Aiken Polo Club 2022 by Aiken Horse Productions

Aiken Polo Club 2022

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Aiken Polo Club 2022

Contents

10 Letter from the President 12 Polo Schedule 14 Accommodations Guide 16 Polo: An Introduction 25 2021 Tournaments 35 The Polo Art of Paul Brown 42 Tommy Biddle to Hall of Fame 46 Aiken's Hall of Fame Players 47 Gear of the Game 52 Horse Games: Do Horses Like Polo? 72 Champion Players 85 Polo Glossary 88 Index of Advertisers 90 Jacobs: A Horse to Remember 8

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Aiken Polo Club 2022 P.O. Box 3021 Aiken, SC 29802 Volume 18. Published annually Editor & Publisher: Pam Gleason Layout & Design: Innovative Solutions Photography by Pam Gleason Unless otherwise noted Special thanks to: National Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame Editorial Inquiries: aikenpolomagazine@gmail.com Advertising Inquiries: Susie Kneece SKneece@bellsouth.net 803-646-3302

On The Cover: Our cover shows Billy Post in 1936 with his horse, Break of Dawn. Billy Post, who attained an 8 goal rating and is in the National Museum of Polo Hall of Fame, grew up playing polo in Aiken along with his father Fred and his sister Frances, all of whom were accomplished players and polo pony trainers. A drawing of Billy Post by the polo artist Paul Brown is the basis for the Aiken Polo Club logo. Read more about Paul Brown in our article on page 82. Photo provided by the National Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Letter from the President Dear Friends of Aiken Polo On behalf of the Aiken Polo Club Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome everyone back to Whitney Field this spring. As many of you know, last summer we completely resurfaced the field. This involved removing all the old turf to replace it with a new state-of-the-art variety that is ideal for playing fields of all types. Over the past 10 months, we have been tending our new grass: watering, fertilizing and mowing to prepare for the spring season. This April, the new grass is firmly established and our historic field is ready for another season of play. It has been a lot of work, but we are confident that it was worth the effort. We have another year of tournaments planned, including six for the spring and five for the fall, and a total of 15 featured Sunday games. Last season, we held all our Sunday matches on Powderhouse Field to give the new grass time to put down deep roots and mature. We are excited to be back on Whitney Field this spring, and hope all of our spectators are just as eager to return to the Alan Lyle Corey pavilion to take in all the action. Our other news is that this year we have committed to putting on a double header every Sunday. Our first game starts at 2:00 while our second will be at 3:30. As ever, I want to thank our fans, spectators and players for your support and participation in this great sport. I would also like to acknowledge all the people behind the scenes who keep the games running: Tiger and Susie Kneece (our manager and marketing director respectively), the umpires, time keepers and flaggers, as well as the grooms who keep the horses fit and ready for play. We’re looking forward to another fantastic season and we hope to see you all out on the field. Sincerely

Charles S. Bostwick, President Aiken Polo Club has been playing on Whitney Field since 1882. Need more information? Visit our website www.aikenpolo.org. For daily updates call the hotline: 803-643-3611. Find us in Facebook and follow us on Twitter, too.

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Aiken Polo Club Schedule

Spring 2022

Fall 2022

April 1: Club opens for practice

September 7: Club opens for practice

April 20-May 1: Jake Kneece Memorial 4 Goal

September 14-25: Alan Corey 4 Goal

April 29-May 1: National Youth Tournament

September 28- Oct 9: USPA Governor’s Cup 6 Goal

May 4-May 15: USPA Sportsmanship Cup 6 Goal

October 2- 9: Aiken Women’s Challenge

May 8-15: Women’s Spring Challenge Cup

A Flight: 8-12 Goals October 2- 9: Aiken Women’s Challenge

A Flight: 8-12 Goals May 8-May 14: Women’s Spring Challenge Cup

B Flight: 4-8 Goals October 12-23: USPA George Patton Cup 6-Goal

B Flight: 4-8 Goals May 18-May 29: USPA Constitution Cup 6 Goal

October 26-November 6: USPA Player’s Cup 4-Goal

May 20-May 22: Spring Mixed Cup 10-14 Goal May 25-June 5: Aiken Polo Club Spring 4 Goal

AikenPolo.org • 803-643-3611 Tiger Kneece, Manager: 803-646-3301 12

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Above: Eden Ormerod

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Accommodations

Aiken

Guide

Aiken is a wonderful place to play. Where to stay? Plan your visit here.

HOTELS DOWNTOWN The Carriage House Inn 139 Laurens St. NW 803-644-5888 Days Inn - Downtown 1204 Richland Ave. Aiken, SC 29801 (803) 649-5524 419 Hayne 419 Hayne Ave Aiken, SC 29801 (803) 761-2980 Rose Hill Estate 221 Greenville St. NW 803-648-1181 The Willcox 100 Colleton Ave. SW 803-648-1898/ Toll Free: 877-648-2200

HOTELS AROUND TOWN America’s Best Value Inn 2577 Whiskey Rd. 803-641-8800 Clarion Hotel 155 Colonial Parkway 803-648-0999 Country Inn & Suites 3270 Whiskey Rd. 803-649-4024 Econo Lodge 3560 Richland Ave. 803-649-3968 Fairﬁeld Inn and Suites by Marriott 185 Colony Parkway 803-648-7808 Hampton Inn 100 Tamil Drive Whiskey Rd. South 803-648-2525 Hilton Garden Inn 350 East Gate Drive 803-641-4220

www.visitaikensc.com 14

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Holiday Inn Express & Suites 2897 Whiskey Road 803-508-7700

Howard Johnson’s 1936 Whiskey Rd. South 803-649-5000

BED & BREAKFAST

Inn at Houndslake 897 Houndslake Dr. (803) 648-9535

208 Abbeville Bed and Breakfast 208 Abbeville Ave. NW (803) 649-3109

Knights Inn 1850 Richland Avenue West 803-648-6821 Quality Inn 3608 Richland Avenue West 803-641-1100 Sleep Inn 1002 Monterey Drive 803-644-9900 TownePlace Suites 1008 Monterey Drive (803) 641-7373

The Birdnest Inn 5200 Sizemore Circle Aiken, SC 29803 979-530-3900

RENTALS Aiken Luxury Rentals 215 Grace Ave SE 803-640-1756 Downtown Aiken Rental Historic District 803-648-2804 Fairﬁeld and Park 227 Park Ave SE Aiken SC, 29801 803-507-1132 Stable View 117 Stable Drive Aiken SC, 29801 (484) 356-3173 Tallyho Aiken Downtown Rental www.airbnb.com

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Play Polo!

An Introduction

By Pam Gleason

Did you know that polo is often considered one of the oldest team sports in the world? Or that it is the only contact sport in which men and women play with and against one another on an equal basis? Or that famous players have included Alexander the Great of Macedonia, Winston Churchill and General George Patton? Or that Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of the 17th century Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan of India, was said to have loved to play polo after dark with a lighted ball? There are many fascinating stories about polo, a game that has been around for at least 2000 years and is enjoyed equally by kings and princess, millionaires and ordinary people in over 50 countries worldwide. What is polo and how do you play? The following is a brief introduction.

Polo Basics At its heart, polo is a simple game. Four mounted players make up a team. These players meet on a manicured grass field, each armed with a wooden-headed mallet that is generally between 51 and 53 inches long. All players are required to hold the mallet in their right hands, even if they are left-handed. They hold the reins and control their horses with their left hands.

a set of posts marking a goal 8 yards wide. The ball can go through the posts at any height. Polo is a game where geometry counts, and the parallel lines formed by the goal posts are considered to extend infinitely into space. A goal judge (flagger) on each endline is charged with determining whether a goal has been scored or not. If the ball passes between the posts, he waves his flag over his head for “yes.” If the ball goes outside the posts, or passes over the top of them, he waves his flag by his feet for “no.”

