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California Riding Magazine • February, 2012 Ventana Farm: Benson Carroll by Kim F. Miller |
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Benson Carroll "Everything!" That is amateur rider Julia Nagler's answer to "What do you like best about hunter/jumper trainer Benson Carroll's program?" Like several of Benson's clients, Julia has won so much it's hard to keep track of. Her most recent victories include winning the Norcal and finishing reserve in the CPHA medal finals last year. Julia's stablemate and close friend Adrienne Dixon won both finals in 2010, and was first in the Capital Challenge's North American Amateur Equitation Championship last year. Clementine and Connie Yost, Uma O'Neill, Ransome Rombauer, Grace Pryor, Hannah Clevenger, Madeline Fithian and Amanda MacDuff are fellow Ventana Farm students regularly appearing in A circuit winners' circles up and down the West Coast and on the Indoors circuit back East. While Ventana Farm's results are hard to keep track of, the reason for them is simple: consistency. A lifelong horseman, Benson opened Ventana Farm 12 years ago in Carmel Valley. Since then he's kept the focus of his program on instilling discipline and excellent horsemanship in his riders in a training program that puts the horse's needs above all else. "Benson's system is all based on the horse being comfortable," Julia explains. Learning how to attain and maintain that, whether riding an equitation, hunter or jumper course, is the focal point of every rider's education at Ventana Farm. The horse's comfort is achieved through good old-fashioned basics: straightness, balance, rhythm, impulsion and relaxation, a.k.a. the foundation of training for any discipline.
Candace Allen Sometimes the simple can seem complicated, though. Equitation star Adrienne Dixon recalls being in the schooling ring with Benson at a big show on the Indoors circuit when a top East Coast trainer started an ongoing friendly joke about one of Benson's instructions. "He was telling me to 'capture the right hip'," Adrienne recounts. The other trainer began saying the same thing to his student, while professing he had no idea what it meant. Adrienne, however, got both the joke and, more importantly, the instruction. "Benson is all about safety first," she explains. "Capturing any part of the horse's body is all about having him move in a balanced way. In this case, you would be tracking to the left and wanting most of the horse's push to be coming from that right, outside hind leg. To do it, you move your right lower leg back slightly and apply pressure. In general, you'd want to be right-side dominant in your leg and weight aids." Her sophisticated explanation is a great testament to Benson's instruction. "Benson is very detail oriented," Adrienne continues. "He makes you very aware of things that I think a lot of trainers
don't touch on. He Julia appreciates Benson's commitment to helping her reach her goals. She owns several horses and has had success in all three hunter/jumper divisions. "He is completely supportive of me whether I want to become a Grand Prix jumping rider or a World Champion Hunter Rider." She admits to being a little up in the air as to which division she'll emphasize going forward.
That decision is made more difficult by the catch riding skills she attained under Benson's watch in recent years. Learning to be comfortable and effective on a wide variety of horses has further opened up her options as a rider. Julia lives in the East Bay Area's Piedmont, a two-hour commute to Benson's barn in Carmel--on a good traffic day. So most of her coaching time with him has been at shows. "I've been a good student and taken all his advice. It was a big milestone for me to become a catch-rider because it shows that he trusts me enough with his system to get on a lot of other horses." Sixteen year old Madeline Fithian has only been with Benson for five months, but she already "feels like I've been with him forever." Of the many things the 3'6" medals contender loves about Benson and his team is their refusal to rush through any aspect of a horse or rider's education. "He takes the time with each individual rider to make sure they understand the concept," she explains. That may involve Benson jumping on a student's horse to demonstrate what he wants or simply "being really good at explaining directions," she says. "I already feel that I can ride my horse better, grow as a rider and have better success."
Julia Nagler Ventana's Secret Weapons Assistant trainer Candace Allen is a big part of maintaining Ventana's high training standards and its consistent success. She started with Benson as a working student in 2000, then relinquished her amateur status in 2008 to go pro as his assistant. "She's our secret weapon," laughs Adrienne. In addition to handling many of the back office tasks for Ventana Farm, Candace is a master at preparing horses. "She gets them so lovely and nice on the flat and I am always more than happy to jump on a horse she has started." Benson and Candace are a powerful team as both trainers and in that less tangible area of creating a nice atmosphere at the barn and at shows. "Candace always has a smile on her face," notes Julia. And, she has a special gift for the young riders in the barn, sometimes standing in when parents cannot accompany their kids to a show. Benson has a soft side, too, Julia reports. "He's like a second dad to me and I know he makes the same efforts to the other kids in our barn. I'm not sure a lot of outsiders see that, but he is pretty incredible." The tone set at the top trickles down to all levels of interaction between stablemates. "They were all incredibly welcoming and super nice to me when I came to the barn," Madeline notes. Additional assistant trainer Christy Jacoby is critical to Ventana Farm's success. For the past 12 years, she's applied her solid background in dressage and eventing to keeping the horses at home in productive work while the show team is on the road. Head grooms Rigo Soto and Ignacio Mata are also critical. Rigo has been with the program since the beginning and both are true horsemen and key players in keeping the horses at their peak whether at home or shows. Benson has a lifelong history with horses. He was born in Texas and raised in Florida. His earliest riding experiences were on a backyard pony that he first had to catch, then on a horse he bought with paper-route money. Rodeos and competing in Western and English Pleasure and halter classes on Quarter Horses, Appys and other breeds comprised his equestrian upbringing. He attended the Meredith Manor riding and horsemanship academy in West Virginia, where he was introduced to jumping. After graduation, Benson worked for the renowned Col. John Russell, a member of the bronze medal winning Olympic show jumping team in 1952, then joined the Meredith Manor staff for two years. Benson's riding career took him to Europe several times, where he worked for show jumping luminaries including Jan Tops and Peter Weinburg. Over the years, he accumulated a long list of impressive mentors. They include Hap Hansen, Nancy Nordstrom and Lisa O'Keefe when he was setting up shop in the Golden State. George Morris, Jimmy Wofford, Nelson Pessoa, Buddy Brown and Sandy Aston are other noted horsemen on the long list that Benson credits as part of his success. He is equally at ease training and campaigning Baby Green Hunters, Grand Prix jumpers and everything in between or coaching riders of the same. Like his student Julia Nagler, he's unable to pinpoint one part of his program that he likes best. "I couldn't do it!" he says. "We really love it all!"
For more information on Benson Carroll and Ventana Farms, visit www.ventanafarms.com or call Benson Carroll at 831-236-4113 or Candace Allen at 831-521-9445. |
