For 30 years, US News and World Report has been an expert resource offering statistical rankings on the nation’s top regions for real estate, schools, healthcare, automobiles, investments, and vacation destinations. Ocala Horse Properties is proud to announce that US News and World Report has just released its annual rankings, and Ocala has made the top 10 list in several key categories!

The city of Ocala, with its vibrant and revitalized downtown, is the hub of our expanding community – one that offers a diversity of dining and entertainment choices. Poised on the edge of our beautiful horse country, Ocala offers the best of both worlds for those who like to live with access to a growing urban environment and diverse wide open spaces. Living in Ocala means you can enjoy a multitude of outdoor activities by day, and an abundance of entertainment options by night.

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We live in Chester County, Pennsylvania - an area rich in  land conservation, wide open spaces, approximately 45 minutes from the Main Line and Philadelphia.  Kennett Square is a small town, known as the "Mushroom Capital of the World", our little town  thrives on the long standing relationships that allow our small businesses to thrive. 

Our community members are loyal to the locals, and during these difficult times, we  look within to help our businesses survive and even flourish.  One such business is the Center for Change Kennett Square.  Owned by Winden Rowe, a brilliant mental health therapist and writer, who's focus is around stress and trauma. 

In the past several months Winden has endured a fire in her building,  relocation and Covid - which has had a huge impact on  the mental health field.  She has risen to the occasion, moving into a sweet cottage in the same complex, so her staff and clients would have a comfortable home.  Instead of shrinking during covid, she worked with other area counselors, mediators, wellness providers and attorneys to offer more services to their clientele!

Winden came to Brand Farm several months ago in need of help with branding and positioning of her new business model through the launch of her new website.  It took a couple months to meet with all the new staff, take photos, edit content and ultimately design the Center for Change KSQ's new wordpress website - but in the end this was a very rewarding project.

We are so appreciative of Winden's use of our small business services to help with her brand - ultimately helping with ours.  Once again a great reminder of the importance of keeping it local!

https://thecenterksq.com/

Written July 2020 for Ocala Horse Properties

The greater Marion County region is home to wide open agricultural spaces, with a plethora of options for outdoor recreation and entertainment. The beauty of our region is that residents can enjoy a day in the great outdoors, and an evening of dining in downtown Ocala!

These are certainly unusual times, but the team at Ocala Horse Properties is proud of our Ocala community and how we have rallied around local businesses. We are fortunate that our local restaurant scene offers up an array of outdoor dining options, ranging from casual cocktails and finger foods to upscale French cuisine.  So for those of you who want to take a night off from the kitchen or backyard BBQ, we’ve taken a poll, and the following our some of Ocala’s local favorites!

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Author:  Bill Thomas

Could a global pandemic be the best chance traditional brick & mortar retailers have in a world ruled by E-commerce?  

With stores shuttered and consumers confined to their keyboards, a parade of box trucks has been the only lifeline to America’s consumerism. The experience goes something like this: shopper checks out - confirmation received - truck arrives - dog barks - box opens - contents match packing slip - order fulfilled. 

But wait... something’s missing. 

The fulfillment we seek isn’t found in a sequence of logistics mapped in a wireframe. We humans are hardwired to inform our decisions through our senses - sight, touch, smell, sound and taste. There’s no App for that. The hidden price we pay for the convenience of shopping on-line is the emotional cost of being cut out of the deal.

About that packing slip that bribes you to take a customer survey, it’s no match for a sincere ‘thank you’ from a store owner and the satisfaction you get for supporting the vitality of your community.

As America reopens, consumers will be seeking something Amazon can’t deliver - a personal connection to their brands and community. 

Notice to store owners - now is the time to pull every address, email, phone number and digital marketing algorithm. Connect with each and every customer in a uniquely special way. Don’t ask them for their business (too self motivated), don’t guilt them into supporting you (too hat-in-hand), just invite them to be human again. For one golden moment, your most valuable product isn’t displayed on a shelf or hanging from a rack. 

Let’s hope this opportunity doesn’t come again.

Lisa Thomas has spent the past 5 years working with one of the top equestrian focused real estate firms in the USA.  Ocala Horse Properties, Wellington Equestrian Realty and Hudson Phillips Properties are owned by Rob & Chris Desino, and the companies are based in Ocala & Wellington, Florida.

