Got plans this holiday weekend? Take a break from the daily grind and your usual horse show weekend duties and get back to nature. Spend a day exploring Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park - not too far north of Orlando - near Gainesville, Fla.
The 22,000+ acre state park provides plenty to do from camping, cycling trails, boat ramp access to Lake Wauberg, equestrian trails, and more. Familiarize yourself with the trails (see PDF map here), load up the horses, and head out for a nice day on the trails. The equestrian trail is a series of loops and is approximately 6.5 miles long. You will have the share the trail with bicyclists and hikers, but you will get to enjoy a variety of wooded areas, open ponds and old fields. Whether you bring the horses or not, you are bound to have a fun day exploring all the park has to offer.
If you need convincing, Payne’s Prairie has wild horses!
These wild horses, known as Florida Crackers, are thought to be descendants of Andalusian horses brought over by Juan Ponce De Leon in 1521. Over the years, these horses along with other Spanish-bred horses brought to Florida may have bred with local Native American stock to produce today’s Florida Cracker horse. This breed was used by early cattle drivers. The name came from the sound of the cattlemen’s whips cracking. Both the cowboys and their horses were thus referred to as “crackers.” As larger cattle came into Florida from other states, the Quarter Horse became a more popular mount for cattlemen and the Florida Cracker's numbers dropped.
The Florida Cracker is Florida’s official state horse. Three main bloodlines are maintained by the state of Florida. These wild groups are located in Tallahassee, Withlacoochee, and at Paynes Prairie. The horses at Paynes Prairie are there for display purposes while the other two groups are specifically for breeding. It is a rare breed, listed in “critical” status by The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Less than 2,000 of these horses are thought to exist worldwide. Numbers are on the rise, however, thanks to private breeders, the existence of and breed promotion by the Florida Cracker Horse Association, and the state also helping to maintain the breed.
Come see something new and rare this weekend. Explore Paynes Prairie and look for Florida’s state horse. Along the way, you may also run into the wild Florida Cracker cattle, bison, deer, a variety of birds, and more!
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is located at 100 Savannah Boulevard, Micanopy, Florida 32667. The park opens at 8 a.m. and closes at sundown each day. There is an admission fee of $6 per vehicle (2-8 people per vehicle), $4 for a single occupant vehicle, or $2 for pedestrians/bicyclist/extra passengers. Camp site reservations and picnic pavilion rentals can be found on the state park’s website.
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