by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 13, 2026
It’s back to the drawing board yet again for the proposed Isla Carroll development in Wellington, Fla., which eked out a 3-2 approval from the Village Council on first reading Monday night.
But both Mayor Michael Napoleone and Councilman John McGovern, who reluctantly voted in favor of the plan, indicated they would not vote for it on second reading next month without changes to make the project more in keeping with requirements of the municipality’s Equestrian Overlay Zoning District.
The original plan for the property presented last year called for using the 24-stall stable on site for animals that included rescue horses and offered a wide-ranging group of disciplines, from endurance to jumpers, that was wildly unrealistic. After the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board indicated it would reject the project, it was withdrawn.
It returned as a Planned Unit Development with forty 0.43-acre homesites, a country club with a gym, restaurant and pool, and a polo field, one of two located on the property at the moment. A 31.22-acre club/equestrian amenity pod would have 17.24 acres devoted to equestrian facilities. (The deteriorated 24-stall stable would be torn down.)
Under an agreement between property owner Frank McCourt, one of the founders of the show jumping Global Champions Tour, developer Discovery Land Company and the U.S. Polo Association, the latter would pay a $1 annual fee for a 45-year lease of the field (with a 10-year renewal option).
Isla Carroll is adjacent to the National Polo Center, which can handle overflow parking. NPC has polo matches on Sunday afternoons; Isla Carroll would host matches on Friday evenings. The agreement gives USPA scheduling control of the polo field during every polo season, as well as control of tournaments and training on the field, which it will maintain.
If the property were subdivided today without the polo plan, it would permit 40 homesites at a minimum of two acres each.
McCourt, a resident of Wellington for more than 10 years, told the council, “When I bought Isla Carroll, I had no idea what I was going to do with it. What I did know was that I did not want to see another soulless subdivision in my community…that wouldn’t benefit the equestrian sport.”
Frank McCourt speaking at the meeting.
Prior to voting, McGovern said, “To me, there’s not common equestrian amenities. I don’t know how we can have an equestrian development that doesn’t have horses. For me, the way this project would be improved into what I think is an equestrian development, would be for example…if there were five farms plus the homes, that would start to move us in a direction of this being an equestrian development. What would a polo community actually look like? We’re still sort of left with a polo field and country club.”
He added, “I don’t feel like there’s a full community buy-in as to what either the community gets, or what the residents are going to actually get here.
“For us to approve an equestrian development, it has to be about the residents who are going to live in it And then how those residents and how that equestrian community is going to become symbiotic into the equestrian portion of Wellington.
“Every resident board that has looked at this has found it to be woefully insufficient,” noted the councilman, referring to the Equestrian Preserve Committee and the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board, both of which rejected the plan.
In voting no, Councilwoman Maria Antuña said, “The project sounds more like a resort-type project. I don’t feel this is truly what the equestrian represents for the equestrian community.”
Also voting no was Councilwoman Amanda Silvestri, who said “if we approve a project like this, I believe it would change the essence of Wellington forever.”
Deputy Mayor Tanya Siskind voted in favor of the plan, saying the project “could continue to grow the sport of polo in Wellington.”
The Council heard from dozens of residents, both pro and con, either by public statements during the meeting or via cards that stated their preference and in some cases, their thoughts.
Sarah Goos, a member of the Equestrian Preserve Committee, is not in favor of the project.
Speaking during the meeting, she expressed concern that residents would get tired of the noise from the polo matches and the odor of manure, with the possibility that public access to polo matches eventually would be limited. She had witnessed a situation like that in Long Island’s Hamptons.
On the other hand, Goos continued, “Two-acre lots are highly desirable in Wellington and well-suited for equestrian farms. This amount of land allows for a residence, private barn, paddocks and a riding ring. Exactly what the zoning is intended for.
“McCourt and Discovery could still maintain the polo field and build fewer homes, if the polo field is truly significant to them, as they say. What they are proposing is a non-equestrian country club, which does not meet the criteria of the LDR (land development regulations).”
Robin Parsky, a prominent owner of show jumpers, said she wants to be very supportive of the project because “this is about enhancing a big, beautiful grass field, which is exactly what we want to have here in Wellington and will be very beneficial to the equestrian community as a whole.”
She also mentioned that Discovery is “quality” and “user friendly, family friendly, equestrian friendly…they know what they’re doing.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 19, 2026
The U.S. Equestrian Federation and the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation are handing out honors with a look back to 2025.
