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Contents

POLO TIMES

Publisher Margie Brett margie@polotimes.co.uk Editor Yolanda Carslaw yolanda@polotimes.co.uk Deputy Editor James Mullan jamesmullan@polotimes.co.uk Art Editor James Wildman james@polotimes.co.uk Advertising Karen Saunders karen@polotimes.co.uk Subscriptions Becky Ford becky@polotimes.co.uk Accounts Debbie Mason accounts@polotimes.co.uk

Contributors Gaurav Chand, Bruce Cowley, Antje Derks, Arthur Douglas-Nugent, Mark Emerson, Alice Gipps, John Horswell, Lorna Jowett, Tony Ramirez, Andrew Seavill, Herbert Spencer, Martha Terry Front cover Pablo MacDonough in St Moritz,

by Nacho Corbalán Designed and typeset by Wildman Design www.wildmandesign.co.uk Printed by Stones – Banbury, Oxfordshire Mailers Jordan & Co – Witney, Oxfordshire Subscription per annum UK £55 Europe & Ireland £65 Rest of the World £75 email: admin@polotimes.co.uk or subscribe online at www.polotimes.co.uk

Polo Times East End Farm, North Leigh Oxfordshire OX29 6PX Tel: 01993 886 885 Fax: 01993 882 660 email: admin@polotimes.co.uk www.polotimes.co.uk

© Polo Times Limited 2009 and Database Right 2009 Polo Times Limited holds the copyright & database right to the information it publishes in Polo Times and on the Polo Times website. No content may be reproduced or distributed without the consent of the Editor. ‘Polo Times’ is the trade mark of Polo Times Limited.

22 St Moritz celebrates 25 years News 4 8

All the latest news HPA news

Comment 11 13 14 16 19 21

Obituaries: Paul Sweeney & Norman Jackson Herbert Spencer’s global view Polo as I see it: Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers Your views: letters to the editor John Horswell’s players’ forum Arthur Douglas-Nugent’s umpire’s corner

38 Pablo MacDonough at home

Reports 22 28 30 32 34 36

Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow: St Moritz HPA National Arena Club Champs: RCBPC Berenberg Snow Polo: Klosters, Switzerland Polo Challenge: Jaipur, India Schools update: who trains where?

Around the world and around the clubs

Features 38 42

The magic of MacDonough: Pablo at home Novice ambition: beginners’ special

The knowledge 48 51 52 55 56 60 62 63

Duty vet with Mark Emerson Horsemanship with Andrew Seavill Pony power: on the snow in St Moritz Feeding with Lorna Jowett Travel: Pakistan Gilgit Polo special Club profile: The Villages, Florida Gear: five of the best boot bags What’s on this month

64 74

Out and about in Switzerland Last word: a week in the life of Piki Alberdi

42 Beginners’ special

56 Travel – Pakistan

ISSN 1461-4685 www.polotimes.co.uk March 2009 3

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News

from the Editor Gloom may fill the papers and Jamie Packer may be packing up his ponies, but still people in their droves want to learn and play our brilliant game. With two new fixtures in London (see pages 4 and 9) – and a third to be revealed

by Polo Times next month – polo will have plenty of exposure to new audiences in 2009 and in some respects this could be a year of opportunities. Demand remains high from novices and, thankfully, there are plenty of good places people can learn.

Friends regularly ask me where they can get started, or just have a go – and I’m never sure which places specialise in what sort of teaching, and how much it costs. We asked Martha Terry to investigate, and she found keen instructors the length and breadth of the country, each with their own pluses – see page 42.

England to face Argentina at this summer’s Cartier TEN-GOALERS Adolfo Cambiaso and Facundo Pieres are expected to be the stars of a 26-goal Argentine national side that will play against England on Cartier International Day this summer.

“The Argentine Polo Association (AAP) has accepted our invitation to compete on Cartier International Day for the Coronation Cup,” said HPA chief executive, David Woodd. “Their side will comprise arguably the world’s two best players, probably plus two three-goalers.”

Reading her findings made me think of the teachers I have had over the years – and their contrasting styles. There’s something to be said for the Argentine “laissez-faire” approach I encountered on the Pampas – and if you’re learning on holiday, it goes well with the whole relaxed experience. But on balance it was more productive – and entertaining – to be pushed; for instance, by the special kind of vocal encouragement offered during chukkas at Terry Hanlon’s Ambersham Academy. “Don’t stand there like a ----ing lemon – GET WITH YOUR MAN!” he would bellow on the frequent occasions I was out of position.

Continuing his roll of results, Pablo MacDonough followed his Argentine Open win in December with a sensational debut at St Moritz in January.

In between the two, Alice Gipps caught up with him at La Irenita, the family stud, to ask him about his horses, his heroes and to take some excellent pictures – see page 38.

Yolanda Carslaw

4 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

Polo comes to Horse Guards Parade INTERNATIONAL ARENA POLO is coming to London’s Horse Guards Parade, home of Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s birthday parade. The 15goal London Polo Championship, scheduled for the evenings of Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 June, has been endorsed by the Royal Parks and the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA). The organisers, who staged last year’s British Beach Polo Championship at Sandbanks in Dorset, say this will be the first time polo has been played at the world-famous venue in St James’s Park between Whitehall and Buckingham Palace.

Four three-man national teams are expected to compete: England and South Africa are confirmed, while others in the running include France, Thailand, India and Ireland. The England side is likely to comprise two higher-handicapped players plus a lower-handicapped young talent.

Johnny Wheeler, who is working on the charity side of the event, said that the London Polo Championship has not been set up in competition with the high-profile Polo in the Park (see page nine). “Both events are bringing attention to our sport in the capital, which is brilliant,” he said.

© Crown Copyright, images from www.defenceimages.mod.uk

As I write, the arena season is reaching its height with the Arena Gold Cup at the Berkshire – which has had a tremendous boost this year with new sponsorship by Mayfair’s Westbury Hotel. Meanwhile, the snow has given way to mild weather – just in time for players who are bringing their horses in from grass for the summer season. Let’s hope a clement, sunny spring will follow, and give everyone a boost as they prepare for action.

Adolfo Cambiaso (right), who will play for Argentina

It looks set to be a stiff test for the hosts. The last time Cambiaso pulled on an Argentina shirt to take on England (at the Beaufort Test Match in 2006), he did so in controversial circumstances, when a 30-goal Argentine side refused to concede any goals on handicap to England’s 24goal team, which was lacking the likes of Luke Tomlinson and Henry Brett, England’s top players at the time. Unsurprisingly, playing the match open, Argentina triumphed at a canter, 10-4.

This time the teams will start as equals, with similarly handicapped sides, played to handicap if necessary. However, even in our Test Match encounters with Argentina on handicap, of which there have been two at the Cartier since the Falklands, the English success rate doesn’t make for happy reading. The home team lost on both occasions. Indeed, no English side has beaten Argentina in an official international match on English soil since before the Second World War. Nevertheless, it is an exciting and yet risky strategy from the AAP to field a side in which the talent is so concentrated: much will be expected from Cambiaso and Pieres but, if England can shut them down, the host nation’s more-evenlyhandicapped side will surely have the advantage over Argentina’s other two players, giving themselves a fighting chance of victory.

Another London event, another historic venue

Grandstands overlooking a temporary arena will have a panoramic view of Horse Guards. The event will include trade stands, celebrity pony races and après-polo parties. Three main charities will benefit: Help for Heroes, the Army Benevolent Fund and the Heaton-Ellis Trust. Tickets range from £50 for reserved seats to £250 with VIP hospitality. For more, see www.londonpolo.co.uk

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News in brief

Ten-goalers Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres. Rumours are circulating as to who they will play for now Ellerston has bowed out

Packer is out, but 14 are in established polo teams including Apes Hill, Atlantic, Azzurra, Broncos, Dubai, Lechuza Caracas, Les Lions, Lora Piana, Lovelocks, Sumaya, Talandracas and Zacara, and there is also a new high-goal name in the fray for 2009 – Jerome Worth’s Enigma team. The polo office at Guards reports it has also received requests to play from several other teams, but was unable to confirm their entry at the time of writing.

The Queen’s Cup is held from 19 May to 14 June. Before then, Guards is set to throw open the doors to its new clubhouse – the Queen will unveil the elegant building on 26 April.

including 10 foals and nine in-foal mares (Packer had recently started a UK embryo programme) – still grazed near Stedham, Ellerston’s base, and their new owner or owners were yet to be confirmed.

Various prospective buyers have been mooted, including the Pieres family. Word is also that Brittany Polo Club patron Jean-François Decaux may pick up the Ellerston pros, Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres, for his team. The Frenchman declined to comment as we went to press.

Meanwhile, Guards Polo Club said it had 14 entries to the Queen’s Cup. Applications have come in from

Historic polo hotel reaffirms links

Mother-of-two dies playing eight-goal in Florida

The Westbury Hotel in Mayfair, which has historic links with polo, has come in as title sponsor of the RCBPC’s Arena Gold Cup. The 15-goal final was played the day after Polo Times went to press, on 21 February, with Tashan Polo facing Tschogan.

The first Westbury Hotel, in New York, was founded by the polo-playing Phipps family in 1927, and became a favourite among top players of the era. In 1955 The Westbury Mayfair opened its doors. Like its New York namesake, the London hotel featured a Polo Bar and Lounge.

Other Westbury connections include the Westbury Cup, which was played for at Guards from 1963 to 1993, and used to be on display in the Polo Bar at The Westbury Mayfair.

Its last winners were Galen Weston’s Maple Leafs.

POLO IN FLORIDA was hit by the second death of a player in less than two years last month when Tracey Mactaggart, a 46-year-old mother-oftwo, died of injuries suffered during a low-goal match at International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPCPB).

Mrs Mactaggart, an accomplished show jumper from New York state who took up polo several years ago, was playing with her husband, Philip, on their Hawk Hill team in the Outback 8goal when, on 8 February, she collided with a team-mate. Her pony rolled on her, causing severe brain trauma, and she died four days later.

“This was a tragic accident involving a very experienced rider,” said Peter Rizzo, executive director of the US Polo Association (USPA). “Our

Photograph by Alex Pacheco

JAMES PACKER will not return to UK polo next season, and speculation is mounting as to who is taking on Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres. At the same time, the tally of teams in the 2009 high-goal is looking healthy.

The Australian press reported in mid-February that the Ellerston patron had been selling assets – including his British-based string of polo ponies, and insiders confirm Ellerston will not play this summer.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Packer had sold 40 ponies for a total of Aus$5m (£2.25m).

However, as Polo Times went to press, Ellerston’s 66 British-based horses –

Tracey Mactaggart, who collided with a team-mate at a Palm Beach game

Safety Committee will be looking into it, particularly if the family will give us her medical records and the helmet she was wearing.” In April 2007, a similar accident in Florida caused the death of prominent high-goal patron Skeeter Johnston.

◗ KNEPP CASTLE Polo Club has devised an intriguing new league, aimed at lowgoal teams who want to keep their costs down this summer – yet be part of a competitive league and have a chance of bagging some prize-money.

The Credit Crunch League aims to feature 20 teams, split into two leagues – with a maximum team handicap of zero, and a maximum individual handicap of two. Each team will play nine games over the season, at clubs and private grounds to suit them.

The league will culminate in crossleague matches in the last week of August, where teams will play their opposite-placed number. The winner between the two first-placed teams will win £3,000 and the winner between the two second-placed teams will win £2,000. Each player will pay £50 per game (Knepp Castle members will pay £30). Jo Richardson, whose husband Kim – chairman of Knepp Castle – came up with the idea, said: “The league doesn’t involve too much money or time and we hope it’ll put a new gentlemanly competitiveness into the game!”

The closing date for entries is 10 May – or sooner, if 20 teams are gathered before then. To enter, call 01403 741001 or email polo@knepp.co.uk. ◗ TWO FORMER 10-GOALERS were among the four new inductees to the Florida-based Museum of Polo’s “Hall of Fame” last month.

American Owen Rinehart and the late Gonzalo Tanoira, an Argentine, both won the USPA Gold Cup in the early 1980s and each also won the UK’s Cowdray Park Gold Cup. Rinehart, the US team’s coach at last month’s Westchester Cup, played and won both the Westchester and Coronation Cups against England.

Tanoira, who died in 2004, went to 10 goals in 1970 and became president of the Argentine Polo Association in 2001.

The two other inductees were Jesse Upchurch and Hugo Dalmar, chairman of the USPA from 1975-76. ◗ EMMA TOMLINSON’S Beaufort Embryo Transfer clinic is opening its doors early this year to enable donor mares to visit before the competition season takes off. The Gloucestershire clinic will accept bookings from March onwards, where in previous years it started taking embryos in May. Demand appears to be increasing exponentially for the procedure – in its seven years, the clinic has doubled the number of customers each year. Clients include patrons and players, mostly from medium- and high-goal polo, and most bring more than one donor mare. For more details call 01666 840423 or visit www.beaufortembryotransfer.com

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News News in brief ◗ RUTLAND POLO CLUB, one of the oldest clubs in the UK, has formed an association with new fully-affiliated HPA polo club, Ranksboro. The two clubs, which despite their new alliance are entirely separate, sit some 400 yards apart in the UK’s smallest county, Rutland.

“Rather than cannibalise each other,” said Rutland’s Henry Browne, “we have decided to work together to form a whole package for those wanting to play and learn polo in the area.”

Henry is a committee member at Rutland Polo Club and is on the management team at Ranksboro. By teaming up, he says, the clubs have ensured that their fixture lists won’t clash as the season unfolds. The clubs are also designing a new programme of lessons and instructional chukkas which will support each other. ◗ HENRY BRETT is launching a new breaking-in service for young horses at the family farm in Oxfordshire. Javier Quintana, who has been training Brett’s youngsters for four years, and is based at the farm, near Witney, will be starting the horses. Facilities at the farm include stabling, a round pen, a large arena and all-weather exercise track.

“More people are breeding their own horses now, as bloodlines are becoming more important in polo, but very few places offer a breaking-in service in the UK,” says Brett. “After a month’s work, we aim to return the horse to the owner calm and confident but responsive.”

Two horses owned and made by Brett recently played in the Argentine Open, ridden, no less, by Adolfo Cambiaso and Lolo Castagnola. For more details, call Henry Brett on 07970 029927 or email henry@brettpolo.com ◗ THIS MONTH’S BARBADOS OPEN is to welcome Veuve Clicquot as its new principal sponsor after the tournament’s usual backer, Colombian Emeralds, pulled its sponsorship in the light of the global economic crisis.

6 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

Polo-playing schoolboy, 17, excels in engineering contest A YOUNG POLO PLAYER including Malcolm has reached the national Borwick, who admired the finals of a prestigious trolley last summer. engineering competition “I was tacking up for with his design for a tack the 21 Cup at Cowdray, trolley devised to make when Malcolm asked me players’ and grooms’ lives where I’d got the rack. I easier at matches and told him I’d made it – and chukkas. Robin Spicer, he said he’d like me to from Northamptonshire, make him some.” In the will present the twoend the six-goaler ordered wheeled carrier, several of four – at £195 each – and which he has already sold Robin is making them at to players, at Queen school, for delivery to Elizabeth II Jubilee Hall in Cowdray by the start of Westminster on 4 March, the season. in the Young Engineer for Coincidentally, Robin, Britain competition. whose elder brothers Tim The 17-year-old first and Charles also play, took designed the trolley for a his first swings as a sixGCSE project, chiefly for year-old on a hill near his mother, who helps him Daventry under the with his horses at games, tutelage of Malcolm Robin Spicer, a 0-goal player, with his two-wheeled invention and used it throughout last Borwick, who was playing summer. “In our lorry there are saddle device on a computer before building Gannon at the time. This year, Robin his first prototype. His teachers at racks and bridle hooks, but they’re will play in a Gannon team in Junior Bloxham School, Banbury, judged the high up, and getting them on and off HPA competition with Harold Hodges, design good enough to enter into the causes back problems,” says Robin.

Ed Winterton and Tom Meacher.

Young Engineer for Britain regionals.

“Tack is awkward to carry, Spicer adds that he likes making especially when you have four horses things that are functional, and has ‘Tack is awkward to get ready, and the aim of the trolley recently designed a polo stick holder to carry when you on which you can hang sticks indoors is to make it easier and quicker to load a horsebox initially, and to speed “in a nice, tidy way”. He hopes to study have four horses up the tacking-up process. You can industrial design at university – after he to prepare’ wheel the loaded rack up and down finishes school in summer 2010. The the ramp easily, and store it safely for As Polo Times went to press, he was Spicers run the Daventry equestrian putting the finishing touches to travelling between the partitions.” supplies shop, Norman & Spicer. another trolley built for his visit to Robin, a zero-goaler who plays at To contact Robin, call 01327 Westminster. He was also working on Rugby, Dallas Burston and 702449 or email him at several trolleys for customers – Cirencester Park, designed the 03spicer.rpg@bloxhamschool.com

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Kiwis clinch tight series win at home horses, they also welcomed back New Zealand’s highest-rated player, John Paul Clarkin, fresh from the stiff Swiss air in St Moritz. Coronel Suárez, meanwhile, were mounted by players from the Waikato district.

Just like in the first Test, Coronel Suárez built themselves a four-goal lead by the end of the fourth chukka, with their number one Ricardo Garros scoring a number of excellent goals from the passes he received from Eduardo Zorrilla and Mito Goti. However, the Kiwis had six chukkas in this match to turn things around and did so in dramatic fashion, scoring five unanswered goals through Hopkinson, Clarkin and Keyte to win it, 11-10. This gave New Zealand the series, 1-0.

Photograph by Brett O’Callaghan

CORONEL SUÁREZ POLO CLUB, the first all-Argentine side to play New Zealand on Kiwi soil, gave the hosts a run for their money early last month, as the two-Test series was eventually won in dramatic fashion by just a single goal.

In the first game, held in Christchurch and played over five chukkas, the sides couldn’t be separated, as a brace of late goals each from Simon Keyte and Sam Hopkinson brought New Zealand back from four goals down to draw the contest, 13-13.

Both teams played the game on unfamiliar ponies, mounted by local South Island players.

However, in the second game, held at Kihikihi Polo Club on North Island, the Kiwis not only were back on their own

NZ’s Craig Wilson and Coronel Suárez’s Ricardo Garros fight for the ball in the first Test

US polo undaunted by Stanford saga A CIVIL COURT JUDGE in the US last month indefinitely froze the assets of the Stanford Financial Group, the principal title sponsor of the 26-goal US Open, pending an investigation into an alleged $8bn (£5.6bn) fraud by its Texan billionaire owner, Sir Allen Stanford, and two of his colleagues.

This casts into some doubt the ability of the Stanford Financial Group to honour its ongoing commitment to sponsoring the Open, International Polo Club’s showcase high-goal event.

Stanford Financial, sponsors since 2006, signed a new three-year deal last year, setting out the firm’s intention to support the tournament in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The company is already fully paid up for the 2009 US Open and has until 30 days after the end of this year’s tournament to confirm or pull out of its

commitments for the Open in 2010.

“It’s unfortunate for the Stanford Financial Group itself, but we’re not too worried,” said IPCPB’s president of operations, John Wash. “Sponsors come and go and whoever it is in a given year doesn’t really affect whether we play polo or not. The Open goes on regardless and the players and patrons aren’t affected.” The club intends to honour its commitments to the firm, as set out in the terms of their contract, until it hears whether the contract for 2010 has been broken.

