In August I had the chance to visit one of my old stomping grounds – the Ocala Equestrian Complex, located in Ocala, Florida.  The Central Florida Appaloosa Horse Club was hosting their Fun in the Sun show and I thought I’d drop by to check it out.  Although the weather wasn’t too cooperative, it was still a great day in Appaloosa country as exhibitors from all over Florida engaged in friendly competition.  The show marked one of the last opportunities for competitors to gain the points needed to qualify for this year’s 2009 Appaloosa World Championships. 

Covered arena; view of arena from outdoor holding area

This showgrounds is right in the heart of horse country.  If you’re looking for convenience, this is one show facility that’s hard to top.  Access is extremely easy from I75, which is the main artery from Georgia all the way to Naples.  Hotels, gas stations (with diesel), and food options are plentiful and close by.  Another bonus is the large number of feed and tack stores right in the proximity of the grounds.  Need some hay or bedding?  Break or forget a piece of equipment?  Less than a 5 minute drive from the grounds are several options.  Another perk of the location is that there are several horse trailer dealerships, as well as a repair shop for horse trailers within a 5 minute drive.  I wasn’t kidding when I said this place was convenient! 

As far as the facility goes, there is ample parking with plenty of room for big rigs.  The covered arena has a concession and lots of bleacher seating for spectators.  There are three outdoor arenas and a large outdoor holding area.  There is also a narrow, covered holding area attached to the covered arena that is frequently used for longeing and show prep, especially in inclement weather.  The restrooms are clean and well kept, although I don’t recall seeing a shower on the premises for overnight campers.  There is an indoor barn and plenty of temporary type stalls under a permanent enclosure. 

Outdoor arena and view of one barn; Trailer parking after severe thunderstorm

There aren’t many cons to this facility, but there are a couple of areas worth mentioning.  Trailer parking is FAR from the barn areas.  It is well worth getting a tack stall, especially if you show in all around events.  In addition, access to the barns with trailers (especially large ones) is limited.  There is room for a trailer or two to unload at the same time, but there are often backups to get close.  Also, if you’re not comfortable reversing your trailer in tight spots, you may want to avoid unloading here.  I always find it easier to just unload in the parking area, put my gear in the truck and haul it over to the barns that way.  Another point worthy of mention is that one of the outdoor arenas has some sort of mulch type footing.  It’s probably fine for most events, but App shows tend to run the speed events in that ring and it can be a little slick.  Also, there are lights for the outdoor riding areas, but they are paltry.  At a show that I attended in March, they actually postponed the last few events of the day until the following morning because it had gotten so dark and the lights were not bright enough to ensure safe runs. 

With all of these great bonuses and fairly minimal complaints about the facility, it’s definitely worth checking out.  There are a number of events that they host and they get some really large barrel races there.  I have also attended a few clinics and even a haunted house!   Ocala is a great place for horse lovers so come by, enjoy a show, and check out the town!

I’ve been barrel racing off and on for about 17 years, but I still look for new tips and techniques any time I can get them.  I’ve really only ridden 2 gamers, so I don’t consider myself too experienced.  I picked up this book, Charmayne James on Barrel Racing (Western Horseman Books), a few years back because I was looking for some tips on at home conditioning of my barrel horse.  The book is a solid overview of what it takes to be a successful barrel racer, and includes chapters on choosing the right horse for the job, conditioning, nutrition, gaining show experience, mental and physical preparation for the rider, and troubleshooting, among other things.  There are lots of great photos of Charmayne and her dream team of horses, and the book is full of diagrams and illustrations. 

