It was just eight weeks ago that Equestrian Sport Productions CEO Mark Bellissimo and six-time Olympian Robert Dover officially announced plans for a new dressage facility in Florida that promised to be on par with the best competition venues in the world. On Tuesday, May 10, that dream took one big step towards reality, with a groundbreaking ceremony held on a rarely used polo field in the heart of Wellington.

While Bellissimo was the first to admit that the hurdles to create the “Global Dressage Festival” and still unnamed dressage facility have been significant, he was met with nothing but support at the groundbreaking ceremony. Despite a cloudless sky and temperatures that topped 90 degrees, deep-pocketed supporters and stars of the dressage community, including Olympians Lisa Wilcox, Michelle Gibson and Oded Shimoni, attended to show their support for the planned facility. Several Village of Wellington community leaders, including Mayor Darrell Bowen and City Councilwoman Anne Gerwig, also attended in an official show of support for the new venue.

Four arenas, a stadium and temporary stabling will be fully functional by the winter season of 2012, promised Bellissimo and Dover. “We’re standing on what I believe will not only be better than, but rival the greatest facilities in the world, including Aachen,” commented Dover. “There are always the naysaysers—there are always people who don’t want things to change and are worried about changing the view, or construction noise, or any number of things. But what they don’t realize is that this facility will change the landscape of dressage in America. It will bring business to their front doors.”

“As long as [Bellissimo] obeys the rules and regulations, everything is good to go,” said Bowen. “And he does, and he will. There’s nothing wrong with anything he’s doing.”

Bellissimo, able to point to the successful renovation of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, which his ESP completed in just three years, spoke confidently when asked if debuting dressage competition by the upcoming winter season was too ambitious.

“I believe you will see a transition that will be as fast and as complete as what we were able to achieve at the Winter Equestrian Festival,” said Bellissimo. “In six weeks we had the International Ring built. We moved a road in two weeks. We’ll have the dressage facility done in the summer. That’s not to say that it won’t be a slow transition at first. But I’m confident in the construction, actually. My chief concern is how we’ll make it inviting to the community.”

With that in mind, Bellissimo was careful to explain that the new “WEF of dressage” isn’t intended to replace the existing dressage facilities at the Jim Brandon Center in West Palm Beach or the White Fences Equestrian Center in Loxahatchee. He said they plan to schedule their show dates around the ones that already exist.

While the general consensus of the immediate community is a high priority, the planned facility has already attracted significant buzz and support within the international dressage community, said Ken Braddick of Dressage-News.com. Fresh off a trip to the Reem Acra Dressage World Cup Final in Leipzig, Germany, and the Horses & Dreams show in Hagen, Braddick attested to intense European interest in the debut of a winter venue built solely for dressage.

“During my trip I was constantly asked about this new venue,” said Braddick. “They want to know how they can get stalls and when the condos will be up for sale. The world is viewing this facility with extreme interest and excitement.”