by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 15, 2025
The Essex Horse Trials in New Jersey has lived several lives since its founding in the late 1960s, and now it’s about to embark on yet another.
This year, it will run on Sunday, June 1, for one day rather than two; hold everything at a single venue, Moorland Farm in Far Hills, instead of two locations and offer Starter level for the first time, while dropping Intermediate, which wasn’t well-attended at the other end of the scale. The highest level this spring will be Preliminary.
Despite the fact that the 2024 event made money, there was a question of whether Essex could be held in 2025 because the two-venue concept proved to be very difficult and a strain to organize and facilitate.
Then Marilyn Payne stepped up to become the organizer and board president, suggesting the new, more compact, concept. Few know the sport as well she does. She has ridden at Essex since its early days at the Haller family’s Hoopstick Farm in Bedminster, down the road from Moorland and the U.S. Equestrian Team.
Marilyn Payne is a longtime eventing competitor in addition to her credentials as a teacher and judge. Photo © by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Essex was a major fixture on the eventing circuit from the late 1960s through 1998, when it last ran at the USET in Gladstone. After some of the USET property was sold, it was no longer optimal for the cross-country phase, so the event didn’t go again for 18 years. In 2004, the Essex organization was dissolved and its funds were dispersed, “ending faint hopes that one of the country’s best-known 2-star eventing tests could make a comeback,” as I wrote in a column that year.
Roger Haller told me sorrowfully, “the countryside has been changing and there’s not the critical mass to sustain what was there before.”
But there were many who remembered Essex and missed it. An opportunity to stage all phases at Moorland, also home of the popular Far Hills Race Meeting each October, led to its revival in 2017.
Sadly, Roger had died the year before the return, which was greeted with great fanfare. However, weather problems and date changes hindered growth. A continuing difficulty was the lack of an all-weather ring at Moorland for dressage and jumping. One rainy edition of the event in which footing was far from optimal prompted a move three years ago to the USET Foundation and its all-weather arena for those segments, with cross-country the next day at Moorland.
Essex has attracted some big names over the years, including Lillian Heard Wood. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“Having it at two sites is very, very cumbersome and very expensive,” said Guy Torsilieri, who manages Moorland with Ron Kennedy. Consolidation of the competition in one location for 2025 provided an answer to that problem.
Marilyn, twice an Olympic judge, runs her own Hunterdon County farm that offers lessons, clinics and shows, but despite the demands on her time, she felt Essex should be a priority.
Marilyn judging at the 2008 Olympics. (Photo © 2008 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s so important to continue, not only for the riders and the sport, but because we’re losing events all over the country and we don’t want to lose another event,” she commented.
Discussing Moorland, she observed, “It’s a fabulous facility. It’s great for the local people, to get them more involved and let them see what eventing is all about. Let them enjoy it. You’ve got to spread the word, and the best way to spread the word is to have a competition and invite people to come. A lot of people just want to go to one place and in and out on one day.”
She emphasized, “We’re refocusing on the lower levels,” and unlike the higher levels, those participants are not as picky about footing. But Marilyn noted that while she doesn’t expect early June to see the torrential rains that caused a problem when the date was later in the month, there also is a Plan B site for show jumping and dressage at Moorland if mud becomes an issue.
A cocktail party will be held Saturday night before the event, with cross-country course designer Morgan Rowsell giving a guided walk of his route. (He also will be designing the show jumping phase of the event.) With the event on a Sunday, riders are able to come the day before and walk the course. There will be a vendor village offering shops and food.
With the addition of the Starter level, Marilyn expects families to turn out to watch their relatives, so there should be a good crowd, some of whom can take the opportunity to view cross-country from tailgating spots.
Amy Gregonis and Julie Berman, who both were involved previously with the event, are working with sponsors. Marilyn is looking for volunteers to work at the event. Those interested in sponsoring or volunteering may contact her at applewoodfarm@comcast.net.
The car show, held in the past at Moorland on cross-country day, is moving to a September date, which allows all the focus to be on Essex. The event’s beneficiary is the LifeCamp in Pottersville, a century-old venture that provides a day camp each summer for 300 kids ages six through 14 from the greater Newark area.
A visit to the cross-country course is an enjoyable field trip for the campers and their parents. They picnic by the water complex, really getting into watching the horses splash through.
