Beaches & Adventure Insider

Don’t go to The Florida Horse Park Fall Event if you’re looking for an afternoon nap. The action is going to be far too fast and furious for a snooze! 

The “event” in the title refers to “eventing,” an extreme equine sport (that I spent much of my life doing). At the heart of this three-phase competition is the cross country phase, where horse and rider combinations jump fixed obstacles at speed. Typical challenges involve:

•    Traversing gaping ditches
•    Jumping up and down banks
•    Jumping in and out of water, as well as fences in the water
•    Fences that test the horse’s obedience, like corners that the horse could easily run around instead of jumping.

The Florida Horse Park Fall Event is in Ocala on Nov. 21, 2009. Make sure you bring a hat, insect repellent and sunglasses, and wear comfy shoes. If you’ve never attended an event before, make sure you check out the rules. You can get up close to the action, but you don’t want to become part of it!

If you’re not going to be in the area, don’t get your reins in a twist. Something is almost always going on at the park, from cowboy challenges to polo to combined driving and more. Just check out the park’s calendar. Admittance to most events is free.

Curious? Here’s some more information about eventing from the Florida Horse Park. Here’s also a video about the Florida Horse Park.