A man is seeking damages from an Ocala equestrian training center after his horse allegedly stepped into a hidden hole on the track, causing the animal to fall directly on top of him.
Marco A. Rivera filed the complaint against Nelson Jones Farms and Training Center of Ocala, LLC, in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Marion County on June 1.
According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred early in the morning on December 27, 2024, at a property located at 2500 Southwest 125th Avenue in Ocala.
Rivera was actively engaged in training and riding a horse on a track specifically designed for that purpose by the facility. Unbeknownst to the rider, there was a large, concealed hole in the surface of the riding track.
Court documents state that Rivera’s horse stepped directly into the hole, causing the animal to trip and fall violently forward. The sudden momentum caused Rivera, who was wearing a safety helmet at the time, to be thrown forward as well.
The horse ultimately landed directly on top of Rivera, resulting in severe and crushing injuries to his back, according to the complaint.
Rivera alleges that the large hole constituted a highly dangerous condition for patrons using the property and that he had no way of seeing or avoiding the hazard. The lawsuit claims that Nelson Jones Farms either knew about the hole or that it had existed for a sufficient length of time that the facility operators should have discovered it through routine inspections.
Rivera accuses the training center of negligence for failing to maintain a safe riding track, failing to post warning signs regarding the latent danger, and demonstrating a willful disregard for the safety of its patrons.
As a result of the incident, Rivera states he has suffered permanent bodily injury, disability, mental anguish, and significant medical expenses. Rivera is seeking in excess of $50,000 in damages and a jury trial.