BY KATIE NAVARRA

Plants and hardscapes around the horse barns feature materials that are hardy, low maintenance, and horse safe. (MAVEN PHOTO + FILM)

Unless you’re a horse enthusiast, there is a good chance you’ve never heard of Ocala, Florida. The city has a population of roughly 64,000 people and an itinerant population of just as many, if not more, horses. Its newest addition, the World Equestrian Center, which opened in January 2021 and is currently undergoing expansion, hosts 50,000 horses annually and is designed to bring equestrians and spectators together in an Olympic-style park setting year-round.

The massive facility, which includes a five-star hotel, restaurants, a spa, and retail shops, currently occupies roughly 500 acres of the property’s nearly 11,000 acres,...