The first objective of the game is to hit the ball (made of hard plastic and about 3½ inches in diameter) through

The second objective of the game is to prevent members of the opposing team from hitting the ball and scoring.

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Defensive plays include “hooking” an opponent’s mallet as he or she tries to strike the ball — you can only do this if you are on the same side of your opponent’s horse as the ball, since it would be dangerous (and a foul) to reach, over, under or in front of another rider’s horse. You may also “ride off ”, which you accomplish by placing your horse next to your opponent’s and encouraging your horse to push his off course. Finally, you may “bump”, which is riding off with a bang — but it is illegal to bump or ride off at an angle greater than 45 degrees, or to do anything that makes either your horse or your opponent’s horse lose balance, stumble or fall.

play, red will be trying to score on the west end of the field. Switching directions after each goal equalizes field conditions.

It often happens that a team attempting to score a goal will hit the ball over the endline instead. When this happens, there is a knock-in: the defending team is given possession of the ball on the endline and has a free hit at it. On the other hand, sometimes the team that is defending the goal accidentally hits the ball over the endline while trying to get it out of danger. When this happens, the opposing team is given a “safety” which is a free shot on goal from 60 yards out. The ball also sometimes goes over the sideboards. Hitting the ball out of bounds is treated like a “from the spot” foul, and the team that hit the ball out gives the other team possession and a Tommy Huber takes the ball on the near side while Josh Escapite free hit. defends. Thomas Ravenel follows up.

In addition to eight players, each game also includes two mounted umpires in striped shirts who ride along with the players to ensure that everyone is adhering to the rules. Any time one of the umpires sees something that looks like a foul, he blows his whistle, which stops the play. If the other umpire saw the same thing and agrees with him, the team that was fouled is awarded a penalty shot. If the other umpire does not think there was a foul, the two umpires consult the third man, who sits on the sidelines. The third man, otherwise known as the referee, decides whether a foul was committed or not.

The Game Begins

A polo match is divided into periods called “chukkers” or “chukkas.” Each chukker consists of seven and a half minutes of playing time. The timekeeper stops the clock when a player commits a foul, or when someone hits the ball over the endline, but not when a player scores a goal. At seven minutes, the timekeeper sounds a warning bell. Play continues until a goal is scored, or 30 seconds have passed. The final chukker ends at the seven-minute mark unless the score is tied.

The play begins with a line-up at the center of the field. Members of each team line up opposite members of the other team. Then one of the umpires bowls the ball between the two teams. Each team fights to gain possession and drive the ball down to the opposite goal. After each goal, the teams switch directions. If the red team scores on the east end of the field, then in the next

When time is up for each chukker, the timekeeper sounds the horn. Then the players have four minutes to leave the field, change horses and come back for the next chukker. Play is continuous in polo, which means that the action starts in the second chukker at the place where it ended in the first. After the third chukker in a six-chukker match, or the second chukker in a four-chukker match, there Aiken Polo Club 2022

is a longer half-time break, during which spectators are encouraged to walk out on the field to smooth down bits of turf that were torn up by galloping hooves, otherwise known as stomping the divots. Most players prefer to have a fresh horse for each chukker. As a rule, a horse can play one or two chukkers per game. This means that a player must have a minimum of three horses to compete in a six chukker match. Some players use as many as eight or ten horses in a game, jumping off one and onto another mid-chukker. Although they may decide to change horses when the clock is stopped, the umpires do not stop the clock just because one of the players is changing mounts. They also never stop the clock just because a player has dropped or broken his mallet. They may not even stop the clock if a player falls off. As long as that player is not hurt and isn’t in imminent danger of getting run over, the umpires are not required to blow their whistles, and usually don’t.

Fair and Foul

when a player hits it. A simplified explanation of the rules is that a player must not cross this line if there is another player behind him who is on the line and therefore has the right of way. This sometimes means that a player must take the ball on the left side (near side) of his horse, and sometimes means he must not try to hit it at all. If a player does cross the line or commits another foul such as high hooking (hooking another player’s mallet when it is above the level of his shoulder), the fouled team gets to take a penalty shot. The more serious the foul, the closer this shot will be to the fouling player’s goal. Fouls that occur closer to the goal are more serious than fouls that occur further away from the goal. A minor foul might merit a hit from the spot. If the foul is more serious, or is repeated or deemed to be intentional or dangerous, the umpire might move the ball up to mid-field, to the 60yard, the 40-yard or the 30-yard line. The umpire might also move the ball up if a player on the fouling team complains about the call.

Most of the rules in polo come from the concept of the line-of-the-ball, an imaginary line that the ball creates Jewel Gregoncza reaches out to hook Omar Cepeda.

Aiken Polo Club 2022

The Makings of a Team

To arrive at a team handicap, one adds up the individual handicaps of the four players on the team. Three 1s and a 2, for instance, would make a 5-goal team. This team could play in a 6-goal tournament. If they were playing against a 6-goal team, they would start the game with one goal on the scoreboard. Tournaments are classified by how many goals they are. For instance, Aiken Polo Club’s USPA Sportsmanship Cup is a 6 goal: no team may be rated more than 6 goals.

The four players on each team wear jerseys bearing a number from 1 to 4. The number refers to the player’s position on the field. The Number 1 is primarily an offensive player, whose job is to run to goal, hoping for a pass from his or her teammates. The Number 2 is also an offensive player, but he must be more aggressive, breaking up the offensive plays of the other team, and continually forcing the attack. The Number 3 is usually the strongest player on the team. His job is to hit long balls, set up his teammates, plan the plays and make them happen. He also must cover the opposing Number 2. The Number 4, or Back, is primarily defensive. He covers the opposing Number 1 and generally shuts the back door, preventing the other team from scoring. He also must get the ball to his teammates, often by hitting long back Hope Arellano takes a nearside backshot to get the shots. ball away from Pedro Manion.

Handicaps Like golfers, polo players carry handicaps. The handicap is expressed as a number of goals. This number reflects the player’s overall ability on the field, taking into account hitting ability, game sense, team play, horsemanship, sportsmanship and quality of horses. Handicaps run from C (-2, or beginner) up to 10 (the best in the world.) The handicap reflects how many goals a player is theoretically worth to his or her team, but has nothing to do with how many he or she might actually score in a game. Players are assessed and assigned a handicap in the fall and the spring after the summer and winter seasons respectively. They normally keep their handicap until the next handicap meeting, though it is possible for someone playing significantly above or below his rating to have a handicap change mid-season.

The handicapping system keeps teams that play against one another relatively even and allows players of different abilities to compete on the same field. Handicapping also gives rise to the unique pro-am aspect of polo. There is very little purely professional polo in the United States. The most usual situation is to have amateurs hire higher rated professionals to play with them in tournaments, thus raising the level of the polo. When men and women play together, they are all rated on the same scale. In women’s tournaments, however, there is a separate women’s handicap.

The Horses The animals used in polo are called ponies, but they are not really ponies at all. In America, most are Thoroughbreds, and some began their careers as race horses. Others were bred specifically for polo, and still others were imported from Argentina, where polo-pony breeding and training is a big industry. Aiken has a growing reputation as a top place to breed, train and bring along young horses.

