Ocala Horse Farm

Ocala is the self proclaimed “Horse Capital of the World”, according to the Marion County Chamber of Commerce. Wikipedia states that there are over 1,200 horse farms in the area, including about 600 Thoroughbred farms. Marion County benefits from having terrain and soil similar to Lexington, KY. The favorable Florida weather allows horses to be outdoors year-round.
It’s no coincidence that six out of the past seven winners of the Kentucky Derby since 2003 received a portion of their early training in the Ocala area. It’s the ideal area for raising young Thoroughbreds or horses of any discipline.
Year     Kentucky Derby Winner           Ocala-area Farm
2008    Big Brown                              Eddie Woods Stables
2007    Street Sense                          Ocala Stud
2006    Barbaro                                 Stephens Thoroughbreds
2005    Giacomo                                Harris Training Center
2004    Smarty Jones                          Bridlewood Farm
2003    Funny Cide                             New Episode Farm

Aside from Thoroughbreds, Ocala is home to horse farms and enthusiasts of all disciplines. For example, one of the largest hunter-jumper events in the nation, "HITS" (Horse Shows In The Sun), takes place in Ocala every year. As reported in Country Estates magazine, the HITS Winter Circuit features more than $575,000 in prize money and offers 250 classes per week.

In 2007 Ocala was rated by the Milken Institute as Number 1 out of the largest 200 U.S. cities in job growth and economy in their "Best Performing Cities" list.

With regards to real estate, Ocala has wonderful opportunities. If you are in the equine business, you can select one of the turn-key Ocala horse farms for sale. These range from 5-acre “mini-farms” to 500+ acre full-service farms. If you seek to build a dream Florida property to your own design, you can find breathtaking Ocala vacant land for sale. In any case you will find that Ocala and Marion County real estate offers intriguing alternatives for Florida real estate.