It’s no surprise that Kent Farrington’s illustrious Greya received the USEF’s SmartPak/International Horse of the Year title. Kent, the world’s number one-ranked show jumper, owes that standing in large part to Greya, who had 15 top 12 international finishes last year. They ended the season with a victory in the Geneva, Switzerland, 5-star grand prix.
Kent Farrington and Greya.
“She has been fantastic all season. She’s a very special horse and I’m honored to receive this award,” Kent said.
A rescue horse was named SmartPak/National Horse of the Year by USEF, with the story of Athenian Lady an inspiring one about what can be achieved with loving care and determination.
The starving mare had been abandoned when she was discovered by rescue volunteer Amanda Delgado in 2015, who took on a horse that had been categorized as unadoptable.
By 2019, Athena was transformed into a western dressage world champion. In 2025, she earned three world championships and three reserve world champion titles at the Western Dressage Association of America World Show. She has earned three USEF Horse of the Year awards in western dressage and many WDAA high score awards during her career.
Athena is an ambassador for equine welfare causes worldwide, including the ASPCA’s Right Horse program and Brooke USA. In 2024, she was a Breyer model and the Breyerfest Celebration Horse for that year’s “Against All Odds” theme. She has shown the world what a rescue horse can do.
“When I first started working with Athena, I had this wild idea that she could be a World Champion. I was told I was crazy and it would never happen,” said her owner.
Athenian Lady
“I want to encourage [everyone] to have a look at rescue horses standing in a desolate pasture or in a kill pen. You might be looking at your next partner. You might be looking at a World Champion. You might be looking at the next USEF Horse of the Year. But most importantly, you may be looking at your best friend.”
To learn about the USEF’s Equestrians of the Year, click here.
The USET Foundation also honored a group of those who have made their mark in horse sports. Its Whitney Stone Cup went to Lillie Keenan, a regular on the country’s show jumping teams. She was selected as an ambassador for the sport and for exemplifying the foundation’s “highest ideals and traditions.”
In accepting the award, Lillie said, “I didn’t think I’d even be in contention with the caliber of the previous recipients — I was in awe to win.” The 29-year-old New Yorker’s name joins those of McLain Ward, Michael Matz, Debbie McDonald and so many other great U.S. stars of the sport engraved on the trophy.
“I hope I’m still quite early in my career with lots more to achieve for the U.S. team, so to already have recognition for my contribution is really surprising and motivating,” commented Lillie. She made her senior Nations Cup debut in 2014 at just 17 years old and went on to become a key member of the U.S. Jumping team.
Eventer Cassie Sanger was presented with the Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy for a junior or young rider in an Olympic discipline who exemplifies the U.S. Equestrian Team’s ideals of sportsmanship and horsemanship.
Riding Redfield Fyre, the 21-year-old competitor finished in the top 20 in both the Kentucky and Burghley 5-star events last year.
“I was really surprised when I found out I had won the Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy,” said the Delaware resident.
“I know it’s such an honor to join the list of talented athletes who have received it before me. It feels really special to be thought of in this way, especially because this is not just an eventing award; it covers all the Olympic disciplines. It’s really special to be in there with all these other riders.”
The USET Foundation’s R. Bruce Duchossois Distinguished Trustee Award went to Akiko Yamazaki, best known by the public as the owner of such top dressage horses as Ravel and Suppenkasper. But she also serves as co-chair of the foundation’s Pathway to the Podium campaign, with an eye toward the 2028 Olympics.
Akiko has been “a lead donor and steadfast advocate for the USET Foundation’s mission, with particular impact in the dressage and vaulting disciplines, where her support has helped advance athlete development and international excellence.”
The R. Bruce Duchossois Distinguished Trustee Award is awarded in memory of its first winner in 2015.
“It is a true honor to be recognized along with past recipients who have contributed so much to equestrian sport in the U.S.,” said Akiko, a dressage Grand Prix competitor herself, who is respected for her dedication to advancing U.S. equestrian sport at the highest level, particularly through her long-term collaboration with U.S. Olympic dressage athlete Steffen Peters.
“It is a nice way to recognize and celebrate the long journey my team had with Steffen as our rider with my horses, which included participation in the past five consecutive Olympic Games, all the World Equestrian Games and World Championships in between, and multiple World Cup Finals. The award really belongs to my team.
