Benson began riding hunters in her teens, coached by Robert Meilsoe. But after graduating, the reality of realty dictated that she give up horses for the next 20 years while she built her business. About 10 years ago, she felt she needed a change and took up skiing and a few other pursuits, but longed to return to her first love. She purchased a couple of prospects and decided that if she was taking another shot at the sport, she would get serious. “Rather than keeping my horses here in Ottawa, I moved them to Torrey Pines (in Schomberg) so I could train with Eric Lamaze and Courtney Vince. Mostly I did hunter at first with Courtney and bought and sold a few horses through Eric.”
Her two current horses – Joli Coeur and Quannan De Bray – were imported five years ago from Europe through Lamaze and Vince’s overseas connections. Joli Coeur (known as Cracker in the barn) is a 13-year-old chestnut Selle Francais gelding. “He is sort of the barn pet,” says Benson. Quannan De Bray (nicknamed Britain) is a 10-year-old bay Belgian Sport Horse gelding that came from Michael Whitaker’s barn. His sire, Kannan, was a talented member of the French jumping team who was named French national champion in 2005.
Three years ago, following the Beijing Olympics, Lamaze and Vince became stationed primarily in Europe, so Benson decided to move on. She relocated her horses to Yann Candele’s Normandy Hills Farm in Caledon. As he used to work with Lamaze, it seemed like a natural progression, although one of Benson’s horses was faced with a career change. “I showed Cracker three times at the Royal in the hunter division and he won lots of stuff over the years. But Yann’s really isn’t a hunter barn, so my hunter became a jumper and actually does much better as a jumper!”
In 2009, Joli Coeur was champion at his first show at Blainville. His stablemate, Quannan de Bray, was circuit champion in 2008 at WEF and reserve circuit champion in 2009. At the 2010 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, Benson packed a one-two punch with both horses in the low adult division and was regularly champion or reserve with one or the other, or both. “I’ve been lucky – I’m getting some really good schooling in the jumper division, and the horses like me!” she says, adding that while she doesn’t have children, “my ‘kids’ are the Benson Boys – that’s what they call them at the barn.”
The logistics of working, riding and showing (not to mention home life with hubby Bill Stanyar) requires a precision balancing act from Benson. “Every week I fly to Toronto; I basically ride one afternoon, ride the next day and come back,” she explains. After years of commuting, she has it down to a fine art. “I can leave my desk (in downtown Ottawa) and get to the barn faster than someone coming from Bay and Bloor in Toronto.”
On winter weekends, the 51-year-old Benson flies back and forth to Florida for WEF. “The idea was to have a holiday in the winter and a bit of a break from real estate.” That ‘break’ is open to interpretation, however. “I’m usually not away for more than three or four days at a time, and I have a full office set up in Florida and in Toronto as well. Typically, I work in the morning and ride in the afternoon, or vice versa.” Thanks to the internet and a team of three assistants to make sure things continue to work seamlessly, she is able to make appointments, set up tours and manage her business from any location. “I also do referral work with agents in Florida for horsey people who are looking for places, rentals or purchases.”
While in Wellington, Benson keeps her horses at Belle Herbe Farm in Grand Prix Village, which is owned by JustWorld International board member Maria Newman. “The horses go down at Christmas and come back April 15th,” says Benson, who usually manages to do eight or nine shows during the 12-week tournament.
Benson is pragmatic about the amount of life-juggling effort it takes to keep all the balls in the air. “I guess it comes naturally, as I have been doing this balancing act for 10 years or so. It takes a lot of planning and organization to ensure that my work runs smoothly and that my clients never think that I am out of the office. Technology now allows me to follow both passions – real estate and show jumping.”
