Polo Times Apr15 by Edit

Volume 20 • Issue 3 • April 2015 • £6.50

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100 page bumper issue ARENA INTERNATIONAL TEST MATCH

The Arena Gold Cup USA Season review Equine sinus issues & much more

PLUS: Licensing issues & Clive Reid interview PT Apr15 Covers.indd 1

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Contents

Contacts Publisher Nick Hine publisher@polotimes.co.uk

What’s inside...

April 2015

Production Editor & Group Editor in Chief Richenda Hine richenda@polotimes.co.uk Commissioning Editor Charley Larcombe charley@polotimes.co.uk

20 Advertising Manager Ben Bovill ben@polotimes.co.uk

Club Liaison & News Manager Lucy Wilson lucy@polotimes.co.uk Polo Reporter & Researcher Tilda Woodd tilda@polotimes.co.uk Principal Design James Morgan

Additional Design Tony Ruddy

News

6 All the latest news 14 HPA news 16 FIP update

Comment

18 Your views: Letters

Features

20 Interview: Clive Reid 25 Licensing logistics

Reports

30 Cover Story: The Arena Gold Cup 34 Cover Story: International Arena Test Match 38 The New Zealand Open 40 Cartier Dubai Polo Challenge 42 Dubai Gold Cup 45 USA round up 50 PIPA Snow Polo Championships

Club Focus Financial Controller

52 Your Club news from home and abroad

SUBSCRIPTION PRICES Print and digital subscription

Editorial Assistant

58 Women’s polo update 60 Women’s National Arena Championships

Rosabella Hine rosabella@polotimes.co.uk

Youth polo

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Knowledge

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Women’s Polo

62 Youth round up Contributors

Katherine Andrews, Stephen Biddlecombe, Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers, Matthew Cullen BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS, Lorna Edgar, Lottie Goldstone, Tony Ramirez, Charles Whittington, David Woodd

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© Polo Times Limited 2015 and Database Right 2015 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 Publisher. ‘Polo Times’ is the trade mark of Polo Times Limited. ISSN 1461-4685

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68 Sinus Disease: The symptoms and treatments of equine sinus issues 71 Nutrition focus: The importance of forage 72 Equine legal advice: A look into the liability of escaped horses 74 Equipment focus: Bits – The Balding Gag 76 Pony Power 80 Pony running reports

Sidelines 82 84 90 94 96

Gossip: Don’t be the last to know Sidelines: Social pages What’s on in April Polo Times Marketplace Passions: Richard Fagan

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Call on +44 (0)1452 730 770 Subscribe online: www.polotimes.co.uk Cover photograph: A jubilant England team celebrate victory at the Arena International Test Match for the Bryan Morrison Trophy at All England Polo Club, Hickstead. By Tony Ramirez, www.imagesofpolo.com

Polo Times, April 2015

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As this April issue of Polo Times arrives on your doorsteps, the 2015 UK outdoor polo season is about to start. At a bumper 100 pages, I hope that you will find the read, both enjoyable and informative. Filled with polo news from around the globe, there should be something interesting to read from all levels of polo. Whilst acknowledging Audi’s withdrawal from polo sponsorship for this season, I would also like to thank Jon Zammett and Audi for their support over the last 12 years. Polo in England is a better place having benefitted from Audi’s sponsorship – and likewise, I am convinced, so too is Audi. With this departure, I am certain that there will be a new group of companies who will wish to align their global brands with the ‘sport of Kings’. Testament to this, is the newly announced sponsorship by Appitized of the all-ladies’ 8 goal team of Nina Clarkin, Tamara Fox, Lucy Taylor and Emma Wood. Their return for the 2015 season, undoubtedly throws down the gauntlet – again – for the 8 goal Victor Ludorum tournaments. The 2015 Polo Awards are being held at Guards Polo Club on Tuesday 19 May. I am amazed that ten years have passed since Richenda, my brother Andrew and myself, took that leap of faith and held the inaugural Polo Awards at The Dorchester. Fast forward to 2015 and the evening is affectionately referred to as the ‘Oscars of polo’ – good luck to all nominees on the night and I hope that we will see you there. For those of our readers, who like me, have had a restful winter off from exercise, but who as a result, are very behind in their pre-season fitness programme, I am quite sure that there really is still time to get ‘polofit’, before the serious fun begins. Nick Hine, Publisher

Polo Times, April 2015

News

Polo not part of Audi’s 2015 sponsorship plans FOLLOWING AN IMPRESSIVE 12-year term supporting polo, Audi has made the commercial decision not to renew its sponsorships for the England polo team, the Audi International Series and the Pony Club Polo Championships after an extensive review of the brand’s sponsorship initiatives. Jon Zammett, Head of PR for Audi UK, says: “We are very proud to have been a significant supporter of polo in the UK for more than a decade. We believe Audi has made a positive impact on the development and growing success of the national England squad, in particular, as well as the sport as a The Audi sponsored 2013 winning Westchester Cup whole over the years. However, we England team feel that it is now an appropriate time to embark on a new era for Audi in which we will further embrace and focus on our activities relating to the performing arts. Audi has already expanded its collaborations this year with BAFTA as well as the Royal Ballet. “After a very consistent period of support for polo at many levels, which began with visiting International team sponsorships going as far back as 2002, Audi of course wishes the sport the very best of luck, including the HPA, with whom we have greatly enjoyed working. We hope the sport will see continued success in the future, building on the achievements and advances of the Audi era.” However, Audi will be continuing to host its Audi Polo Challenge – private exclusive events, which have raised more than £1.7 million over the years for various charities supported by the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry. John Tinsley, who has been Chair of the HPA’s International Committee throughout the Audi involvement in polo, says: “Audi has had a huge impact on the sport, in particular for the England squad which has been transformed in the last 10 years and become the envy of all other countries. In addition, its sponsorship for the Pony Club has been crucial to the development of our young players. Its contribution to polo, which has been focused on English players, will be much missed and the Hurlingham Polo Association would like to thank Audi for all its unstinting support.” Photograph by Tony Ramirez/ www.imagesofpolo.com

from the Publisher

Jamie Drummond-Moray raising money for Combat Stress

EDGEWORTH 1 GOALER Jamie Drummond Moray with three other friends (Geordie Hilleary, Rory McGrath and Sam Davies) will attempt to complete a gruelling three day challenge set in the Highlands of Scotland between 24 – 26 April. The Uber Triathlon will be a test of both physical and mental endurance, determination and courage. It comprises of three disciplines over the course of three days. Day 1 will comprise of a 97 mile cycle from Auchterarder (Perthshire) to Glencoe (Highlands) via Loch Tay. Day 2 consists of a marathon that ascends more than 1600m from the heart of Glencoe and ends at the foot of Ben Nevis. Day 3 will be a Munro expedition of Ben Nevis and The Lochaber Traverse. The team are raising money for Combat Stress, which is a veteran’s mental health charity that fights some of the unforeseen horrors of war. Combat Stress provides invaluable support and rehabilitation to mend those psychological wounds to military veterans and personnel. The group of four, are all graduates and friends from Oxford Brookes University (2011-2014), and are in some way involved with the military. Rory McGrath is an Officer Cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Sam Davies has recently been ski touring with the army in the Alps whilst Geordie Hilleary and Jamie Drummond-Moray, are aspiring soldiers. For more information visit combatstress.org.uk and justgiving.com/5menandaubertriathlon to donate www.polotimes.co.uk

News

UK veterinary surgeons to use courtesy ‘Doctor’ title Safe area

The area of space the logo must have around it when placed in a layout with other items. It is the space the logo needs for maximum visibility.

The minimum area of clear space around the logo is based on the width of the ‘R’. No other element should intrude into this area and this also applies for positioning the logo at the edge of an item.

HPA announce England team to compete in Copa de las Naciones

THE HPA HAVE announced the English team who will be up against Argentina and a Rest of the World side in The Copa de Las Naciones in Buenos Aires next month. England squad stalwarts, Luke (7) and Mark Tomlinson (6) will be joined by Ollie Cudmore (5) and Max Charlton (7) to play the annual tournament at Palermo. The members of the other two VETERINARY SURGEONS IN the UK have Luke Tomlinson, James Beim, Mark Tomlinson and Ollie Cudmore with the trophy in 2014. Will the new line-up teams are yet to be announced. been given Minimum size permission to use the courtesy including Max Charlton instead of Beim be able to match This is the minimum size at which the logo can be safely used before it becomes Run at a 24-26 goal level, the tournament title ‘Doctor’, following a decision made by their success in 2015? illegible. There are exceptions for merchandising, for example pens and pencils. begins on Saturday 18 April with Argentina the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary versus the Rest of the World. The latter will Surgeons (RCVS). The decision follows a Following on from their 2014 win of the then play England on Wednesday 22 April, consultation, to which 11,202 responses tournament, England – who are fielding threebefore the ‘derby match’ of the tournament were received, where 81% were in favour of quarters of last year’s victorious side (Charlton between Argentina and England taking place the change, 13% against, and 6% did not takes the place of James Beim) – will look to repeat on Saturday 25 April. mind either way. The issue had been raised their performance and lift the trophy again in 2015. in a bidof to Position logoalign the UK with international The logo is positioned either on the top left or bottom right of communications. practice, providing greater clarity for the See applying the elements for more detail. profession and offering reassurance to clients and the animal-owning public that all veterinary surgeons registered with the THE WELFARE OF ponies is an important subject and as a community, polo strives to make RCVS, regardless of where they qualified, sure the four-legged comrades to our fun on the pitch receive the best care. Polo Times has have veterinary degrees of an appropriate come across reports that the livery business has seen an increase in problems with ownership standard. Most international veterinary and the chain of responsibility for ponies left on grass livery. It is important to remember when surgeons use the title and, in Australia considering new clients to your yard or livery business to make sure that both you and your and New Zealand, this is frequently tied to client are aware of the chain of responsibility for the animals. Ponies can all too easily be registration and professional standing, rather caught up in legal cross-fire and end up costing the livery provider thousands of pounds or than necessarily academic attainment. Use of suffer because the cost of the keep is not being met by the owner. Making sure you have a the title is optional, and veterinary surgeons proper contract and payment plan in place for both the livery provider and the owner of the may start using the title straight away. horses is essential. To understand more about leaving your ponies on livery see the October issue of Polo Times for our in-depth report on Wintering Ponies and also information from our legal columnist Lottie Goldstone. This month’s legal advice also looks at pony ownership liabilities, please turn to page 72 to read more on this topic. 28mm

Pony Welfare problems

Polo Times, April 2015

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News

Photograph by Polo in the Park

International polo will return for the first FIP World Polo time since 1939 at Hurlingham Park Championships England team change

The ground at Hurlingham Park pre second World War

The England team at Beaufort Polo Club last September

SPORTING HISTORY WILL be made in South West London this summer as the first England International polo match will be played at Hurlingham Park since 1939. On the evening of Friday 5 June, Chestertons Polo in the Park will bring the game back to its spiritual home. The rules of the game as we know it now were formalised here in 1875. Officially sanctioned by the HPA, the England International will be played in a similar format to The Chestertons Polo in the Park Tournament whereby each team is made up of three players (rather than the usual four for grass) and they only change ends once at half time. England International polo player, George Meyrick commented, “Chestertons Polo in the Park has become one of my favourite tournaments. Playing at Hurlingham Park – the original home of polo – for any polo player is an utter privilege and the opportunity to play in an International there is just immense. It will be a great moment in the sport’s history.” Polo ceased at Hurlingham Park at the start of World War II, when the pitches were used as army quarters and allotments. After the war, the polo fields were acquired by London County Council and developed into new housing and a public sports ground which is still used today. The sports ground is now where Chestertons Polo in the Park takes place with support from the local council, whereby the polo event funds much of the park’s facilities. “We have been working hard on having an England International at Chestertons Polo in the Park for a long time” Rory Heron, Managing Director of Chestertons Polo in the Park commented. Rory added “I am so thrilled that we have finally managed to achieve it. It is fantastic to give so many people, who wouldn’t normally get the chance, the opportunity to watch world class polo right on their doorstep. We have scheduled the match to take place on Friday evening so that people can come and cheer on England straight from work.” The team taking on England is due to be announced later in the spring.

AT THE TIME of going to press England, a team line-up of Will Emerson (5), Pete Webb (5), Jack Hyde (2) and George Pearson (2) were on the cusp of playing their first game in The FIP World Polo Championships at Mundial de Polo in Chile. The qualifying team originally included Tommy Beresford, who at the time was playing off 2 goals, but subsequently went up in the end of season handicap changes to 3. Jack Hyde who holds a 2 goal handicap was substituted. England have been grouped with Pakistan and host country, Chile, for the 14 goal tournament. USA, Brazil and current title-holders, Argentina (who also hosted the games in 2011) have been placed in Group B. In the first game of the day, Argentina will face fellow South Americans Brazil followed by England’s first match against Chile. A full report of the games will feature in the May issue. England earned their place after winning the Zone C play-offs held at Beaufort Polo Club in September 2014 against Spain, Ireland and France.

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Polo Times, April 2015

News

Hackett Camel Polo Trophy

Warrant holders, Justerini & Brooks. Colonel Simon Ledger then raised his gavel to start the evening’s auction, which raised £35,000 for two worthy charities, Women and Health Alliance (WAHA) and Help for Heroes. For social pictures of the event please turn to page 85.

Count down to the summer with key dates THE 2015 SUMMER season fixtures list is now available on the Polo Times website, which includes all the major UK summer season tournament dates from high goal to -8 goal, military matches and women’s polo. The Vale of York Polo Club will be the first Club scheduled in the HPA fixtures list to take to the grass for The San Pan Susi Vase, shortly followed by Ranelagh on the weekend of 18 – 19 April for The Copa La Ranita. Guards Polo Club follows suit with The Spring Amateur (-2-0) tournament from 24 – 26 April. On the 16 May, the first of the summer season’s four Test Matches will take place at Cowdray Park Polo Club. Please turn to page 90 for our full list of fixtures in our What’s On page – which now have separate social dates for the diary and charity events section to help you plan your diary efficiently.

Polo Times, April 2015

Photograph by Tony Ramirez/ www.imagesofpolo.com

The first event on the 2015 British Polo Day diary included fun and games on and off the pitch at Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club. A black tie evening event, a garden party, camel polo and bicycle polo was on offer, but the main attraction was the match between the British Exiles and Ghantoot Polo Team. The Exiles team started well scoring two goals in the opening minutes of the game, but Ghantoot’s not-so-secret weapons of the Zavaleta brothers quickly leapt into play. The visitors tried to fight back, but it was too little too late, and the home team celebrated a victory of 9-6½. George Meyrick of the defeated side was presented with the Royal Salute Most Valuable Player award, whilst Best Playing Pony went to Despreciada ridden by Clemente Zavaleta for Ghantoot Polo Team. Post presentations, VIPs and players sat down to a three-course dinner by Gaucho, expertly paired with wines from Royal

Polo Awards date announced

Photograph by British Polo Day

British Polo Day in Dubai marks the start of the 2015 series

The 2014 Thai Polo Gold Cup Dream Team as picked on the night by guests at The Polo Awards

THE PRESTIGIOUS POLO Awards will be held on Tuesday 19 May, the first day of The Queen’s Cup, at Guards Polo Club. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the night will recognise the great and the good within the sport by acknowledging the players, patrons and ponies who triumphed in the 2014 season. As well as giving a specially touching tribute to the late Carlos Gracida, last year’s event celebrated the mighty Zacara who had dominated the high goal of 2013 and the successful Victor Ludorum teams. Who will take home an award this year? Make sure to save the date in your diary now and book your tickets by either emailing bookings@polofix.com or by calling Aislinn Price on 07708 906810.

