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HITS Purchases New
Site in Ocala for 2002 Season
SAUGERTIES, NY (October
1, 2001)-Horse Shows In the Sun (HITS), producer of
six world class hunter/jumper horse show circuits nationwide, has announced
the purchase of a new site in Ocala, Florida, for the five-week HITS Ocala
Winter Circuit. The new facility, formerly Post Time Training Center,
is a
300+ acre property located two miles west of the current facility on Highway
27. HITS crews will prepare the new show grounds to be ready for the 2002
Ocala Winter Circuit which will run from February 6 to March 10.
The Post Time Training
Center was originally built for thoroughbred
racehorses. The 300+ acres are professionally landscaped and feature gated
entrances, 52 miles of four-board fencing, 26 permanent barns that house
500
stalls, numerous paddocks, bridle paths, and additional buildings for
the
horse show office, restaurant, and on-site school.
Horse Shows In The
Sun has presented the Ocala Winter Circuit Horse Shows in
Ocala/Marion County, the heart of Florida's horse country, for two decades.
For many of those years, the Golden Hills International Show grounds were
home to the shows. In 1995, HITS purchased the facility, but recently
sold
it. "While our site at Golden Hills served the horse shows well for
many
years, we had maximized the usable space and were limited by the layout,"
said Tom Struzzieri, president and owner of HITS. "I felt it was
time for a
show grounds that had greater acreage so that we could provide our exhibitors
and their horses with more space and more options, and some of the amenities
we offer at our other sites such as Indio."
The HITS Ocala hunter/jumper
horse show circuit has continued to grow over
the years in numbers of exhibitors as well as prize money awarded. In
2001,
more than 2,000 horses and 4,500 horsemen competed at HITS Ocala each
week.
Total prize money awarded at the five-week circuit was $750,000.
The economic impact
of HITS Ocala on the surrounding community is estimated
at $30 million, which reflects exhibitor spending on food, lodging, living
expenses, and entertainment during the circuit.
www.HitsShows.com
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