Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Ocala Winter Horse Trials 1 at The Florida Horse Park

Buck Davidson Competes Five Horses At the Ocala Horse Trials - An Easy Day!
By Shaneen Kohler

You didn’t have to look far to find Olympic level eventers and hopefuls at the Ocala Winter I Horse Trials at the Florida Horse Park, Jan. 10-22. Though the event was not internationally recognized, the quality of the riders who attended might make you think otherwise.

One of the more notable riders to compete at the event was Bruce ‘Buck’ Davidson Jr. of Ringoes, N.J. and Ocala, Fla. Both Buck and Bruce Sr. were at the event, which was only the second Horse Trials to be held at the Florida Horse Park. It was the first Horse Trials there to use the new footing, Equation.

This footing, an organic mix of fibers and wax-covered sand, and the horse park are getting rave reviews. It was the first time Buck had competed here and he said, “I think it’s fantastic!” While he admitted there were a couple of things that needed fixing up, “I think it has a lot of potential. It is something that we need, for sure.”

The event served as the perfect outing for some of the younger horses, where they could get some experience before the “big” horses started their winter season, said Buck. “The top horses haven’t started yet,” he explained.

At this event, Buck competed five horses, which is usually the minimum number of horses he will compete at an event. There are 65 horses at his stable, so oftentimes that number is closer to 12. He also has about 30 students in Ocala during the winter, so between riding and instructing, there isn’t much time for anything else during the competition.