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News

England team loses out on the Townsend Trophy in California

CHEERS British Army Polo kicked off their season with drinks at the Guards and Cavalry Club on 18 March

Photograph by American Polo Association

LOBOS EXPANSION Santa Maria Polo Club is on its way to expanding its set up with the first phase of their planning application being approved HAPPY BIRTHDAY The Royal County of Berkshire clothing line celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year after its inception in 2005 by the late Bryan Morrison

England failed to win the 2015 Townsend Cup

A REVISED 19 goal England team of Oscar Mancini (6), Jonny Good (8) and Andrew Blake Thomas (5) played a 22 goal USA side featuring Tommy Biddle (10), Kris Kampsen (7) and Jared Sheldon (5) for The USPA Townsend International Challenge Cup on Saturday 14 March at Empire Polo Club, California. The original line-up for the England team included Chris Hyde, but as he was unable to process his visa in time to join his teammates, his place in the team was taken by Berkshire-based, Andrew Blake Thomas. The Cup was last played for in 2013 when England (Sebastian Dawnay, Max Charlton and Oli Hipwood) were triumphant, but this year it was the USA team that raised the trophy. SUPA member and player Elizabeth Humphreys was on the ground for Polo Times in California; “Andrew Blake Thomas scored out of the line out to give England an early lead. Penalty after penalty put the USA ahead but an incredible backhand to goal by Jonny Good tied the score. Kris Kampsen scored for the USA after a goal-to-goal run and that started a run of goals for America. Tom Biddle was a crushingly powerful force on his team, belting the ball the length of the arena to his team mates and scoring three stunning 25 defended penalties which Good was unable to keep out. With the pressure on, the game became scrappy with England managing to stay in contention by Oscar Mancini not only saving a goal once but three times in the third chukka when USA was about to score. Jared Shelton lost his stick and it looked like England was going to be able to get away and score, but Shelton was saved by the ball being hit out of play. Luck for the English started to run out as Biddle took a penalty which Good stopped, but the ball rebounded off his stick and hit the very top of the goal, putting the USA ahead once more. The score was 15-12 to the USA with 2 minutes left, but the Americans did not let up, scoring another two goals before the end of the match, 17-12 to USA.” First played for in Manhattan between the English and the US in 1923, The Townsend Cup is named in honour of John R. Townsend, a New York social figure and advocate of arena polo in the early years of the sport. The Townsend Cup wasn’t played again until 2004 and then again in 2008, 2011 and 2013. To read about the SUPA Britain team win against the USA Intercollegiate team turn to our Youth section.

Beach Polo Tour planned for Europe Photograph by A Quechua Polo

PIPA (POLO INSTRUCTORS and Players Association) who have brought us their Snow Polo Tour this winter are planning beach polo for the summer at four different locations, in three different countries on the continent. The first date for the diary will be in Graz, Austria from 4 – 6 June followed by 25 – 27 June at Cote d´Azur, France. The PIPA Beach Polo Tour will then move on to Lignano Sabbiadoro Terrazzamare, Italy on 24 – 26 August with Action form the 2014 Beach Polo Tour the final event of the tour set to take place in Vienna, Austria 17 – 20 September. The Beach Polo Tour will take a similar format to its snow counterpart of two-man teams with a maximum aggregate handicap of 8.

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Aiming High

Swinging low INJURY WORRY Santi Stirling suffered a nasty leg injury in Dubai whilst playing in the Julius Baer Gold Cup and was replaced by 4 goaler Pelayo Berazadi NO USA VISIT Chris Hyde missed out on the trip to play in the Townsend Cup after he ran out of time to get a visa END OF ARENA SEASON Arena ponies have gone out for their holidays, so arena enthusiasts will have to wait another six months before playing them again

Come and join our team!

A VACANCY FOR a Junior Editor has arisen at Polo Times and our sister publication The Polo Magazine. As you would expect, excellent written English skills are essential, as is the ability to think laterally in order to conduct research and verify facts before publication. Knowledge of the polo industry would be an advantage, but equally important is a ‘can do’ attitude. The position currently is to work across our polo publications, but may evolve to cover more varied titles within our publishing stable. The position is based at our HQ in Gloucestershire, with salary dependent on experience. See the advertisement for the vacancy on page 95 for more details. Polo Times, April 2015

News

Photograph by Virunga National Park.

AS PART OF Polo Times’ charitable work, the focus this year is upon a project to save Virunga National Park’s elephant populations. The National Park was founded in 1925 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and borders with Rwanda and Uganda. The mountain gorillas are Virunga National Park’s most well-known success story, but the roaming elephant families are harder to protect from the poachers’ onslaught. During the 20 years’ civil war, their numbers have decreased by more than 90%. There is one solution to keep Virunga’s elephants Virunga National Park elephant population is in decline safe: radio tracking with specially designed elephant collars. This will significantly increase the effectiveness of dedicated ranger patrols, keeping them close enough to prevent poachers from approaching and enabling fast responses to threat. A fundraiser project is currently underway to raise $120,000 which will allow ten of Virunga’s elephant families to be tracked for three years, using professionallyfitted collars to provide satellite-linked monitoring 24/7. It will also enable the deployment of specially trained rangers to provide the elephants with around the clock close security. This will allow the elephants to roam safely and freely on the savannahs, in the hope that one day, Virunga’s elephant populations will once again dominate the park’s grasslands. For more information and to donate, please visit: www.crowdrise.com/SaveVirungasElephants.

UK grown alfalfa arrives at Tally Ho Farm TALLY HO FARM has finally found a source of top quality alfalfa, or better known in the UK as lucerne, to equal the standard produced in both North and South America. Farmer George, and his father Dominic, took Alfalfa, or lucerne as it is also known, has a distinct leaf and up the challenge from Tally Ho Farm’s Chris bright green colour Adkins and Jeff Thomas. The pair set about making a machine that could recreate the conditions of the harvesting methods used in the Americas. After countless visits to Eastern Europe, sourcing the parts required and attempts that were deemed as needing more leaf and less stalk, the pair continued on their quest. They returned at the end of the 2014 season with their fourth cut crop, which finally passed quality control tests with the South American players who were still in the country. The new forage option has now made it into race yards as well as polo yards.

News in brief NEW CHAIRMAN Richard Thomas has been appointed the new Chairman at Cheshire Polo Club for the 2015 season HPA AFFILIATION Emsworth Polo Grounds have affiliated to the HPA for the 2015 summer season HANDICAP COMMITTEE The Arena Handicap Committee will be meeting on the 13 April to discuss changes which will be published shortly after 12

Polo Times, April 2015

GET COMPETENT Lana Goucher will be running Certificate of Professional Competency (CPC) courses again this year at Guards Polo Club in late September and early October. Email Lana at muckin.in@gmail.com to book your place FOUR-ASIDE More and more teams are trying out the four-aside Dallas Burston Super Arena. The Club will be experimenting with various different formats to take arena polo to the next level

Robin Spicer is using his head to redesign helmets Photography by Robin Spicer

Polo Times supporting Save Virunga’s Elephants

A cross section view of a traditional Argentine hat

AN UNBRANDED, TRADITIONAL style, Argentine helmet was kindly donated for thorough evaluation by Robin Spicer for his Final Design Project at Loughborough University. Robin is in his final year and is in the process of designing a new ‘Polo Helmet Concept’, which he hopes to unveil at the start of the summer. Robin sent his findings from the deconstruction of the hat to Polo Times. “The shell proved to be a very strong fibreglass, taking a bit of effort on the band-saw. It seems to be thicker than most others I have cut up so far. Like most other helmets the peak was built onto the fibreglass shell. The cloth has been stitched on and glued to the shell, and the rivets were very cheap and have corroded over the years from use. On to the most important part about the helmet – the liner. Well there isn’t one! Foam padding has been used to give comfort and covered in mesh. The fabric padding has then been stitched into place over the thin layers of adjustment foam. This helmet has been designed to stop penetrations – fibreglass is one of the best lightweightstrength ratio materials there is for a decent price, otherwise you are paying a fortune for carbon-fibre and Kevlar composites. By not having a liner to absorb energy, this is directly transferred into your brain which could result in serious injuries.” An update on Robin’s findings will follow in Polo Times, so watch this space. RALELAGH APPOINTMENT Emma Barber has taken on the role of Polo Secretary at Ranelagh Polo Club to work alongside Polo Manager Oscar Mancini CHARITY AT TRISKELION Triskelion Polo Club is holding a corporate charity polo challenge on 4 – 5 July at Great Meadow, Castledown in aid of the Child Contact Centre

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News

Photograph by Katriona Shrives

Prince’s Trust supports new polo venture in Columbia

Kamalú Sports and Voyages supporting youth polo in Columbia thanks to the Prince’s Trust

KATRIONA SHRIVES OF Kamalú Sports and Voyages started her dream of providing polo players with a different kind of polo holiday after spending seven months playing in Colombia. To realise her plans with her partners in Columbia, Katriona approached the Prince,s Trust. The Trust helps 18-30 year olds interested in selfemployment and provides different programs for them to assist in the start-up process. Katriona spoke to Polo Times about the help she has received, “When we first had our idea we took it to the Prince’s Trust as we knew they supported young entreprenures to achieve their dreams and with the Prince of Wales always taking a keen interest in polo we hoped they may be able to help our startup. The help in these early stages has been priceless, it has helped us get the company started much more quickly and given us access to resources that would otherwise be inaccessible. We will get continued support from the Prince’s Trust for the next three years. We applied for the Enterprise Program and were successfully taken onto the scheme. It has been a fantastic help for us as we have been able to attend a four day training course, have a mentor to help us through the early stages of our business and been provided financial support from the trust. In that time I hope we can help the next generation of polo players not only improve their game but give them the confidence to play more polo in the UK.” The Prince’s Trust also offers mentoring support from Volunteer mentors as well as practical and financial support to help young people set up in business.

TRISTAR

Writing runs in the family

IF YOU ARE looking for a good read this summer to while away in the truck on the way to polo, then take a look at the newly released Rescue Pilot. Jerry Grayson, brotherin-law to Polo Times Publisher Nick Hine, has hit the non-fiction bestseller stands with his first book Rescue Pilot. At the age of 17, Grayson became the youngest helicopter pilot in the Fleet Air Arm and by the age of 25 he Rescue Pilot reaches no 17 on the non-fiction had become the most bestseller stands decorated naval pilot in peacetime. The book is based around these first eight years in the Royal Navy and of the rescues that would eventually lead to an investiture at Buckingham Palace, where Jerry received his Air Force Cross from HM The Queen. In this very personal account, Jerry takes us to the deck of the aircraft carrier HMS ARK ROYAL and into the heart of the cold war games played against the best submarine captains of the mighty Soviet Union. In 1977 he was finally awarded the role he’d longed for; flying rescue missions around the coast of the UK. On the morning of the 1979 Fastnet Yacht Race disaster, Jerry was the first pilot airborne in the battle to save the crews of over 130 yachts floundering in mountainous seas. Through the frequently funny accounts of each rescue, Jerry gives an understanding of how it’s often the teamwork and mateship that results in another life saved while pitting a large helicopter against the power of the sea. The book also includes a foreword from HRH The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, who comments that this book acts “As a reminder of bravery and selflessness of the crews who put their lives at risk to save others”. The title is available from WH Smith, Waterstones, in all major airport lounges and railway station bookstores.

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Polo Times, April 2015

HPA News First Aid certificate needs to be provided. For further information, please contact the HPA. BLUE BOOKS The Blue Books will be dispatched to clubs towards the end April. HPA members should pick up their copy and read the regulations and rules.

Latest from the HPA HPA chief executive David Woodd rounds up the news from UK polo’s headquarters REBRANDING You will notice that the HPA logo has changed. As part of the licensing programme that was presented to Council in November, the HPA have created a new brand that Stewards feel better reflects the heritage and unique position of the HPA. It is believed that this brand can be licensed in the same way as the USPA has done and that it has the potential to provide a significant income to the HPA. We hope that all clubs and HPA members will support this and we will keep you up to date as the licensing programme develops.

COPA DE LAS NACIONES An England team of Luke Tomlinson (7), Max Charlton (7), Mark Tomlinson (6) and Ollie Cudmore (5) will play the Copa de Las Naciones at Palermo with the schedule of play as below Sat 18 April: Argentina v Rest of the World Wed 22 April: England v Rest of the World Sat 25 April: England v Argentina

INTERNATIONAL ARENA TEST MATCH On Saturday 7 March the AEPC Hickstead hosted the International Arena Test Match where England and Ireland battled it out for the Bryan Morrison Trophy with a win for England 18-13. For a full report turn to page 34

The Rest of the World team has been announced as Nicolas Pieres (9), Nachi Du Plessis (8), Jean Du Plessis (6), HRH Crown Prince Ismail Ibrahim (3). The Argentinian team has yet to be selected. In addition, an England Under 15 team of Luke Wiles (-1), Charlie Townsend (0), Marcus Cork (-1) and Milly Hine (-1) will play at Palermo on the same day as the England matches against representative teams from the same countries.

England Ireland Jamie Le Hardy 7 Earl of Tyrone 7 Jonny Good 8 Ryan Pemble 7 Chris Hyde 9 Sebastian Dawnay 8 24 22

DEVELOPMENT It is planned to hold a Development Training Day on Tuesday 14 April for players in the Hipwood (U15) age bracket. Contact the HPA Office for more details.

TOWNSEND CUP An England team flew out to California to play the USA for the Townsend Cup on Saturday 14 March. Sadly they were unable to defend their title and lost 17-12. For a full report please turn to page 62 and for a report on the SUPA Britain team success in the Intercollegiate match on the same day please turn to our Youth section.

FIRST AID COURSES FOR COACHES The HPA are holding a First Aid Course (equine specific) on Monday 11 May 2015 in Little Coxwell. In order to be an accredited HPA Coach for the 2015 season, a valid

England USA Andrew Blake Thomas 5 Jared Sheldon 5 Oscar Mancini 6 Kris Kampsen 7 Jonny Good 8 Tommy Biddle 10 19 22 FIP 14 GOAL WORLD CUP At the time of going to press the following will be representing England in Chile at the 14 Goal World Championships; Jack Hyde (2), George Pearson (2), Will Emerson (5) and Peter Webb (5).

Polo Times, April 2015

MEMBERSHIP CARDS All registered members with an HPA handicap will be sent a membership card and a pocket rule book. The cards allow club managers to verify a player’s handicap and membership easily and efficiently. The above will only be distributed to players once the HPA has been notified of their membership and given their correct postal addresses by clubs. Unless you have one, you should not be allowed to play. COACHING COURSES The HPA Coaching Committee has reviewed the way to gain an HPA Coaching Qualification. There are now two routes to qualification. The first route, which can be completed in a candidate’s own time, begins by having your knowledge assessed individually by an HPA Accredited Assessor. The second route can be completed at the course for prospective Coaches and Instructors which will be held at the Beaufort Polo Club from 8-10 April 2015. Anyone attending the course must be eligible by age and handicap; normally 18 years and 0 goals. They must also have satisfactory references for: riding for pony control, riding for polo and for stick work. References will be accepted from Polo Managers, HPA Registered Coaches/Instructors and players who are, or have been, 3 goals or above. Bookings for this course are being taken now. For further details contact the HPA.

