Hope Arellano

Meet Hope Arellano: The 18-Year-Old Dominating the Polo Field

My “aha” moment came when I was

just nine years old. After growing up on a polo field and watching my entire family play the sport, I knew that’s where I wanted to be: dominating goals on horseback as a fourthgeneration professional polo player.

Even though women have been playing the sport since its inception, only recently have a handful of fieldblazing women proven that they can earn a living and add “professional” to their polo resume. It wasn’t necessarily easy for women to make a living and play polo as a career in the past. It’s just in the past few years that it’s really grown. But it’s a goal I’ve had from a young age.

2022 Argentina La Irenita PHOTO CREDIT: CRUDEN

Once I decided that I wanted to play polo, my family 100% supported me and pushed me to be better every day. At 12 years old my father, two brothers, and I won the USPA Pete Bostwick Memorial

together as a team, and at 14 I became the youngest woman to win the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship. Today, at 18, I am the highest-rated women’s American player and a Global Brand Ambassador for U.S. Polo Assn., the official apparel brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the oldest governing body for the sport of polo in the country since 1890.

Even though I am young compared to others in the sport, U.S. Polo Assn. sought my insight as part of the twoyear USPA Pro development process. Alongside other male and female polo players, I worked to create performance polo apparel that helps riders be more comfortable and perform better on the field. It’s been exciting and a truly unique experience to be part of USPA Pro’s design process, created by players for players.

And that’s just one of the many doors the sport has opened for me off the field. I also develop content for the brand, provide input on apparel product development and can raise money for charity through my tournaments. At age 10, I beat my goal of $10,000 for The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust by asking for donations on the sidelines. Today, I’m an ambassador for Brooke USA, which supports equine welfare programs, and I play in charity tournaments for various causes like ocean conservation.

But all these opportunities wouldn’t have been possible without several key women who came before me. So many women have paved the way for women’s polo, such as Sue Sally Hale, Sunny Hale, Melissa Ganzi, Sarah Magness, and many more. But every day, it feels like women’s polo is making history.

Now, as I strive to make history myself, I also want to inspire other girls and women to pursue their dreams. Although I have so much to learn, I know it’s essential to set goals. Once you’ve achieved them, look back and appreciate everything you’ve learned, even if it wasn’t the easiest lesson. Then, choose another goal and work just as hard for that one and continue to push yourself every day because it will be worth it.