Your
Editor had the opportunity to talk to Cecile Hetzel Dunn, a Director of the Florida
Horse Park.
Cecile Dunn has been one of the nation’s leading equine
educators, having developed and directed equine science programs at three colleges,
including Stevens College and Salem International. In addition to directing educational
programs, Dunn continues as an active horse show judge on a national scale. Ms.
Dunn
said
that there was " . . . a large attendance from the community (at the Horse
Trials) who were treated to transportation by trams from Silver Spring and horse
drawn carriages from Ocala Carriages." Below
is a detailed report with pictures. Both the report and pictures are by Meika
Decher, of Southern Pines, North Carolina. eventingetc is
extremely grateful to Meika for the report and the pictures. Ocala
Horse Trials, a Rider's Perspective I went to
Ocala Horse Trials because I was in the mood for a new venue and because I falsely
had faith that a new event would be slightly easier than some, and that the course
designers would want to smoothly blend into the eventing schedule. Wrong! The
event was not a great place to bring my green-as-grass horses; but, despite that,
I had a great time. I will go back there happily in the  spring
and look forward to riding David O'Connor's challenging Cross Country course again.
(The Water Complex at Ocala is pictured at the right.) I
cannot say enough about the venue. The Florida Horse Park is going to be quite
a site to behold in the future. It is located near the town of Bellevue, to the
south of Ocala and just 5 miles off the interstate. It is very convenient in all
respects. The site is flat and will be useful for a wide variety of horse sports.
This seems to be the trend of the (newer, publicly owned) horse venues. The Carolina
Horse Park, Kentucky Horse Park, and the future Maryland Equestrian Park are just
a few that have large tracts of land that cater to a wide variety of horse sports
and thus, share the cost of maintaining the facility. For us eventers, this will
mean high quality arenas, footing, services and efficient management.
David O'Connor has set out an extremely interesting and fun Cross
Country course. (The Turning Tables - Fences 4a and b are pictured at the left
below.) I rode two horses in the Preliminary, both their first time at this
level, and  one
greenie at novice. Despite the fact that I came home with cricket scores in the
jumping phases, having not followed through with my good luck of winning the dressage
on Metolius, as well as some broken ribs, I had a fantastic time and loved
the competition. The Preliminary Cross Country contained
a total of six combinations and was so well built by Greg Schlappi and his team
that you could not help but be excited to get out there. (Greg Schlappi has built
other artworks such as Poplar Place and Herron Park). But those of us on green
horses wondered just how straight and well trained they would feel when confronted
with some challenging elements on course. Open Prelim
seemed to fare the worst, I was probably the least lucky with my fall over the
ditch and wall combination (with Metolius). There were only four clear Cross Country
jumping scores out of fourteen riders. My other horse,  Kingfisher
II, made my entire weekend by beautifully answering all the questions and giving
me a thrilling ride over the entire course. ( An Ocala Skinny is pictured at
the right.) A large, square and flat cupped Preliminary
show jumping course also took its toll on the leaders and I met Peter Grey at
the out-gate shaking his head when listening to his score and saying "How??"
I had the same feeling; but, I liked the fact that my horses jumped the latter
part of the course better than the first. I am chalking it up to greenness, while
also making plans to attend a large number of jumper shows this winter!
Novice
horses were faced early in the course with a combination that I thought unfairly
challenged their bravery, a construction site with two black corrugated pipes
connecting four piles of crush-n-run, being pushed by two giant Caterpillar earthmovers.
On second thought, I think I may have been the only person in the  entire
event who had trouble there, so perhaps I need to revise my training procedure.
I have only recently been able to convince my Novice horse that cantering fences
is the path of least resistance, so this was a real bomb dropped on him. Does
everyone practice over black plumbing pipes connected to giant tractors but me?
