Sandy Benson and Floyd (NM)
Team #951: Sandy Benson and Floyd
From: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Ages: 73 & 30
Combined Age: 103
Test: WDAA Introductory Level Test 4
Sandy Benson started with horses as a child, riding hunter/jumpers in Minnesota. Her involvement with riding continued through college, but as an adult, her life sent her in other directions, such as working in the U.S. Senate, teaching English in Tibet/India, and performing as a modern dancer in NYC.
It wasn’t until years later, when she landed in New Mexico, that she had the good fortune to rekindle her equine connection. Fast forward to when she purchased her first horse, Floyd, (Lynxs Colonel), a 12-year-old Quarter Horse gelding, a top reining horse from Colorado.
The next years were dedicated to training and competing in various Western traditions. At the same time, she was teaching riding fundamentals at a local ranch in Santa Fe. By 2018, Sandy and Floyd had switched to competing in Western Dressage. At that time, she also began her career as a Masterson Method equine bodyworker. She credits the bodywork along with an exercise program that corresponds to the shifting needs of a senior horse.
She's very proud of this test with Floyd. As soon as the video camera went on, it seemed like Floyd shifted into the performance gear, and the two of them enjoyed one of the sweetest, most connected rides ever. They are happy to be able to join the esteemed Century Club offered by The Dressage Foundation.
