To a quick passerby traveling through, Ocala might look like a sleepy, little town. In fact, some even go so far as to call it Slowcala. That may be true if one compares it to a bustling, big city. But let’s take a closer look.

When I think back to the Washington DC area from where I moved almost 3 years ago and look at why I left, I find the quiet, small town feel just what I was looking for with its rolling green pastures, stately oak trees dripping Spanish moss combined with swaying palm trees, fragrant jasmine, colorful hibiscus, two lane roads with little traffic, and a temperate climate.

Maybe one could call a place like this sleepy. Yet, you might just be surprised at what Ocala offers. It is a satisfying blend of culture, dining, and recreational gems. But the one thing that Ocala is best known for is that it is horse country and that is what I will be focusing on for this look at Ocala.

My attention was first brought to Ocala, when my brother and his family moved here from Pennsylvania to a small horse farm, bringing along their horses. They had Appaloosas and my nieces used to train and compete in some of the biggest National Horse Shows. That was how I first heard about Ocala and began learning what a big industry horses is and particularly how well Ocala is regarded for it.

Called the Horse Capital of the world, you can hardly go anywhere without seeing horses from running or grazing on a pasture to leading a carriage ride through the country side. People fly in from all over the world to buy millions of dollars worth of horses at auction at the OBS (Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company). If you look at the Ocala Marion County Chamber of Commerce, it will tell you that there are over 200 farms and places to train and breed horses, that you could find over 50 different breeds of horses and that almost 29,000 are employed in some facet of the Thoroughbred industry in Marion County. Many Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Breeders Cups winners hail from right here.

 I haven’t been to all of the horse related events yet, but I did go to the Florida Carriage Museum to watch my niece Kimberly compete in some Special Olympic Equine Events and we are really proud of her accomplishments. The facility was just beautiful. Besides a really cool carriage display in the museum, it has 10 barns that were spotless and are used as an Equine “Bed and Barn”.

There are some major horse events held annually right in Ocala. Whether you are a competitor, local or international or a spectator there are equine events to satisfy the most discriminating tastes from polo to rodeos to world class horse shows and competitions. Maybe instead of “Slowcala” we may want to call it “Whoacala” !!!! Happy trails.

Here are some links if you would like to learn more about the places and events they hold.

Florida Horse Park

HITS The Horse Show in the Sun

Florida Carriage Museum and Resort

Riding Trails

OBS

Horse and Carriage Tours