Ocala Horse Shows welcomes your to equestrian paradise and the finest schedule of horse shows in Ocala. Ocala is equestrian country in every sense of the word. Here, many of the nations top equestrian horse breeders perfect their craft, producing thoroughbred race horses as well as virtually every other breed of horse. Horse farms create stunning vistas of endless green grass accented by black horse fencing and majestic oak trees. A visit to a one of the several horse farms open to the public is a must.
Florida Horse Park, an attraction in itself, is the center of horse shows for North Central Florida. Skilled jumpers or disciplined dressage riders compete for ribbons almost every weekend.
Winter months bring professional riders to the famous Horse Shows in the Sun (HITS) circuit has been performing at Hits Post Time Farm from mid January to mid March for over 30 years. The Ocala area includes Marion, Alachua, Levy, Suwannee, Sumter counties.
Staying in the Ocala area? Visit Travel Ocala for complete hotel, car rental and attraction reservations.
Jan 27, 2012
USET Foundation's "An English Country Evening" Location: Palm Beach International Equestrian Center
Wellington, FL
The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is gearing up for its benefit event being held tonight at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in the Special Events Tent. "An English Country Evening" will feature honorary chairs NBC Today Show host Matt Lauer and his wife Annette, an avid equestrian. This year's celebratory evening will feature six unique and extraordinary live auction items for guests to bid on to help raise funds for the USET Foundation to further support the United States Equestrian Team riders as they prepare and compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.
In addition to the Live Auction, the special evening will include the USET Foundations presentation of its most coveted awards, the prestigious Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy and the Whitney Stone Cup as well recognizing Gold Medal Club members who have supported the USET Foundation for 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years.
More info...
Jan 27, 2012
Thrifty Car Rental
Rent a Compact Car for $25.99/day or $135.99 week through Feb 11. 2012
More info...
Jan 27, 2012
Nick Skelton and Carlo 273 Repeat Victory in $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 3
Wellington, FL
January 26, 2012 - For the second week in a row, Nick Skelton and Beverley Widdowson's Carlo 273 led the victory gallop in the Thursday afternoon $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Grand Prix in Wellington. Today's class was the third in the series at the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through April 1, 2012.
Week three of the FTI WEF runs Wednesday, January 25, through Sunday, January 29, and is sponsored by Horseware Ireland. The highlight jumper classes in week three are the $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes on Saturday, January 28, as well as the $50,000 Horseware Ireland CSI 2* Grand Prix on Sunday, January 29. More info...
Jan 27, 2012
Are you like us, ready to hit the road with the truck and trailer?
Trail Riding
As an avid trail rider, you’re accustomed to loading and unloading your horse most every weekend. You travel to find and frequent the most scenic trails and add some variety to your rides.
Before your next trailering excursion, learn the safety steps that will keep you and your horse safe as you load and unload. Respected trainer and clinician Julie Goodnight works with trail riders and “trailerers” at many of her clinics. She’s seen horse owners skip important safety steps and trust that their horses will be safe.
But even the calmest horse can spook, step back, or slip, causing a harmful chain reaction if the loading, tying and untying process isn’t done in order. If your horse is tied in the trailer, but knows the back door is open for escape, he might pull back and panic when he can’t get free. The panic session compounds when he hears the trailer’s loud echo and slips on a metal floor. More info...
Jan 26, 2012
From Reining to Hunt Seat: Engage Your Mind to Ride a Successful Pattern
Dell Hendricks
I don’t know if Yogi Berra likes horses, but one of the sayings the baseball great is famous for is, “Ninety percent of the game is half mental,” which certainly applies to anything done with a horse.
In other words, your mental strategy is important, especially if you compete in reining, working cow horse, hunt seat equitation or any class that requires a pattern. Too often, riders lose their focus and end up missing markers or having a sloppy pattern.
Here to offer his expertise is reining champion and renowned clinician Dell Hendricks. In this Horse&Rider piece, Dell shares his winning mental strategies that will keep you on track and help you show your best:
Goal: To mentally “map” arena landmarks, then visualize riding to them, so you’ll know exactly where you should be — and where you should go next — on a pattern at all times.
Benefit: You’ll boost your pattern’s accuracy, and avoid losing your way as you negotiate it, which can lead to missed markers, sloppy maneuvers (such as poorly shaped circles), going off pattern, and other points-off–or zero-score–errors. Plus, you’ll net a strong dose of confidence from being mentally prepared for your run, thereby gaining a competitive edge. More info...
