Horses for courses

Pairing a man passionate about polo with tourists who want to try it for themselves was a match made in heaven, says Fernando Nieto

When it comes to polo, Buenos Aires is the most important place in the world. As the city attracts so many international visitors every year, I thought it would be interesting for them to learn about our national sport.

I founded Polo Elite in 2008. Since then, we have served more than 4,000 customers from around 80 countries. Three quarters of them have taken polo lessons with us and played stick-and-ball and chukkas, and the rest have joined us to watch games.

Initially, they were mostly young people – travellers staying in the city’s hostels. They were fascinated to learn about a sport about which they knew little or nothing, and enjoyed spending a day in the Argentine countryside, plus, of course, the drinks and music after the match – the perfect combination. Soon, these spectators started asking if they could play a more active role and where they might sign up for a lesson. There were no places available, however, because all the farms focused solely on players who were coming for a longer stay and not just a one-day experience.

Opposite, from top Fernando Nieto; and some of his international pupils This page Fernando leading a class

It became apparent that here was a business opportunity. I approached the owner of a small family polo club, offering to bring along tourists who wanted to take lessons. He thought it was a good idea and asked if I’d consider acting as the instructor. The idea took off immediately.

At the beginning it was a lot of fun, although, in 2009, Argentinian tourism took a hit due to the global financial crisis. I was considering giving up, but in early 2010, things changed, and the next three years saw a boom in visitors. We’re listed on TripAdvisor and have so far received nearly 600 positive comments, meaning that what we offer is among the most popular things to do in Buenos Aires. At one point, we were even ranked first among the 3,000 activities listed across South America.

We cater for a wide range of people, from five to 75-year-olds. Age doesn’t matter and you don’t even need to have ridden before – I’m hopeful I could regain the handicap I had when I started playing a decade ago. I’m also getting into breeding – I find that really exciting.

In the past three years, the Argentinian economy hasn’t been in the best shape and the restrictions in the exchange market and ever- increasing inflation has made the country less appealing to travellers. As a result, our business has had its share of ups and downs, but we’ve benefited from having a low-cost structure and I’ve reinvested the profits back into the company so as to maintain the same high-quality service.

I think the reason we’ve succeeded is our determination to be actively involved in the polo community and the genuine relationship we have with our customers. I have a fantastic time doing what I do, which means my mobile is on around the clock to reply to any polo-related enquiry, and I’m happy to work 365 days a year. poloelite.com

Age doesn’t matter. You don’t even need to have ridden before – everyone has fun

everyone has a lot of fun. A pleasing number of our customers return, or recommend us to others visiting Argentina.

When travelling abroad, I’ve been hosted by many of the friends I’ve made through polo – I’ve been to the US and Canada and, this year, I’m visiting Europe. My goal is to develop the company and to play as much polo myself as I can. Team Polo Elite has won several competitive tournaments in Buenos Aires and