Wellington, FL – August 16, 2012 – Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) is pleased to announce that the Village of Wellington Council voted unanimously on Tuesday evening to allow them to move ahead with the 2012-2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (GDF) competition schedule at the new dressage facility at The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC).

The five-member village council met on August 14 to vote on operating issues that included stabling, operating hours, and other details of the venue and competition. The final vote was 4-0 in favor of the dressage competitions, with one councilman, John Greene, recusing himself from the vote for personal reasons. The final vote summarily rejected crippling conditions requested in a letter by Lou Jacobs.  

“We are very pleased with the results of last night’s vote and can now proceed with the 2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival,” stated ESP CEO Mark Bellissimo. “We applaud the Village Council for recognizing the economic contributions of dressage and the Adequan Global Dressage Festival to the health of the local equestrian industry and community of Wellington.”

Bellissimo added, “I am confident that had John Greene voted it would have been a 5-0 vote, which sends a clear message to the community and the world that the Adequan GDF is an integral part of Wellington’s equestrian offerings. We look forward to having a record year with this very important event and thank the community and industry for their support.”

ESP President Michael Stone said, “We look forward to welcoming the dressage world to Wellington again this winter. We are pleased that the Village Council voted in favor of dressage and we hope to ensure that dressage has a permanent home at The Stadium at PBIEC.”

The Adequan Global Dressage Festival will be operational within the November 1, 2012 to April 30, 2013 timeframe. ESP will work with the local residential communities to ensure a smooth season. Bellissimo added, “We are going to take an extra step and organize a community meeting for nearby residents in advance of the event to establish a feedback mechanism and a communication pipeline with our event staff.” 


Limited stabling packages for permanent stalls at The Stadium are now available for the November 1-April 30 time period. They include usage of the Van Kampen covered arena and selected outdoor rings and offer an unparalleled training and boarding experience for the GDF event. Please contact Anne Caroline Valtin for more information at annecaroline@equestriansport.com or call 561-793-5867. Stabling requests will be processed on a first come, first serve basis.

For more information on Equestrian Sport Productions and the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, please visit www.equestriansport.com.