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International Polo Club Palm Beach, Winter Equestrian Festival Represented At Palm Beach County Economic Summit
By YA Teitelbaum
November 10, 2005

WELLINGTON, FL November 10, 2005 – The two major components in the Palm Beach County equestrian industry were well represented at the county’s prestigious Economic Summit, held Nov. 9-10 at the Convention Center.

Mason Phelps Jr. Photo by Linda Wirtz

Mason Phelps Jr., president of Phelps Media Group, represented both International Polo Club Palm Beach, host of the Stanford Financial Group U.S. Open, and Stadium Jumping, Inc., host of the National Horse Show and Winter Equestrian Festival, at the Economic Summit. Phelps gave a brief speech about the storied history of equestrian sports in Palm Beach County, discussing its international reach and how important it is to the economics of the area. Phelps also mentioned how vital it is to find ways to overcome several obstacles that may cause problems in the future.

With more than 6,000 horses competing in show jumping, polo and dressage annually, the equestrian industry brings in more than $500 million to Palm Beach County and has helped increase tourism and improve real estate values, according to Phelps.

Phelps answered questions from the audience about a variety of topics and briefly met with several audience members privately after the 90-minute session concluded.

Recommendations by the Equestrian Committee of the Economic Summit will be announced soon.

The 2005 Palm Beach County Economic Summit was organized by the Board of County Commissioners along with numerous public and private partners, including Wellington Equestrian Alliance.