Meanwhile, back on the field, there has been a late eighth entry into the tournament, which begins on 5 March.

Ralph Lauren pin-up Nacho Figueras will lead a strong Black Watch line-up which also includes fellow six-goaler, Fred Mannix, and seven-goal players, Sugar Erskine and Luis Escobar. www.polotimes.co.uk March 2009 7

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News

Latest from the HPA HPA chief executive David Woodd rounds up the news from UK polo’s headquarters England enters Nations Cup England has entered a team in the Argentine Nations Cup. The tournament will be played open at Palermo in the third week of April. The England team – listed with Argentine handicaps – will be as follows: James Beim (7), Mark Tomlinson (7), Malcolm Borwick (6) and Luke Tomlinson (8) – total 28.

Three clubs gain full affiliation Apsley End Polo Club, Dedham Vale Polo Club and Little Bentley Polo Club have been granted full affiliation to the HPA.

New SUPA system There has been a change in the way SUPA

The HPA continued its sponsorship of the National Arena Club Championships this season. The finals were played at RCBPC on Sunday 25 January.

Congratulations to Ocho Rios, who won the 12-goal beating Tally Ho 24-20, and to Power Hawks who won the 6-goal beating Roundshaw Farm 19-14. See page 28 for more details.

8 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

Meetings 7 April – Welfare AGM, RCBPC 15 April – Stewards, Cavalry and Guards Club, London 15 April – International, Cavalry & Guards Club, London 24 April – Club Chief Umpires, HPA Office.

11 May – Council, Cavalry and Guards Club, London

The points system works as follows:

Victor Ludorum tournaments for 2009 are as follows:

12 Goal Dollar Cup RCBPC 12 Goal Challenge The Prince of Wales Cup The Queen Mother Trophy (Cirencester 12 Goal Championship) Cheltenham Cup Autumn League

Coaching 28 March – Voluntary Assistants’ Course, Down Farm 15-17 April – Coaching Course, Down Farm 21 April – Seminar for HPA Coaches, Down Farm 10 June – Seminar for HPA Coaches, RCBPC 23-25 September – Coaching Course, Down Farm

National Arena Club Championships

Victor Ludorum 18 Goal Indian Empire Shield Duke of Sutherland Duke of Beaufort Cup Cirencester 18 Goal

Dates for the diary

memberships are managed. Students will now join SUPA directly to play in SUPA matches and will only become members of the HPA if they join an affiliated club. For more details please visit the SUPA website (www.supa.org.uk) or email Lucy Northmore: lucy@polonetworks.com

15 Goal The Arthur Lucas Cup Royal Windsor Cup The Eduardo Moore Tournament Coworth Park Challenge Harrison Cup National 15 Goal Championship 8 Goal Gerald Balding Cup The Eduardo Rojas Lanusse Cup Archie David Cup National 8 Goal Championships The Julian and Howard Hipwood Trophy Holden White Challenge Cup Budgett Everett Trophy

a) 10 points for every match won in the league/group/qualifying stage. In leagues/groups/qualifying stages where a draw is possible, five points will be awarded to each team. b) Points will then be awarded as follows: Win in Quarter Finals - 20 points Main tournament Win Semi-Finals - 30 points Win Finals - 50 points Subsidiary tournament Win Finals - 10 points c) Byes. (i) Should it be necessary to award a team a bye in the knockout phase following the qualifying/league matches, then the bye will be awarded to the best overall ranked team. That team will be automatically awarded the points from the missed game. (ii) Should it be necessary to award a team a bye in the knockout stage when no qualifying/league matches have been played, then that team will only receive points from the bye if it wins its first match. d) Final not played – in the event that a final is not played, and there is no overall winner, no further points will be awarded.

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Photographs, interviews and TV footage of the “London team”, of Henry Brett, Kirsty Craig, Jack Kidd and Jamie Morrison, appeared extensively in the national press after last month’s launch of Polo in the Park

Polo hits the mainstream LONDON’S NEW POLO FIXTURE, Daniel Fox-Davies’s Polo in the Park (see November/December issue), landed extensive coverage in the national press last month after its official launch. On hand to promote the return of polo to its London home at Hurlingham Park were a “London team” of four charismatic young players (Henry Brett, Jamie Morrison, Jack Kidd and Kirsty Craig) and four polo ponies, plus the eversparkling Jodie Kidd and a contingent of local children.

The Hurlingham Club, which hosted the launch, was looking at its winter best for the unveiling of what is now billed as the World Polo Series, to be held on 5-6 June this year.

London’s press turned up in numbers and polo probably scooped the

widest coverage in the media in many years. Articles appeared in the Evening Standard, London Lite, The London Paper, the Daily Mail, Metro, The Scotsman, the Daily Star and The Times. Airtime was given on BBC Radio 5 Live and on Sky Sports News.

After a photo shoot on the terrace for ponies and players, accompanied by Jodie Kidd, the entourage made the short journey through neighbouring streets to Hurlingham Park, where the games will be played.

The players gave instruction to local children on wooden horses, and other guests had a go, too – Sky Sports News’s reporter, James Haddock, rounded off his report by mounting up and whacking the ball off into the park.

More detail is also emerging about how organisers plan to make the game

more TV- and spectator-friendly. One innovation that Polo Times believes has not been seen in the game before is the drawing of a “D-ring” between 40 and 50 yards from the goal, in the style of a basketball court. Goals scored from outside the D-ring will earn more points than goals hit from inside – encouraging players to take long shots – and penalties will be taken from the D-ring rather than any 30, 40 or 60-yard line.

Umpires will wear head-cams, and anyone reprimanded for what is deemed “boring play” will be sent for a set period of time to a “sin bin” in front of the stands – a bit like being sent to sit in the naughty corner. ◗ For more details, visit www.polointheparklondon.com

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News ◗ AN ARGENTINE-STYLE pony sale is set to take place at Guards this summer after the Queen’s Cup semi-finals. The event is part of a new enterprise by two-goaler Emma Tomlinson and her fiancé Nick Wood – the pair were engaged last month .

At the sale, on 10 June, young stock, embryos, mares, stallions and playing ponies will go under the hammer. Entries can be made from April.

Emma and Nick, a chef who was among the heroic “gang of eight” that burst into the House of Commons in 2004 in protest at the Hunting Act, have also launched a website, www. polosaleroom.com. Due to go live on 1 March, it includes buying and selling pages as well as a directory and links to info about June’s pony sale. ◗ LAST SUMMER’S BEACH POLO CHAMPIONSHIP was reportedly worth more than £365,850 in income to the local town, Poole. According to The Bournemouth Echo, more than half of the 9,000 spectators attracted to the inaugural two-day tournament, played on Sandbanks beach in Dorset, were from beyond the Poole and Bournemouth area. Of these, some 1,000 or more stayed in the area.

Sandpolo, the organisers of the event, paid the council full price for parking and, from 2009, will pay £1,500 for the rental of the beach itself. They paid nothing in 2008, the tournament’s trial year, but have committed to running the event for the next five years. In 2008, the tournament itself employed more than 200 staff, 80 per cent of whom were local, and this number looks set to rise as the championship expands. ◗ GLAMOUR MODEL, actress, singer, author, reality TV star and budding polo player Katie Price, who used to be known as Jordan, will play to her biggest equestrian audience yet when she takes part in a two-chukka celebrity arena match at the British Open Show Jumping Championships next month.

Held at Birmingham’s NEC, the championships is a blue-chip equestrian event, drawing crowds of several thousand horse fans. Those involved hope that, by bringing in celebrities to play in front of a different audience, polo will attract the attention of people who might not usually think they would be interested in the game. ◗ SPECIALIST HORSE-LOVING solicitors at the British law firm Daltons have launched what Polo Times believes is the UK’s first website dedicated to equine law.

You can check it out at www. equinelawyer.co.uk

10 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

Florida welcomes England squad AS POLO TIMES went to press for this March issue, a 29goal England team were having a busy week as they prepared to face the Americans in Florida in the battle for the Westchester Cup. James Beim and Luke and Mark Tomlinson arrived just over a week before the contest on 21 February, joining their English-born team-mate Eduardo Novillo Astrada, who is based there for the Palm Beach high-goal season.

Playing a 31-goal US team of Adam Snow, Jeff Hall (replacing the injured Mike Azzaro), Nicolas Roldan and Jeff Blake, the visitors were due to start with two goals on the scoreboard.

Final arrangements for sourcing ponies for the England Westchester team were still being made in the last few days before the match, with Palm Beach-based England veteran Julian Hipwood overseeing horsepower. Eduardo Novillo Astrada lent James Beim half a string, while other horses were being lent by Melissa and Marc Ganzi.

David Woodd, chief executive of the HPA, said: “There’s a lot of other polo going on, as it’s the height of the Florida season. They’ll be working on horses right up to the last minute, but the boys seem pretty happy.”

Before the match at International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPCPB), England had several practice matches on the grounds at Las Monjitas, Eduardo’s team’s base, a few miles from the match venue.

The week leading up to the match was also hectic socially for players and supporters. On the Tuesday night, Beim and the Tomlinsons were at the launch of new collections at Saks Palm Beach by their tailor, Tony Lutwyche (see below), while on the Wednesday there was a reception staged by the Museum of Polo, which is organising the fixture.

Lucien Capehart Photography Inc

News in brief

Tony Lutwyche, the England team tailor, Nick Roldan of the US team, and England players Luke and Mark Tomlinson

On the Thursday they were invited to a dinner hosted by the Ganzis at IPCPB, and on the Friday the HPA gave a dinner at the once-premier polo venue, Palm Beach Polo and Country Club, part of which is still an equestrian club.

Needless to say, these evenings started early, to ensure players had a decent sleep – with at least one outing done and dusted by 8.30pm. And the plans for Saturday, after the 3pm match? “We all collapse in a heap,” says Woodd. “Then, hopefully, we pick up the cup and bring it home…”

Supporters at the Westchester Cup in Florida included a strong HPA contingent, as well as coach Javier Novillo Astrada, team manager Andrew Hine, who travelled from Australia, and newly married chef d’équipe Andrew Tucker.

Cheering from the sidelines were the likes of David Woodd, Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers, John Tinsley, Mark Vestey, John Tyler, Nigel à’Brassard, Mark Cann and Roderick Vere Nicoll. ◗ A full match report will appear in the April issue of PT.

Tony the tailor suits the stars TONY LUTWYCHE, tailor to the England polo team and champion of the “Made in England” tag, marked the occasion of the Westchester Cup by introducing two new ranges to America. Four days before the England-US showdown Lutwyche, who used to play polo himself, introduced new made-to-measure and ready-towear collections to the States with a party at the Saks Palm Beach store.

The England squad were there, with the US and England team captains cohosting the launch. Devon-born Lutwyche has been dressing the team for six years, which involves smartening them up for special occasions, such as appearances before internationals. The relationship started when Henry Brett was captain, and contacted the tailor to suggest working together. The link has gone from strength to strength.

“We were due to launch in the

Launching in America: Tony Lutwyche

US, and because of the polo connection, it seemed sensible to combine the two, as the Westchester was happening at the same time,” explains Lutwyche, who played at Tidworth during his 10 years in the army, first learning on one of the club’s three-day residential courses.

The tailor stayed on to watch the historic match at International Polo Club Palm Beach. Before travelling to

the States – during which time he was also celebrating his 40th birthday, he added: “I’m excited about cheering on the England team. I’ve been supporting them for a long time – I think the first Cartier Day I went to was when England played the US for the Westchester in 1997.”

As well as the England players, Lutwyche looks after high-profile personalities such as Gordon Ramsay, and various sporting and media figures. His workshop in Crewe, Cheshire, which has a staff of 55 tailors, is the last remaining one in England capable of making suits in the traditional manner – hand-cut and hand-finished, with no “fusing” – across three methods: ready-to-wear, made-to-measure (which involves being measured when you order) and bespoke (which involves several fittings as a suit is being made).

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Obituaries News

Paul Sweeney

1960-2009

Graham Wooldridge, a lifelong friend of Paul, pays tribute to one of arena polo’s most colourful characters aul Sweeney was born on 24 April 1960. The son of an Irish builder and an English nurse, he was brought up in Ashford, Middlesex, along with his sisters, Amanda and Alison. He studied building design and technology at Richmond College. Following the death of his father, John, when Paul was just 21, he took over his Ashfronts’ building company and, with his flair for design and attention to detail, turned it into an award-winning builder of bespoke new homes.

Distinguishable by their farmhouse style, utilising reclaimed red bricks, tiles and old oak beams, Paul’s homes are a common sight in Chertsey and the surrounding areas.

Paul’s dealings with the local planning committee were legendary: he ran a pig-breeding unit containing 500 pigs to prove an agricultural enterprise which eventually qualified him for planning consent to build the house which is now Ash Farm, at Ottershaw, Surrey. Needless to say, Paul sold all the pigs as soon as the consent was granted, before going on to form Ash Farm Arena Polo Club in 1994 along with his wife, Lesley.

In the summer, he and Lesley were playing members of Guards Polo Club. Paul’s pick-up truck, full of building materials, could be regularly found beside the Queens’ Ground or outside the clubhouse. Although his often stubbly chin, rather tatty shorts and CAT boots got him in hot water

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Photographs by Alice Gipps

Paul Sweeney, in 2005, after winning the Arena Gold Cup with (left to right) Ashfronts teammates Sebastian Dawnay and Jamie Morrison

with club officials in his early months at the club, Paul was to become a very popular member and a keen player, achieving a one-goal handicap.

Polo was Paul’s biggest passion, and he first learnt the game in the early 1990s at John Horswell’s polo academy at Epsom. His speciality became the arena game, and his love of polo was further spurred by running the Ash Farm club at the family home. He enjoyed victory in the Arena Gold Cup at RCBPC no less than three times, taking great pride in winning with his team, Ashfronts, in 1998, 1999 and 2005.

He also won the Nations Cup with the Irish team, alongside Michael Amoore and James Lucas, and the National Club Championship with Ash Farm. He went on to become a proactive member

norman jackson

of the Arena International Committee and, last September, was appointed chairman of the Arena Handicap & Rules Committees, in charge of overseeing all the arena polo in the UK. Outside of polo, he was also an accomplished skier and spent plenty of time in the Alps during the winter months. Other interests included mountain biking and, in his early years, off-road motorcycling. However, as a great family man, his favourite pastime was undoubtedly spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Paul died suddenly at his home on 31 January 2009, aged 48, and is survived by his mother Shelagh, wife Lesley, his two daughters Charlotte and Georgia, his stepdaughter and stepson, Jemma and Ross, and Jemma’s daughter, Lulu.

1927-2009

Alison Schwabe remembers a dedicated lover of horses who goaljudged thousands of chukkas and umpired tirelessly at the Pony Club

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general practice, then in the army and latterly in the State Veterinary Service, Norman had a herd of Dexter cattle which he showed and was a life-long lover of all farm animals. An accomplished rider, he kept a hunter and inspired his two sons Paul and David to become horsemen, despite never holding a polo handicap or playing the game seriously himself.

Norman’s sons first became involved with polo at Silver Leys when it was based at Carver Barracks and Norman presented the Jackson Trophy which was played

for at the club. This trophy went missing several years ago but Norman’s hope was that it would one day be recovered to be challenged for again.

David Jackson, Norman’s youngest son, still plays polo as an amateur with the Suffolk Polo Club, with a one-goal handicap.

Norman was a familiar sight at all tournaments wearing his white lab coat, his “sola topee” helmet from India and carrying his white flag, standing at the far end of the polo ground. Latterly he was presented with a chair to sit on

Photograph courtesy of Alison Schwabe

he East Anglian polo world was saddened earlier this year to lose the man who must have been one of polo’s all-time greatest goal judges. Norman Jackson goal-judged several thousand chukkas at Cambridge and Newmarket, Silver Leys and Suffolk Polo Clubs during an active retirement in which his love of horses never diminished.

He would regularly help at the Pony Club Championships as well, often umpiring up to 50 chukkas a day. He died in early January.

Originally a veterinary surgeon in

Norman Jackson in his “sola topee”

between chukkas and then, when he reached 80, he was promoted to supervise the scoreboard!

Norman will be much missed by many polo players, his family and the many villagers and friends who attended his funeral at Haslingfield Church in Cambridgeshire.

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Global view Comment With Herbert Spencer, who has been following polo around the world for 40 years

Fear not, play on, and let polo lead the way back address in the middle of the Great Depression of the 1930s: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

There is a certain analogy with global terrorism. A bomb goes off killing people, but we get on with life, including leisure activities, otherwise the terrorists will have won. Should it not be the same in the face of the

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going ahead, as is expensive offshore racing; no one has suggested that the Formula One season be curtailed.

So it should be with polo, at all levels of the game. If you can afford it, play on. As for image in these hard times, more charity events would not go amiss to show that polo is a caring sport.

POLO’S DIVE DOWN-UNDER Meanwhile, Aussie billionaire James Packer and his Ellerston team appear

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he recession and global economic crisis appear to have highlighted the unfortunate fact that polo is seen, by the man in the street, as an elitist pastime of the wealthy. Many look askance at individuals enjoying themselves in an expensive sport while millions are jobless.

There is no denying that, at the top end of the sport, high-goal polo requires its team patrons to have substantial disposable income, to pay fat fees to professional players and top dollar for ponies, maintain private grounds and the like.

Some patrons have been hit so hard by the current financial crisis that they can no longer afford to field high-goal teams. Entries are down on both sides of the Atlantic, in the 22-goal here in the UK and in Florida’s 20-goal and 26-goal in the US. Beyond this, however, is the question of image. I’ve heard rumours that some patrons have withdrawn, or are considering withdrawing, from high-goal polo because it might be considered unseemly to be seen engaging in a costly leisure pursuit while their companies are in trouble, perhaps laying off employees.

Things are tough and may get tougher. I’m light years away from being in the millionaire class, but my own modest investments have lost 30 per cent of their value over the past year, whereas some were previously increasing in value by as much as 25 per cent annually. That’s quite a financial turn-around and I’m worried, as we all are, about the future. How deep will the crisis become, how long will it last?

But perhaps we should consider the words of US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as he began his inaugural

Footballers are still getting mega-fees, and no one has suggested Formula One should be curtailed

Ellerston in 2006 (left to right): Jamie Packer, Gonzalito Pieres, Jacinto Crotto and Facundo Pieres. This year, Packer won’t be back

“terror” of economic collapse?

Footballers are still getting megafees (though polo pros may have to lower theirs to get work) and crowds still flock to see them; golf clubs remain busy and the Ryder Cup is

to be the latest victims of the economic downturn.

The Australian press reports that the value of his assets has dropped dramatically and that he has put his yacht and Mayfair mansion up for sale and put a hold on the building of a leisure complex at his Ellerston estate in Queensland.

And Packer’s Ellerston team, winners of the Vivari Queen’s Cup and runners-up for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup last year, will not be returning to England this season.

Packer joins Tony Pidgley, whose Cadenza team has dropped out of highgoal competition for the moment.

At this stage it looks like the 2009 high-goal entries in England will be down to 15 or fewer, from a record 22 teams two years ago. It’s even worse across the Atlantic: there were 14 teams competing in the US Open two years ago, while this year entries are down to just eight. F

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PTMarch 2009 p14-15 As I see it YC JM

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Comment Polo as I see it

Photograph by Martyn Goddard

Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers, Ham Polo Club’s chairman, is looking forward to the challenges of his new role

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The HPA’s new chairman tells Herbert Spencer why his priorities in the role will be communication and balancing different players’ needs icholas John Arthur Dalrymple Dalziel Dalapore ColquhounDenvers is about as international as you can get.

