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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 795
  
Location: GODS country | My husband has been offered a job in Ocala, Florida and I was curious if we have anyone on here that lives in this area!
Curious of feed/hay costs, pasture quality, weather (especially the humidity) and of course....barrel racing/rodeo!
We currently live in the Midwest. I am assuming the cost of living, in general, is much higher down there...but I could be wrong!
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 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | I am up in Ohio but have relatives that have a TB farm right by Ocala and know of other people right there, Hay is expensive but Ocala is HORSE COUNTRY EVERYWHERE. A new horse complex is being built there that is UNREAL, multiple indoors and barns all air conditioned with adjoining 250 room hotel. Weather---summer is so hot and humid you pretty much have to wotk horses very early in the morning or late at night---during the day is a no go. I do not think property it crazy though--places can be bought reasonable.
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Location: Not Where I Want to Be | Mighty Broke - 2019-01-23 8:44 AM I am up in Ohio but have relatives that have a TB farm right by Ocala and know of other people right there, Hay is expensive but Ocala is HORSE COUNTRY EVERYWHERE. A new horse complex is being built there that is UNREAL, multiple indoors and barns all air conditioned with adjoining 250 room hotel. Weather---summer is so hot and humid you pretty much have to wotk horses very early in the morning or late at night---during the day is a no go. I do not think property it crazy though--places can be bought reasonable.
Folks in Florida(and all of the south) get used to heat and humidity and it's just another day.
Just like folks in the north and midwest get used to cold and shatty food and i'ts jut another day.
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 Poor Cracker Girl
Posts: 12150
Location: Feeding mosquitos, FL | Ocala is smack in the middle of everything - horse mecca. Tons of arenas, good pastures, world-class vets, hay suppliers. It's a great place to have horses and run barrels. They just had a No Bull in Ocala either last weekend or the one before that. Love that area.
Pastures are generally good unless it's straight sand. There isn't a lot of sand in Ocala proper but if you get closer to the coast, it can get sandy and then grass won't grow great.
I'm told hay is more expensive here, especially if you're feeding something that isn't coastal grass. I've only lived in FL so I have no frame of reference. 
Summer is hot and humid and it's probably going to rain in the afternoon for fifteen minutes. Around May, shows will start moving to night time starts to avoid the heat of the day. July and August are generally "summer vacation" for jackpots/rodeos because it's just too dang hot. Go to the beach, go sit by the pool, go to Busch Gardens and ride roller coasters instead.
The trade off is winter of course. I'm in Tallahasee and the high today is 73. We have a cold front coming through tonight - the weather man says high of 55 tomorrow. That'll last maybe a week and it'll be back to upper 60s, low 70s. |
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 The One
Posts: 7997
Location: South Georgia | Ocala is known as the horse capital of the world. You'd have an abundance of everything horse related. I am about 2.4 hours from Ocala. Great vets, tack shops, trailer dealers, lots of barrel races that way, trail riding places, etc. |
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24952
Location: WYOMING | Ocala is the equine promised land. |
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Location: in the ozone | Lived not far from there for a few years - after living in the midwest. Never did get used to the humidity, still can't stand it. Out west with low humidity for me! I know hay has improved since I lived there but the hay most were feeding then was called Pangola or something like that. It was "supposed" to be as close to midwest type hay as possible & it was crap & not cheap. I know things are better there now but I still couldn't handle the humidity. |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7550
Location: In The Land of Cotton | geronabean - 2019-01-23 10:17 AM Ocala is the equine promised land.
It is. I would move out of Ocala. The barrel races that you guys have is wonderful though.
I live in So GA, and coming from the NW, the humidity was awful at first. Now, we are just used to it.
We haul from So GA into FL all the time for races. I find the producers are a lot better then what I was used to too.
Feed isn't that much more, if any for what we get here either.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 795
Location: GODS country | Thank you all for the responses! I did not know that Ocala was horse country!
I truly do hate the humid summers here, and I can only imagine how much worse it is down there!
What about the bugs/snakes/gators, etc.? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 863
| Sort of eves dropping on this topic, as we would LOVE to move out of the midwest cold, just scared to actually jump ship with the horses and not having a secure job in place. Is Ocala a low crime city or area unlike other parts of FL? We have visited Daytona, Miami, no thanks. What about boarding horses, how expensive is it? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 863
| Sort of eves dropping on this topic, as we would LOVE to move out of the midwest cold, just scared to actually jump ship with the horses and not having a secure job in place. Is Ocala a low crime city or area unlike other parts of FL? We have visited Daytona, Miami, no thanks. What about boarding horses, how expensive is it? |
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24952
Location: WYOMING | Better learn to love bugs, snakes and gators. Mosquitos the size of jet planes, only a couple venomous snakes and a gator in every body of water. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 795
Location: GODS country | geronabean - 2019-01-23 11:46 AM
Better learn to love bugs, snakes and gators. Mosquitos the size of jet planes, only a couple venomous snakes and a gator in every body of water.
