From Music To Fighting The Opioid Scourge: The Many Facets Of Chief Assistant State Attorney Alan Johnson

When he is playing in the band Americana Jones, Wellington resident Alan Johnson dons a hat and boots. Most days, though, he wears a suit to the office, where he is the Chief Assistant State Attorney of Palm Beach County.

One of three chief assistants to State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Johnson manages what would be the largest law firm in the county. When he is playing in the band Americana Jones, Wellington resident Alan Johnson dons a hat and boots. Most days, though, he wears a suit to the office, where he is the Chief Assistant State Attorney of Palm Beach County.

One of three chief assistants to State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Johnson manages what would be the largest law firm in the county. He first joined the State Attorney’s Office in 1993 when he worked under former State Attorney Barry Krischer. He left after almost 17 years when Krischer retired. Johnson spent the next several years as executive director of the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics. He returned to the State Attorney’s Office in 2013 when Aronberg took over as the county’s top prosecutor.

Johnson’s resume is impressive, including serving as a member and then chairman of the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee; and at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association in areas including prosecutors, evidence, homicide prosecution, jury selection and victim rights. For more than 20 years, he has also regularly served as a volunteer judge for youth court. Other community service runs the gamut from legal organizations to little league coach.

When not working or pursuing his musical hobby, Johnson enjoys swimming and riding his bike through his long-since-adopted hometown. In fact, the community pool is one of the things he likes best about Wellington.

“It is a lovely community, and it has a great swimming pool that needs to be open on Sunday,” he said. “I swim there all the time. I’m friendly with all the guards. They have a great crew out there and a great facility, as I say, it just needs to be open on Sunday.”

When Johnson moved to South Florida, he checked out Wellington at the suggestion of a law school friend, Judge Peter Evans. “One of my best friends suggested Wellington,” he said. “It was, and is, a great family community. I raised two children in the village.”

While his children are now grown and have moved away, Johnson stays active in the community.

“While I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve, I am on the board of directors at Temple B’nai Jacob in Wellington,” Johnson said. “I am a gabbai, which is kind of like an alderman or deacon. We help with the officiating of the service.”

In Wellington, Johnson served as a member of the village’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board from 2000 to 2010, during some of the village’s boom years. “I’ve seen a lot of growth. We were annexing parcels of land along State Road 7,” he recalled, remarking that there have many improvements over the years. “The roads don’t flood quite as often.”

There have also been challenges with that growth. “I’ve seen the neighbor versus neighbor issues develop, the equestrian versus residential, and then the equestrian versus equestrian,” he recalled. “I live in the area of South Shore, so I’m right near the equestrian preserve.”

Now at the pinnacle of his profession, the law was not really his first career choice, although he made excellent preparations for it.

A graduate from Columbia University in 1973 and the Georgetown University Law Center in 1976, Johnson is also reported to have spent 16 years on the road in the 1970s and 1980s with the North Star Band and the Pheromones, releasing eight albums, before he devoted his primary energies to his daytime gig as a lawyer.

“I could have been a contender,” said Johnson with a laugh. “I don’t know how big a part of my life music has been; our band performs an average of about three or four times a month around South Florida.”

Palm Beach County is much better off that Johnson’s primary career ended up being in the law, not music.

Today, he supervises the departments of training, ethics, legal affairs, juvenile and investigation units; a support staff of 220 for the 120 attorneys in the office. He also presents training seminar courses on the ethics of discovery.

It has been mandated that every attorney take training on discovery or exculpatory evidence, also called Brady evidence, before they practice in circuit court. “I was tapped to give the presentations,” said Johnson, who added that a recording of the two-hour course is on the Florida Bar web site. “So, I took some teasing from peers about that.”

Johnson also chairs the Sober Homes Task Force, which includes the Criminal Law Enforcement Task Force and the Civilian Task Force. This effort is charged with combating the opioid crisis and abuses at uncertified recovery residences and drug treatment centers. Both task forces meet once a month to develop recommendations on how to fix this community scourge.

The serious side of Johnson’s personality comes out when he discusses the opioid epidemic. “I give community talks for the office to different groups about this problem and what people in the community can do,” he said. “Opioid addiction is the health crisis of our time.”

Two years ago, the department received some funding for this issue and Aronberg asked Johnson to handle the Sober Homes Task Force. However, that was just the start

“We were responsible for the legislation that passed last spring,” Johnson said. “I think it has made us one of the most innovative and forward-thinking states in the United States.”

As a matter of fact, other states, such as Texas and California, have begun to emulate Florida’s program. “Folks from Orange County, Calif., will be observing our next monthly task force meeting to see how we do things,” Johnson said.

South Florida is the location of many vibrant communities, destination cities with amenities and a tradition of tourism. Such places have a long history in the addiction treatment industry. This, combined with the misuse of well-intentioned laws such as the Affordable Care Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, created a perfect storm for the opioid crisis.

“Opioid addiction is a disease, substance abuse disorder, and is a fact of life. The demographic most affected is young people, still on their parent’s insurance, who have come to our state for substance abuse treatment,” Johnson explained.

Here they exhaust their benefits and sometimes become the victims of unscrupulous bad actors who promote them into a cycle of relapse, with sometimes bogus treatment in rogue sober houses, instead of a cycle of recovery in facilities certified to national standards.

Johnson is quick to differentiate between the legitimate part of the industry and those rogue elements.

“There are good providers in the industry, and they are getting killed by all the bad actors causing all the bad press,” he said. “The good ones, most of the time you don’t even know they are there. They have good neighbor policies. The physical appearance of the house is usually better than most of the homeowners on the block.”

The bad ones, however, are more flop houses and not really sober houses.

“Those are the ones that drive neighborhoods crazy,” Johnson said. “There is drug use, no one overseeing the house, criminal activity. Residents can report such a house to our office or the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. They have a very professional and knowledgeable crew that is trained to deal with it safely.”

The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office has worked to get laws on the books that prohibit kickbacks for referrals to treatment facilities. “We are turning on the lights, and the bad actors are scurrying to other jurisdictions,” Johnson said. “We are working to reward outcomes instead of just paying a fee for services.”

Johnson is very proud of the office’s work fighting this scourge.

“It is such a thorny issue that has touched almost every home,” Johnson said. “It is a true everyman epidemic. I give kudos to Dave Aronberg for the program he has set up. It is the only one of its kind in the country.”

Johnson said that the office’s work on opioids is a huge team effort that takes a tremendous amount of work, “It takes up a lot of time. I can’t swim as much as I used to,” he remarked, although he does have some time on Sundays.He first joined the State Attorney’s Office in 1993 when he worked under former State Attorney Barry Krischer. He left after almost 17 years when Krischer retired. Johnson spent the next several years as executive director of the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics. He returned to the State Attorney’s Office in 2013 when Aronberg took over as the county’s top prosecutor.

Johnson’s resume is impressive, including serving as a member and then chairman of the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee; and at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association in areas including prosecutors, evidence, homicide prosecution, jury selection and victim rights. For more than 20 years, he has also regularly served as a volunteer judge for youth court. Other community service runs the gamut from legal organizations to little league coach.

When not working or pursuing his musical hobby, Johnson enjoys swimming and riding his bike through his long-since-adopted hometown. In fact, the community pool is one of the things he likes best about Wellington.

“It is a lovely community, and it has a great swimming pool that needs to be open on Sunday,” he said. “I swim there all the time. I’m friendly with all the guards. They have a great crew out there and a great facility, as I say, it just needs to be open on Sunday.”

When Johnson moved to South Florida, he checked out Wellington at the suggestion of a law school friend, Judge Peter Evans. “One of my best friends suggested Wellington,” he said. “It was, and is, a great family community. I raised two children in the village.”

