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esley Cox Equestrian is a premier hunter/jumper show stable, owned and operated by Lesley Cox Hunziker and situated on 10 acres in beautiful Parrish, FL. It is convenient to Interstate 75 and I275 making it easily accessible to Bradenton, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Brandon, Riverview, and Lakewood Ranch.
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esley Cox Equestrian offers and 18 stall center aisle barn that sits adjacent to a 135’x200’ covered riding arena.. Each 12×12 stall is equipped with matted floors, fans, and its
own LED lighting. LCE has plenty of grass paddocks, offering day and night turnout, as well as a lot of open space for setting jump courses on grass. The barn offers hot/cold wash racks, washer and dryer for laundry service, multiple grooming/tacking areas, a bathroom with a shower as well as a lounge for relaxing. The feeding program consists of top quality Seminole feed fed twice a day and hay is given four times a day, including a daily night check. Owner lives on-site. Rates starting at $975.00.
As a first time horse owner, and a relatively inexperienced rider and horsewoman in my early 50’s, you would think I would be completely overwhelmed and filled with trepidation! Well, I was (just a little)… But I know for a fact that I would not be fulfilling my lifelong dream of owning a horse without the help of Lesley and all the super friendly people at Lesley Cox Equestrian. Lesley not only helped me find Zach (my forever horse that is perfectly suited for me), she also patiently teaches me, little by little, what I need to know to be a better horsewoman. I love just being at the barn and watching the various levels of riders and how they interact with their horses and each other. Lesley knows when to introduce us to new skills and she has a good sense of how much we can take on at once (physically and mentally!). I am so thankful to have Lesley and all my new barn friends in my life.
Evie joined the LCE family in 2007. We were previously at a couple of different barns until we finally found a place we could call “home”. Lesley Cox is more then just a trainer, she genuinely cares for Evie and would do anything for her clients/friends and is always going over and beyond. She brought the most perfect horse (Viktor) into our lives, that we have grown to love. Lesley is an excellent instructor and encourages Evie to excel by introducing new techniques and mastering the fundamentals. She keeps the lessons fresh and always considers Evie and Viktor’s safety first! The horse shows are such a fun experience; Evie has grown so much as a rider and loves showing and being with her friends. The best part about being part of LCE is that now I too have grown to love this sport and majestic animal. Evie and I have formed a special bond by riding and just being together as mother and daughter. Thank you Lesley for allowing us to be a part of your amazing family and guiding us along the way.
The Lesley Cox Equestrian Family is awesome. Lesley is an amazing trainer and rider! The barn is well maintained and there is always open communication with Lesley, the vet and the farrier; my horse and my best interest is always first priority. What more could anyone ask for!
I have kept my Arabian stallion, Shakkan, at Lesley Cox Equestrian since 2010. I began a training program with Lesley after deciding to switch from hunter pleasure showing to jumping. This was a big career switch for me because, while I’ve been riding most of my life, this was my first foray into the hunter/jumper world. It was also a big switch for Shakkan, but it was good for him too because he was quickly growing bored and needed a new job. Both of us love learning new things and Lesley is an exceptionally patient teacher who’s willing to customize a program to fit the horse and rider team. She has worked closely with me to set goals and to devise a training and lesson program that fits into my busy schedule. Lesley is not only an accomplished rider, trainer and instructor, she has the rare ability to understand what people need, which is often very different from what they may want. Plus, she communicates in a way that doesn’t demean or discourage. She’s certainly helped Shakkan and me pursue a whole new riding discipline and we’re both having a blast.
Lesley customizes care and feeding to the individual horse’s needs No cookie cutter care here! My Tommy Boy is thriving. Thanks Lesley, you’re the best!
Lesley grew up riding in Virginia, competing up and down the east coast. She started training and bringing along young horses for a local farm, as well as teaching some lessons, throughout her teenage years. After high school, she immediately went to college to focus on obtaining her communications and psychology degree from Old Dominion University, while interning and working in various industries. Lesley became very successful in public relations, promotions, and sales but soon realized that her heart and real passion still revolved around caring for, riding and training horses.
This is when she decided to commit to making a life and successful career in the equestrian industry.
When Lesley came to Florida she took a position working as the assistant to Clair Kellner at Kingsmeade Farm in Tampa. After some time, she accepted a head trainer position in Orlando for Highlife Farms, a top quality breeding facility. It was almost a year later at Highlife Farms, when Lesley was contacted by the Henter family and asked to be their trainer at their lovely farm named El Cazador Equestrian Center, located in Seminole, FL.
The opportunities that were presented to Lesley, by working for Mel and Amber Henter, proved to be a turning point in her career. During this time, Lesley found her true niche in riding and training young, green horses as she brings them along to become successful in the show arena. Having had wonderful mentors such as Christina Schlusemeyer, Chris Wynne, Jennifer Alfano, through the USHJA mentor program, and Frank Barnett, Lesley has been able to learn a lot of different methods and schools of thought while creating her own system for success. She continues to be inspired by the adult and junior riders who commit to competing and who set their sights on excelling in competitions at all levels which include local rated shows, HITS, Tryon, Pony Finals, and Junior Hunter Finals, as well as continuing to enjoy the grass roots level of competition at the local schooling shows. Lesley holds her ‘r’ card, recognized by the United States Equestrian Federation, and judges the hunters and the hunter equitation at the local and rated levels as well as the jumper ring for various schooling circuits.