This is what I fear the most!! |
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Miracle in the Making
Posts: 4013
| TrackinBubba - 2019-01-23 9:06 AM Ocala is smack in the middle of everything - horse mecca. Tons of arenas, good pastures, world-class vets, hay suppliers. It's a great place to have horses and run barrels. They just had a No Bull in Ocala either last weekend or the one before that. Love that area.
Pastures are generally good unless it's straight sand. There isn't a lot of sand in Ocala proper but if you get closer to the coast, it can get sandy and then grass won't grow great.
I'm told hay is more expensive here, especially if you're feeding something that isn't coastal grass. I've only lived in FL so I have no frame of reference.
Summer is hot and humid and it's probably going to rain in the afternoon for fifteen minutes. Around May, shows will start moving to night time starts to avoid the heat of the day. July and August are generally "summer vacation" for jackpots/rodeos because it's just too dang hot. Go to the beach, go sit by the pool, go to Busch Gardens and ride roller coasters instead.
The trade off is winter of course. I'm in Tallahasee and the high today is 73. We have a cold front coming through tonight - the weather man says high of 55 tomorrow. That'll last maybe a week and it'll be back to upper 60s, low 70s.
right now in oyster bay below crawfordville gale winds raing like,,,,,, be 68 you got any showing coming up like to meet board people |
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Miracle in the Making
Posts: 4013
| ecranch - 2019-01-23 8:35 AM My husband has been offered a job in Ocala, Florida and I was curious if we have anyone on here that lives in this area! Curious of feed/hay costs, pasture quality, weather (especially the humidity) and of course....barrel racing/rodeo! We currently live in the Midwest. I am assuming the cost of living, in general, is much higher down there...but I could be wrong!
go on zillow.com look aroiund at properties |
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Hugs to You
Posts: 7550
Location: In The Land of Cotton | Wild1 - 2019-01-23 12:37 PM Sort of eves dropping on this topic, as we would LOVE to move out of the midwest cold, just scared to actually jump ship with the horses and not having a secure job in place. Is Ocala a low crime city or area unlike other parts of FL? We have visited Daytona, Miami, no thanks. What about boarding horses, how expensive is it?
I like it closer to Bell, Trenton, Live oak. THen I like towards Marianna and Blountstown. All of those areas seem like nice quiet places to be. ANd, not far from races either. |
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A Cool Sharp One
| I am a born/bred Floridian and cannot think of living anywhere else. Yes we have bugs (lots of them, including no-seeums), alligators, snakes but it is a great place to live.
Possibly look in the Morriston area that is just a few minutes away from Ocala and very nice.
People don't realize that Florida has more horses per capita than any other state.
Unfortunately to those of us that are born/bred here there are too many outsiders moving here and really wish we could put a cap on it!
Allot of places to go and visit on a day trip, and there are also great places to hop on cruise ships for a long weekend |
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 Expert
Posts: 1273
Location: South Dakota | mattslilwonder - 2019-01-24 7:44 AM I am a born/bred Floridian and cannot think of living anywhere else. Yes we have bugs (lots of them, including no-seeums), alligators, snakes but it is a great place to live.
Possibly look in the Morriston area that is just a few minutes away from Ocala and very nice.
People don't realize that Florida has more horses per capita than any other state.
Unfortunately to those of us that are born/bred here there are too many outsiders moving here and really wish we could put a cap on it!
Allot of places to go and visit on a day trip, and there are also great places to hop on cruise ships for a long weekend
It seems like I've heard Florida also has a surprising amount of cows. I wouldn't have thought of Florida as cow or horse country. However, since you also have Gators I will stay here in North country where it was -7 here yesterday. |
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The One
Posts: 7997
Location: South Georgia | Timber Creek - 2019-01-25 12:20 PM
mattslilwonder - 2019-01-24 7:44 AM I am a born/bred Floridian and cannot think of living anywhere else. Yes we have bugs (lots of them, including no-seeums), alligators, snakes but it is a great place to live.
Possibly look in the Morriston area that is just a few minutes away from Ocala and very nice.
People don't realize that Florida has more horses per capita than any other state.
Unfortunately to those of us that are born/bred here there are too many outsiders moving here and really wish we could put a cap on it!
Allot of places to go and visit on a day trip, and there are also great places to hop on cruise ships for a long weekend
It seems like I've heard Florida also has a surprising amount of cows. I wouldn't have thought of Florida as cow or horse country. However, since you also have Gators I will stay here in North country where it was -7 here yesterday.
Inland Florida is all flat grazing land. It is perfect for cows and horses. |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
Location: North of where I want to be | I am following along on this one as I travel to Orlando next week for a decision making interview.
MitghyBroke....you are gonna have to FB message me. I'd love to meet the Southern branch of your herd. |
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