TerraNova Equestrian Center saddles up to host its inaugural competition event
TerraNova Equestrian Center, after several years of planning and construction, is open and preparing to roll out its inaugural competition.
The Event at TerraNova will be held Oct. 22-24, aimed at testing the abilities of horses and riders alike.
“The show is going to be a three-day event which is a triathlon of equestrian sports,” said Hannah Herrig Ketelboeter, co-founder of TerraNova Equestrian Center, 31625 Clay Gully Road, Myakka City.
The three events include cross country, dressage and show jumping.
In the cross country event, jumps are modeled after Sarasota landmarks, including Siesta Key lifeguard towers. A portion of the course would take the horse and rider over the jump, and through a pond, emerging on the opposite side for more jumps.
“We have over 100 horses coming to our event, and several of our riders are past Olympians and international riders so it is going to be a really exciting competition,” Herrig Ketelboeter said.
Competitors include riders just starting in the sport to the country’s top professionals with $40,000 in prize money offered across all the divisions. Competitors will also have the opportunity to represent and raise funds for area nonprofit organizations.
Three charities have been selected as beneficiaries of the competition: Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee, SMART-The Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy, and Southeast Guide Dogs. Depending on how their riders perform, the nonprofits will receive $10,000, $7,500 or $5,000.
”We have built this facility and organized The Event at TerraNova with the horses, competitors and community in mind,” Herrig Ketelboeter said. “We look forward to welcoming everyone for our inaugural event.”
A family affair
TerraNova Equestrian Center is the vision of equestrians Hannah Herrig Ketelboeter, her husband, Zach Ketelboeter, and the Herrig family.
“The concept was a family idea that grew over the years. We wanted a place where riders and spectators could have a positive experience,” Hannah Herrig Ketelboeter said. “It will be a long-term process. We will slowly build it out over the next five to 10 years.”
Tickets are $10 per car with the gates opening at 7 a.m. each day during the competition. Also planned are a kids play zone, vendors and food trucks. VIP and tailgating options are also available.
Facilities at the 225-acre TerraNova competition facility include 12 arenas, a clubhouse, and stables. Future plans call for permanent stables housing more than 600 horses, rental cabins with attached barns and paddocks, a permanent viewing building at the main arena, and a campground with RV hookup.
Also planned are the sales of equestrian estates with a minimum size of five acres. Total, TerraNova covers about 1,300 acres.
Those sales haven’t started and it won’t be a repeat of whats happening in Parrish, where an estimated 25,000 new homes have been built or planned.
“That’s not it at all. It’s not Parrish,” Herrig Ketelboeter said. It’s anticipated that some of the equestrian estates could be much larger than five acres.
TerraNova Equestrian Center invites riders to get acquainted with the Bradenton and Sarasota areas and visit local beaches and other attractions.
That’s right in the wheelhouse of sports and recreation tourism, one of the areas that the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has been promoting.
“It’s another great asset in our toolbox as a destination,” said Kelly Clark, chief marketing officer for the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitor Bureau. “The sports business is so important to our destination and to have that diversity. It’s something new for visitors and participants.”
For more information, or to check into volunteer opportunities, visit https://terranovaequestrian.com/ or call 941-557-8014.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 11:43 AM.