Guy hadn’t been optimistic about the event’s future before Marilyn took over.
“I was very saddened to say it’s going to go away again, because I don’t think it would come back. I think it’s important to keep equestrian activities in the area. Ron and I are thrilled they are going to give it another whirl,” Guy commented.
Guy Torsilieri and Ralph Jones. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“I think it’s a good plan, I think it will be successful. With the new model, the budget is less than half of what it was last year. I think they’ll get a lot of support at the lower level.”
Of Marilyn, he said, “I was amazed and impressed how dynamic she is and what she wants to do. She’s getting a lot of enthusiasm locally.”
Guy also commented on the tenacity of Ralph Jones, a former co-organizer of the event, who was an advocate for keeping it going. He remains on the board as treasurer and is looking forward to working with Marilyn.
“She’s hoping to make it more of a local effort than trying to get the big professionals. It was our best chance of keeping it alive,” Ralph pointed out.
“I give Marilyn a lot of credit. She’s good. It’s going to be more low-key this year. Riders didn’t like the two-day format.” He appreciate’s Guy’s suggestion to “make it a big backyard barbecue. We feel good about it – it’s on its third life.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2025
During a four-week competition-free window at the Wellington International showgrounds in Florida, a lot of improvements have been accomplished—but more are to come once showing is over for the season.
Murray Kessler, Wellington International’s CEO, gave a report on progress at the facility to the Village’s Equestrian Preserve Committee Wednesday night.
The retired executive and former U.S. Equestrian Federation president took his post last fall because he was “concerned with the direction it might go” following the showgrounds’ purchase by its former owners. Since then, more investors are joining the group.
The venue, the home of the Winter Equestrian Festival, employs 500 people during the height of the show season, when 2,700 horses are competing weekly. The “root problem” of the horse show is that the grounds were built for a third of the number of horses that are there today, Murray said.
He believes Wellington International, formerly known as the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, is “the anchor of this community and it can’t be a healthy community unless the horse show is healthy. I care about the horses first and I care about the sport first and everything else good that will happen to Wellington will happen on that basis.”
Murray Kessler addressing Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee.
His vision is “to keep Wellington International the premier horse sports destination in the world.”
Murray noted that is not to say it’s the best horse show individually in the world, pointing out there are some great ones. But “there’s nothing like Wellington anywhere else in the world where there’s 1,000 horse farms in close proximity.”
A key improvement will be the addition of additional land from “Pod F” to expand Wellington International and enable dressage to move from its current home at the Global grounds a half-mile away, where a golf community will be built. Murray doesn’t expect that to happen before 2027 and it could be 2028. That’s the deadline for completing work on Pod F, as it becomes an operating part of the showgrounds and takes 1,000 horses off the area of what is the current facility, leaving room for dressage and hunters to have their own space.
In the meantime, three rings have been built on Pod F to give riders a place where they can work their horses away from the crowded main showgrounds. FEI stabling is set to expand to 14 acres.
There will be a better opportunity to grow sponsors and hospitality when there is a better design for a unified showgrounds. Murray noted at the moment, there is no hunter VIP, and he criticized the VIP arrangement for dressage at Global, where the food must be driven to the site from a small kitchen at Wellington International.
“Believe it or not, we don’t make money on entries,” he stated. “We make money on sponsors and hospitality.” While the existing grounds is profitable, money for improvements is self-generating.
There has been a flurry of cleaning, painting and landscaping at the showgrounds, where 3,000 stalls were power-washed. Bathrooms are being cleaned around the clock, eight tractor-trailer loads of junk have been taken off the premises.
“While we still have a long way to go, the property is in better shape than it’s been in a very long time,” Murray reported. He has appointed an advisory committee with reps from hunters, jumpers, dressage and para-dressage to be his “eyes and ears” about what is needed at the showgrounds.
The entrance to the International arena at Wellington International.
Improvements that have been installed at Wellington International since he came on board include new stadium LED lighting, which makes the setting in the International Arena as bright as daylight, and offers flexibility in terms of special effects that can be created. With the old vapor lights, once they were turned off, it took a half-hour to get them going again, and the illumination they offered was “gray,” which Murray deemed to be getting unsafe. A new jumbotron will do split screens and replays with graphics that are “terrific.”
