JM Family exec buys Wellington equestrian estate for $12M

A JM Family Enterprises auto executive and his wife bought an equestrian estate in Wellington for $12.3 million.

Records show Daniel and Amy Chait bought the property at 5261 Laredo Way from Christopher and Thea Stinnett.

Amy Chait is the daughter of the late Peter Grant, a former vice president of Getzville, N.Y.-based Columbus McKinnon Corp, a lifting and motion equipment manufacturer with a market cap of $920 million. Her husband is executive vice president of JM Family Enterprises, and president of its subsidiaries Southeast Toyota Finance and JM&A Finance. Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, JM Family Enterprises is one of the largest privately held companies in the U.S., with $18 billion in annual revenue, according to Forbes.

The Stinnetts are professional equestrians and owners of Heathman Farm, a barn that trains elite show jumpers. On its website, Heathman Farm lists its Wellington headquarters, as well as a Pennsylvania location.

Tawny Wolf of Engel & Völkers represented the sellers, and Robert McKean of LAER Realty Partners brought the buyers.

The Stinnetts bought the 10.2-acre estate for $11.3 million in 2019, records show. The property includes a main house attached to a 14-stall barn, a one-bedroom pool house, a two-bedroom staff cottage, an all-weather arena, a Grand Prix field, and a perimeter track. The main house spans nearly 6,000 square feet, with four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a three-car garage, the listing shows. The barn includes an air-conditioned lounge and a bathroom, as well as horse care features like wash stalls, feed and shaving rooms.

The property also has a pool and outdoor kitchen, according to the listing.

Wolf said the property was a rarity in the Wellington area because of its modern architecture and finishes. Its equestrian facilities were also top notch, she said. https://therealdeal.com/miami/tag/wellington/

“The sellers own Olympic horses and sell Olympic horses,” Wolf said, “It was a full Olympic training facility.”

Amy Chait is a dressage rider, and plans to do all of her training on the property, Wolf added.

Wellington is the capital of the global equestrian world during the winter and spring months, when Wellington International hosts the Winter Equestrian Festival and the International Polo Club has its competition season.

Professional riders and business magnates gravitate to the horse-centric community. Billionaire Netscape co-founder Jim Clarke and his equestrian wife Kristy Hinze-Clarke bought an estate for $12 million in October.

In September, a dressage trainer sold half of his estate for $11.4 million, shortly after a private equity chief bought a spec mansion for $9.5 million.

With the horse set in town, the winter is also the busy season for real estate in Wellington. Wolf said she sees a strong market, despite a national recession on the horizon.

“Inventory is low, and demand is high,” she said, “I do expect a lot of buyers this season.”