HPA MEETING DATES Tue 7 April

Welfare AGM

Sunningdale Park Hotel

Mon 13 April

Arena Handicap

Sunningdale Park Hotel

Arena Rules

Sunningdale Park Hotel

Arena International

Sunningdale Park Hotel

Arena Committee

Sunningdale Park Hotel

Tue 14 April

Stewards

Cavalry and Guards Club, London

Wed 15 April

Club Chief Umpires

Sunningdale Park Hotel

Mon 27 April

Coaching Seminar

Beaufort Polo Club

Thu 30 April

Council

Cavalry and Guards Club, London

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Polo Times, April 2015

FIP Update

Chairman of the Federation of International Polo, Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers, gives us an update on the latest FIP news from around the world In my first article on FIP, which was published in the March edition of Polo Times, I outlined the history of the Federation, the reasons behind its creation, its ethos and a brief outline of how it is currently run. I would like to take this opportunity to move one step forward and inform you of some of our plans for the future, and how we intend to strengthen the organisation to benefit international polo. As we have all seen in the past, when money comes into any sport – that sport invariably changes. We have seen it in cricket, rugby and soccer to name but a few, and polo is no different. Polo is changing, whether we like it or not and we have to move with the times. However, as with certain other sports, polo is divided into amateur, quasi-professional and professional, each with their own particular attractions and we must be careful to nurture all of these divisions. Amateur low goal polo is definitely the most popular throughout the world; patron-led polo which runs from low to high goal has its benefits in supporting, not only the professional players but many of the historic trophies; and fully professional polo is on the rise both in the form of National teams as well as trying to break into the commercial sponsorship world, which will happen one day. As a Federation, we need to have the capability of being able to support our National Association Members at whatever level they play. To that end, as in any business, we need to have a strong administrative base and robust rules and regulations to assist this process. In the past, FIP was run through the generosity and hard work of the past Presidents who organised it from their homes and paid their own administrative staff. For years FIP had discussed the need for a full-time CEO and a permanent office, and now with the advent of the Metropolitan Polo Club contract in Tianjin, China we are at last able to implement this long-discussed appointment. An invitation for applications, along with a job description was recently circulated to all our Member Associations and a decision will be made shortly over the period of The World Championships in Chile. Currently, the task is being performed by Alejandro Taylor, a past Treasurer of the AAP, and who, as interim CEO, has proved to be an excellent appointee. He has not only revamped the Federation’s By-Laws, but also coordinated the play-offs and the forthcoming World Championship in Chile most efficiently. Once this selection process is completed and we have a permanent CEO in place, we will be in a position to move forward with the various initiatives that are needed and confirmation of the International Rules. We can also conduct a review of the Zone structure and the programme to establish some lower goal tournaments in the regions that cannot achieve the 14 goal standard required to participate in The World Championships, and which FIP feels are in need of support. Finally, we enjoyed welcoming all the teams to The 10th FIP World Championship, which started on Friday 20 March at the historic San Cristobal Polo Club in Santiago, Chile with the Finals set for Sunday 29 March. All the ponies have been generously lent by members of the Chilean Polo Federation and graded by the FIP Horse-master. They will be playing sevenminute chukkas with a compulsory change mid-chukka. Congratulations go to Brazil, England, Pakistan and USA who all won their Zone play-offs, and who, together with Argentina as past champions and Chile as the host nation, will battle it out to become The FIP World Champions. May we wish all the teams swift horses, safe games and the very best of luck for this great tournament. www.polotimes.co.uk

Metropolitan Polo Club An Exceptionally Refined World at Your Service www.metropolitanpoloclub.com Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club, 16 Hai Tai Hua Ke Jiu Lu, Bin Hai Gao Xin Qu, Tianjin 30384, China.

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Comment

Your views

Letters

Write to the editor in the following ways: w letters@polotimes.co.uk wL etters, Polo Times, Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton, Glos GL2 9LN

Letter of the month The writer of Letter of the month wins a bottle of BLOOM Gin

Sir, I’d like to add a few points to the debate about the glut in the lower level of handicaps and the issue of lower-rated players charging to play with even lesser rated players. Let’s say from a personal perspective (I live and play for six months out of the year in Argentina while the other months I play in England): Imagine arriving at your local tennis club and a lot of other players (who are not club-pros/instructors) ask for money from their tennis partners to hit a few balls. Just try it yourself and see how quickly you will be the most unpopular person there or, rightly, will be asked to leave. Polo in UK: The issue is players rated 1 goal or even lower asking for money to play. Either these players are a lot better than their handicap suggests, in which case they should be put up, or they should not be asking for money. Because, let’s face what nobody seems to want to say: if you cannot afford to play polo – because you either don’t have the money (yet) or are really not good enough (yet) – don’t ask others to pay for you. Playing for money should be limited to those that are truly much better than the rest of us (2 goals or preferably 3 goals and up). The HPA and clubs should enforce this. Polo in Argentina: In my club here no one is allowed to ask for money, with the exception for official AAP (the Argentine Polo Association) tournaments. And even then only pros with higher handicaps (3 goals or much more). Thanks to a more even valuation of skills and division through the ranks (Michel Granchi has done a comparative graph on Facebook), there are plenty of amateur players of 1 goal (and even 2) who play for free and for the fun of it. It would create more business, leave more clients/ students, for those who have made the very serious investment in effort, money, and time to reach 2 goals (or 3 goals and up). Thus enabling those pros to keep making those sacrifices, and for lower-rated players to benefit from instruction by those 2 goal and up pros, while enjoying a realistic opportunity to advance, be it to 1 goal status – or beyond… The HPA and clubs enforcing a ban on players rated lower than 2 goals charging money would put an end to the advantage of being under-rated and be an incentive to get a handicap commensurate with one’s skills. That way, we will all benefit. Sincerely, Henri de By By Email 18

Polo Times, April 2015

Welsh and Irish patriotism goes into overdrive at Hickstead with leeks and Leprechauns aplenty. Sir, The SUPA Arena National Universities report set a nice tone and provided a balanced summary of the largest polo event in the world, so far in 2015. Everybody involved in the tournament included our members and enabled them to play a form of polo which, brought enjoyment and friendly competition to an otherwise exclusive sport. The future of this wonderful sport for many will be the result of the collective contributions in time, interest, money and enthusiasm. The staff of Rugby Polo Club deserve particular praise. On behalf of the Trustees and the Stewards, a very sincere “Thank you”. The SUPA University Nationals in the summer will include SAPA (SUPA Alumni Polo Association) and all participation records will be broken, hopefully no hearts or bones. CJP Betz, for SUPA By Email Dear Sir, On renewing my subscription this year I came to the section that says, “How did you hear from us?” That got me thinking about when I first subscribed. It was when Polo Times first started and if you did not get an issue, you knew nothing that was going on. This applied to Barbados as well. The first person to tell me about Polo Times was Tina Taylor waaaayyyyyyyy back. You must have fun looking back at the first issues and seeing how far you have come, yet still keeping to the same idea of letting everyone know what is happening in the polo world. All the best from sunny Barbados Linda Williams By Email

Testing times...

Q: In 2014, the USA ended England’s winning streak at The International Arena Test Match with 21 goals to 17. In what other years have England and USA come up against each other in the Test Match? A: Turn to page 91 to check your answer www.polotimes.co.uk

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Feature

As Easy as AFB

Clive Reid is the patron of Victor Ludorum winning 8 goal team, AFB. The 0 goaler talks to Polo Times.

Polo Times, xxxx 2015

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Feature

Photography by Tony Ramirez/ www.imagesofpolo.com

Interview with patron, Clive Reid

e may be patron of a proven Victor Ludorum team, but for Clive Reid, polo is mainly about playing with friends. Whether that’s a warm-up to the UK summer season trip to Dubai for chukkas with his long-term friend Ali Albwardy, or welcoming players to his Winkfield farm, Great Oaks for a stick ‘n ball and lunch, it seems Clive looks to evoke the polo lifestyle of old. However, don’t let that rose-tinted view of polo fool you; this 0 goaler is naturally competitive and means to win too – which is why his team, AFB have won the 8 goal Victor Ludorum three times in the last decade. Polo Times meets a patron of two halves during The Cartier Challenge in Dubai. How did you become hooked on polo? “I’ve always ridden and remember growing up leading my pony in from the field to ride. As I got older, I show jumped and hunted for years, but it wasn’t until my late thirties that I had the opportunity to pick up a polo stick and hit a polo ball. I used to play competitive tennis too, so all of a sudden I discovered this sport, which combined all of my passions; it was the perfect partnership. I took up polo really quite late – although that used to be the average age for amateurs to be able to afford to play! It was different to anything I’d www.polotimes.co.uk

competed in before and very exciting – and I’ve never lost that excitement.” So what was the next step? “John Horswell was my first coach – he still is! We’ve played together for years too and of course fallen out – just as all the best partnerships do! – but always kissed and made up! At the beginning, I trod the usual path, bouncing around a couple of the clubs before I became a member of Guards, which has been my polo home for years. “Starting polo was quite a shock, because before I’d only needed one horse. It was considered quite extravagant to even have two out hunting, so it was an education getting into polo. Everyone knows how it starts. First, you’re having lessons, thinking polo is great and you progress to renting ponies for chukkas. Then, all of a sudden, you’ve got to have your own and then you think you’ll stretch to two because you can double chukka… before you know it, you’re horse poor with 20 ponies in the barn! 12 years ago, I bought my farm, Great Oaks, which backs onto the Berkshire’s land so it’s just fabulous. We have 20 acres and an arena and it means that I can finish work and play polo six days a week if we want to. I’m very lucky to call that home.”

How did your competitive polo team, AFB begin? “As soon as I joined Guards I was playing the 8 goal and then progressed to playing 10 and 12 also. Eight years ago, I began to play with Pete Webb – and he’s been with AFB ever since. His ponies are stabled with us at Great Oaks and we’ve had a great partnership over the years. We’ve played together all around the world from Argentina to Dubai and it’s been fantastic to have this ongoing relationship. He is the backbone to the team and we always plan the polo – whichever level we’re looking at – around him and I. And he’s a thoroughly nice guy. “Over the years, there have been a few different line-ups to the AFB team. In 2009, when we won the Victor Ludorum for the first time, Pete and I were joined by Seb Dawnay and a good friend of mine, John Gunn. It was great to win The Holden White that year too – one of three times that AFB have claimed that tournament. Then the following year, AFB won The Archie David with James Harper in the Final – that was another particularly special win, because it is one of the most important 8 goals in the country and it’s played at Guards. There’s something about supporting and winning the tournaments at your home Club. Polo Times, April 2015

Feature

Interview with patron, Clive Reid

“If you were to ask me what polo I really love to play, I would always say the 8 goal. It’s because there’s nowhere to hide at that level. As a patron, you’re actively part of the team and that’s why I enjoy it so much.” Not only do you enjoy that level, but your team is very successful in it. Why do you think that is? “Yes, we’ve been fortunate to win the 8 goal Victor Ludorum in 2009, 2010 and then again last season. We don’t necessarily go out with a plan to win the series, as we look at each tournament individually, but we try to be as competitive as possible. At the end of the day, you either play four-man polo or you don’t win. It’s as simple as that. “Pete and I build the team for the season together – sometimes successfully, sometimes not! It’s great to champion English players and also find new guys to play with; that’s one of the elements I like about building the team, being clever about putting the right players together. This year, AFB will include, Pete’s son Alex, which will be fantastic. It will be nice to give Alex a run and see him playing the 8 goal with his dad. Combined with 4 goaler, Mathias Carrique, we should have a competitive but fun team.” How do you plan your polo for the year? “We often start with the domestic 6 goal at the beginning of the season. Chino Leiva who

manages the farm and the team throughout the season is also a 2 goal player, so we do that level at the start of the season. It gives Chino an opportunity to play nice polo, but also to get our horses ready for the competitive 8 goal and over for the season. As I said, we then take each tournament as it comes as we are looking to win The Hipwood, or The Holden White. Sadly last year, despite securing points to win the Victor Ludorum outright, we didn’t win one of the main tournaments, so we’ll be looking to rectify that this season. “I am competitive by nature, but it is very important to me to play polo with friends. I like to plan my season carefully so that 50% of the summer is spent competing and the other 50% is spent playing chukkas with friends. I’m lucky that I get to play on some nice private grounds with Ali [Albwardy], but I think it’s very important for patrons just to get together to hire a pitch and to play friendly polo. It’s essential to be competitive, but also to never lose sight of the fun and why we love to play. If you don’t, then there’s a real danger that you run the risk of losing the idea of what polo is meant to be all about.” What do you love about the sport? “The horses in particular. I remember thinking that if I had two ponies it would’ve been extravagant! I still love to ride and try to do so as much as possible during the

winter. When you have something like 2,000 acres of the Windsor Great Park on your doorstep, it would be sacrilegious not to enjoy it. “I love, what I refer to as the three aspects of polo – the competition, the friendly chukkas and then everything else about the sport, the barbeques, the friends. The friends you make in the sport are phenomenal. I was very close to the late, great, Charlie Stisted, who I met when I joined Guards and his passing was a great loss to polo. I’m still very close to the family, Melissa and the children and polo is very like that, a family.” What negatives do you see in the sport? “The actual purist polo is great – it’s the polo-tics I’d kick out! I think professional umpires should be available at all levels, or at the very least players who aren’t playing in the tournament. Nothing worse than a team working so hard to mount themselves well, train and then have to deal with poor umpiring. “I’m also worried about the loss of the 8-12 goal level of polo, the standard where patrons have important involvement in the team’s plays. Clubs such as Cowdray and Guards have plenty on offer, but further afield you can really struggle to find competitive 10 goal tournaments and I think that must be worrying for other patrons. It’s something which should be addressed and on offer.” How have you enjoyed playing The Cartier Challenge? “I’ve played in this tournament since it launched a decade ago, when Desert Palm was not much more than one polo pitch. I’ve won it a couple of times with Tariq and Rashidi [Albwardy] and it’s a great warm-up tournament to the season – as well as giving me the opportunity to come and visit Ali and his boys. “It was a shame not to make the Final this year as our team, the Cartier Red have had a very strong tournament. I’ve been told I’ve been playing at my best, so I’ve enjoyed it.” What are your thoughts on the development of polo in Dubai? “It’s brilliant to see how far polo in Dubai has come in the years that I’ve been visiting. Everything has developed there – the facilities, the horses, the players. The standard and level of playing has improved dramatically – they now play competitive 18 goal and it’s really brilliant to see. Dubai is a fantastic place to play before the start of the UK season.”

Polo Times, xxxx 2015

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A look into the intricacies of licensing

Feature

Learning to love licensing Understanding the complex minefield of licensing, laws, plus health and safety directives can be daunting, confusing and off-putting. Lucy Wilson unearths three major legal requirements that affect everyone in the polo community, whether you are a groom, polo instructor or livery yard.

n today’s society, the need for compliance is becoming greater and more complicated than ever before. The polo industry is no exception to everyday laws and licences expected of anyone who operates a business. As debates grow on social media sites about who needs a Certificate of Professional Competency (CPC) to drive horses and who should have which DEFRA qualifications for what distances travelled, we peel back the lid on one area of lorry driving. With the DVSA introducing more and more legislation and licences, trucking ponies from club to club is becoming more costly and complicated with Operators Licences, drivers’ CPCs, TACOs, weighbridges and much more. The second major licensing area this feature will focus on is with reference to the sale and provision of alcohol and the Premises Licence. Post and pre-polo drinks at the clubhouse come with their own legislation and pitfalls for clubs, private grounds and even back garden farm polo. The final area

we will look at is probably the most unspoken area of all, in the form of the Riding Establishment Licence. The lay of the law for the hiring of ponies affects everyone from professionals to clubs and Pony Club goers. Insurance comes hand in hand with any legal requirement, which is a whole other area of paperwork that can prevent you from getting out onto the pitch. Applicable insurance for any of these activities, if they are conducted in a commercial capacity, is also needed. Insurance companies are often quick to offer policies, simply requiring forms to be filled and a cheque to be sent, but it is important to choose an insurer that can provide the best understanding of the business you run. If you have insurance and run a commercial business and don’t follow laws and legislations, then your insurance will be void much like driving your car around with no MoT.

