Author Alan Benning has been a successful businessman in England, Spain, and the United States for over fifty-seven years, and during that time was internationally licensed to own and train racehorses in seven different countries. Born and raised in England, his original life plan had involved football (soccer) but his dreams of turning professional were dashed by a broken leg. Luckily, by that point, he was already well on his way to becoming a successful businessman, and in any case, his true passion had always been the world of horse racing, which "never felt like work." For a number of years, he even wrote articles for a national racehorse magazine named The Thoroughbred Times. When he moved to Florida, he took over a chocolate factory supplying Disney World, Sea World, and the now defunct Burdines, and opened numerous stores selling chocolate and greeting cards. When that phase passed he purchased a 300 acre horse farm in Ocala, before traveling the country training racehorses at most of America's tracks. Then real estate became a new obsession, followed by ownership of a golf course and (not surprisingly) many more horses. He currently lives in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with Carol (his wife of fifty-six years), and two beautiful Munchkin cats, whom they adore. The couple have two children, five grandchildren, and two great grandchildren, ranging from a few months old to twenty-seven years. Alan and his wife still enjoy watching horse racing and assessing the quality of the various horses, as well as going to live shows, reading, and spending time with family.
