A Tradition of Personalized Service
Introduction to Flying Star
Kim Benson, the proprietor of Flying Star, is a lifelong horse trainer with over forty years of experience in the equine industry. She brings unflagging passion and energy as well as a keen horseman's eye to her methodology of teaching, training, and saddlery.
Flying Star Saddlery welcomes all disciplines, though the core foundation of our training and teaching values is dressage. We believe these principles of balance, engagement, and obedience are beneficial to all horse and rider teams! Flying Star Saddlery seeks to provide quality horses, training, lessons, and riding equipment at a fair price.
Our most valuable asset, integrity, is free.
Flying Star Mission
The number one priority at Flying Star Saddlery is to help create that happy horse and rider team in every circumstance, improving comfort and performance for both!
Our History
Meet Kim – Owner/Operator
In September 2020, Kim Benson obtained the USDF Gold Medal, having earned her United States Dressage Federation Silver Medal in 2009 and the Bronze Medal in 1999.
Before specializing in dressage, Kim earned her British Horse Society A.I. Certification at the Porlock Vale Equitation Centre in Great Britain, which included extensive study and training in three-day eventing. Kim has worked with a host of world-class instructors and enjoys learning as much as teaching!
Ms. Benson also holds an American Vaulting Association Silver Medal and coached the 1993 Pas De Deux National Champions and trained national-level competitive vaulting horses. Kim has trained thoroughbred racehorses, international four-in-hand driving horses, Quarter horses, Andalusians, and nationally competitive Arabians. She has enjoyed time with all western riding disciplines, however, the common ground for all her experience is the correct training fundamentals of dressage.
Our Heritage Out of our past comes the quest to improve the future!
During the late 1960s, my wonderful grandfather, Clarence Dean was my inspiration due to his lifelong involvement with the thoroughbred horse industry. His influence on me was profound, during that time, as I witnessed his work ethic as a horse trainer on the West Coast racing circuit. Like many jockeys, he went on to train and carved out life before horses were syndicated.
There have been many changes in the equine industry since then and fortunately a great advancement in tack! It seems we have come full circle and believe that Fairfax Saddles has something special to offer our amazing thoroughbred partners.