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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Author:  Lisa Thomas

What an evening at the 2019 Devon Arena Eventing, with a big win for Contestor and his breeders, Denise Lahey and Pierre Colin from Stony Brook Farm, in New Hampshire!   Cortez's win in the 2019 Devon Arena Eventing class was so gratifying for Boyd, as these owners have been long time supporters and are truly dedicated to this horse's career.

We are also grateful that the Devon Horse Show continues to pull together the sponsorship support to host these sort of spectator friendly events.  These competitions offer event riders and horses the opportunity to compete in a challenging environment under the lights, showcasing the thrill of our sport to a broader audience. 

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Tsetserleg Waltzes Into the Top 3 After Dressage!

Author: Lisa Thomas

This morning, when asking Silva about Boyd’s and Thomas’ preparation for this year’s test, she said, “I don’t want to jinx it, but we may have a top 3 finish.” Clearly Silva is clairvoyant…..or perhaps she and Boyd have been working pretty hard towards today’s score of a 27.9, which was good enough a press conference appearance as the scoring top American!

Since Boyd’s dressage test was near the end of the day, we also had the opportunity to visit with a few of our sponsors in the morning. In the wind and the rain, hearty event fans lined up at the Ariat booth and with Majyk Equipe at One Stop to grab a snap and autograph with Boyd (please check out all our photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram).

Upon the conclusion of dressage and the press conference, there was an interview with NBC and Donna Brothers (of Triple Crown color commentary fame). Then we were off to our annual Smartpak Course walk, where we were greeted by throngs of enthusiastic fans who joined us at the Head of the Lake. Boyd took us on a tour of several of the complexes, and we were very grateful to our young volunteer Mia - who willingly walked all the questions while Boyd commented on his plan of attack for tomorrow.

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It’s been a little over a year since Duck Head relaunched.  More specifically, a relaunch of a relaunch.  It’s fair to say that they finally hit the nail on the head, and are starting to making their mark on the #menswear scene again.  Personally, I’m really happy about it, and I believe that most of you are.  Duck Head is a personal issue for a lot of us, judging by the passion in the comments in multiple blog posts.  Red Clay Soul was founded with an old pair of Duck Heads as part of the inspiration.  The big labels are still a point of discussion, and I think the idea of selling these pants at $40 a piece has finally passed.  The bottom line is this: Duck Head makes a great pair of chinos at a good price point.

I’ve gotten to know Bill Thomas over the past couple years, and have really enjoyed our conversations about the brand, which has recharged my passion for the pants.  I have a pair of the Gold School chinos which I wear quite a bit, and I have a pair of the Gold Glory chinos, which are the USA made pants that I would call a ‘heritage’ nod to the old WWII officer’s pants.

I reached out to Bill about doing a check-in post, and he was all about it.  Safe to say that things are on the up and up:

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In business and in life, there are very few “matches made in heaven” but we can’t think of a better one than Bill Thomas (the creative and charismatic founder of Bills Khakis from 1990-2015) joining Oxford Industries as brand director of the Duck Head relaunch.

Duck Head is one of the oldest apparel brands in the U.S., dating back to the Civil War when the O’Bryan brothers began making work clothing in Nashville from Army surplus tent material. Explains Thomas, “Duck Head broke into the mainstream in the 1980s when Sales Director Dave Baseheart introduced Duck Head chinos to better specialty markets. The brand was quickly discovered by Southern college students and grew organically throughout the U.S.” Thomas attributes the company’s untimely demise in the 1990s to a series of ownership changes. “But for the generation that wore Duck Head to college, church, and work, the brand remains a beloved and sorely missed piece of their past. Oxford Industries intends to return Duck Head to its roots by targeting its original customers through independent specialty channels, elevated product, and exceptional value.”

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