Thoroughbred farms of central Florida

Today we took a new road up through the center of Florida, right through the heart of the horse Capitol of the world. The area near Ocala has produced some fantastic horses including the 1978, Florida bred-and-raised Affirmed who won the Triple Crown that year. Today, The area is one of the major thoroughbred centers of the world. It has more than 1,200 horse farms, including about 900 thoroughbred farms, totaling some 77,000 acres. Seeing these beautiful lands and even more spectacular horses reminds me of days gone by when I enjoyed some very special horses myself, not of this caliber but wonderful in the eyes of a teenager. It's a bit of a surprise to see these massive farms in Florida because it is not what you expect to see in the land of the Everglades, beautiful beaches and swamps. But early horse breeders new that one of the features that made the Kentucky Blue grass country so special also exists in the soil of Florida, an abundance of lime in the soils makes for grass that helps build a fast and beautiful horse.