Boyd Martin and Steady Eddie, shown here at the 2016 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, are among the competitors who will participate in the inaugural Ocala Jockey Club Three-Day Event this Thanksgiving.
If you’re in or
around central Florida this Thanksgiving weekend, organizers of the
new Ocala Jockey Club Three-Day Event are hoping you’ll want to
take part in a new tradition. Eventers will compete in CCI1*, CCI2*,
and CIC3* divisions from November 24-27 at the Ocala Jockey Club in
an event designed to appeal to spectators.
Club, which is located north of Ocala in the town of Reddick, is a
950-acre venue where racehorses and event horses are trained. The
facility also hosts weddings and special events, but the OJC3DE is
the first major equestrian sport event at the venue. The organizers
are ambitious, hoping to add a CIC 4* in the future. Presently there
are only six four-star events in the world, and only one—the Rolex
Kentucky Three-Day Event—held in North America.
This year’s event
begins on Thanksgiving day with dressage from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday will be a spectator highlight with cross-country running all
day along with Pony Club President’s Cup Games. Spectators will
also be able to take advantage of the many vendors on site, some of
which will be running Black Friday and Small Business Saturday sales.
Eventing fans will
recognize many of the horses and riders scheduled to compete at this
inaugural event. 2016 U.S. Olympic team member Boyd Martin is
bringing three horses. Buck Davidson, a member of U.S. team for the
2014 World Equestrian Games has four potential horses on the list.
Fan favorites Allison Springer and Arthur are one of many Rolex
veterans signed up for the CIC3*.
Find out if your
favorite horse-and-rider pair will be there, plus get more scheduling
and ticketing info at ojc3de.com.
Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com