While his children are now grown and have moved away, Johnson stays active in the community.

“While I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve, I am on the board of directors at Temple B’nai Jacob in Wellington,” Johnson said. “I am a gabbai, which is kind of like an alderman or deacon. We help with the officiating of the service.”

In Wellington, Johnson served as a member of the village’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board from 2000 to 2010, during some of the village’s boom years. “I’ve seen a lot of growth. We were annexing parcels of land along State Road 7,” he recalled, remarking that there have many improvements over the years. “The roads don’t flood quite as often.”

There have also been challenges with that growth. “I’ve seen the neighbor versus neighbor issues develop, the equestrian versus residential, and then the equestrian versus equestrian,” he recalled. “I live in the area of South Shore, so I’m right near the equestrian preserve.”

Now at the pinnacle of his profession, the law was not really his first career choice, although he made excellent preparations for it.

A graduate from Columbia University in 1973 and the Georgetown University Law Center in 1976, Johnson is also reported to have spent 16 years on the road in the 1970s and 1980s with the North Star Band and the Pheromones, releasing eight albums, before he devoted his primary energies to his daytime gig as a lawyer.

“I could have been a contender,” said Johnson with a laugh. “I don’t know how big a part of my life music has been; our band performs an average of about three or four times a month around South Florida.”

Palm Beach County is much better off that Johnson’s primary career ended up being in the law, not music.

Today, he supervises the departments of training, ethics, legal affairs, juvenile and investigation units; a support staff of 220 for the 120 attorneys in the office. He also presents training seminar courses on the ethics of discovery.

It has been mandated that every attorney take training on discovery or exculpatory evidence, also called Brady evidence, before they practice in circuit court. “I was tapped to give the presentations,” said Johnson, who added that a recording of the two-hour course is on the Florida Bar web site. “So, I took some teasing from peers about that.”

Johnson also chairs the Sober Homes Task Force, which includes the Criminal Law Enforcement Task Force and the Civilian Task Force. This effort is charged with combating the opioid crisis and abuses at uncertified recovery residences and drug treatment centers. Both task forces meet once a month to develop recommendations on how to fix this community scourge.

The serious side of Johnson’s personality comes out when he discusses the opioid epidemic. “I give community talks for the office to different groups about this problem and what people in the community can do,” he said. “Opioid addiction is the health crisis of our time.”

Two years ago, the department received some funding for this issue and Aronberg asked Johnson to handle the Sober Homes Task Force. However, that was just the start

“We were responsible for the legislation that passed last spring,” Johnson said. “I think it has made us one of the most innovative and forward-thinking states in the United States.”

As a matter of fact, other states, such as Texas and California, have begun to emulate Florida’s program. “Folks from Orange County, Calif., will be observing our next monthly task force meeting to see how we do things,” Johnson said.

South Florida is the location of many vibrant communities, destination cities with amenities and a tradition of tourism. Such places have a long history in the addiction treatment industry. This, combined with the misuse of well-intentioned laws such as the Affordable Care Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, created a perfect storm for the opioid crisis.

“Opioid addiction is a disease, substance abuse disorder, and is a fact of life. The demographic most affected is young people, still on their parent’s insurance, who have come to our state for substance abuse treatment,” Johnson explained.

Here they exhaust their benefits and sometimes become the victims of unscrupulous bad actors who promote them into a cycle of relapse, with sometimes bogus treatment in rogue sober houses, instead of a cycle of recovery in facilities certified to national standards.

Johnson is quick to differentiate between the legitimate part of the industry and those rogue elements.

“There are good providers in the industry, and they are getting killed by all the bad actors causing all the bad press,” he said. “The good ones, most of the time you don’t even know they are there. They have good neighbor policies. The physical appearance of the house is usually better than most of the homeowners on the block.”

The bad ones, however, are more flop houses and not really sober houses.

“Those are the ones that drive neighborhoods crazy,” Johnson said. “There is drug use, no one overseeing the house, criminal activity. Residents can report such a house to our office or the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. They have a very professional and knowledgeable crew that is trained to deal with it safely.”

The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office has worked to get laws on the books that prohibit kickbacks for referrals to treatment facilities. “We are turning on the lights, and the bad actors are scurrying to other jurisdictions,” Johnson said. “We are working to reward outcomes instead of just paying a fee for services.”

Johnson is very proud of the office’s work fighting this scourge.

“It is such a thorny issue that has touched almost every home,” Johnson said. “It is a true everyman epidemic. I give kudos to Dave Aronberg for the program he has set up. It is the only one of its kind in the country.”

Johnson said that the office’s work on opioids is a huge team effort that takes a tremendous amount of work, “It takes up a lot of time. I can’t swim as much as I used to,” he remarked, although he does have some time on Sundays.

One of three chief assistants to State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Johnson manages what would be the largest law firm in the county. He first joined the State Attorney’s Office in 1993 when he worked under former State Attorney Barry Krischer. He left after almost 17 years when Krischer retired. Johnson spent the next several years as executive director of the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics. He returned to the State Attorney’s Office in 2013 when Aronberg took over as the county’s top prosecutor.

Johnson’s resume is impressive, including serving as a member and then chairman of the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee; and at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association in areas including prosecutors, evidence, homicide prosecution, jury selection and victim rights. For more than 20 years, he has also regularly served as a volunteer judge for youth court. Other community service runs the gamut from legal organizations to little league coach.

When not working or pursuing his musical hobby, Johnson enjoys swimming and riding his bike through his long-since-adopted hometown. In fact, the community pool is one of the things he likes best about Wellington.

“It is a lovely community, and it has a great swimming pool that needs to be open on Sunday,” he said. “I swim there all the time. I’m friendly with all the guards. They have a great crew out there and a great facility, as I say, it just needs to be open on Sunday.”

When Johnson moved to South Florida, he checked out Wellington at the suggestion of a law school friend, Judge Peter Evans. “One of my best friends suggested Wellington,” he said. “It was, and is, a great family community. I raised two children in the village.”

While his children are now grown and have moved away, Johnson stays active in the community.

“While I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve, I am on the board of directors at Temple B’nai Jacob in Wellington,” Johnson said. “I am a gabbai, which is kind of like an alderman or deacon. We help with the officiating of the service.”

In Wellington, Johnson served as a member of the village’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board from 2000 to 2010, during some of the village’s boom years. “I’ve seen a lot of growth. We were annexing parcels of land along State Road 7,” he recalled, remarking that there have many improvements over the years. “The roads don’t flood quite as often.”

There have also been challenges with that growth. “I’ve seen the neighbor versus neighbor issues develop, the equestrian versus residential, and then the equestrian versus equestrian,” he recalled. “I live in the area of South Shore, so I’m right near the equestrian preserve.”

Now at the pinnacle of his profession, the law was not really his first career choice, although he made excellent preparations for it.

A graduate from Columbia University in 1973 and the Georgetown University Law Center in 1976, Johnson is also reported to have spent 16 years on the road in the 1970s and 1980s with the North Star Band and the Pheromones, releasing eight albums, before he devoted his primary energies to his daytime gig as a lawyer.

“I could have been a contender,” said Johnson with a laugh. “I don’t know how big a part of my life music has been; our band performs an average of about three or four times a month around South Florida.”

Palm Beach County is much better off that Johnson’s primary career ended up being in the law, not music.

Today, he supervises the departments of training, ethics, legal affairs, juvenile and investigation units; a support staff of 220 for the 120 attorneys in the office. He also presents training seminar courses on the ethics of discovery.