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Polo ponies generally stand between 15 and 16 hands at the withers (a hand is four inches.) They are trained to stop and turn quickly, to boldly face oncoming horses, to tolerate flying mallets and balls, to ride-off, bump, and run like the wind when asked. Players say the horse makes up 60, 70 or even 80 percent of a player’s worth. An exceptional string of horses can make the difference between a good and a great player. Conversely, a player mounted on a slow, sluggish, unwilling or unmanageable horse can be quite useless to his team. After all, you can’t hit the ball if you can’t get to it.

The Life Polo was once the sport of kings, played only by the wealthy leisure classes. Today, although playing polo certainly requires a significant investment of time and money, the people who play have different backgrounds and occupations. People of all ages and abilities can play, and the sport does not really require vast sums of money, although money certainly helps. The range goes all the way from England’s Prince William to the local veterinarian, real estate agent, blacksmith or carpenter, and they are not all men either. Today, women make up the fastest growing segment of the polo playing population.

Right: Del Walton tries to ride off Lucas Arellano. Below: Andrew Siders sings the National Anthem before the Sunday Game.

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Some polo players are professionals, who make their living playing polo, teaching, or training and selling horses. Other players are dedicated amateurs, who spend much of their spare time riding and playing. Still others are more casual, playing on weekends or occasional weekdays after work. Whatever their level of commitment, all polo players share the special world of polo; a world with its own language, its own worries and preoccupations and its own set of celebrities. They are united by a shared passion for horses, a shared commitment to the sport, and a love for the game, which is like no other game on earth.

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Tournaments

Charlie Caldwell Aiken Polo Club 2022

Jake Kneece Memorial: Midstate Roofing. Reagan Leitner, Robyn Leitner, Hope Arellano, Lucas Arellano.

USPA Players Cup: Lucas Arellano, Hope Arellano, Reagan Leitner, Robyn Leitner. 26

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Aiken Womens Challenge B Flight: Banks Mill Feeds. Malia Bryan, Sydney Jordan, Jewel Gregoncza, Shannon Eckel

Aiken Womens Challenge A Flight: Midstate Roofing. Jewel Gregoncza, Robyn Leitner, Reagan Leitner, Hope Arellano. Aiken Polo Club 2022

USPA Constitution Cup: Crestview. Lucas Arellano, Hope Arellano, Aiden Meeker, Derek Berg

USPA Sportsmanship Cup: Mullins Land. Frank Mullins, Winston Painter, Horacio Onetto, Omar Cepeda. 28

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Alan Corey Memorial: La Bourgogne. Rebecca Nordstrom, Derek Berg, Hope Arellano, David Meunier, Lucas Arellano.

Women’s Challenge A Flight: Midstate Roofing. Jenna Davis, Robyn Leitner, Reagan Leitner, Summer Kneece. Aiken Polo Club 2022

Women’s Challenge B Flight: Cannon Ridge Farm. Jenna Davis, Casey Floyd, Hannah Fadil, Kylie Sheehan

USPA Governor’s Cup: La Bourgogne/LBL: Hardy Pemberton, Alison Patricelli, Trevor Niznik, Alan Martinez and David Meunier. Aiken Polo Club 2022

USPA George Patton Cup: Hyde Park. Ruben Coscia, Charlie Caldwell, Harry Caldwell, Amy Cortazar

Aiken Fall 4 Goal: Cooper Home & Stable. J.D. Cooper, Tom Thayer, Ciro Eleno and Ruben Coscia Aiken Polo Club 2022

Aiken Polo Club 2022

The Polo Art of Paul Brown

Action, Passion & History By Pam Gleason

aul Desmond Brown (1893-1958) was probably the most important American polo artist of the twentieth century. He was certainly the most prolific. Making his living as a commercial illustrator (he drew advertisements and promotional material for Brooks Brothers and Mobil Oil among others), he also illustrated over 100 books, wrote and illustrated 31, and produced thousands of sketches, drawings, watercolors, aquatints and lithographs on sporting and animal subjects. He loved horses and was particularly fascinated by action sports, becoming especially well known for his depictions of steeplechasing, foxhunting, and especially of polo. Brown was born in Minnesota, but when he was 9 his family moved to New York, where his father became involved in the theater business. When he was about 11, he attended the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, where he was mesmerized by the action and excitement. From that day forward, he was obsessed with drawing horses. Although he was described as an active and athletic young person who played football and tennis and boxed, drawing was his passion. He attended the High School of Commerce to learn illustration, where his instructors were impressed with his talent, but he dropped out before graduating to start his own successful illustrating business at the age of 18. After serving in the infantry in World War I, Brown was married in 1923, and he and his wife Sallie settled on Long Island at a home on the edge of a golf course in Garden City. There they raised a family, while Paul, seated at a drawing table in a corner of the living room, produced his work. Long Island was a hotbed of equestrian action, and 34

Aiken Polo Club 2022

“He always told us kids and friends that he thought he was the luckiest man in the world, for he regarded his work as enjoyable as play...”

Aiken Polo Club 2022

although Brown said he never rode a horse, he became a devoted student of horsemanship. He attended polo matches and foxhunts, and was so enamored of the steeplechase that he made six trips to Aintree in England to draw scenes from the Grand National, many of which appeared in his 1930 book on the subject. Brown became a fixture on Long Island polo fields, sketching the game from life, taking notes on the action and then returning home to finish his drawings. Although he is said to have sometimes referred to photographs to complete his work, his compositions were entirely his own, coming from scenes captured in his photographic memory: “Don’t copy anybody, anytime. Be yourself,” he wrote in an article to aspiring artists in the 1950s. In an age where action photography could be 36

Aiken Polo Club 2022

lacking, Paul Brown’s drawings and sketches became more or less faithful representations of a match. Starting in the mid-1920s, Brown would make his on-the-spot drawings and sketches available at a gallery in Manhattan during important tournaments. “Paul Brown, in his crayon and colored ink sketches, has been vigorously reporting the activities of Polo Week and the walls of the Robertson Deschamps Gallery were constantly replenished with items newly coined,” noted an article in the October 7, 1928 edition of the New York Times. “Although these drawings have been turned out, necessarily, at white heat, there is no appearance of haste. They compose a most interesting polo gallery.” Brown attracted the attention of the specialty book publisher Derrydale Press, and was commissioned to create illustrations for such things as the Hitchcock Edition of David Gray’s three-

volume “Gallops.” He also created a series of four large aquatints for Derrydale entitled American Polo Scenes, which were produced in an edition of 175 signed and numbered sets. He helped Peter Vischer to launch the original Polo magazine and he also produced polo illustrations for Spur, The Sportsman, and the Chronicle of the Horse, among many others. His polo-themed art books include Hits and Misses, Good Luck and Bad, Ups and Downs, and Spills and Thrills, all of which contain his depictions of the action and drama of the game. In 1949, he produced a book called Polo that was subtitled “A non-technical explanation of the galloping game,” and was said to be “approved by the United States Polo Association.” This book includes descriptions and illustrations of plays and of fouls, explaining the rules of polo and even providing a listing of the active clubs in the United States along with the 1949 handicap list. It ends with a collection of illustrations of some of Brown’s favorite polo moments in a chapter entitled Memories. “It is the thrilling moments in the sport which come back to mind,” he wrote. “It is split second decisions and flashing action which one recalls that make a lover of the pastime wish to see more of it . . For over twenty five years I

have made notations of the sparkling plays, humorous incidents and – tragedy.” Brown was a familiar figure to the high goal players whose likenesses he captured, and many of them actively collected his work, especially depictions of themselves. Those players often wintered in Aiken and made up an important part of Aiken’s Winter Colony, so it is no surprise that the walls of the family homes of Aiken players are filled with Paul Brown prints and paintings, while their libraries are liberally seeded with his books. Paul Brown’s work is also familiar to anyone who has been to polo in Aiken for another reason, though they may not realize it. The logo for Aiken Polo Club comes from a Paul Brown drawing of William Post taking a backshot. Billy Post was an 8-goal player in the 1930s who was among America’s polo greats. His father, Fred Post, was an integral part of Aiken’s polo community starting in the 1910s, because, in addition to being a player, he was also a polo pony breeder, trainer and trader who supplied horses to Aiken’s players for many years. Although the drawing that is now the Aiken Polo Club logo was probably created in the 1930s, it does not seem to have become the

