SUNDAYS AT MYOPIA

Every weekend at Myopia Polo offers a spectacle of sport, tradition and culture. by Brion O’Connor

THE PLAYERS

Amanda E. Roberts

34, WEST NEWBURY A MEMBER OF MYOPIA POLO FOR 15 YEARS

“I’ve played polo since I was about 6 years old. My father, Peter Poor, owns and runs Stage Hill Polo School. His love and passion for polo has been passed down to me and my sisters.”

David C. Strouss

64, IPSWICH MEMBER OF MYOPIA POLO SINCE 1994, AND THE MYOPIA HUNT CLUB SINCE 2015

“I first became involved with polo when I was a teenager, eventually playing with my father, Albert “Bud” Strouss, at the Del Rancho Polo Club in Ohio. Playing polo with my father, who was a veterinarian, has given me a great appreciation and love for the horses and running a horse farm, which I’ve carried on for the past 25 years at our home and the Del Rancho Polo Team at Myopia.”

Reed Parker Miller

18, HAMILTON LIFELONG MYOPIA MEMBER

“I have been playing for seven years. I originally got into the sport because my father played polo. Over time, I’ve started to love the sport because of the community of people and as a way to become a mentor for younger kids.”

Terri Campbell

52, HAMILTON MEMBER OF MYOPIA POLO SINCE 2013

“I started playing polo in 2001. I’ve been a rider since my early 20s, but when I saw my first game of polo in grad school at Cornell, I was hooked. I knew I had to learn how to play—it’s an amazing relationship between horse and rider.”

John “Kurt” Miller

81, HAMILTON LONGTIME MYOPIA HUNT CLUB MEMBER (AND REED MILLER’S FATHER)

“I’ve been playing since 1967. This will be my 53rd consecutive season. I’m the longest playing polo player at Myopia. My father played at Myopia and Dedham in the 1930s. He played until shortly before my birth. Later, when World War II began, polo stopped for a time at Myopia. When I became an adult, I decided I wanted to try my hand at it and came to Hamilton and Myopia to learn to play.”

THE SPECTATORS MILLING about Myopia’s Gibney Field on Sunday afternoons can always expect great polo—and a great social scene. But few fully appreciate the work required to create a first-class sporting event, from Polo Manager Kim Maguire making sure the pitch is perfect to the players preparing their ponies.

In fact, preparations for a tournament match at Myopia start months before the games begin for every participant. So we enlisted several veteran polo players of all ages to get a true behind-the-scenes look at the necessary efforts leading up to a successful match day.

Do you follow a regular fitness regimen? How about your ponies?

Amanda: It’s very important to stay fit for polo. I do many different types of workouts including running, barre classes, free weights, etc. The horses also have to be fit and ready to play. We exercise our horses regularly by playing in practices, taking sets on a track and singling each pony.

David: When I was younger, practicing two to three times per week was my usual routine. A few years ago, I took up fitness training on a year-round basis. I still try to practice once or twice per week. My horses get six weeks of conditioning before the season starts and then are ridden every day except Monday after a match.

Reed: The horses need more exercise than me. They get ridden twice a day around a track and get a little rest before the game. For my preparation, I ride a couple times a week and go to practices. Off the field, hydration, sleep and eating well is a key part of how an athlete performs.

Terri: Both the player and the horses have to get in shape. Most horses get several months off to just pasture graze between seasons. About four to six weeks before games start, the horses are usually exercised around a track to build up their muscles and stamina, and the players should be doing that, too. We usually play two to three times per week, so we maintain our fitness during that time.

Kurt: On the East Coast, the regimen really starts in mid-April to early May. Horses are exercised daily, doing ‘sets’ starting with walking for an hour twice a day, later increasing the pace. Longer slow sets build stamina needed for the game. Myself, my son and our groom will take them out, getting our horses and ourselves fit. Once the season begins, the horses are playing nearly every day. For players, by the time the season is underway, playing is rigorous and recovery is the most important between matches.

Do you work with the ponies directly, or do you have someone to groom them? What’s a typical pre-week like for them?

Amanda: I work with our ponies directly, and we also have a community within the Stage Hill Polo School that helps care for the horses, exercise and play them. It takes a community.

David: Thankfully, I have the best groom in polo, Dennis Diaz, who has been with me for nearly 10 years. Dennis, with help from my wife and barn manager, are the ponies’ primary caregivers. It’s truly an aroundthe-clock operation. Dennis does sets every morning before breakfast, feeds, checks condition, turns ponies out, then prepares them for practice or games.

Reed: My family has a groom to take care of our horses. He feeds twice a day, cleans stalls twice a day, works horses twice a day and many other things that go into the care every week. In the summer, I ride the horses with my groom about four times a week.

Terri: I work full-time, so I’ve always needed help to take care of my horses. When I only had two or three horses, I would do all the grooming work myself before and during games, but someone else would feed them and clean stalls daily. As I progressed in the sport, I needed to hire someone. I’m fortunate to have an amazing groom who loves the horses as much as I do.

Kurt: It’s a combination. Our groom takes care of the feeding, grooming and mucking stalls. Early in the season, exercise is a combination of my groom, my son and myself. During the season on off days, we usually ‘stick and ball’ each horse for 15 minutes a day. It’s extremely important for the horses to play at a relaxed pace frequently.

Do you participate in the practice games on Winthrop Field on Fridays? How important are these warm-up games?

Amanda: I participate in all practice games that I can. Practice makes perfect. The more you ride, the more you play, the more polo you watch, will make you a better polo player. Practicing also helps the ponies to get fit.

