WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 17, 2026–Construction is well underway of two of five new horse barns for a newly developed area of Wellington International that is scheduled to host the Global Dressage Festival for the 2027 winter circuit.
The roofs of both barns are being installed as work progresses on building concrete pads for the three other barns.
Plans call for each barn to have 60 horse stalls measuring 12 ft. x 12 ft./3.6m x 3.6m. The roofs are significantly higher for improved air flow than the stables at the existing Global grounds that is being re-developed into a luxury housing and recreation complex.
Four new outdoor arenas completed last year are being used during this Winter Equestrian Festival as lunging and training rings for nearby temporary hunter-jumper stables.
A grass derby field that was prepared in 2025 as part of the new facilities is maturing alongside the new sand rings to as a replacement of the popular field at the current Global facilities named Equestrian Village.
The long-established Wellington hunter-jumper grounds (and dressage before GDF was first under construction in 2011) has been completely overhauled in the past two years.
Development of the major expansion of WEF was pledged as a new home for dressage in exchange for approval of the existing Global grounds as a high end housing, recreation and retail project.
Wellington International stages WEF and GDF and has long been a premier United States equestrian venue and one of the longest running in the world. Its success has led to the creation in Florida in the past five years of the spectacular World Equestrian Center in Ocala and TerraNova near Sarasota.