His father was an officer in the Australian army, then a diplomat, so Nicholas lived all over the world before settling in England 30-odd years ago. He was born in Sussex in January 1949, while his father was seconded to the British Army, but after only a few months was in Hong Kong, then Japan during the Korean War. After that it was Australia, Timor, Brazil, India, Poland, Russia and various other points of the compass where his father was posted.

There was no polo in Nicholas’s family, but his father rode and so he too was on a horse at an early age. He spent his school holidays riding on stations in Western Australia. His first taste of polo came as a young man, during a stint with the government in Canberra, where he helped with ponies and stick-and-balled through a friend whose father played at Canberra Polo Club.

At 21, when asked what he wanted to do in life, Nicholas replied “ride”. So, his father arranged a short service commission for him in the Royal Artillery regiment of the British Army. There he took up polo seriously, playing first in Germany then in Hong Kong, where he ran the polo stables for three years.

Nicholas left the army after six years and gave up polo for three years while building a career in “civvy street” in England. He married his wife, Annie, in 1978 and today runs the London office of the FAL Group, one of the Gulf states’ largest independent oil companies.

Playing at Ham Polo Club, Nicholas, who is now 60, reached a one-goal handicap and was elected chairman of the club in 1995. He was elected vice-chairman of the HPA in 2007, then chairman last November.

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From what I know of other polo associations, I believe the HPA to be the most efficiently run of all of polo’s governing bodies.

We have a strong executive director in David Woodd and a dedicated and hard-working office staff to administer polo in the UK and Republic of Ireland day-to-day. We have 20 equally dedicated stewards, all volunteers, and other players who serve on committees.

Since the year 2000, the number of HPAaffiliated clubs has grown by 75 per cent (from 40 to more than 70) and the playing members by 70 per cent (from 1,900 to 3,200).

However, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and there are many important issues to be addressed in governing the sport.

The HPA is an association of clubs, with their players as associate members. In the past we

Members of Ham once asked, ‘What does the HPA do for us?’ So I arranged a meeting for our members have relied upon the clubs for communication between the HPA and the players, which is not always satisfactory: sometimes clubs fail to pass on information and, conversely, fail to answer queries from the HPA. Several years ago members of my club, Ham, were asking “what does the HPA do for us?” So I arranged a meeting for our members, attended

by David Woodd and the then HPA chairman, John Tinsley, who explained how the association works and answered members’ questions.

Since then none of Ham’s members have questioned what the association does for them.

I believe similar meetings at all our clubs, arranged by the stewards, would help with communications. There are also occasions when the HPA could pass information directly to the players, through the association’s website or by email, rather than through the clubs.

One of the HPA’s most important – and sometimes difficult – jobs is to find the right balance between meeting the demands of the

amateur players on one hand and the professionals on the other. We are currently investing money in our English professionals, with grants that assist them to spend the winter months in Argentina to improve their game.

Competing at a higher level at home would also benefit our players. In 1963, when the HPA raised tournament handicaps to its present maximum of 22 goals, the then HPA chairman, Lord Cowdray, wrote (in the 1964 Blue Book): “Much as I look forward to the day when we can raise the limit of our high-goal tournaments to 25 goals, we must, in my belief, pause for a year or two …”. Well, 46 years is quite a pause!

So, perhaps it’s time for us to consider seriously going to 25 or 26 goals for the British Open, the level at which the Americans play and closer to the level in Argentina.

Player safety is another issue that needs more study, including compiling proper statistics on accidents that can affect insurance premiums. We may look into strengthening our rule00tter of standards for helmets and other safety equipment, as both the USPA and other equestrian associations have done.

Just like my counterparts at the USPA and AAP, I have also taken on the mantle of vicepresident of the Federation of International Polo (FIP), the body recognised by the International Olympic Committee as representing the sport worldwide.

Whilst the HPA supports the concept of a global governing body, we need to see it run more professionally, and the HPA has made this view known to the president of FIP. As yet we do not know what the full impact of the global economic crisis will be on polo. Although the number of entries in our high-goal tournaments for 2009 is down, we can only hope that the financial downturn will not deter players, but encourage them to re-assess their reasons for being involved. Indeed, I hope it will help players concentrate on the more positive aspects of improving and enjoying their game at whatever level they play.

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Comment Your views

Letter of the month How I got hooked in New Zealand

Letters letters@polotimes.co.uk A call to islanders I’ve recently moved to the Isle of Wight from Surrey, where I’ve played low-goal at Hurtwood and Sussex Polo Club since 2002. I am setting up a club on the island, and have so far gathered about 20 keen islanders who want to join me – a mixture of Pony Clubbers, young professional people who are interested in learning from scratch and others who have played before on the mainland.

We’ve arranged to lease 15 acres of agricultural land at Arreton, pretty much bang in the middle of the island, where we have room for a chukkas field and some grazing.

There could also be the possibility of beach polo. In setting up the club I have been taking advice from more experienced players and have consulted the HPA. Do any readers have friends on the Isle of Wight they think might like to join us? It’s a case of the more the merrier and we’d love to hear from prospective players.

Also, does anyone know when and where polo was last played on the island; or indeed, if it ever has been?

You can contact me at harry@ iowpolo.com – or to read more about the club, go to www.iowpolo.com.

Upon reading the travel pages in the January/February issue, I felt compelled to tell you about my unrivalled polo experience with Mark Harris at his Polo Down Under School in North Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand.

Having been infected by the polo bug in South Africa and Australia, after graduating from university I decided to take a gap year involving polo in some form. A friend recommended Mark’s school, and I ensconced myself there for a month.

Polo from the homestead is a short stumble from bed, across the garden, through the poplar wind-break and onto the field. The scenery overlooking Canterbury towards the Southern Alps is breathtaking.

Mark is a four-goaler – but used to be a six – and is a fantastically patient coach with a lifetime of polo and equestrian knowledge, experience and passion. His communicative demeanour made it easy to ask questions, and his lessons were well tailored to personal capability. Throughout my stay I learnt in an effortless osmotic manner.

The horses I rode provided the right balance of safety while challenging my riding ability, whether I was practising on “Timmy”, the wooden horse, playing farm chukkas with the family and invited guests, or stick-and-balling. I felt my game develop daily. When the weather closed in, we took polo to the beach, stick-and-balling at low tide and playing tag on horseback through the adjacent pine plantations.

The homestead is tastefully furnished and I was greeted with such warm acceptance that I felt part of the household. Mark’s nice and effervescent wife, Rusyl, is a fantastic cook.

I spent an unbelievable month inhaling breath after breath of polo. From a novice, by the end of my stay I was playing tournaments, which provided a huge thrill and a tremendous sense of achievement.

Needless to say, I’ve been back again this winter.

Douglas Martin Inverness

The writer of the letter of the month wins a bottle of La Chamiza Argentine red wine

Harry Harrison Cowes A substitute for polo Impending fatherhood has changed my priorities and, after 22 years of playing polo, mostly in the southeast of England, I shall be retiring reluctantly from the scene. Of course I might be persuaded to continue if some hugely generous benefactor were to step in, but back in the real world, whilst I am prepared to stop playing polo, I am not prepared to give up my horses altogether.

A lower cost, lower commitment, alternative to polo is polocrosse. I have never played it but, not being the type of fellow who is hindered by such considerations, I am considering setting up a club (at present there are none in my area – the nearest are Kent and Solent). Is there anyone in the West Sussex and

16 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

Novillo Astrada makes his debut for England

Surrey area interested in participating in such a venture?

If so please contact me at Robert_shephe82@hotmail.com Thank you!

Robert Shepherd, Haslemere

What’s the catch?

I had to chuckle when I read Andrew Seavill’s suggestions in the January/February issue of Polo Times on how to make a horse easier to catch. In 1967 I had to cancel chukkas with Hanut

Singh and the Hipwood brothers at Ambersham after failing to catch my horse, Bluecoll, which was making a fool of me in a round field at Selham.

Kay Carslaw Midhurst

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PERSONAL ESCORT

RECTOR

by MR PROSPECTOR – DANCE NUMBER.

This Chilean bred stallion won BPP in the Chilean Open, played by G Donoso. In UK Rector played the Queens Cup, Gold Cup and the Coronation Cup. Full brother to Africana, winner of BPP in the Prince of Wales Cup. First crop playing well.

Sire of many top New Zealand bred polo ponies, notably SPOOK played by Pablo Macdonough for Broncos.

– by MR LONG (TB).

MR COFFEE - by KUNDAKI. This Argentine bred stallion played in the USA with E Panelo and then in the UK for G Donoso, winning BPP in the Warwickshire Cup and playing many seasons in the Queens Cup and Gold Cup. He was a top horse when Gabriel led Chile to victory in the Coronation Cup. His first crop is now being broken in.

CLARK – by NIGHT OPERA (TB AUS) - out of CLARET. SIRE - 'Night Opera' Brown/black Australian TB DAM - 'Claret' - 'Monty' - 'Pinky' 'Claret' - Champion pony at Ellerston 2005. Played in the Argentine Open 2005 with Gonzalito Pieres. Champion Pony at Cowdray Gold Cup 2006. Full sister to 'Burgundy' and 'Champagne'.

Half sister to 'Dinghy' and 'Shiraz'. All playing for Ellerston UK.

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Players’ forum Comment With John Horswell, the outspoken sultan of swing

Lost for words: remembering a friend as I look to arena polo’s future s I sit here the day before Paul Sweeney’s funeral, I cannot let this month’s offering pass without saying a few words. I was reminiscing the other day with Daniel Phelps about the old days at Epsom, remembering the trouble Daniel used to have in being allowed to go home on a Monday evening after giving a lesson to Graham Wooldridge and Paul. The main thing that came out of the conversation was the humanity, enthusiasm and the generosity of spirit of the characters involved. In this industry it would be hard to find ANYONE who brought more energy and enthusiasm to the sport and who generated so much of the same in the people around him. I am going to miss you, big man, as I’m sure will every other polo player whose path crossed yours.

brought some more ammunition to the party as well as bringing a lot of experience of top class polo. Not having been involved in any of the detail, I do not even know if he was available.

However, my point is, as it has always been, there is no point going anywhere to play any international without doing everything in your power to win it. I can well believe that, under my tenure, this

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Britain differs from the US in that we play arena polo with a lot of endeavour but not so much finesse

Photograph by Alice Gipps

AN ADVENTURE ABROAD Though it will have happened by the time you read this, as I scribble this column on the Tuesday beforehand, I would like to wish the English team all the best for the Westchester Cup. It is a major undertaking that I am sorry to be missing.

Having always been an advocate of picking the best available, and also being aware of the long tradition of being allowed to pick from the Commonwealth, personally I have no problem at all in picking “Argentina’s” Eduardo Novillo Astrada. It makes the team more competitive and, as a consequence, makes the expenditure and effort more worthwhile. The sport both sides of the pond needs a boost at the moment and hopefully the Westchester will go some way to providing it.

My only possible reservation would be to wonder if we ought also to have gone further still and utilised the eligibility of the best players from the Commonwealth by including South Africa’s Sugar Erskine?

Being US-based, he may well have

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and a location that attracts people to watch. The Berkshire has everything required, except perhaps the size. Having said that, however, I am not sure that the players would adapt so well in some cases if they had more room.

It is, possibly, a bit of a chicken-andegg scenario but I would far rather, for instance, watch Jonny Good passing people from behind and going at speed,

The “big man”, Paul Sweeney, who died in January. He will be greatly missed

was not, in some quarters, the most popular philosophy. But I remain unrepentant. I am, however, fully behind the team as selected and would like, once again, to wish them a successful outcome.

ARENA GOLD CUP: STILL GOLD? Intense, but is it a spectacle? I have to ask that question, from my role in a coaching capacity, since increasingly we seem to be playing the game at what is our highest level with a lot of endeavour but not so much finesse. So maybe a rethink is required. You need a fast floor

than bringing it tap-tap-tap down the wall. It’s far more attractive and enjoyable than some of the stick-waving “crash and bash” that seems to go on for extended periods in many games. An average of less than one backhand a chukka is also something that I am not sure is healthy.

Maybe I am outdated and living in the past? Perhaps the game has moved on but, if it has, perhaps it’s only gone backwards or sideways. The culture clash between the British and American way of playing arena polo will make for interesting reading in the next issue of Polo Times. I await the conclusions with interest.

A FINAL WORD First came the credit crunch, then torrential rain, then Arctic temperatures and then, most recently, the snow, as a final indignity! The gods of polo seem to be very angry. I am not particularly superstitious but would like to thank all those who have continued playing despite all the above. Their steely resolve in the face of such adversity is most encouraging. The club snowmen all looked nice, too, and it all bought a certain St Moritz-esque “je ne sais quoi” to proceedings for a while. F

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Umpire’s corner Comment With Arthur Douglas-Nugent, deputy chief umpire for the HPA

Defusing the heat on the snowfields – and elsewhere after a two-goal lead at half-time, the match ended in a draw.

There are more extreme examples of managers influencing referees brought out in a controversial book by a former French referee called A Bas L’Arbitre (Down With the Referee). The author reveals that the manager of one Premier League club gives free jerseys to the

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WHERE POLO AND FOOTBALL DIFFER The selection of umpires for a match is in the hands of the tournament committee, which normally delegates the responsibility to the polo manager.

Guidance on selection is given in Annex B to the HPA rules, but it does not end there.

I read recently that the manager of a well known Premier League football club was furious because the assistant manager of the opposing team had spoken to the referee at half-time to ask for an explanation of his decision on a particular foul. This, he claimed, influenced the referee to the extent that

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for a second opinion on a decision, to be judged by a third umpire with the aid of a television replay.

This is rather sad, but one has to concede that a decision made by a cricket umpire is likely to have more influence on the outcome of a particular game than a call made by a polo umpire. And it has long been

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mpires from the pro group and management have been active during the European snow polo tournaments.

This is a compliment to our standard of umpiring at the top level and takes in the need to have uncommitted umpires who are respected and can instill discipline without fear or favour.

One incident of note occurred recently when a team left the field without the permission of the umpires in the final chukka in protest against the dangerous play of an opponent.

The umpires acted in accordance with Rule 1(g), which states: “A team that pulls out immediately before or during a match without such consent will invoke a charge of misconduct”.

The tournament committee decided to give the team the option of accepting a penalty of two points, which would effectively rule them out of the tournament, and apologising, or a referral to the Swiss Polo Association.

The team opted for the first option and the matter was settled. Each case must, of course, be judged on its merits, but in the circumstances as related, this seems to have been a sensible and pragmatic solution to the problem.

There’s no record of polo umpires being seduced, but the message is clear: do not accept favours officials if they have “performed well”.

Sometimes is goes further. On a trip to Moldova, officials were shown to their hotel rooms by what were described as “four divine Moldavian creatures”. Sadly, there is no record of our umpires being similarly seduced but the message is clear: do not accept favours – even to the extent of avoiding that end-ofchukka chat with players.

WHEN A SECOND OPINION IS FINAL Our rules state that the umpire’s decision “will be final in all matters” – and long may that continue. It would seem, however, that this now does not apply to cricket, as a player may ask

FOUL FOR THOUGHT Last month’s conundrum Extra time is being played in a league match and the score is tied. The umpires award a Penalty One. Should the umpires throw the ball in to play out the full penalty, to give the team fouled a chance to notch up another goal, and if so, how long should play continue?

The answer lies in Rule 17(b), which deals with sudden death in extra time and reads: “The team that scores or is awarded the first goal wins the match”. Thus the thrown-in should not be taken.

This month’s puzzle...

A player goes through the goal and knocks down a post so that it falls across the goal. A following- up player hits the ball, which strikes the fallen post but does not go through. What should the umpires do?

argued that mistakes generally even out between teams – although perhaps not between individuals.

ONE TAP, MANY DIRECTIONS As previewed in my last column, there have been changes to the rules for 2009.

The most important concern penalties, which I will cover fully next month.

In the meantime, note that for next season the one-tap rule includes the condition that the following-up player does not have the option of a tap, whether challenged or not. Additionally, a tap in any direction will be counted, whereas previously a tap towards a player’s own goal was not.

More emphasis has been placed on pony welfare, including further restriction on whipping and detail on the duties of the club welfare officer.

Other amendments make the rules easier to interpret. For example, the heading “Delay by Defending Side” has been changed to “Delay by Side Hitting In”, because the side that is hitting in has the initiative and therefore is on the attack, rather than on the defensive. It gives emphasis to the adage that the worst shot in polo is to hit the ball over your opponent’s back line. F

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Report Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow

Argentine 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough was the star of the show on Sunday, inspiring his team to overcome Brioni and the weather to take the 2009 title

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George Milford Haven with the newly created “Mallet d’Or” Cartier Trophy. Celebrations after Julius Baer’s victory (l-r from third left): Pablo MacDonough; George Milford Haven; Boris Becker; José Donoso; Richard Le Poer.

Sponsors flank each side

Milford Haven in St Moritz heaven James Mullan reports on a dream debut for George Milford Haven, as his Julius Baer side sweeps to victory in front of a sell-out crowd eltdown? What meltdown? In a news-cycle overwhelmed by the latest woes in the global financial crisis, neither the snow nor the finances at one of the world’s most prestigious high-goal events looked to be subsiding one iota this winter.

Indeed, the beautiful snow-covered peaks of the Swiss Alps offered a curious juxtaposition of monetary ideals late this January. On the one hand, the tired eyes of the business world were trained heavily on Davos for the World Economic Forum, while little more than an hour’s drive to the south, in St Moritz the excitement of polo’s international glitterati was palpable. It drew crowds of more than 20,000, as car loads of patrons, players, sponsors, VIPs, fans and partygoers celebrated the jubilee anniversary of snow polo’s greatest event in style.

If any dreary delegates from Davos had ventured over the mountains to escape the

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vacuous platitudes of Vladimir Putin, those that might have arrived anticipating further evidence of crunched credit would have left sorely disappointed. The financial implications of the global recession looked lost on the customary glitz, glamour, fur and fashion of what is still one

Bringing together three snow polo debutants seemed a potentially risky policy of Europe’s most salubrious social events, somewhere between the Monaco Grand Prix and Henley Royal Regatta.

And if the resilience of the tournament was a relief, the quality of the polo itself this year was an absolute delight. After 24 years watching from the sidelines, George Milford Haven will surely be more than satisfied with his decision to hop into the saddle at this year’s Cartier Polo World Cup

on Snow at last. His Trippetts-based Broncosdriven Julius Baer side won at a canter in the end, seeing off the unchanged side of defending champions Brioni, 6-31/2, in the most emphatic winning margin of the tournament.

Indeed, in perhaps the most competitivelyfought league in the event’s 25-year history, Julius Baer were the only team in 2009 to win any of their games by more than a single score.

This was despite Milford Haven’s potentially risky selection policy in forming his side, bringing together a Donoso and three snow polo debutants to pit their wits against three considerably more experienced sides.

They were helped early on by a lake which, come day one of the tournament, had one of the thickest, fluffiest coatings of snow in recent memory; conditions which gave the debutants the chance to get the hang of the surface at its worst, whilst also being simultaneously bad enough that none of the more experienced sides X

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Report Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow X could find their customary rhythm and so play

their tried-and-tested game.

