History of Fox Lea Farm
Fox Lea Farm History
In 1983, David and Linda Aldrich purchased 46 acres originally in Venice as raw land with the vision of building a horse- and family-friendly horse show facility. Fox Lea is a family-owned and operated business, with three generations of the family now involved in some way. Over the years, Fox Lea has expanded to incorporate the land to the south of us.
Linda and David Aldrich immediately started planning and then building the infrastructure for the property, including barns, show rings, office and other buildings necessary to create a nationally recognized horse show facility. Fox Lea hosted its first horse show in December of 1984. With the help of John Kimball and Simon Barber, Fox Lea Farm held the first international-level dressage show in the United States; Dressage was the first discipline to put us on the map at a national level.
In September of 1985, Fox Lea was set to host their first USEF-sanctioned “A” rated hunter/jumper show, but it was not to be – Hurricane Elena had other plans! The show was postponed to November of that year, and that was the beginning of our now nationally-recognized “Grass Roots to Grand Prix” series of Hunter/Jumper horse shows, with over $1,400,000 in prizes and money awarded each year.
Fox Lea hosts various special events such as Regional or National Finals, Clinics, Fundraisers and Training Sessions. We have hosted numerous USHJA Zone 4 Finals since 2001, and in 2006, we added our first $25,000 Grand Prix to our National series. We currently produce 20 Grand Prixs a year.
Over 25 years ago, Fox Lea started a summer series of rated hunter jumpers shows with a Summer Camp theme, with a host of camp-related activities and family fun. This series is now known as “Camp Fox Lea”. Fox Lea’s number one goal is to create a safe and enjoyable atmosphere for families, riders, owners, trainers, spectators and horses. We currently produce 20 National rated shows, 1 Regional rated shows per year, and 12 USHJA Outreach hunter jumper shows yearly. Fox Lea Farm is an affiliate of the United States Hunter Jumper Association.
Fox Lea Farm hosts 14 pointed AQHA shows per year. Six of the Thirteen shows are held during January during our most prestigious Quarter Horse Show of the year; the Fox Lea Farm Winter Circuit Quarter Horse Circuit has been running for over 30 years.
The Venice Equestrian Tour Winter Hunter/Jumper Circuit has been running since 2016. The winter circuit attracts horses and riders from all over the United States and North America, and the $24,999 Show Jumping Under the Stars Grand Prix events have become a favorite for local spectators. This series incorporates our Local Charity Challenge, which is co-hosted by Sertoma. This event raises funds for over 9 local charities within one event!
Fox Lea Farm hosts events over 42 weekends per year. Fox Lea Farm is active over 185 days a year. We are one of the largest Sports Tourism Economic Drivers for Sarasota County. We are an integral part of the Venice community and are grateful to the residents of both the Venice Community and the Horse Community for their continued support over the years.