It has been mandated that every attorney take training on discovery or exculpatory evidence, also called Brady evidence, before they practice in circuit court. “I was tapped to give the presentations,” said Johnson, who added that a recording of the two-hour course is on the Florida Bar web site. “So, I took some teasing from peers about that.”

Johnson also chairs the Sober Homes Task Force, which includes the Criminal Law Enforcement Task Force and the Civilian Task Force. This effort is charged with combating the opioid crisis and abuses at uncertified recovery residences and drug treatment centers. Both task forces meet once a month to develop recommendations on how to fix this community scourge.

The serious side of Johnson’s personality comes out when he discusses the opioid epidemic. “I give community talks for the office to different groups about this problem and what people in the community can do,” he said. “Opioid addiction is the health crisis of our time.”

Two years ago, the department received some funding for this issue and Aronberg asked Johnson to handle the Sober Homes Task Force. However, that was just the start

“We were responsible for the legislation that passed last spring,” Johnson said. “I think it has made us one of the most innovative and forward-thinking states in the United States.”

As a matter of fact, other states, such as Texas and California, have begun to emulate Florida’s program. “Folks from Orange County, Calif., will be observing our next monthly task force meeting to see how we do things,” Johnson said.

South Florida is the location of many vibrant communities, destination cities with amenities and a tradition of tourism. Such places have a long history in the addiction treatment industry. This, combined with the misuse of well-intentioned laws such as the Affordable Care Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, created a perfect storm for the opioid crisis.

“Opioid addiction is a disease, substance abuse disorder, and is a fact of life. The demographic most affected is young people, still on their parent’s insurance, who have come to our state for substance abuse treatment,” Johnson explained.

Here they exhaust their benefits and sometimes become the victims of unscrupulous bad actors who promote them into a cycle of relapse, with sometimes bogus treatment in rogue sober houses, instead of a cycle of recovery in facilities certified to national standards.

Johnson is quick to differentiate between the legitimate part of the industry and those rogue elements.

“There are good providers in the industry, and they are getting killed by all the bad actors causing all the bad press,” he said. “The good ones, most of the time you don’t even know they are there. They have good neighbor policies. The physical appearance of the house is usually better than most of the homeowners on the block.”

The bad ones, however, are more flop houses and not really sober houses.

“Those are the ones that drive neighborhoods crazy,” Johnson said. “There is drug use, no one overseeing the house, criminal activity. Residents can report such a house to our office or the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. They have a very professional and knowledgeable crew that is trained to deal with it safely.”

The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office has worked to get laws on the books that prohibit kickbacks for referrals to treatment facilities. “We are turning on the lights, and the bad actors are scurrying to other jurisdictions,” Johnson said. “We are working to reward outcomes instead of just paying a fee for services.”

Johnson is very proud of the office’s work fighting this scourge.

“It is such a thorny issue that has touched almost every home,” Johnson said. “It is a true everyman epidemic. I give kudos to Dave Aronberg for the program he has set up. It is the only one of its kind in the country.”

Johnson said that the office’s work on opioids is a huge team effort that takes a tremendous amount of work, “It takes up a lot of time. I can’t swim as much as I used to,” he remarked, although he does have some time on Sundays.

First Florida Development Brings Palm Beach Island Luxury To Wellington

In Wellington, many neighborhoods, particularly equestrian neighborhoods, are experiencing a surge in building and development. From 50th Street and South Shore Blvd., to Palm Beach Polo and beyond, there is a new home or farm popping up, each seemingly more opulent than the last.

First Florida Development and Construction, led by president and owner Paul Kleinfeld, is one of the professional contracting companies responsible for the beautiful homes that are adding to Wellington’s aura. The company boasts an unmatched reputation for building some of the most spectacular homes in Palm Beach County and is looking forward to many more projects as part of this Wellington development surge.

First Florida was already a distinguished leader in South Florida luxury development and construction when it landed its first contract in Wellington in 2016. The company, which has a footprint that spans from Palm Beach to Martin County, has created a signature style for luxury homes, and is widely respected for its impeccable standards on building material quality, project management, and the ability to exceed client expectations and schedules.

“I have worked with First Florida over an 18-year period, and it is a truly exceptional company in terms of the product it produces,” said famed landscape architect Howard Ostrout, who frequently works with the firm. “The staff and management’s attention to detail is unmatched, and the company has really good team members, from managers to superintendents.”

Much of the driving force behind First Florida’s success is Kleinfeld, a visionary dedicated to leading the overall strategic planning and direction of the company.

A Florida native, Kleinfeld attended the University of South Florida and graduated with a degree in zoology, followed by graduate studies in marine biology. After a personal realization that he was passionate about building and the satisfaction that comes with completing a project, he founded First Florida in 1975 and has curated a team of professionals with more than 200 years of combined building experience.

“I always believed that if I strived to meet my client’s expectations and do the right thing, that success would follow, and that has been the case with First Florida,” Kleinfeld said. “Ever since I was a young man, I really valued hard work, diligence and respect for people and the environment, and I built my business largely on those principles. I continue to base our company on them to this day. It is a very simple strategy that works wonders.”

Having worked with First Florida and Kleinfeld for a number of years, Ostrout has a similar philosophy.

“In my experience, success starts at the top, and Paul Kleinfeld is such an honest person that he immediately relates well to equestrian clients,” Ostrout said. “Property owners have to feel comfortable when making a decision to place trust in a general contractor, and whether it is a $5 million or $40 million project, Paul is always going to make sure it gets done properly.”

The home that First Florida was contracted to build in Equestrian Estates was designed by the award-winning architectural firm Smith and Moore Architects of Palm Beach. The home, which is part of a larger equestrian property, was a traditional 9,000-square-foot, West Indies-styled home.

“The owners selected First Florida during the design process because they really responded to what they saw in the portfolio and their references,” said Johnathan Moore of Smith and Moore Architects. “First Florida has worked on very high-end projects, and that really fit what we were doing in Wellington. It was immediately apparent that they were very conscious about the work that they were doing, not to mention that the lines of communication were always flowing easily, which was crucial on a project that had such a tight deadline.”

Similar to most construction projects, the general contractor is the driving force on completing construction, which has a trickle-down effect to the rest of team hired to complete the home, such as architects and interior designers.

Constant and complete communication is key to making each project successful, especially when owners may be located anywhere in the world.

“If there is an issue or change of plans, we get calls right away from the First Florida project superintendent, asking how we would like to resolve the issues,” Moore said. “The meetings they facilitate between all of the relevant parties are really helpful in making sure that their jobs move forward on time, concisely and that the client is satisfied — which is, obviously, the most important detail of all.”

With summer quickly approaching, First Florida Development is looking forward to working on a handful of equestrian properties in the Wellington area, as well as acquiring new projects and making clients’ dreams a reality.

“I am really excited about making our mark in Wellington,” Kleinfeld said. “This community is incredibly vibrant and ever-changing, which gives us the opportunity to bring the building expertise that we have honed on coastal-constructed homes to the equestrian space and help to blend the best that Palm Beach County has to offer.”

To learn more about what First Florida Development and Construction can do to help bring your building dreams to life, visit www.firstfloridainc.com.

Women’s Empowerment A Key Focus For Polo Star, Entrepreneur & Model Ashley Busch

Ashley Van Metre Busch, a polo star, entrepreneur and model, has achieved global success at the young age of 27. Her career has come a long way from the first time she rode a horse at age 5 and immediately fell in love with everything about horses. Playing polo is a great way to combine her love for horses with her competitive nature, which she gets from her father and grandfather, who were sailboat racers.

As a bonus to loving polo, Busch also happens to be really good at the sport. She has reached great heights throughout her career with multiple defining moments, and she has solidified herself as one of the sport’s fiercest competitors.

