IT’S JUST PAST 8 on a crisp December morn, and as the mist slowly rolls back it unveils the pastoral grandeur of the land set against a cobalt sky. Gently rolling meadows, neatly frilled with wooden fences, and the thickets of stately oaks, are burnished with the gold of another Ocala sunrise.
  From the living room of Greg and Carla Lords’ elegant Dally-Up Farm on the hill, it’s easy to see why their phone will be ringing all day long. It will be another day of calls from South Florida, the snowbound Northeast, California, South America, Switzerland, France and Canada from people eager to snap up precious, picturesque acreage and horse farms around Ocala.
   Just a few months ago, the Lords unveiled an equine development of three- to eight-acre farm sites just off Route 225A, a few minutes’ drive from downtown Ocala. By the time you read this, the 45 sites will be all but gone.
   To the Lords, their passion and their hobby — horses and horse farms — has made them among the most successful in equine real estate in the Southeast.
   Urbane, amiable and philanthropic, it’s easy to see why they have an international network of clients, who become friends, and in turn spawn an ever-increasing network.
   They come across as horse people, through and through, and reflect the image of their clients. Indeed, Carla, raised in a family of prominent Realtors from New Brunswick, Canada, followed her passion: Horses. She started showing Hunter Jumpers while living in Las Vegas, then in San Diego, and on to Orlando, where she met and married lifelong horseman Greg Lord.
   He trained and sold Thoroughbreds in Ocala under the colors of Dally-Up, presided over an auction company, and now, enjoys life as a team roper.
   Given their passion and successes, the Lords could have moved anywhere they pleased. They decided on a place they realized had it all — the best land for horse farms, an established equine community, and an ideal place to raise their family. Ocala.

  And this is where they are making a huge impact.
  If you thought Ocala had reached a plateau as horse country, talk to the Lords. “We may have been known mainly for Thoroughbreds,” says Lord, “but today Ocala is the New York City of the horse industry. There’s everything you want — at last count 46 breeds and hundreds of horse farms from three to 3,000 acres. And the graph keeps going up!”
  Increasingly, it’s passionate hobbyists, who don’t have to live off their horses; people like the Lords themselves, who have a 10-acre farm, with a modern barn, pastures, roping and Hunter-Jumper arenas.
  And a state of the art horse trailer that, get this, also contains their living quarters, office with phones, fax, internet, and kitchen, while on the road. They travel to shows across the country and along the way Carla Lord has garnered two national championships and numerous equestrian honors.
   A typical day begins well before dawn by caring for their horses and barn work, then it’s into town for a workout at Compass Gym, then on to start the day at Glen Miller Realty where daughters Lyndy (their assistant) and Amy (who has a mortgage broker license) are already well in the family business tradition.
  THE SHOW and pleasure-horse industry is galloping along in Marion County. “If you’re anywhere in the world in horse circles and you mention the word Ocala, eyes light up,” says Carla Lord. Indeed, interest is so high that equine property values are soaring. It’s not unusual that property that went for $9,000 an acre a few years back today fetches $27,000, and continues to appreciate rapidly.
  In the nine years the Lords have been married in Ocala, they have given back, and given big, just as they have thrived professionally. “If you’re successful you have the duty to give back to the community,” says Lord, who serves as a Board of Director of the Marion County Association of Realtors and on the Auction Committee of the Florida Association of Realtors. The Lords also own an auction company (primarily real estate) and conduct numerous auctions throughout Florida to raise money for charities.
  Carla, a past-president of the Florida Thoroughbred Fillies, serves on the board of the area American Cancer Society. “Most of our business and growth is from referrals,” says Carla Lord. “Soon you’ve got a large number of friends, who are referring you to their friends, and the calls aren’t just about property.” The Lords, bless ‘em, are point folks for just about anything related to the equine industry.
  “Come to think of it, everything is fun, we don’t consider it work,” says Lord. That fun, and their relatable, low-key approach, is deceptive. The Lords have been the top-selling realtors at Glen Miller Realty. What’s the secret for their popularity and success? The Lords shrug. The answer is obvious. You get good at what you do. But if you love what you do, you soar. The Lords love what they do, and from the moment you meet them, it shows.
   

Here is a sampling, of three Marion County properties,
offered by Greg and Carla Lord!
1. YOU’LL DELIGHT in this elegant, 5+ acre mini-farm in a deed-restricted, gated community in a pristine setting, close to new schools, shopping, health care. Crown moldings, granite fireplaces, theater room, pool, with an architecturally matching three-stall barn are just some of the features of this exceptional, 4,500-square-foot and intricate details of this property, at $829,000.
2. LIVE LIKE A KING in the Country! Thirty rolling acres, with a 6,000-square-foot masterpiece home! Downstairs master bedroom with his and her baths and saunas, winding oak staircase, leading to 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, office, library, gourmet kitchen, and so much more in a very picturesque setting! The Guest Home has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, fireplace, family and living rooms, and specialty kitchen.
  There’s a 12-stall barn, inside wash rack, cedar-lined air-conditioned tack room and a large office (or entertainment area) with central heat and air and a kitchenette. Extras include an equipment barn, water in all paddocks, electric gate, paved drives, and custom landscaping. An exceptional value, at $2,100,000.
3. WORLD RENOWNED, Longwood Farm South is the winter home of the U.S. Olympic 3 day Equestrian Team and a paradise for America’s best horses! Premier, 120-acre equine facility, in a stunning setting! You won’t find a more beautiful or perfect equine facility in the Southeast! Features include three barns (60 stalls),
 
  European computerized walker with pavers, covered arena, picturesque, paved tree-lined drives, three ponds, street lanterns throughout, two Olympic dressage arenas, greenhouse, round pen, quarantine barn and one of the world’s most pristine cross-country courses! The main barn features 21 stalls, full-size office, two baths, kitchen, apartment. Manager’s 3-bedroom home/office and guest cottage complement the 7,000-square-foot primary residence (with two master suites, four fireplaces, maid’s quarters, hardwood floor, copper bar, gourmet kitchen, pool with tropical landscaping, duck pond with fountain. No pictures or descriptions can do this must-see farm (in a parklike setting) justice. This is paradise, in Ocala — and less than two hours’ drive of Orlando and both Florida coasts! $9,000,000