About Balmoral
Welcome to Balmoral, where equestrian dreams are nurtured, realized and executed amidst the sun-soaked landscapes of Southern California.
Traci and Carleton Brooks have a lifetime of experience with horses, an extensive teaching and training background and a keen ability to match horses and riders and produce results. They share an appreciation and respect for horses, and in addition to their training skills they are also well known for their high standard of horse care and attention to detail.
Together they’ve trained and produced numerous National Champions and Grand Champions in Professional, Junior, Pony and Amateur hunter & jumper divisions at some of the industry’s most prestigious shows such as Devon, The National Horse Show, The Washington International Horse Show, The Pennsylvania National Horse Show, Capital Challenge, USEF Pony Finals and NAYC. Traci and Carleton invest significant time developing horses and have seen success with many over the years. Noteable horses are McQueen, Only Always, Day Won, Pritchard Hill, Philadelphia Story, Estimated Prophet, Deja Blue, Wish List, Triton Z, Sin City, Penn Square, Ragtime Cowboy, Record Year, Givenchy, Walland, Cathartic, Castle, Jury Duty, Virtue, Carollie, Trinity, Center Stage, Tag Line, Sparring Partner, Buccelatti, Corporate Profit, Eye Candy, Inspired and Vested, and many others.
Traci Brooks has been involved in the equestrian industry for over 40 years. She grew up immersed in the rich horse heritage of the Chagrin Valley outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Balmoral was started in 1994, focusing on Junior riders wanting to achieve success at the National level. In 1998, she moved to California where she worked in collaboration with some of the top West Coast industry professionals. Current day, Traci has played an integral role in what Balmoral has evolved to be. She has a keen eye for buying horses that pair with the rider or have the potential to be developed into winning Hunters and Jumpers. Traci is the current chair of the USHJA National Hunter Derby Task Force, Vice President of AERC – Athletes for Equity Resource Center focusing on mental health for athletes, Co-Host of The Plaidcast, and an insurance agent for Taylor Harris Insurance Services.
Carleton Brooks, best known as “CB”, is one of the most respected and recognized horsemen in the country, awarded the USHJA Lifetime Achievement Award. His successful career spans three decades coaching, judging, training, riding and competing.
You will find CB at the Agoura Hills location of Balmoral teaching lessons, judging at National and International horse shows as a USEF ‘R’ judge, or working with a wide variety of students and horses as a trainer and clinician on the road and at horse shows across the country. Carleton operated Uphill Farm Inc., in Northern California out of the Menlo Circus Club for 22 years, training and producing top horses and riders. He has received many honors in the sport, including Leading Hunter Rider at The National Horse Show, a four-time winner of the Pacific Horse Shows Association Don Tipton Award, and the Arthur B. Hawkins Award for Excellence in Horse Sport.