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Aiken Polo Club logo until three or four decades later. At around the same time, it also started appearing as the logo for St. John’s church in Aiken, as well as for Lionel Smith, the men’s clothing store on Laurens Street. Descriptions of Brown’s work often remark on his ability to capture a sense of movement in a few strokes and his realistic depictions of the scenes that unfolded before him. But the true appeal of his paintings and illustrations comes from the passion that he devoted to it. Although he never played polo, he understood the game; although he never owned a horse, he seemed to empathize with them, depicting them in their full athleticism, bravery and vulnerability. Never sentimental or sensationalistic, his art reflects an unflinching yet sympathetic vision of his subjects that gives it a unique emotional impact.

Aiken Polo Club 2022

“He worked very hard at perfecting his technique by doing drawing after drawing and by studying his subjects thoroughly,” wrote his daughter Nancy Brown Searles in the foreword to the book Paul Brown, Master of Equine Art. “As hard as he worked however, it was not work to him. He always told us kids and friends that he thought he was the luckiest man in the world, for he regarded his work as enjoyable as play – and he got paid for it!” Images of Paul Brown’s work supplied by members of Aiken's polo community and The Chisholm Gallery in Wellington, Florida. (chisholmgallery.com)

Aiken Polo Club 2022

T OMMY B IDDLE

to Hall of Fame Honor for Aiken Native By Pam Gleason

n February 18, 2022 Tommy Biddle was inducted into the Museum of Polo Hall of Fame in Lake Worth Florida. The Hall of Fame, established in 1988, was created to honor “the heroes of the sport, each year inducting icons of the past and eligible living heroes of polo into the ranks of the great.” Tommy, a third generation player, grew up in Aiken and learned to play at Aiken Polo Club, which his father Tom Biddle ran for many years. At the height of his career, he held an 8-goal rating on the grass, and became the fourth player ever to become a 10-goaler in the arena. Tommy joins a long list of Hall of Fame players with Aiken connections, including the recent living inductees Julio Arellano (2021), Adam Snow (2014), and Owen Rinehart (2009).

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Tommy sai that he is honored and humbled to be selected for the Hall of Fame. “It’s awesome to be thought of along with the other people who are included,” he said. He is quick to credit his successful career to good luck, good genetics, and to the help and assistance of myriad other people, especially his parents, Tom and Linda Biddle. “My dad gets the bulk of the credit, because he’s the one who really pushed me and made sure I had the horses and got to play. But my mom has been a saint having to deal with our family and all the stuff that we do . . . she put up with so much. Growing up, my parents never had a real vacation. Any time they ever went anywhere for a vacation, it was a polo trip.” Tommy was definitely raised to be a polo player, as was his younger brother Bradley. He says that his dad had him on a horse before he could walk, and as soon as he could get around under his own power he was always riding a stick horse with a foot mallet in his hand. By the time he was 5, he was managing a horse on his own, and when he was about 8 he started to stick and ball. Aiken at that time was not the tournament center that it is now, but it was the winter practice club for some illustrious players from an earlier era, such as Pete Bostwick (8 goals), Norty Knox (8 goals) and Lewis Smith (9 goals), all three also members of the Polo Hall of Fame. “It was really neat, because I would be stick-and-balling and Lewis Smith would be there coaching Norty Knox, and he would talk to me. When I started playing easy chukkers at about 12, I got to play with Norty Knox and with Mr. Bostwick. So I was really lucky because I got to see a whole spectrum of polo.”

Cup of Aiken Winners 1985: Tommy Biddle, Charlie Armstrong, Tom Biddle, Tiger Kneece, Mayor Odell Weeks.

Stroh's Cup Winners 1985. Chuck Martin of Aiken Produce with Charlie Herrick, Tom Biddle, Tommy Biddle and Dr. Grayson Brown of the Rebels.

In the early 1980s, polo was making a comeback in Aiken after almost dying out in the 1970s, and a group of players headed by Tom Biddle worked assiduously to introduce new players to the sport, including other local horsemen, as well as their own sons. They created a junior team that consisted of Tommy, Tiger Kneece, Devane Batchelor and David Widener, which was christened the “Young Aiken” team. (This name was a nod to the famous “Old Aiken” team from the 1920s, that was made up of students and recent graduates of Aiken Prep.) The Young Aiken team played on Sundays against teams composed of adults, and for about three years, Tommy said they never lost a match. “Dad would make the teams we played against harder and harder, but they still couldn’t beat us,” said Tommy. At the same time, he was playing tournament and practice polo with and against adults, and when he was 15 and 1 goal, his father sent him to Gilbertsville, New York to play with Rick and Charlie Bostwick at their Village Farms club for the summer. There he met Rick Sears, a polo professional who would become his friend and mentor. He also had the chance to play medium and high goal polo and was on a team that made it to the finals of the 20-goal East Coast Open Handicap at Myopia Polo Club in Hamilton, Massachusetts. That year would be the first of Tommy’s summers “on the road,” and he says that he has traveled for polo every summer since, usually to New York and Massachusetts. The next summer, at 16, he returned North, playing on George Haas’s Windswept Aiken Polo Club 2022

team with his father and Rick Sears. The team won every match they entered to capture the USPA Copper Cup, the USPA Chairman’s Cup and the Village Farms Silver Cup. By this time Tommy had been raised to 3 goals. He we went up to 4 the following year, and then to 5 when he was 18 and a high school senior. Tommy went to South Aiken High, where he also played basketball and was a quarterback on the football team. A 6’3” natural athlete, he was being recruited for college football and says he would have had to make a tough decision about whether to go with football or polo, but he had hurt his knee, making polo the easy choice. At 18 Tommy turned pro. He enrolled at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton so that he could continue his playing career, and he arranged his class schedule so that he could study seriously during the autumn semester, but had a lighter class load in the winter at the height of the Florida polo season. When he was 20, he played in his first arena match when he substituted for Bill Walton, a 9-goal arena player, in the finals of a professional arena league in Texas. The team was playing against a team featuring Joe Henderson, who was 9 goals on his way to 10. Tommy’s team lost, but it was a great experience and gave him a taste for playing in the arena. Over the next few years, Tommy became one of the most sought-after professional players in the country, attaining an 8-goal rating by the age of 23. He played on many top professional teams, including Coca Cola, La Lechuza, Cold Comfort, Isla Carol and Outback, and he won prestigious high-goal tournaments such as the U.S. Open, the U.S Handicap and the Monty Waterbury Cup. Playing in the arena, he won the U.S. Arena Open Championship and represented the United States in the Townsend Cup, an international match against England, winning that trophy four times.

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Additionally, he traveled to England to play in the Morrison Cup, which is the British counterpart of the Townsend Cup, and was on the only U.S. Team ever to win that match.