“Horses and horse sport are my lifelong passion,” she emphasized
“I was bitten by the bug when I was six years old, inspired by my mother, who was an equestrian. I was very fortunate to be able to support riders and teams who could participate at the highest level of the sport, which introduced me to a world beyond my own riding. Now, my daughters are high performance equestrians in dressage and vaulting,” noted Akiko, who also supports USEF clinics at her California stable.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 15, 2026
A dedicated worker who started as a volunteer for the Kentucky Three-Day Event when she was in the Keeneland Pony Club has been named CEO of the 5-star competition’s parent organization, Equestrian Events Inc.
Vanessa Coleman, who was EEI’s chief competition and operating officer, replaces Molly Day, who became the FEI’s director of eventing and driving. Vanessa was EEI’s senior director of competition since 2013, and previously served as director of ticketing, transitioning to lead sponsorship in 2012.
“The EEI Board feels strongly that there is no better person to lead our organization than Vanessa,” said Prim Hudgins, president of the EEI Board.
“She is respected and liked by virtually everyone who knows her, and there is no doubt that her appointment will be well received by the entire eventing community, both in the U.S. and around the world.”
Vanessa Coleman
While living outside Kentucky for nearly 20 years, Vanessa was an accountant, ran her own barn and organized a local horse trial. She returned every year to volunteer at the Kentucky Three-Day Event for her mother, who was the chief steward of horse inspection. In 2008, Vanessa moved back to the area, when Janie Atkinson, event director at the time, asked her to help with the competition.
EEI is best known for producing the annual Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™ (K3DE), the nation’s premier eventing competition. On the same weekend, when more than 90,000 spectators come to the Kentucky Horse Park, EEI also presents the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S and Kentucky International show jumping 5-star, presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.
Vanessa had been serving as EEI’s chief competition and operating officer, working closely with previous CEO Molly Day, who is taking a new position as the director of eventing and driving with the International Equestrian Federation. Vanessa had been EEI’s senior director of competition since 2013. Before that, she served as director of ticketing and transitioned to lead sponsorship in 2012.
“The EEI Board feels strongly that there is no better person to lead our organization than Vanessa,” said Prim Hudgins, President of the EEI Board of Directors. “She is respected and liked by virtually everyone who knows her, and there is no doubt that her appointment will be well received by the entire eventing community, both in the U.S. and around the world.”
While living outside Kentucky for nearly 20 years, Vanessa worked as an accountant, ran her own barn, and organized a local horse trial. She returned every year to volunteer at the Kentucky Three-Day Event for her mother, who was the chief steward of horse inspection. In 2008, Vanessa moved back to the area. Janie Atkinson, who was the event director at that time, asked her to help with the event. She has been on staff ever since.
Vanessa tries to give back to the sport by volunteering and supporting other local events as much as her schedule allows. She responds promptly to email, a sign of an organized mind!
Vanessa has been an eventer most of her life and owns two horses, Rooster and Schoo. Vanessa and her husband, Anthony Trollope, have a daughter, Alexa,
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 16, 2026
Irrepressible eventer Boyd Martin received international equestrian of the year honors for 2025 Thursday at the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Pegasus dinner, while hunter rider Daniel Geitner was named national equestrian of the year.
Boyd, who won the first USEF Evening Open in October, earned a second-place finish aboard Commando 3 during May in the Defender Kentucky 5-star to gain the USEF CCI5*-L National Championship. The Pennsylvania-based rider collected many other top placings during the season, with a total of seven international victories. In May, he was ranked number one in the world in his discipline; the first time in nearly two decades that a U.S. rider had topped the international standings.
Boyd Martin in action. (Photo © 2025 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Discussing his career, the native of Australia noted, “There were many, many lows and some unbelievable highs. In 2010, I was faced with one of the hardest decisions of my life and it was to change my nationality to represent America.
“I soon realized when I got to America that this is my home. I also wanted to support the country that was supporting my career. I also felt it was wrong for the owners that had poured so much sup into me, being a rider with a different flag. It was the greatest decision I ever made.”
In the national ranks, Daniel Geitner won both first and second place honors in the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship Challenge Round aboard Aeronautic and Walk The Moon.
He operates DFG Stables in Aiken, S.C., with his wife, Cathy, and their two children, Wyatt and Lilly. There are nearly 70 horses at the farm, which serves athletes at all levels, from those riding ponies and green hunters to derby contenders.
