2026 Season Kicks Off With Record Prize Money And Riders From All Levels
By Fiona Slusarev
Wellington International welcomed the 2026 season with a panel of industry leaders and top riders on Thursday, Jan. 8. The Winter Equestrian Festival and the Adequan Global Dressage Festival have seen a period of growth and improvement since Murray Kessler was appointed CEO in late 2024 when ownership of the showgrounds changed hands.
Kessler, a former United States Equestrian Federation president and CEO of three Fortune 500 companies, has been attracting the top riders across the world to compete in Wellington. One way he is doing this is by offering a record $16.55 million in prize money across all the competitions, including the $1 million Rolex Grand Prix.
The facilities see advances every year with Kessler’s long-term plan to complete the south showgrounds and continue with more seasonal updates for competitors and spectators alike. Competitors will appreciate the new footing in the International Arena, renovations to Pony Island with new bathrooms and upgrades in the Grand Hunter Ring. The FEI barns have been completely overhauled with new stalls and flooring.
Dressage fans will be excited for the newly covered stands at Global to protect them from the Florida rain and sun. Friday Night Stars now have new themes, and a masterclass with dressage legends was held during Week 3.
Top riders also come to Wellington International because of the variety of qualifying classes and experience the venue gives their horses. Laura Kraut, currently the seventh top rider in the world, four-time Olympian and U.S. team silver medalist, believes that competing at WEF is key to success for the U.S. Olympic Team and for her jumper horses at the highest level.
“I first rode here in 1978, so I really have seen the evolution of it, and I will tell you that it is crucial to us preparing and trying to have our horses up to the level we need for international competition,” Kraut said.
Liza Towell Boyd of Finally Farm, the 2025 winner of the USHJA World Champion Hunter Rider Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular, considers WEF an important venue for hunter training, as well as competition at the highest level, with the array of hunter divisions and top hunter classes. The hunter spectacular, which returns to Wellington on Feb. 14, is the hunter rider’s World Cup, Boyd said.
“We have a lot of opportunities with the young hunters, to bring them up the pipeline, from the grass fields to the national derbies, the international derbies — I feel like we leave here with really well-trained, exposed horses,” Boyd said.
The Global Dressage Festival, under Director of Sport Thomas Baur, also offers multiple opportunities to qualify for dressage and para dressage FEI World Championships and the US Equestrian Open of Dressage.
Ben Ebeling, a rising dressage star and winner of the inaugural US Equestrian Open of Dressage Final, highlights Global’s Friday Night Stars as not only being a prestigious event as a competitor but also an amazing spectator experience.
“As a competitor, I’ve been lucky to show in some really incredible arenas. There’s nothing quite like being in a Friday Night Stars,” Ebeling explained. “Being at Friday Night Stars, for somebody who’s not into dressage or not into horse sports, I think allows people to connect to dressage on a different level than they would normally.”
But the most remarkable thing about hearing everyone speak is how they describe the community. To Kessler, WEF and AGDF are special because they offer a place for riders in every division. “We care about every discipline, whether it’s hunters, dressage, ponies or para [dressage],” Kessler said.
At WEF, classes range from Leadline to Grand Prix. The youngest riders exist alongside the most prestigious competitors, and they can return each year to rise through the ranks.
Children who compete on ponies can watch and learn from the best during Saturday Night Lights. Powerhouse riders like Lillie Keenan, Adrienne Sternlicht and Kessler’s own daughter, Reed Kessler, all started in short stirrup at WEF and achieved successful careers on the international level.
“Other horse shows are where champions meet, but at Wellington, it’s where champions are made,” Kessler said.
From children to seasoned pros and even older riders, everyone has a division at their level.
Boyd is another example of a Wellington success story, beginning her show career here as a child. For her, WEF is not just a competition, it is a home.
“I remember coming here as a kid… this is where I’ve grown up, and these are my best friends who live here,” Boyd said. “To be able to bring my family here, watch Saturday Night Lights, my kids go to school here, my dad is here. It’s just a real family environment.”
Equestrians don’t just return to WEF and Global for a few days out of the year to compete, they stay for the season. “People live here,” Kessler said. “They live here for four or five months a year, and it makes Wellington unique from any other equestrian location.”
Visit www.wellingtoninternational.com to learn more.