Busch has played in renowned tournaments across the globe, from New York to Argentina, Chile, England, Florida and more. Notable victories include tournaments like the Port Mayaca 14-goal and the International Polo Club 12-goal, which she played with her father Beau. During the Hobe Sound 8-goal tournaments, Busch and her Altair team made it through the season undefeated. Currently, her team competes in tournaments in Wellington throughout the winter season.

As a member of the 2011 U.S. Eastern Circuit polo team, Busch competed against the British Forces/Combined Services polo teams in the historic Chapple Cup Series. The three-match series began at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in which the teams battled for the Sudan Cup, the second match at the Tidworth Polo Club competing for the Indian Cavalry Officers Cup, and the final match at Guards Polo Club for the United Services Cup.

In addition to her on-field success, last year Busch was named the U.S. Polo Assn. female global brand ambassador. This allowed her to branch out into the modeling world, in which she has found great success.

Busch makes sure to not let her platform and reach go untouched, as she is an avid sponsor of women’s empowerment and equality, particularly in athletics. “My goal is to be a female face for polo as a sport and show women that they can do anything they put their minds to,” she said.

Busch preaches self-confidence and recognizes that polo is one of the few sports that allows both men and women to play on the same field together simultaneously. Because of this, she takes that opportunity to prove to the world that women can be just as successful as men in any sport, and she is always looking to break through the stereotypes.

Her time away from polo allows her to explore other passions in her life, such as fashion and philanthropy. She is coming out with her own swimwear line this year. The Beachy Chic collection is set to launch this spring, and she is expected to branch into other fashion fields in the near future. While the details are still being finalized, Busch has decided that 10 percent of the profits will be going to various charities around the world.

Her other charitable endeavors include hosting polo exhibitions like the Van Metre Polo Cup benefiting Capital Hospice and supporting the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Commonwealth Polo Cup, the National Sporting Library Polo Classic, Polo for a Purpose and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She is also proud to be a part of the Van Metre 5-mile run, which benefits the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Busch’s ultimate goal is to create her own foundation and host charity events throughout the U.S. for various causes to pay it forward.

“From a young age, I was always taught the importance of giving back,” Busch said. “And it is my goal to pay it forward in whichever endeavors I am involved in, whether hosting charity polo events or through my swimwear and apparel line.”

In early 2017, she married NASCAR champion Kurt Busch. As a power couple of athletes, they both realize the danger that comes along with their chosen sports. “To be honest, you could get hurt just walking down the stairs,” Busch said. “You cannot let fear stop you from pursuing your passions. You have to live each day to the fullest.”

When asked about the inherent danger that comes with her husband’s profession, Busch noted that the NASCAR safety technology provided to drivers is incredible, and in all likelihood, that probably makes the sport safer than polo.

Busch has actually spent time in a stock car when she drove three laps in Las Vegas for fun. “You get out, and you feel like you can’t even walk. You feel like you’re floating,” she said. “I can’t imagine how these guys do it for 300, 400 laps.”

When they are not at the racetrack or the polo field, the newlyweds split their time at residences in Wellington and Mooresville, N.C.

Free time, which is at something of a minimum, is very important to Busch. During that time, she likes to stay fit, work out and just relax at home with her dogs and husband. Nights out are rare, since Ashley and Kurt usually just cook dinner at home and enjoy each other’s company there.

Busch advises those who travel and want to stay in shape to take time out of each day to do at least one thing, just as she does. From walking her dogs, doing sit-ups in the park or even going for a bike ride, she makes time to just keep active.

Learn more about Ashley Busch at www.ashleybusch.com.

In Retirement, Roxanne Stein Puts Her Focus On Her Adopted Hometown Of Wellington

Along with providing the people of Palm Beach County with their news for nearly 25 years, Roxanne Stein has made her mark on the Wellington community, just as Wellington has made its mark on her.

From a young age, Stein knew that she wanted to work in the business of producing and delivering news. She vividly recalls growing up in Pennsylvania, watching the news on a black-and-white screen and aspiring to one day provide communities with the important news of the day.

“I loved that every night the news was different. Every night there was something new to follow,” Stein recalled. “I was only seven or eight, but I loved it. I started clipping out headlines from newspapers and making scrapbooks because I loved tracking what happened every day in life.”

After graduating from the Pennsylvania State University, Stein began her news career in her hometown of Lancaster, Pa. In 1993, she made the move south to West Palm Beach and became the news anchor known and loved by many on WPTV News Channel 5.

Stein, along with her co-anchor John Favole, became familiar faces in Palm Beach County.

For Stein, the most rewarding feeling of being responsible for delivering news — good or bad — to the people of the Palm Beaches was being able to be there for residents by providing necessary information.

“I have had so many great opportunities and covered many amazing stories, but what I really loved was being part of the community and part of people’s lives,” said Stein, who recently retired from her news anchor position. “It was important to me to embrace people around me, because it’s part of my personality to do so. I tried to deliver news [thinking] of the families and kids watching at home.”

After her 41-year news career, some recent events began to take a stronger toll on Stein. Hurricane Irma last year, for example, was harder for her than previous storms she covered.

“It was hard — sleeping at the station, being away from home and having my husband be home alone,” Stein said. “It’s the business, and I wouldn’t complain about it, but it was hard.”

Covering the news surrounding the Feb. 14 deadly school shooting in Parkland was also harder and more surreal for Stein.

“Parkland really got to me. Parkland is only an hour away, and it is so much like Wellington,” she said. “The stories of the kids and teachers who went to school just trying to make the world better and ended up dying really affected me. I got emotional about it, and there were a couple times on the air that I had to look away.”

The best stories Stein delivered were those about the people in the community who go out of their way to help others in need.

“There is so much good in this community, and there is so much being done by people who want to help each other and make a difference when it’s needed,” she said. “It is so important to tell the stories of what the community does for each other.”

After more than two decades at WPTV and much consideration, Stein left her anchor chair on March 30.

“I was very lucky to do what I wanted to do for 41 years and to [work] in the same place for 25 years,” she explained. “I really have been very fortunate to be part of a community that embraced me just as I embraced it. I also love the people I worked with at Channel 5, but I felt ready to be off such a hectic schedule. It just felt like the right time. I always wanted and planned to retire while I could still do things.”

She is excited about this new phase of her life and has no regrets about the timing.

“WPTV gave me a job for so long, and my job was great, but it was time to move on. People told me I would mourn my job, but I don’t think so,” Stein said. “I think if people have a lot of fun throughout life, they can continue to have a lot of fun when they are no longer working.”

Since her retirement, Stein has invested most of her energy into spending more time with her husband, Steve Moss, going on daily trail rides with her horse, Bamboo, riding her bicycle around town or playing tennis to stay active.

“Bamboo and I trail ride around Wellington every day and have a wonderful time,” said Stein, who has long enjoyed the equestrian aspects of her adopted hometown. “He’s a special horse, he loves what he does and loves taking care of me.”

She is thankful that her career left her financially secure, but noted that she has never been a big spender. “[My husband and I] live a very modest lifestyle,” Stein explained. “We bought a house 22 years ago, we still live in it, and we are not moving out of it.”

While she has retired from WPTV, she has clearly not retired from high-profile community roles. She was recently installed as the new president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

With the chamber, Stein hopes to support Wellington businesses on a positive and prosperous path.

“With the chamber’s members and board, I want to help businesses become stronger and provide them with the tools they need to be profitable in the community,” she said. “Businesses make our community stronger. It is also important that we support our local businesses, our mom and pops.”