USEF stated that, “Beyond ribbons and accolades, Geitner’s influence on equestrian sport is defined by his unwavering commitment to horsemanship. He sets the standard of integrity and skill that inspires everyone who shares the ring with him or watches from the sidelines.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 8, 2026
As the Winter Equestrian Festival officially got under way this week, it was an opportunity to look at what lies ahead through the end of March at the Wellington International showgrounds in Florida.
With a re-do over the last year, the facility has been spruced up, complete with a covered arena, a grass field, new footing, renovated FEI stables, dust reduction and many other improvements. It’s all been done under the watchful eye of Murray Kessler, Wellington International’s CEO.
Speaking Wednesday at a press conference to kick off the 12 weeks that are the heart of the season (last week’s show was simply a preview), Murray was very much about the big picture in terms of how things are progressing under new ownership (that for the most part still has the same players as a previous ownership).
He remembered when staging one $500,000 grand prix during the season was a big deal for 15 years or so. Now there are three $500,000 grands prix and a $1 million grand prix to wrap up with the Rolex Finale, which also serves as the USEF Open.
The abundance of prize money has attracted seven of the world’s top 10-ranked jumpers (Qatar is running a rich circuit at the same time that got a few of the others, such as world number two Scott Brash of Great Britain).
Fans turn out by the thousands for WEF grands prix to cheer on favorites such as McLain Ward.
WEF is “elevating the sport,” said Murray, who notes that even beyond show jumping the festival is improving conditions for every discipline, including hunters and equitation, as well as dressage and para dressage.
This year, the dressage components are still over at the Global showgrounds a short distance from the main facility, though there is hope they will be at the main showgrounds in 2027.
The presentation of the grand prix jumping features has been jazzed up with laser light shows and videos that command attention.
“It’s like going to Madison Square Garden,” Murray suggested.
An estimated 6,000 people are regulars at the Saturday Night Lights grands prix, but the 2025 finale (which offered $750,000 in prize money) drew 10,000 fans. Last year, WEF (not including dressage) was the number one sporting event in all of South Florida, with an economic impact of $536 million.
But its unique character doesn’t stop there.
“What makes Wellington different from any other facility in the world is that this is where people live,” said Murray, referring to the many equestrians who call the village home for five or six months of the year.
“We like to talk about (how) other horse shows are where champions meet (Devon’s motto), maybe 200 or 300 riders meet for five days. At Wellington, it’s where champions are made,” he continued, citing his daughter, Reed, who started in short stirrup at WEF and wound up at the Olympics, or Lillie Keenan, who also began in the short stirrup division and now is a pillar of the U.S. show jumping team.
Others who have built their careers at WEF include Liza Boyd, a top hunter rider who has been competing there since she was a kid.
“It really feels like home. We’re really lucky to be here and be a part of the family,” said Liza, who won the World Champion Hunter Rider Hunter Spectacular at the show last year. It’s an important class for moving forward into the rest of the year.
“I feel like we leave here with well-trained, exposed horses,” she said.
Thomas Bauer, who runs the dressage competition, is excited about week seven, when Germany’s Isabell Werth returns to compete at Global, something she hasn’t done since 2010.
He noted improvements include shade over the bleachers and an FEI lounge. They add luster to a venue where the highlights are the Friday Night Stars musical freestyles that offer a perspective on dressage for spectators new to the discipline, while drawing those who already are devotees of dancing horses.
Ben Ebeling, winner of the first USEF Open of dressage last year, said he is “so thankful for everything Wellington has given me and helped develop me into a nice rider and somebody who is fortunate enough to be able to be put in a position to win these championships.”
Thomas Bauer, Ben Ebeling, Liza Boyd, Murray Kessler
Like many of those competing in Wellington, Ben is aiming to qualify for the FEI World Cup Finals in Ft. Worth during April. A hopeful on the show jumping side is Laura Kraut, the top-ranked female show jumper in the world.
She’s pointing Tres Bien toward the World Cup, starting him up a little early to “get him organized” for a Cup bid.
“I’ve probably been coming to WEF longer than anyone,” said Laura, who first rode there in 1976 and remembers when Pierson Road, which runs between the venues, was dirt and dead-ended at South Shore.
Laura Kraut, the world’s top-ranked female show jumper, has been a WEF competitor for decades.
“I’ve really seen the evolution of it,” she said of WEF.
