Photo courtesy of SDPhotography.
Jacksonville, FL (January 22, 2017) – It’s another busy month at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center in Jacksonville, Florida – a top destination for equestrians and horse enthusiasts across the United States. For the sixth consecutive year, the Jacksonville Equestrian Center was proud to host nearly 100 horses and 150 riders from across the country this past weekend for the Florida Feathered Horse Classic and Feathered Horse Classic Gypsy National Championship. Now, the center is filled with agriculture professionals and equestrian facility managers for the League of Agricultural and Equine Centers Footing Academy and Symposium. Immediately afterward, the Jacksonville Equestrian Center will transform again into the competition grounds for the highly anticipated National Team Roping League Finals.
For Gail Shrine, owner of the Feathered Horse Classic competition series, the Jacksonville Equestrian Center was the perfect place to host her shows. “It is a great location, with a nice facility that continues to evolve as the needs of its exhibitors grow. We can’t wait to see the horses come back here in 2018,” Shrine said.
The Florida Feathered Horse Classic and Feathered Horse Classic Gypsy National Championship event at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center is part of the biggest and longest-running breed show series for Gypsy Vanners in the United States. “The Nationals drew huge crowds, and you could feel the excitement grow to a fever pitch for the Liberty class, which featured 22 individual horse performances to music,” Shrine recounted. “It was thrilling to see the class go down in Feathered Horse history as one of the most successful ever!”
Increasing the success of horse shows and events is the passion of the staff at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center, and new events are always welcome at the facility. Returning events, of course, are also a favorite at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center. The upcoming National Team Roping League Finals on January 26-29 surpasses even the Feathered Horse Classic series in the number of years the show has been held in Jacksonville – 2017 will be the twelfth year that the National Team Roping League Finals has been held at the facility.
The Jacksonville Equestrian Center’s unique history started with a citizens’ initiative called the Better Jacksonville Plan. After the Navy closed its base at Cecil Field, it gave 2,000 acres to the City of Jacksonville for a regional recreational park. The crown jewel of that park is its 80-acre state-of-the-art equestrian center. More great events are planned as the Jacksonville Equestrian Center welcomes another year of great equestrian, family, and educational events. The League of Agricultural & Equestrian Center Footing Academy and Annual Symposium is taking place on January 20-25, followed by the National Team Roping League Finals January 26-29. Next up will be the AKC Pals & Paws Agility Trials on February 3-5, the Jacksonville RV Show on February 9-12, and the First Coast Classical Dressage Show on February 18-19. Learn more at www.jaxequestriancenter.com.
Jacksonville Equestrian Center
Debbie Stegner (904)-255-4215
dstegner@coj.net
13611 Normandy Blvd,
Jacksonville, FL 32221