After taking a period of time to relax and enjoy a more laid-back schedule, Stein hopes to get even more involved in maintaining Wellington’s community.

“Wellington is a very special and significant place to me,” she said. “I love the community here, and I want to help keep Wellington as wonderful as it is. It is such a family place, and communities that embrace families, like Wellington does, are at the fiber of this country.”

Tryon International Equestrian Center Gearing Up To Host 2018 World Equestrian Games

Make plans to join the world in western North Carolina for the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 from Sept. 11 through Sept. 23. Showcasing eight FEI equestrian disciplines — reining, vaulting, dressage, para-dressage, driving, eventing, jumping and endurance — the games will be held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center at the Tryon Resort in Mill Spring, N.C.

The inaugural FEI World Equestrian Games were hosted in Stockholm, Sweden in 1990.

Since then, the games have been staged in The Hague in the Netherlands in 1994; Rome, Italy in 1998; Jerez, Spain in 2002; and Aachen, Germany in 2006.

The first games to be organized outside Europe were held in Lexington, Ky., in 2010, where 57 countries were represented by 800 human athletes and their horses. The games returned to Europe for the 2014 edition in Normandy, France.

The 2018 World Equestrian Games has the potential to be the largest sporting event in North Carolina history with 500,000 attendees expected over the 13-day event next September.

The Tryon International Equestrian Center is busy preparing for a daily attendance of 40,000 to 50,000 people. The 2014 games in Normandy delivered more than $400 million in economic impact, and attracted 984 athletes, 1,234 horses, 74 nations, 1,900 accredited media from 52 countries, and 575,000 spectators.

The global competition is being held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, a sister venue to Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington.

PBIEC CEO and Managing Partner Mark Bellissimo is also founder and CEO of the Tryon facility. The 1,600-acre equestrian lifestyle destination is a spring, summer and fall haven for eastern and northeastern American equestrian competitors and enthusiasts, and a year-round destination for connoisseurs of diverse cuisine and family entertainment.

The venue currently provides outstanding facilities for hunter/jumper, dressage and eventing competitions, and will host all eight FEI disciplines following the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

With onsite shops, dining, entertainment and plans for more — including the current development of a 50-acre Tryon Village — non-equestrian visitors are equally marveled by the Tryon Resort experience.

From carousel to competition, the mission of the Tryon International Equestrian Center is to celebrate the magic of the horse, grow equestrian sport and increase access to this majestic animal. The 2018 World Equestrian Games builds on this mission with a theme of, “Celebrate the Horse, Celebrate the Sport.”

“The love of the horse is universal and profound,” Bellissimo said. “The games are an incredible stage to show the world how important and valuable this creature is and celebrate our relationship with them.”

The legacy of horse and rider penetrates all of human history. Nearly every facet of life is connected to this extraordinary creature. As partners, horses have discovered with us, transported us, sustained us, worked with us and protected us. As friends, they have mourned with us, healed us, loved us, entertained us, trusted us and comforted us. As athletes, horses have competed with us, won with us and celebrated victory with us. This message is portrayed beautifully in the film “#together” that is featured on the Tryon2018.com web site.

Complementing the unparalleled opportunity to watch the world’s top riders and horses compete is the chance to discover the distinct culture and adventures within the Carolinas region.

The Tryon International Equestrian Center is centrally located within an hour of some of the United States’ top destinations, including Asheville and Charlotte in North Carolina, and Greenville in South Carolina. World Equestrian Games attendees are encouraged to plan excursions to experience the collection of small towns and dynamic cities that surround the venue.

So, make plans to join the global community of horse enthusiasts as we celebrate the horse and celebrate equestrian sport together!

Tickets to the 2018 World Equestrian Games are on sale and can be purchased at www.tryon2018.com, where information about corporate hospitality, accommodations, competition schedules, media credentials and volunteer opportunities can also be found.

Michael Stone: The Man Behind WEF And WEG

Another successful Winter Equestrian Festival has concluded its run in Wellington. Once again, past and future Olympians from numerous countries — along with riders from many different skill levels — competed for 12 weeks in front of tens of thousands of spectators.

On the other side of the grounds from the International Arena, where the world’s best show jumpers and hunter riders competed for almost $10 million in prize money, is Michael Stone’s office, located at the end of the hall in the administration building.

Stone joined Mark Bellissimo’s Equestrian Sport Productions 11 years ago. He is the man behind the scenes who makes it all happen. Prize money has quadrupled over that time, and so has the number of horses competing in the largest and longest running horse show in the world.

Bellissimo knows how important Stone is to the continued success of WEF. As president, Stone is involved in every aspect of the business, from operations to scheduling and special events. Stone deals with many additional topics, including licensing and planning while monitoring and handling issues with international entries. He also has meetings with the different managers and regular phone conferences, talking to foreign federations, and organizing visits from their presidents. Every day is different, and that appeals to the 61-year-old Stone, who was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland.

“We have very different styles, but they are extremely complementary,” said Bellissimo, who is CEO and the public face of the company. “He is very disciplined in managing within very complicated environments. He has been critical to the vision, but in many ways, he prefers to be behind the scenes and just make things happen — a great team player who is respected by all. I get a tremendous amount of credit, but it wouldn’t have happened without Michael’s leadership and management. There is no ego there, if the team wins, we all win, and I think that attitude pervades our organization.” 

Olympian Shane Sweetnam has known fellow Irishman Stone for more than a decade.

“He’s done a great job; he’s made a big difference in the structure,” Sweetnam said. “He’s got a relaxed attitude. I think that helps the people around him so they don’t feel flustered. They have a lot of projects going on, not just in Wellington, and he seems to handle it with ease.”

Bellissimo and Stone work very closely together. As with most relationships, there were a few bumps that had to be smoothed out.

“Whenever Mark gets an idea, he calls; it could be five o’clock in the morning or 10 at night,” Stone said. “Over the years, he realized I don’t like being called early in the morning or late at night. So now, he generally waits or sends an e-mail. He knows I’m open to try anything, and I’ll try to find a way to make it happen. Being together for 10 years, I think he values my opinions.”

Bellissimo called Stone the consummate team player.

“He is calm and steady in a storm and is able to distill complex strategies into ‘feet on the ground’ operating plans whose elements are effectively communicated to and executed by the team,” Bellissimo said. “He is extremely well-respected within our organization, locally, nationally and internationally. Another great attribute is that he will roll up his sleeves to get the job done, whatever it takes. I still remember he and I unloading a truck at 2 a.m. in the morning before opening day of WEF in 2008. Together with Vaneli Bojkova, Paul Regal and David Burton Jr., there is no better team to have your back.”

However, their relationship almost didn’t get off the ground.  

Bellissimo didn’t know Stone before he hired him to help turn around WEF, which was losing money at the time. While looking for strong candidates, Stone’s name came up from several respected sources. Stone had been working in high-profile equestrian jobs throughout his adult life. He had just left as secretary general of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), which is the sport’s world governing body.

Stone left the FEI on a Wednesday, and Bellissimo called on Friday. Stone didn’t want to take the call but was talked into it by his girlfriend. It changed his life.

“I hired him on the call,” Bellissimo said. “Everything I heard about him was that he was humble, intelligent, principled, hard-working, respected by his peers, and he knew the industry better than anyone… Katherine [Bellissimo] and I wanted the best person for the job. He was it. It was the best decision we ever made, as together we charted a course that reshaped Wellington, and even equestrian sport in this country, as the largest show organizers in the world in terms of overall revenues, number of international competitions and horses competing.”

