Equestrian Areas · County guide
Marion County: the county behind the Horse Capital.
Marion County holds the registered trademark "Horse Capital of the World" and has more horses than any other county in the United States. This guide covers the county beyond Ocala's city limits: the Farmland Preservation Area, the farm corridors of Reddick, Anthony, and Citra, and the land-use rules that shape what is possible on any given parcel. For the city itself, the venues, and the World Equestrian Center, see the Ocala guide.
Why Marion County
A county organized around the horse.
The numbers behind the title are verifiable: roughly 75,000 horses and ponies, more than any other U.S. county, and about 35% of Florida's horses. More than 1,200 horse farms sit across the county, most concentrated in the Farmland Preservation Area in the northwest, where county ordinance protects the agricultural character of the land.
- More horses and ponies than any other U.S. county, roughly 75,000, and home to about 35% of Florida's horses
- The Farmland Preservation Area, roughly 200,000 acres in the county's northwest protected by county ordinance
- Farm corridors across Reddick, Anthony, and Citra beyond Ocala's city limits
- Zoning and land use set by the Marion County Land Development Code, confirmed with the county per property
Beyond the city limits
The farm corridors outside Ocala.
Each corridor has a different character and a different drive time to the World Equestrian Center. We measure the actual drive from each property rather than assuming equal access.
Reddick
The Golden Corridor along NW Hwy 225 and County Road 225A, about 13 miles from the World Equestrian Center.
Anthony
Farms northeast of Ocala along the northeast corridors, with a quieter community character.
Citra
Horse farms northwest of Ocala along Hwy 318 and the northwest farm corridors.
Northwest Ocala
The epicenter of equestrian sport around the World Equestrian Center, covered in the Ocala guide.
Land use & taxes
Zoning and agricultural classification.
Marion County's Land Development Code sets what a property permits as of right, and the county planning and zoning office is the authority to confirm it. Separately, agricultural classification under Florida Statute 193.461 can lower property taxes when land is in bona fide agricultural use, such as breeding or boarding for compensation. The DR-482 application is due by March 1 each year, and the county property appraiser evaluates each parcel's use. These are parcel-specific determinations, so we verify them with the county before you go far.
Read the due diligence guideExplore Marion County
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