Central Florida Horse Shows
and Equestrian Events

Horse shows and equestrian events in Orlando, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Lake and Seminole County. The main equestrian venues in Central Florida are known as Clarcona, Kissimmee, and Altoona.

Clarcona is the home of the Orange County horse venue and is formally known as Clarcona Horse Park in Apopka, Florida. Each summer Clarcona hosts several Florida district 4-H shows, the much anticipated events for equestrian minded 4-H members who qualified at local shows. Shows include dressage, hunter/jumper and western events.

Kissimmee is home of the famous Silver Spurs Arena where all sorts of barrel racing, rodeos and cowboy shenigans can be found, not to mention the famous Cowboy Heritage Festival and Silver Spurs Rodeo. If you have any cowboy in you, you need to go to Kissimmee.

When horse people talk about Altoona they are referring to Rocking Horse Stables, home of dressage shows and cross country jumping. Rocking Horse hosts some of the Southeast's most popular horse shows, offering USEF/USEA recognized horse trails and USEF/USDF recognized dressage shows. Plus various Pony Club functions, the Special Olympics, the Altoona Trail Riders yearly Obstacle Challenge, and the USEA Adult Rider Winter Eventing clinic.

And there are many more neighborhood horse shows around Central Florida. Find them all on our constantly updated horse show calendar, already displaying horse shows for the rest of this year and into 2012.

Horse Show News

May 14, 2012
Reserve Your Spot Today! Smart Social Media for Horse Professionals 2012Date: Today, May 14, 2012
Time: 6:00 pm Pacific - 8:00 Central - 9:00 Eastern

Place: Simulcast - attend via your phone or computer

Speakers: Elisabeth McMillan and Chad Mendell

May 14, 2012 - More than 55% of horse professionals said in a recent EquestrianProfessional.com survey that they gained new customers through social media during the past year. Social media has also helped spawn several new online equestrian business models, improved communication channels for associations and horse councils and created more opportunities for horse professionals to expand their offerings and develop additional income streams. More info...

May 14, 2012
Circle Tires for Smooth Runs and Fast Times
Barrel Racing
Whether training, maintaining or problem solving with your barrel horse you will be using different tools to reach your goal. Keeping an open mind, we are able to add more tools and resources to our toolbox. My training toolbox is full of drills and exercises that target the moves we need to execute a barrel pattern. I use exercises to train young horses, maintain and enhance the horses in the seasoning process and to sharpen up and strengthen the experienced horses. One of the drills I use to cover all of these bases is a drill I like to call “Circle Tires”. Essentially, we are circling tires, but it isn’t that simple. When done correctly and precisely it can actually be quite challenging.

Setup:
Place tires in a circle that is approximately 50 ft across. You can give or take 10 feet depending on what you have room for. I like to use bicycle tires because they are easy to move around and don’t get full of water like cars tires do. Use 5 – 8 tires to make your circle depending on what you have room for. Try and have the tires at least 20 feet apart. The closer they are to each other the more challenging it will be. More info...

May 10, 2012
Do Your Riding Muscles Remember What It’s Like To Be in Shape?
Getting ready to ride a green three-year-old stallion is not the best time to focus on the fact that you haven’t ridden a horse in six months.

But there I stood, half chaps and helmet in hands, waiting for my turn to ride the colt I was considering buying while the seller rode him first.

How did I get there? I can jokingly blame it on the flu, which is what I wrote before about how I got started on my new horse search.

I didn’t intend to end up looking at a stallion, but he had passed all the other criteria, and I’m told that being a stallion can be remedied with one quick surgical procedure. More info...

May 8, 2012
FOX LEA FARM MAY OPEN SHOW MAY 19 & 20, 2012
Venice, FL
Hunter/Jumper Schooling Show More info...

May 3, 2012
Does your horse like to nip? Do you want to know how get him to stop?
Do you want to know how get him to stop?
Brace yourself — not for the bite, but for a natural horsemanship perspective from Pat Parelli on why horses bite and what to do about it.
And surprise, it’s probably the opposite of what most people would normally do!
Horses That Bite
by Pat Parelli
HORSES WITH A TENDENCY TO NIP USUALLY HAVE A HIGH PLAY DRIVE
While watching horses play with each other, you’ll notice they do things like push with their bodies, rear up, strike, kick, and BITE. More info...

May 1, 2012
Feed Your Horse Like a Horse – review
Book Review
Optimize your horse's nutrition for a lifetime of vibrant health. Pretty much everything you need to know about feeding your horse is in this book. More info...

Apr 30, 2012
Check out equestrian legal advice
What is a "pet trust?"
There are many legal considerations in owning horses or horse businesses. Keep current with new legal rulings and ideas to keep you on top of the law. More info...