“It’s crucial in preparing and trying to have our horses up to the level that we need for international competition, she continued, contending that a lot of the U.S. Equestrian Team’s stellar show jumping record is due to the show’s “great jumps, great course designers and now, a lot of prize money.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 29, 2025
After five years, the Maryland 5-star three-day event at Fair Hill established itself as a well-respected fixture, attracting a healthy entry for its accompanying 3-star division, as well as good crowds for cross-country day tailgating and the show jumping finale, in addition to other competitions and activities.
But the number of horses competing in the featured 5-star itself has been lighter in its recent editions, down to 22 entries last October. While it brought in 32,000 spectators in 2025 and gained $18 million for the state’s economy, the event was projected at one time to have an impact of $30 million and 80,000 spectators..
The 2025 winner Felix Vogg, with Monica Spencer, runner-up, and Boyd Martin, third. (Photo © 2025 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Michael Frenz, executive director of the Maryland Stadium authority said initially of the Maryland 5 Star, “all involved are committed to maintaining the tradition and legacy of this important event.” But he did not reply when asked if that meant the 5-star would continue. He also did not respond to questions about the departures of Hasseltine and Newman, saying that was a personnel matter. The Sports and Entertainmen Corp. of Maryland, which ran the 5-star, now has no employees.
David O’Connor, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s chief of sport, said last month he was “blindsided” by word that Hasseltine and Newman were gone.
“We don’t understand what happened, why everybody’s left. We’ve not been party to the conversations or given any heads up,” said O’Connor, the USA’s only Olympic eventing individual gold medalist (Sydney/2000).
“We’ll be calling there trying to figure out whether they are looking to continue. That would be a big question for the sport and for us. As of now, we don’t know if that’s their intention or they’re just replacing the staff,” O’Connor continued.
The 5-star is the discipline’s ultimate test, but “The number of 5-star horses has gone down kind of around the world,” O’Connor noted. Although Great Britain’s famed Badminton 5-star fielded 82 starters last spring, it no longer had a waiting list. And the USA’s other 5-star, Defender Kentucky, had just 34 starters.
“Is it great to have another 5-star? Absolutely,” O’Connor said.
“But we have to look at what’s happening worldwide.”
Caroline Pamukcu, who finished fourth in the Fair Hill 5-star with her 2024 Olympic horse, HSH Blake (and eleventh with HSH Tolan King), is a “huge fan”of the (Maryland) event. She explained, “We’re so lucky to have two 5-stars in the country. I love the event. I hope we will continue to have two 5-stars.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake in the 5-star.
“I think the 5-star is a really important part of our sport. Going 5-star really helps prep me and my horses for big championships”
Is the schedule too crowded? Pamukcu doesn’t believe that’s the case.
“When you do the schedule, you do whatever suits your horses. If you think the U.S. Open is better for you and your horse, you can do that. But then the great thing about our country is you can also pick a 5-star, if you think that would suit you and your horse. You pick and choose what’s best for you and best for your horse. That’s horsemanship.”
Maryland has attracted top riders from Europe over the years, including Oliver Townend, Harry Meade (now ranked world number one) and this year, Switzerland’s Felix Vogg, the winner on Cartania, who came to the competition with the help of a travel grant.
The 2025 MARS Maryland winner Felix Vogg on Cartania over the giant crab that has become a symbol of the event. (Photo © 2025 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
O’Connor called the Maryland fixture “a great weekend of eventing, with all of the things they have there. The 5-star is only one piece of it. You would hope it would be worthwhile for them to continue to run it. But I have no idea what their thinking is.”
Hasseltine told me at this year’s event that he was looking for a calendar adjustment for the 5-star after wondering, “How do we get back to having 40-plus 5-star (entries)?
There were 45 entries at the first Maryland 5-Star in 2021, but that was a different time, following the Covid shutdown, when the idea of participating in a brand new event was intriguing.
Hasseltine said he was seeking “serious conversations” with the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the FEI (international equestrian federation) “about logistics leading up to our event. Are we on the right calendar environment, are we sitting in the perfect space to make sure we can have bigger fields or grow our competition level?”
The USEF scheduled its first U.S. Open of eventing, a 4-star, at Morven Park in Virginia right before Fair Hill. And the week after the 5-star, there was another in Pau, France, that attracted top European talent. The juxtaposition of the events obviously concerned Hasseltine.
Joanie Morris, the competition manager for Fair Hill, last fall was announced as the CEO of the Aiken Horse Park Foundation in South Carolina. Her departure had nothing to do with the other changes involving the 5-star.
