Hundreds of horses sheltered at Jacksonville Equestrian Center from far away as Tampa

Down-state evacuees fleeing Hurricane Milton are not only filling up hotels rooms in Jacksonville. They're also finding shelter at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center for hundreds of horses and even a few goats and miniature Highland cows.

The equestrian center opens its stable doors during storms on a regular basis, but the number of horses this week is the most in years.

People hitting the road with their horses in trailers have come from as far away as Tampa and Fort Lauderdale and Bradenton, beyond the usual range of Northeast Florida and Ocala and parts of Georgia.

"This time it just reminds me of Matthew back in 2017 where we were at capacity," said Candice Barnes, assistant director of the equestrian center.

The equestrian center gave horse owners a chance Wednesday to put their horses through the paces in the indoor arena and training rings while they counted down the hours for Hurricane Milton making landfall on the west coast of Florida.

"Horses are like dogs," Barnes said. "They know they have a job to do and if they don't do their job on their normal routine, their energy gets pent-up and they better release it. So we do what we can. It's how they release some of the stress."

The families and owners traveling with the horses also got a much-need break, she said, particularly those who had been driving for hours in heavy traffic to reach Jacksonville.

The number of horses at the equestrian center has been increasing as more evacuees arrive. The center had 272 horses at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, plus four goats and two miniature Highlands cows. The horses included Cash Money, a quarter horse owned by football great Terry Bradshaw .

The Jacksonville Equestrian Center is located off Normandy Boulevard in the complex that also contains the Cecil Recreation Complex and is the future site of the Jacksonville Fairgrounds.

The city owns the property and a volunteer board of Northeast Florida Equestrian Society/H.O.R.S.E. Therapies, a nonprofit, manages the equestrian center. The support of the city's parks department, elected leaders and the non-profit make it possible to offer the equestrian center as a shelter for horses during storms like Hurricane Milton, Barnes said.

""We have a great support system," she said.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Hundreds of horses sheltered at Jacksonville Equestrian Center from far away as Tampa