Apr 30, 2012
Big Purses, Sore Horses, and Death
Horse Racing is not so pretty
As he trained for his first race, at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, the 3-year-old thoroughbred Wes Vegas galloped on the track most mornings and had two timed workouts. But his handlers also prepared him in another way: In the month before the race, records show, he received 10 intravenous injections of potent drugs for pain, one the day before he ran; two injections of a drug for joint disease; corticosteroid injections in his two front ankles; a sedative; and an ulcer drug.
For all the preparation, that first race, on March 3, turned out to be his last.

As he approached the first turn, Wes Vegas broke a leg and had to be euthanized. More info...

Apr 28, 2012
Rocking Horse Stables Dressage Shows May 5
Altoona, FL
USDF/USEF Recognized

Judge: Brian Ross, S More info...

Apr 25, 2012
Horse falls short but gets to train in Yuma
Yuma, AZ
Tommy the horse failed to measure up in the United States Army, but it was nothing to do with his performance.

Tommy, it transpires, was simply too short. He did not grow as tall as expected, standing noticeably shorter than the other horses in the unit.

This would not normally be a problem, but his caisson (ammunitions) unit at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, performed a lot of ceremonial work, turning out for more than 100 military funerals a year.

Just like their human counterparts, the horses in the unit need to be of similar heights. More info...

Apr 25, 2012
Deworming Question: Can Horses Get Worms from Eating Hay?
Question: Can horses pick up worms from eating hay?
Recently a client asked if it’s possible for a horse to pick up worm larvae or worms from eating hay, and if so, even if larvae are dead, could they cause a parasite problem?

Upon further discussion, she mentioned that she was aware of the serious problems that could be caused by dead blister beetles in hay (every horse owner should know about blister beetles—see the University of Illinois Extension article for more information) and wondered if it was possible for dead worm larvae to pose a similar but far less serious health threat that warranted deworming.

The short answer: “No.”
 
On March 7, 2012, parasitologist Dr. Martin K Nielsen commented on the likelihood of parasite acquisition from hay on Horsetalk.co.nz in response to a question from another horse owner who was also concerned about the same deworming issue.
More info...

Apr 25, 2012
Ask Julie Goodnight: Your New Trail Horse
By Heidi Nyland with Julie Goodnight
Q: How can I increase trust with my new horse on a new trail? I look forward to riding my new horse on the trail but our relationship is brand-new, and he hasn’t left the arena too much in the past. I just brought him to a boarding barn near my home, and there are lots of great trails we can get to easily. These trails are new to me, though. What can I do to calm my nerves so I don’t make him spooky? How else can I prepare for trail challenges?

Connie Tyson
via e-mail

A: Connie, you’re starting off right by making sure you have a plan before you hit the trails with your new horse. Everything is new for you right now. How you start off this relationship with him will affect many future rides.

Start by building confidence with your new horse — getting to know him and his reactions at home and on the trail. Take these steps slowly. Give yourself time to gain confidence with your horse, the trails you’ll ride, and your own riding skills. More info...

Apr 25, 2012
Watch the 2012 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event from anywhere in the world
Lexington, KY
Get your big screen ready and set to NBC as the culminating Show Jumping phase of the 2012 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Bridgestone will be broadcast live on NBC on Sunday, April 29, from 2:00-3:00 PM EDT.

One of the world’s most prestigious equestrian competitions and the only CCI4* in the Western Hemisphere, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Bridgestone returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 26-29. The event attracts tens of thousands of spectators and millions of viewers worldwide on international telecasts, including this year’s expanded live telecasts that will bring all the action to viewers across the nation live as it happens. More info...

Apr 24, 2012
2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace Injured, Retired
Lexington, KY
Owner Rick Porter posted on his Fox Hill Farm website April 23 that 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace has been retired after veterinarians detected an injury in her right front fetlock following a workout at Churchill Downs April 22.

"It is with great disappointment that I have to announce that Havre de Grace has been retired," said Porter. "Owning Grace through her racing career has been the highlight of my time in horse racing. She was a wonderful, wonderful racehorse, and I feel confident she'll be an equally wonderful broodmare. Thanks, Grace, for all you gave us, and here's to a long and enjoyable retirement." More info...

Apr 24, 2012
Learn the Right Way to Adopt a Rescue Horse with These 10 Tips
by Cate Lamm
In her role as a horse trainer for Colorado Horse Rescue, Cate Lamm has learned that horse rescues can be great places for you to find a special equine partner. Plus, you’ll be giving your adopted horse a second chance at life. Thinking of adopting a rescue horse? Here are Cate’s 10 tips to help you through the adoption process:
1. Consider all costs. The adoption fees may be low, but the cost of owning and caring for a horse is ongoing. Before you adopt, create a budget that includes all horse-related expenses. To determine your expenses, talk to local horse owners, farriers, and veterinarians. More info...