Lesley Bennett Q & A

Q- How did you get started on your journey with horses and jewelry?

A- I have been a jeweler all of my Adult life. I have loved horses my entire life. My father introduced me to horses when I was very young and I never got over it. He kept a couple of quarter horses at a riding stable and I will always remember those days and the wisdom he taught me.

When I moved to Cave Creek Arizona in 1969 and opened a small jewelry store in Carefree I had the opportunity to have my own first horse. A half Arabian. That was when I wondered if anyone would want to wear a piece of jewelry containing a gold horse on a chain around their neck. I was encouraged to try it so I made three different small gold horse pendants and took them down to the Scottsdale Arabian Show (which was at the old

McCormick ranch on Pima in those days). Leslie Townsend at Victor Supreme sold them right away and my new career was born.

I am grateful for all of the people who have followed and supported my efforts for all of these years while I have captured many breeds and disciplines in gold and diamonds. What fascinates me the most is the equine athlete and that is what has drawn me to the Reining horse and the people who ride them.

I started making reining horse jewelry a few years back and last year while our jewelry booth was set up on the rail at Sun Circuit I started making a clay sculpture of a reining horse and rider. I had never worked that large. When it was finished I took it to the foundry where it was cast in bronze and I was so delighted that it was very well received.

I was so encouraged that I decided to try a larger Reiner. So I now have a 4 ft clay Reining horse and rider in my living room ... Watson the Corgi likes to bark at it when he goes by. It will take me a long time to finish but I will be working on it in our jewelry booth at this year’s Sun Circuit. Please come by and say hello...I need all the encouragement I can get!