Team Cartier were an excellent example of this very point. Alejandro ‘Piki’ Diaz Alberdi and patron Adriano Agosti, with 12 winners’ medals between them, looked stifled by the conditions, while their own first-timers – Glen Gilmore, who had never even seen snow before, and Gaston Lauhlé – quickly got to grips with how to play the turbulent and erratic surface and, even on day one, were both amongst the goals.

Day two, however, produced perfect conditions and the sides each began to open up their horses and really show their strength. By the end of play, spectators knew they had a thrilling tournament on their hands: all four teams awoke on Saturday, day three of the tournament, conscious of the fact that, mathematically, they

could all still win a place in Sunday’s Cartier Trophy final. Philipp Maeder’s Maybach side, which once again ultimately finished last, could just as easily have been the side competing for

Aussie Glen Gilmore had never even seen snow before but quickly got to grips with the erratic playing surface the “Mallet d’Or” on the basis of their performances, but found themselves undone by persistent injuries, some unfortunate decisions and by genuine misfortune in front of goal.

However, despite the closeness of the overall contest in 2009, instinctively one felt that

Water into wine at the Kempinski ◗ In its first year as the official tournament hotel, the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains underwent some elaborate changes to accommodate the various social functions for which the tournament has become famous. The large and luxurious pool area, part of the Kempinski Spa, was covered by a custom-built temporary floor for the final three days of the tournament, providing a grand stone and marble function room for the late-night parties and the tournament’s press conference. Somewhat predictably, a proliferation of “walking on water” jokes followed. A bar the length of the pool was also set up, as well as VIP seating areas and a raised DJ platform, stage and dance floor.

◗ Meanwhile, for the gala dinner on the Saturday night, staff at the Kempinski spent the day transforming the hotel’s enormous first-floor dining room into an almost unrecognisable banquet hall, hanging black drapes and stage lighting from the walls and ceiling. The fourcourse dinner was designed and overseen by three-Michelin-starred German chef, Juan Amador, who directed a team of 30 in the kitchen. Remarkably, the dining room was operational again in its original state for breakfast first thing on Sunday morning, with only a few lighting rigs and torn curtains betraying its alter ego just a few hours earlier.

◗ A bemused-looking Boris Becker (right) was drafted in to dish out the prizes on finals day and add some excitement at the gala cocktail party.

The former king of Wimbledon, who now lives in Switzerland, arrived for the weekend showing off a spikey blond haircut which belied his 41 years. At the tournament’s biggest bash, Becker cut quite a figure in a trendy black suit as photographers and fans clamoured for his attention.

◗ Tony Hadley, front-man of 1980s’ pop crooners Spandau Ballet, led the

Photographs by Nacho Corbalán and Tony Ramirez

entertainment at the gala evening’s glamorous after-party, reliving the glory days to a receptive crowd and dishing out such hits as True and Gold with aplomb.

John Paul Clarkin, riding last year’s best playing pony Tia, glances over his shoulder at opponent Glen Gilmore in Saturday’s dramatic match between Brioni and Cartier

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eventually the right team won, and would have done so whoever they had faced in the final.

Julius Baer topped the leaderboard at the end of the round-robin stage, on goal-difference, making tactically astute and flexible use of all four of their players, enabling them to suppress or extinguish the varying strengths of each of the teams they faced.

Rather as Brioni did in 2008, this year’s winners ironically beat the defending champions by playing them at their own game: playing open, four-man polo, contributing goals from all areas of the team.

In the final, extinguishing Brioni’s principal threat meant shutting out last year’s magician, John Paul Clarkin. Not wishing to give this onerous task to their increasingly comfortable and

effective midfield pairing of Pablo MacDonough and José Donoso, Milford Haven turned to young four-goal Englishman, Richard Le Poer.

“We gave Richard six horses for the final and told him his job was to do everything he could to marshal ‘JP’ out of the game,” explained George afterwards. “It was a big ask but his confidence and fitness meant he managed it. And, with Clarkin kept relatively quiet, it left room on the ground for Pablo and José to dictate the play.”

It proved to be a good decision not to tie Pablo, in particular, to such to a limited role. While the tournament’s first ever 10-goaler Lolo Castagnola struggled to make an impact last year, everything Pablo “Midas” MacDonough has touched in the last 12 months has turned to gold. The Milford Havens well know this well, from his heroics in last summer’s Queen’s Cup and Prince of Wales X

A patron’s view St Moritz v Sotogrande Philipp Maeder, a real estate guru from the Swiss city of Basel, has been patron of the Maybach side for the last three years in St Moritz. His wife Sibylle, a former show-jumper, is also a keen polo player and they each had successful teams competing at last year’s tournaments in Sotogrande.

Here, Philipp explains how life as a patron differs between the Swiss snow and the Spanish sunshine.

“Polo is a big ongoing part of our lives but, as much as I would love to play everyday, I need the time to work on my business. For this reason, snow polo in St Moritz suits me excellently. It’s only a week and it isn’t far from home, so it’s easy to come up beforehand to prepare, yet get back for a couple of days in the office on Monday and Tuesday before the tournament begins.

“In Sotogrande, it’s rather more tricky. The season runs over several weeks and so you can’t just take it as holiday.

I was doing a lot of travelling back and forth, spending the early part of the week in Basel then returning for chukkas and matches. My wife helps groom, exercise and stickand-ball the horses while I’m away.

“Of course, because last year we both had teams in Sotogrande – me in the medium-goal, Sibylle in the lowgoal – the horses became a lot of work. I mounted both sides, so brought 40 horses to Spain, whereas in St Moritz we have only 20.

“Otherwise, our routine is the same wherever we’re playing. We have a relaxing morning to calm the nerves of whichever of us is playing, eat a large meal for energy in the game, spend an hour talking to our team-mates and grooms in preparation and play the match.

“Then, whether we win or lose, we go out in the evening and have a meal and some drinks with our teams.

It’s important to remember you’re there to have fun and, whatever happens, you always learn something.”

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Report Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow

Maybach’s Pablo Jauretche, in his fourth year at St Moritz, takes the ball on during the subsidiary final against Team Cartier

X Trophy, when he played and won both finals on

–3˚c

Friday

–1˚c

Sunday

Thursday Saturday

weather

consecutive days. Since then, he has gone on to achieve a 10-goal handicap worldwide, tasted victory in Sotogrande’s Gold, Silver and Bronze high-goal cups and, most dramatically of all, beaten La Dolfina in an extra chukka to lift the Argentine Open at Palermo after narrow defeats to their biggest rivals in 2005 and 2007.

“I never thought a 10-goaler could make such a difference on snow,” said Julius Baer’s number two, José Donoso, in the aftermath of their victory. “But today, Pablo proved me

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–1˚c

–6˚c

wrong. He just improved by 100 or 200 per cent every single game.”

The team look set to return and attempt a defence of their title in 2010, with George having promised his players at the gala evening before the final that, should they win, they would each be offered the opportunity to take up the same contract next winter.

We can only hope that the Schwarzenbach family – the money behind the Brioni team – will also once again opt to bring back an unchanged side. The heroes of 2008 will be smarting from defeat this year, denied what would have been a hat-trick of titles by Milford Haven’s men, and will be anxious for revenge.

And, if both sides can return as they are, which will surely prompt Teams Cartier and Maybach to up their game, we can look forward to the continued advance of this increasingly competitive, impressive and intriguing event. No longer is it simply all about the glamour. The polo ain’t half bad too. F

Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow, 29 January– 1 February 2009; St Moritz, Switzerland Principal sponsors: Cartier and AMG Mercedes Handicap level: 18-22-goal Result: Bank Julius Baer beat Brioni, 6-31/2 Number of team entries: four Chukka scores (Julius Baer): 1-21/2; 3-31/2; 5-31/2; 6-31/2 Most valuable player of the tournament: Glen Gilmore Best playing pony of the final: Jet, bred in Chile by Jose Donoso, and played and owned

by Pablo MacDonough Final teams: Bank Julius Baer (22): Richard Le Poer 4; José Donoso 7; Pablo MacDonough 10; George Milford Haven 1 Brioni (20): Guy Schwarzenbach 1; Nacho Gonzalez 6; John Paul Clarkin 8; Jonny Good 5 Subsidiary final teams: Cartier (22): Adriano Agosti 0; Gaston Laulhé 7; Alejandro ‘Piki’ Diaz Alberdi 8; Glen Gilmore 7 Maybach (21/18): Philipp Maeder 0; Federico Bachmann 6/Agustín Martínez 3; Pablo Jauretche 8; Ignacio Tillous 7

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Report HPA National Arena Club Championships

Late addition

brings Holley victory It looked as if the contest might be over for Simon Holley’s Ocho Rios when they lost Chris Hyde to injury. But the team made a remarkable comeback his year’s National Arena Club Championships at RCBPC had it all: 13 teams, 21 matches, more than 600 goals, nine days of polo, seven lady players, six own-goals, two falls and not a single sending off. What’s more, throughout the tournament the vast majority of matches were only won by just one or two goals, making for two keenly-fought and competitive handicap brackets and vindicating the work of the HPA committees that decide the players’ handicaps.

The 8-12-goal bracket received six entries, one more than last year, which included three teams from the hosts and one each from Ash Farm, Fifield and Druids Lodge. The sides were split into two leagues of three, with the two top teams in each graduating to the semi-finals against those on the other side of the draw. The two third-

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Nacho Gonzalez, Jeremy Nicholls and Ed MorrisLowe, were unbeaten up until that point and were looking particularly strong.

However, come the throw-in which began the match, Tally Ho Farm found themselves up against Ocho Rios’s Peter Webb, who was on scintillating form. He scored 16 goals and captained the side perfectly as they beat Tally Ho, 24-20, in one of the highest-scoring matches in recent memory.

In one of the easier decisions of the tournament, Webb was named most valuable player. Simon Holley’s groom Julia Smith was once again awarded the prize for the bestturned-out string, presented by Jeff and Julie Thomas of Tally Ho Farm.

At the 2-6-goal level, there were an encouraging number of new patrons welcomed to the club, in the shape of Silvia

Peter Webb was on scintillating form – he scored 16 goals, made a perfect captain and was named MVP placed teams, meanwhile, went on fight it out separately in the subsidiary final.

Simon Holley’s Ocho Rios side suffered a disruption after their first match, when it was revealed that the captain and highest-rated player Chris Hyde had fractured a finger in two places. Holley jettisoned two-goal player Ollie Browne to make room for five-goaler Ryan Pemble and six-goaler Peter Webb. However, despite the radical reshuffle and an early-round hiccup against Michael Bickford’s Crested Butte side, Ocho Rios made it through to the final.

There they met Tally Ho Farm, tournament regulars since its inception. The side, made up of

28 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

Loughridge, David Lewis, Charles Sheyd and Helen Goddard-Watts. In all, three teams entered from the Berkshire and one each from Tidworth, Vaux Park, Ascot Park and Druids Lodge, as seven teams contested the trophy in two leagues.

Charlotte Christodoulou’s Power Hawkes side came back from six goals down at half time to record a dramatic victory, 19-14, over a disbelieving Roundshaw Farm side, whose combination of Ebe Sievwright and Pedro de Lamare seemed to be working so well. Power Hawkes’ victory was largely thanks to eight successive goals from three-

goaler Danny Muriel after the restart for the second half.

Marginally fewer than 150 guests enjoyed lunch at the club on finals day, where they witnessed two excellent games and plenty of goals before the serious partying began. The last guests reportedly left the club as late as 3am the following morning. Just as well Monday is polo’s day off. F

HPA National Arena Club Championships; 17-25 January 2009; RCBPC; UK Principal sponsor: HPA (Hurlingham Polo Association) Handicap level: 8-12-goal and 2-6-goal Winner in 8-12-goal: Ocho Rios beat Tally Ho Farm, 24-20 Winner in 2-6-goal: Power Hawks beat Roundshaw Farm, 19-14 Number of team entries: 13 (six in the 8-12goal; seven in the 2-6-goal) Most valuable player in 8-12-goal: Peter Webb Most valuable player in 2-6-goal: Charlotte Christodoulou Finals teams: 8-12-goal RCBPC’s Ocho Rios (12): Simon Holley 1; Ryan Pemble 5; Pete Webb 6 RCBPC’s Tally Ho Farm (12): Ed Morris-Lowe 1; Jeremy Nicholls 2; Nacho Gonzalez 9 2-6 Goal APPC’s Power Hawks (6): Charlotte Christodoulou 1; Nick Beitner 2; Danny Muriel 3 RCBPC’s Roundshaw Farm (6): David Lewis 0; Ebe Sievwright 2; Pedro De Lamare 4

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Almost 150 guests joined in the finals day feast Peter Webb (dark blue hat) battles with Nacho Gonzales The 12-goal winners, Ocho Rios (l-r): Peter Webb, Simon Holley and Ryan Pemble 4/5 Peter Webb (on the grey horse) in action again, with Jeremy Nicholls 6 The six-goal winners, Powerhawks (l-r): Nick Beitner, Charlotee Christodoulou and Danny Murriel

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Photographs by Gillian Hughes

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Report Klosters

Team eCRT (l-r: Alejandro “Piki” Diaz Alberdi, John Manconi and Marcel Geser) celebrate victory with tournament organiser Daniel Waechter (next to Geser) and representatives of the sponsors. Above right: George Milford Haven of team Hackett, with Piki (right) and team-mate Charles Beresford

Piki raises the stakes The on-snow expertise and nine-goal pedigree of ‘Piki’ Diaz Alberdi sealed victory for Team eCRT – and upped the event’s standing, says Tony Ramirez ohn Manconi’s Team eCTR successfully defended its Berenberg Snow Polo title in the Swiss Alpine resort of Klosters this January, defeating Team Berenberg 7-6 in an exhilarating and tightly fought final. The fifth year of the tournament attracted four three-a-side teams with players from six countries: Argentina, Britain, Canada, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. Clare Milford Haven, the only lady player in the tournament, formed Team Hackett with her husband George and their Trippetts Farm manager, Charles Beresford.

Except for a day’s play lost to a heavy snowstorm on the Friday, playing conditions for the week were excellent. This, coupled with the tournament’s growing reputation and its spectacular setting, brought a record 5,000 pologoers to the resort across the four-day event.

“The number of spectators far exceeded our expectations, and conditions produced top-quality play,” said Daniel Waechter, tournament organiser and co-founder of the Alpine Polo Club.

The tournament was buoyed this year by the appearance of nine-goal player Alejandro “Piki” Diaz Alberdi. Though tournament no doubt suited

Photographs by Tony Ramirez

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him as a useful warm-up and acclimatisation opportunity on his way to St Moritz, he nevertheless brought a separate string of horses from England for the event. It is a great compliment that players of such high calibre are now looking to Klosters as a serious venue.

As well as winning the Argentine Open in 1996, with Indios Chapelufú II, Alberdi is also the highest-decorated snow polo professional in the Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow’s 25-year history – he has lifted the trophy six times.

Sure enough, with the scores tied, it was his late winning goal in the final that secured the coveted Berenberg Trophy for Team eCRT in the decisive fourth chukka.

Their opponents, Team Berenberg, initially seemed weakened by the absence of tournament co-founder Jack Kidd, who was injured shortly before the tournament. However, as the preliminary rounds progressed, substitute Tim Bown quickly settled into the team and played a major role in their advance to the final, forming a strong bond with team-mates John Bunn and Stefan Roth.

Team Hackett and Team Parmigiani contested the subsidiary final and produced another tense

and closely fought match, in keeping with the whole tournament. Team Hackett emerged the victors, 7-5. F ◗ For more on Piki’s alpine week, see page 74 Berenberg Snow Polo, 22-25 January 2009, Klosters, Switzerland Principal sponsor: Berenberg Bank Handicap level: 7-11 goals Result: Team eCRT beat Team Berenberg, 7-6 Number of team entries: four Most valuable player: Tim Bown Best playing pony: Naranca, owned by Victoria Manconi and played by Piki Diaz Alberdi Final teams: Team eCRT (10): John Manconi 1; Alejandro “Piki” Diaz Alberdi 9; Marcel Geser 0 Team Berenberg (7): Tim Bown 4; Stefan Roth 2; John Bunn 1 Subsidiary final teams: Team Hackett (9): Claire Milford Haven 1; George Milford Haven 2; Charles Beresford 6 Team Parmigiani (11): Thomas Winter 6; Christopher Winter 4; Uwe Schroder 1

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Alejandro “Piki” Diaz Alberdi, in blue, and Tim Bown ride off at pace

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Report Jaipur

The winning foursome, Piramal, with the Mount Shivalik Polo Challenge Cup: (l-r) Vishal Singh, Angad Kalaan, Ransher Singh and Harsh Piramal

Five 60-yarders and an under-the-neck Polo has made a triumphant return to Jaipur, says Gaurav Chand, and the crowds were treated to a scintillating showdown on finals day orses have started recovering from the outbreak of equine influenza in India, which has seriously affected the 08/09 season, and in January everyone was looking forward to a month of action in the Pink City of Jaipur. Several tournaments, ranging from six to 14 goals, were scheduled at the prestigious Rambagh Polo Ground, organised by the Rajasthan Polo Club.

The action certainly didn’t disappoint the crowds who turned out at the city-centre ground. The 12-goal Mount Shivalik Polo Challenge Cup had four teams participating, with many of India’s star four- and five-goalers taking part – including Dhruvpal Godara, Angad and Uday Kalaan, Lokendra Singh, Samir Suhag, Vishal Singh and Manupal Godara.

In the opening game Piramal defeated Samode, with local star Vishal Singh contributing six goals.

The second match was between Cavalry and Thunderbolt in which Cavalry prevailed 8–61/2.

Samir Suhag led the scoring, with six goals for Cavalry while Dhruvpal Godara, a new father and just back from Australia, knocked in five goals in vain for Thunderbolt. In the next game Piramal defeated Thunderbolt 7–41/2 to advance to the

Photograph courtesy of Gaurav Chand and Indianpolo.com

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final, with patron Harsh Piramal from Mumbai scoring twice.

In the contest to confirm the second finalist, Samode led Cavalry by half a goal just before the last bugle. However, Samir Suhag spoilt their fun by scoring the winning goal for Cavalry as the bugle sounded. Cavalry advanced to the final, with Samir having scored all six goals.

The final was expected to be an exciting game, with both teams fielding leading four- and fivegoal players. The stands were packed to capacity, as were the sidelines and the entire area along the right-side goal.

In the first chukka Vishal Singh and Angad gave a 3-1 lead to Piramal. However, Cavalry came back strong with all four players scoring a goal each, and took the lead 5–4. The third chukka went in favour of Piramal, who snatched the lead back from Cavalry and led 7-6 with goals scored by Angad, Harsh and Ransher. The crowd was eagerly applauding both sides.

In the fourth, Samir Suhag started the scoring with a 60-yard penalty. Then Angad converted a 60-yarder for Piramal. A minute later Samir again knocked in a 60. Angad was not to be left out and returned with another 60

for Piramal. Half a minute later Samir once again put in a 60 for Cavalry. The score in this last chukker had advanced solely due to 60yarders, and with a little over two minutes remaining, it was 9-9. Everyone who had managed to get a seat was on their edge of it, or had joined the standing population.

