Heather Bender

Treasure Coast Farm

Heather Bender currently resides at Treasure Coast Farms in Palm City, Florida. Tom Mike's recently custom built, lovely facility on 25 lush acres, is appropriately named Treasure Coast Farm. Among the many bells and whistles, Treasure Coast Farm boasts a covered, insulated indoor arena with full end mirrors, a full size track to gallop the young horses and work the grand prix horses, a huge roofed round pen, two large pastures, a hurricane ready barn that shuts down and closes off, a 25ft wide center isle, run-ins for all horses, and 2 full-size outdoor dressage arenas. They are currently building a lake that they can swim the horses in.

She shares this piece of paradise with her three FEI horses – Mikhail, Bono Sera, and Winwood and seven Lusitanos from Interagro Farms from Brazil. Six of the horses are stallions and one is a gelding. Sponsor and friend, Tom Mikes, who met Heather at Jeanette Sassoon’s facility, owns five. Tom really stands behind Heather’s vision for success and has entrusted her with his five fabulous horses and the management of his new facility in Palm City. “Heather is absolutely fantastic, not only is she a super rider but she always keeps the horses’ welfare and happiness in mind, she is really an all around incredible horse woman and I am proud to stand behind her. She is my head-trainer and rider at Treasure Coast and I think she does an amazing job, she is supported by a great staff that she treats very well.”

Heather’s 6th Luitano breeding Stallion is a 7 year old,16’3 + Sargon Interagro, also from Interagro Farms. He is owned by Casa Do Cavalo Real LLC , Drs Louise Turkula Pinto and Manuel R Pinto. Heather is currently showing Sargon very successfully in the 4th level and is looking forward to moving him up to the small tour this fall. She would like to try for the Pan Am team with Sargon which is being held in his birth country of Brazil in summer 2007.

“The energy in the barn is awesome it’s all about training the horses and bringing them up through the levels. Treasure Coast and Heather really caters to training horses and riders who want to learn how to train." said Tom Mikes. Heather finds working with Tom Mikes to be so easy because their goals and enthusiasm is well matched. ‘We are both so liked minded. We are full of positive energy and do not get discouraged easily. We always try to think of a different approach when our first does not work.’ Thirty horses reside on the property, including Heather Blitz’s fleet during the winter months.

Right next to Treasure Coast Farm, Heather and her long time companion Kazimierz Woniaczuk purchased 5 beautiful acres. Together they are building a custom house. This is an ideal situation for Heather, because she can literally walk down her driveway from her house and onto the barn every morning. Heather looks at her new life as a dream come true on every level. She has worked hard her entire life to get to this point, and loves every minute of it.