Every year at the beginning of “Season” I remember why I love Wellington so much. Years ago, when I first came here for a short visit, I thought that I had fallen down the rabbit hole and emerged in an equestrian Disneyworld – and in many ways I had. The sunshine, palm trees, horses, tack stores, horses shows, riders, and coaches are really just the tip of a very big iceberg in this little village.
Here are a few of my favorite Wellington things:
-The Beautiful Weather! Most Winters the temperatures stay in the 70s and 80s. If the mercury drops into the 50s or 60s we all dress up like Eskimos in down parkas, and trendy moms at the park wear their Uggs. There are blue skies with cotton candy clouds with a pleasant breeze blowing through the palm trees. I find the sound of wind in the palm trees relaxing though many of the horses find the noise terrifying.
-The Horses – If you love horses and particularly if you love Hunters, Jumpers, Polo, or Dressage horses this is the place for you. In the Winter months, many of the top horses in the world are here to train and compete in the Florida sunshine.
-The Riding and Coaching – Watching all of the top horses, riders, and coaches in the same environment is inspiring. You really can see the best of the best in this charming little town. The first year that I came I was overwhelmed by how accessible the world-class trainers and riders were. I had been in Wellington for less than a week when I had the opportunity to watch Klaus Balkenhol working with some of the best US riders. Sitting ring-side at the show I listened to Robert Dover, Kathy Connelly, and Ashley Holzer warming up their students. It felt like everyday was a symposium, and I still feel that way. The quality of the riding and training here raises the bar for everyone. Wellington is like the Harvard or MIT of the equestrian world.
-The Barns – The barns here are beautiful. Though there are many different styles, Mediterranean is predominate with stucco walls and mission tile roofs. Most of the properties are actually quite small and pack a lot of utility onto just a few acres. However, I have been lucky enough to stay at Havensafe Farm South where the park-like grounds offer plenty of space for hacking. Formerly Centaur Farms and owned by Jeanette Sassoon, Havensafe was purchased by Betsy Juliano in 2007. Betsy took a lovely farm and made it more picturesque, adding a gorgeous covered arena (which makes riding on even the hottest day comfortable), and creating a hacking area which we affectionately call the Serengeti. The perfect footing and entire short side of mirrors make it hard to have an unproductive ride at Havensafe.
-The Horse Shows -The grounds of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) which is the home of the immense Hunter/Jumper show dominates the horse show landscape. It is a town unto itself, with stores and restaurants sharing space with horses, riders, blacksmiths, and vets. If you want designer clothes, a silver platter, a million dollar horse, or a diamond necklace, you can find it at WEF. Dressage, formerly the unloved stepchild of the show grounds – wedged into corners and unoccupied arenas at WEF, now has its own grounds across the street at Global. We are also fortunate enough to have an alternative show grounds, White Fences, just 20 minutes away in Loxahatchee. White Fences offers a quieter and more horse friendly environment that is super for young horses, or riders who need a little less pressure.
-The International Vibe- As I said previously, riders, coaches, horses, vets, and blacksmiths come from all over the world to train, show, and work here. But they don’t come alone. They bring their families, making the Village of Wellington much more international in flavor than you would expect from a small town in South Florida. Having dinner in a local restaurant you are likely to hear several different languages. In my daughter’s school there are families from Italy, Venezuela, Germany, and Argentina.
-A Place To Fit In- If you are a rider who typically gets strange looks at your local grocery when you show up in your riding clothes driving a big dually, know that in Wellington you can be at ease. The grocery store, post office, bank and dry cleaner are filled with people just like you. Many of them are in riding clothes, some of them are still wearing their helmets (this is a hunter thing that I don’t completely understand – why not take it off when you are done riding? – I digress). You can proudly haul your groceries back out to your big pickup truck which will be wedged in with a bunch of other unwieldy pickups. Other moms at my daughter’s gymnastics class show up in breeches.
-The People Watching- Horses are expensive so Wellington is also a winter destination for the rich and famous. Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Bruce Springsteen, and so many others might drop in to watch their family members ride. British royalty might pop over to watch a polo match. In addition to horses they bring fabulous cars. Next to your pickup truck at the grocery store you might find a Bentley or Maserati (covered in dust from a day at the show). There might also be just a tad of plastic surgery here and there.
-Beyond Horses – For most of the years that I have spent time in Wellington I have been here for the horses only. But now that I have a daughter and am more a part of the broader community, I have found so much more here to love. Wellington is a great place for kids. Their are parks and a great community center with a huge pool. Most Thursday nights there are food trucks and live music in the town center. If you take a break from the horse show you can go to art festivals and farmers markets on the weekends. There are movies shown in the public amphitheater most Friday nights – with a kids movie at least twice a week. The beach is only 20 minutes away and their are museums and zoos and beautiful gardens open to the public. Lion Country Safari is just down the road and in addition to a drive through safari there is a small amusement park (and you can feed giraffes!).
Quirky Details – At one point there was a woman dressed in a wizarding costume who roamed, at the slowest possible pace, around the streets of Wellington. She floated ethereally about dressed in what must have been a swelteringly hot velvet outfit. Everyone knew her as the Witch of Wellington and she even had a cameo in a novel by Tami Hoag. There is a bizarre old mall which is trapped in a 1970’s time warp where everything is pink and bright green. As strange as this mall is, we all go there to have our boots repaired at the iconic Woody’s leather repair. While waiting for your boots, you might very well run into George Morris getting a sandwich at Aroma’s the breakfast and lunch cafe. Just imagine what he is saying about how fat you look in your breeches or how poor your posture is!