With less than 30 seconds to go, Angad carried a bouncing ball and scored with a magnificent under-the-neck shot at a challenging angle, taking Piramal to a 10-9 victory, and giving the crowd a finish to remember. F Mount Shivalik Polo Challenge Cup; 14-18 January; Rajasthan Polo Club, Jaipur Principal sponsor: Mount Shivalik Handicap level: 12 goal Number of team entries: four Result: Piramal beat Cavalry Chukka scores (Piramal): 3-1; 4-5; 7-6; 10-9 Final teams: Piramal (12): Harsh Piramal 1, Ransher Singh 2, Vishal Singh 4, Angad Kalaan 5 Cavalry (12): Maj Saurabh Saharan 1, Capt Vishal Chouhan 2, Lokendra Singh 4, Samir Suhag 5

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Specialists in agriculture and equine property law

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Report Schools update

When term-time means team-time More schoolchildren than ever have been playing polo this winter. But which schools are sending pupils to learn where? Antje Derks finds out

ith the arena season in full swing and the grass season looming, activity has been high in the last few months among the next generation of polo players and spectators – in the form of a schools polo scene that is positively thriving.

To round up the winter’s action in full would fill several issues of Polo Times, so to whet your appetite for the National Senior Schools Arena Championships, which take place this month at Longdole Polo Club (report in a future issue), we’ve taken a snapshot of some the schools that have been offering polo this winter, either as part of their games curriculum or as an extra activity.

Starting in the south-west, Tim Vaux, head coach at Vaux Park Polo Club in Somerset, teaches pupils aged between 13 and 19 from a

Photograph courtesy of Felsted School

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selection of local schools, including Downside, Sherbourne Boys, Sherbourne Girls and Millfield.

Pupils are of mixed ability and while the girls train there once a week, the boys come two to three times. Some of the pupils from Sherbourne Boys keep their own horses at the club, but most rent ponies, at a cost of £45 for an hour and a half, including tuition. Several children at Downside are taking polo as a module in their PE A-Level.

Most will be competing in the National Championships.

Druids Lodge Polo Club in Wiltshire oversees the coaching of pupils from Marlborough, Dauntsey’s, Milton Abbey,

St. Mary’s and Bryanston, as well as students at UWE and Exeter University. Coaching is undertaken by Giles Ormerod. He teaches 20 to 30 children a week, aged from 11 upwards.

With the exception of Marlborough College, who train twice a week, all other pupils come once a week as part of their schools’ games curriculum. The more able children will enter the National Championships, but everyone who learns

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the game at Druids Lodge will get the chance to play some sort of competitive polo. The club also holds its own in-house schools arena tournament, scheduled this year for 17 March, with another competition planned this summer. Over the winter, all the children rent ponies from the club, but some bring their own during summer.

John Horswell, Adam Buchanan, Caroline Stern and William Riley Jr oversee the coaching at Fifield Polo Club. Schools that train there include Eton, Luckley-Oakfield School for Girls and Sunningdale Boys’ School. Pupils range in age from eight to 18 and all practise polo as part of their schools’ games curriculum.

Charges at Fifield for pony rental, hats, sticks and group tuition are £40, but on Sunday mornings John teaches children from all over the area for £30, allowing youngsters to get involved in the game at a very reasonable rate.

Cool Hooves Polo Club, based at RCBPC, teaches pupils from Papplewick Prep School for Boys, St Georges Girls’ School and St. Mary’s School for

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Girls. Some of the boys who learn are as young as seven, while the girls start at around 11. Philip Meadows is head coach, teaching around 35 children a week. As well as having lessons, pupils play practice chukkas and mini-tournaments, and most also compete in SUPA competitions, too. On a Sunday, Philip coaches a further 10 pupils under the age of 16, who come to him independently.

One of the most established schools for polo, Cheltenham College, has been continuing its

By contrast, pupils at Felsted School in Essex are relative newcomers. Until recently, they’ve been best known for their show jumping ability, having won the Junior Schools Show Jumping Championships two years ago.

However, now 16 pupils regularly play polo at local clubs and venues such as Attridges Polo Club and Silver Leys. Alan Rasmussan and Andrew Mathias are responsible for coaching these budding teenage players, and Felsted plans to

SUPA has been busy keeping up with the mounting influx and the need to meet ever-increasing standards pursuit of excellence on the field with a strong winter programme at Longdole. This term some 25 pupils have been playing once a week, on either Monday or Wednesday afternoons. Dan Banks coaches them, and from 50 to 60 per cent have their own ponies in summer – although the proportion is a little lower in winter.

enter the Girls Schools’ Tournament as well as the under 16 and intermediate sections this summer.

Meanwhile, the Schools and Universities Polo Association (SUPA) has been busy keeping up with the mounting influx and the need to meet the ever-increasing standards demanded by teaching institutions by introducing new guidelines for coaches, and setting up a sub-committee to assist those coaches.

SUPA only recommends registered HPAaccredited coaches and instructors, with up-todate first aid and insurance and a current Criminal Records Bureau check. It has also introduced the Polo Riding Certificate, for which newcomers to the game are assessed by their coaches on their basic polo riding skills at all gaits prior to playing in tournaments. F ◗ For more on forthcoming schools fixtures, visit www.supa.org.uk

Pupils from Felsted School in Essex, a relative newcomer to the polo scene. The school is already known for its success in schools show jumping

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Reports Around the world

Dubai

Cambiaso is king in Albwardy’s emirate rgentina’s Adolfo Cambiaso led the line for the UAE team in the inaugural Desert Palm Nations Cup this January, bringing victory for Ali Albwardy’s side in his new annual competition on his own turf.

Albwardy has created a heaven for polo players at the exclusive Per AQUUM Desert Palm retreat in Dubai, with four championship polo grounds, 24 suites and pool villas, two restaurants and a bar and spa. On Friday 9 January it welcomed more than 300 guests, who witnessed Team UAE beat the Rest of the World, 7-5. Sponsors included Jaeger-LeCoultre and Land Rover.

The resort’s next event is this month’s Cartier International Polo Challenge on Friday 27 March. For further information on this and other upcoming polo tournaments, or to book a polo package, contact Desert Palm on +971 4 323 8888, or visit the website at www.desertpalm.ae

Photograph by Dara Williams

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Desert and palm trees make an exotic backdrop at Ali Albwardy’s polo club in Dubai

Switzerland

French in a two-a-side triumph rance emerged victorious on Sunday 1 February at the inaugural Verbier Polo Cup, a two-a-side arena polo tournament on snow. Devised and organised by Swiss brothers, Simon and Martin Luginbühl, the tournament showcased some of the best up-and-coming young talent from Europe and beyond. Team France won all three of their matches, taking narrow victories over Argentina and Switzerland before truly finding their form and finishing off England in convincing fashion in the final, 12-7.

England was represented by arena-specialist Eden Ormerod, of Druids Lodge Polo Club, and Tidworth’s James White. Earlier that day, Argentina beat Switzerland in the subsidiary final, 8-5.

Teams: France / Infiniti (7): David Amar 3; Clément Delfosse 4 England / Giroud Vins (8): James White 2; Eden Ormerod 6 Argentina / Coco Club (8): Mariano Lopez 4; Alexis Guynot de Boismenu 4 Switzerland / EFG Bank (6): Martin Luginbühl 3; Simon Luginbühl 3

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Arena crack Eden Ormerod, who took on France in the Verbier final

Argentina

Eastwood excels alongside awesome Annabelle ritish player Aurora Eastwood was among the winners of the Women’s Polo Cup, played for the second year at Arelauquen Polo Club in Patagonia in late Janaury.

The Hampshire-based zero-goaler joined up with three fellow zeroes as Lancôme Polo Team. On finals day, the foursome beat Escorihuela Gascón Polo Team, 4-2.

Escorihuela Gascón fielded one of Argentina’s best female talents, Mumy Bellande, but it was Aurora’s team-mate, the Argentine-Austrian player Annabelle von Winterhalder that was named most valuable player after their victory. Lancôme had a good run to the final in the four-team tournament, seeing off the Cheeky Polo Team 9-0 in their first match, with a tighter result in their second match, when they beat Para Ti, 3-2.

Final teams: Lancôme (0): Verónica Posse 0; Ann Rodger 0; Annabelle von Winterhalder 0; Vivian Aurora Eastwood 0 Escorihuela Gascón (2): Karina Marseillán 0; Catalina Bunge 0; Emmanuelle Ougier 0; María Bellande 2

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The Lancôme team that triumphed at Arelauquen in Patagonia: (l-r) Aurora Eastwood, Annabelle von Winterhalder, Ann Rodger and Verónica Posse

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Around the clubs Reports

Ascot Park

Marking 20 years with record entries ntering its 20th-anniversary year Ascot Park Polo Club remains as vibrant and busy as ever. More than 50 members competed in a full winter fixture list, including the Champagne Challenges, ranging from 0 to 8 goals, while extra-curricular events have also proved typically popular this season. The Christmas Gymkana, for instance, attracted 27 players for festive fun in December.

The Schools’ and Junior Academy continues to thrive, with at least 20 junior players and six institutions taking part on a regular basis. Women’s polo in the UK also continues to go from strength to strength nationwide, and this year’s UK Women’s Arena Nationals will be held at the club this month. Despite the recession, the event has drawn more entries than ever. Looking further ahead, one of the key focuses at the club has been to balance the informal atmosphere with a keen competitive spirit, felt by home and visiting teams alike. So, with polo planned on Clapham Common in June, on the beach in August and Regent Street in September, Ascot Park’s players and guests have plenty to look forward to.

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Action from the Champagne Challenges in Ascot’s arena

Polo Wicklow

Foreign visitors arrive for winter challenge ince most of last summer’s polo took place in the arena, such was the terrible weather, the transition into Polo Wicklow's 2008/2009 winter season was seamless. Fortunately, this meant the club was at least well prepared for the two sets of overseas visitors it welcomed early on in the arena season.

Missouri’s Kansas City Polo Club, making their first ever trip to Ireland, arrived in November. Captained by Bob Arnold, the tourists played three matches against a side put out by the hosts. Ireland won the series, 3-0, but the energy levels of the three visiting players and the competitive edge dipped slightly in their final game following a very challenging hunt with the East Wicklow Harriers the day beforehand.

Two weeks later, in December, Wicklow then welcomed a two-man team from Niedersachsischer Polo Club in Frankfurt, captained by their president and a long-time friend of Polo Wicklow, Wolfgang Kailing. After a twomatch series, diplomatically, the two sides couldn’t be separated.

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The East Coast Harriers Hunt prepare to set out from Wicklow, with visitors in tow

Vale of York

Child’s play keeps parents warm, too ale of York Polo Club’s “Polo Challenge” initiative this winter has prompted unprecedented numbers of Yorkshire children from local Pony Clubs, Young Farmers’ clubs and the East Riding Council to brave the wind, rain and snow to have a go at polo during their holidays.

More than 300 children, ranging from age from seven to 15, took up the challenge on Wednesday 31 December, in which they had to score as many goals as they could throughout the course of the day: first with a hand mallet; then off the wooden horse; and finally, and most importantly, off a pony.

Emma Norgate was crowned champion.

Unsurprisingly, the club was also besieged by freezing parents while all this was going on and, having seen their children’s enjoyment, many of them had a go too, followed by a group trip to the local pub for sustenance! Polo Times can only hope their children weren’t forgotten in all the excitement.

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Polo Challenge competitors, aged from seven to 15 years, with winner Emma Norgate at the centre, riding high on the wooden horse

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Feature Pablo MacDonough at La Irenita

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waiting embryo transfer at La Irenita, Pablo MacDonough’s five best playing mares are rounded up for a brief introduction. Two weeks previously they were glimmering machines with split-second reactions, pumped up with excitement as they played flat out at Palermo, helping Ellerstina take home the trophy at the world’s most important tournament, the Argentine Open.

Today they are relaxed, manes already growing into mohicans and coats faded in the strong Argentine sun – there is little to suggest these are the best ponies in Pablo’s string. Without even a halter he jumps onto his favourite playing pony, Ellerstina Suegra, whilst laughing and chatting with Claudio Palomeque, his head groom. They have every reason to be happy, as Pablo has had an outstanding year, winning the Queen’s Cup, the Triple Crown in Sotogrande and the Argentine Open. These ponies were all important to the success of his career to date.

Aside from many years of practice, all sorts of factors contribute to the success of a top professional player. Mainly, as any player will tell you, the most important element are the horses, and having good horses means having a spectacular set-up to produce them.

To get to where he is today, Pablo has not only bought top class mares from abroad, such as Cordelia from Alan Kent, but his family have spent many years breeding polo ponies, perfecting the bloodlines to suit their beloved sport.

Both Pablo and his brother Matias are fortunate in that their father, Jorge MacDonough, is not only one of Argentina’s best equine vets, but in 1997 he had the foresight to buy part of the property La Irenita. Thirty years ago it was the most prestigious racehorse training farm in Argentina; now it is jointly owned by Pablo, his brother and their father.

Pablo joined the business recently, buying a third share only three years ago. La Irenita is now one of the most famous polo embryo transfer stations in the world, aiding the fast track X development of the Polo Argentino breed. The

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Pablo’s best five mares – including Cordelia and Suegra – make their way in from the field

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Feature Pablo MacDonough at La Irenita

X farm lies 380km south-west of Buenos Aires.

Surrounded by thousands of hectares of additional rented land, La Irenita itself is now 500 hectares, just a fraction of the original 4,000 hectares.

Two hundred stables remain from the racing yard and the MacDonoughs have added three polo grounds, smaller paddocks for the stallions and a state-of-the-art lab for the embryo transfers.

There are six houses, including one for Matias.

Overall there are 2,000 horses on the farm, of which a third belong to Pablo. Such numbers require high volumes of staff – 60 people work at the farm at the busiest time of the year. Pablo himself takes around 100 embryos per year. He

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keeps the recipient mares, foals and weanlings at neighbouring La Liguria, but the stallions are always kept at La Irenita.

Clarin, a small chestnut stallion played by Pablo in the Open, who was retired early in his career in 2006 due to injury, is a great hope for future generations.

“He’s the best horse I’ve ever played,” says Pablo, evidently excited about the potential of offspring from the stallion that was bred by his father. As he only started siring foals in 2006, his offspring are unproven. La Irenita’s best proven stallion, with offspring now playing the Open, is Irenita Lunatico, also bred by Jorge MacDonough.

Pablo has only really started to push ahead with his own breeding programme in the last three to four years, and he believes both the mare and the stallion to be equally important in producing good offspring. Important factors for the stallion are a calm temperament and action “close to the ground”.

Theoretically they pass on a good mouth, he says, but overall an amazing horse will pass on its best qualities 80 per cent of the time.

While it is one thing to produce youngsters with such potential, however, there is a lot more work to get them from foal to playing polo. Pablo is a fan of Monty Roberts, and makes all his

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Scenes from La Irenita (clockwise from far left): Pablo with the stallion Clarin, described by Pablo as best horse he’s ever played; action at a La Irenita tournament; rounding up mares; Clarin at grass; La Irenita’s embryo transfer vet and his assistant in action; a bay mare; horses are led to the main embryo clinic; the stud’s low-key entrance

trainers and breakers watch the videos, an important and progressive step towards sympathetic breaking and handling in Argentina.

“Monty Roberts is a genius!” he declares.

No professional players are based full-time at La Irenita, but Pablo’s young horses are played in chukkas three or four times a week by the permanent staff, while he spends time playing abroad in America, England and, for the first time this year, in St Moritz.

He stays in Argentina for a mere five months per year, from September to midJanuary, but most of this time is spent in Pilar for the high-goal season. Pablo has bought

land in Pilar with his brother Matias and Nacho Figueras, on which they are building polo grounds, stables and an exercise track. He says this was partly because of restrictions at

The MacDonoughs like to give back to the local community that has been so supportive over the years; in late December or early January every year, family and friends, such as

Pablo makes all his trainers and breakers watch the Monty Roberts videos. “Monty’s a genius!” he says Centauros, the club where he was previously based, regarding exercising after rain, which interrupted the fittening programme of his Open ponies “On our own land at Yacare we can set the rules!” he says.

Gonzalito Pieres and Martin Garrahan, gather to play a fun charity tournament in aid of the local hospital. A great success, it serves to confirm the well deserved warmth with which the MacDonough family is regarded. F

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Feature Beginners’ special

It’s an age since you put your own first awkward swings behind you, but where do you send those friends who keep pestering you about learning the game? Martha Terry investigates

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Teacher Robert Burke (in front) demonstrates the swing to “guinea pig� Sam Owen in traditional Ascot Park style

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All photographs by Martha Terry and Sam Owen

Feature Beginners’ special

Robert Burke, an instructor at Ascot Park, starts lessons for complete novices with an overview of the rules. Some 85 per cent of Ascot’s clients have never ridden

d Freeman is not a rider. But while many men condone their girlfriends’ horsey addictions providing they can steer a wide berth, Ed found himself towed in fiancée Antonia’s wake. “She wanted me to learn to ride, but riding on its own seems a bit like jogging,” says Ed, an investment banker. “Antonia worked out that if you make something competitive for me, it appeals. Balls and bats I can cope with – once it’s competitive I forget about the horsey bit. It was a clever move.”

The couple are now both learning polo – at Vaux Park, Somerset – and after a dozen lessons are deciding whether to commit to buying ponies.

For most Polo Times readers, the memory of being a polo virgin is like a seasoned skier remembering snowplough. But what about that fiancée who needs to understand what eats up your weekends and wallet, or that younger brother who is crying out for the adrenaline rush of a chukka? We all have to start somewhere but, like those first slippery moments on skis, everyone needs some direction early on.

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What does a beginner need in a club?

Cost and fun are the key factors for the novice.

Although the economic climate would suggest

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that 2009 is not the year to take up polo, the polo shop Roxtons reported 45 beginners at one of its stores during a week in January – all buying full kit.

Location can influence price – generally the cheaper clubs are outside the Home Counties.

Rugby Polo Club’s Philip Baker points out that many of their members travel up from the south

‘The classic beginner line is “I need faster horses”.

But it’s no fun if you end up in casualty’ – Terry Hanlon for the more reasonably priced livery in the Midlands (full livery is £95 against an average of £140 in the south).

Lesson prices vary across the country, from £30 for a group lesson in Cambridgeshire up to £150 for a private lesson in Surrey. Beginners should check whether horse hire is included, as this will bump up the price both in lessons and chukkas.

Sophie Goddard, a pupil at Wellington College who is learning at Ascot Park, paid a

student discount rate of £40 for her intro lesson (rather than £130). She believes a good deal is crucial for a beginner.

“Cheap lessons are a bonus because when starting a new sport, you want something that is cheapish to get into,” she says. “When you realise you really enjoy it, you’ll be willing to keep paying.”

Polo commentator Terry Hanlon, who runs the Ambersham Polo Academy in Sussex, admits it is hard to learn polo on a budget.

“There’s no cheap way to learn polo,” he says.

“The late Lord Cowdray said you’ve either got to be very good or very rich. Yet he wanted people to turn up with two ponies in a trailer and old Range Rover, and play like the millionaires who step out of their Bentley.”

Paul Piddington is a coach at Vale of York, which hosts around 1,000 beginners annually.

The club motto is “anyone can play polo” and he claims to provide “fantastic value for money – you’ll play in matches immediately”. Vale of York’s membership, which starts at £100, is one of the cheapest around.

