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

Feb 7, 2012
Introducing the USEF Equestrian College Search
A new search tool from USEF
The search for the right college can be a frustrating and overwhelming time for young adults. With all of the options and information available these days it can be difficult for a student to narrow the search to schools that fit them best, especially for young equestrians. To help make the process easier the United States Equestrian Federation has created the USEF Equestrian College Search to help guide students in making an informed decision about their education. The Search, in addition to asking the usual questions about location, size, and scholarship information, asks equestrian specific questions that will help inform students, parents, coaches, and advisers of equine study and equestrian sport programs that colleges across the country offer.

Students are encouraged to view the Search at www.usef.org/collegiatesearch and find the right college for them! Please feel free to contact Terra Schroeder, National Affiliates Representative, at tschroeder@usef.org or 859-225-6952 if you have any questions.
More info...

Feb 7, 2012
Easy Equine Vision Tests
Vision Loss in Horses
Horses can cope remarkably well with vision loss. Stories of blind horses traveling familiar paths at a full canter aren't just urban legends. This ability to adapt has a downside, however: It can make it difficult to detect changes in your horseâ s vision until they are fairly advanced.

Vision loss can go undetected in horses for weeks or even months as it progresses, so check his eyesight regularly to catch developing problems early. These simple equine vision tests will help you safely assess just how much your horse can see.


More info...

Feb 7, 2012
Help for Your Horse to Trail Ride AloneJulie Goodnight helps our reader get her horse safely out on the trail alone, minus the company of other horses.

Julie Goodnight
Photo by Heidi Nyland



Question: I love trail riding on my 8-year-old Appaloosa gelding, but I don't often have anyone to ride with me. When he's not with another horse, he will only go so far from the barn before putting up an escalating fuss. I don't want to get hurt, so I usually give in and return to the barn. Can you give me some advice on how to get my horse to accept going out on the trail alone?
Missy Hendon, South Carolina More info...

Feb 4, 2012
Basic Farm Animal Husbandry Skills
By Dr. Lyle G. McNeal
Over the years I have learned that many folks who take on a farm are not always well informed or skilled in the basics of general animal husbandry.

Though we have many outstanding veterinary practitioners in America, many are either not accessible, unaffordable, or ill-trained in the care of large farm animals and exotic quadrapeds.

I’ve always felt strongly that when we take on the responsibility of raising and rearing any specie of farm animal, we take on burdens similar to having children.

Most families know how to monitor the general health and well-being of their children, monitoring behavior observation, eating and drinking habits, temperature, respiratory or digestive disorders, cuts, abrasions, and other forms of major and minor trauma. More info...

Feb 3, 2012
Don't Renew your Auto Insurance Until You Have Shopped Esurance
Switch and Save
You could save 28% on auto insurance. We're here to help you. Save on lne or by phone. More info...

Feb 3, 2012
Arabian horse library opens to public
Cal Poly Pomona University
The Arabian Horse Library built up by cereal king and philanthropist W.K. Kellogg opened its doors to the public this week.

Visitors browse the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library at the ribbon-cutting ceremony last November.
The library, part of Cal Poly Pomona University in California, includes books dating back to the 1700s that cover breed history, training and bloodlines of the arabian horse.

The collection includes papers from the original W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Ranch, periodicals, and foreign and domestic stud books.

Other materials include correspondence, newspaper clippings, blueprints and photographs of the original ranch.

It is the world's largest library collection relating to Arabian horses.

"It's my baby," confesses Katherine Staab, Arabian horse subject specialist who has been working on the collection for nine months. More info...

Feb 3, 2012
Get Nosey — The Learning Curve With Phillip Ralls
Phillip Ralls
Everyone positions a horse on a cow hoping for optimum control. Visualizing that perfect position ultimately stems from an individual perspective, varying substantially between competitors. Trainer Phillip Ralls believes in keeping horses nose-to-nose with the cow, simplifying the process for him, the horses and his non-pro students.
More info...

Feb 3, 2012
The art of skijoring: Hundreds flock to watch skiers pulled by a horse in 700-year-old winter sport
Whitefish, Montana
It originated in Scandinavia 700 years ago as a means of transport during the winter months.
Now skijoring is a specialised sport where competitors on skis are pulled by a horse, dog or motor vehicle.
The World Skijoring Championships in Whitefish, Montana, thrilled hundreds of onlookers over the weekend.





More info...

Feb 2, 2012
Do you blanket your horses during the winter? If your blankets have been ripped...
Blanket-Repair Tips
Do you blanket your horse on cold winter days? If so, you know that to your equine friend and his pasture buddies, that blanket represents extra padding during a game of tag, or it gets in the way while scratching a really big itch, or it takes the brunt of a well-aimed bite.