As Michael Stone, Wellington International’s president pointed out during a Thursday press conference, production values are being improved “so it becomes much more like any sort of major sporting event. By increasing the level, you’re going to enhance the sport, and enhancing the sport is going to attract more people to come. That’s why we need enhanced production, to show people this really is a top class sport, like the U.S. Open or the Masters.”
The last grand prix at WEF in March will be worth $750,000, a record for the show. It is the finale for a new series from Rolex, a longtime sponsor of Wellington International.
Still to be accomplished are more improvements to wi-fi, refurbishment of footing in the rings and other details that will happen during a break in the schedule.
Murray pointed out that equestrian is the biggest sport in Palm Beach County, with $400 million in economic impact. The next biggest sport in the county is minor league baseball at $60 million. Wellington International is the big time–there are 35 Olympic riders who will be showing at WEF and Global dressage, with eight of the world’s top 10 in show jumping scheduled to be on hand.
Murray is pleased at the feedback he’s getting for what has happened in a short amount of time. In the past, there has been an over-promise and under-deliver situation at the showgrounds, which didn’t have the resources or leadershp to fix things. Murray is operating on the opposite basis, and it’s working.
“I feel a sense of excitement from the community,’ the CEO said, stating the reaction is, “Wait a minute it’s turned a corner and the uncertainty is behind us.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2025
Allegations of horse abuse “involving numerous horses over an extensive period of time” has prompted the FEI (international equestrian federation) to provisionally suspend American eventer Andrew McConnon and open disciplinary hearings in his case. The suspension is reciprocal with the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
He finished twenty-seventh with Wakita 54 at the Burghley 5-star in September and seventeenth with the same Dutchbred mare in the Kentucky 5-star last May. McConnon also rode Ferrie’s Cello on the U.S. team in the eventing Nations Cup at Strzegom, Poland, in 2023, when he was twenty-sixth.
McConnon is not allowed to participate in any competitions or activities related to the FEI or USEF while on suspension. The FEI declined further comment on the case.
In order to ensure the integrity of the ongoing legal proceedings, the FEI will not provide further comment on this case at this time
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 13, 2025
How can the risk of devastating western wildfires be reduced in the future?
Could part of the solution be horses—wild horses?
There is so much blame to go around for the horrific fires raging in Los Angeles. From feckless governmental “leadership” at several levels, to an empty reservoir and fire department budget cuts, they all add up to lack of planning for the inevitable. Another case in point: diverting snow melt from the Sacramento River tributaries into the sea to help the delta smelt (fish), rather than making sure reservoirs are full.
The result is loss of lives, houses disintegrating to rubble and Armageddon for horses and other animals in what some have labeled the country’s biggest natural disaster.
There is concern about how the fires will affect plans for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The authoritative “Inside the Games” newsletter noted that the fires are, “raising alarm bells” for the Olympic committee, with several venues “under threat.”
On Thursday, the newsletter noted, “With fatality figures that alarm even the most skeptical, the land reduced to ash, and reconstruction costs estimated at an unfathomable $135 billion, the city’s ability to host the world’s largest sporting event is now subjected to thorough investigation.”
The current situation means that “the challenges of ensuring the Games’ safety are becoming increasingly apparent.”
Years of permitting delays on such forest management issues as thinning out brush and tree density, with controlled burns designed to stop the rapid spread of fire and toxic smoke, have been hampered by lawsuits from “climate activists.”
After the current blazes subside, it’s past time to do something that can decrease future devastation. A key step would be removing the brush and undergrowth that have acted as tinder. And that’s where the horses come in.
William Simpson of the Wild Horse Fire Brigade says he knows just how it should be done,
The former logger and rancher manages a wild horse herd on the border of California and Oregon, so every day, he sees the capability of these animals to clean up rough terrain where cattle and sheep don’t graze anymore, and herds of deer and elk have diminished.
William Simpson of the Wild Horse Fire Brigade with part of the wild horse herd that lives on the California Oregon border. (Photo courtesy Michelle Gough)
Mustangs have no problem navigating the undulating ground and consuming underbrush that acts as kindling for wildfires, when a spark hits and Santa Ana winds blow. He points out that unlike domestic horses, the mustangs are able to consume weeds and brush with no ill effects. Simpson characterizes them as gardeners, because seeds in manure are viable, which works for starting fresh growth instead of leaving ground barren. On the other hand, seeds are destroyed in the complex digestive systems of ruminant animals, such as cattle, he pointed out. And he contends wild horses do not share domestic horses’ fear of fire.
