Horse Farms Forever is happy to welcome Nicole Hornblower and her husband James Denman as Founder Members. Their primary residence is in Massachusetts, but they fell in love with Marion County’s picturesque countryside after visiting Ocala for several years for horse shows. In 2017, Hornblower and her husband decided to buy their own horse farm.

“This is such a beautiful area and my husband, James and I, are very excited to be part of the Horse Farms Forever community to help make sure that there is land for horses,” she said.

In 2018, shortly after they purchased their property, now named Little Creek Farm, they learned about the proposed Coastal Connector toll road from their realtor, Matt Varney of Ocala Horse Properties. They are grateful that the road was stopped, but they became concerned again when the Northern Turnpike Extension was recently proposed.

“I know there’s been a lot of change in Ocala because of the World Equestrian Center and all of the road construction” said Hornblower. “But it’s wonderful to have an organization like Horse Farms Forever to help protect farms. It’s a mission that I believe in and support.”

Hornblower grew up riding in the northeast and has watched a lot of farms in Massachusetts be developed. “We lost several farms to developers that hosted horse shows,” she said.

Horses have always been a part of Hornblower’s life. She competed at horse trails up to the Preliminary level as an amateur and helped organize horse trails in Massachusetts as a co-organizer.

“I have been riding most of my life and I accomplished what I wanted to with eventing,” she said. “But now I am focusing on dressage, with a horse that likes to do dressage, and I hope to earn my USDF Bronze medal this year.”

The equestrian lifestyle is also part of James’ life too. “He loves working on the farm and being on the tractor and mowing,” she said. “He is very supportive of the riding, but he loves airplanes and antique British cars.”

Hornblower also served as the Area 1 Young Rider coordinator for several years. “It’s fun to see the younger generation competing,” she said.

One of the competitors at the Area 1 Young Rider events was her daughter Heather Maytham, who is a three-day eventer. Maytham is a graduate of Jericho Forest Pony Club and she was named to the National Young Riders Championship team. She was also the Area 1 reserve leading Intermediate amateur rider before transitioning to professional status. She has successfully produced multiple horse through the FEI levels of eventing to the CCI*** level and to 1.30 m in show jumping. Maytham is now based out of Ocala full time at Basset Hill Farm.

Horse Farms Forever’s Founder Members encompass several equestrian disciplines from Thoroughbred racing to combined driving and we are delighted to have a family that competes in both dressage and three-day eventing as new members.

Laura Connolly recently bought a new farm in Ocala and moved her private show jumping barn from Wellington to Ocala for the winter season. In the summer, she trains and competes out of one of the most beautiful barns in the Northeast, her DarkHorse Farm in Ridgefield, Connecticut. She joined Horse Farms Forever® (HFF) as a Founder Member as suggested by Matt Varney, a Realtor with Ocala Horse Properties.

Connolly is a successful Grand Prix show jumper and has competed for many years in Europe and in the United States at top venues located up and down the east coast and throughout the Midwest, including Wellington, WEC, HITS, Old Salem Farm, Tryon, KY Horse Park, Traverse City, and many more. She currently owns 10 horses, including the talented gelding Rahmannshof Upgrade, who is competed by European Champion and FEI world #1, Martin Fuchs of Switzerland.

“When I think of Ocala, I think of horse country. Horse Farms Forever’s mission to preserve that character speaks straight to my heart and passion. I couldn’t be prouder to support this incredible organization and their purpose,” said Connolly to HFF.

In addition to her show jumping career, she is an attorney, as well as a business owner. Connolly’s love of horses, and the process of designing and building her dream barn in Connecticut, led her to develop Stables-4-Sport, a partnership with Alan Megerdichian of Sequoia Contracting Company, the builder of her farm. Together, they create very unique and special homes for horses.

Connolly’s gorgeous all-white New England style horse barn is one of Sequoia’s top featured building projects. The farm is nestled in the idyllic Connecticut countryside and the barn looks and feels more like a bright and airy New England cottage than a barn for horses. Stables-4-Sport, the partnership between DarkHorse and Sequoia Contracting, is focused on building and renovating horse farms tailored to modern day sport horse operations. Megerdichian brings over 30 years of building and designing to the table and Connolly’s knowledge as an equestrian and show jumper in both the United Stated and in Europe, as well as her deep understanding of the industry, offers valuable insight.

“We are focusing on renovating and building farms with all of the modern-day amenities the sport horse industry is begging for,” stated Connolly in a Stable Style article. “The sport horse industry has changed so dramatically over the years, and we are focused on creating leading edge equine facilities that keep up with the ever-expanding demands and desires of both the horses and the humans active in the sport.”

The Stable Style article showcases some of the unique features such as individual lights in each stall, which is convenient for evening checks on one horse, without disturbing the rest of the horses in the barn.

The unique features in her horse barn are just one way Connolly strives to make her horses more comfortable. She is always looking for new ways to improve the sport horse industry, which has recently led her to founding SportHorse Tech, a new endeavor focused on developing leading edge high-tech equestrian equipment.

Connolly’s new businesses are helping her to fulfill her dream as a young girl to spend all day in the barn, as she spent countless hours in the barn. First at the next-door neighbor’s horse farm, and then at the barn that her parents built at their farm in Michigan so that she would spend more time at home – well, at least she was at home in the barn!

“My mom or dad would have to come and drag me out of there every evening kicking and screaming. I think my parents quickly realized they wouldn’t see very much of me unless they moved the horses to our property! So, when I was about eight years old, they built a small six stall barn and a ring on our farm, which is where I grew up riding,” stated Connolly in an article on Fei.org.

Connolly is excited about the possibilities in Ocala with the opening of the new World Equestrian Center and to work with horse farm owners to help make their vision and dream for their horse barn come true.

Horse Farms Forever welcomes DarkHorse and Laura Connolly to their winter home – in the barn!