( Greg Schlappi and the Cats and Pipes are pictured at the left above.) My
horse took one look at the entire complex and proceeded to run the opposite direction
as fast as he could. Once I managed to stop his mad dash towards the stables,
he then hopped up and down in place for a good minute or two with his brain completely
short circuiting. Mind you, the presumed impossible jump was far, far away by
now! I believe he thought we had to jump the earthmovers; but, after a humorous
discussion about the fact that he should at least try to LOOK at the jump, he
then put his heart and soul into it and steeplechased the entire complex as if
he were on the Grand Nationall course. Needless to say, the rest of the course
was simple after that. Despite the fact that I am
limping around with very painful ribs and my horses are on mandatory November
vacation, I am so glad that I drove to Ocala for the horse
trials. My report would not be complete, however, if I did not mention the best
"competitors party" that I have ever attended. This one rivals the year
thatFoxhall was sponsored by the champagne company, a happy occasion for us competitors
that year, and one that I will remember fondly. This party was held in the neighboring
8000 sq ft home that is currently on the market. I'm not sure what the price of
a house with it's own indoor water park and train system is; but, I do hope that
the competitor's parties will continue there in the years to come! (Have a
little wine! - a picture from the Competitor's Party at the right.) Fantastic
food; great live auction for charity (no eventers that I knew were bidding on
the $10k necklace and earrings!); silent art auction; and excellent people viewing
was the order of the evening. Plan on getting your entries in on the opening
date this spring because this is going to be a very popular event. Meika
Decher *
* * * * November 10,
2005
Inaugural Ocala Horse Trials a Success for the New Florida Horse Park
By Shaneen Kohler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It
was really exciting to see the first horse make the first jump and see that horse
finish the cross-country course. I'm speechless,” said Florida Agriculture
and Horse Park Authority Chairman Tom Warriner just seconds after the first
rider completed the cross-country course at the Florida Horse Park’s inaugural
event, the Ocala Horse Trials, presented by Seminole Feed, November 5-6. To
know Warriner is to know that it takes a lot to leave this eloquent man
speechless. A convincing and charismatic speaker, Warriner is one of the
key reasons the Florida Horse Park has received a new lease on life. Combined
with support from the Florida Department of Agriculture and the Ocala/Marion County
Chamber of Commerce, as well as multiple private sponsors, “It is on its
way,” said Warriner. Olympian, sponsor and competitor Darren
Chiacchia concurred. “I had this vision about six  months
ago when the park was just wide open scrub fields, and when I drove in (Nov. 5),
I saw that vision realized. It’s here, and it’s transformed!” Chiacchia
attributes its success to the team. “You don’t do something like this
without a great team,” he said. “I think it is the best team in the
country today.” (Darren is pictured at the left on Huronia jumping into
the water at the Red Hills Horse Trials last spring.) While the park
is still in the “embryonic stage,” Warriner had no complaints
about the initial events, which consisted of the Ocala Horse Trials, November
5-6, and the Sunshine State Driving Event on November 6. The jubilant atmosphere
at the event was almost palatable and the comments from the riders and spectators
were unanimous. “I really can’t fault the event and it is a wonderful
site,” said rider Paul Delbrook, of Ocala. Canadian
Olympic Team Coach Peter Gray said, “The flow of the course was perfect.
The jumps are beautifully constructed and imaginative, and the water jump is spectacular.”
Gray, who also has a farm in Ocala, added, “Ocala has become such
an important training area. To have a venue like this is huge.” Opportunity
of a Lifetime
The inaugural event offered a couple of riders
the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to be the first to officially compete
at the “new” horse park. Brent Leytem, of McIntosh, FL,
was the first rider to enter one of the five competitive rings at the event when
he rode Chanticleer in the dressage phase of the Preliminary Rider division. While
the music playing in the background had Chanticleer excited, “It was fantastic
because Chanticleer was able to stick to the task and I was able to keep him under
control,” said Dr. Leytem, explaining that Chanticleer likes to “.
. . buck to the music.” Dr. Leytem ended up fifth on Chanticleer following
an “exhilarating” cross-country run on Day 2, where they tested their
skills through the Ring of Power Construction site, Seminole Feed Corner, the
Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Water Jump and
the Florida Department of Agriculture’s Citrus Stand, to name a few. The
first rider to test the cross-country course was Kristine Gallagher, of
Bloomfield, CT, in the Beginner Novice division. Gallagher was riding Sportsfield
Pete, a 12-year-old Irish Sporthorse owned by Samantha Lendl of Bradenton, FL.
Lendl flew Gallagher down to Florida just to compete at the event, which Gallagher
said “. . . was run really well. I thought the horse park was great and we'll
definitely be competing here again.” These were just two of the firsts
for the Florida Horse Park, which has been on a whirlwind preparation schedule
for the past few months. As Warriner said, “Seeing sponsors sitting in front
of the jumps they sponsored, that was a dream a few months ago, and it is a reality
today.” For details about the Florida Horse Park, visit. www.flhorsepark.com
or call (352) 620-0757. The next event will be a recognized dressage show, January
14-15. First-Place Results:
2005 Ocala
Horse Trials (rider, horse, residence; owner, residence)
Junior
Young Riders Open Preliminary — Katherine Wimberly, Mountaindale,
East Lake Weir, FL; Michael Godfrey, Mt. Dora, FL Open Preliminary —
Darren Chiacchia, Huronia, Ocala, FL; Dennis Claremont, Liberty,
SC
(Darren
and Huronia are pictured at the right in the Dressage Phase at the Morven Park
Horse Trilals in September.)
Preliminary Rider — Kirsten
Selvig, Ruse de Guerre, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Kirsten Selvig
Open
Training — Janet Andrews, Cosmic Diamond, Cocoa, FL; Janet
Andrews
Training Rider — Morgan Tucker, Maverick
, Windermere, FL; Morgan Rucker
Novice Rider — Kathy
Bell, Toy Master, Mobile, AL; Susan Bell, Mobile, AL
Open Novice
— Christin Stoop, Hafflicht, Ocala, FL; Tim and Cheryl Holekamp,
Columbia, MO
Beginner Novice Horse — Midge Koontz, Color
Strike, Citra, FL; Midge Koontz
Beginner Novice Rider — Pauline
Wimberly, Touch A Luckycharm, East Lake Weir, FL; Pauline Wimberly
Equine
Spirit Cup Perpetual Trophy (for off-the-track Thoroughbreds) — Alice
Andrews, Honest Truth, Altoona, FL --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open
Preliminary - the Top Three Finishers:
1.
Darren Chiacchia,
Huronia - 36.5 (6) 0 0 36.5 (3) 0 2 = 38.5
2. Peter Gray, Hot
Pursuit 40 (7) 8 0 48 (5) 0 0 = 48
3. Hilda Donahue, Wilson
III 51 (12) 4 2 57 (8-T) 0 10.4 = 67.4
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