Tag: Car Show

Jacksonville Equestrian Center Hosts Groundbreaking Event

The Jacksonville Equestrian Center (JEC) held an official groundbreaking ceremony on May 3rd, 2018 for its new covered arena, part of its long term plan for progress and expansion.
“The new arena will be the largest clear-span covered arena in the southeast providing the necessary space to support a wider variety of activities and multiple events at the same time”, explained Peggy Fuller, DVM the Jacksonville Equestrian Center Board of Directors Chair, addressing the attendees at the groundbreaking ceremony. The new covered arena will be 300’ x 300’ and will attach to the existing 150’ x 300’ coliseum via a covered 130’ x 80’ livestock pavilion “Essentially we are doubling the number of covered rings we currently have available. We’re thrilled that this new building will increase our capacity to offer diverse events to all members of the community.” Fuller thanked the City of Jacksonville council members and officials, the Jacksonville Equestrian Center Board members and staff, World Development Group International and the many members of the community who have supported the Jacksonville Equestrian Center, making the improvements possible.
Jacksonville City Council members, Doyle Carter, Joyce Morgan, Al Ferraro, Greg Anderson and Parks and Recreation Director, Daryl Joseph joined the Jacksonville Equestrian Center executive board members in commemorating the groundbreaking event.
The celebratory evening included an introduction to therapeutic riding by H.O.P.E. Therapy Director, Becky Davenport. She highlighted the benefits hippotheraphy programs provide to individuals with a wide range of special needs. The Jacksonville Equestrian Center will allow all Premiere Accredited Therapeutic Programs use of the facility. This will enable the facility to be utilized, even when not booked for events. H.O.P.E Therapeutic is currently the sole local Premiere Accredited Therapeutic Riding Program, and plans to make use of the facility. The Jacksonville Equestrian Center has a specially equipped carriage with a wheelchair lift and special needs mounting ramp that accommodates wheelchairs and walkers. The new covered arena will enable The Jacksonville Equestrian to host more events like the Special Olympics Area Qualifiers and Championships, which were held at the facility in 2017 and 2018 and provide an all-weather training and teaching location.
The commemorative evening also honored winners of the “Take it to the Jax” Agricultural Art Contest. Two Duval County Schools, Fort Caroline Middle School and Enterprise Learning Academy, participated in the contest. Councilman Doyle Carter and Councilwoman Joyce Morgan presented the students with their awards.  Fort Caroline Middle School 7th grader Bria McClary was a first place winner for her piece titled, The Rooster. Elian Salami was awarded second place for Horses and Isabelle Hampton was presented with third place for Orange Horses. Fourth graders from Enterprise Learning Academy were also recognized for their artistic talents. Kayle Lewis received first place for Teal Owl, Ava Linn was awarded second place for Horse and Barn, and Keira Collins received third place for Zebra & Tigers.
Attendees were treated to a celebrity barrel race that featured Jacksonville City Council Members and Jacksonville Equestrian Center Board members. Carolyn LaRose Jacksonville Equestrian Center Board of Directors Vice Chair raced to the fastest time. City Councilman Doyle Carter was second and the Center’s Board of Director’s Chair, Peggy Fuller, was third.  Local supporter and experienced barrel racer, Jodi Coxwell announced the event and provided expert coaching to the celebrities who braved the race. The barrel horses were graciously provided by Diamond D Ranch and Michael Griffin, all of which earned “equestrian saint” status for taking care of their riders during the fun event.
The celebration was capped off with a delicious Taco Bar Dinner by Anthony’s Catering, followed by a team roping demonstrations from this week’s NTRL Rope For The Truck competitors.  To catch a recap of the some of the evenings highlights follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWezFjmE0Hw
The evening’s events highlighted the venue’s versatility and capacity to host a wide variety of equestrian and community events. The facility hosts an extensive range of popular, family-friendly gatherings throughout the year, such as car shows, family fun days, dog agility trials, bicycling events, and equestrian competitions for every breed and riding discipline. For nature lovers, the property also features miles of hiking and riding trails as well as a picnic pavilion. Visit Jacksonville Convention Services Manager Becky Parker and Senior Manager, Courtney Hartert were on hand at the event to remind guests that this easily accessible center is only a short drive to the city and Jacksonville’s beautiful beaches.
Known for its varied amenities and ideal location, the Jacksonville Equestrian Center is now expanding to offer more to both the equestrian community as well as the Jacksonville community, alike. For more information and to learn more about upcoming events, visit www.jaxequestriancenter.com or call (904)-255-4215.
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Photo: Jacksonville Equestrian Center Ground Breaking officiants (from left to right) Councilmen Greg Anderson, Councilwoman Joyce Morgan, Councilman Doyle Carter, Chair of the Board Peggy Fuller, Vice Chair of the Board Carolyn LaRose, Construction Chair for the Board Joanne Connell, Secretary of the Board Betty Griner, and Director of Parks and Recreation Daryl Joseph.  (Photo courtesy of JRPR, no photo credit necessary)
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Summer Sizzles with Fun Family Events this July at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center