Border Reivers in Berwickshire aims to get newcomers going competitively – hosting an annual beginners’ tournament. They also have

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Scenes from the outdoor “classroom” at Ascot Park and the RCBPC’s Cool Hooves school. An arena provides a reassuring enclosed space for learners

one of the cheapest deals for weekend intro courses at £175, including pony hire. In similar vein, Little Bentley Park in Essex is a small, friendly club, and founder Fred Robinson disputes the notion that polo is a rich man’s game.

“It does not have to be expensive,” he says.

“You can have loads of fun with just one horse, joining club chukkas or being a half-person on a tournament team.”

Fun is vital – both in instruction and socially.

Paul Innes, polo manager at Inglesham in Wiltshire, advises: “Make sure you enjoy yourself, and always go away from a lesson wanting to learn more.”

Ed Freeman was attracted by this desire to improve. “It’s so addictive because it’s brilliant when you hit it cleanly and infuriating when you miss – which is five out of six at first,” he says.

“After my first lesson I came away frustrated but desperate to have another go.”

Ed puts much of his enthusiasm down to his coach, Tim Vaux, and the relaxed atmosphere. “Tim is incredibly encouraging and always tells us we’re doing brilliantly,” says Ed. “He focuses on one thing at a time and gives clear instructions. Polo clubs can be awkward places – with a lot of wealth and personalities around. But at Vaux, everyone is friendly. Tim’s parents are always bustling around X

Best for...

Value weekend course Little Bentley Park, Essex – www.littlebentleypark.co.uk An intensive weekend course costs £180, starting with tuition on Saturday morning, culminating in chukkas after Sunday lunch (provided).

Competitive beginners Border Reivers, Berwickshire – www.borderspolo.com Hosts annual beginners’ tournament to bring a competitive element to newcomers.

Committed beginners Tidworth, Wiltshire – www.tidworthpolo.com or www.tidwortharenapolo.com Three-day novice courses cost £535, including three months’ membership at the club.

The courses are run on grass during the summer and in the indoor arena during winter.

Far-flung location Dundee and Perth (www.thombell.co.uk/polo or www.scottishpolo.com) Scotland’s highest-qualified instructor, Thom Bell, organises two-day beginners’ courses (starting at £190) and teaches anyone from “20-stone rugby players to tiny tots”. He also teaches year-round at his Kinross home.

Learning with a high-handicapper Berkshire School of Polo – www.berkshirepoloschool.com Henry Brett (6), Gaston Devrient Kidd (5), Chris Hyde (6) or Glen Gilmore (7) could be your teacher if you sign up at this RCBPC-based school.

Groups on a budget Haggis Farm, Cambridgeshire – www.haggisfarmpolo.com Group lessons start at £30 per adult (£40 peak); private at £40 (£55 peak).

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Feature Beginners’ special

The guinea-pig “This is the fastest place in the world to learn to ride,” says Robert Burke, coach at Ascot Park Polo Club.

Here was a challenge. Sam Owen, a teacher at Wellington College, hasn’t ridden since he was five – he’s actually allergic to horses. But Ascot Park specialises in teaching non-riders and introduces 2,500 people to polo annually.

Sam booked a Discover Polo lesson, which covers the rules and theory, basic technique and polo riding.

After a briefing on the rules, Sam found himself swinging at a ball from atop a sturdy plastic crate.

“Although I was hitting it cleanly, the ball was stationary when I hit it, and I was standing on my own feet – so the next stage was daunting,” says Sam. “Robert was a hard taskmaster, but encouraging when I did it right.”

Once on a pony, Sam was shepherded around the arena by his mounted instructor as he learnt steering and stopping, then progressed to trotting and cantering.

“Compared to my memory of riding, this pony was amazing,” says Sam. “It felt more like having a joystick and playing a video game. It was so responsive – about as far from a riding school lesson as you can get.”

He was then handed a mallet and trotted about dribbling, before rounding off the two-hour session with an instructional chukka.

“The two instructors placed the ball for us to chase – which was great fun and gave me a real sense of achievement,” he says. “In two hours I had gone from not being able to ride at all to playing a game – slightly contrived but I could understand the competitive element.

I also realised how hard it is!”

X behind the scenes, ready to thrust a sausage

sandwich into your hands.”

Your potential fellow members are significant.

After all, these are people with whom you may end up sharing a team. Park Lane’s Bridget Hancock suggests newcomers “go and meet the members to see if what they are doing suits you and if they are your type of people”.

If you’re an ambitious type, with the funds to “get serious”, and want ultimately to run a medium- or high-goal team, it’s hard to beat the Berkshire School of Polo, which was taken over by former England captain Henry Brett a year ago. One of two schools at RCBPC – one of the “big four” clubs – it offers both arena and grass tuition, and its proximity to London means it’s supremely convenient for city high-flyers.

Brett and his team offer an unmatched degree of insider expertise – from the learning process itself to buying ponies.

All the schools we contacted agreed that horsepower is critical. At places such as Ascot Park, 85 per cent of clients have never even ridden before, so matching riders with a quiet steed is paramount.

Fred Robinson from Little Bentley agrees. “We under-horse every new person, then up the ante,” he says. “Polo is about having fun, so it’s important that beginners don’t get scared, and leave having had a fantastic and exciting time.”

Terry Hanlon echoes this, saying the best way to learn is on slow horses. “The classic line from a beginner is ‘I need faster horses’,” he says, “but in

fact they’re in the wrong position on the field.

And it’s no fun if you end up in casualty.”

Arena or grass?

Many believe that arenas are ideal for beginners, thanks to the enclosed space and soft landing.

Carlton House in Suffolk hosts solely arena polo. “Our arena polo club is just that, and as a result we are very good at teaching polo,” says Harriet Servaes. “Our prices are also lower than many other clubs [group lesson from £40].”

But the “voice of polo” Terry Hanlon disagrees.

His is the only establishment in the country where you can play on grass all year round.

“We don’t do arena polo, for the simple reason that they don’t do it in Argentina,” he says. “The Argentineans come here and earn millions on grass. Start as you mean to go on. It’s like learning to ice-skate on wood!”

And if you are keen to learn, prepared to commit, and happy to be taught by one of polo’s most effervescent characters, Ambersham might be the place. Steering clear of the insurance risk of teaching beginners on hirelings, Hanlon finds ponies for starter clients to buy and keep at livery (£140 a week per pony), after which lessons and chukkas become part of an all-in deal.

“You don’t need to pay more than £3,000 for a seasoned pony to teach you how to play,” he says.

But will you be any good? It all depends.

“Some have no natural aptitude,” says Hanlon.

“I can tell immediately by getting in a car with them – it’s all about reactions.” F A group lesson at Cool Hooves, RCBPC, also home to Henry Brett’s Berkshire School of Polo.

Of the “big four” clubs, the Berkshire has the best learner facilities

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The knowledge Duty vet Mark Emerson MRCVS of Thames Valley Equine Clinic is a three-goal, fifth-generation polo player and equine vet

The dangers of tetanus: a preventable killer Tetanus is a disease caused by bacterial toxins commonly found in dirt, and results in a rigid paralysis, convulsions and death – but a straightforward jab can prevent it Left: a prominent third eyelid is often a feature of tetanus. Below: as well as causing rigidity in the limbs, tetanus can result in contortion of the facial muscles. Below left: Puncture wounds provide suitable conditions for Clostridium tetani bacteria to flourish and produce the deadly tetanus toxin

etanus – also known as “lockjaw” – can affect horses of all ages and breeds, and occurs in all parts of the world. It is fatal in up to 80 per cent of cases.

Unlike flu, it is not a contagious disease, but all unvaccinated horses can be susceptible to tetanus, particularly when broken skin is contaminated. In the UK, tetanus vaccinations are commonly combined with flu in a single injection.

Consequently all polo ponies that are correctly vaccinated against flu are likely to be covered for tetanus.

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Photographs courtesy of Mark Emerson

What causes tetanus?

Tetanus is caused by toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetani.

Clostridium tetani bacteria commonly exist as highly resistant spores in the general environment, and are particularly prevalent in animal droppings and soils rich in organic material, although spores have been found in all types of dirt.

Whenever the skin is broken, there is a risk of contamination with Clostridium tetani spores, whether the break is the result of a large wound, a small graze or even an injection with a needle.

If conditions within the wound are suitable, the spores germinate to form bacteria that multiply and produce toxins.

The bacteria prefer a low-oxygen environment such as is found in deep puncture wounds, those with considerable dead tissue, or those that produce lots of pus or have a reduced blood supply.

The toxin travels to the brain and spinal cord in the bloodstream and along the nerves. Once in the brain and spinal cord it binds irreversibly to the junctions between nerve cells, blocking the release of specific signals that tell muscles to

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contract. The consequence is an overcontraction of muscles, which results in a rigid type of paralysis.

Symptoms of tetanus The onset of symptoms often occurs between two and four weeks after wound contamination. The duration of onset and severity of the symptoms depend on the

amount of toxin produced, and the size, age and immune status of the horse.

During the first day of symptoms, horses may develop colic. In some animals the first sign may be stiffness in an infected leg.

By the second day, however, a general rigidity in the muscles is observed. The horse will develop a stiffened gait and may hold its head forwards, finding it difficult to eat from the ground. The muscles of the face may become contorted, pulling the lips up and ears back. The eyeballs are commonly pulled inwards, causing the third eyelid to become prominent as it is drawn across the eye. The tail usually becomes stiff and elevated. Muscular spasms can be provoked by clapping hands or tapping the animal on the head.

As the disease progresses, the jaw muscles become rigid, preventing the mouth from opening, and the animal finds it increasingly difficult to move

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The disease can reliably be prevented by regular vaccination of horses with tetanus toxoid

Above: Even minor grazes could become contaminated and lead to tetanus. Right: tetanus toxoid is used to vaccinate horses against tetanus, while tetanus antitoxin is used to provide a temporary supply of tetanus antibodies

around. Once an adult horse falls to the ground, it is rarely able to stand. Its attempts to stand are distressing as its muscles go into spasm, causing its back to arch, and limbs and neck to stretch out.

Eventually the chest muscles are affected, preventing the animal from breathing normally, and they die in a terminal convulsion within five to seven days of the onset of symptoms.

Treatment The earlier the disease is identified, the greater the chance of survival. Muscle relaxants and sedatives are used to counter the spasms and relieve anxiety. Penicillin is used to eliminate any bacteria that may still be producing toxin. Toxin that is yet to reach the brain and spinal cord needs to be neutralised by injecting the horse with high doses of antibodies specific to the toxin (tetanus antitoxin).

Spinal needles can be used to infuse tetanus antitoxin into the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord, which neutralises any toxin that has not yet bound to the nerve junctions. Infected animals should also be vaccinated to stimulate the production of their own antibodies.

The irreversible binding of the toxin to

nerve junctions means that recovery, if possible, is slow. Given time, the bound components of the nerve junctions are replaced as part of their natural metabolism and normal neuromuscular function is restored. The mainstay of treatment is therefore to support the animal for long enough for the nerve junctions to recover.

The horse should be kept in a quiet environment with food and water elevated off the ground. Feeding tubes and intravenous fluids may be required to provide sufficient nutrition and maintain hydration. Adult horses that are unable to stand should be put down on humane grounds.

How is tetanus prevented?

The disease can reliably be prevented by regular vaccination of horses with tetanus toxoid, an inactivated form of the toxin that stimulates the production of antibodies. It is generally recommended that horses are vaccinated with a primary course of two injections given four to six weeks apart. Regular boosters are then required to ensure sustained immunity.

The duration of protection in horses can be variable. Some studies suggest that annual boosters should be used to

guarantee immunity, while others suggest that immunity after a primary course can last for several years.

Most vets in the UK recommend annual or biannual boosters. In the UK, tetanus toxoid is commonly combined with flu vaccines, so all horses that are vaccinated against flu are usually covered for tetanus.

Any vaccinated horse that sustains a deep puncture wound or has a significant wound that requires antibiotics or veterinary attention should ideally be given an immediate additional booster.

Unvaccinated horses or horses with an unknown vaccination history should also be given a dose of tetanus antitoxin that provides temporary cover, and a second vaccination should be given about four weeks later. In a few rare cases, vaccinated horses can develop liver disease following the administration of tetanus antitoxin. F â—— Mark Emerson is based at Thames

Valley Equine Clinic, Sheephouse Farm, Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 4HF. Tel: 01491 414007; email: tvec@btconnect.com

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50 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

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Horsemanship The knowledge Horse expert Andrew Seavill shares his trade secrets

Teaching your horse to tie up safely irst, see things from the perspective of a horse in the wild. He is preyed on by predators. If you were constantly hunted, you would be alert to signs of danger; prepared to run at a split second’s notice. But humans see horses as sceptics, cowards and claustrophobics. This is why we run into so many problems with them.

When teaching a horse to tie up safely, it's not a matter of teaching him he can't win. First we have to teach him to yield to pressure; to think his way through situations; to become calmer, smarter and braver, so that he can deal sensibly with the situations we put him in.

Don’t start the lesson by tying him up – we’ll deal with that next month. First prepare him by teaching him that you are a friend, not a threat; that you will help him through confusion or fear by being passively persistent; and teaching him to yield to pressure.

F

TO PROVE YOU ARE A FRIEND, prepare to approach your horse as such: rub him all over and be kind and persistent until he relaxes and accepts you. Expand this exercise to where you can hold him on a loose, 12ft lead and throw the end of it over his back and head and around his legs without worrying him. This may take some passive persistence if the horse panics at first.

The reason for holding instead of tying him is to let him drift around.

When scared, a horse has to move his feet. If you prevent that, you'll exacerbate his claustrophobia. Let him drift around. Drift with him, keeping his nose pointed toward you. Keep up the stimulation that's bothering him until he realises he's OK. Horses love comfort. If you stop the stimulation at the right time, he will learn that by standing still, he gains comfort.

THE BETTER YOU CAN TEACH your horse to yield to pressure before moving

Before tying up your horse, first you must teach him that you are a friend, not a threat

to the next stage, the quicker he will learn not to pull back. The principle is that, if the horse leant against something pointed, he would find it uncomfortable and move away from it.

With your fingers, press the sides of his nose where the halter sits, steadily and with increasing pressure, until he moves back. Don’t jab or stab. When he moves, instantly release the pressure and rub his nose. Repeat until he understands the only way to get relief is by moving away from the pressure. If he tosses his head and pushes back (opposition reflex), hang in there quietly until he works out it's up to him to get release by moving away.

Once you can move him by the nose, push his hindquarters from you in a tight

circle with his head bent to you. He should cross his hind legs and keep his front legs almost in one place as he yields around.

Now teach him to lower his head from pressure with your fingers. This will prepare him for how to respond to pressure from the halter. If he pulls back badly, this will take some time, so invest the time now (so it takes less time!).

Always start with the lightest pressure and build intensity smoothly until the horse reacts positively, then release. The faster you release, the better. Reward the slightest try by retreating with your hands and rubbing his wither.

Next month, we’ll move to the next stage of tying-up training. F

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The knowledge Pony power

Zidane British five-goal professional Jonny Good tells James Mullan in St Moritz how one of his newest acquisitions graduated from polocrosse to polo on the snow

Vital statistics

Photograph by Tony Ramirez

Name: Height: Age: Sex: Breed:

Zidane 15.2hh 8 years old Gelding New Zealand Thoroughbred

What is Zidane’s background?

He started life as a polocrosse pony in New Zealand, and only ever played minimal polo over there until his previous owner, three-goal English pro Nick Brister, brought him to the UK in spring 2007. I bought Zidane from Nick mid-way through the English season, last July.

What are his particular strengths in a match?

He has an extremely good turn of speed and excellent balance. He corners brilliantly and gives me more time to get hold of the ball and pick out the best pass or a shot before anyone else can put me under pressure.

Does he have any weaknesses?

I’ve not found any yet. His only weakness is that he’s a gelding, so I can’t breed from him! Given how well he’s playing, I think I will probably do some homework this year and try to track down some of his brothers or sisters.

Is this his first time on the snow?

Yes, it’s my third trip but I didn’t have him last year. He seems to be enjoying it but it’s always a gamble bringing a horse here that’s never played on the snow before. I thought he’d like it though, as you need your ponies to be hard workers in the snow and he really likes the physical side of the game. He never lets me down.

You mention it’s your third trip. And your record in St Moritz isn’t bad, is it?

No, we didn’t quite manage victory this year but I won in 2006 with Adriano Agosti on the Cartier side and again in 2008 with Brioni. I wasn’t here in 2007 as my wife was having a baby.

Which chukkas do you play Zidane in?

I tend to vary it but on the snow I’ve been trying to utilise him in the opening chukka most days. That way, I get the benefits of his nimble feet and excellent cornering when the ground is still at its best. It can cut up quite badly by the end of the games. But I keep him in reserve for the last chukka as well, because he’s my best horse here and, if it’s tight and I need him, I will use him.

Does he have any special dietary requirements?

He a Thoroughbred, so it’s important to keep the weight on when you bring him back in and I tend to bulk feed him until the season proper. I then give him more protein once he’s playing later in the season. He’s been on a high-protein diet here but he’ll go back out again until the end of March or the beginning of April now.

How is Zidane’s temperament?

Off the field he’s a quirky pony and can sometimes be a bit jumpy, but he’s a big softy once you make friends with him. He’s typically highly-strung for a Thoroughbred but on the field that is very much to my advantage.

What will he play in this summer in the UK? He’ll play the 15 and 18-goal, or any 22-goal, if I get asked! He’s one of the top four horses in my string, which will consist of 13 ponies at the start the season, though I hopefully have another four or five coming through the ranks.

Would you ever sell him?

Everything has its price, but I’m certainly not looking to sell him at the moment. F

Experts in polo nutrition Tel: +44 (0)1371 850247 www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk 52 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

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Feeding The knowledge Lorna Jowett, specialist equine nutritionist, gives expert advice on all things edible

Why do some ponies need more hard feed than others?

Some people can eat what they like and have an enviable figure, while some only have to think of food to pile on the pounds. Horses are no different, so we feed them according to type.

Algunos humanos pueden comer lo que quieran y aún mantener una figura buena.

Otros, con solo pensar en comida, aumentan de peso.

Los caballos demuestran una reacción similar.

Good doers A balanced diet is essential to maintain health and assist weight loss. Weight-loss advice to humans doesn’t involve burning calories at the gym but not eating a balanced diet! Balancers (such as Lo-Cal, Stud Balancer or Blue Chip) are key for these types, as they provide vitamins, minerals and protein but not calories. Lethargic good-doers usually have oats added to small amounts of cubes/mix for energy, but using a balancer often means oats become unnecessary.

Caballos mantenidos Una dieta balanceada es esencial para mantener un sistema saludable cuando se busca la pérdida de peso o evitar su incremento. Balanceadores (como Lo-Cal, Stud Balancer o Blue Chip) son fundamentales para este tipo de caballo porque proveen vitaminas, minerales y proteínas sin calorías. Aún caballos perezosos se beneficiarían con esta dieta balanceada, demostrando más energía y entusiasmo que con una dieta a base de avena y cubos (dieta desbalanceada).

