*Originally published on March 5. Updated on March 8 to add photos and video from Thursday’s ribbon cutting.
OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Most people know Hollywood’s famous Walk of Fame celebrating movie and TV stars. Get ready to experience the Horse Capital of the World’s® version which celebrates Marion County’s most famous horses and equestrians.
On Thursday, elected officials, business leaders, equine industry leaders and a couple of horses – the guests of honor – gathered for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the Walk of Champions.
The Walk of Champions experience features 24 bronze plaques along two sidewalk blocks adjacent to the square in downtown Ocala. Thoroughbred horses are honored on the sidewalk along South Magnolia Avenue while champions from a variety of other breeds are spotlighted along the sidewalk on Southeast Broadway Street, adjacent to the Hilton Garden Inn hotel.
“Most of the champions have come out of Ocala whether they have been born here or they have trained here and Ocala/Marion County is on the map because of that. From renowned thoroughbreds to jumpers, drivers and show horses our county is rich with equestrian legends,” said Marion County Commission Chair Michelle Stone. “So today’s unveiling of the physical plaques to honor our local equestrian champions completes this part two interactive experience and further honors Marion County as an equestrian community.”
“Thoroughbreds have a long and rich tradition in Marion County, and they are a large part of why we are the Horse Capital of the World® today. To see our champion Thoroughbreds featured on the walk, ensures visitors and the next generation in our community gain a sense of the caliber of horses and horsemanship here,” said George Isaacs, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association president and FTBOA’s Thoroughbred walk selection committee chair.
The Walk of Champions is designed to be an interactive experience.
In addition to the plaques, the OcalaMarion Travel Guide app features a Walk of Champions digital experience that launched early last summer. It features a Walk of Champions map with corresponding dots representing the location of each plaque. When users click on the dot, they are connected to the backstory of that specific horse or equestrian, see photos and, in some cases, be able to watch video snippets.
“Our goal with this initiative is not just to create a great experience for residents and visitors, but also to highlight our equestrian community and its history, creating a cohesive sense of place we can all be proud to be part of,” said Stone. “We are thrilled to see this collaborative vision come to life with the plaques in the downtown square and the launch of our tourism app. We encourage tourists and locals alike to visit the area and experience the Walk of Champions.”
While the project is complete for now, the partners hope to add more historical markers to the walk in the future.
“We want to fill up this block. We want people to come and want to visit all of these,” said Kevin Sheilley President and CEO Ocala Marion Chamber and Economic Partnership. “If you want to help make this happen, you can make a tax-deductible gift to the CEP Foundation which will go exclusively to helping fund these plaques. “