Photo courtesy of JRPR.
Wellington, FL (February 2, 2016) – During the third week of competition at the 2016 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, Carol Cohen presented Wellington’s Mark and Katherine Bellissimo with the Global Dressage Visionary Award. Cohen, who presents the Global Dressage Visionary Award during all CDI weeks of the world-renowned 2016 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, chose to recognize the Bellissimos for not only making world class dressage competition in Wellington a reality, but also for continuing to support the growth of the show series since its inception.
The Bellissimo family – Mark, Katherine, and their four children – first traveled from Boston, MA to Wellington, FL in 2000. Originally, Katherine and their two daughters would come to compete their horses over the weekend, while Mark and the boys would come to escape the harsh Boston winter months. From the beginning, the family could sense that Wellington was more than a winter retreat, and decided to call the town home in 2004.
Mark became increasingly involved in Wellington’s iconic Winter Equestrian Festival, and his significant corporate business background eventually led him to become the majority shareholder in Wellington Equestrian Partners LLC, which was formed in 2006. Wellington Equestrian Partners LLC has grown to manage Equestrian Sport Productions and its Winter Equestrian Festival, Adequan Global Dressage Festival, Tryon International Equestrian Festival, and most recently the Colorado Horse Park.
An equal partner in their multiple business endeavors, Katherine Bellissimo explained, “We have a partnership. There are macro things and micro things, and that is one of the reasons that Mark and I work so well together. We are absolutely a team.”
Cohen, a founding sponsor of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, is an FEI-level dressage competitor and created the Global Visionary Dressage Award to recognize individuals who, like herself, have been instrumental in the growth and promotion of classical dressage in America. She presented Katherine and Mark with an engraved glass Global Visionary Dressage Award trophy to commemorate the occasion.
“We are grateful to Carol for her efforts,” said Katherine Bellissimo as she accepted the Global Dressage Visionary Award. “Carol has been here since the Adequan Global Dressage Festival’s inception and she is also truly a visionary for her community.” The sentiments could not be shared more fully between these three people whose combined dreams have come to a stunningly successful fruition.
Right before recognizing Bellissimos for their great contributions to dressage, Cohen was busy making contributions of her own. She successfully hosted the first Adequan Global Dressage Festival Leadline exhibition, which was a kick-off to the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle competition this past Friday night. The leadline class was a shared vision between Cohen and United States Dressage Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover, and was an effort to create a pipeline for young riders into the discipline. The seven young participants and their families got to experience the thrill of the International Stadium at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival first hand as they rode their horses and ponies in front of a panel of judges. “Our community needs to foster the future riders of the sport, and my hope is that the leadline class becomes a recognized division in the future,” Cohen said. The event was such a success that there will be three more leadline classes held throughout the rest of the 2016 season; February 26, March 5, and March 18.
Not only is Cohen a passionate advocate of the sport of dressage, she is also active in the local Wellington, Florida community as a licensed Real Estate Agent under the umbrella of Engel & Völkers real estate brokers. Like the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, Engel & Völkers’ presence is substantial in the Wellington area as well as throughout the world.
For more information about Carol Cohen and her listings at Engel & Völkers Real Estate in Wellington, please visit carolcohen.evusa.com. To see Carol Cohen award Katherine and Mark Bellissimo in the Global Dressage Visionary Award presentation video, go to https://youtu.be/KbrfStYmHas.
Contact: Carol Cohen
561-756-4844
carol.cohen@evusa.com
carolcohen.evusa.com