“We’re trying to get the LA fire department, the Malibu fire department, the Malibu homeowners association and the Palisades homeowners association to call me up and say, `You come down here and tell us how to do this’ and I would do it,” said Simpson.
“I do everything I do for free. The bottom line is, we want to provide guidance to communities, legislators, to people who want to reduce toxic smoke and wildfires and stop these fires.”
All the approximately 39,000 horses remaining in the wild and the 70,000 or so living in cramped Bureau of Land Management holding facilities could be used in the project, he contended. Rewilding will “put them where they really belong and where they reduce fires,” Simpson maintained. He estimates each wild horse will eat 30 pounds of grass a day, or 5.5 tons a year on a mere 7 percent of land available for grazing.
Simpson said there is no conflict of interest on the land involved “no lithium mining, no cattle” but noted, “it (the dried vegetation) burns like crazy.” His own home was saved from destruction by fire in 2018 due to a fire break created by grazing wild horses.
“My goal, with our all-volunteer nonprofit, is to provide proper evolutionary-level genetic conservation of these relatively few remaining wild horses, which hold the last bastion of superior equine genetic vigor,” he said.
“If I put out one horse on every 300 acres for fuel reduction, I could re-wild every horse in America in a safe area where nobody is going to mess with them. I only need 3 million acres. Everybody wins. The horses get to be wild and free, they’re not stepping on anybody’s toes.”
You can learn more by watching a video about using horses for fire prevention from AM Best, the world’s oldest credit agency, specializing in the insurance industry. To see the video, click on this link
Numerous organizations are accepting donations connected with helping fire victims. Pets affected by the fire are being helped by the Pasadena Humane Organization
It is working to log every report of animals left behind and dispatching search and rescue teams as quickly as possible in areas that are safe to enter. They are prioritizing reports of animals seen alive in the area and in urgent need of medical attention, as well as cases in which owners have informed them they were forced to leave their pets behind. Fleet of Angels is geared to helping horses who are victims of disasters. The Equestrian Aid Foundation is also pitching in. This is a link to a private rescue seeking funds. Check to see whether your favorite charity also has a role in helping fire victims.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 11, 2025
The number one rider at the 2024 Adequan Global Dressage Festival started 2025 in Wellington, Fla.,with the same type of success, winning the showgrounds’ first FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle Qualifier with a score of 78.20 percent.
Germany’s Felicitas Hendricks, who at 24 is still eligible for Under 25 classes, showed her capability aboard Drombusch. The Oldenburg who performed 20 one-tempi changes during her routine.
“He exceeded my expectations, like he does every time,” said Felicitas.
Felicitas Hendricks and Drombusch OLD (Susan J. Stickle photo)
“He leaves his heart in the ring. I can tell that he’s very happy to be back and he was loving the crowd. He was a little spicy, but in a good way.
“The main work we’ve been doing at home is still the same and won’t change—it’s very basic work of improving self-carriage and gaining more strength behind. I think that is a process that won’t ever stop, but I can tell that it’s really benefiting both of us.”
Less than one point behind on 77.28 percent was the USA’s Adrienne Lyle with Helix, the horse she started showing just a year ago. A three-time Olympian, Adrienne didn’t lose her poise when she had to re-start her freestyle after a problem with the music necessitated the do-over.
“They accidentally played the wrong (old) version of the music instead of the version I had uploaded for this show,” Adrienne explained.
“We had changed some of the choreography and music of the freestyle in the middle, so I didn’t know they were playing the wrong music until half way through, at which point I had to stop because I had to stick with my choreography on the floor plan I submitted and so I needed my correct music. I am very thankful to the judges and management who worked so swiftly to correct the error and allow us to start over and compete with the correct music.”
While she didn’t expect that snag, Helix was well-prepared for competing in front of a crowd under the lights.
“We’ve been getting him out at night and I’ve been riding him in the outdoor arena in the dark,” noted Adrienne.
Adrienne Lyle and Zen Elite Equestrian’s Helix. (Susan J. Stickle Photo)
“We’ve been playing applause music and doing all sorts of things to try to desensitize Helix, because he’s a very hot and sensitive horse. We’ve been trying to put in our due diligence to make sure that he was not overwhelmed in this environment.
