Nearly 30 Years and Still Going Strong: Florida Super 8 Appaloosa Show Circuit

By: Brittany Bevis

For nearly 30 years, Appaloosa competitors have enjoyed a special tradition that was born and bred in central Florida, in the form of the Fuzzy Navel, Sweet Sixteen, and Florida Super 8 Appaloosa Show Circuit. Originally headed by Joe Cavallo in the early 1980s, the Appaloosa ambassador held the reins until 2004 when the torch was passed on to Bill and Lynne Ready and Jeff Lankford.

“Joe Cavallo is the one who started this horse show,” Bill Ready says. “He ran it right up until 2004, for a good 20 years. He was getting out of the horse industry, and he asked Jeff Lankford and I if we were interested in taking it over. We said yes.”

The tradition of holding a grand Appaloosa event in March in Florida began long before the creation of the show now known as the Florida Super 8. Cavallo fondly remembers the show’s predecessors, the Sweet Sixteen and Fuzzy Navel.

“There were so many people behind the scenes who were instrumental, like Bob and Connie Collins from Maryland, Ron Person from Wisconsin, and Mike and Carol Felty,” Cavallo says. “Back when I was President of the Appaloosa Horse Club, we adopted a multi-judge show concept. When we adopted that concept, the decision was made, by talking amongst horse people, that we really needed something in the earlier part of the year when people were getting cabin fever. We thought a show in Florida might be the way to go. We created a show called the Sweet Sixteen.”

“With the price of gas skyrocketing in the 80s, it cost a lot of money to go to a horse show to get just a couple of points. The idea of holding a multi-judge show was that even people who weren’t rich could come and show with those who had the wherewithal to ship their horses in with a trainer. Over the first few years, there was a broad spectrum of exhibitors that were able to achieve awards.”

The Sweet Sixteen had a very successful run for nearly 15 years before the rule was changed governing the number of shows that could be held back to back.

“We had a four-judge show that lasted a day and a half and then a day off,” he says. “Then, we had another four-judge show and another day off. We would show all day and night until two or three in the morning. There were that many horses. Every stall was filled plus stalls in the covered arena and six tents. That’s how big it got.”

“I commend them for [carrying on with the Super 8]. With the economy being what it is, the fact that they have continued to provide the show for the community is very commendable, and I respect them for it. It takes stick-to-itiveness and dedication.”

For horse trainers, Bill and Lynne Ready, who hail from Connecticut and Lankford, who resides in Indiana, the task of maintaining and developing a large circuit in Florida was a big task.

“We ran it for a couple of years on our own,” he says. “We used to hire a show secretary, but it was pretty hard for Lynne and Jeff and I to run a horse show in Florida. It was almost impossible. On the way home from a show in 2007, we stopped in at Fox Lea Farm and talked to Kim Farrell. She became the show manager.”

“Lynne and I have been going down to Fox Lea Farm since ’85. We might have missed one or two horse show, but we’re pretty much mainstays of the circuit. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication and a few people to grab the ball and go with it. Otherwise, if Jeff and I hadn’t taken over in 2004, the horse show would’ve fallen apart.”

Now, the Florida Super 8 Show Circuit is the only Appaloosa breed show run by the management team at Fox Lea Farm. Appaloosa enthusiasts regularly travel from Ohio, Maine, Missouri, Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Ohio to participate in the first major App circuit of the year.

“It’s a good horse show with a lot of quality horses,” Ready says. It’s the first big horse show of the year that people get to come to. One thing that’s especially good is the weather. People can get out of the cold. It’s like spring training for baseball. People can get out of the north, and it’s a great opportunity to get to practice during the first weekend.”

“Most of the people haven’t shown since usually last October or November. They can use the first weekend to figure out mistakes, work on it during the week, and get another show the next weekend. The horse shows don’t start up north until April, so people who come to this show definitely get a head start.”

The 2014 Florida Super 8 Appaloosa Show Circuit will take place March 8-9 and March 15-16 in Venice, Florida. Judges for the first weekend show will be Dave Parlier, Andrea Simons, and Ricky Evans. Judges for the second weekend will be Cindy Mergaert, Helmut Lekschas, Cheryl Ogle, and John Tabb. In order to be eligible for special circuit awards, competitors must show during both shows in the circuit.

Ready and Lankford still work hand in hand with Fox Lea Farm to help maintain the integrity of classes that cater especially to the Appaloosa breed, such as Hunter-in-Hand, the Nez Perce Stakes Race, and Campas Prairie Stumps.

“We still basically oversee the whole horse show and do all the sponsorships,” Ready says. “We collect money to give back in the classes. Typically, we give away $10,000 a year worth of prizes and cash awards.”

“On Saturday night during the last weekend of the horse show, we have a party, sit down dinner, DJ, and everybody gets raffle tickets. We have items from Harris Leather, outfits from clothing companies, and gift certificates that people really enjoy.”

According to Ready, stalls are already coming in quickly for the circuit. He anticipates some 170-180 horses to attend this year.

Fox Lea Farm would like to thank the 2014 show committee: Heather Runyon, Jennifer Schembri, Jeff Lankford, Chad Williams, Bill Ready, and Rusty Miller for their hard work in helping to make the show a success.

Click here to view a show schedule and stall reservation form.

Stay tuned to EquineChronicle.com for results and photos coming from the event. Scroll below to view photos from the 2013 show, courtesy of Harold Campton.