David: I enjoy the Friday practice games on Winthrop Field almost as much as a tournament game. It is a great warmup for both horse and rider. The focus on a Friday afternoon can be working with your horse more than in a match and enjoying the camaraderie with fellow players.

Reed: I participate a lot in the practices at the beginning of the season. However, as the season gets into tournaments, the horses need more rest. It’s very important in the beginning of the season for the horses to get into shape. Most injuries are caused because the horses aren’t fit enough.

Terri: It’s very important to keep playing throughout the season and not just on Sundays. We have game practices on most Fridays and sometimes tournament games are scheduled then. What spectators see on Sundays is the result of many days of riding during the rest of the week.

Kurt: Practice games are much similar to ‘stick and ball’ and it is better for the horses to play at a relaxed speed, and excellent for teammates to work together.

What is Saturday, the day before, like? Is there a lot of nervous energy?

Amanda: I always get nervous before a game. It doesn’t matter if it’s a captain’s game at Myopia or the Women’s East Coast Open. But once the first ball is thrown in, I’m focused and the nerves completely go away.

David: On Saturdays, I try to do non-polo activities, such as going to the gym, work around the farm or a little fishing. By keeping my mind and body preoccupied and off the next day’s game, I’m more relaxed going into Sunday.

Reed: The day before is not much of a big stresser. Everyone wants to relax and have some fun and not worry about the game. Hanging out with friends or stick-and-balling is the best way to deal with any nervous energy.

Terri: If we played a game on Friday and expect to play on Sunday, then Saturday will be a rest day for the horses. We’ll make sure all of the tack is spotless, including boots, bridles and leg wraps. Hopefully the horses will be grazing in a nice sunny pasture to relax before the big day.

Kurt: No, I’m generally so busy with chores, which come with having horses, barns and land, that I don’t focus on it. I do usually go stick-and-ball a little, as some relaxed riding helps the horses and myself.

With matches starting at 3 p.m., how do you spend the hours beforehand?

Amanda: The hours before the game are spent at home getting some good rest and then at the barn preparing the horses.

David: On game day, I still have the same feeling of excitement mixed with nervousness as I did 25 years ago. I try to keep the same routine, whether taking the trash out, cutting the polo field or other chores. Shortly before the game the team will huddle, discuss strategy, and coordinate horses to ensure that everyone isn’t playing their weaker horses at the same time.

Reed: Before games I try to not do any physical strenuous activities to save my strength for the game. Before the game, I eat very little—just enough to hold me over through the game—because I have a big dinner the night before.

Terri: Even though the Sunday game doesn’t start until 3 p.m., game-day preparation starts early. The horses will be washed and their manes trimmed. Horseshoes will be checked. Each horse will have a warm-up ride before they go on the field in order to stretch. And it’s important for players to stretch beforehand, too.

Kurt: I go over the horses and ‘line-up’ with the groom in the morning, who takes the horses to field. I set up a cooler for our tailgating, make sure I have an early lunch and rest for about an hour before I leave for the field. During the match, I hydrate before each chukker. I don’t do a lot of exercise beforehand, as I find it detrimental, but I do a small amount of stretching at the field.

Is there a way to describe what the actual game feels like?

Amanda: It is unreal. There is no easy way to describe it. But I will say, you just have to try it. It is absolutely exhilarating.

David: Exhilarating may best describe playing in a Sunday tournament match. I often joke with people who ask why I’m still playing at this age. This sport is so powerfully addictive. I put everything mentally and physically into important games, and often pay the price afterwards.

Reed: In the best games, you have no other thoughts in your head except the game. The match is like a battle, constantly pushing back and forth between the teams.

Terri: There’s always an adrenaline rush when you play. With polo in particular, because it is so dangerous, it’s a rush of excitement that lasts the whole game. The horses are so powerful, you have to be completely focused the entire time. And because it’s a team sport, you need to be able to communicate effectively with your teammates while so many things are happening at once.

Kurt: It’s always exhilarating, but I mostly find myself ‘in the game.’ I don’t think about the spectators or how exciting it is. I’m concentrating on where the ball is, making sure that I’m doing my job for my position. I’m either making sure that no one gets by me and trying to look for an open space for the pro to hit to me, or if I’m back, I need to put the pressure on the other player, make him hit the ball, in hopes that one of my other players can get to the ball and take control of the play.

Post-game, many spectators leave shortly after replacing a few divots. What does your post-game regimen look like?

Amanda: After the game, I always make sure the horses are well taken care of. They give their all to you and your team, so I want to thank them and give them the care they deserve.

David: After the game, it’s traditional at Myopia for the players to meet for the award ceremony, spray a little champagne and then spend time together along with family and friends. Often there are still great tailgating parties going on and many players will just hang out as the sun sets. These are among the most memorable times in my polo life.

Reed: After the game, my groom takes care of the horses, and the team talks after the game. In victories, hugs and smiles. In losses, ideas of how we could’ve been better. You can’t win every game, and everyone leaves it all out on the field.

Terri: No. 1 is to take care of the horses. They need to be untacked and cooled down. Spectators can see the grooms washing the horses by the trailers right after they’ve played. It gets all of the sweat and dirt off and helps them cool off quicker. For players, it takes some time for the adrenaline to calm down. And no matter how competitive everyone is on the field, there is so much camaraderie after the game.

Kurt: First, I go check the horses, make sure there are no injuries and talk with the groom. I head over to the pavilion for the trophy presentation, which is always better if I was on the winning team. But just being out there and having fun is the ultimate goal. We usually have a plan for a little barbecue after the game or take advantage of a beautiful evening and tailgate with other players from both teams, pros, friends and kids running around, long after the spectators have left.