“Considering the unconventional start to the test, I was really happy with him. He got a little excited at the beginning, so it wasn’t our most polished ride, but I’m very proud of him as this is a new experience for us,” she commented.
Third place went to Sweden’s Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén on Devanto, doing his popular “Puttin on the Ritz” routine, rewarded with a mark of 75.515 percent.
The U.S. judge at C, Janet Foy, was impressed with the quality of the rides. She said: “I think the top five were really super. They were interesting technically, the music was perfect for the horses, and they were wonderful to judge. I don’t think we’ve had such a high scoring opening show before—it’s an impressive start to the season.”
The class was also a qualifier for the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s dressage open championship, which has a final at California’s Desert Horse Park in November.
For results, click here.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 14, 2025
Mark Bellissimo hasn’t always been the most popular person in Wellington, Fla. That’s the case even though he revitalized the Winter Equestrian Festival when he bought and improved its showgrounds, and established a special venue for dressage nearby.
Resident Ann Schneeberger explained on social media a year ago why some in town are bitter about him: “After years of ignoring restrictions, bending & breaking rules, lack of maintenance on his properties, accumulating fines…and dismissal of anyone who challenged him, many of us are not willing to forgive and forget.”
So when plans were revealed for removing Equestrian Village, home of the Global Dressage showgrounds, from the Equestrian Preserve and changing the zoning to allow development of The Wellington, a high-end golf community, residents expressed concern about the extent of Bellissimo’s involvement.
During hearings about the development, it was maintained more than once by Wellington Lifestyle Partners’ CEO Doug McMahon that Bellissimo was not playing a major role in the entity seeking the development. Yet many were skeptical.
Mark Bellissimo with FEI President Ingmar de Vos and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
At a session on the project in January 2024, Councilman John McGovern asked McMahon about the “10,000-pound gorilla in the room: Is this going to be a project run and operated by Mark Bellissimo?”
“No,” McMahon replied firmly. But during more than 70 hours of hearings on the project, Bellissimo’s daughter, Paige Bellissimo Nunez, was often in evidence, answering questions and supplying information.
In November 2023, after the Wellington Village Council voted to take land out of the Equestrian Preserve for the golf development, former Councilman Micheal Drahos (now a member of the Village Planning, Zoning and Adjustment board) contended with what turned out to be a startlingly inaccurate insight, “Mark Bellissimo is out of gas. To his credit, I think he has recognized that what he wishes to accomplish in this town he can’t get done.”
How far from the truth that turned out to be. Hardly out of gas, Bellissimo is operating on high-octane, accomplishing everything he set out to do.
On Tuesday, it was announced the Wellington Lifestyle Partners, branded as a real estate development and hospitality company, has expanded its partnership as its portfolio grew to include the Wellington International showgrounds and operations, and the Wellington, its new private residential club community developed by NEXUS Luxury Collection. Bellissimo, who had sold the showgrounds three years ago to Global Equestrian Group, bought it back last fall in conjunction with some of the original partners.
Jeff Skoll, the first president of eBay and a shareholder in WLP with Bellissimo, Marsha Dammerman, Lisa Lourie, Roger Smith and NEXUS, has made another significant investment in the partnership. He is an active horse owner in support of Olympic-caliber riders.
Also joining WLP is Michael Smith, a former president of the Upperville, Va., Colt and Horse Show. Smith, who ran the second-largest independent rendering operation in the U.S. before retiring, is an amateur rider and owns several horses being ridden by Olympic multi-medalist McLain Ward.
“We are thrilled to have the support of our existing and new shareholders as we invest broadly in the Village, creating The Wellington club community with NEXUS and expanding the showgrounds,” Bellissimo stated in a press release.
“Ensuring Wellington is the quality standard for equestrian living is our goal.”
The Wellington, the new 400-acre luxury residential club community featuring 253 residences, along with championship golf and an array of sporting and wellness amenities, offers five types of housing, from custom estate homes and equestrian villas to four-acre equestrian farm estates.
The community’s golf course and amenities are being designed by golf architect David McLay Kidd of DMK Golf Design, known for his work at Bandon Dunes, Mammoth Dunes and Fancourt. The community’s master plan and core amenities are being designed by noted architecture and design firm Workshop/APD.
WLP will be launching a Founder’s program this month, inviting the first families interested in joining the club community and establishing a home in The Wellington, and will be staggering the release of its real estate offerings.