Poor doers Those who tend to drop weight require a higher calorie feed, such as a conditioning cube, often from the start to the end of the polo season. At the beginning of the season, I would suggest feeding the following:

Caballos difíciles de engordar Aquellos caballos que tiendan a perder peso rápidamente con la actividad, necesitarán de un alimento balanceado alto en calorías toda la temporada. Sugiero dar lo siguiente al principio de la temporada:

◗ High-calorie diet: 2.5kg (5.5lbs)

per day (1.5 scoops cubes/2 scoops mix) ◗ Medium: 1.5kg (2.5lb) with 1.5

cups of balancer per day ◗ Low: three cups of balancer per

day, bulked out with chaff As work increases and cantering/stick-and-ball gets underway it’s crucial to increase hard feed to support the workload, thereby reducing muscle and topline drop off, maintaining energy levels and reducing the risks of tying up. F

As work increases, it’s crucial to introduce more hard feed to support it

Tip of the month

◗ Dieta alta en calorías: 2.5kg por día

de conditioning cubes o mix (1.5 cucharones de cubos/2 de mix) ◗ Moderada: 1.5kg conditioning

cubes con 1.5 tasas de balanceadores por día. ◗ Baja: 3 tasas de balanceadores, con

chaff/alfalfa para darle volumen.

Cuando el trabajo se intensifique y se comience a galopar y a taquear, será fundamental incrementar la cantidad de alimento balanceado para evitar la pérdida de tonicidad muscular y condición física, manteniendo así los niveles de energía y reduciendo el riesgo de envaramiento. F

Changing your horse’s diet suddenly can increase the risk of colic exponentially.

Remember, your ponies have gone from 24 hours of grass/haylage to being stabled with no grass and limited hay/haylage, making them at risk of colic.

El cambio repentino en la dieta puede aumentar el riesgo de cólicos. Tené presente que en 24 horas los caballos habrán pasado de vivir afuera con una dieta a base de pasto verde y fardo, a vivir encerrados con una limitada cantidad de fardo, incrementando así el riesgo de cólicos.

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The knowledge Travel

The Gilgit gladiators Playing at the world’s oldest polo festival is daunting, frightening and fun, says Bruce Cowley, who now plans to take others to Northern Pakistan

ne rarely has the opportunity to time-travel and enjoy one’s favourite sport at the same time, but that’s exactly what we did when our team, Jeddah Polo – sponsored by Mercedes-Benz – became the first foreigners to play polo in Gilgit since the end of the Raj. Many of you may have heard of the Shandur Polo Festival, which has taken place annually for at least the last 600 years, between Gilgit and Chitral in Pakistan’s Northern Territories. Thanks to the help and contacts of two Pakistani friends of mine – HE Zaighum Azam, Consul

Photographs by Bruce Cowley

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General of Pakistan, and Colonel Manhar, or the Pakistan Army – who are based in Jeddah, but play at Rawalpindi Polo Club, they, I and a fellow British expat, Jason Drew, made the trip to Gilgit last November.

We flew there from Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, over some of the most spectacular mountains in the world. The plane drops into the Indus Valley and follows the course of the Indus and then Gilgit rivers, flanked by the Hindu Kush and Karakoram mountain ranges – as described in the August 2008 issue of Polo Times in the memoirs of Lt Col Sir Denholm de MS Fraser, who visited the district in 1939.

The Northern Polo Federation (NPA) brands its original style of polo “freestyle polo”. This is the game Ghengis Khan and Tamerlane played (allegedly with the heads of their enemies). There are no rules and no umpires, although there is a panel of venerable judges.

A game consists of two 30-minute chukkas, with a 10-minute break. There are six players per team, each with one pony. If your horse is injured, you and your opposite number retire. If, however, your horse can’t carry on because it is tired, you retire your horse, but play on yourself – on foot.

Needless to say, this last rule elevates the horse above the mere resource it is to many

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Clockwise from far left: local players vie for position; shepherds; a visiting player (with hat) reaches for the hook; the victory dance – with the author in the middle

Western players. Invariably polo ponies here are owned, trained and ridden by the player himself.

“You need to spend time with your horses,” advises Ashraf Gul, president of the NPA. “Talk to your horse and listen to what he tells you. He will tell you everything he needs.”

Getting mounted is probably the reason no other outsiders have played in Gilgit lately. For us, thanks to the support of the NPA, military and local government, there was no problem. We were escorted to one of the three fields and shown several ponies that had been brought in by their owners. We were invited to ride all of them and choose one each.

Here’s a hint – don’t try to ride these horses as you would ride your own. They take a bit of getting used to, and have no “middle gears”. I found the best way to avoid them becoming agitated and pulling was to mount up with a stick in my hand and start stick-and-balling immediately. I’d whack the ball then chase it, which meant the horse and I were agreed on what to do.

Most players ride stallions, as they feel only stallions have the heart required for the sport.

The breeds range from the small Baluchi ponies, similar to the Mongol horses, which I chose, to Badakshani, an early warmblood breed.

The day before our own foray onto the field, we headed to the main polo ground to watch the

The horses have no “middle gears”. My tactic was to mount up, whack the ball then chase it, so the horse and I were agreed on what to do regional finals between the Northern Light Infantry and the Police. Not only is polo still flourishing, but it is actually growing in the region. In fact, 27 teams competed in the regional championships this year.

On finals days, Gilgit shuts up shop and heads for the polo grounds. When we arrived, an

estimated 20,000 people were flocking to the stands, sitting on walls and on the roofs of the mosques which line the ends of the field.

And what a show. Because the area is smaller than a standard field, you can see all the action.

And it is incredible. Throughout the game drums and flutes add a soundtrack, the flow of the music following the patterns of the game. Adding another level of excitement are the “stickbearers”, who take their lives in their hands for the honour of running into the game and handing a new stick to any player who has broken or dropped his. The sticks used have no handle or strap, and they break. Often.

NLI won the match and came out again to dance the victory dance. We were left awed and rather terrified. Tomorrow we would be playing Gilgit, with two members of NLI to swell our team to six. And we kept on catching the words “Jeddah Polo” from the announcer. It seemed that our match was being heavily promoted.

Over a dinner hosted for us by the NPA, we learned we would be playing a 10-minute chukka X

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The knowledge Travel

X against Gilgit. Then we would mix the teams and

play two 20-minute chukkas.

After a sleepless night, especially for Jason Drew and myself (as the team’s two Brits), we arrived at the grounds to find 6,000 spectators waiting to see how the foreigners measured up.

Polo is a religion here. Indeed, the locals told us the best way to impress the ladies is through prowess on the polo field (that or killing a black bear, which are in short supply). So, no pressure.

Pakistan essentials ◗ Bruce Cowley will be organising and accompanying tours to the Northern Areas this summer, offering

outsiders the opportunity to play in Gilgit and at the six major summer polo festivals. He has an arrangement with all concerned parties (government, tribal leaders, NPA, military) to provide full support and security to guests, and plans to bring in regular polo ponies for those who are not comfortable with the tribesmen’s horses. The Northern Areas season is from June to September. To find out more about the tours, email brucecowley@hotmail.com. A website at www.hindukush-polo.com will be operational shortly. ◗ Polo is played all year elsewhere in Pakistan, moving locality with the weather. It’s played in Lahore from

December to February, in Islamabad from November to March and in Abbottabad from April to November. ◗ Bruce would like to thank Jeddah Polo’s team sponsor Mercedes-Benz, the Pakistan Army, the Pakistan

Polo Association and the NPA, and the Northern Territories Government and Tourist Board.

Clockwise from above: the author celebrates scoring a goal with a traditional dash up the field; a melee by a mosque; the legendary Bulbul with the author

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◗ Jeddah Polo was set up by HE Zaighum Azam (Consul General of Pakistan, Jeddah) and Bruce Cowley. A

group of enthusiasts have a few horses and some space in the Saudi city, where they play arena polo and practise with the field ball on a sand “field”. Bruce and Jason Drew also play at Val de Vie in South Africa.

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My travels with Jamie Morrison

Where have you been recently?

I spent New Year in Barbados, at Holders House, a beautiful place owned by the Kidd family. Jack Kidd, Henry Brett and I were the “gruesome threesome” – we had lots of fun playing polo and enjoying the social scene. It was a great way to see in 2009.

What’s the best polo holiday you’ve ever had?

It has to be when I stayed at a place called Campianas, near São Paulo in Brazil. The place is stunning, the fields are immaculate, and although they only play amateur polo, the beauty of it is that they don’t take themselves too seriously and life there is geared towards having fun.

Photograph by Gillian Hughes

What was your best non-polo trip?

Because of who my father was, I had some amazing opportunities, but one that stands out is when I toured Australia with George Michael. I was about 13, and we visited all the cities and the arenas that he performed in. We also met up with Sinclair Hill, probably Australia’s greatest polo player.

What bad times have you abroad?

When I was 18, my father sent me to Uruguay to look for horses. It was a tough trip. The weather was awful and I didn’t speak a word of Spanish.

It wasn’t the best of experiences!

Which is your favourite hotel in the world and why?

La Colombe d’Or in Saint-Paul de Vence, in the

You descend the stairs into what is essentially a gladiatorial arena. The drums were already beating and on the field were the greats of Northern Polo, including Bulbul, a farmer who is well into his 70s and has played for Gilgit for the last 16 years. It was truly the most terrifying experience of my life.

But, once the ball was thrown in, by General Muzzamal (OC FCNA), everything changed. The music intoxicates you, driving out fear, exhaustion, everything except the game.

Playing at number one, I scored our first goal.

When you score here you take the ball in your stick hand and gallop from the goal line. At the halfway line you throw the ball in the air and attempt to hit it. Charging up the field with the ball held up to the spectators (a tradition dating

South of France. I have spent a lot of time there. It is stunning and has the most fabulous private art collection. Works by the likes of Picasso hang on its walls and the food and location are wonderful.

Where’s the best restaurant you’ve dined in abroad?

The Oyster Bar in Amsterdam. The seafood is incredible and I have very fond memories of the place. I’ve been there with friends from inside and outside the polo community as well as with my family.

What would you never leave home without on a polo holiday?

The latest copy of Polo Times, of course!

Where would you like to go that you haven’t been?

China. It is so different to anywhere I have been and it’s steeped in so much history. I’d love to visit the Great Wall and learn more about the Mao dynasty. I also think polo has a great future there.

Where did you go as a child?

When I was little I was lucky enough to travel a lot and went to places such as Kenya and Egypt. Most memorably, I spent most Easters at Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in Florida. We had a house there and would go as a family, watch polo at weekends and hang out with our friends, such as Kenney Jones and his family.

Interview by Antje Derks

back to when it was the head of your enemy), I felt perhaps more alive than I have ever felt. And miss or not, the crowd loved it.

We lost 4-2 to Gilgit, in 10 minutes. I must point out that the tribesmen made a real effort not to kill us, refraining from some of the more extreme action we’d seen in the previous day’s final. And they spoke English.

After a short break, we continued with mixed teams. HE Zaighum Azam and I played together, and our erstwhile teammates joined the other team.

Two 20-minute chukkas flew by and suddenly it was over, and my teammates were dancing. We’d won! So, what else was there to do? Hell, if I could play in front of 6,000 people, I could dance too. F

Travel news in brief ◗ THE SWISS WATCHMAKER Jaeger-LeCoultre is looking to markets in Central and Eastern Europe by sponsoring polo teams in a new tour of countries in that area.

Countries cooperating in the tour include Austria, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, newest member of the Federation of International Polo (FIP).

The German player Uwe Zimmerman is behind the push to grow the sport in what was, before World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Zimmerman is founder of La Estancia Polo Club at Etyke outside Budapest, an area known for its vineyards. Also supporting the tour is the Baron Drasche of Schloss Ebreichsdorf.

The tour schedule, yet to be finalised, includes Buksza Polo Club, Warsaw, 22-24 May; Prague (venue tbc), 28-30 May; Bratislava (Slovakia) at Schloss Ebreichsdorf Polo Club, Vienna, 5-7 June; and La Estancia Polo Club, Budapest, 1214 June. Uwe Zimmerman will be captain of the Jaeger-LeCoultre teams during the series. ◗ ARGENTINA IS SUFFERING one of its biggest droughts in history, writes Carlos Beer. Polo has been hit along with agriculture, as many players have countryside set-ups and businesses.

“Everything is very bad over here. People need rain," declared nine-goal polo professional Eduardo Heguy from Intendente Alvear, a rural village in La Pampa where the Heguys are based. "A storm is forecast, but to improve things we need more than 120mm of rain," added El Ruso, the day before the start of the Horacio and Gonzalo Heguy Cup. That night, it rained 30mm in La Pampa, but that proved little water for an extremely thirsty land... ◗ TRAVELLERS TO GREECE, Nigeria, France, Dubai and Northern Ireland will soon be able to pick up Polistas clothing in those countries.

The brand’s polo-playing managing director, Canadian-born Johnny Lynn, is expanding the label internationally at pace and is also in talks with possible outlets in Spain.

The firm’s flagship store is at Burlington Arcade, Mayfair, and the label is also sold at Harrods, St Tropez Polo Club, San Antonio de Areco near Buenos Aires and at upmarket outfitters in Kensington and Norfolk.

The brand will be available in stores all over Greece, tapping into the country’s massive tourist market, and at luxury menswear store Hugo Thomas in Belfast, the only store in Northern Ireland where you can buy shirt and suits of another polo-related label, Brioni.

Polistas clothing will be available in Deauville in a store on the beach, next to the casino, and in two stores in Lagos, Nigeria.

Lynn founded the company six years ago to make polo merchandise such as caps and shirts for polo sponsors and events. He appeared on the BBC’s entrepreneurial programme, Dragons Den, looking for funding in 2006 without success. But, since then, Polistas has gone on to be the official supplier of merchandise for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray and various other high-profile events, although 90 per cent of Lynn’s customers do not have polo links.

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The knowledge Club profile: The Villages, Florida

With the Florida season in full swing, we profile The Villages Polo Club, where the historic Camacho Cup, between Mexico and the US, will be revived this month he Villages Polo Club opened in 1998 among the manicured green lawns, golf courses and leisure facilities of The Villages, an idyllic retirement complex of 70,000 residents billed as “Florida’s friendliest hometown”.

The club lies in central Florida on 115 acres, at the heart of the property. It’s supremely convenient to reach, being just an hour north of Orlando – or 25 minutes by helicopter.

Three regulation, boarded fields, each with in-ground irrigation, form the centerpiece.

The fields are sand-based, with Bermuda grass, which allows games to be played within minutes of heavy rainfall. A striking tri-level stadium, with state-of-the-art Bose PA system and 50 speakers, sits between the two main fields.

The Villages leads the nation in crowd numbers, with more than 30,000 spectators every year. The public can come and watch on Sundays, when general admission costs US$10,

Photographs courtesy of Villages Polo Club

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though residents of The Villages and “Booster members” pay just $5.

The “Booster Club” is similar to the British system of social membership, and with an annual subscription of just $7, it has assembled the largest polo fan group in America, with more than 1,000 members.

It has 50 regular playing members, with handicaps from minus-one to five goals, some of whom are third-generation players.

Prominate playing members include Tiffany Busch (Busch Beer), Larry Robinson (NHL Hall of Fame) and Tim Gannon (Outback).

High-goal guest players – who have doubtless contributed to the crowd-pulling factor – include Jeff Hall, Nick Roldan, Mike Azzaro and Carlos Gracida.

The spring season runs from March until May, with the autumn season from September to November.

After every league, polo parties are held, and there’s a Champagne brunch every Sunday and a “Champagne divot stomp” at

half-time. The club also offers attractive weekend tournament packages, with games on Fridays and Sundays, golf available on Saturdays, and theatre tickets, in luxury lakeside lodgings. Practice games take place on Wednesdays.

You can also learn at the club: lessons and hire horses are available in season.

One of the most exciting of this spring’s fixtures is the Camacho Cup, in which the USA will play Mexico. The cup was last contested 21 years ago, and inaugurated in 1941, since when it has been played on eight occasions. Mike Azzaro is due to captain the US team, with Carlos Gracida at the helm of the Mexicans.

The Women’s World Cup is scheduled for autumn 2009, along with the 20-goal USPA National Cup. Last year the club partnered up with Gracida International, Carlos Gracida’s organisation, and several other major changes and upgrades – to be announced in due course – are on the drawing board. F

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Club details: The Villages Location: one hour north of Orlando.

Florida Facilities: three grounds, stadium with bar and second-level seating for 200 on each side.

Lessons: available in season – call for details Seasons: spring is March to May and autumn is September to November Days of play: competitive polo on Fridays and Sundays; practices on Wednesdays Number of members: 50 playing members and more than 1,000 “Booster Club” members Fees for playing membership: $1,500 to $2,500 (no dues or extra charges) Main club contact: Ron Allen Address: The Villages Polo Club, 1020 Lake Sumter Landing, The Villages, Florida 32162, US Telephone: 001 352 759 7656 Email: ron.allen@thevillages.com Website: www.thevillagespoloclub.com

Main picture: the magnificent and often-packed grandstand between the two main fields. Above: scenes from The Villages, with (right) Mike Azzaro and Carlos Gracida in action

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The knowledge Gear Guards Polo Club boot bag from La Martina (www.lamartina.com) Our verdict: A resilient bag with ample room and a practical two-way zip The damage: Contact La Martina

Cotton twill boot bag from Tally Ho Farm (www.tallyhofarm.co.uk; 01344 885373) Our verdict: A budget option that does the job. Perfect for storage, but doesn’t feel as if it would stand up to a good British downpour The damage: £9.95

Full suede boot bag from Tally Ho Farm (www.tallyhofarm.co.uk; 01344 885373) Our verdict: A luxurious and stylish suede boot bag, with leather handles. Bigger on looks than practicality: the limp suede makes zipping and unzipping a bit tricky The damage: £71.95

Roxtons Polo boot bag – also available in navy, red and royal blue – from Roxtons (www.roxtons.co.uk; 0845 2606118) Our verdict: A sizeable, rigid canvas bag that can be easily cleaned (and identified!)

The damage: £35

Blue bag with tan handles from Porto Polo (www.portopolo.com; 07904 085902) Our verdict: A durable, hard-wearing canvas bag with plenty of room and a side pocket for storing little items such as keys, gum-shield, watch or gloves The damage: £25

62 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

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Dates for the diary The knowledge

What’s on in March Principal fixtures at home and abroad UK

Argentina

Barbados

Druids Lodge – The Corramore Trophy (8-10 goal): 28 Feb to 1 March Ascot Park – National Womens Polo Tournament (open): 28 Feb to 1 March Longdole – SUPA National Girls’ Schools Tournament: 1 March Vaux Park – Eventation Tournament (12 goal): 7 to 8 March Ascot Park – Westcroft Park Plate (4-8 goal): 7 to 8 March Tidworth – Inter Regimental Trophy (open): 7 to 8 March Longdole – SUPA National Junior Schools Tournament: 8 March Longdole – SUPA National Senior Schools Tournament: 15 March FHM – End of Season Challenge (0-2 goal): 28 March Vale of York – ABI Beach Challenge (open): 29 March

Various clubs – Copa Republica Argentina (interclub championships): final rounds from 23 March to 5 April (final at Palermo on 5 April)

Various Clubs, Barbados – Barbados Open (12-15 goal): 15 to 22 March

New Zealand Auckland, North Island – Savile Cup (0-16 goal): 4 to 8 March Willow Park, North Island – Ambassadors Final: 13 March Kihikihi, North Island – Waikato Open: 14 to 15 March Lanheren – Lanherne Torurnament (0-40 goal): 28 to 29 March

Australia Sydney, NSW – 66th FIP Ambassdors Cup: 14 to 22 March Perth, Western Australia – Carpenter Cup: 21 to 22 March Richmond, near Sydney – International Test Match: 29 March

United States IPCPB – CV Whitney (26 goal): 19 Feb to 8 March El Dorado, Indio California – El Dorado USPA Womens Challenge: 4 to 8 March IPCPB – USPA Gold Cup (26 goal): 15 to 29 March IPCPB – US Open (26 goal): 25 March to 26 April

Dubai Desert Palm Polo Club – Cartier International Dubai Challenge (Open): 27 March

India Delhi – HSMS Gold Vase (8 goal): 3-8 March Delhi – Business & Economy Royal Cup: 15 March

Jamaica Kingston Polo Club, Jamaica – NCB High Goal (15-18 goal): 28 March to 5 April

Mexico Costa Careyes – Copa de Clubs: 19 to 20 March

Other dates for your diary Saturday, 28 March, 10am-4pm – Voluntary assistant coaches’ course, Down Farm (Beaufort Polo Club), with David Morley and Clare Tomlinson. Not for coaches, but for helpers or team-managers at Pony Club, schools, universities or clubs who want to know more about how HPA coaches and instructors teach, thereby enabling them to be better helpers. £100 per person. Contact Amanda at the HPA (tel: 01367 242828) to sign up.

