I
really like it when we travel and just stumble into a special event and this
happened during our stay in Williston.
If you know Florida, you know the area around Ocala is horse country and
it’s very evident driving along I-75.
There are 600 horse farms in Marion County alone.
We
decided to devote our first day getting familiar with the area and less than
ten miles down the road we came upon HITS (Horseshow In The Sun), which is
billed as the Triple Crown of Show Jumping,
with events in Thermal, CA & Saugerties, NY in addition to Ocala.
This
event, and the rest of the Ocala Winter Schedule, took place at HITS Post Time Farm located
on US-27 a little northwest of Ocala and it appears the Ocala Winter Circuit
has shows (competitions) every week from Jan. 14 – Mar. 24 (Great American $1
Million Grand Prix). I had no idea there
was a year round competition jumping circuit like this competing for some pretty
serious prize money.
When
we stopped by on Wednesday, they were practicing and here are a few shots – in
addition to the main arena, they have many, many practice areas, stables,
pastures, horse trailer and RV parking.
These shots begin with the practice areas and work up to the main arena.
The main arena.
Photos
can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Have
a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
Larry
2/5/14
event date
Great shots Larry. Ocala is very pretty and they have some beautiful (and fancy) horse farms. We lived there briefly in the early nineties and the climate is quite comfortable.
ReplyDeleteSam
Larry, Now this is something that Laurie would have liked to see! Horses, horses and more horses! I prefer western rodeo type riding but she loves to watch them all! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteThe picture of the horse and rider starting the jump is just incredible. Look at those beautiful muscles on that horse. I would love to see that show.
ReplyDeleteLooks like so much fun... So glad that you stumbled upon the horse show...NEAT... I would enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteGreat set of photos.
Hugs,
Betsy
So pretty with the live oak trees. I love this part of Florida. I also love the new look on your blog.
ReplyDeleteSomeday, Larry, I will be retired and I hope to have the kind of travels that you do. You are in parts unknown to me. Seeing the horse show made me miss my 20+ years I did, loading up my horses into my trailer, and hitting the show ring. Ah, that was then. Today, my horses are all in greener pastures, but I will always remember the smells, sounds and feeling of flying around an arena on horseback. Thanks for jarring good memories for me.
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in Florida for many years, I think Ocala is one of the prettier parts. I'm happy to see that you decided to stay a little longer in Florida. Our friends here in New Hampshire think we were crazy to head back to New Hampshire after only two weeks. With almost four feet of snow on the ground on our return, I think they may be right. :)
ReplyDeleteHubby's brother advocated for us moving to Ocala at one point, but the heat and humidity from April until October are too much for us. It is a really pretty place, though.
ReplyDelete