Premises Licences for Clubs What is a Premises Licence? A Premises Licence authorises the premises in question to carry out licensable activities. Almost any business that does one or more of these activities (i.e. sell alcohol, provide entertainment or provide late night refreshment) will need a Premises Licence. The law is applicable to England and Wales (Scotland has separate Licensing Laws). How much do they cost? Anything between £100 to £1,905 (not including the cost of a Personal Licence for the DPS) How is one obtained? To have a Premises Licence you will first need a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), www.polotimes.co.uk

this person must hold a Personal Licence. These are fairly simple to obtain. You will need to be over 18, have a basic Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) formerly known as a CRB, a BII level II examination certificate or a similar accredited qualification such as the EDI NCPLH level 2 qualification. This supporting paperwork must be sent to your local authority with the application form and the appropriate fee. The DPS does not need to be onsite for all licensable activities, they can delegate their duties to anyone else who is onsite by written consent between the parties which must be displayed for public view along with the Premises Licence. To obtain a Premises Licence you need to apply to your local district council via their licensing Polo Times, April 2015

Feature

A look into the intricacies of licensing

rendered in kind, is licensable. Charity events and non-profit events are also subject to licensing laws. If you are truly a private club you may be able to apply for a Club Certificate which is more relaxed and doesn’t require a DPS. To qualify, the club will need to be used on a regular basis by members on the provision alcohol and entertainment is only provided to members and their guests. There must be no arrangement for anyone to benefit financially from buying or selling alcohol and new members to the club must wait two days from applying to the club before they can benefit from any membership privileges. The club must prove that it is established and has at least 25 members and run in good faith. Are there any other options? Temporary Events Notices (TENs) can be applied for as a temporary licence. These licences are really aimed for clubs that don’t have a bar, but want to run a special event such as a ball or Pimm’s tent at a charity day on a select number of dates. TENs can also be used to extend hours and activities

on an existing Premises Licence. To obtain one you need to apply a minimum of 10 working days before the event to your local licensing authority by completing an application form and including the relevant fee (which can be as little as £10). Two copies of this form must be sent to the licensing department and a further copy to your local police station. The approved application is returned to you in the post. This application with the accompanying certificate must be displayed at the event. There are however limitations on how many you can apply for in a calendar year. A total of 12 for any one premises and four in one person’s name, however if you hold a personal licence you are entitled to apply for more. What happens if I don’t have one? You can be fined up to £1,000 for failing to produce your licence on request. If you carry out any licensable activities at your premises without a Premises Licence, you can be fined £20,000, sent to prison for up to 6 months, or both.

Case study questions: department. The application is quite lengthy and you will need to supply details of the DPS, planning consent for any structures involved, proof that you are registered with the council for the correct use of land, a detailed architect’s drawing of the site, the correct fee and a proposed outline of times and schedules that licensable activities will take place. To change a licence once it has been granted requires you to go through the whole process again, so it’s best to apply for anything that you think you will need in the future. The application takes a long time to process and it will also need to be advertised, much like planning permission, in the local press and with signs at the entrance to the site. Other licensed premises in the local vicinity, the police and the fire department all have a say in if a licence is granted. Who needs to have one? If you serve alcohol or carry out any other licensable activities (which also includes serving hot food and drinks between 11pm and 5am, theatrical performances, film showing, indoor sporting events, live music, recorded music and dance) to anyone at your club or private ground, then the chances are you need one. Selling or providing alcohol to anyone who has paid money, or any services 26

Polo Times, April 2015

I have a private club, I don’t charge a membership fee, but I do charge entry fee and I serve alcohol to my guests and friends after polo, do I need one? Yes, serving alcohol to anyone without any kind of licence is breaking the law if you are being remunerated, however tenuously. You could apply for a Club Certificate, a Premises Licence or a TENs (if you are only planning limited events). You could however ask your guests to bring their own alcohol along to enjoy after polo. I run a polo club in the summer only and we have alcohol in the clubhouse but we don’t charge our members for it, do we need one? Yes, you do need a licence as your members have paid money for services rendered (regardless if this is for organisation of polo games or social events in the bar). Even if they haven’t paid for the alcohol directly they have still paid for a membership, which the alcohol is a benefit for. I run a polo club all year round and we have a clubhouse, but our members bring their own alcohol do we need one? No, you only need a licence if you are supplying the alcohol. If your members are bringing their own then this is not a licensable activity. We have a Club Premises Licence but it doesn’t cover extended hours for our annual ball, how do we do this legally? In this case you can apply for a TENs, this should be done 10 working days before the event and the local authority will require a small fee to process the extended licence.

More information Government website, which covers all departments that regulate legislation in the UK and includes information on Personal and Premises Licences, Club Certificates and Temporary Events Notices: www.gov.uk/alcohol-licensing www.polotimes.co.uk

A look into the intricacies of licensing

Feature

Riding Establishment Licences for schools and hirers What is a Riding Establishment Licence? A Riding Establishment Licence (REL) is required under the Riding Establishments Acts of 1964 and 1970 for any horses or ponies used for hire or reward. The licence is aimed at certifying welfare standards for horses used for hire and also looks at employment health and safety. The act is applicable to England, Scotland and Wales. How much do they cost? Fees vary from council to council, but expect a basic fee for the licence and a fee for the vet inspection. Some councils charge per pony that is licensed and this can be anything between £15 and £25 per pony. Again the vet inspection fee will vary depending on how long the vet takes to complete their inspection. Expect to pay upwards of £400. How is one obtained? The application form will need to be completed and sent to the local authority with the following supporting documents: Proof of a relevant insurance policy with public liability up to £5 million and employers liability up to £10 million, an appointed first aider (a copy of their certificate), any certificates of qualification for the person the name the licence will be in (HPA coaching certificate or any BHS qualifications) and valid passports for all ponies that will be listed on the licence. Once the application has been sent in, the local authority will then schedule an inspection date. This will include a basic vetting of all ponies (heart, eyes and trot-up) as well as an inspection of where the ponies live – fields, stables and corals. Medical kits for ponies and people as well as all other health and safety requirements, such as fire extinguishers will be inspected. They may

Case study questions: I am thinking about taking up polo and need to have some lessons, what happens if I don’t use a school that has a Riding Establishment Licence? If you were to go to a coach or polo school that doesn’t have a licence, then their insurance policy will be void and they are breaking the law. There will be no guarantee that the ponies, tack or living and working conditions for either the horses or the staff will be up to standard. You will put yourself at risk and if you were to make a claim if an accident happened there would be no pay out as the school or provider will not be insured. I have just started a polo school, I only have four ponies, but I am a registered HPA coach do I need a REL? Yes, any pony used for hire whether this is for a lesson, chukkas or stick and ball, by law must be listed on a REL – even if you have an insurance policy this will be void if you don’t have a licence as you are breaking the law. I have a string of ponies that I play for the summer and sometimes the winter, but I don’t play every weekend so I lend them to friends in exchange for diesel money, do I need a licence? Yes, as per the answer to the question above you are hiring your ponies out for in-kind remuneration. You are also breaking the law as you won’t have an insurance policy. The licence has no bearing on the frequency of use, so even hiring your ponies for one occasion in the season would fall under the Act. I can’t afford my full livery bills so my ponies are on DIY livery at my yard, the polo school that looks after them use them for lessons, do I need a licence? If you are not hiring the ponies, but the people who look after them are, then they will need to hold the licence and insurance policy. However, you would need to come to an agreement with them about liabilities. If, you are hiring the ponies to then pay your livery bills you will need to hold the licence and insurance policy. even require to see electrical certificates such as proof of PAT testing and fixed wiring certification. The local authority may choose to impose additional conditions before issuing a licence and in some cases they may only offer a provisional licence until certain conditions are met. Licences last for one year and are site specific, so if your polo operation moves during this time you will need to begin the process again. Who needs to have one? Anyone who hires a pony for monetary or in-kind reward for anything from hacking to lessons and chukkas will need to hold an REL. This mainly includes polo schools, pony hirers, a club that includes a school, professionals hiring to professionals and even professionals hiring to patrons.

What happens if I don’t have one? You can be fined up to £5,000 or imprisoned for up to three months, or both, if you run a riding establishment without a licence. Industry expert comment on why an REL is important for the polo community: “It is important to safeguard all concerned whether you’re just learning, a polo school or pony hirer or if you’re a professional. The only way to do this is to act within the law, which requires anyone providing ponies for reward or gain to have a Riding Establishment Licence and thus hold Public Liability Insurance. The promotion of welfare and safety in our sport has to be paramount and ticking the box to say YES, you do hold an REL is one of the most important steps.” Suzie Meadows, Director APSPH.

More information The Association of Polo Schools and Pony Hirers lists polo schools that hold current RELs and valid insurance policies. The website and association also offer help and advice to establishments who are yet to obtain their RELs: www.apsph-polo.org.uk The government website, which covers all departments that regulate legislation in the UK, provides further details about the licensing process and a link to the full Animals Act: www.gov.uk/riding-establishment-licence www.polotimes.co.uk

Polo Times, April 2015

Feature

A look into the intricacies of licensing

Operators Licences for lorries How is one obtained? The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA – formerly VOSA) advises that you apply for your O-licence at least 9 weeks before you want to start operating. The O-licence is administered and run by the DVSA on behalf of the Traffic Commissioners. The forms and notes you’ll need to apply with include: GV79 – application for a goods vehicle operator’s licence GV74 – goods vehicle operator licensing GV79G – guidance notes to help you complete your application for a goods vehicle operator’s licence, how to advertise your application for a licence TM1G – guidance notes to help you complete your application to be a transport manager

What is an Operator’s Licence? If you drive ponies for any kind of remuneration, cash or kind, then you are operating in a commercial capacity and you will require a Goods Vehicle Operator’s Licence (O-Licence), or if your business uses a lorry above a certain weight. You need a licence to carry goods (including ponies) in a lorry, van or other vehicle with either: A gross plated weight (the maximum weight that the vehicle can have at any one time) of over 3,500 kg (3.5 tones) and an unladen weight of more than 1,525 kg/1.5 tonnes (where there is no plated weight). This licence is applicable to England, Scotland and Wales. The important definition of this licence is business use. Who needs to have one? There are three different types of licence for lorries. The licence you need depends on where you transport ponies to and from, and whom you do it for. You’ll need a standard licence if you’re carrying other people’s ponies for hire or reward, or if your vehicle and trailer combination exceeds the weight limits above for a single vehicle. Standard National Licence This licence means you can carry your own ponies in the UK and other people’s ponies in the UK. You can also take a trailer to or from ports within the UK as part of an international journey, as long as your vehicles don’t leave the country. 28

Polo Times, April 2015

Standard International Licence This licence allows you to carry your own ponies and other people’s ponies, both in the UK and on international journeys. When you get a standard International Licence, you can also request the issue of Community Licences. These allow: trips between all EU member countries, transit traffic through EU member countries, abotage (journeys entirely within another EU member country). Restricted Licence This licence allows you to carry your own ponies, but not other people’s ponies. Your licence will continue to be valid as long as you pay your continuation fee every five years and operate within the terms of your licence. Exceptions to the licence include: vehicles that were first used before 1977, that have an unladen weight of 1,525kgs or less and a maximum gross plated weight over 3,500 kgs, if you use public roads for less than six miles a week whilst moving between private premises belonging to the same person as the vehicle. The final exception is if the vehicle is used on trade plates or is a passenger-carrying vehicle. How much do they cost? Applying for a licence costs £257 and the issue of a licence costs £401. You can also be issued with an interim licence at a fee of £68, so the total cost is between £658-£726. Major changes to a licence cost the same as an application and the continuation fee is the same as the issue fee.

You will also need to: • Advertise your application for the licence, advertise your proposed operating centre • Designate a transport manager (if you’re applying for a standard licence) • Provide information about your financial situation and draw up a maintenance contract with a garage or agent to do safety inspections and repair vehicles if you don’t do this yourself. What happens if I don’t have one? If you or your employer doesn’t have a valid O-Licence, your vehicle could be impounded and scrapped (after 21 days) unless you or your employer appeals to the local Traffic Commissioner. Industry expert comment on why an O-Licence is important for the polo community: “Any professional player who is playing and driving should have an O-Licence, as soon as any charge, fee or income is made from playing, liveries, lessons etc then you do need one. DVSA are also now self-funding, so they are very keen to stop, inspect and issue fines. They are training up Traffic Officers (who at the moment are not able to stop and fine lorries), so soon they will be able to have the same privileges as DVSA agents and the police.” Adrian Cooper, who has been in transport for 25 years, owns and runs Hauling Horse www.haulinghorse.com

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A look into the intricacies of licensing

A legal look at licensing from Polo Times columnist, Solicitor Lottie Goldstone: “There are two elements to all of the scenarios that have been itemised in this article. Firstly, the Criminal Liability and the possibility of committing a criminal offence and being subsequently prosecuted. Secondly, the Civil Liability element – where this is proved then it would be down to your insurance to pay out – assuming of course that you have insurance. If you do not then you would be personally liable.” Insurance policies, generally speaking, will require you to adhere to all applicable laws and acting outside of the law will invalidate your policy. As Lottie points out this will leave you personally liable for anything that should arise out of your business activities.

More information Government website, which covers all departments that regulate legislation in the UK: www.gov.uk/being-a-goods-vehicleoperator/overview Freight Transport Association: www.fta.co.uk

Feature

Case study questions: If I drive my horses to polo and I take a few of my friend’s ponies with mine and they pay me some money do I need one? Yes, any activity involving driving horses (or any goods) for money means you are acting in a commercial capacity, so you are subject to licensing law and would require an O-Licence. I have more than one lorry, but I only use them for my own ponies, but I do make money from playing professionally do I need one? Yes, as with the above situation any activity that arises from the transporting of your ponies for any kind of remuneration means you will need an O-Licence. I run a commercial business hiring horses around the country and I transport ponies in my own lorry and sometimes I use contract drivers with their own lorries, do I need one? Yes, again you are running a commercial business so your lorries will need to be part of an 0-Licence and you drivers will need to: adhere to driver laws and hold CPC certificates, understand DEFRA legislation, use TACOs and hold the applicable driving licence. However, if you use a transport company you will need to check that they also fulfill the same requirements in order to transport your horses. Your insurance policy will be void if you don’t follow this legislation I have my own lorry and I only play for fun so I never make any money from my polo, sometimes my groom drives and sometimes I drive. Do I need one? No you don’t need one. If you aren’t making any money, or gaining any reward (diesel money or cheaper livery for trucking your friends ponies for example) then you are exempt from this licence.

The Association of Polo Schools and Pony Hirers Looking for a provider or polo school?

Are you a polo provider looking to join us?

Please visit our website for a complete list of fully licensed and insured providers and membership information. www.apsph-polo.org.uk

enquiries@apsph-polo.org.uk

We aim to The HPA wholeheartedly support The Association of Polo Schools and Pony Hirers as a vital step in encouraging the growth of polo in the UK and delivering a consistent and safe environment The Hurlingham Polo Association

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• Provide information to support all existing and emerging Polo Schools and Pony Hirers • Promote welfare and safety standards in polo • Deliver a ‘Gold Standard’ across our sector of the industry in all aspects of our business Ensure consumers have the information and understanding they need to make informed choices about where and with whom they learn to play polo or from whom they hire polo ponies

Polo Times, April 2015

Reports

The Arena Gold Cup, The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

Black Eagles turn to Gold Lucy Wilson reports from Berkshire

Black Eagles take The Arena Gold Cup for a second year in a row

Polo Times, xxxx 2015

he most coveted trophy of the winter arena season was won, hands down, by Black Eagles 2118 against Gaucho on Saturday 28 March at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club. After a blip in their season which saw them losing out on a trophy at The HPA New Year Nationals, the Gold Cup team lineup of Jonathan Munro Ford (1), Sergio Baselli (5) and Chris Hyde (9) went into the Final

with a clean sheet, having not lost a game in the tournament. Black Eagles won in 2014 with a slightly different line up which saw Howard Smith on the podium alongside Hyde and Munro Ford. With their 2015 win the team join an illustrious list of past consecutive winners including Paul Sweeny’s Ashfronts, Heiko Volker’s Tschogan and Michael Bickford’s Cold Smoke. Will Black Eagles be back in 2016 to be the first team in the tournament’s history to notch up a consecutive hat trick? As they say, watch this space…

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The Arena Gold Cup, The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

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this was her last tournament before retiring. Chris spoke of the mare after the game as, “A complete legend and this Best Playing Pony Award is her retirement gift”. Jonathan Munro Ford was in great spirits after the game joking that, “The highlight should have been me as MVP! The boys played amazingly and we had the opportunity to play against some great teams this week and today was the closest we have played in a long time.” The Silver Cup game earlier in the day was a fast and fantastic show of arena polo. Silex (Richard Fagan (1), Mikey Henderson (6) and Sebastian Dawnay (8)) took home the trophy after defeating Black Hound (Simon Arber (1), Tarquin Southwell (7) and Pete Webb (7)) with a final score of 18-15. The play was fastrunning and long-hitting from both sides and Fagan’s handicap looks likely to be reviewed after his performance. The combination of Henderson and Dawnay left Southwell and Webb struggling with their combined skills and pony power. Despite this it was a good fun game described as, “A nice clean game in the arena” by Southwell. Arber also played well above his 1 goal handicap and Webb, whose style in the arena is not dissimilar to Hyde’s, both worked together to almost make a comeback in the third chukka with their highest rate of scoring, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Irish contingent. Simon Arber spoke to Polo Times about the game, “The subsidiary final tends to be a better game, we as a team were under less pressure so it’s more enjoyable. However, I do wish people would be more horse conscious when they are playing in the arena. In my opinion the game at the moment is too hard on the horses, I think we all need to think about it.”