Under Stone’s leadership, Equestrian Sport Productions’ business has quadrupled over the last decade as a result of Bellissimo and his partnership investing more than $300 million in acquiring and developing land, licenses, building and upgrading what is now more than 900 acres of property that directly employs nearly 1,000 employees during the season. Its economic impact on Palm Beach County exceeds $200 million per year, Bellissimo noted.

In addition to the world-famous WEF, the firm now operates the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, the International Polo Club Palm Beach and the Wanderers Club. At WEF, they have added innovative special events, such as the Great Charity Challenge, Saturday Night Lights, an Under 25 series for rising stars and the popular Battle of the Sexes, as well as family entertainment and vendors to create a world-renowned equestrian wonderland.

Stone said one of the biggest changes in the last 10 years is the scale and size of the show.

“Revenue-wise, we have grown over 400 percent, and it’s a much more intense show now because of the amount of effort to make it an entertainment value,” Stone said. “Saturday nights have grown to such an extent it’s unbelievable the crowds we’re getting.”

Creating the successful Saturday Night Lights series is one of his proudest accomplishments so far during his tenure.

“Mark and I looked at it,” Stone said. “The former management of WEF used to charge people to come here. It was a customer prevention strategy. The major jumping event was on Sunday afternoon, competing against polo and general family activities.”

Their solution was to make general admission to spectators free, charge a nominal fee for parking, and market the event to families and schools.

“The first year, we got a lot of grief from people, such as riders asking why we’re doing it at night,” said Stone, who admitted that there were more empty seats than spectators at the beginning of the changeover. “But we proved them wrong. We’re one of the very few shows in the U.S. that get massive crowds that watch Grand Prix events. And that’s at all our venues, not just WEF.”

That would include the affiliated Equestrian Sport Productions shows in Parker, Colorado and Tryon, North Carolina, the site of this year’s prestigious World Equestrian Games. It is expected to be the largest attended sporting event in the United States in 2018, attracting more than 500,000 attendees, according to Bellissimo.

Stone and his team are in Tryon to oversee final preparations for the games, which are held every four years, halfway between the Summer Olympics. This year’s competition will be held Sept. 11 through Sept. 23, and will include eight equestrian disciplines. More than 55 countries are expected to participate.

Stone spent much of this time this winter working on WEG, organizing the event, including accommodations, transportation and the food operation.

He has produced intricate timelines for each discipline, while also working with the numerous world and national federations, as well as the USDA regarding the quarantine of horses coming into the country.

“There are so many extra layers,” Stone said. “Usually there are five FEI stewards for 200 horses. For WEG, there are 11 stewards for each discipline. And we have to build a veterinarian hospital. We will have 60 or 70 vets. Each team comes with a manager, a vet, a farrier, grooms and physios. And every country comes with a president and a secretary general.”

But the massive undertaking doesn’t faze Stone. “I like the challenge of organizing, and the WEG is a huge challenge,” he said.

Stone believes that the games this fall will be one of Equestrian Sport Productions’ greatest achievements, but won’t make that pronouncement until it’s over. There are plenty of other high points, including putting together the first horse show at Central Park in New York City. There were logistical issues and a small time frame to get everything in place and ready for live TV.

“Everyone said it was impossible, but that’s never a good word to use with Mark,” Stone said. “Impossible only takes a little bit longer.”

That’s the attitude that has allowed WEF to flourish. In Stone’s office, he shows off a framed golf tee flag from the Masters in Augusta, a trip which he said should be on everyone’s bucket list. On Stone’s bucket list is to watch his favorite tennis player, Roger Federer, play in a major championship, like Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. His walls are covered with equestrian photos, but it’s a photo from a local rugby team that energizes Stone.

“My favorite sport is rugby,” said Stone, who has traveled to watch some of the premier teams compete. “I used to play. We helped the Wellington Wizards when they started up.”

When Stone joined Equestrian Sport Productions, he was simply coordinating a horse show.

“It has evolved into doing a lot of different things — dealing with village issues, organizing permits for special events, planning and zoning, building codes,” he said. “Every morning is different. There were a lot of things that I had no idea about. But the best thing about my job is that I work with a fantastic group of people. There isn’t a day that we don’t have a laugh about something. It’s an enjoyable environment to work in. Mark is very big on family. We’re all part of the family.”

Kerrigan Gluch Rides P.R.E. Horses To Success On Dressage Circuit

In the early 1980s, the P.R.E. — which stands for Pura Raza Española or Pure Spanish Horse — started to be introduced in the international dressage world.

The great Alvaro Domecq catapulted the breed into the high competitive scenery. Very few people bet on the Iberian horses back then, since the international dressage world was dominated by Warmbloods. Three decades later, thanks to the investment of breeders and owners, the P.R.E. has the respect of the judges, and the United States is now home to the second-largest population of P.R.E. horses in the world.

Today, there are a growing number of young, talented riders who choose P.R.E. horses for dressage competition, which means that the Spanish horse is among the future stars of American dressage. One of these riders is Kerrigan Gluch.

“I have found the P.R.E. horses to be super-sensitive,” Gluch said. “Their personalities are very prominent. With each horse, you can tell their personalities very quickly, and that makes it much easier to adjust to a new horse. The Spanish horses are still new to international dressage, so I think when you ride a horse that is still new to the judge’s eye, it makes you ride much more correctly and accurately in order to get the scores that are needed.”

Gluch met Kimberly Van Kampen, owner of Hampton Green Farm and a major supporter of P.R.E breeding, through Lendon Grey’s Dressage for Kids program.

“I participated in Dressage for Kids for many years,” Gluch said. “Through those clinics, I attended Robert Dover HorseMastership Week the first time it was held, seven years ago in Wellington.”

Students in the program rode horses provided by local sponsors, and Van Kampen provided HGF Camaron IX for Gluch to ride during the Robert Dover event.

“I just happened to ride her horse,” Gluch recalled. “I’m originally from Michigan, and she has a farm in Michigan. I started as a working student at age 15, and it just kind of developed from there.”

Gluch spent the summer there working with Van Kampen and her team. She helped prepare several of Hampton Green Farm’s horses for the next winter season and returned with Van Kampen to Hampton Green Farm in Wellington.

Since then, Gluch has been advancing up the levels in dressage on Van Kampen’s P.R.E. horses.

She found success in 2015 at the North American Junior & Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC), when she became reserve champion with Vaquero HGF in the Young Rider Division.

After a successful 2016 season in Wellington, Gluch was selected for the European Tour, including the CDI in Compiègne, France and the Festival of Champions in Hagen, Germany. Then 19 years old, Gluch and 2007 P.R.E. stallion Vaquero HGF concluded the 2016 USEF Young Rider Euro Tour in the ribbons at the Young Riders Nations Cup in Hagen, capping the six-week tour of Europe.

The Hagen CDIOY, known as the PSI Future Champions show, brings together teams of Young Riders and other youth levels from all over Europe in both dressage and show jumping.

The United States Young Rider team finished fifth overall, with Gluch and Vaquero the leading pair for the American team. In the Young Rider individual class, they finished sixth, and a respectable 10th in both the team and freestyle tests — distinguishing themselves among the best in Europe for their age group.

At the end of 2016, Gluch and HGF Brio capped their first year together at the U25 Grand Prix, finishing third overall behind Anna Buffini in the USEF Brentina Cup Finals (U25) at the Festival of Champions.

The final week of the 2017 Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington kicked off with the first FEI Nations Cup CDIO-U25. It was a red, white and blue victory day, as the USA “A” Team bested the competition in the FEI Intermediate II 16-25* CDIO. Along with teammates Anna Buffini and Sierra Keasler, Gluch took the win with the blue medal.

