SPOT LIG HT The family’s Black Oak team is represented by Simon, Johann, Franz and Seppi Colloredo-Mansfeld in 2012.
It Runs in the Family
Franz, Anne, Seppi, Johann, Simon and Annie Colloredo-Mansfeld have all become an integral part of polo, the hunt and life at Myopia. As far back as he can remember, Franz Colloredo-Mansfeld has known Myopia. His is a connection to the sport, the land and the spirit of the Club that goes back generations. Growing up in a Hamilton home where parents and greatgrandparents were club members, Colloredo-Mansfeld began hunting with Myopia at 7 years old. After a life of riding through the fields, hills and countryside of South Hamilton and beyond, he served as captain of polo for 10 years, stepping back after the 2020 season. And while the program thrived during those years, he’s quick to praise others when examining his time leading Myopia Polo. “I was co-captain for the 2011 season with my friend Albert Ellis, and then captain for the next nine seasons,” he says. “I had the good fortune to work with some terrific managers
— notably Cissie Snow, Nick Snow and Kim Maguire. These managers taught me much, and contributed enormously to the success and growth of the program.” He cites the history and traditions that continue to thrive at Myopia, including hunting, golf, tennis and polo. But the foundation has always been about family. “Another special aspect of Myopia Polo is that we have, since the very beginning — so well over 130 years — had families participating in the sport,” he says. “Families working together to care for their horses and play the sport together.” Among those families — his own. In addition to Franz and Anne Colloredo-Mansfeld, four of their children have honed their polo skills on Gibney Field. Seppi, 30, played and was captain of the polo team at Yale;
Johann, 27, also played in college and competitively all over the world; Simon, 25, played on some terrific teams with young American professional players like Will Tankard, Nick Snow, Felipe Viana and C.B. Scherer during his high school and college years. “We have all had the privilege and enjoyment of playing with these outstanding players, but Simon perhaps more than any of us, given his passion for the sport and commitment to the horse care, has probably had the most opportunities,” ColloredoMansfeld says. As the Colloredo-Mansfeld sons’ schooling and careers necessitated time away from Gibney Field — and it seemed that there would be fewer family members playing polo at Myopia in the summer — Annie, now 21, took up the reins. “She became passionate about the sport as she was finishing high school,” Colloredo-Mansfeld says. “She is a great athlete, a wonderful rider and had patiently groomed for her brothers at Myopia tournaments over many, many seasons, so seeing her competing on her own in the tournaments has been fun for Anne and me.” Though he hunted, evented and rode for almost all of his life, he came to polo through his children. “I saw how much fun they were having, so I figured I better get with the program,” he says. He describes the first few years as “rocky,” but credits the patient mentoring of Crocker and Cissie Snow and Lyle and Jon Graham — and wonderful, experienced grooms Karen Davies and Jose Franco — with helping him along and getting him hooked. 2021 myopia polo 63