The Jacksonville Equestrian Center is turning up the summer heat through the rest of July with a sizzling lineup of exciting events that are fun for the whole family. Sparking things off on July 15th is the Jacksonville All Breed Open Horse Show. Sponsored by Holmes Ranch, this show offers all the favorite classes including Open Halter, Showmanship, Hunter Classes, Western Classes, Gaited, Saddleseat, Trail Classes, Dressage and Western Dressage. Kids 7 & under are able to show their stuff as well in the Walk Classes including lead-line and walk equitation. The show runs from 8am – 5pm, and AQHA/ARHA/Breed Specific rules apply to applicable classes.

The following week, take advantage of the chance to spend a cool summer evening with fellow equestrians in the spacious main arena on Tuesday, July 18th, in the Community Night Schooling program. The program runs from 3pm – 8pm and costs only $10 per horse. After that, things will heat back up again at the Jacksonville facility with a different kind of Horsepower. The 3rd Annual Rollin Sound & #GetLikeHeather Car Show and dB Drag on Saturday, July 22nd provides the opportunity to see Hot-Rods and Muscle Cars and hear some hot tunes like never before! Car Show classes include Best of Truck/SUV, Mini Truck, Import, Domestic, Exotic, Lights, Paint, Donks, Bike, and Best of Show. Be sure to stick around for the chance to participate and cheer on your favorite for the Crowd Pick award as well. Spectator parking is only $5, and goodies will be handed out to the first 100 people. Raffle tickets will be sold throughout the day for $1. The show starts at 10am and trophies and raffle will be awarded at 4:30pm. 

July at the JEC then wraps up on Tuesday, July 25th with the rare opportunity to see some of the best Belgian Warmblood Horses in North America at the N.A. Division’s Belgian Warmblood Inspection Tour. This spectacular event runs from 7:30am – 1:00pm and gives Belgian owners and breeders the opportunity to register their youngsters and certify mares and stallions, demonstrating that they meet strict guidelines for conformation, performance, and breeding standards within the registry.

The event will be the sixth stop in the fifteen-city breed inspection tour, which is conducted by the Belgian Warmblood Breeding Association’s North American Division. Executive director, Chris Sallee, is excited to host the event at the Jacksonville facility this year. Sallee stated: “After doing some research, we knew it was the obvious choice for our keuring event in Florida. The facility is unbeatable- it has all the amenities you could ever ask for when hosting an event like this.”

The Jacksonville Equestrian Center looks forward to welcoming these sizzling summer events to its world-class facility. In addition to these exciting and fun summer events, plans are also in place to enhance the world-class Jacksonville facility with even more additions and construction projects set to take place over the coming months. The facility hosts a wide range of popular family-friendly events throughout the year, such as horse shows, recreational events, car shows, family fun days, dog agility trials, and equestrian events for every breed and riding discipline. For nature lovers, the property also features miles of hiking and riding trails as well as a picnic pavilion.

Known for its extensive amenities and ideal location only a short drive to the city and beautiful beaches, the Jacksonville Equestrian Center’s 80-acre facility includes two outdoor 36,000 square foot show rings, four permanent barns, 422 stalls, 78 full hook up RV spaces, indoor and outdoor vendor spaces, and an Olympic sized swimming pool. For more information and to find out about other exciting upcoming events, visit www.jaxequestriancenter.com or call (904)-255-4215. 

Photo: Summer is heating up at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center with a full lineup of fun and family friendly July events

 
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