Gluch, now 22, was back in action during the 2018 AGDF. During Week 7, she was the best of the five entrants in the U25 Grand Prix Freestyle, coming tantalizingly close to 70 percent aboard Hampton Green Farm’s 14-year-old stallion Bolero CXLVIII with a score of 69.95 percent. Earlier in the season, when Danish Olympic rider Andreas Helgstrand gave a master class for spectators featuring P.R.E. horses, Gluch joined Danish team member Mikala Münter as a test rider.

Gluch spends about nine months out of the year in Wellington, with the rest of the time either at Hampton Green Farm in Michigan or on the road at horse shows.

“I would love to go to Europe to represent the U.S. again,” she said of her future plans. “I think going to Europe is so eye-opening as someone coming up the ranks, because everyone in Europe is so good, and it makes you realize what you have to do to be internationally competitive.”

Daniel Bluman’s Horsemanship Skills Lead To International Victories

With six horses currently competing at the Grand Prix level in show jumping, Daniel Bluman has slowly and steadily worked his way to the top through great horsemanship and care.

Already in 2018, Bluman, 28, accomplished two huge CSI Grand Prix triumphs and one national Grand Prix in Wellington on three different horses all within two weeks.

In February, Bluman first captured the $205,000 NetJets CSI4* Grand Prix aboard his Olympic partner Sancha LS, and a week later, he won the $384,000 Fidelity Investments CSI5* Grand Prix riding Landriano Z, owned by Over the Top Stables LLC. That same week, he also topped a national show.

The two-time Olympian for his native Colombia holds dual citizenship with Israel and recently switched flags in his efforts to qualify an Israeli show jumping team for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But first, he hopes to represent Israel aboard Landriano Z at the FEI World Equestrian Games this September in Tryon, N.C.

Thrilled to be standing at the top of the winner’s podium, Bluman’s hard work and dedication are paying off this winter. “When I’ve won a Grand Prix, there’s always a cool story behind getting there. My first Grand Prix was followed by two more weeks of wins,” he said. “I can tell you that this is the first time in my life that has happened.”

Born in Medellin, Colombia, Bluman showed a passion for horses early on. His parents were not riders, although his cousins, Ilan and Marky Bluman, introduced him to riding and fueled his passion for the sport. His family later moved to South Florida, within an hour’s drive of Wellington.

“I started working with horses at a young age because my older cousins were riding and showing,” he recalled. “I realized I was good at it, and competitive. Because of that, it pushed me to continue to do it.”

Bluman’s grandfather was a Holocaust survivor who moved to Colombia after the war. His father became an entrepreneur and his mother, a psychologist and social worker. His parents set high standards for Daniel and his brother Steven. As a young man, Bluman was mentored by them, and many others along the way. “I have been fortunate to have met a lot of great people who helped my career,” he said.

He rode with some of the sport’s greats, such as Canadian Eric Lamaze and later Brazilian Nelson Pessoa, whom he trained with in Belgium. The opportunity gave him a chance to compete at some of the world’s most prestigious competitions. He competed at his first Olympics at the age of 22, representing Colombia in London in 2012, and then again at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“When I was 20, I met Eric Lamaze, and that was a turning point in my career,” Bluman recalled. “Sancha and Eric Lamaze came at the same time.”

The two riders, one up-and-coming, one an established champion, hit it off.

“He offered to guide me and took my career to a whole different level,” Bluman said of Lamaze. “Then Nelson Pessoa closed the circle. He taught me everything that anyone can know about horses, and I share a passion for the horse and its care. That is something that really changed me. Nelson and I come from similar realities. He came from a family that didn’t come from horses. He is in love with horses, every aspect of them.”

In 2015, Daniel and Ilan Bluman created Bluman Equestrian, with farms in Brewster, N.Y., and Wellington, in collaboration with the owners of Over the Top Stables.

Working with his wife Ariel and cousin Ilan, Bluman hopes to compete in Tokyo on what would be Israel’s first Olympic show jumping team with Mexican Alberto Michán, who has also changed his nationality to Israeli, and Wellington-based Israeli Danielle Goldstein.

One of the great things Bluman has emulated is excellent horse care, building a great relationship with each horse and not over jumping his horses.

“Every horse that we have here has its own personality, its own way and its own program,” Bluman said during a tour of his barn. “I am a believer in giving each horse the time to develop a good relationship with the rider and to give the rider enough time to develop a relationship with the horse, and the same with the team. Once all of those things happen, and the puzzle comes together, then the results start happening.”

Bluman is careful picking when competition opportunities during Wellington’s 12-week winter series. “I try to keep the horses I have going here in Wellington fresh,” he said. “There are a lot of competitions. You have to be careful to not over-jump your horses. You don’t want your horse tired at the end of the season.”

He is thrilled by his current successes and the chance to train so many horses to the top level in one season.

“I think we have a group of horses at the moment that we have been working hard to improve,” Bluman said. “I have been trying to learn as much as I can in order to get better every day for many years already. Things are falling into place. When that happens, you have great moments because of the timing.”

But don’t expect Bluman to be out partying after a big win.

“My celebration when winning the Grand Prix has been to come to the barn the next day and work with my horses,” he said. “That is what I do. I do it because I love it.”

Changing his nationality with the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) to ride permanently for Israel was not an easy decision.

“I am very proud to be Colombian, and I am proud to be Jewish and from an Israeli family,” Bluman said. “I just felt it was the right time. I grew up most of my life in Florida and Colombia in a Jewish family. I have also lived in Belgium. I’ve lived in many places. My culture, and the way I do things, are due to that Israeli sentiment from my family. It is something I carry very dear to my heart.”

After riding for Columbia in Rio, he felt it was time for a new chapter. “I got married to a woman who represents Israel. It’s time. It’s the right decision, and only amazing things have happened since,” he said.

With all the success, Bluman keeps a tight ship.

“I use the Wellington season in a different way now. I keep my young horses in Europe. I have a program there running year-round with a very good friend of mine, almost like family. His name is Camilo Robayo. We grew up together in Colombia, and we’ve been together a very long time,” he explained. “I only bring the A team to Wellington to prepare for the big competitions.”

Once WEF ends, Bluman will be off to Europe to prepare for the World Equestrian Games.

“I am a big believer that in order to be at the top of your game, you have to compete in Europe,” he said. “I will be in Europe in May, and then I will go to Calgary because I love Calgary to prepare my horses for the championships there. Then I’ll make my way back to Europe for July and August. That should be the proper preparation for WEG in September.”

The FEI requires that the top teams qualify from this year’s WEG for the 2020 Olympics.

“Every athlete in the sport looks forward to WEG and the Olympics,” Bluman said. “I have a good group of horses, and I will try to be as prepared as I can. This year we have Landriano Z aimed for WEG. I think he’s as good a horse as you can have for a championship like this one. We aim to qualify a team for 2020. Team is what we are aiming for, and we are hoping we are going to get there.”

It’s the horses and the daily interaction with them that drive Bluman.

“It means everything. It’s the only thing that is important,” he explained. “My philosophy and strategy is only added over that interaction and relationship I have with each horse. I absolutely love my horses, and I love what we do.”

To keep up with show jumper Daniel Bluman, visit www.blumanequestrian.com.

A Lifelong Love Of Horses Inspires Barrel Racer Courtney Kitching

Courtney Kitching of Wellington has been riding since she was five years old. She began barrel racing at eight years old and has never looked back.

“My mom had horses and a whole farm when she was younger but moved away,” said Kitching, now 21 years old. “Then, after I came along, my family got some property and one horse.”

It has grown from there. Today, Kitching is training seven horses, including one breed mare. Her favorite, however, is Nemo.