The Arena Gold Cup Final Teams Black Eagles: Jonathan Munro Ford, Sergio Baselli and Chris Hyde Gaucho: Faisil Al-Rifai, Oscar Mancini and Adolfo Casabal Result: 21-18 to Black Eagles The Polo Magazine Most Valuable Player: Chris Hyde Polo Times Best Playing Pony: Zena, owned by Jonathan Munro Ford played by Chris Hyde

The Arena Silver Cup Final Teams Black Hound: Simon Arber, Tarquin Southwell and Pete Webb Silex: Richard Fagan, Mikey Henderson and Sebastian Dawnay Result: 18-15

Photographs by Lucy Wilson & Images of Polo

In the 2015 Final Chris Hyde was responsible for a staggering 19 out of the 21 goals scored for their win, with Baselli adding the remaining two. The Gaucho team of Faisil Al-Rifai (2), Oscar Mancini (6) and Adolfo Casabal (7)) came out of the first line-out with a fighting attitude. Mancini nearly made an unscheduled dismount as his pony pecked – lurching him forward before being caught in the cross fire of a mêlée, finally being struck in the face by his pony as it tried to recover, but unhurt they continued play. Chat in the arena between the players began to hot up during the second chukka as Mancini was awarded a yellow card by umpire Simon ‘Skinny’ McDonald. Scores pinged backwards and forwards between the teams. The game was plagued with whistles and fouls and, for the spectators, was a frustrating show of arena polo. Both teams had to adapt their game to accommodate the over-technical plays required. The size of the Royal County of Berkshire arena at this level of play and the larger more thoroughbredstyle horses that the professionals are choosing of late, had a noticeable impact on the game with the umpires kept busy throughout. Baselli began the third chukka in style showing exactly why Hyde and Munro Ford had selected him for the team and for a brief moment in the game, play opened up into a fast-moving pace where Al-Rifai had an opportunity to show off his talent. However, the tone of the game changed as Mancini stopped his pony at the far end of the arena away from any play or sticks. The pony owned by Georgie French, had fractured its front leg in the course of the game, and was put to sleep by the onsite vet. A sad event that happens rarely in the arena, left a sombre atmosphere in the stands as the game restarted. Mancini opened the fourth chukka with a goal and cheers from the stands for bravely getting back into the game after the shock and sadness losing a pony. Hyde’s skill with the ball, his more compact ponies and ability to spot a gap in the game plan of his opposition, is truly what gives him the edge and fittingly he was awarded The Polo Magazine Most Valuable Player Award. His long-standing Arena Gold Cup four-legged accomplice, Zena, owned by Jonathan Munro Ford, won the Polo Times Best Playing Pony Award. The 23-year-old bay mare has been part of Hyde’s winning Gold Cup string for all six of his titles, but

Reports

Polo Times, April 2015

Reports

The Arena Gold Cup, The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

Chukka one Casabal made the first mark on the scoreboard for Gaucho before Chris Hyde could answer with the first goal for Black Eagles. Hyde went on to score again but fouled Al-Rifai giving Casabal a 25 yard hit out. Casabal hit a long high shot which was only kept in play by the wind so both teams carried on their game. Casabal managed a second goal, followed by Hyde, who executed a back-hand tap to goal to make 3-2 to Black Eagles. Al-Rifai had a shot to goal for Gaucho but hit high above the goal border, he managed to recover the shot with a back handed tap to make 3-3 with just 12 seconds left. Hyde was awarded a foul after being sandwiched by Casabal and Mancini, and took an undefended 25 yard for two points to bring the score to 5-3 at the end of the first. Black Eagles 5, Gaucho 3

Chukka two Polo Times Best Playing Pony, Zena with Black Eagles Yard Manager Bev Prior

Comment

The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club’s Polo Manager and umpire for the tournament Simon McDonald tells us about the tournament and the famous Best Playing Pony legend, Zena: Q: What was your overview of the Gold Cup 2015? A: “The tournament in general was well supported this year with six teams and the level was good throughout. Gaucho and Black Eagles both deserved their spot in the Final.” Q: The best player? A: “It’s the best I’ve seen Chris play in years. I would think this year it would be difficult for him not to go to ten. He is far better than anyone else. Chris now matches Seb Dawnay for the most Arena Gold Cup titles.”

Q: Anyone else on Chris’ heels? A: “I think Max Charlton is the only one coming close to Chris at the moment. He is still not at Chris’ level yet, Max is young and has time on his side to catch up, but Chris just gets better with age.” Q: Tell us about Zena, the Polo Times Best Playing Pony: A: “Zena is a legend at 23 years old and has notched up six Arena Gold Cup wins with Chris. She began her career with Ocho Rios, taking Jonny Good to victory for them in 2001.”

Polo Times would like to wish Zena a very restful and relaxing retirement now that she has hung up her shoes for good – happy old age Zena!

1996 – 2015 Gold Cup Winners Roll of Honour Year 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 32

Winning TeamTeam Baileys Horse Feeds Chopendoz Ashfronts Ashfronts F.C.T. Ochos Rios Cadenza The Field Sellar Performance Ash Front

Polo Times, April 2015

Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Winning TeamTeam Los Grifos Tschogan Aprey London Tschogan Tchogan Cold Smoke Cold Smoke Tally Ho Farm Black Eagles Black Eagles

The second chukka opened with Mancini saving a shot to goal from Hyde and then went on to score but not before Baselli managed to score for Black Eagles. Hyde joined in on the action in the early stages of the chukka scoring again shortly followed by Casabal. Hyde scored an impressive five goals in this chukka, repeating his goal score from the first. Mancini and Casabal managed two a piece for Gaucho. Black Eagles 11, Gaucho 7

Chukka three Baselli began the third chukka in style with a run the length of the arena to score for Black Eagles, followed by another goal from Hyde. Gaucho fouled allowing the opposition to extend their lead with another penalty, this was shortly followed by a foul for Casabal who took an easy tap from the 15 yard line that literally trickled into the goal. Mancini managed a goal, his only mark on the scoreboard in the third chukka. Hyde and Casabal exchanged a volley of goals to bring the scores of both teams up. Black Eagles 15, Gaucho 11

Chukka four The final chukka was goals galore with Casabal making a last ditch attempt at a win with both Mancini and Al-Rifai adding to the score. Casabal matched Hyde’s scoring frenzy, by adding five goals to the scoreboard in this chukka alone. Hyde matched the tally with his own five goals but with the added extra of a two pointer. Hyde managed to miss a 25 yard penalty but succeeded in scoring during the closing seconds to make the final score 21-18. Black Eagles 21, Gaucho 18

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Reports

England Triumphant

Chris Hyde takes the ball away from under Seb Dawnay’s stick

Lucy Wilson reports from Hickstead

The highest handicapped Arena International to date played between Ireland and England

nce again the All England Polo Club, Hickstead, played host to the International Arena Test Match for The Bryan Morrison Trophy on Saturday 7 March in glorious spring sunshine. This year saw the highest handicapped Test Match so far, with arena superstars such as Chris Hyde, Sebastian Dawnay and Jonny Good lining up to do battle. Supporters for all the teams arrived patriotically dressed in the John Bunn Leisure Arena, with many choosing to sport leprechaun themed wigs, fancy dress hats and even inflatable leeks and daffodils in support for their national teams. The main match of the day between England (Jonny Good (8), Jamie Le Hardy (7) and Chris Hyde (9)) and Ireland (Ryan Pemble (8), Seb Dawnay (8) and Richard Le Poer (7)) began with great anticipation, speed

Polo Times, April 2015

and skillful flair from both sides. Irish Captain, Sebastian Dawnay, is no stranger to the Test Match arena – his dual nationality had enabled him to line-up for the winning England team in the 2010 Test Match. However, this year the England team posed a formidable opposition with superior experience on their side combined with a nearly unblemished victory record at the Test Match, they were defeated only by USA in 2014 by 21 goals to 17. So the pressure was on for England to regain The Bryan Morrison Trophy. However, in the first chukka the English game plan didn’t appear to be working so well. Le Poer, who was triumphant in the 2014 summer season Victor Ludorum 12 and 15 goal tournaments, but has yet to add any major arena titles to his name, scored the fourth Irish goal from an undefended 25 yard to close the first chukka 4-3 to Ireland.

In the second chukka, England continued to be out-ponied and out-played, although Le Hardy, who had won the Test Match with Hyde back in 2009, had a particular moment of brilliance to score the fifth goal for England with an incredible open backhand. However, after a change of ponies, with fresh legs and enthusiasm the Irish team dominated the goal scoring and went into half time with a 9-5 lead. By the third chukka, the English team appeared to have got their mojo going and they played well to close the gap with some hard-fought plays to make it 11-9, but they still hadn’t managed to make it into the lead. Going into the fourth and final chukka Ireland had no opportunity to relax, as England came out of the pony lines all guns blazing and showed that experience and skill were the winning formula. Chris Hyde, with accolades such as six Arena Gold Cup titles www.polotimes.co.uk

The International Arena Test Match for The Bryan Morrison Trophy

Reports

and a consistent feature of the England arena team line-up in the Test Match since its inception in 2008, had clearly given his teammates a much needed pep talk. The Irish were left behind as the gap in score grew and the seconds ticked away on the clock. An Irish foul gave Good a penalty shot at goal and team England ran out the winners, 18-13, and lifted The Bryan Morrison Trophy. Jamie Le Hardy was awarded Most Valuable Player and Richard Le Poer’s 13-year-old bay mare, Dig Deep, won the Polo Times Best Playing Pony. Earlier in the day, Wales Clogau and Ireland battled it out in a 12 goal match. The Welsh team (Ricky Cooper (1), Roddy Matthews (5) and Roddy Williams (7)) had a mountain to climb against the competitive Irish team (Richard Fagan (1), Niall Donnelly (5) and Mikey Henderson (6)). The game ended with a score of 20-9 to Ireland. Mikey Henderson was awarded Most Valuable Player and his 15-year-old mare Smartie won Best Playing Pony. Hannah Henderson spoke to Polo Times about Smartie, “ She has power, agility, great handling and a huge heart. Mikey likes to play her with the handbrake up and the accelerator down! She also played a lot in Megève this winter. Hopefully she will be playing with me in the summer.”

Simon McDonald – Umpire for the Test Match Q: What were your thoughts on the International Arena Test Match? A: “It looked to all intent and purposes that Ireland were going to win it and then for some reason in the last chukka it all turned around. The wind had a big part to play in it but also Chris, again, was very very good. Jonny Good, who hasn’t played all season played exceptionally well and Le Hardy who we haven’t seen in the arena for two or three years was good.” Q: Was it a difficult match to umpire? A: “You know there was a bit of fighting and scraps amongst themselves, but overall they all played really well.” Q: Do you think Chris Hyde’s handicap should be raised? A: “We will see what the handicaps say. The HPA handicap meeting is on the 13 April and then published a day or two after that. It should be interesting.”

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Photographs by Images of Polo

Polo Times’ post-match chat in the pony lines: Polo Times caught up with team captains from the England vs Ireland Test Match, Chris Hyde and Sebastian Dawnay, plus umpire Simon McDonald, and Richard Fagan who supported both Irish teams, to hear their views on the highest handicapped International Arena Test Match to date.

Richard Le Poer taps the ball out of the air for Ireland

Polo Times, April 2015

Reports

The International Arena Test Match for The Bryan Morrison Trophy

Le Poer is a great player but he’s young and isn’t a top arena player yet and that does makes a big difference. I was really proud of the boys and we had great help from Oscar Mancini and Andrew Blake Thomas.” Q: There has been some talk of your handicap going to 10? A: “I think I definitely deserved to go to 10 last year, but obviously playing in the Test Match and losing it they decided not to. But this year I don’t think they have any choice and I think we need a 10 goaler here in this country and I think I am the perfect candidate for that!”

John Wright with Jonny Good, Chris Hyde, Greta Morrison & Jamie Le Hardy

Sebastian Dawnay – Captain for Ireland Q: What did you think of the English team? A: “I think Chris has obviously been recommended to go to 10 goals by the Berkshire and when the pressure is on he can be a very cool and calm player. Jamie Le Hardy was picking out some gaps and making some really important plays and they picked up a load of two pointers that just killed us, to come back after that was just too difficult. They got the coin toss at the beginning right, so they chose to go into the wind which is always a big advantage so you finish with the wind behind you, which definitely had an impact upon proceedings.” Q: Do your think the pressure of playing against a more experienced side affected Ireland’s performance? A: “Because we were under pressure I was definitely trying to hit the ball too hard, which actually made the ball go higher and the wind wouldn’t let the ball travel which was a big disadvantage for us.” Q: Have you enjoyed playing as part of the Irish team? A: “We had the most amazing build up to the game, we have had the most fun and I think Richard Fagan supporting two teams is just incredible and we have had the best two weeks preparing for this with a great squad mentality. I am really looking forward to what is coming in the future.” Q: Speaking of the future, are there any plans for a rematch? 36

Polo Times, April 2015

A: “I think we are going to try and organise a rematch in Wicklow and maybe try and get a few more countries involved as well and do a Tri Nations. I think Richard has loads of plans with an International between Ireland and Spain in Sotogrande over Easter and I believe there is talk about going to America.” Chris Hyde – Captain for England Q: What did you think of the highest handicapped International Arena Test Match to date? A: “Awesome match, another win. We went into this game with Jonny and Jamie on board, we had to find horses for them, luckily Jonny’s brother, Tarquin, lent him his string of horses, Giles Ormerod gave us some and Vaux Park gave horses to Jamie, so it’s thanks to them that we actually managed to get on the pitch.” Q: What do you think gave England the edge? A: “We are like the old boys, we know what we are doing and we just needed to get the right horse power to play the game as we wanted to. We got let down a little bit in the second chukka, but because we won the toss we chose to go into the wind for the first chukka and to have it behind us at the end.” Q: Do you think the experience of the English team helped you win? A: “We knew that Ireland were a far better mounted team than us, but we were a more experienced team; we know how to get into a winning position and keep it like that. Richard