In addition to The Wellington, the company’s Village of Wellington portfolio includes The Wanderers Club, other land holdings and now Wellington International, the showgrounds home of the Winter Equestrian Festival and other horse shows.
“Speaking for all the shareholders, we are committed to Wellington long-term and creating assets here of the highest quality,” stated Skoll.
“The Wellington will be a world-class lifestyle community within Palm Beach County and will enhance Wellington’s position as the premier horse sport community in the world,” he contended.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 31, 2024
The Menlo Charity Show in Woodside, Calif., is a boutique horse show that like many of that genre had trouble competing with the “big box” shows.
Sadly, the U.S. Equestrian Federation Heritage show has stated, “It is with profound sadness that we announce the 2024 Menlo Charity Horse Show will mark the end of a cherished 51-year tradition. This decision was not made lightly as our Heritage Show has been a beloved part of the community having fostered countless friendships and launching numerous equestrian careers. Unfortunately, the evolving landscape of horse showing has made it increasingly difficult to sustain the mission of our boutique event.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support, loyalty, and generosity throughout the years. We encourage all competitors and supporters to continue their philanthropic efforts and volunteerism by keeping our charities in mind with your contributions of time and resources. Let us honor the legacy of the Menlo Charity Horse Show by continuing to make a positive impact in our communities.”
The show, which raised $6 million for charity over the years, supported Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, while educating the community on the issues of the visually impaired.
As the Sonoma County Horse Council noted, “While it’s bittersweet to see this chapter close, the legacy of the Menlo Charity Horse Show will continue to live on in the hearts of those fortunate enough to have been part of its incredible journey.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 8, 2025
Four time national driving champion Muffy Seaton passed away Saturday after a long illness. The 75-year-old South Carolina resident was a popular clinician, judge and a well-known breeder at her Shepherd’s Purse Farm.
She held a large R from the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the American Driving Society in pleasure driving and combined driving. In 2005, she trained and qualified Paleface, the pony who won the gold medal at the World Pony Championships at the Royal Windsor show in England. In addition, Muffy was known for her four-in-hand of dark-coated Dartmoor ponies she nicknamed “the four fleas.” Muffy had quite a sense of humor.
Muffy Seaton
Those who took clinics with Muffy will remember her demeanor, a special way of working with others “that made her so well-loved,” said Tracey Higgins, a longtime friend.
Tracey recalled, “her quiet way when people were working with her. She didn’t bark orders or drill. She sat in the carriage next to you like an old friend, making suggestions. She was very kind and helpful.”
Para-driver Jennifer Peterson called Muffy “an extraordinary person and carriage driving mentor who made such a difference in my life and in the lives of so many others in our community.”
Jennifer noted that Muffy was willing to work with her, even though she drives using velcro cuffs around her wrists to control the reins due to a physical disability.
“She didn’t just watch or listen,” Jennifer recalled. “She put those cuffs on herself so she could feel what is was like to drive as I do. That moment meant the world to me.”
Muffy is survived by her husband of 47 years, Douglas Seaton III,who helped her as a navigator, groom and horse whisperer; a son, Jesse McKenzie Seaton (Jenny) and grandson, Tanner McKenzie Seaton.
Interment is private and a celebration of life is being discussed for the spring.
Those wishing to make a donation in her memory can click on this link.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2025
Wellington, Florida’s Equestrian Preserve Committee was skeptical about plans for a proposed development’s equestrian club, with a 24-stall barn whose occupants would include retired and rescue horses, to be used for riding experiences ranging from hunter/jumper, dressage and polo, to vaulting and endurance.
The concept was presented to the panel on Wednesday, with the equestrian portion as justification for a zoning change from equestrian residential to equestrian planned unit development for the 79.171-acre Isla Carroll property adjacent to the National Polo Center (formerly the International Polo Club) off 120th Ave. South.
After nearly three hours of discussion, the committee disapproved that request, as well as one involving an adjustment to the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District in the Village’s Master Plan.
Isla Carroll, with fields used for polo, was purchased in 2022 by Frank McCourt, one of the founders of the Global Champions Tour, and is a joint project with the high-end Discovery Land developer. Discovery specializes in club communities. Many of those 34 entities are devoted to golf, and located in such luxe locations as the Bahamas, Hawaii and the Hamptons – you get the picture.