Friday, 13 March – Deadline for submitting “Letters to the Editor” for inclusion in the April issue of Polo Times (letters@polotimes.co.uk) Monday, 16 March – Deadline for submitting “Classified ads” in the April issue of Polo Times (visit www.polotimes.co.uk)

Carlos, not Juan In last month’s feature on Sophie Sivrisarian’s brilliant cartoons, we captioned this picture incorrectly. The drawing is of Carlos Menditeguy, not Juan Carlos Alberdi. As Sophie told reporter Chris Ashton, when she showed a draft to Menditeguy, he tore it in half and returned it without a word. All credit to Sophie for pursuing her artistic ambitions after such a brush-off.

Picture of the month Photographer Tony Ramirez captured perfectly the ball slap in the middle of Daniel Acosta’s helmet at the Champagne Jacquart Challenge at Hickstead on 14 February.

Photograph by Tony Ramirez – www.imagesofpolo.com

www.polotimes.co.uk March 2009 63

PTMarch 2009 p64-65 St Moritz JM YC

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Out and about Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow: 29 Jan-1 Feb St Moritz, Switzerland

Life’s still ‘gold’, even after 25 years of partying “It’s gold!” sang Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, who supplied the late-night entertainment at the gala evening’s glamorous after-party. And how right he was: not only was gold something one might have needed stocks of in order to afford tickets to the party in the first place, it was also a prominent feature of the bash itself, seen adorning necks, ears, wrists and fingers alongside diamonds, and reminding other guests that, even while the polo itself continues to improve, the social side of the Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow is still as important as ever.

The Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, in its first year as the tournament’s official hotel, was the venue for the majority of this year’s entertainment away from the lake. It hosted Friday’s traditional press conference, the boozy parties on the Friday and Saturday nights, and was the accommodation of choice for the tournament’s organising committees, all the visiting players, swathes of media and those gold-encrusted polo-goers who could still find a room.

Fittingly, the raw material out of which the new Cartier World Cup on Snow tournament trophy has been constructed is also – yes, you’ve guessed it – gold.

A fleet of Mercedes AMGs ferried polo-goers from the lake to this, the entrance to 2009’s official hotel, the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains

Warm ears and big ears

“Top-up madam? No, doesn’t look like it...”

Photographs by Nacho Corbalán

Black was certainly this year’s colour among the younger guests

Countess Renate Hirsch-Giacomuzzi

64 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

By night they partied, but by day scores of people filled the grandstands, even early on in the week

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While “black tie” is easy enough for the men, the ladies went to plenty of trouble

Liquid sponsors, Grand Khaan Mongolian vodka

The converted pool area, ready for one of the VIP after-parties

Maybach’s guests were in typically good voice Gilmore in a rare serious moment

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley rolls back the years to give a spirited rendition of Gold

Above: the lobby of the Kempinsky on gala night Left: once again, well wrapped-up guests meant there was more fur on show than at Battersea Dogs Home

Finals day welcomed more than 40 well-groomed dogs to the lake www.polotimes.co.uk March 2009 65

PTMarch 2009 p66-67 Klosters JM YC

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Out and about Berenberg Snow Polo: 22-25 January 2009 Klosters, Switzerland

Celebrating five years of sun, fun and snow polo The snow polo event in Klosters celebrated its fifth birthday this year, depsite almost dying out as a one-hit wonder after its initial inception. Organiser Daniel Waechter, at that time the Klosters director of tourism, breathed life into the tournament in 2005, founding the Alpine Polo Club and assembling a dedicated group of polo fans keen to keep the tournament running.

Since then, the event has gone from strength to strength and this year welcomed the largest public crowds in its short history. The feedback from players has also been increasingly good, as they seem to revel playing in the relaxed, mixed, low-goal snow environment more and more.

In addition to the action on the grounds, the hospitality and entertainment off the field included the traditional Players' Night evening and the ever-popular Jack & Daniels Party. The stage was occupied every night by acts from across Europe, including a traditional tyrolean trio from Austria, called Die Jungen Zillertaller; Ken Hensley, formerly of British band Uriah Heap; and girl groups Queensbury and Hot Banditoz, the latter of which comes from Germany.

Organiser Daniel Waechter celebrates with runners-up, Team Berenberg (l-r: Stefan Roth, Tim Bown and John Bunn)

Dominique Thoenes brings her smile from Kenya to Klosters

Clare Milford Haven, Richard Le Poer and Martin Glue find another use for their third-place cups

Commentator Jan Erik Franck in full flow

Photographs by Tony Ramirez

Charles Bertrand, Steven Indijc and Sebastian Baker enjoy the sunshine

The ground at Klosters benefits from the shelter of the beautiful surrounding mountains on two sides

66 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

One of the many faces of commentator and funnyman Sebastian Baker

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Above and right: girl band Queensbury perform and then dress pretty in pink

Clare Milford Haven pads up

Emma Beardshaw and Dominique Thoenes, with two male friends from sponsors Jet Republic

David Morley and his fan club (l-r: Clare Hudson, Vicky Davies and Katy Jones)

Andreas Maissen presents MVP Tim Bown with a Parmigiani watch

John Manconi with daughter, Alix, and the brains behind the event, Daniel Waechter

Left: Team Parmigiani (l-r: Thomas Winter, Christopher Winter and Uwe Schroder). Above: John Bunn (centre) bonds with team-mates Tim Bown and Stefan Roth

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, always happy to be at Klosters www.polotimes.co.uk March 2009 67

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Club information

LONGDOLE POLO CLUB Rob Cudmore England Coach, 2 HPA Instructors International Equitrack Polo Arena Fantastic clubhouse with licensed bar & excellent viewing of the arena Polo Pony Hire, School Ponies Chukkas and Matches - call the office for Info Individual Coaching, Group Lessons, Social & Corporate Events

For information on membership, polo lessons and general enquiries please call: Tel: (office) 01452 864 544 Mobile: 07974 532 841 email: rob@longdolepolo.com Longdole Polo Club, Birdlip, Gloucestershire, GL4 8LH

68 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

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Classifieds FARRIER

EQUIPMENT

Farrier Services Specialists in high goal polo ponies Berkshire & Surrey areas (all areas considered) Also: Racing, Riding, Driving and Dressage

Prices from ÂŁ50 Contact Tom Cunningham Mob: 0774 820 7037 Tel: 01932 873707 GIFTS

Get yourself noticed email: karen@polotimes.co.uk And don’t forget we get over 50,000 hits a month on our website - advertise now TRANSPORT

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Classifieds GROUND MAINTENANCE

TRANSPORT

CH GROUNDS MAINTENANCE LTD

The New Lightweight body by

Specialists in the construction, maintenance and drainage of polo grounds.

CONSTRUCTION SAND SPREADING VERTI-DRAINING OVERSEEDING DRAINAGE & SPRAYING

Verti-Draining

CHESHAM OFFICE Tel: (01494) 758208 Fax: (01494) 758886 Email: mike@chgrounds.com www.chgrounds.com

TRISTAR★★★ This revolutionary horsebox is designed to achieve a payload of approximately 3 tons – which means you can legally carry: 5 medium weight 16hh horses – around 600kg each, or 6 polo ponies of an average 460kg each – and this also includes all tack!

This innovative body can be produced in any length from 10’ – 30’, with the same variations in specification as any other vehicle in our range.

www.tristarhorsesboxes.co.uk

Tel: 01570 422250 Fax: 01570 423842 Email: sales@tristarhorseboxes.co.uk

SERVICES

Polo Lorries Made to Order Contact Cris Matthews on 07885 734 282 Back in the UK at the End of Februar y please email for enquiries

Polo Lorries built by qualified engineer and polo player who understands your requirements.

• Can adapt to your specifications.

• Any repairs to partitions, ramps, floors, welding of cabs, resprays and M.O.T preparation.

• Or keep your container and we can swap your chassis/cab for a newer one.

• Pick up and delivery service.

email: crispmatthews@hotmail.co.uk PROPERTY

To Let Polo yard with 17 stables - 25 acre dry paddock Could house up to 40 ponies Ideal base for professionals Direct access to common land (Pirbright, Guildford)

20 minutes from Guards Polo Club

Tel: 0774 8610911 TRANSPORT

70 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

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PONIES

STABLING

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Classifieds PONIES GOOD PONIES AVAILABLE TO HIRE OR LEASE: Very nice ponies to suit all standards available from a chukka to a season and anything in between. For more information call Jemima on 07976 279161 or 01258 820495.

TALENTED MARE: 15.1 pretty bay mare for sale due to lack of time. 5 1/2 years coming into her first season - stick & balled and played chukkas, in and outside. £3,500 call Lisa 07795 213 134.

15.2 GELDING: Novice chestnut TB gelding 6 years.

Shannon has a fantastic temperament, physique and is the darling of the yard. Trained by Rod Gutteridge, played one season. £3000 ono - Philip Amadeus Tel: 07768 100900 (Surrey) EQUIPMENT POLO TACK: 5 Argentine 18’’ suede saddles, two new, two nearly new and one used all in good condition. 15 cloths - various colours, 4 Argentine girths good price can take all. Tel: 07867 552130.

SCOREBOARDS AND CLOCKS ESPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR POLO: Outdoor and arena sizes.

Fully electronic, displaying the time counting down, both scores and chukka number. Automatic bell / horn. Controlled wirelessly by a remote control you can even wear on your arm.

Visit www.SportingDesigns.co.uk or call +44 (0)7860 303217 SITUATIONS GROOM WANTED: Groom wanted for small friendly polo club in Northern Ireland to start in April. Will play polo Wednesdays and weekends. Must speak English. Contact Het Day - hdday@hotmail.com 3 GOAL ARG PLAYER LOOKING FOR UK MED GOAL TEAM: 3 goal Argentine player looking for UK medium goal team summer 2009. 8 yrs in UK, last 2 seasons at RCBPC, well merited player and horses.

Based in Windsor, flexible to move. Also available for low goal patrons. Currently playing in Asia. Call or email for a chat. Contact: Jose Otto Von Potobsky +66 847845067 or + 44 7892685455, vonpotobsky@gmail.com POLO GROOM REQUIRED: Polo Groom required for small private members club. Duties include all aspects of polo pony management. Basic single live

72 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

in accommodation available if required.

Contact polo manager Tel: 07778 307017 or email millers@sydmonton.com PLAYING GROOM WANTED: Wanted - Playing groom from 1 April, must be 0 goals or above, driver (HGV bonus). Will groom, play regularly in chukkas and tournaments, help teach and be IT savvy. Good pay, decent accommodation and car. Could continue into arena season if suited. Call 01980 846708 or email tidpolo@tiscali.co.uk TRANSPORT AND MACHINERY HORSE TRANSPORT & FREELANCE CLASS 1 DRIVER FOR HIRE: Horse transport & driver available. Also freelance driver/groom, 25+ years experience working with & transporting horses in the UK & Europe. Class 1/O licence holder & DEFRA approved. 01794 323195 - 07786 475123 (Hants / Wilts based).

NON HGV POLO LORRY IVECO 75 E 17 TECTOR 2001: 7500kg GVW, test till June, Y reg, new conversion, granolithic rubber floor, new ramp, galvanised partitions, stalled for six. £15,650 + VAT (will paint if require). Call 07836 551227 or email Qtpiedeluxe@hotmail.co.uk.

NON HGV POLO LORRY: Non HGV Polo Lorry Mercedes 814 Eco Power, 1997, partitioned for 5, can carry 6. Large, secure Luton storage area. Very reliable, regularly serviced. 1 yrs MOT. Would take 3 - 4 trailer in part-exchange. £8k - Contact 07817 209565 or cliveposselt@gmail.com LEYLAND DAF 45/130 7.5 TONNE NON HGV. K reg, new build 4 years. Telescopic partitioning for 3 horses, full rubber matting on floor and ramp.

Clean and tidy full living with hob, grill and sink. Split door to horse area. Large Luton area, leisure system, isolator, tv point, skirt lockers, saddle racks.

Frequently used, reliable, regularly serviced, plated to December 2009, taxed. £8995 ono.

Tel: Karen 0771 3730916 (Oxford) FANTASTIC R('97) REG FORD IVECO 7.5tonne silver and white lorry; bigger than normal as has HGV spec although plated/registered NON HGV. We take up to 8 ponies in it. Plated and taxed till October. Partitions, mats, saddle racks, tie bars - everything!! Uses way less diesel than our other lorry (same spec), never let us down.£8,500. Call Nicola 07977046686 DRIVER AVAILABLE: Professional, freelance artic or rigid driver available, with polo pony experience.

Clean LGV class C+E licence for 4 years. No accident claims. References available. Oxford/Henley based.

Call Jonathan on 07810 772778 or email pellyfry@aol.com LIVERY CREDIT CRUNCH? TRY LOW BUDGET POLO AT NIL FARM: Credit Crunch? Try low budget polo at Nil Farm, Hook Norton. We aim for good polo at as low cost as possible. DIY or full livery. Good grazing, farm hay, oats and barley. Beautiful private ground. Some use of lorry. 1/2 hr Kirtlington, 3/4 hr RLS, 1 hr Cirencester. For Londoners, evening practise chukkas possible. Marylebone - Banbury 1 hr. We meet 1/4 hr to farm. Nice Flat £100 pw. Excellent B & B close.

Tel: Hook Norton 01608 737252/ Thomas 07900 055937 POLO LIVERY - CIRENCESTER/BEAUFORT AREA: Flexible affordable livery offered. Good facilities available including a horsewalker and turnout. All year round commercial yard catering for all polo equine needs services include rehabilitation, transport, schooling, pre/season fitness, barned youngsters and turnout. For more details call Tim 07740 252369/07811 880448 or email:thameypolo@btinternet.com NEW LIVERY: Limited spaces for stable and corrals based at Ascot Park. We offer a professional service to suit all your needs. For more info call Lisa 07795 213134 or email pata19@hotmail.com LIVERY WARGRAVE/BERKS: Full/part livery available also some stables for rent. Horsewalker, arena, transport, wooden horse and stick and ball field. Contact h.keay1@btinterent.com or 07885 075463 POLO LIVERY - WEST SUSSEX: Up to 20 newly refurbished internal stables to rent, plus full livery/DIY. 5 mins KCPC, 30 mins Cowdray, Hurtwood, Sussex. Secure tack rooms, coffee/shower room, parking etc. Facilities inc. sand school, exercise track, wooden horse, full size pitch & large stick & ball area. Grazing available. Mobile home available if required. Please call: 07890 516399 BLUEYS POLO: Blueys farm, close to Guards and RCBPC, offers full or DIY livery, two grounds, exercise track, stabling/dirt paddocks, transport, shoeing, lessons, in structural chukkas. We also offer a unique pony rental deal for those without or only one or two ponies, short term or for the season. Call Stuart on 07930 323263 or Gemma on 07920 776096.

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The last word

A Week

in the life of. .

had travelled from near Cowdray in England, as had my Cartier team-mate for the week, Gaston Lauhlé. We had a relaxed evening together in the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, where we were staying for the week, and went to bed quite early.

IT WAS ON TUESDAY that things went wrong. I got up, had lunch and went out to ride the horses along with Gaston and another of my team-mates, Glen Gilmore.

However, as the afternoon wore on, I started to feel unwell. I went to bed really early after a light evening meal in the hotel.

THINGS WEREN’T ANY BETTER on Wednesday, but I still thought I could manage, so when our patron Adriano Agosti arrived at lunchtime we went down to the lake to play practice chukkas for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Afterwards we went for dinner at Adriano’s house but, by then, I was feeling awful.

Photograph by Tony Ramirez

THE WEEK OF 24-31 JANUARY, between the semi-finals of Klosters and St Moritz, was a difficult one for me. It started well enough. I was playing for John Manconi’s eCRT side in Klosters and on the Saturday we beat Hackett in the second of the two evening semi-finals, winning ourselves a place in Sunday’s final against John Bunn’s Team Berenberg. I had a relatively early night that evening and a nice lie-in and was feeling good. Though I’ve played in St Moritz many times, I’d never been to Klosters and it certainly helps get you used to the weather before the high-goal the following week.

SUNDAY ALSO WENT WELL, as we won the final – this time played at lunchtime to allow the spectators up from Zurich the chance to get back in time for work on Monday – and we had a good party up in the mountains that night with John Manconi and the rest of the team and grooms. I was probably in bed by about 2am.

ON MONDAY I SLEPT IN UNTIL 10AM or so and packed up my stuff in preparation for the car and train trip to St Moritz. We had a 74 March 2009 www.polotimes.co.uk

Piki Alberdi

The eight-goal snow polo veteran tells James Mullan how the high of winning at Klosters on his first visit was dampened by a persistent bout of flu that affected his strength for four days at St Moritz final lunch with John Manconi, at which he thanked us for our efforts and we said our goodbyes, before he then returned to Zurich.

We then left at about 2.30pm and arrived in St Moritz an hour and a half later. The first thing I did was check on my horses. I had a separate string of five ponies at each event, with the more powerful in St Moritz, so I was anxious to see that they were OK. They

THE 25TH CARTIER POLO WORLD CUP on Snow began on Thursday. The doctor came to see me in the morning and prescribed me a course of antibiotics before we played the second game against Julius Baer at 2pm. Rather like me, the lake wasn’t in great shape that first day and we lost 6-4.

My horses couldn’t get any speed at all in the deep, soft snow and after the match I felt absolutely horrible and went straight to bed.

I DIDN’T SLEEP AT ALL WELL and stayed in bed on Friday until the game at 11.30am. I knew I had to eat or else I’d feel weak, but I could only manage a little. However, I was always committed to playing the game, and we won in a thrilling encounter, 4-3. I didn’t go to the press conference after the matches but instead went straight to bed and forewent the evening party as well.

BY SATURDAY, I BEGAN TO FEEL BETTER. I slept in until 9.30am and was able to have a good breakfast. Gaston and I watched the first game from the stands and then we had a meeting with Adriano in the VIP tent about our tactics. We needed to win by two and it was a tough game. We eventually came up just one goal short and it was a major disappointment not to make the final. However, at least I was feeling better and was well enough for the cocktail party and dinner that evening, even though I didn’t drink anything. I rarely drink anyway to be honest. We won the subsidiary final on Sunday, 3-21/2. F

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Polo Times March 2009