Tommy Biddle and Tiger Kneece

Blanco Texas wins Copper Cup 2011

Tommy, U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship 2009

Adam Snow hooks Tommy Biddle, Silver Cup 2009

“Being able to represent the U.S. in international play is the thing that I am happiest about,” he said. “When we won the Morrison Cup in England that was the first time the U.S. had beaten the English on their home turf. That was a really big deal for me.” As a player, Tommy has always been known for his strength and his extremely powerful hitting. “I have been very fortunate that I can hit the ball 150 yards,” he said, recognizing that this ability sets him apart from the vast majority of players. But Tommy’s worth to a team is equally dependent on his extraordinary quickness: he has been known as the rare player who is big and strong while also being quick and agile. He said that this did not always come naturally to him: he had to work at it. “I was always tall and I was a bigger bodied than most. Growing up. I saw other big guys playing, guys like Joe Barry, Dale Smicklas and Alex Garrahan, and all of these big guys played Back. They were all great players and I admired them. But I wanted to be one of those guys that plays other positions, not just Back. I wanted to be quick. So I watched videos of all the Argentine players, and shortened up my stirrups so that I could get out of the saddle more and I worked at it to get myself quicker.” Tommy also said that his polo was greatly improved by listening to other players and learning as much as he could from them. “That’s what I tell the young players nowadays: you should be like a sponge. Nobody knows it all. You have to take what you can learn from other people, and put it into your own program.” Tommy said that he learned the most from his father, and then from Rick Sears

and the Bostwicks, and many other professionals he met along the way. Still playing regularly, Tommy said that he will continue to swing the mallet for as long as he can, and as long as people still want to play with him. He has also taken up umpiring, and has enjoyed coaching teams for important tournaments, which is a relatively new opportunity for polo professionals. One team he coached, BTA/The Villages, won the U.S. Women’s Open in 2021. “I have been very willing to help out any way I can. I always want to be involved with polo,” he said.

by tragedy. He was very close to his daughter Lauren, a talented up-and-coming young player who had often played with him in tournaments, including at Aiken Polo Club where the pair won the 8-goal USPA Congressional Cup in 2012. Lauren went to New Zealand to play polo in 2018 when she was 22, and there she lost her life in a non-polo related accident.

“Nobody knows it all. You have to take what you can learn from other people, and put it into your own program.”

Tommy described himself as lucky to have been able to make a living in polo and to have a career doing what he loves that has taken him around the world, introduced him to so many interesting people and brought him so many good friends. And yet his life has also been marked

“Playing with Lauren, I could finally understand how my dad felt playing with me and Bradley,” Tommy said. “I never realized it until I started playing with Lauren, but the joy of playing with your kid is amazing. She was tough as nails and could ride anything that had hair on it. I keep her on my shoulder, and I know she’s looking down and she’s happier than anybody about me being in the Hall of Fame. Lauren would be so happy right now. That’s one of the things that has kept me going.”

Top: Tommy ahead of Geoff Cameron, Polo America arena 2009 Bottom: Tommy necks it ahead of John Gobin on Whitney Field 2012

Aiken Polo Club 2022

AIKEN’S HALL

F A M E P L AY E R S

Hall of Fame

On February 18, 2022, Aiken gained not one but two new members in the National Museum of Polo Hall of Fame in Lake Worth, Florida. Each year, the polo museum holds an awards gala to celebrate its new members; this year was special because the 2021 event was canceled due to COVID-19. This meant that there would be twice the usual number of inductees. In a normal year, the museum adds two players to its Hall of Fame: one goes to a living player and the other is awarded posthumously to a player from an earlier era. The first Aiken player to be inducted this year was Julio Arellano, an Aiken resident and former 9-goal professional player who played in Aiken tournaments for decades and who was elected in 2021.

Krystal Zaskey Photograph

Agustin, Meghan, Julio, Hope and Lucas Arellano at the Hall of Fame

Julio won the U.S. Open Polo championship three times between 1992 and 2010. He also won all of the most coveted major American tournaments including the USPA Gold Cup, the C.V. Whitney Cup, the Monty Waterbury Cup, the Silver Cup, the Northrup Knox Cup and the Butler Handicap. He represented the U.S. internationally, playing in the Coronation Cup and the Westchester Cup in England. Recent wins on Aiken’s fields include the Copper Cup, which he won in 2016 playing alongside his daughter Hope. In addition to his playing skill, Julio is known as a superb coach and mentor, especially to his children, Agustin, Lucas and Hope. Hope and Lucas are both extremely frequent participants in Aiken tournaments, where they often find themselves at the awards table. Active in all aspects of the sport, Julio has also served on the Board of Governors of the USPA and is currently a Governor at Large.

Alex Pacheco Photograph

Melissa Ganzi presents the Hall of Fame statue to Tommy Biddle

The 2022 Hall of Fame living inductee is Tommy Biddle, a former 10 goal arena and 8 goal outdoor player who was born and raised in Aiken and learned his earliest polo lessons on Aiken fields. Tommy was a member of the “Young Aiken” team when he was in his teens, an undefeated team composed of the sons of some of Aiken’s most dedicated players in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He turned professional at 18 and played all over the country and the world, winning such prestigious outdoor tournaments as the U.S. Open, the Monty Waterbury and the Copper Cup, as well as the U.S. Open Arena Championship and the Townsend Cup, an arena match against Great Britain. Still an active player, Tommy is also known as a superb umpire and has recently turned his attention to coaching younger players.

The latest additions to the National Polo Hall of Fame have plenty of company with Aiken connections. Two other players living in Aiken today are also in the Hall of Fame: Owen Rinehart (2009) and Adam Snow (2014) both former 10 goal players. Another living Hall of Fame member is Red Armour (1999) who lives in Florida but has a farm in Aiken County. Among players from an earlier era, Aiken is extremely well represented, with at least 18 players on the roster. These include such important figures in Aiken’s polo history as Pete Bostwick (1996), Alan Corey, Jr. (1992), Devereux Milburn (1990), Norty Knox (1994) and three members of the Hitchcock family, Tommy (1990), Louise (1995) and Thomas (2002.) This means that a full quarter of the members of the National Polo Hall of Fame have lived or played in Aiken. 46

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Gear of the Game The Helmet

is required equipment. Modern helmets are modeled after the pith helmets that the British wore in 19th century India. Today’s helmets must pass strict safety standards and are designed to fend off flying balls and mallets and to protect the head if the player should fall.

The Team Jersey sports the

color of the player’s team and the number of the position that he plays, from 1 to 4.

The Mallet

is made of malacca cane. It usually has a fair amount of whip and can bend quite a bit during a hard swing. The head is made of tipa, a South American wood.

The Bit controls the horse. Polo players use many different kinds of bit. This one is called a Pelham.

Draw Reins run from the bit back to the saddle and help the player to steady and balance the horse.

Leg Wraps & Boots provide support

to tendons and ligaments as well as protection from balls and mallets.

The Ball is made of hard plastic that dents a bit every time it is hit.

