Description
Ben, a handsome 7-year-old border collie, joined Carol last spring as a trained dog and ran successfully at Soldier Hollow last year. He’s an affectionate and devoted partner who demands couch time during Carol’s morning coffee. Carol readily admits that Ben undoubtedly knows better what to do on the field than she does—a willing partner who makes her look good.
Carol and Ben are true locals, living just 3 miles from Soldier Hollow in Charleston, Utah. Carol comes from a horse background, beginning with show horses and moving on to barrel racing and team roping when she lived in Tetonia, Idaho. She thought sheepdogs might be a bit more “accessible” than horses since they fit in her SUV—but that was before she realized she needed her own sheep. Twelve years ago, Carol and her husband Steve moved to Charleston to accommodate the new hobby and now have a small flock of sheep and 4 border collies. As our Soldier Hollow Event Manager, Carol works alongside Festival Managers Eric and Mia Larson to operate the Soldier Hollow Classic. “In her prior life,” as she refers to it, Carol was an attorney working in Salt Lake City. Her family always had a border collie from a distant relative in Craig Colorado but didn’t get around to doing with them what they do best until after helping at this event its first year in 2003.
