Modon expands global portfolio with investment in US Equestrian destination developer

Modon strengthens its portfolio with a move into Florida’s luxury equestrian market

Last updated: November 26, 2025 | 11:07

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

2 MIN READ

Modon joins a consortium of investors to elevate Wellington International equestrian showgrounds and develop an ultra-luxury destination integrating residential, hospitality and sports assets in Wellington, Palm Beach County, Florida

Wellington Lifestyle Partners

Dubai: Modon Holding has taken a strategic stake in Wellington Lifestyle Partners, marking a significant expansion of its global portfolio and its first direct investment in an equestrian-led development in the US. The move places Abu Dhabi’s master developer at the centre of a major ultra-luxury, mixed-use project in Wellington, Palm Beach County, one of the world’s most recognised equestrian destinations.

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A long-term bet on luxury lifestyle destinations

The investment brings Modon into a consortium working to elevate the Wellington International equestrian showgrounds and develop a multi-asset luxury destination centred on sport, hospitality and high-end residential living. The planned development features premium residences, a boutique hotel, a commercial marketplace and a championship golf course, reinforcing Wellington’s standing as the global home of equestrian sport.

"By extending our reach to the United States, we are furthering Modon’s role in delivering sustainable destinations that embody quality, innovation and cultural connection," said Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, Chairman of Modon Holding.

Growing international portfolio

Modon’s investment gives it a pathway into a wider portfolio of lifestyle and sports assets operated by Wellington Lifestyle Partners. These include the iconic Wellington International showgrounds, The Wanderers Club country club, and The Wellington, a private residential community set to open in 2028 with 253 homes anchored by a golf course designed by David McLay Kidd. A planned lifestyle marketplace featuring luxury hospitality, homes, shops and restaurants will further expand the masterplan.

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Brand rights and global expansion

The deal also includes a strategic licence agreement allowing Modon to deploy the Wellington International brand and intellectual property across select international markets. Modon will also become a premier sponsor of the Winter Equestrian Festival and the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, the world’s largest hunter, jumper and dressage competitions that attract more than 250,000 visitors and exhibitors each year.

The investment cements Modon’s global ambitions across high-value, mixed-use and lifestyle developments, adding a strategic US foothold to a portfolio that spans some of the most prominent destination projects in the region and beyond.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.