Omar Cepeda Aiken Polo Club 2022

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Tommy Huber on the ball; Harry Caldwell defends

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Above: Backshots: Frank Mullins; Alan Martinez Below: Foreshots: Tony Natale; Malia Bryan

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Horse Gam

Do Horses Like Polo? By Adam Snow

Do horses like playing polo? It’s a complicated question, because we’re unable to get inside their skins or truly consider the game from their perspective. Still, I believe they do … or at least the good ones do. Here are a couple observations to support that hunch: This morning I sat on Nuri (short for Nureyev) and ponied three others for their first set, an hour-long walk, to prepare for the upcoming season. These horses had been turned-out resting all winter, and this represented the start of a two-month-long conditioning program before they (and I) re-enter tournament polo. As I rode, and tried to keep Nuri from sparring with the gelding on our left, I wondered if Nuri would prefer to remain turned-out – socializing, foraging, negotiating his standing in the herd hierarchy – for the rest of his days? You’d have to watch him play polo to fully understand this, but I feel sure the answer is no. The picture, and the feel, of his muscled dark frame passing through or around traffic, and the confidence (arrogance?) that he displays when challenged on the polo field – a foot race to the ball or a ride-off with another pony – are real. Above: Adam takes out a set on Nuri, pre-season. Left: Rio, 27 and retired. Does she dream of her polo days?

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Every good pony I ever played has exhibited a strong level of competitiveness. They may not know if we won or lost a game, scored or just missed a goal; but I think they sense when we’re running by other horses, winning bumps, and turning first. There is also something special about any athletes using the full scope of their abilities. And for polo ponies, one of the fittest equine athletes, the demands made of them on the playing field – run, stop, and turn – are essentially natural. After all, these are the same movements they perform while cavorting with their friends in a pasture. So I believe there is an element of play that they associate with the sport. And this is what brings a zip to the stride of our equine partners. Another case in point is the oldest mare on our farm, Rio, who is currently 27. She is part of the “dream team” of ponies that I competed at the height of my career. She played the Argentine Open in 2004, and helped me win the US Open in 2006. At age 3, she played her very first tournament chukker, under Mark Bryan, at Aiken Polo Club. And three falls ago, at age 24, I was still playing her in a New Bridge 12-goal here in Aiken. That’s a pretty good tournament career – 21 years! The winters of 2020 and 2021, I brought Rio into the barn and put her in light work, for some easy chukkas and stick-and-ball lessons for two different friends. The chukkas in 2020 were an unmitigated success. Rio made consistent bee-lines for the ball, and modeled the silky balance that had always made her an ideal hitting platform. In one practice, when Rio and my friend Kim kept making runs to goal, I couldn’t help myself: “Take it easy on her, she’s no spring chicken!” But I had to admit, Rio looked closer to 5 than 25 that day as she played on autopilot and repeatedly carried Kim through the goalposts. So, the following winter – Rio was now 26 – I thought to use her for an event rider who wanted to take polo lessons. But when the day came for our first lesson, I got cold feet and rode Rio Nuri playing on Whitney Field. Aiken Polo Club 2022

myself. (I realized I hadn’t actually swung a mallet on her since the previous winter, and my “light work” had consisted of just a few trail rides: she was a former high goal pony and might be a handful after all.) So I found another horse for the student to ride … and it’s a good thing I did. The first ball I touched at a canter, Rio bucked like a 2-year-old, with all four feet in the air, and a grin on her face. It was sheer glee. “Hold on, here we go! I know how to do this!” I could feel her thinking. After that I stayed at a walk or a trot and coached from the center of a circle while my friend Ellie loped around on another pony, Lakota. For Nuri, Rio, and so many others, it’s only my hunch, but I think they like playing this game. Adam Snow is a former 10-goal player who lives and plays in Aiken. He and his wife Shelley Onderdonk are the authors of the book Polo Life, Horses, Sport, 10 and Zen, and are completing a new book to be published by Trafalgar Square publishing in the coming year.

David Lominska Photograph

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Rio playing in the CV Whitney Cup in 2006. She truly seemed to love the game.

Derek Berg on the ball; Charlie Caldwell defends

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Above: Del Walton; David Meunier Below: Winston Painter goes for the hook on Summer Kneece

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Luis Galvan on the ball; Josh Escapite waits to ride off Aiken Polo Club 2022

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Aiken Polo Club 2020

Above: Omar Cepeda backs the ball. Lucas Arellano ready to defend with Derek Berg & Chilo Cordova in support Below: Summer Kneece; Chase Butler

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Pedro Manion Aiken Polo Club 2022

Above: Reagan Leitner Below: Trevor Niznik on the ball with Amy Flowers for the hook; Saralyn Painter

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Above: Harry Caldwell; Charlie Caldwell tries to ride off Alan Martinez Below: Chilo Cordova and Hope Arellano

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Above: Sydney Jordan; Richard Schmon Below: Isabel Schmon throws in the ball: Aurora versus Midstate Roofing

Aiken Polo Club 2022

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Rebecca Norlians shoots on goal; Abby Frye defends 70

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Above: Hope Arellano; Derek Berg Below: Del Walton

Aiken Polo Club 2022

C hampion P layers Girls Interscholastic Team Triumphs

By Pam Gleason

iken’s team has now won the United States Polo Association Girls Interscholastic National Championships for two years in a row. Coached by Aiken Polo Club’s manager Tiger Kneece, the core of the team is players who learned to wield a mallet in Tiger’s Aiken Youth Polo program and have become respected players on Aiken’s fields. These are Tiger’s daughter Summer Kneece along with the identical twins Robyn and Reagan Leitner. These three were joined in 2021 by Sophie Grant and in 2022 by Brianna Jordan, both originally from Maryland. Although the Aiken team has only been in existence for a few years, it has already established itself as the team

Aiken Polo Club 2022

to beat in the interscholastic arena. In 2019, the team, still new and finding its groove, lost to Maryland in the Southeast Regionals, and then watched Maryland go on to win the overall championship. The following year, the Regionals were at New Bridge, and the Aiken team won a decisive 15-9 victory over their Maryland rival which should have sent them to the Nationals in Houston. But this was March 2020, the month that COVID-19 hit, shutting down the country, and with it any official playing opportunities. The Nationals were postponed until the summer, and then they were canceled. Aiken’s team, excited about their prospects of taking home the title, would have to wait an entire year – a year in which they only became older, stronger and more skilled.

In May 2021, the Girls Interscholastic Championships came to New Bridge, and Aiken’s team was hungry to win its first Nationals title on home turf. Maryland, a nine-time winner and the defending champions, remained the team’s strongest rival. Both teams got a bye to the semifinals, where they met the quarterfinal winners, Gardnertown (New York) and Sutter Buttes (California) respectively. Both teams had decisive victories, with Maryland besting Sutter Buttes 14-5 and Aiken dominating Gardnertown 18-4. The finals were held on Saturday evening at 6:00 pm in front of an attentive crowd. Although both teams had proven themselves skilled and capable, the Aiken team was always at least a step ahead. Arena polo, especially low goal arena polo, rewards quickness in getting back to the play and a dogged ability to follow up one’s teammates to pick up dropped balls and create scoring opportunities. Grass polo relies more on an ability to hit the ball hard and pass it up to, or back to, teammates already on the offensive. The Aiken team’s comfort with the more open style of play that they were accustomed to through regular, grass games at Aiken’s outdoor clubs gave them a distinct advantage and added more speed to the play. Aiken took the advantage from the first, leading 3-1 at the end of the first chukker and 8-1 at halftime. Maryland fought back hard in the second half, but could not overcome Aiken’s smooth teamwork and strong offense. The final score was 17-5 in favor of Aiken. Summer Kneece and Sophie Grant were named tournament All Stars and Summer was given the horsemanship award. In addition to the USPA accolades, the team was also commended by the city of Aiken: at halftime during the May 30 Sunday game at Aiken Polo Club, Andrew Siders, an Aiken City Council member, read them a proclamation and presented them with a plaque.

