Painted Horse Trail

Upon arrival to Ocala/Marion County, visitors will notice a number of beautifully painted, all unique horse statues. Known as the Horse Capital of the World®, the area’s equestrian community connects with our arts and culture scene through these iconic horse statutes in a fundraising program called Horse Fever. Throughout the destination, these horses stand both in public and private locations. We have put together a list of some of the easiest and most accessible of the horse statues within a few miles of the downtown Ocala area.

Please note, sometimes the horses are being refurbished or switch places with another horse, so there is a chance the below horses are in a different location.

Reilly Arts Center

500 NE 9th St

Ocala, FL 34470

“The heART of Florida" by local artist, Tyrus Clutter, is located at the Reilly Arts Center next to Tuscawilla Park, just north of Downtown Ocala. This horse features various parts of the arts and culture in the community including the Marion Theatre, Reilly Arts Center, Appleton Museum, Silver Springs Glass Bottom Boats and more.

Ocala Police Department

402 S Pine Ave

Ocala, FL 34471

“Legacy” stands in front of the Ocala Police Department honoring the memory of the late Police Chief Greg Graham, who was greatly admired by the community. Legacy features outdoor adventures like flying, skydiving, scuba diving and more that Chief Graham enjoyed doing.

Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau

109 W Silver Springs Blvd.

Ocala, FL 34475

“Travels,” painted by Yani Mikedis, is located right in front of the Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau in Downtown Ocala. You can’t miss Travels, as this horse is an art deco horse featuring vibrant yellow, red, blue and green.

Ocala Downtown Square

1 SE Broadway St. Ocala, FL 32271

“World Champ” painted by Sharon Crute, features a beautiful horse farm scene on one side and an action packed horse race on the other. This iconic horse stands right on the Historic Ocala Downtown Square.

Discovery Center

701 NE Sanchez Ave.

Ocala, FL

“Life Force,” painted by Ruth Mckinney, depicts parts of local nature with butterflies, flowers, dragon flies and more. Life Force currently welcomes visitors on their way into the Discover Center in Tuscawilla Park.

Rotary Sportsplex

5220 SE Maricamp Rd.

Ocala, FL

"Slugger," painted by Gene Hotaling, features several iconic baseball players—including Cal Ripken, Jr. extending for a fly ball hit hard by Manny Ramirez. The horse’s pinstriped socks call the tradition of baseball jerseys to mind, and it even boasts a baseball glove for a saddle.

Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park

2601 E Fort King St

Ocala, FL 34470

"Hero," guards the Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park which is located just off of Fort King St in Ocala. Hero is “In Honor Of Those Who Keep Us Free” and depicts the different branches of the United States Military.

Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP)

310 SE 3rd St

Ocala, FL 34471

“Sky Dancing” by Linda Ballantine Brown is on display outside of the Ocala Metro CEP in downtown Ocala. This horse is painted in stunning sky blue featuring beautiful race horses.

Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP)

310 SE 3rd St

Ocala, FL 34471

“Firecracker,” another horse outside of the Ocala Metro CEP, was installed in celebration of the CEP being named 2020 National Chamber of the Year. Artist Gary Borse painted the horse to be bright and happy to make viewers feel energized.

MLK First Responders Campus

515 SW Martin Luther King Jr Ave

Ocala, FL 34471

“Winners Circle of Life” by Esta Mann can be found at the City of Ocala’s MLK First Responders Campus. The simplicity of this horse is eye catching, with winning ribbons decorating the saddle and a garland of roses draping on the horse’s shoulders.

Ocala First Responder's Campus

340 NE 8th Ave.

Ocala, FL

"SLÁINTE”, which means cheers in Irish, sits outside the Ocala First Responder’s Campus. The horse honors the Twinning of Ocala and Newbridge, Ireland, an agreement in 2008 linked the two communities. Both towns share common character including the thoroughbred industry and camaraderie of emergency services.

Southeastern Livestock Pavilion

2232 NE Jacksonville Road

Ocala, FL

“Oak-ala” welcomes attendees to the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion where there are livestock auctions, rodeos, expos and more. Oak-ala was painted by Yani Mikedis to look like Oak wood and sponsored by Live Oak Stud and Charlotte C. Weber.

To learn about the newest Horse Fever heard, visit MCAOcala.org/HF-2020.