Richard Fagan – Played in the 12 goal match against Wales Clogau, and supported both Irish teams Q: How did you feel the 12 goal match went? A: “I think we were lucky but we were well prepared, John Horswell had organised a series of practice matches and it showed on the day. The preparation of the Irish team was good, I think that was the difference between us and Wales Clogau.” Q: Was it difficult to select the Irish team? A: “We chose our team on ability, arguably the team chosen were the best guys in both the 12 goal and the same again for the Test Match. Plus they are all good drinkers which helps at the after party!” International Arena Test Match for The Bryan Morrison Trophy England vs Ireland Result: England beat Ireland, 18-13 Teams England (24): Chris Hyde (9), Jamie Le Hardy (7), Jonny Good (8) Ireland (23): Sebastian Dawnay (8), Ryan Pemble (8), Richard Le Poer (7) Most Valuable Player: Jamie Le Hardy Polo Times Best Playing Pony: Dig Deep, owned and played by Richard Le Poer

Triumphant Ireland; Richard Fagan, Niall Donnelly & Mikey Henderson with Clogau Wales; Ricky Cooper, Roddy Matthews & Roddy Williams

www.polotimes.co.uk

Reports

Best Shot at The Open Team Rodd & Gunn claim victory in New Zealand’s premier polo tournament for a second season

Photography by Carmen Bird Photography

he BMW Polo Open is fast becoming one of New Zealand’s premier sporting and social events, with teams showcasing some of the country’s best talent as well as luring in a handful of top foreign professionals. Gaining in popularity every season, this year’s Final was no less vibrant and raised an impressive $20,000 for the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust. Now in its sixth year as principle sponsor, BMW pulled out all the stops for their pre-match entertainment, which included a ‘car versus horse’ race in which the BMW M3, boasting the power equivalent of 431 horses, was

Polo Times, April 2015

pitted against one four-legged opponent. The race brought great excitement for the spectators as the polo pony narrowly missed victory by mere inches. On to the polo and it was defending champions, Rodd & Gunn who seized the title for the second consecutive year. For 2015, they returned with a slightly amended line-up, which included England 6 goaler, James Harper who was fresh from playing with the England team in the annual International Test match in early February. Playing alongside him was Sam Hopkinson (6), Kit Brooks (5) and Ross George (1). Playing in the Semco colours were Tom Morley (6),

Katherine Andrews reports from New Zealand

who played alongside Harper in the Test Match, top Kiwi professional Tommy Wilson (7), who has won the Open on no less than three occasions, Ross Ainsley (5) and Michael Weston (0). This year’s Finalists were given the opportunity for a rematch as they had been pitted against each other in the opening game of the tournament – where Semco had come out on top. Both teams narrowly clinched victory in the Semi Final stages with Rodd & Gunn just knocking out team Tiger Building 11-10, and Semco making a memorable four goal comeback against Knight Frank in the final chukka of their game. Come Finals day, Semco’s previous win didn’t leave them complacent and both teams set off in the first chukka intent on victory. However, the first seven minutes of play were scrappy, broken up by fouls on both sides and fierce defending. Finally James Harper scored, but it was to be the only goal of the chukka. James Beim was on hand pitch-side to offer Rodd & Gunn some quick advice before the second chukka got underway. It was a different team that came back to the line-out as Rodd & Gunn now worked effectively to shut down Semco. With a field goal from Hopkinson www.polotimes.co.uk

2015 BMW Polo Open, Auckland Polo Club, New Zealand

and two penalty goals from Harper they seemed unstoppable. The excitement of the game was now mirroring the pitchside atmosphere as the Heineken party tent cranked up its music. Then in the last moments of the second chukka Semco were awarded a penalty and Morley took the score to 4-1. It was during the third chukka that both teams found a new gear, scoring two goals apiece. Rodd & Gunn were the first to add to the tally with a goal from the field, but Semco’s Morley was determined to even the odds. Taking the ball around several of the opposition in his path to goal, he finished the run nicely by tapping the ball in mid-air through the posts. It looked for a moment that Semco may have found their form, but unfortunately an attacking backhand from Ainsley bounced off a pony for Ross George to pass up field to an unmarked Harper, who ran the ball from half way to score. Morley, keeping up the pressure to pull the game back for Semco, scored again to end the first half with the defending champs holding a three-goal lead. In the fourth, Wilson and Morley each converted penalties, so Harper, a man on a mission, went on to score two further goals for his team. The second saw him spring into action picking up a pass from Hopkinson from the back line and taking it up the boards to the 60-yard mark. With teammate, Kit Brooks clearing away the opposition, he was able to come back infield and send it through the posts with a neck shot from 40-yards out. With the score reading 8-5 at the start of the fifth, Semco couldn’t afford any mistakes. But as the pressure of the Final got to both teams, play got increasingly cut up and a penalty was awarded to Rodd & Gunn which Harper converted – his seventh goal of the game. There was no time to relax with Tom Morley playing at a furious pace aboard his pony, Fish, and for the second half of the chukka an exceptional grey mare, Shauny, who helped him earn a carefully judged goal. The game culminated in a thrilling final chukka. Ross Ainsley, quick off the mark, sent the ball through the posts with a tidy nearside flick. Desperate to close the gap, Tommy Wilson went on to cleverly capitalise on a missed backhand from Harper and sent the ball flying with a wicked cut-shot to goal. But Rodd & Gunn’s defence was too strong for Semco to even the score and the whistle blew signaling the end of the match and victory to the defending champions. www.polotimes.co.uk

Reports

James Beim was pitch-side and coached the winning team. “The Open has grown hugely since I first played it ten years ago and is the showcase game of New Zealand polo along with The International Test Match. It was a great turnout and a very well presented day, and I think it’s great that New Zealand polo is getting recognised by the public. “The match as a whole was a very competitive game; the field played exceptionally well and the level of horses was high. The pivotal players in the Final were Tom Morley for Semco and James Harper for Rodd & Gunn. Tom was very solid at the back and when scoring all the penalties. His pony, Fish, was a deceptively fast gelding and he made a real difference on that horse. Rodd & Gunn performed exceptionally well as a team with their standout player, Harper, who deservedly took home MVP and a bespoke suit as his prize! “Rodd & Gunn deserved their victory, working as a strong team from the start so that the first couple of chukkas set them up for the victory. Semco rallied well in the last chukka, but just ran out of time by the bell. It was a reply to the first game of the tournament, which was won by Semco, so Rodd & Gunn did improve immensely throughout the tournament. They did not come in as favorites so it was a great achievement to take the trophy. “On the whole it was a fast open game, with a lot of field goals and not too many penalties and a good spectacle for a large crowd, plus a pretty good party afterwards!”

After the presentation, Polo Times spoke to Most Valuable Player, James Harper, to get his opinion on the match, “We had a massive game yesterday and didn’t expect to win. We have been really short on horses all week and are so grateful that people came through for us and gave us horses today.” He was also quick to praise fellow England player Tom Morley, “Morls has played really well all week and from the Test Match at Kihikihi – it is the best I’ve seen him play and he kept Semco in the game.” Despite losing to his fellow countryman, Morley did have the consolation of winning Best Playing Pony for the six-year-old, chestnut gelding, Fish.

The BMW Polo Open; 22 February 2015; Auckland Polo Club, New Zealand Final result: Rodd & Gunn beat Semco, 9-8 Principle sponsor: BMW Handicap: 18 Number of team entries: Six Chukka scores: (Rodd & Gunn): 1-0, 4-1, 6-3, 8-5, 9-6, 9-8 Most valuable player: James Harper Best playing pony: Fish; bred, owned and trained by Harry Semenoff, played by Tom Morley. Finalists: Rodd & Gunn: Ross George (1); Sam Hopkinson (6); James Harper (6); Kit Brooks (5) Semco PDL: Michael Weston (0); Ross Ainsley (5); Tom Morley (6); Tommy Wilson (7) Polo Times, April 2015

Reports

Cartier Dubai Polo Challenge, Desert Palm, Dubai

Desert Palm make it a home win Photography by Tony Ramirez/ www.imagesofpolo.com

Despite sandstorm, Cartier celebrates 10th anniversary of Dubai Challenge in style

Alan Meeker & HH Sheikha Maitha ride off during the Final at Desert Palm

Desert Palm, winners of the 2015 Cartier Dubai Polo Challenge

esert Palm secured a comfortable 10-4 victory over the UAE polo team in the Final of The Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge on 21 February, despite a sandstorm threatening to disrupt the day. The week-long tournament, hosted by Ali Albwardy’s Desert Palm Polo Club & Resort, fielded six strong teams in what proved to be the most competitive polo of the event’s 10-year history. Organised by Guards Polo Club as part of their International events, the tournament has grown in stature in the past decade and is now fully established within the Dubai polo calendar, sitting comfortably between the two tournaments of The Dubai Gold Cup Series. After dramatic Semi Finals of falls and fouls on Thursday 19 February, Sheikha Maitha’s UAE side defeated Cartier Red, whilst Desert Palm claimed a win over Abu Dhabi to confirm their places in Saturday’s Final. The drama didn’t end on the pitch though, as bad weather hit Dubai the following day and threatened Cartier’s big Final. However, despite a sandstorm with 70mph winds and low visibility rolling into 40

Polo Times, April 2015

town on the Friday, the Finals Day still went ahead – albeit with the earlier Subsidiary Final match for The Desert Palm Trophy between Cartier Red and Abu Dhabi being cancelled. The Final – pushed back to a later time to out-wit the poor visibility and veterinary concerns towards the ponies – took place on the number one ground, with the home team dominating much of the game. Led by American, Alan Meeker and 2 goaler Rashid Albwardy, the Desert Palm side interacted well, capitalising on their opportunities. English 2 goaler, Tom Brodie – who is set to join the Dubai high goal set-up in the UK for the 2015 season – fed the ball both to Cavanagh and his team patron, Albwardy, who added to the team’s goal tally. Meeker, known for his successful cloning operation, Crestview and collaboration with Adolfo Cambiaso, also contributed to his team’s six goal difference over the opposition. Desert Palm managed to keep control of 9 goaler Monteverde – the highest handicapped player on the pitch – to ensure he was unable to break from the line-outs to score for his UAE team. Santi Stirling, with his elbow strapped up after an injury sustained

at the Semis, once again suffered a fall in the Final, careering through the Cartier banners at the end of the pitch, adding a dramatic pause in the match. A fast game, with little fouling made for an exciting demonstration of polo to the VIPs and guests watching the game from the Desert Palm terrace who were clearly delighted with Desert Palm’s eventual win. HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai attended the event to present the prizes. She was joined by Laurent Gaborit, Managing Director of Cartier Middle East and India, Ali Albwardy, Neil Hobday, American socialite and model, Olivia Palermo and George Sunderland, Brand Ambassador for La Martina. Ali Albwardy’s Castora, played by Diego Cavanagh was presented with the La Martina Best Playing Pony prize, whilst Amr Zedan, patron of the Guards team, was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. The Cartier Dubai Polo Challenge; 21 February 2015; Desert Palm Result: Desert Palm beat UAE, 10-4 Finalists: Desert Palm (12): Alan Meeker (0); Rashid Albwardy (2); Tom Brodie (2); Diego Cavanagh (8) UAE (12): Sandra Schneider (-1); HH Sheikha Maitha Al Maktoum (0); Santi Stirling (4); Lucas Monteverde (9) www.polotimes.co.uk

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Reports

Dubai Gold Cup Series, Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club

Zedan Gets Gold

Photographs by Gonzalo Etcheverry

Pablo MacDonough scores two goals in final chukka to secure Zedan’s first win of The Julius Baer Gold Cup.

Zedan, winners of The Julius Baer Gold Cup at Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club

he Dubai Gold Cup Series concluded in mid-March with patron, Amr Zedan and his teammates celebrating victory in The Julius Baer Gold Cup. The 18 goal side defeated their opposition, Bin Drai to win the tournament 9 goals to 7 at Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club. The Zedan line-up including Martin Gandara (4), Facundo Fernandez Llorente (4) and Pablo MacDonough (10) alongside their 0 goal patron, Amr Zedan, consistently produced some of the best team polo of the tournament. The quartet sailed through the league stages defeating UAE, Desert Palm I & II, and Abu Dhabi to make it a four-match clean sweep and left them at the top of their league. Their opposition, Bin Drai (Saeed Bin Drai (0), Agustin Canale (6), Manolo Fernandez Llorente (6) and Raul Laplacette (6)) enjoyed the same strategy to the Semi Final stages. Mohammed Al Habtoor’s Julius Baer team moved through to the Semi Final to face Zedan, but the final place was decided via penalty shootout between UAE, Abu Dhabi and Desert Palm II. HH Sheikha Maitha’s UAE

Polo Times, April 2015

ultimately secured the Semi Final spot, only to be resoundingly defeated by Bin Drai, 8-3. The second match to decide The Gold Cup Finalist was a much closer affair with both Zedan and Julius Baer demonstrating their determination in winning the match. Eventually, Zedan just pipped their opposition to the post, defeating them 7 goals to 6 and assuring their names on the Final scoreboard. It was another close contest come Final day with both teams being brilliant examples of how competitive polo has developed in Dubai in a relatively short space of time. Zedan led throughout, but only by a very narrow margin, which made for a truly exciting match for spectators watching the penultimate tournament of the Dubai polo season. Zedan were the first out of the starting blocks ending chukka one two goals ahead with the scores reading 3-1. However, in the second, Bin Drai prevented the attacking Zedan players from notching up further goals, whilst snaking their way through Zedan’s defense to score their second goal of the game. A further low-scoring third chukka saw Zedan

Zedan Bin Drai

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secure two goals to Bin Drai’s one, to ride off the pitch at half-time with the scoreboard reading 5-3 in their favour. Despite the match missing a volley of goals from any of the leading players, it by no means had meant a boring first half and spectators and supporters were on the edge of their seats for the second half to start. Bin Drai doubled their scores in the fourth, but still Zedan kept ahead, which meant they rode onto the pitch for the last chukka with the scores reading 7-6. The teams drew level in the fifth, but it was the might of 10 goaler, Pablo MacDonough in his distinctive white hat, which made all the difference to Zedan’s result. Scoring two consecutive goals in the last minute of play – which added to his 30-goal tally as top scorer of the tournament – powered the black shirts of Zedan to a 9-7 victory and onto the podium to receive The Julius Baer Gold Cup. Unsurprisingly, MacDonough was awarded Most Valuable Player, whilst his mare, Irenita Pimienta took the Best Playing Pony honours. Earlier in the day, the Subsidiary Final for The Bentley Cup was played for between Abu Dhabi (Faris Al Yabhouni (0), Alfredo Capella (7), Juan Gris Zavaleta (7) and Felipe Ferrario (4)) and Mahra (Rashid Al Habtoor (0), Guy Gibrat (5), Joaquin Pittaluga (7) and Nacho Gonzalez (6)). Abu Dhabi took the title, beating Mahra 7 goals to 5 with winning patron, Al Yabhouni named the Best Amateur of the Final. T he Julius Baer Gold Cup; Friday 13 March; Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club Principle sponsor: Julius Baer Handicap: 18 Result: Zedan beat Bin Drai, 9-7 Chukka scores (Zedan): 3-1, 3-2, 5-3, 7-6, 9-7 Most Valuable Player: Pablo MacDonough Best Playing Pony: Irenita Pimienta, played by Pablo MacDonough Teams: Zedan (18): Amr Zedan (0); Martin Gandara (4); Facundo Fernandez Llorente (4); Pablo MacDonough (10) Bin Drai (18): Saeed Bin Drai (0); Agustin Canale (6); Manolo Fernandez Llorente (6); Raul Laplacette (6)

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International Polo Club Palm Beach, Florida

Reports

USA roundup The season that attracts the top players post Palermo is undoubtedly the American Triple Crown along with the highly competitive 20 goal tournaments, and this year was no different. As a result, Polo Times shines a light on the high goal polo played at International Polo Club Palm Beach. CV Whitney Cup 13 16

