Louisa Barton Director of Ocala’s Equine Initiative

The Ocala Chamber and Economic Partnership (CEP) appointed Louisa Barton as the Director of the Equine Initiative created in 2016.  The CEP leadership expressed a need to connect the two worlds and ways for CEP partners to learn more about the horse world and its enormous economic impact on the community. A focus on educating partners grew to assist in multiple other community areas.

Relationships

Relationships were established with the school system to assist the next generations in equine education. The equine education programs bring horses to students who would otherwise never get that opportunity. Bringing books and kindness while encouraging literacy was a win-win.

Partnering with Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses has rocketed this program into a huge success touching the lives of many, while ensuring the next generation takes an interest in horses.

Partnerships

A partnership with the City was formed with the Visitor’s Bureau to bring bronze plaques downtown to celebrate horses and equestrians with strong ties to this area. The bronze plaques downtown allow visitors and residents to learn more about the equine industry and hopefully foster more interest in the world of the horse.  Pyranha Animal Health came on board as the presenting sponsor and for years has been  supportive helping this program grow. The career expo events, equestrian games and all- breed parades have all impacted people of all ages to take more interest in the fantastic world of the equine.

Equine Advocacy

Bringing the farm to the city and the city to the farm the Equine Advocacy committee was created, with goals to preserve and protect what is most important and most challenging within the industry. Since 2017  partnerships between organizations and equine related entities were connected creating the only Equine Initiative related to a Chamber Of Commerce in the USA,.

Equine Initiative meeting at Mary Phelps and Wayne Humphrey’s Flying Hearts Farm in Micanopy – The third Thursday of every month the Equine Initiative meets at farms and venues of their members.

So much has happened that has been positive for the equine industry with these programs and partnerships. We can only hope that with this community and our partners behind us, we can continue to move forward and leave a significant legacy for many generations to come!

The CEP Equine Initiative Group meets on the third Thursday of each month . Refer to the events calendar for details.

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