
The second act began on paper. In 1972 Palm Beach County approved a planned unit development on the old ranch lands, and builders started laying out a community around Lake Wellington. Then, in 1977, polo arrived — brought by Gould Corporation chairman William "Bill" Ylvisaker — and everything about the place changed direction. Palm Beach wealth looked fifteen miles west for room that the island could never offer: room for barns, rings, paddocks, and polo fields. Within a decade the strawberry country had a new crop, and it stood sixteen hands tall.
Polo arrived in 1977, and the winter show season now runs roughly twelve to thirteen weeks each January through April, drawing riders from all 50 states and more than 30 countries.
Why People Visit Wellington Florida
- Take in the winter equestrian season — show jumping, dressage, and international polo draw riders from around the world to Wellington's rings and polo fields each January through April.
- Ride or walk part of the Equestrian Preserve's bridle-trail network — dozens of miles of public horse trails threading the village's horse country.
- Walk the Wellington Environmental Preserve at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Habitat — a 365-acre public park with trails and birdwatching towers on the Everglades edge.
- Explore Peaceful Waters Sanctuary — a 30-acre wetlands park with boardwalks across marsh and wetland habitats.
- Relax along Lake Wellington and the village's neighborhood parks and ball fields.
- Drive the horse-themed street grid of the equestrian neighborhoods, where barns and rings sit beside the canals of the old Acme Drainage District.