Dr. Carl James Meyer, of Inverness, passed away peacefully on the 27th of June 2011 at Woodland Terrace Skilled Nursing Facility in Hernando. He was 80. Born in Louisville, KY on February 25, 1931 of teenaged parents Carl T. and Thelma (Grubb) Meyer, "Little Jimmy" quit school after sixth grade and went on to follow his father and several uncles on the race track, first as a successful jockey riding and winning at major tracks in the U.S., then continuing as a TB trainer until enlisting in the Navy during the Korean war. After his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1959, he eventually finished enough required credits to attend Auburn School of Veterinary Medicine, acquiring his DVM in the class of '65. Carl eventually settled in South Florida working out of a converted garage which he turned into a state-of-the art veterinary hospital and equine surgical facility in the Pompano area. Years of hard work led to his opening a similar facility, the Camelot Animal Hospital in Davie, Florida. Earning his wings, Carl also became a private pilot and during the '70s, was co-founder and president of what became the largest scuba diving club in the USA, Under Sea Adventurers. In Davie, he took up trail riding and became a founding member of South Florida Trail Riders of Broward County. He served as president for 3 years. Semi-retiring in 1997, he joined wife Dee at their home on 5 acres outside of Inverness, on the Withlacoochee State Forest, doing relief veterinary work and riding and conditioning horses for long distance competition on miles of wooded trails in the forest. Both Carl and Dee (Deena) were active participants in sanctioned long distance equestrian competitions throughout the southeast from the mid '80s through the '90s and into the early 2000s. Carl founded Florida Endurance Classic Ride(s), among the first of their type staged in Florida. These AERC-sanctioned events were comprised of several distances including the One-day 100 mile ride, a first for Florida! The respected horseman, small animal and equine veterinarian and surgeon, chose a final career quest in the early 2000s: Realtor. He was with J.W. Morton Century 21 in Inverness. Declining health eventually dictated full retirement. He is survived by his closest friend, advocate and former wife of 30 years, Dee O'Brien Meyer of Inverness; his son, Bruce and his grandson Logan Meyer, both of Indianapolis; his Aunt Lorain (Meyer) Kloenne of Wilder, KY; plus cousins and distant relatives mostly in the Covington area of Kentucky. Carl requested no public service and that he be cremated without ceremony. Burial will be private. Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home of Inverness will handle arrangements. Remembrances may be made to Hospice of Citrus County. Sign the guest book at www.chronicleonline.com.