The tournament that kicks off the US 26 goal season at International Polo Club is The CV Whitney Cup. First held in 1979, the tournament is in memory of Cornelius Vanderbilt ‘Sonny’ Whitney and his cousin John Hay Whitney, two important polo patrons in the 1930s and, as one of the three US Triple Crown trophies, The CV Whitney Cup has established itself as one of the most competitive in Palm Beach. This year the team sheet included eight teams, and no less than six players from last year’s Argentine Open Finalists, as they battled it out for the first American 26 goal title of 2015. Played as a knockout tournament, it is therefore vital to win each match in order for a team to progress any further in the tournament, and with just three games each, achieving success in the first round is not only crucial but also leads to an immediate place in the Semi Finals. The opening round saw Alegria set a high standard for the rest of the tournament, claiming a first win over CocaCola, 13 goals to 9. Audi/Millarville were the next to make their mark, achieving a close 10-9 win over Lechuza Caracas before last year’s Finalists, Orchard Hill really announced their presence in the competition, defeating Las Monjitas by a mighty five goals, the final score reading 16 goals to 11. Defending champions, Valiente had already experienced a slightly ‘interrupted’ season, as during The Ylvisaker Cup, Adolfo Cambiaso was suffering from an injury. Thankfully though, for Bob Jornayvaz and his team, their lynch-pin player was able to return to their lineup, and lead them to an opening victory over FlexJet in their pursuit for a second consecutive CV Whitney victory. As a result Audi/Millarville faced Alegria www.polotimes.co.uk

Orchard Hill, winners of The CV Whitney

only seemed to ignite the Pieres’ fire – as the match continued to progress, Facundo and his cousin Polito established a fluent attacking rhythm, increasing their lead to 10-6 at half-time. Although Alegria showed no signs of holding back, each effort or success was simply answered by Orchard Hill – the Pieres combination, along with Van Andel and Ferrario simply proved to be too good. Right up until the last minute, they refused to let the opposition dent their established three-goal advantage, producing a final score of 16 goals to 13 in favour of Orchard Hill, which ultimately awarded them with the first 26 goal title of the season. Most Valuable Player: Facundo Pieres Best Playing Pony: Facundo Pieres’ NutraSweet Stella Artois ‘She’s a Thing of Beauty’ Horse: Mariano Aguerre’s Machitos Maradona

Photographs by Alex Pacheco

Alegria Orchard Hill

and Orchard Hill took on Valiente in the Semi Finals. Alegria were the first to secure a place in the Final, defeating the lower handicapped, 24 goal Audi/Millarville side 15-11. Whilst the second match featured the regular battle between Facundo Pieres and Adolfo Cambiaso, on this occasion it was Pieres who lead Orchard Hill to a confident 11-8 win over Valiente, setting them up for the Final in style. With Orchard Hill featuring a Pieres duo, big things were expected from Steve Van Andel’s side. And they certainly did not disappoint. The Final got off to a very even start, with both Orchard Hill (Facundo Pieres (10), Polito Pieres (9), Steve Van Andel (0) and Ezequiel Ferrario (7)) and Alegria (Julian Mannix (4), Hilario Ulloa (9), Mariano Aguerre (9) and Sterling Giannico (4)) regularly contributing to the scoreboard. Mannix applied a significant amount of pressure on his opposition to give Alegria a 5-4 lead at the end of the first chukka. This early attack however

Orchard Hill’s Facundo Pieres leads the charge

Polo Times, April 2015

International Polo Club Palm Beach, Florida

Photograph by Luru Wei/www.luruwei.com

Reports

Orchard Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Polito Pieres races after the ball

Polo Times, xxxx April 2015

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International Polo Club Palm Beach, Florida

Reports

Piaget USPA Gold Cup Audi Orchard Hill

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The 26 goal Piaget USPA Gold Cup came to an end with a win for Audi against Orchard Hill in the Final on Sunday 22 March at International Polo Club, Palm Beach after two weeks of intense games between six teams. Orchard Hill looked set to be odds-on favourites for the win after a strong season, with a performance rating to intimidate any opposition which included a record of seven consecutive 26 goal wins to date as well as The CV Whitney Cup title under their belts. Their team line-up featured the Pieres cousins, Facundo (10) and Polito (9) with Steve Van Andel (0) and Ezequiel Ferrario (7). Conversely, Audi, consisting of Gonzalito Pieres (9), Rodrigo Andrade (9), Fred Mannix (6) and Marc Ganzi (1), had yet to really make their mark on the 2015 season. The latter had a fairly smooth ride to The Gold Cup Final with four straight wins against Alegria Assist Card, Engel & Völkers and Las Monjitas (twice) to face Orchard Hill. The only blip in an otherwise textbook tournament game plan was a shoulder injury for Ganzi during the Semi Final against Las Monjitas, which cast a shadow of doubt as to his fitness to play in the Final. His son, Grant, was waiting in the wings, but Marc still took to the pitch in Sunday’s line-up. Audi decisively made their intentions known in chukka one with the first goal coming from Gonzalito and by the first

Audi, winners of The Piaget USPA Gold Cup

bell they had left Orchard Hill trailing 3-1. Despite Facundo turning up the heat from Orchard Hill to try and close the gap, the second chukka had much the same outcome as the first, with Mannix joining in to score for Audi and ending the seven minutes of play, 6-4. By half-time the match was still in favour of Audi with a close score of 8-6. Steve Van Andel’s Orchard Hill managed to tie the game 8-8 in the fourth, before momentarily taking the lead for the first time in the Final when the scoreboard read 10-9 at the end of the chukka. However, an unrelenting Audi regained their lead by the end of the penultimate chukka with the score reading 14-12 in their favour. The real nail-biting play came in the final

chukka; Polito Pieres cut the margin to one goal, before Gonzalito replied to make it 15-13. With the clock ticking, Polito found space between the posts to score, whilst his cousin coolly scored the equalising goal for Orchard Hill with a mere four seconds left of play and thus forcing the match into over time. A seventh chukka saw Audi win the line-out and drive towards the Orchard Hill goal. Audi were awarded a penalty just 29 seconds into the extra time, which Gonzalito converted to make it 16-15 and win The Piaget USPA Gold Cup for team Audi. Most Valuable Player: Gonzalito Pieres Best Playing Pony: Gonzalito Pieres’ Rosparita

Ylvisaker Cup 14 13

With the majority of teams having tested their line-ups in The Joe Barry Memorial Cup or Herbie Pennell Cup earlier in the season, The Ylvisaker Cup welcomed 11 sides to their 2015 competition. However, notably absent from this year’s programme was last year’s victor, El Cabure, although their former team member Sugar Erskine did return, only this time as part of Gillian Johnston’s Coca-Cola line-up. The tournament, sadly, didn’t get off to a particularly good start. During the second match, between Casablanca and Gateway Merchants, 6 goaler Luis Escobar suffered a www.polotimes.co.uk

Photographs by Alex Pacheco

Coca-Cola Valiente

Coca-Cola, winners of The Ylvisaker Cup

Polo Times, April 2015

Reports

International Polo Club Palm Beach, Florida

meaning after three weeks of polo, Coca-Cola and Valiente were the two who went on to fight it out in the Final. Finals’ Day saw Valiente revert back to a team more similar to their original, with Robert (1) and Bob Jornayvaz (2) returning to the pitch alongside professionals Sapo Caset (10) and Santi Torres (7). Consequently, Coca-Cola perhaps cantered onto the field with a slight advantage as they had maintained their same combination of Gillian Johnston (2), Sugar Erskine (6), Julio Arellano (8) and Mason Wroe (4) throughout. The Final turned out to be as close as any polo game can be. Never at any point did Coca-Cola have any more than two goals advantage, with the score reading 13 apiece with just minutes to go. The Final fate however, was to be decided by a penalty; a foul by Valiente resulted in a golden opportunity for Coca-Cola, and one that they took full advantage of, taking the score to 14-13, meaning Coca-Cola won this year’s Ylvisaker Cup. Most Valuable Player: Julio Arellano Best Playing Pony: Adolfo Cambiaso’s Dolfina Resta played by Sapo Caset

What else? Iglehart Cup

Tonkawa Palm Beach Illustrated

The distinctive Sugar Erskine executes an under the neck shot

horrible fall and due to the circumstances, it was decided that it was best for the match to be postponed (Casablanca won 10-12 when the match was continued at a later date). Thankfully, Polo Times understands Escobar is recovering. The tournament continued, and fortunately without any further incidents, and The Ylvisaker Cup in fact went on to become one of the most competitive of the season so far. Coca-Cola reached the Semi Finals unbeaten while Villa del Lago, who 48

Polo Times, April 2015

were led by Polito Pieres, suffered a single defeat to Lucchese. The other two teams who also progressed to the final four were Valiente, who had been forced to field a completely refreshed line-up as a result of an injured Cambiaso, and Lucchese who had suffered an early defeat to Coca-Cola. Two high-scoring Semi Final matches saw Valiente’s revised line-up of Tommy Beresford, Peke Gonzalez, Santi Torres and Sapo Caset defeat Lucchese 11-8 while Coca-Cola beat Villa del Lago 14-9,

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The Iglehart Cup took place from 4 – 7 March. The tournament was played at 20 goal level and an option for teams who are not competing in The CV Whitney Cup. Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand (0), Gonzalo Deltour (7), Inaki Laprida (7) and Jeff Blake (6)) and Palm Beach Illustrated (Tommy Collingwood (5), Jared Zenni (3), Facundo Obregon (6) and Michel Dorignac (6)) battled it out in the main Final, while CT Energia and Tackeria competed for The Glenn Hart Subsidiary, the former winning 10 goals to 9. Tonkawa defeated Palm Beach Illustrated 13-9 to take home the title, with 7 goaler Gonzalo Deltour receiving Most Valuable Player and also Best Playing Pony honours for his mare, Mancha.

www.polotimes.co.uk

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2015 Pre-Season BBQ and Opening Day Saturday April 25th, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm Chukkas will be starting on the Saturday 2nd May “We offer good value yet serious polo in a fun, relaxed environment focused on members’ personal goals and improvement” For more details call Carlito on 07748 670587 or email carlito@playpolo.co.uk Details of all our tournaments and prizes can be found at www.playpolo.co.uk/tournaments-calendar/

Reports

Tim Ward breaks away from the Slovakian team to score

PIPA Snow Polo Championships Tour

England reign triumphant on the PIPA Snow Polo podium with a second win in the series

B Photographs by Steinbauer Photography

The winnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; podium at Bad Gastein with all the participating teams

Polo Times, April 2015

ad Gastein in Salzberg, a region better known for its musical connections with Mozart than snow polo, was the location of choice for the second leg of the PIPA Snow Polo Championship Tour. Over 600 cubic metres of snow were moved by truck from the Red Bull Playstreet event to the chosen location just outside the town for the three-day festival of polo. Christian Adam, VP of Marketing with PIPA, spoke to Polo Times about the re-use of the artificial snow, â&#x20AC;&#x153;PIPA cares for the ecological footprint of the tour events. By reusing already existing artificial snow and scheduling the events in consideration of such infrastructural and environmental www.polotimes.co.uk

PIPA Snow Polo Championships, Bad Gastein, Austria

Reports

The PIPA Snow Polo Championship arena in Bad Gastein

aspects we try to minimize our footprint”. The tournament was blessed by fortunate weather with dry and crisp days keeping the snow surface in the perfect condition to play on. Umpire and tournament official for the event, Sean Dayus, told us, “It was great fun and this time I changed the rules. In the last event at Seefeld the game often got stuck on the back of the arena next to the goals, so we moved the goals in this time and played rather like ice hockey so you could take the ball round and behind the goals. This change meant more goals were scored and the game flowed more freely which, of course, is better for both the ponies but also the spectators.” On Friday 27 February, England’s Chris Völkers and Tim Ward played Slovakia (Ladislav Agardi and Alexandra Bencikova sharing a seat with Pavel Ivanyi). Tim Ward for England returned, much to the appreciation of his growing spectator fan base, with a change in team line-up from the first match of the tour from Marc Aberle to Chris Völkers to make up the 6 goal team. England took the lead in the first chukka and held it throughout the rest of the game, which resulted in England winning 7-5. Later in the day, Austria (Benjamin Darroux and Uwe Seebacher) defeated Germany www.polotimes.co.uk

(Stefan Coszma and Joe Reinhard) in a tighttill-the-end game, but Austria led the way and scored six goals in the final chukka to win 11-3. Day two began with England taking on their strongest rival, Austria. Austria began a steady flow of goals over the course of the match but it simply wasn’t enough to break through the English team’s winning streak and the game ended 10-7. Tim Ward spoke to Polo Times after the tournament about who he felt had been the toughest opposition, “It was great fun but not easy to play the Austrians. Benjamin and Uwe were smart and had switched their positions in our game!” The second game of the day was a struggle for Slovakia, as Germany bulldozed through the snow to leave them with just one goal on the scoreboard and a final result of 15-1. The Final was between England and Germany. The first two chukkas saw England begin to edge away with the first chukka ending 4-2, followed by 8-3 in the second to England. It was the third chukka that was the breakthrough for Völkers and Ward, as between them they scored five goals to Germany’s one to win 13-4. Stefan Coszma commented to Polo Times about his game against England, “In the first chukka we were involved in the game and we thought we could defeat Tim and Chris, but then in chukka two and three we committed too many fouls and Tim made some nice homeruns”. In the Subsidiary Final, Austria played against Slovakia with a final score of 15-4 in favour of the home team. Benjamin Darroux (Austria) complimented his teammate Uwe Seebacher when he spoke to Polo Times, “Our game against the Slovakians on Sunday was really good as we played it open and let the ball run. Uwe made some real nice goals – one with a nearside back from the centerline and another one with a nearside under the neck.”

Orenella, Tournament Best Playing Pony with her groom

Alexandra Bencikova from the Slovakian team was awarded the Most Valuable Player Award for the tournament, whilst Orenella was awarded the Best Playing Pony Award; England player, Tim Ward, commented that “Orenella is incredible, just as the other ponies Estrella and Scala that I played!” T he PIPA Snow Polo Championships Final Teams England: Chris Völkers & Tim Ward Germany: Stefan Coszma & Joe Reinhard Result: 13-4 (England) Sub Final Teams Slovakia: Ladislav Agardi & Alexandra Bencikova/ Pavel Ivanyi Austria: Benjamin Darroux & Uwe Seebacher Result: 15-4 (Austria) Tournament Most Valuable Player: Alexandra Bencokova Tournament Best Playing Pony: Orenella owned by A Quechua and played by Benjamin Darroux Tournament Rankings and points 1st Place England 8 Points 2nd Place Austria 5 Points 3rd Place Germany 5 Points

Polo Times, April 2015

Club Focus

Your Club News from Home and Abroad

A regular round-up of news from clubs around the world. Read reports about your fellow players in action here, both home and abroad.

AN ACTION-PACKED week of 6 goal polo left defending champions, Crockfords (Cormix) (Mikey Howe (4), Ed Batchelor (-1), Russell Tyre (-1) and Antonino Menard (4)) facing King Power (Apichet Srivaddhanaprabha (0), Lucas Lujan (4), Santiago Lujan (4) and Paitoon Khamata (-1)) in the Final of The Thailand Polo Ambassador Cup. Played under the floodlights of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s VR Sports Club in Bangkok, Thailand, King Power defeated their opposition 7 goals to 5 and took the 2015 honours. All was not lost for Crockfords (Cormix) as Irish 4 goaler, Mikey Howe picked up the award for Most Valuable Player. The main game was preceded by the Subsidiary Final, which saw SPP (Ploy Bhinsaeng (-1), James Lee (-1), Nicolas Pieroni (4) and Tomas Martinez (3)) defeat L’Oreal Men Expert (Clement Toussaint (2), Huges Van Heesewijk (0), Laurent Doumergue (2) and Julient Reynes (2)) 8 goals to 6.