Overall, this book was a good purchase as a reference book to keep on hand.  To be honest, it didn’t really provide me with anything NEW.  If you are a beginner to the sport of barrel racing, or someone looking for a refresher in the basics, I would highly recommend this book.  It has a great deal to offer if you are training a horse to run barrels, like lots of little exercises to gain control over his body.  It even has a troubleshooting section with case studies examining common problems.  However, if you’re looking for more detail, such as a conditioning program or advanced exercises, you might want to keep looking.  One thing I found irksome about the book is that Charmayne’s conditioning program suggests that a rider “plan to spend an hour and a half with your horse each day, at a minimum”  five to six days per week to achieve fitness.  I’m sorry, but that is certainly not realistic for me, or for most non-professionals.  I don’t think that my horse needs 90 minutes of conditioning per day to run a 15 second pattern.  I think that excellent conditioning can be achieved with a carefully designed fitness program that will fit in better for the average rider that works and has a family.  I’ll definitely keep this book on my bookshelf, but I’m going to keep searching for a reference that is a little more advanced and has a more practical conditioning program.

The horse, with beauty unsurpassed, strength immeasureable, and grace unlike any other, still remains humble enough to carry a man upon his back.

Since I have begun this journey into the world of online horse blogs, I have enjoyed perusing the sites of many horsey writers.  It is amazing how much great  information is available and how many wonderful people are doing the very same thing that I have come to love so much!  In my travels through the World Wide Web, I recently came across a website that I felt compelled to pass along.  Sarah Andrews has a riding journal blog in which she posts details about her training sessions with her horses, titled Rock and Racehorses:  The Blog.  I have really enjoyed following her riding pursuits and have even picked up a few exercises to try with Tiny.  But the real reason I bring up this site is the photography.  Her photos are what drew me in to her site and they are what have captivated me since.  Upon reading her bio, I discovered that Sarah is a professional photographer of horses and rock concerts.  Well, no kidding!! She has a phenomenal eye and the ability to capture the most intriguing photos.  I have since visited her photography website (I’m not stalking her, I promise! It’s listed in her bio!), Rock and Racehorses and her Flickr photostream.  My favorite photos are here and here.  Although there are so many fantastic ones, it would be hard to choose only one favorite.  I desperately wanted to post some of her photos here to give you a taste, but I haven’t been able to receive permission so you’ll just have to check out the sites for yourself.  Even if you’re not a horse person, you WILL appreciate the beauty in these shots.  I promise. 

Caspersen Beach, Venice

• Plenty of riding areas, including 2 large sand rings, 1 covered sand ring, 2 grass jump fields, 1 dressage ring, and lots of open grassy areas. 
• Footing in arenas is well maintained, frequently dragged and watered. 
• 

  Indoor arena

  Automatic sprinklers along fences in rings.

• Lots of trailer parking and plenty of room for turning around large rigs.
• Permanent bathrooms with showers.
• Many electric hookups for campers.
• Onsite food vendors with a screened in patio for dining.
• Covered pavilion for viewing both main sand ring and one jumping ring.
• Lots of bleachers for spectators.
• Dog friendly atmosphere.
• Shed row style barns with large stalls, plus one indoor barn with some stalls available. 
• Multiple wash racks (4 per barn).

   

  Main arena and Indoor Barn

• Turnout paddocks for horses (not sure if these are “officially” OK to use, but I have often seen show horses turned out in them).
• Onsite management staff and maintenance crew.
• Easily accessible – just off I75.
• Just minutes away from the beautiful beaches!

The Downside

• Barns and arenas are well spaced – makes for lots of walking through the deep sand all day.
• Indoor barn mostly used for boarding facility – there are folks that are riding and wandering around that are not affiliated with the show.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but there is competition for parking and some of the riding arenas are often reserved for boarders’ use only. 
• Our shows here are usually quite pricey…may reflect higher charges by facility than other showgrounds.
  

  Sand practice arena

• They are building up more around the area, but there is not a huge variety of hotels and restaurants.  Lots of fast food places, though.  You do have to drive about 15 minutes toward the beaches to reach the majority of the hotels/food.
• May be hard to find dog friendly lodging.
• Lodging is expensive in this area.

All in all, Fox Lea Farm is a wonderful place for a horse show!  It’s a perfect location to compete and then enjoy the fresh air and beauty of your surroundings.  Make a vacation of it and explore Florida’s Gulf Coast or just enjoy the show.  Either way, Fox Lea is a real treat.