After a midnight touchdown aboard Deta Airlines in Gainesville, Florida, about an hour’s drive later, I checked in at the World Equestrian Center. This astonishing new resort landmark galloped into the Sunshine State’s “horse capital” Ocala three years ago…and continues to expand.
It was dark and quiet, except for the frog that happened to hop in through the hotel doors alongside me. I wondered if the frog was really a prince searching for a white horse. If so, he’d come to the right place.
The Equestrian Hotel lobby was royal, with its 20-foot ceiling and Swarovski crystal chandelier over a grand piano. It was also eclectic and stately, as was the European-style architecture of the hotel with Italian porcelain and saddle accent pillows.
There is nothing kitschy about the theming: it is all elegant, tasteful and fun. All the accouterments seemed as if they were from a personal collection.
Broad, Sunlit Uplands
WEC is spread over acres of meadows for horses to roam. It offers just under 3,000 stalls in stables to house the majestic creatures in climate-controlled comfort with soft floors instead of concrete.
Horses do not sleep standing up, I learned, dispelling one of my many misconceptions. Horses are also much smarter than the stubbornly stereotypical cliché: “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink.
Visitors to the World Equestrian Center from around the world are housed in 638 rooms throughout two stylish, luxury hotels full of artwork and amenities. The original, Equestrian Hotel, offers live music, high-end shopping and multiple upscale, elegant, and fun dining options.
I found the Yellow Pony Pub and Garden Gastro Lounge to be a Friday night social hub for hotel guests and locals. Here they can mix, mingle, and enjoy live music from solo guitarist Josh Tong, who loves to play Bob Segar’s “Turn the Page” and other cool covers.
They can also dine in the Yellow Pony Pub on everything from burgers to steaks and an array of bourbons to wash it all down with. Maybe a Kentucky Derby-style mint julep is in order?
Haute Horses
Understand the World Equestrian Center is not the “Casey’s Shadow” type of horsing around in dirty boots in dusty barns. WEC is traditional, classic and yet, still southern. Therefore, I opted for a suitable, regional breakfast in Stirrups, the elegant, white dining room with what seemed like 50 paintings of regal dogs displayed above on the wall under a high ceiling.
I broke my fast with buttermilk biscuits and country sausage gravy with applewood smoked bacon and the thickest cheesy grits I have ever enjoyed anywhere. The brunch menu also has hot chicken; bananas foster French toast and a pecan sticky bun.
Later in the day, if you must wait, Stirrup’s has an expansive wine list and plenty of reasons to toast the riders from its broad veranda overlooking the outdoor Grand Arena. While you sip you can watch exciting hunter, jumper and dressage competitions that are staged day and night.
“Where are the wagering windows?” I asked Leah Tong, marketing director and brand strategist for the World Equestrian Center.
She laughed. You will not be betting a trifecta or daily double at the World Equestrian Center – because there is no racing. But, you can bet some of the Olympians you watched at the Paris games trained at WEC.
“U.S. and International teams have trained here. January through March, during the season each year we have high-level competitions which attract some of the world’s best riders. We had the Longines League of Nations this year, for instance,” Tong explained Tong, who grew up riding.
That night, the top performers would compete in the Saturday night Grand Prix. People would sit in the seats Tong and I were in that afternoon seats to enjoy the VIP Dining Experience.
Horse Jumping – What is it Like?
As we watched the jumping competition qualifying over whimsically decorated gates, I asked her what it feels like to ride a big horse while it jumps over a gate more than five feet high and four feet wide.
“It is honestly incredible. It’s a lot of trust between the horse and the rider. What you’re seeing here is an amazing connection between the animal and the human to go in there and execute. If you’ve sat on a horse, you know that’s an amazing feeling. Just imagine that times-10 as you’re flying through the air,” Tong described.
WEC’s other luxury hotel, the French architecture-style Riding Academy Hotel, has a splendid, zero-entry swimming pool area amidst live oak trees and a welcoming fireplace.
In addition, there are meeting spaces, access to another 7,000-seat stadium, indoor competition arenas, a dirt floor venue for rodeo-style events and an air-conditioned, astro-turfed convention center for indoor soccer.
An RV park is also on the property, as is the University of Florida Veterinary Hospital for horses and small animals and a health clinic for humans. But horses are honored in an omnipresent way. The lobby, hallways, guest suites and rooms have tasteful touches of horse-related trophy lamps and Ralph Lauren stirrup sconces.
The World Equestrian Center, with its luxurious Calluna Spa, has been the talk of the tourism industry. Some guests and competitors rent golf carts to cover WEC’s expansive grounds, which are the size of a major college campus, or a certain theme park to the south.
“You’ve done Disney, now try World Equestrian Center,” said Tong, who surprised me by saying tourists, visitors and locals can view the jumping horses and competitions at no charge.
Read more of Michael Patrick’s work at The Travel Tattler and contact him at [email protected] Order his book Travel Tattler – Less Than Torrid Tales at https://amzn.to/3Qm9FjN
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