Yesterday we loaded a couple horses in the horse trailer and made the short drive from our facility over to the Norm Westbrook Park. If you haven’t been there yet or unfamiliar with its location, the Norm Westbrook Park is located in Marion County, Florida. If you were to take exit 358 off of interstate 75 it is easily accessible. The park is located on the Northwest side of Ocala. We enjoy living close to the park as we use it often for working with our young horses.

When arriving at the park you and the horses immediately feel the peace and relaxation that it offers. Rarely will you run into other people on the trails and the park is well maintained. We were fortunate to utilize the shaded parking lot as Florida was experiencing record breaking high temperatures, but anytime you can be riding in the shade it is always much cooler and the heat dosn’t affect the horses at all.

The trails at the Norm Westbrook Park are excellent for working with a young horse or an inexperienced horse. They consist of ups and downs of small manageable hills that are just big enough that the horse needs to think about where their feet are. Twisty turns wind throughout the large trees and native Florida Vegetation provides shade throughout almost the entire ride.

Though we didn’t meet any other horses on the trail, you always meet someone fun! We had a great time talking to a family of hikers, and you may not believe it but they also love horses! We chatted for a while about how peaceful the park was and we parted ways.

The footing on the trails in nice and soft, yet not too deep. It is made up of the local soil and natural coverings from the forest. Occasionally you will find a root here and there for the horse to step over and the Norm Westbrook Park offers a number of obstacles for working with your horse. Obstacles along the trail are a perfect way for the horse to find relaxation on a trail ride, yet put them to work and have them think a little along the way.

The obstacles included elevated platforms, a mounting block, a bridge to cross, a gate to open and close, logs, poles, changes in footing, large tires, and even swinging ropes to ride through. We heard that they will continue adding more very soon. With all the obstacles it took us a couple of hours to ride the trails at the park. The three year old horse handled everything in stride and it was the perfect experience for him.

In the future we will bring other young training horses to the Norm Westbrook Park and if you find yourself in the area we just might see you on the trail! If you are searching for a horse that safely rides outside on the trail and want to enjoy riding obstacles be sure to check out our available horses page.