The Fiscus Girls and Horse Country

When I found out that Paula and Gabrielle would be in Orlando for a few days this week, I asked them if they had any interest in visiting Ocala.  I thought they could see our new home and maybe try one of the local horse farm tours that I had read about.  I sent them some information and Paula and Gabrielle both thought it was a great idea.  They said that today would be the best day for them to visit and I couldn't wait.

The three of us met at the Gypsy Gold Horse Farm for our morning tour.  The first half was an informational talk from the owner.  He discovered the Gypsy Gold Varner horse breed in the late 1990s and brought them to the US from Europe over twenty-five years ago.  He had a lot of stories and we learned quite a bit.  The best part was finding out that he was born and raised in Nappanee and was related to Grandma Jane's friend, Jan Grim.

The second half of our time at the farm was a walking tour where we met many of the Gypsy Gold Varner horses on the property.  Although I chose to just take pictures, Paula and Gabrielle took advantage of the offer feed and pet the horses.  We learned about the IVF process with the breed and even found out that many of the horse carriers were thoroughbreds instead of Gypsy Golds.  We were also told about the horses that had already been sold and the ones that were still for sale.  Many of the foals were priced at $30,000.  The last part of our walking tour took us by the donkeys and the parrots that they had rescued.  Gabrielle made friends with the donkey, Patience, who followed us on our tour.  

After the Gypsy Gold tour, Paula and Gabrielle followed me to Ocala.  It was fun giving them a tour of our home.  They seemed to like how I had decorated everything.  Paula was glad to finally be able to envision me in my new place.  

Our last stop was the World Equestrian Center.  It had started to rain by the time that we arrived, so we did a driving tour of the facility.  Just like Doug and I, they were impressed with the size of it and how nice it was.  We ate lunch inside the hotel at the Yellow Pony.  I had really been wanting to try it and was happy that we were able to be seated shortly after arriving.  They both had chicken sliders and I ordered the fried green tomato sandwich.  The food was absolutely delicious.  We spent over two hours talking and catching up on anything and everything including Meg's wedding, Gabrielle's plans for next year and the books that we had been reading.  It was incredibly nice and I had a wonderful time.  They headed back to Orlando shortly before I had to pickup Doug from work.  I was sad to see them go, but happy to have had such a amazing day.