ValerieDailey.qxp_Florida Horse_template 2/26/20 10:21 AM Page 34
By CYNTHIA MCFARLAND teaching labs for the College of Agriculture.” Dailey would continue working in the information technolFlorida farm and business owner, thoroughbred breeder and owner, Valerie Dailey's love for land and ogy sector for nearly two decades. Her career might have been animals has been a motivating force stretching all the IT, but outside the office, she was still happily involved with horses, owning a few quarter horses, offering boarding services way back to childhood. For this West Virginia native, horse fever hit at a young age and teaching lessons. and never left. FLORIDA FAMILY She and Hugh Dailey, president of Community Bank & Trust “My best friend in kindergarten had a pony, so I went home and told my mom and dad that I wanted one. They said if I made of Florida (now Mid Florida Credit Union), married in 1992, and straight As I could have a pony, so that was my impetus,” says daughter, Samantha, was born three years later. The family established their 3D Farm (named for the three Daileys), in Anthony. Dailey, smiling at the memory. “When I married Hugh, he said if I was going to make Dailey earned the grades and got the pony. After her family relocated to Sarasota when she was in third money in the horse business, I needed to quit giving lessons and grade, they bought a couple horses and Dailey got involved in 4-H. get into the thoroughbred business,” relates Dailey. “He hooked “Lynn Palm's mom was my 4-H agent at the time,” Dailey recalls. me up with Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck in the early Those 4-H shows lead to her competing in American Quar- 1990s. Together, we bought two mares in foal at OBS for $600 ter Horse Association shows where Dailey entered all-around and $800, and I've stayed in the business ever since, breeding to western classes. sell as weanlings or yearlings (typically at OBS), and on occaDailey attended the University of Florida where she earned sion taking one to a two-year-old sale.” her Bachelor of Science in Food and Resource Economics and Today, Dailey maintains a small broodmare band of three to her Masters in Agricultural Operations Management. While in five mares. Unlike the early years, however, she's now too busy college, Dailey was teaching at the state's two 4-H horse camps, currently to manage all their care at the family's own farm, so the which, at the time were located in the Panhandle and near Palatka. mares are boarded out. Marion County became home in the early 1980s, thanks to Among the standout runners Dailey has bred are Breeders' Dailey's first job after graduation. Cup qualifier Yankee Injunuity (bred with Kelli Charles), a mul“This was back in the days when desktop computers were tiple stakes winner of $519,738; and Lady Brook, a stakes winjust coming on the market and two of my friends from the An- ner of $115,652. imal Science Department decided to open a 3D Farm is also currently home to a herd computer store, Valcom Computers, and of Angus and Angus-cross cattle, something asked me to sell horse-related software,” rethat has been a focus for daughter Samantha calls Dailey. “It was 1984 and people didn't for years. really want to trust computers and put their Off the farm, Dailey and her family feel in the rich soil data there, plus they didn't know how to operright at home on Florida's waterways and have of Marion County long enjoyed boating, fishing, lobstering and ate them. So instead of selling software, I ended up teaching people how to operate the where agriculture is just spending time on the water. This passion computers they were purchasing. I did that for prompted her to become part owner of a proud way of a year until the University of Florida called Crevalle Boats, a premium boat manufacturer and asked me to manage their computer located in Wildwood. life for many
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Valerie Dailey’s roots run deep
34 THE FLORIDA HORSE • MARCH 2020