Left: Brianna Jordan, Robyn Leitner, Reagan Leitner, Summer Kneece with Tiger Kneece. Top: Sophie Grant takes the ball along the wall. Bottom: Robyn Leitner on a run.

This March, the Girls Interscholastic team continued its dominance, winning the title again at the Nationals, held this time at the Brookshire Polo Club in Brookshire, Texas. Aiken’s players drove two days across the country for a rematch against Maryland, still their closest rival, and now a more mature and skilled team in their own right. After a hard-fought back-and-forth contest, Aiken fired on all burners in the fourth and final chukker, tallying six goals to take the game 16-10. The 2022 team consisted of Summer (a junior) along with the Leitner twins, who are seniors this year. Since Sophie Grant graduated, her place was taken by Brianna Jordan, also a senior. Aiken’s Open Interscholastic team also made it to the finals in Texas, where they fought hard, but could not overcome Aiken Polo Club 2022

Summer Kneece shoots for goal. 74

Aiken Polo Club 2022

the strong playing of the Houston team, which won the match 10-7. Aiken’s team consisted of Josh Escapite, Aiden Meeker, Lazaro Gorosito and Brianna’s twin sister Madison Jordan, one of the few girls in the Open division. Both Aiken teams brought their own ponies to the match, which were played on a split string basis, playing one chukker for Aiken and one chukker for the opposing team in order to equalize playing conditions. In the Open tournament, the Aiken ponies received the best string award, while Lazaro Gorosito’s Titona won best playing pony of the tournament. Additionally, Summer Kneece, Madison Jordan and Aiden Meeker were all named tournament All Stars.

Robyn Leitner, Reagan Leitner, Summer Kneece, Sophie Grant, Tiger Kneece, Susie Kneece and Andrew Siders.

The Aiken interscholastic teams have taken their place among the best in the country, and are a testament to the skill and dedication of the players, Tiger’s expertise and hard work, as well as the support of the Aiken and polo communities. The interscholastics are just one part of Tiger’s Youth Polo program, which also includes a middle school league and intercollegiate polo at USC Aiken. The program’s success can be measured, not just in the national titles the teams have won, but in the fact that they have brought numerous young players into the sport, bolstering local rosters and helping to solidify the future of polo in Aiken and beyond.

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Above: Ruben Coscia; Robyn Leitner Below: Shaking hands after the game; Virginia Beach versus La Bourgogne

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Connell Erb Aiken Polo Club 2022

Aiken Polo Club 2022

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Polo Glossary

When you go to a polo match, especially if it is your first one, you will discover that polo players and fans speak a slightly different language. Sometimes it sounds like English; sometimes like Spanish; sometimes it just sounds odd. Just what are the players saying and what do they mean? The following is an abbreviated polo glossary that might help you understand what is going on around you.

Away! When a player yells “away!” he is calling for a backshot that is angled away from his horse. Most of the time, the players will try to hit their backshots at an angle. There are two good reasons for this. The first is that it is easier for the players following to turn and get “on the line” if the ball is travelling at an angle. The second is that there are usually players directly behind the hitter, so hitting straight back often means the ball will bounce off horses or other players. (See also “open” and “tail.”) Ball: The polo ball is about 3½ inches in diameter and weighs around 4½ ounces. In ancient days, the polo ball was made of the root of the willow tree; the word “polo” may derive from the word “pulu” which was an ancient Manipuri Indian word meaning “willow.” Throughout history, polo balls have been made of a variety of different materials including wood and leather. Today, they are almost exclusively made of white plastic. Every hard hit dents the ball a bit, so that one that has made it through a game is no longer absolutely round and is actually smaller than a new ball. A polo game requires many balls so that there is always one handy for knock-ins from the endline or for foul shots. If a ball rolls out of bounds, don’t throw it back onto the field. When a player knocks a ball over the sideboards, the opposing team will get a free hit. Bump: A player may ride into an opponent in order to spoil his or her shot. The angle of the bump must be no greater than 45 degrees. Although a bump can be quite hard, it may not endanger either horse or rider. A bump is “dangerous riding” and a foul if either horse is significantly ahead of the other, going much faster than the other, or if the bump causes either mount to lose its balance. Chukker: A period in polo is called a “chukker,” or sometimes a “chukka.” Each chukker lasts seven and a half minutes and there are either four or six chukkers in each game. After each chukker, the players leave the field and then return with fresh horses for the next chukker. A horse may play one or at most two chukkers in a game. The word chukker comes from a Sanskrit word meaning “the turn of a wheel,” which is presumably how periods in polo used to be timed. Today, officials use electronic timers.

Divot: A piece cut loose from the turf, created by galloping hooves - or more likely by horses stopping quickly. At halftime, spectators are invited on the field to replace the divots, otherwise known as “stomping the divots.” Flagger: An official who is stationed behind each goal to determine whether or not a goal has been scored. If yes, the flagger waves the flag over his head. If no, he waves it down by his feet. Foul: Also a “penalty.” A foul is any infringement of the rules. When the umpires blow their whistles, time stops and the team fouled takes a free hit. Depending on the severity of the foul, the free hit may be from the point of the infraction, or closer to the goal. If the umpires determine that there was no actual foul or that both teams fouled simultaneously, they may have a throw-in instead of the foul shot. Polo being a gentleman’s game, it is actually a foul to appeal for a foul.

Goal:

The purpose of polo is to score goals by hitting the ball through the goal posts. It doesn’t matter how high in the air a player hits the ball: as long as it passes between the parallel lines created by the goal posts, it counts as a goal. After each goal, the teams switch directions and return to the center of the field for a throw-in. Also a term for a handicap, as in “How many goals are you?” (See next entry)

Handicap: Every player is assigned a handicap from -2 to 10 goals. This handicap reflects the player’s theoretical worth to his or her team and has nothing whatever to do with how many goals he or she might score during a match. On each team, the four players’ handicaps are added together to arrive at a team handicap. Team handicaps are used to classify tournaments: in an 8-goal tournament, each team may be a maximum of eight goals, for instance. If a 7-goal team plays against an 8-goal team, the 7-goal team will start the game with one goal, “on handicap.”

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Hook: A defensive play. A player may hook or strike at an opponent’s mallet when the opponent is in the act of hitting at the ball. No player may reach over, under or across an opponent’s horse: this is a “cross hook” and a foul. A “high hook” (above the level of the player’s shoulder) is also a foul. Sometimes a player commits a foul hook by accident. This is an “inadvertent foul hook” and merits a free hit from the spot. “Leave it!”

A player may call for a teammate to “leave it” (meaning don’t try to hit the ball) if the player behind the one “on the ball” thinks he has a better shot. Generally speaking, the player behind has a better view of the game and knows if it would be better for the player in front to leave it or not.

Line of the Ball: The imaginary line that the ball creates from where a player hits it to where it is going. The line extends indefinitely across the field. Many of the right-of-way rules in polo are based on the concept of the line of the ball. Generally, a player tries not to cross the line of the ball, especially in front of someone who is “on the line.” Knock-in: When the ball goes over the endline but not through the goal posts, the team defending that goal gets a free hit or “knock-in” from the point where the ball went out. Attacking players must stay 30 yards away from the hitter until the ball is in play. Mallet: The polo stick. Mallet canes are made of malacca, a type of palm that grows in the Asian rainforest. The mallet head is typically made of tipa wood from Argentina or Brazil. Since polo is not croquet, players do not have to hit the ball with the pointed end of the mallet. Instead, they hit it with the side of the head, at the juncture of the head and the cane. Sometimes when a player yells for a teammate to hook an opponent, he will yell “Mallet!” Other times, when a player breaks his mallet, he may yell “mallet!” to his groom. With luck, someone will come to the endline to bring him a new one. The play never stops just because one of the players has a broken mallet.

