Staff
President
Bernie Little
President
Bernie Little is President of Horse Farms Forever®, a member of the Board of Directors and one of it’s three original founders. He is retired from the beer distributing business, is an avid cattle rancher and pilot and lives in the Farmland Preservation Area.
Executive Director
Sara Fennessy
Executive Director, Horse Farms Forever®
Sara Fennessy is a fifth-generation horsewoman with a lifelong family history focused primarily within the Thoroughbred and show horse sectors. During her 12 years in Marion County, Florida, she has devoted herself to a career of outreach, communication, management, and promotion in the local community and equine industry. Today, she now owns and rides hunter jumpers.
Director of Conservation Strategies
Busy Shires
Director of Conservation Strategies, Horse Farms Forever®
Busy Shires is a land conservation professional with 21 years’ experience facilitating land conservation projects. Her goal is to work with landowners, agencies, and land trust partners to protect farmlands for future generations. Busy’s family owns and operates Gold Leaf Farm in Alachua, FL.
Director of Communications
Michelle Grald
Director of Communications, Horse Farms Forever®
Michelle Grald is a communications professional and lifelong equestrian. She relocated to greater Ocala in 2019 with a passion for open spaces and beautiful places. Michelle and her husband, Eric, like to travel, camp and trail ride with their horses.
Horse Farms Forever®
Horse Farms Forever®, Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation registered with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as well as a 501(c)3 with the IRS.
Our mission is to inspire the conservation of horse farms by preserving the natural pasture land for horses and their habitats, and to protect the soil and water on which they depend, while minimizing land use conflicts in Ocala/Marion County, Florida.
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When the farmland watchdogs sound the alarm, you'll hear first.