“He just has a lot of personality. I got him off the Quarterhorse racetrack and began training him,” she recalled. “It has been a long process, but he’s very talented. I stuck with him, and now he is actually my fastest horse.”

Her horses each have their own personalities.

“Each horse is different,” Kitching explained. “Some are hot in the alleyway; some have to be warmed up a certain way. With some, you have to be quieter on the ground because they get spooked easy.”

Kitching spends time getting to know each horse. It’s almost unavoidable with the hours she puts into riding and practicing.

“I have a lot to ride,” she said. “So, I go out three or four times a week, riding multiple horses. I suppose it adds up to 30 hours or more each week.”

Kitching is a member of the South East Florida Barrel Racers organization, although she started with the smaller shows through the Palm Beach County Mounted Posse.

“I tried other disciplines as well — jumping, English,” she said. “But I found I had a love for barrel racing.”

In the 1930s, barrel racing was established as a women’s rodeo event, where female riders alternated maneuvering between a figure 8 and a cloverleaf pattern. Judging was based on the rider’s ability to work through the patterns — and on her outfit.

All that changed in 1949 when the newly established Girls Rodeo Association, now the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, made the event all about speed. Suddenly, the relationship between horse and rider became crucial.

The course consists of barrels placed in a triangle in the middle of an arena. The rider races into the arena at top speed, and the timer starts when the team crosses the start line. After completing the tight turns of a cloverleaf pattern and racing across the finish line, the timer stops. The team that puts up the best time with no overturned barrels wins. What the rider is wearing is no longer a factor — it’s all about the athleticism and abilities of the horse and rider pair.

Modern barrel racing is open to girls, boys, men and women of all ages and levels of experience — weekend riders as well as professionals. Payouts and award packages sometimes surpass $250,000.

The win of which Kitching is currently most proud took place last fall in Kissimmee. “It was a Halloween Spooktacular. Nemo won the barrel race out of about 160 horses,” Kitching said. “We actually outran two NFR [National Finals Rodeo] finalists.”

The South East Florida Barrel Racers put on the events in which Kitching generally competes. However, there’s also the National Barrel Horse Association, which stages events throughout the U.S. and hosts its annual World Championships in Perry, Ga.

“You have to qualify to go to that,” Kitching said. “There are also rodeos. I haven’t really started at the big rodeos. I’m still in school to become a veterinarian.”

Kitching is attending classes at Florida Atlantic University with an eye toward the University of Florida, which houses the only veterinary college in the state. “My passion is horses. I love everything about them,” Kitching said. “They’re very innocent but have the capacity to do so many different things. Take dressage, for instance. It’s beautiful. I have a love to care for horses. If they’re hurt or injured, I have a passion to help them.”

And what would Kitching tell today’s eight-year-old wanting to barrel race?

“Never give up,” she said. “I definitely had to work my way up. I wasn’t given a top barrel racing horse; I made my own. The horses taught me how to ride; how to barrel race properly. Once you get riding better, and you train a horse that has the potential to win, you start winning. It’s just like in anything — when you start, you’re not going to be the best. You have to work for it. It takes skill and dedication. You’ll improve each week and find that what you get out of a horse is really amazing. My goal in life is not to make it to the NFR or to make it really big, but just to be happy with what I’m doing — and to make a difference.”

Chisholm Gallery Uses Unique Partnership To Bring Palm Beach Art Scene To Wellington

Palm Beach County is synonymous with the lifestyle of the rich and the famous. As a winter destination for many of the world’s most affluent citizens, there is certainly no shortage of high-end events and artwork. Wellington, specifically, is an unrivaled winter destination for equestrians worldwide, and Chisholm Gallery, locally based but internationally recognized, has used a unique partnership with the Wellington National Golf Club to combine the best of the international art and equestrian scenes.

Already a prominent fixture in the local golf, dining and social scenes, Wellington National’s management team agreed that the prospect of boosting their space with specially curated sporting, lifestyle and equestrian art could add another level of benefits to members and the local community.

Launched in early 2018, the meticulously selected collection propelled the club into the realm of the international art world with help from Jeanne Chisholm of her namesake Chisholm Gallery. The beautiful artwork now adorning the club’s walls and grounds is available for purchase, so that members and guests may be able to enjoy it in their homes, office or even stables. As each piece is sold, a new piece will take its place.

“Being able to display so many of the special works that I have spent years curating was a really unique experience for me,” said Chisholm of her new partnership. “I feel strongly that this is a special cultural opportunity being presented to Wellington through Doug Marty and Wellington National. Local and seasonal residents of Wellington and the Palm Beaches have the unique opportunity of viewing artwork from all around the world in their backyard.”

Boasting more than 100 unique pieces in various mediums, the Wellington National collection is second to none in South Florida, boasting a plentiful array of pieces to please any art lover. Primarily representing golf and equestrian themes, the hand-selected collection is perfectly suited to the Wellington culture and its interests. The newly opened Champions Bistro, hallways, locker rooms and the main ballroom have all been transformed into an art lover’s dream and benefit from the impeccable pieces spread throughout the club.

For equestrian enthusiasts, a life-size metal statue of a horse landing after a fence is a welcome sight at the entrance to Wellington National, setting the tone for the rest of the impressive display. Inside, the distinguished grouping of 20th and 21st century American and Continental art includes landscape, marine and equine paintings, in addition to photographs, drawings and breathtaking sculptures. Sporting scenes and portraits, still life paintings and notable holdings in American illustration add diversity and breadth to the unique library of art.

“We were excited to enhance the appeal of Wellington National with high-quality art, and Chisholm Gallery was the perfect partner for us,” said Doug Marty, co-owner of Wellington National. “It is my sincere hope that our members, as well as their family and friends, are able to enjoy the artwork and appreciate how it complements not only the club’s style, but that of Wellington as a whole. Jeanne has a great eye for art, and I believe that Wellington National showcases it brilliantly.”

Chisholm Gallery was founded in 1978 by Chisholm and her late husband, Hugh Jeremy Chisholm, a well-known businessman and polo player. The first gallery quickly acquired the largest collection of polo art for sale in the world, which has since expanded to include more equestrian, golf, abstract and other subjects.

Jeanne Chisholm has become a fixture at all the major international art events in Florida, including Art Basel in Miami, while also attending many of the major events hosted in Wellington during the winter season.

Driven by her passion for art, she has consistently expanded Chisholm Gallery’s holdings. The internationally recognized gallery offers items for a variety of tastes, from originals by well-known and highly desirable artists, to pristine collectibles, decorative pieces and even the works of promising up-and-coming artists on the verge of breaking into the art world.

With the first round of artwork already installed, Chisholm Gallery will continue to provide Wellington National with a series of high-quality artworks and sculpture to be rotated throughout the year. The initial art installation took place just in time for the grand opening of the Champions Bistro in January, in which attendees could view and purchase the artwork.

For a number of months, Wellington National members, families and guests will be able to enjoy the paintings that decorate the club, and at the conclusion of the display period, buyers will be able to take their new art home for display, replaced by new featured works.

“The extraordinary site — the intersection of art and first-class sport — emphasizes Wellington National’s commitment to the preservation of the natural, cultural and scenic resources of Palm Beach County,” Chisholm said.

Using its position in the local community to promote philanthropy, Wellington National also featured the artwork as the hosts of a recent event in support of the popular charity Brooke USA, which drew people from across Palm Beach County to learn more about the artwork offered, with fine wine in hand, as well as Wellington National and its exciting membership offerings.

With the prospect of many successful acquisitions on the horizon, Chisholm Gallery and the Wellington National Golf Club have a bright future working together to elevate the Wellington cultural community.

Learn more about Chisholm Gallery at www.chisholmgallery.com.