Florida Carriage Driver's Paradise Expands Hazards
courtesy of Florida Carriage Museum & Resort www.fcmr.org
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 Florida Carriage Museum and Resort is expanding its training center to include newly constructed hazards and expanded natural hazards for CDE training. Already recognized as a premier center for studying the classical art of driving, these upgrades will offer an exceptional setting for training and participating in the Resort’s arena driving trails, pleasure shows and combined driving events.
John Parker from Great Britain, states “there is no other place like it in the world.” The carriage driver can drive from either of two regulation driving dressage rings, to a cones course, to any of nine different hazards, through winding wooded cross-country trails, on 6.3 miles of paved scenic roadway and never leave the immaculately groomed grounds of 400 acres. With over 114 stalls located in 14 barns, 68 paddocks, RV sites, Wi-Fi, and 26 exquisitely appointed rental cottages, the driving enthusiasts will think he or she is in a carriage driver’s paradise. The unique aspect of this experience is the backdrop of the sprawling world-class museum containing over 165 restored antique carriages in its four galleries.
Carriages from around the world are flanked by kiosks that tell of the social history of the horse and its important role in shaping civilizations and changing lives. A large library of new and rare books are worth a few hours of study, sitting amidst of artifact all depicting the horse as it was used for transportation, warfare, commerce, industry and agriculture.
The Museum’s gift shop and Journey’s End Carriage Shop will also take the carriage drivers’ interest as they peruse a varied selection of merchandise. Everything for driving and enjoying the carriage horse is available on the premises. The Resort’s equine specialists can also assist you in having bedding, hay and grain delivered right to you stall. The Resort’s experienced veterinarian and farrier live within one mile of the property.
 For the human’s needs, guest find the fully equipped workout room and trails a good way to stay fit. Golf carts, segways and bicycles are frequently found traveling the property. A 24-hour drug store is five minutes away and a medical doctor lives on the premises. You shouldn’t want for a thing!
Canadians Darrel Billings, a team driver; Morris Kerr a professional four-in-hand driver and coachman; and Doug Lillicrop a pair driver, all stay at the Resort each winter. They all say the greatest benefit of training at the Florida Carriage Museum and Resort is the magnificent weather and great people who stay and work at the resort. With perpetual sunshine and temperatures often in the mid-seventies, there is simply no day that they and others at the Resort cannot train their horses.
The staff at the Resort’s training center has a reputation for hospitality and can also help to advance their guests’ interest through driving lessons, carriage rides, and museum and stable tours. If scheduled, a morning outing with a four-in-hand driven by Gloria Austin, the center’s founder, is a treat not to be missed.
If there is energy left for the night life, the guests at the resort can either enjoy a quiet dinner and conversation at the lakeside bonfire site, casting their eyes on the lighted fountains spewing water that appears to be on fire. If a more exciting night out is the driver’s desire, The Villages, which is within a 5 minute drive offers all the dinning, shopping, and nightlife one could desire. Live entertainment and dancing are offered in any of three town squares free of charge. Even movie theaters and golf courses are within 2-10 minutes of this carriage driver’s paradise - Florida Carriage Museum and Resort.
For more information or to book your holiday,
contact the Florida Carriage Museum & Resort
at 352-750-5500.
This article was provided courtesy of Florida Carriage Museum & Resort.
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