Juan Carlos Gonzalez’s whole life has revolved around horses as he grew up in Chile, playing a little bit of polo. That changed when he came to the USA to work for Joe Muldoon. He played in a variety of places including Maryland, Brandywine, Virginia, Aiken and some practices in Florida. “I wanted to play in Chile, but you don’t have the opportunity to play because only rich people can play,” he said. “But in this country, you have the opportunity.”

His passion is making horses which he did out of necessity when he first started. “I can’t afford to buy horses, so I have to make my own,” he said. He knows what he likes and has some special criteria when selecting his prospects to train. “I look at conformation, good head - not crazy,” he said. “I have to ride them before making a decision. I look for beautiful eyes. The eyes are really important to me.”

Juan Carlos had some special horses throughout his career including a mare named Bengala that he bought as a 3-year-old and sold as an 8-year-old. Hugo Barabucci spotted the talented mare and wanted to buy the horse for his nephew, Alfredo Capella. Bengala went on to play in the US Open and the Argentine Open. “That is a great feeling to see a horse you made play in that tournament,” said Juan Carlos.

As a professional umpire, Juan Carlos sees the importance of the horse in the role. “Without a good horse to umpire on, you cannot do a good job,” he said. “You need to be riding a horse that can keep up with the play and allow you to read the game quickly.”