Ocala, Florida - Equiventures, LLC., purchased by Richard Trayford last spring, is very pleased to announce updates to the Ocala Horse Properties Horse Trials for their November 2014 horse trials as well as 2015 horse trials next January, February, and April. These additions should fulfill not only your competitive needs, but your appetite and thirst for entertainment as well.
First and foremost, we are very pleased to announce that the Ocala Horse Properties has renewed their title sponsorship for our upcoming season. We are also excited that the Florida Horse Park will soon begin the construction of new permanent stabling. We look forward to a new era for a facility that will accommodate a multitude of disciplines at an international level.
In an effort to reach out to as many competitors as possible, a Beginner Novice section has been added to the schedule for the November horse trials. Each upcoming horse trials will also offer extended hospitality with a beer, wine, and food tent for the volunteers and competitors post-competition. The April competition will have a full-fledged party and more.
Equiventures is also pleased to announce that JJ Johnson has come aboard to assist with its ongoing effort to produce first-class eventing. She has been involved in eventing for over 30 years, an organizer for over 25 years, officiated at three Olympic Games and the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, and has managed control and communications at dozens of national horse trials.
Looking forward to the April 2015 Ocala Horse Properties Festival of Eventing, we are going to give the winter season a spectacular send off. Our Festival of Eventing will showcase all our sport has to offer: Future and Young Event Horse classes will showcase the talented young stock. We will offer a full range of horse trials levels from Advanced Combined Test through Novice and the increasingly important FEI CCI2* and 1*. Hospitality will be at the max with more vendors than ever, and our very own Ocala-based rider and coach Clayton Fredericks will be performing with his UK-based band at the competitors' party.
Possibly the only thing more unsettling than being a horse owner experiencing an infectious disease outbreak on their farm is to be a veterinarian who experiences one.
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is proud to announce the first class of USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Judges have completed their certifications through the YEH New Judge Education Program, which was led by YEH faculty member, Marilyn Payne.
Nazila Hejazi and her 20-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter mare, Tessa, may have made for an unconventional pair at the USEA Area VI Championships, held in October at Galway Downs (Temecula, California) but they didn’t let that hold them back. It’s uncommon to see a horse in their twenties still competing in eventing, and even more rare for a gaited horse to compete in a jumping sport.
Today, we pause to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on the powerful moment in 1963 when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his vision for a better future. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech was more than just words; it was a call to action that transcended time, culture, and boundaries—a beacon of hope that continues to inspire.