Saturday, September 12, 2009


On the north side of Ocala, is a large horse training facility with stables, various other buildings, and a track.

In front of the track there is a monument featuring the bust of a gentleman and his horse. I would guess both are important in terms of horse racing but I don't know their names. It wasn't until I had walked around the area for a bit, that Lois Anne pointed out that the brick enclosing the statuary is in the form of a horseshoe, which is, naturally, quite appropriate!

The entire property, however, is going to seed. It is up for sale and there does not appear to be any substantial activity in terms of training or racing at the moment.

28 comments:

Don and Krise said...

It makes me wonder, is this a failing business or just someone that decided to retire. I do really like this monument either way.

Lee Spangler said...

Thanks for the sensitive comments on my post. I appreciated your sentiments. I found tis picture strangely empty and wasn't surprised that the place is going to seed. The cheers at the track die when the race is over.

VP said...

Beautiful symmetrical shot, the place looks still fine, a pity nobody uses it.

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

When I think of Florida, horses do not come to mind. I guess they should! The facility looks so lush!

Kcalpesh said...

Beautifully framed. As the image loaded slowly from top to bottom I was completely amazed left by the beautiful sky and the same continued as I saw the whole frame. Perfect and symmetrical. This picture & the place are awesome.

Small City Scenes said...

How sad that a beautiful facility like that is empty and not being cared for. It's tough everywhere I guess.
MB

Hilda said...

How sad! And it seems like such a wonderful place. I guess the economy isn't very friendly right now for non-essentials like horse racing. :(

EG CameraGirl said...

Nice looking facilities even if they are going to seed. We have such places here in EG too, believe it or not. The big one on the south side of town was hit by a tornado several weeks ago so doesn't look as great as it once did...but repairs are under way.

cieldequimper said...

Bonjour Lois Anne and Jacob. Thanks for all the comments! I'm jet-lagged ;-) and will be off again somewhere else tomorrow. Just wanted to say I appreciated your visits despite my absence. It's sad that such a beautiful looking property is going to seed.

Lowell said...

Welcome home!!! Hope you had a great time. We missed you, that's for sure.

Now, you'll need to rest up from your vacation. ;-) Happens to me every time!

Unseen Rajasthan said...

Nice shot Jacob !! I would say Jacob that you are a wonderful photographer and the way you capture the shots are awesome..Great..Unseen Rajasthan

Frank said...

It's not that unusual these days to see some homes in foreclosure or businesses looking for new owners. But this appears to be a very specialized facility (and or home) and personalized, too. There must be quite a story behind it (and price.)

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

This economy is tough on businesses that cater to the people who have seen their investment and real estate portfolios plunge.

On the subject of horses, you might be interested in checking out the photos of polo ponies in Buenos Aires that we have posted on our www.vivalavoyage.com travel photo site.

Daryl said...

Nice shot .. sad indeed

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

Too bad it's not being kept up! Sign o the times, I guess. Sad. Interesting capture!! :-D

Memphis MOJO said...

Love the horseshoe. Nice shot.

Lois said...

It's a beautiful spot! Such a shame it is not being used.

Cezar and Léia said...

I hope this place can be well care again!
A beautiful place!
Léia

Karen said...

Sad commentary on the times. Hope someone buys it soon and gives it new life. Or perhaps Mother Nature is trying to reclaim it all.

Lowell said...

@ Frank - Yes, this is a good-sized operation...lots of land, too. The track is beautiful with a stand for judges, but it is being taken over by weeds and paint is peeling...it all looks kind of scruffy.

They keep the statue and area around the statue looking pretty good, though.

The price for this property is hefty, I'm sure.

jusdealem said...

I really like the horseshoe around the statue. Very nice.

Lowell said...

@ Lee - You are so right! We stood in the empty, deserted judges stand with old soda cans, paper and other trash and looked out over the track and felt nothing but a kind of desolation ... void of any life whatsoever...

Debbie Courson Smith said...

It looks like it could be a lovely horse estate...

Buenos Aires Photoblog said...

I'm sure someone will buy and reopen it. When it comes to horses there's no better place than Ocala, right? (;

Becky said...

I'm sad to hear it's going away. It looks like a great place.

Thanks for the welcome back! I've only been posting for a week or so...I'm just now getting photos together and finding time to post them. Taking care of an infant is seriously a full-time job. I hope to get back into visiting your blog regularly again.

Anonymous said...

Would someone please tell the name or former name of this place. I found this photo by accident and have a couple of friends that work with horses in Florida. I've described the photo but they are presently living with a dead computer and it's getting a little frustrating trying to find out about this place. I live in Tennessee but am temted to drive to northern Ocale just to find it. Flying over the area on Google maps was time consuming and unproductive. Thanks in advance to anyone that reads this and many thanks to the person who can solve this mystery for me.

Lowell said...

@ Anonymous - I'm not sure of the name of the street, but it's east of 441 about a mile or so, 4-5 miles north of Ocala.

Anonymous said...

Jacob, I really wasn't expecting such a quick reply. That will help. Also, anonymous doesn't seem appropriate for someone seeking answers.....Thanks for your time...Stirling

"Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again." — Henri Cartier-Bresson