceti said. "Because I've tried pretty much everything I can, to do what hasn't been done yet."

Samson inducted into Extreme Cowboy Association's Hall of Fame

Samson recently was inducted into the Extreme Cowboy Association's Hall of Fame, and Saliceti said it was well-earned.

"It wasn't expected, but I wasn't shocked." she said.

Samson was born in Wyoming and bridle- and saddle-trained by inmates at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, one of a handful of prisons nationally that partners with the Bureau of Land Management to help prepare mustangs for adoption.

Currently, Saliceti owns 13 other horses, most of which are foals, but Samson is who she called her "main man."

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"The horses are judged on overall horsemanship, how responsive is your horse, how soft is your horse, are you working well with your horse and how are you handling them — are you being a good or safe rider and are you being calm?" Saliceti said.

Horses are also judged on each obstacle and their performance in each.

Saliceti trains all her horses herself. She said she believes it's best to work one-on-one with each for their best performance.

"I am very stubborn and don't like to send my horses to other people," she said. "I like to work through it on my own."

Horseracing comes as a 'natural gift'

Her mother, Kristina Saliceti, said Angeline has a natural gift.

"A lot of the professional trainers and riders, they will say 'You know you realize this is not normal!' Kristina Saliceti said, "but we don't really see it any other way because we just watch her."

She said the family is proud of their daughter but also "sometimes amazed."

"We're like man, I don't know how she pulls this stuff off," Kristina Saliceti said.

Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at Klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.