In 1983, David and Linda Aldrich purchased 46 acres 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 family now involved in some way.

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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 $1,000,000 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 an atmosphere that is safe and enjoyable for families, riders, owners, trainers, spectators and horses.  We currently produce 12 National rated shows, 8 Regional rated shows per year, and 8 unrated hunter jumper shows throughout the year. Fox Lea Farm is an affiliate of the United States Hunter Jumper Association. 

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Fox Lea Farm hosts 13 pointed AQHA shows per year and several AQHA Special Events.  Six of the Thirteen shows are held during the month of 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.  Fox Lea Farm is home to the Florida Super Eight Appaloosa Shows in the month of March for the past 30 years, and in 2007, Fox Lea Farm took over the management of these nationally recognized Appaloosa events. 

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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 $25,000 Show Jumping Under the Stars Grand Prix events have become a favorite for local spectators. 

Fox Lea Farm now hosts events over 42 weekends per year. 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. 

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