Frank McCourt
“We embrace the theme of the activities of the area,” Ed Divita, one of Discovery’s founding partners, told the committee about the clubs’ concepts. There was mention of Discovery’s Silo Ridge Field Club development in Amenia, N.Y., which hosts a 5-star international show jumping competition.
But although the possibility of staging horse shows at Isla Carroll was mentioned, they would have to be small and probably unlicensed—Florida is overflowing with horse shows.
Divita said the approximately 35 single-family lots on a minimum of a third of an acre probably would sell in the $4 million-$7 million range. Five more homes could be on 1.5- or 2-acre lots.
While there may have been some appeal to the multi-discipline equestrian blend he put forward, the context was all over the place, with talk about bringing in school children to learn about horses as one of several possibilities.
“The concept was not thought through,” said EPC member Kristy Lund, while others on the panel offered similar assessments. It was pointed out that the defunct Palm Beach Riding Academy nearby had been designed to introduce people to riding, but couldn’t make it work. Wellington is geared to higher-end equestrian pursuits.
“Wellington doesn’t cater to beginners,” pointed out committee member Ash Atkinson, who is a trainer.
There also was concern about the old barn on the site, with small stalls that had been used for polo ponies. It is in disrepair, and it was suggested that it should be torn down rather than renovated.
While noting Divita said homeowners are not required to join the club, he insisted, “equestrian is the theme” of the development. But committee member Sarah Goos responded, “I am confused how this is an equestrian development.”
The yellow rectangle is the Isla Carroll project site.
Another member, Kirsten Kopp, said, “I have no doubt this team would create a beautiful, wonderful luxury lifestyle community, but it would not fit my definition of an equestrian lifestyle community. It would not fit my definition of Wellington.”
She sees the Village as “a lot of open green spaces and when it’s not, it’s open arenas, that’s what defines it for us, bridle paths that connect to the rest of the community. It’s not defined by a luxury package; it’s defined by a common passion beyond fences and boundaries.”
Kopp suggested the proposed “equestrian community” is “kind of a pimple on the side of the rest…of what they presented here. You had to put it in to get the housing that you wanted.” She suggested breaking up Isla Carroll into “small boutique equestrian farms,” saying that “is the way to go.”
During the public hearing, River Run Farm owner Phoebe Weseley said, “This does not belong in the Equestrian Preserve. This is not an equestrian community. If it was really an equestrian community, there would be the homes and there would be the barns. There wouldn’t be pickleball, there wouldn’t be a spa, there wouldn’t be tennis courts, etc. I’m not sure if any planned unit developments belong in the Equestrian Preserve at this point.”
Then Tim Gannon, co-founder of the Outback steakhouse chain and honorary chairman of the National Polo Center’s Wellington Polo Tour, said he sees the Isla Carroll development “being symbiotic with our club” (National Polo.)
He called Discovery “an incredible organization” saying “they’re people that commit to a project and stay with it.” Gannon added that the project would “allow people to taste equestrian life. That’s what this is about.”
The hearing raised the question of what “equestrian lifestyle” means to the Village that is known for its international shows and horse farms. Lund suggested on social media Thursday that “EPC will have the task of coming up with a definition of equestrian lifestyle as it pertains to Wellington” and urged people to give it some thought.
“Nobody knows what it means,” Weseley said during her time before the committee.
“We need to have something in writing so that we can all understand what that means and how we fulfill that aspiration.”
After covering more than 70 hours of hearings in 2023 and 2024 on the Wellington North and South project which landed a golf community on the Global Dressage grounds in the Equestrian Preserve, I had a sort of Groundhog Day feeling during the evening. EPC had turned down the Wellington North and South project as well, but in the end, the Village Council approved it. EPC is only an advisory group, like the Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board, which would be next in line to screen this project before the Council gets the final word.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2025
On Tuesday Jan. 14 at noon, Rodney Jenkins will be remembered during a ceremony on the second floor of the Laurel Park racetrack’s clubhouse, Racetrack Road and Route 198 Laurel, Md. The ceremony was postponed from Jan. 7 due to weather issues.
One of the greatest grand prix riders of all time anywhere in the world, Rodney also was legendary for his way with hunters. After retiring from showing in 1989, he went on to train racehorses with great success. He had 941 wins on the flat and his horses won $24.8 million during his tenure.
