OCALA, Fla.--Just a couple of years ago, Wellington in the south of Florida was the only game in town for top international stars while HITS in Ocala drew the large contingent that wanted 3 and 4 star events.
The WEC grand arena (Photo by MAVEN Photo & Film)Then in the last couple of years, competing competitions began to pop up all over the state.
One of them is the World Equestrian Center, a gorgeous and spacious new facility that finally won its fight to hold USEF and FEI rated shows.
This year, the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala will run for 12 weeks from Jan. 3 through March 24.
The series features USEF-rated Premier and Level 6 Jumpers every week plus five weeks of FEI-rated competition.
WEC has hired an impressive list of course designers including Leopoldo Palacios, Steve Stephens and Alan Wade.
Bobby Murphy for hunters and equitation and Steve Stephens for jumpers will serve as co-designers for the opening week of the Winter Spectacular Show Series.
FEI LEVEL III course designer Ben Townley of England, who assisted with the design of the Nations Cup course at Hickstead, returns for his second year at WEC during week II.
An FEI Level III course designer, Anderson Lima, who set the courses for this year's Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic as well as the $226,000 Sapphire Grand Prix at this year's Devon Horse Show, is on week III.
Week IV features Kenny Krome of Westminster, Md. , while Leopoldo Palacios, a two-time Olympic Games course designer, will set the courses for week V.
For Week VI, Murphy returns for hunters and the Premier Equitation Championship Cup, an equitation competition on Saturday, Feb. 10, and jumper courses will be designed by Joey Rycroft, an FEI Level III course designer.
The courses for three weeks of CSI3* competitions will be set by Peter Grant, Com Quinn and Catwsy Cruz for weeks VII ,VIII and IX.
For Week X, CSI4*/2*: Gregory Bodo, recently appointed the co-course designer with Santiago Varela for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. and Pieter Vitse will set the courses.
FEI Level IV course designer Bernardo Costa Cabral of Portugal, who assisted with the build at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2012 London Olympic Games, will set courses for Week XI.
Then for the grand finale, Week XII, the CSIO5* League of Nations competition, Alan Wade, Bobby Murphy, Colm Quinn and Kevin Holowack are the course designers.
FEI Level IV course designer Alan Wade’s impressive resume includes the 2017 World Cup Final in Omaha, Neb., the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C., and the Palm Beach Masters CSI4*-W featuring the World Cup in Wellington, FL.