Lisa has worked in several capacities for the Desino Brothers as a website content creator and journalist - writing intensely for this nationally recognized real estate firm, creating their articles, interviewing influential clients & business owners, writing lifestyle pieces, covering international competitions, photographing clients and assisting their art department in the creation of their semi-annual portfolio magazines.

Please visit their websites and click through all of the articles to see an expansive listing of her work.

OCALA HORSE PROPERTIES

WELLINGTON EQUESTRIAN REALTY

HUDSON PHILLIPS PROPERTIES

Author: Lisa Thomas for Ocala Horse Properties

In light of the recent developments in our world, we wanted to bring you a story of community and partnership in our Marion County equestrian community. This article features Anna Christina Gansauer, a grand prix show jumper who became a client of Ocala Horse Properties in 2013, when she decided to move her riding career from Ecuador to the United States for broader opportunity.

As a young professional, Anna was looking to launch her business in a horse centric region in the USA, and while Ocala ticked all the boxes for her, she needed guidance during the transition. Anna admits, that when she decided to take the leap, she was a kid and didn’t have knowledge of the region nor a big budget. Luckily, Anna found Ocala Horse Properties through a Google search from her desk in Ecuador, and her gut feeling told her to trust her instincts with our real estate team.

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By Lisa Thomas on Mar 4, 2020 12:08

Will Coleman was on a roll at yesterday’s $20K Ocala Horse Properties Eventing Prix, landing his second consecutive win on TKS Cooley, following his 2018 win aboard Gideon. Coleman, who is based out of Ocala for the winter season, went home with the lion’s share of the prize money, $6,600, as well as the $5,000 Travel Voucher awarded by EquiJet!
Coleman chose wisely in selecting TKS Cooley for this competition, as the bay Irish Sport Horse Gelding, owned by the TKS Cooley Syndicate, has never had a rail in his eventing career. Although they weren’t the fastest, this pair snagged the win as TKS Cooley laid down the only clear round in a thrilling jump-off performance. Coleman’s stellar ride was followed by Karl Slezak in second aboard his own Fernhill Wishes, and young professional Mia Farley stole third with her own BGS Firecracker.

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Author: Lisa Thomas

The Ocala horse community has long been known for it’s diversity in disciplines, as the open space and rich soil in Marion County offers the perfect environment for a number of breeding and training operations for thoroughbred racing, hunter/jumper, western, Quarter Horse and Paso Fino enthusiasts. With anticipation for the grand opening at the World Equestrian Center, farm sales in Marion County are on the uptick, and Ocala Horse Properties is thrilled to report that we’re catching the eye of world class dressage enthusiasts!

In a recent article by EuroDressage, Olympic dressage rider Shelly Francis announced her relocation to Ocala, as the ability manage a world class operation in Marion County’s year round Florida climate is best for her horses. Ocala Horse Properties has also been fortunate to work with two other high profile moves to our region in 2020, proving that the steady migration of dressage riders to Ocala will continue to grow as show dates are solidified at WEC.

The team at Ocala Horse Properties recently had the opportunity to catch up with two of our clients,  Kim Van Kampen and Elma Garcia-Cannavinoabout their decisions to move to Ocala. Here are their Ocala stories………..

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Keeping all the horses in top form is always the priority and Windurra USA.  Boyd, Steph and the team work very hard to keep the competitive horses in excellent physical shape, and much of their focus goes into managing their pre-performance comfort and post training recovery.  That's where Bemer comes into play.

For the horses, the Bemer Blanket is utilized daily by Steph and the team while the horses stand on the cross ties waiting to be tacked up, or post dressage or jump school.  Here's an image (courtesy of Bemer) of how the Horse Set is applied to the horse.

The BEMER Horse-Set promotes healing and recovery, and helps prevent injury. It enhances suppleness – a prerequisite for motivation and willingness to learn – so your horse can exercise more effectively. The BEMER Horse-Set also helps your horse relax more easily both before and after exertion.

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Legendary menswear historian G. Bruce Boyer offered this piece to Ivy Style ten years ago. Much has changed since then, most notably that Bill Thomas is no longer at his eponymous label, and presently works for Duck Head. * * *

Khakis and jeans are the iconic American work pants, both having been around for over a century but coming into global status after World War II. The democratizing effect of these trousers — everyone from top CEOs and celebrities to road workers has at least a pair of each —  cannot be overestimated. Every clothing designer on the planet has these trousers as essential components of their creativity. Ralph Lauren is fond of wearing his jeans with a dinner jacket, while both Dolce and Gabbana wear wear their chinos black, low slung, and razor cut.

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