Diana de Souza Leao Jensen

Diana is a Danish/Brazilian polo enthusiast, who is on a mission to spread the word about polo and get more people involved in the sport. She travels around the world following the high goal polo tournaments sharing her experiences on her blog D

1) How and when did you get into polo?

My very first encounter with polo was actually Palermo Open in 2010. I did an exchange semester at the Universidad Austral in Buenos Aires during my Bachelor’s degree. Many of my classmates told me that I should go watch a polo match, so my friends and I went and it just happened to be the Semifinal of Palermo Open, of course I was amazed with the beauty, power and speed and I became a fan of polo immediately. We also went to the final the following week, Ellerstina won that year.

2) How long were you a spectator, and what was your motivation to get on and give it a go?

I watched from the sidelines for a little over 3 year’s before getting on myself. My blog actually made me get on a horse and give it a go. When I told people about PoloPeoplePlaces, they would ask if I played, so I decided it was time to give it a try. I was a little scared of horses back then and I was living in Bahrain at the time, where there was no polo. So I had to travel all the way to Wellington, Florida for my first lesson. I remember thinking "I hope I don't like it" cause I knew it would take over my life entirely, well it was the biggest thrill of my life that first canter down an open field and the sound of the mallet making contact with the ball and just like that I was hooked!

3) When did you start blogging about polo and travel? And why?

I wrote my Master’s thesis about sponsorship in polo, I spent 6 months writing about polo and after handing my thesis in, I missed it, so I decided to start a blog about my polo adventures and the people I met along the way. I had already traveled to Dubai, Spain, England and the US for polo, so I just started writing about it. I wanted to tell people about this amazing sport I had fallen in love with and hopefully inspire them to get involved as well.

4) How many different clubs and countries have you played in?

Well, I still haven’t played an official tournament. My learning curve has been wide and sporadic. I was working as a flight attendant on private jets for most of my polo learning time, so my life was kind of crazy and it was very hard to be consistent with my riding. But I have had lessons and stick and balled in: Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Sotogrande in Spain, several places in England, Denmark, Wellington (USA), Tianjin in China, Argentina, Brazil, Aiken in South Carolina, Malta and recently Denver, Colorado.

5) Where has been your favourite so far?

This is such a hard question! I always feel like I am home when I go to Polo Valley in Sotogrande, Spain, and I learned so much and made great friends at La Trade Polo Club and El Venado Polo Days in Argentina. It’s always fun doing an intense week of polo when there is high goal polo to watch as well.

6) Do you have a list of places you still would like to visit?

Oh, for sure! I really want to go to Santa Barbara in California, I have heard great things about Costa Careyes in Mexico, Val de Vie in South Africa would be a dream and New Zealand is on my bucket list too. Lots of places I still want to visit for polo.

8) What has been the best piece of polo advice you have ever received?

A novice like me needs a lot of advice, so they are all good! But the most inspirational was when I was first starting and one of my good friends Andrea said: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” She borrowed that one from Walt Disney, but it is a great line and so true, if you can envision yourself doing something and really believe in it, you are halfway there and you can achieve it! Also to focus on my followthrough, I get that one a lot.

7) Do you have a favourite instructor/ coach/team mate?

Many! I feel it is unfair to the rest to say I have a favourite, but my friend Kylie Sheehan has been great, she has lots of patience with me, but also pushes me when I am being lazy and she knows that I am capable of more. I have had many lessons with Kylie in Wellington, Florida.

9) How do you find the best club or coach for you to visit on each trip?

Or do you just book in wherever you are working? I usually ask around, by now I have polo friends all over the world and everyone is connected. If I don’t know anyone where I am headed I go on Instagram and search hashtags, like #poloschool and then the location, then I look at what people post from there.

10) Are there any elements of the game you have seen abroad that you thought should be implemented into U.K. polo?

Better weather ;)

11) What are your future plans and where can we follow you?

I have a trip to Polo Valley in Sotogrande planned in a few weeks time, for a Ladies’ Week of practice and a mini tournament at the end and I will be heading over the pond to Florida for the high goal season. People can follow along on Instagram @polopeopleplaces and on my blog www.polopeopleplaces.com