Near Side: The left side of the horse. A near side shot is one taken on the left side of the horse. All players carry their mallets in their right hands, so to execute a near side shot, they must lean across the horse. Near side shots are more difficult than off side (right side) shots. 86

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Neck Shot: A shot made under the horse’s neck, causing the ball to travel at an angle in front of the horse. Players must lean forward and hit the ball well in front of them to execute a neck shot properly. Otherwise, the ball will bounce off into the pony’s galloping legs.

Off Side:

The right side of the horse. The most common shot in polo is an off side forehand. The right side of the horse is called the “off side” because riders usually handle horses from the left (near) side.

Open: (a) A shot that travels at an angle away from the horse, either backwards or forwards. Also called a cut shot. (b) A polo game that is played without consideration of handicaps: in other words, a lower handicapped team would not receive any goals to start with.

Pony: Although they are full-sized, full-grown horses, polo mounts are called ponies. This term comes from the early modern history of polo. When British tea planters learned the game from Manipuri Indians in the mid-nineteenth century, they did indeed play on ponies. As the sport developed, players used larger and larger mounts. By the end of the World War I, height limits for polo mounts were a memory. Today, many polo ponies in America are Thoroughbred horses, some of which began their careers on the racetrack. Pony Goal: A goal that is scored by a pony kicking it in. Pony goals count just as much as goals scored by players. If your pony scores a goal, the trick, of course, is to make sure that he kicks it through the correct goal. No one likes to ride a pony that is scoring points for the opposition!

Ride-off: See “Bump.” In a ride-off, a player encourages his horse to lean into his opponent’s horse. The rider may also make contact with his opponent, but only with his shoulder. “Elbowing” is a foul. Safety:

If a defending player hits the ball over his own endline, the umpires blow the whistle for a “safety.” The attacking team takes a foul shot 60 yards out, parallel to the point at which the ball went out of bounds.

Sudden Death: If the score is tied at the end of regulation play, the game goes to sudden death overtime. The overtime chukker is timed just like a regular chukker,

and ends either if one team scores, or at the seven-anda-half minute mark. It is possible for a game to go to double, or triple overtime. More usually, however, if a game is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the match winner will be determined by a shootout, in which every player on each team takes a turn making a foul shot.

Tail shot:

A back shot executed at an angle behind the horse (“under the tail.”) When a player calls to a teammate to “tail-it!” he is asking for a tail shot. The opposite of a tail shot is a cut, or an open shot

“Take the man!” Like “leave it!” this is something that a player might yell at a teammate who is in front of him. He is asking his teammate to ride off an opponent and leave the ball for the player behind him.

or team that fouled argues, the penalty might be “moved up” (increased) on a technical. Umpires ask a player who earns two technicals in a chukker, or three in a game, to leave the field.

Third Man: Also the “referee.” The third man sits on the sidelines and watches the play carefully. It is his duty to settle disputes between umpires by giving his opinion as to whether or not a foul was committed. Never distract the third man!

Throw-In: The way a ball is put into play in a neutral situation, such as at the beginning of the game or after a goal. The umpire lines the two teams up facing him, and then bowls the ball between them. Each team fights for possession.

Technical: A penalty exacted against displays of poor sportsmanship. If an umpire awards a foul and the player

Aiken Polo Club 2022

Index of Advertisers Advanced Endodontics

Mike Hosang-Carolina Real Estate Co.

Aiken County Farm Supply

Monetta Farrier

Aiken Discount Tire

Mr. Central

Aiken Pest Control

Museum of Polo

Parvati Consulting

Aiken Saddlery

Aiken Vet Clinic

Polo Adventures

Aiken Youth Polo

Rapid Recon

All Star Tents

Ray Massey

APC Sponsors

Ronnie’s Hitches & Trailers

Auto Tech

RW Allen Construction

Barb Gould Uskup/Carolina Real Estate

Shoemaker Irrigation

Bee Healthy

Shoemaker Irrigation

Blanchard & Calhoun Insurance

Sig Polo

Blanchard Equipment

SPCA

BRAC / Augusta Polo Cup

Sullivan Turner Meybohm Real Estate

210 York Salon

Breeze Hill Plantation

Taylor BMW

Carolina Real Estate Company

The Aiken Horse

Carolina Eastern

The Alley Downtown Tap Room

Clint Bertalan

The Law Office of Paul V. Balducci

Cooper Motors

The Tackeria

Donna Postma Art

The Willcox/ The Greystone Inn

Dumpster Depot

Up Early Stocks

Edward Jones/ Alicia Kough

Venus Griffin

Enviroscape

Walk About Art

Equine Divine

Walker & Co

First Citizens Bank

Warner Grading

Fliflet, Cassel & Durant, PA

Whiskey Alley

FOTAS

Windsor Jewelers

Gypsy Belt

Hawaii Girls Farm

Hutson Etherredge

Innovative Solutions

Ivy Cottage

KitFox Dentistry

Kurt Muller

La Parisienne

Lionel Smith

Meunier Properties

MidState Roofing

IBC

BRAC

Aiken Polo Club 2022

IFC

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Aiken Polo Club 2022

A Horse to Remember: Jacobs Owned and Played by Devereux Milburn By Pam Gleason As a polo pony, Jacobs was definitely a standout. Not only was he extremely fast, he was also tall for his era, standing 15.3 hands. Today, this would not be unusual, but before World War I, when he was at the height of his career, he was likely the tallest pony on any field. In fact, as late as 1918, ponies were officially required to be 15.1 hands or less, and the rulebook required that every polo mount be measured and registered with the association. But there is no evidence anyone ever tried to keep Jacobs out of the game. In fact, the rules were written to make it easy to circumvent the height rule: any member of the polo committee could to issue permanent and irrevocable certificates of eligibility to any horse that was not his own.

shortly after at the end of the 1913 polo season, Jacobs was one of five ponies that Whitney gave him as a wedding gift.

Born and raised in Texas, Jacobs was assumed to be a Thoroughbred. He was named after J.C. Jacobs of San Antonio, who was said to be a buffalo hunter and polo pony dealer. Harry Payne Whitney, a 10-goal player best known as part of the Big Four that represented the U.S. in early international matches, bought him and loaned him to his friend and teammate Devereux Milburn, also a 10goal member of the Big Four. When Milburn was married

Both Harry Payne Whitney and Devereux Milburn had winter homes in Aiken, and Milburn was a mainstay of Aiken Polo Club for decades, which indicates that Jacobs likely lived and played in Aiken during the colder months. This February, the Polo Museum and Hall of Fame officially designated him as a “Horse to Remember.”

Aiken Polo Club 2022

“Jacobs is a horse that captures the eye of the spectator, and is just the sort of animal needed for the daredevil riding of Milburn,” opined a 1914 article in the New York Times. Other articles extolled his extreme speed. “No one who was present at Meadow Brook in 1913 or 1914 can ever forget the picture of Mr. Milburn coming through on Jacobs “with a wet sail” in overwhelming attack. . . . he was undoubtedly as fast a pony as ever played the game,” said an article in a 1927 issue of Polo magazine. Jacobs is said to have competed in the high goal for a full ten years.

Photo and information graciously provided by the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in Lake Worth, Florida. Polomusuem.com