By spring, your horse's winter blanket can end up torn or in tatters from these antics, but replacing them can be a bank account-buster. So, since your horses aren't going to mend their ways, learn how to do a little mending yourself. Here are some tips.

• Wash the blanket. Wash your blanket before repairing it. First, remove as much hair from the lining as possible. A stiff brush will work, but a circular metal curry is best - just go easy, so the sharp teeth don't gouge the material.

To wash the blanket, use a large machine at your local Laundromat. (Washing a heavy winter blanket in your home washing machine is pretty much out of the question.) More info...

Feb 2, 2012
More winter? The groundhog says...
Punxsutawney Phil.



A huge crowd gathered at Gobbler's Knob, the tiny hill from which Phil makes his prediction on Feb. 2.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club made their decree Thursday morning in central Pennsylvania: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and there'll be six more weeks of winter. The announcement was met with boos from the enormous crowd gathered in Punxsutawney.

Folks in the East and elsewhere gave a collective shrug, as temperatures have been unseasonably warm. "But it's the winter we've been having, so that's like spring anyway," said Matt Lauer on TODAY after the news broke. More info...

Feb 1, 2012
A Story About a Petite Young Rider and her Big Paralympic Dream
Ellie Brimmer and Carino H
She found the trainer, and then she found the horse, and now 26-year-old Ellie Brimmer has her sights set on competing in the 2012 Paralympics in dressage.

“It’s a great opportunity to compete,” Ellie said. “So few people have that opportunity, especially when they have a disability.”

Born with cerebral palsy, Ellie began riding at age 2, and has tried most everything–hunter-jumper, fox hunting, even polo. Then three years ago she fell in love with dressage, and so she began working with 56-year-old Sabine Rijssenbeek, an internationally known equestrian and trainer originally from the Netherlands.

From the start, Ellie said, Sabine had an energy and enthusiasm that was infectious.

“Sabine is very much about confidence,” Ellie says. “She encourages you to not be conservative, but to be brilliant. Some trainers are too conservative, especially with special needs riders. She was never afraid of pushing me.” More info...

Feb 1, 2012
Don't forget that our friends at MyHorse.com are hosting a webinar with Julie Go...
An Evening of Good Horse Advice from Julie Goodnight
Known as the "Horse Master" on RFD-TV, top horse trainer and clinician Julie Goodnight has now added "author" to her belt, and shares with us lessons from her just-released book, Goodnight’s Guide to Great Trail Riding: A How-to for You and Your Horse, co-written by Heidi Nyland Melocco.

Whether you're just discovering horses or have a certain training problem with your horse that has you stumped, Julie's friendly, down-to-earth style and expert knowledge of horsemanship will help you learn what you need to know to enjoy your horse life to the fullest.
More info...

Feb 1, 2012
Haley Harrington Named 2011 Youth of the Year
Aurora, CO
Haley Harrington of Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. was named Arabian Horse Association 2011 Youth of the Year. An outstanding individual with an incredible record of success at just 18, Harrington made her way into the hearts of the Youth of the Year Committee with her ardent involvement with Arabian horses and her unwavering commitment to her school and community.

Harrington has been front and center as a leader for the Arabian Horse Youth Association (AHYA) where she served as Vice President in 2011. While Harrington seems to have a quite demeanor, she is hardly a silent leader and worked diligently to get sport horse under saddle classes added to the Youth Nationals class list in 2011. Harrington’s idea proved to be a good one as the first-ever purebred sport horse under saddle class had enough entries to require elimination rounds. More info...

Jan 31, 2012
Barrel Racing Exercises in Consistency with Danyelle Campbell
Barrel Racing
Here is a great video from Winning Runs with Futurity trainer and multiple time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Danyelle Campbell.

Danyelle and Charlotte go through some of the bits Danyelle uses to run and train in, she talks briefly on martingales.
The preview then moves into a barrel racing exercise that she uses on her 2 year olds right up to her open and rodeo horses. It helps the horses stay open the rib cage and following their nose. More info...

Jan 29, 2012
Steffen Peters Does it Again at the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach
West Palm Beach, FL
Steffen Peters of the United States successfully defended his World Dressage Masters Palm Beach title on Saturday evening when he rode Ravel to his second consecutive Exquis Grand Prix Freestyle win. But it wasn't an easy victory. British challengers Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro came within five one hundredths of a percentage point of toppling Peters from the center of the podium.

"I had a great night with Ravel, but I watched Charlotte after our ride," said Peters after the awards ceremony. "When she came out of the ring I went over and said to her, 'I think you've won it.' It is exciting to be that close to another of the world's top horses and riders." Peters and Akiko Yamazaki's 14 year old KWPN gelding had received a score of 83.7%, which kept them ahead of Dujardin and Valegro, a ten year old KWPN gelding owned by Carl Hester and Roly Luard, by the tiniest of margins; the British pair received 83.65% for their performance. More info...