PRESS RELEASE (Edited)
OCALA, FL—Horse Farms Forever, Inc.® invites the community to experience the adventure behind the Great Florida Cattle Drive and learn more about its powerful conservation message at the 2026 Conservation Summit on Thursday, November 12 featuring Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, National Geographic Explorer and Path of the Panther producer Carlton Ward, Jr.
The Great Florida Cattle Drive celebrated Florida’s 500-year cattle ranching history and highlighted the urgent need to protect working ranches from rapid urban development.
During six-day drive, 300 riders moved 300 herd of cattle through some of the same trails used by ranchers more than a hundred years ago—and is now part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Ward documented this extraordinary journey through photography as he captured the rugged beauty of the 54-mile trail stretching along the Kissimmee River Valley featuring the determination, camaraderie and grit of the people who made it possible.
But the story of the cattle drive is about more than cattle and cowboys, it’s also a story about conservation.
Cattle Country and Horse Country
This year’s Conservation Summit explores what we can learn from Florida’s ranching heritage to keep our horse farms, open spaces and natural resources thriving for generations to come. It’s also at the heart of Horse Farms Forever’s mission to inspire the preservation of horse farms that have come to define Marion County’s culture and unique sense of place.
The cattle drive sets an example of what can happen when ranches and horse farms are protected—and what can be lost to development, when they are not.
The 2026 cattle drive marks the fifth drive since its founding in 1995, but due to rapid development, portions of the original cattle drive routes are no longer available.
The significance of the 2026 route is that it was entirely located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The drive started at the DeLuca Preserve and traversed across three private ranches that have been protected with a conservation easement. These ranches will remain, not only as private working cattle ranches, but also as part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
About 40% of Marion County is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, mostly as part of the Ocala National Forest. It is also part of the northwest section of the Farmland Preservation Area.
Horse farms play a key role in expending and protecting the key sections of the Florida Wildlife Corridor in Marion County. Horse Farms Forever is working hard to inspire the preservation of horse farms to protect the character and culture that horses and horse farms bring to Marion County.
The Florida Wildlife Corridor is a network of natural lands that covers about 18 million acres across Florida. About 10 million acres have been protected and the goal is to protect the remaining eight million acres, which are mostly tucked within farms and ranches. (The Florida Wildlife Corridor was featured on the cover of Florida Trend’s September 2026 issue.)
The Summit will inspire guests to consider the important role that working lands play in Florida’s future—and why protecting horse farms and ranches matters for our future, for our economy, and for the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Come hear the stories behind the drive. See the photographs that captured the journey and the spirit of Florida’s cow country. Learn more about how these ranches were preserved!
SADDLE UP FOR THE SUMMIT.
What: Conservation Summit, featuring Carlton Ward, Jr.
When: Thursday, November 12, 2026 | 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Where: Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th Street, Ocala, FL 34481
Return to the September 16 issue of Wire to Wire
