Loss of a Legend, Benny Guitron
Image courtesy of Dale Livingston.
By: Brittany Bevis
We would like to send our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Benny Guitron, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 68. A consummate cowhorse competitor and lover of a good horse, Benny was named the National Reined Cowhorse Association President in 2004 and inducted into the NRCHA Hall of Fame in 2008.
Just a few of his many accolades include: 1976 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion, 1979 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Bridle Champion, and 1980 and 1981 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Hackamore Champion.
Click here to watch Benny’s NRCHA Hall of Fame video on Vimeo.com.
Born in Glendale, CA, in 1948, Benny was just 13 years old when he received a colt from his father. That was the first horse he trained by himself, using what would become Benny’s favorite pieces of tack, the hackamore. The horse was Sierra Johnny, Benny’s first show horse.
Benny’s love of fine equine craftsmanship, vintage tack, and the vaquero tradition was no secret to those who knew him the best, so much so that he partnered with Al Dunning to author Art of Hackamore Training: A Time-Honored Step in the Bridle-Horse Tradition.
Around this time last year, we partnered with Benny for two Equine Chronicle articles entitled, Understanding the Hackamore, (click here to read) and Equine Collectors, (click here to read), both of which illustrated his love for time-honored training techniques.
He treasured his “Wall of Fame” of bits that he would often show to people who visited his ranch. Among his most prized possessions included pieces by Tony Amaral, Harry Rose, Jimmy Williams, Dwight Kennedy, John Hoyt, Jack Kyle, and Jim Paul, as well as a special pair of spurs given to him by Bobby Ingersoll.
In closing, we’ll leave you with this final piece of advice from Benny, a true historian who sought to preserve the traditions of the past as much as he loved to learn about new disciplines. It’s a piece of advice sprinkled with his trademark sense of humor.
“The hackamore was a piece of equipment we got away from using because of the futurity programs and such. Now, people are wanting to go back and figure out how to make a true bridle horse – a horse that will last years for a non-pro. They’re finding out this is one of the most crucial steps that you have to take to end up with a really good horse.”
“But, it’s the biggest bluff you can put on a horse. If you don’t use it properly, and you don’t use your hands properly, you’ll get them to run through it. Once that happens, you could tie them to the front of your pick-up, and I’ll guarantee you won’t get them to stop!”
– Benny Guitron in Equine Chronicle, 2015