Photograph by Thailand Polo Association

King Power wins Thailand Polo Ambassador Cup

King Power win the Thailand Ambassador Cup

Winter League at Druids

Photograph by Barbados Polo Club

Photograph by Clive Bennet Polo Pictures

Cheshire Polo Club tour in Barbados

Abicare (blue shirts) win against Mace Cheshire Polo Club celebrating their tour

THE 2015 CHESHIRE Polo Club Barbados Tour concluded with a 12 goal match on 8 March at Barbados Polo Club, Holder’s Hill. Howard Taylor (0), Lucy Taylor (0), Steve Jones (0), Oli Taylor (4), Jonny Coddington (4), Charlie Walton (2) and James Fielding (2) all made the trip out to the Caribbean for the annual week-long event. The first match of the tour (8 goal) was played on Sunday 1 March at Holder’s Hill, between Cheshire (Steve Jones, Charlie Walton, James Fielding and Oli Taylor) and Barbados (Adam Deane (2), Luis Cleric (1), Philip Tempro (2) and Jamie Dickson (3)), with the home team winning 2-1. The second game was played at Lion Castle Polo Estate with an 8 goal game between Cheshire (Steve Jones, Howard Taylor, Charlie Walton and Jonny Coddington) against Barbados (Stewart Gill (0), Marc Atwell (2), Alex Cole (1) and Pablo Crespin (3)) with Barbados winning again with a score of 9-4. The final leg of the tour returned to Barbados Polo Club, Holder’s Hill, for a 12 goal match with team line-ups of James Fielding, Charlie Walton, Jonny Coddington and Oli Taylor for Cheshire against Jamie Dickson (3), Teddy Williams (3), Philip Tempro (2) and Danny Atwell (4) for Barbados. The home-side secured the hat-trick with a final score of 5½ -2. Despite not making the winners’ podium, the Cheshire contingent didn’t let it ruin their visit with plenty of off pitch fun and entertainment to be had from their hosts. The Club are already planning their 2016 tour. 52

Polo Times, April 2015

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THE ATMOSPHERE WAS tense as Mace and Abicare lined up, ready to battle it out for the Final of The Druids Lodge Winter League. Anthony Bond was on the receiving end of a powerful backhand, taking a ball to the face. Despite a nasty-looking cut, he was back on a fresh horse and ready to continue the fight just minutes later. Despite a great last minute goal from Anthony, Abicare came out on top with a final score of 9-7. Well done to all the teams who took part in what was an excellent league. The Subsidiary Final of The Druids Winter League for The Chatanooga Salver took place on Sunday between New Forest and Golden Seas, with a win for Golden Seas, 16-12. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Porto Polo is delighted to announce the opening of a brand new retail outlet in Lingfield, Surrey. Just next door to our original premises but now with double the space and a much better shop floor experience for our customers. You can now find us at Unit 1, Carewell Barn, St. Piers Lane, Lingfield, Surrey, RH7 6PN

Email: info@portopolo.com | Tel: 01342 835529 | www.portopolo.com

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Club Focus

Your Club News from Home and Abroad

Kate Howe, Roy Allan, Tom Gordon-Colebrook and Chris Crawford, Winners of The Bascote

DALLAS BURSTON POLO Club has run the first ever four-a-side tournament in the Super Arena. Pond Farm, Offarex, Dallas Burston Polo Club and Offchurch Bury took part in the inaugural tournament. Pond Farm team kicked off the weekend with a win against Offarex, whilst Dallas Burston Polo Club defeated the Offchurch Bury team. Sunday’s games began with a win for Offarex over Offchurch Bury whilst, in a hard-fought game later in the day, Pond Farm just slipped ahead of Dallas Burston to take home the trophy. Congratulations to Liz Taylor, Lisa Behan, Marian Williams and Pauline Hugo for completing their first polo tournament! Visiting team Jakeira fought a strong game against Loiuse Jebson’s C.A.N.I on the Sunday, but it was C.A.N.I who claimed the beautiful trophy donated by the Walter family with a score of 9-12. The Warwickshire Super Arena will be playing host to another four-a-side tournament before the Club move to grass: The Genesis Trophy (4-8 goal) on 11–12 April.

The Singapore Open

Photograph by Singapore Polo Club

ON SUNDAY 8 March, Africa (First Aurora) took on Asia (Headhunters/Elevation) for the Final of The Singapore Open for The Diplomats Cup. Africa (Dirk Van Reenen (4), Olivier Duguet sharing with April McKenna (0), Greg Parkhurst sharing with Paul Hodes (-1) and team Captain Isabelle Larenaudie (0)) faced Asia, which fielded a team line-up of Captain Satinder Garcha (2), Sattar Khan (4), Creighton Yeo (-2) and Lawrence Hong sharing with Keith Yeo (0). Dirk van Reenan and his Africa teammates began the game with half a goal on the scoreboard, but despite scoring all six goals for his team, Reenan was unable to secure a victory. Garcha and Khan scored eight and five goals respectively to win 13-6½ . Sattar Khan was rightfully named Most Valuable Player for his goal scoring efforts whilst Garcha’s pony, Ichita, was bestowed with the Best Playing Pony honours. Esperanza, who belongs to Gary Tiernan, and her groom Francisco Sabate received the Best Turned Out prize. Europe came third in the tournament and featured British player Alex de Lilse.

The winning team, Asia (Headhunters/Elevation)

Polo Times, April 2015

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Photograph by Alec Banner-Eve

Photograph by S H Photography

Inaugural four-aside polo New surface tournament in the Super Arena arrives at Moor Hall Farm

The new surface at Moor Hall Farm being laid

THE ESSEX POLO Club, run by the BannerEve family, have invested in a new surface for their 65 x 35m arena. They have gone for Polo Track by Equestrian Surfaces, which was featured in the November/December issue of Polo Times and has also been used at Ascot Park Polo Club, The Royal County of Berkshire and most recently Cambridge County Polo Club. The works were completed in March ready for summer horses and sets.

Triskelion Polo Club

The Isle of Man Club will be hosting a corporate weekend in conjunction with The Children’s Centre to help them raise much needed, charitable funds. The island’s leading children’s charity works with over 1,000 children, young people and families each week running up to 15 different services to support the community. On the 4 –5 July they will be offering businesses the chance to take part in a corporate polo weekend all in aid of the charity. Groups of up to 10 people are invited to take part in learning to play the game. For further details contact Polo Manager Frazer Houston polo@triskelionpolo.club. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Your Club News from Home and Abroad

Emsworth Polo Grounds

Club Focus

Rugby Polo Club

Photograph by Seba Sabaj

FOR ALL OF those amateur players out there, RPC will be hosting The Adult Polo Challenge (APC), a tournament run in a similar fashion to the SUPA tournaments with single chukka matches split over several levels. This tournament will be aimed at all those adults who come for lessons as part of a group, or by themselves and will be a great challenge to aim for – a bit of competition can’t hurt either! The tournament will take place on 25–26 April, so plenty of time to get practicing. A rather wet winning team with new Tally Ho jackets

THE HEATON-ELLIS Trust charity event at Emsworth Polo Grounds ended in a dramatic draw between Clogau and Red Kite in the arena. As both teams fought hard against one another in the rain they reached a 14-all draw. The winner was decided with a coin toss which went in favour of Ricky Cooper (1) and his team mates Harry Hutchings (0) and Roddy Matthews (5), leaving Josh Clover (3), Ed Morris-Lowe (3) and Elise Bailey (0) taking the position for runnersup. In the Subsidiary Final Nutkins (Sophie Heaton-Ellis (1), Brian Conway (0) and Nico San Roman (4)) lost against Four Quarters (Manny Arber (0), Emil Arber (0) and Richard Le Poer (6)). Rom Arber gave up her place on the Four Quarters team for her son Manny to play a full seat. The two day tournament, which was supported by Black Hound, Tally Ho Farm, Vinals Wine and Blue Eye, was in aid of the Heaton-Ellis Trust. The Charity has been raising money for the continued research of genetic sequencing in Motor Neurones Disease, from which Sophie Heaton-Ellis’ late husband David died in 2009. The charity, which began in the same year, has continued to raise money through a number of shooting, polo and bike polo events over the years.

Vale of York Polo Club

Photograph by Hollie White

The hardy northern players have been battling gales, snow, sleet, hail and rain to play polo on the beach at Cleethorpes this winter, with some games even being played in fancy dress! The Yorkshire Club has now completed their ABI Beach Tournament after playing their final games at Cleethorpes on 22 March in front of a large crowd in glorious sunshine. As usual, the Final match was a hotly contested round-robin between Blue, Yellow and Orange teams, with Blue winning by a controversial goal on the final bell. The final ABI player standings were Richard ‘Hobgoblin’ McAlister-Martin in first place, Alan Marcon in second and Diana Dickenson in third place. Overall, the Blue Team have been dominant all season and won the series under the captaincy of the unstoppable Lisa Piddington and her four-legged partner in crime Piggy. All the teams celebrated with champagne and oysters after the match.

The Blue Team jump for joy at their success

www.polotimes.co.uk

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Rowley Park Polo Club to relocate ROWLEY PARK POLO Club and Genesis Polo are relocating to merge with nearby Beverley Polo Club for the 2015 summer season. Beverley Polo Club, owned by the Foreman family and run by 4 goal professional Sebastian Funes, has three polo grounds and a full-sized floodlit, covered indoor arena. Rowley Park’s usual activities of lessons, chukkas and games will all still be run out of Beverley Polo Club.

Sussex summer and social plans SUSSEX POLO CLUB will be opening their season with a drinks party on 10 April at The Old House. An original 16th Century farm cottage with latticed windows, chunky leather armchairs, candles and crackling log fires, it’s sure to be a cosy evening! The summer fixtures list has also been released with details of five 2 goal tournaments and two 0 goal tournaments. The first tournament will be The Top Hat Trophy 23–24 May. For more social dates at the start of the summer season turn to page 90 for our What’s On pages. Polo Times, April 2015

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Club Focus

Your Club News from Home and Abroad

Best of British Polo

Photograph by Best of British Polo

IN THE RUN up to this year’s Heroes Cup, Polo Times caught up with some of the 2014 para players on how the journey to learn to play polo has helped them recover. For three of the new-to-polo players, Lance Corporal Clifford O’Farrell, Staff Sergeant Elaine Corner and Captain Andrew Jelinek, all recovering from life-changing injuries, they had to face a new kind of challenge last year; to play a match on a full size pitch in front of 5,000 people. Clifford O’Farrell, sustained multiple injuries in an IED blast in Afghanistan. During his recovery he raised funds for various Forces charities by wing walking, sky-diving, scuba diving, completing a world record swim and triathlons, including an Iron Man competition. The greatest accomplishment though, he says, was getting back onto a horse. “The demanding nature of polo as a team sport allowed me to push through the difficulties I faced. It helped to get me fitter as well as teaching me what limitations I had and how to exceed them. In addition, it kept me busy, and taking part in The Heroes Cup match gave me a goal to strive towards. It is no different for me this year.” Cliff has had to undergo further major surgery on one of his injured legs and is back at Headley Court. “Now I’m through the surgery, I’m determined to play in The Heroes Cup 2015. Polo has helped me regain my positive outlook. Besides, I scored my first goal last year for the winning team so I have a reputation to live up to.” It’s no different for Andrew Jelinek, who after suffering a devastating spinal injury whilst chasing a suspected insurgent vehicle in Afghanistan, also turned to polo to help his recovery. His injury resulted in significant loss of his lower body motor control and muscle strength, which makes it all the more astonishing that he can achieve such a feat as playing polo. “Polo is immensely exciting,” Andrew tells Polo Times. “When you get injured you completely lose your confidence, you think your active life and sport is something you’ve lost. On a horse you don’t feel limited in anyway, it’s hard to describe what recapturing the speed and aggression of sport has given me. There’s no sense of restriction when you’re thundering down a field on a polo pony. It was a great honour to play in the first Heroes Cup. I’m looking forward to this year’s match.” Both Cliff and Andrew had previous knowledge of horses having served in the Household Cavalry, but both admit they couldn’t have done it without the expert coaching, support and generosity of Phil

Meadows and Eddie Kennedy at Cool Hooves Polo; “I think Best of British Polo has created something special. All the guys at Cool Hooves have really enjoyed the experience of helping to make it possible, especially Eddie Kennedy who worked with the para players come rain or shine, week in week out. I hope with the second Heroes Cup, this is the start of something even bigger.” Staff Sergeant Elaine Corner, late REME, can testify to a similar beneficial experience with polo in her recovery process. Elaine was medically discharged in 2012, after serving for over 25 years in the Army, before a motorbike accident left her with back injuries and having her left leg amputated below the knee. Taking part in activities organised through Battle Back, one of the charities supported by Help for Heroes, she too has successfully returned to an active life. A keen rider prior to joining the Army, Elaine had not ridden for 15 years until, post-injury, she had the opportunity to join the Battle Back polo programme; “I haven’t looked back since and being able to take part in a match which Cool Hooves, Help for Heroes and Best of British Polo have helped us all to achieve has been phenomenal. I’m always encouraging new recruits so I’m really pleased that two other ladies have joined us, with a third about to have her first lesson with Eddie Kennedy. I hope we’ll be fielding an all-girl para-polo team soon! ” Polo is a sport that has long been associated with the British military and so it is fitting that polo is now part of the extensive Help for Heroes Sports Recovery programme, adding to the many high-octane activities that injured servicemen and women discover they can do. The programme, which began in 2008, uses the rehabilitative nature of adaptive sports to enable those who have been injured to return to a happy and active life. Last year saw the first ever para-polo match to be played at the Best of British Polo for The Heroes Cup at Tidworth Polo Club, which was the culmination of a long and challenging road to recovery for those who took part. The backdrop of Tedworth House Recovery Centre at Tidworth Polo Club could not provide a more fitting setting to stage the Best of British Polo 2015 on Sunday 31 May. It is fast becoming the polo world’s tribute to all those service men and women injured in recent conflicts. This year the event will also support Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA). Visit www.bestofbritishpolo.co.uk for tickets and information. To donate to the charities visit Help for Heroes www.helpforheroes.org.uk and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance www.hiow-airambulance.org.uk.

Heroes Cup 2014 teams Winterflood Troopers & Wilsons Warriors

Polo Times, April 2015

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www.polotimes.co.uk

26/03/2015 16:11

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Women’s Polo

International

Polo Times gives a round-up of women’s polo on the world stage, from Argentina to Europe. We look forward to April’s tournaments, speak to Appitized player, Lucy Taylor and mark the polo dates for our diary. Argentina

USA

Ladies’ Polo Tour update WCT Finals THE SEASON STILL continues in Argentina for the Ladies’ Polo Tour. Brit player, Annabelle McNaught-Davis, based in Argentina, tells Polo Times that the autumn season sees many great female players take to the pitches of Palermo and Pilar and she will be joining them. As Polo Times goes to press, The Metejon Ladies Autumn Cup (6-10) takes place in Cañuelas, whilst The Pilara (12-18) is scheduled from 31 March to 6 April with the Final played in Palermo. In April, The Argentine Polo Association 12 goal, The Copa Apertura, will take place with five-chukka games. Lastly, on 18 and 19 April, The Copa Haras del Sur will be played at 0-6 goal level. Check out www.ladiespolotour.com.ar to keep up to date with women’s polo in Argentina.

Dates for the Diary UK WOMEN’S SUMMER tournament dates – best dust off your kneepads and get core-training: Tidworth: Military Ladies Tournament (Open): 4 May Ranksboro: 2nd Annual Midlands Ladies Polo Championship 13 – 14 June (Multiple sections): Vaux Park: Ladies Tournament (Open): 13 – 14 June Blueys: Ladies Sugar Bowl Tournament (-4 -0): 20 – 21 June Edgeworth: Ladies Tournament (Open): 1 July Ascot: National Women’s Tournament (Multiple sections): 4 – 5 July Sussex: Ladies Trophy (-6 - -2): 11 –12 July Cowdray: British Ladies Open (Open): 13 – 18 July Cirencester: The International Ladies (Open): 21 – 26 July Beaufort: The Beaufort Ladies Tournament (0-4): Jul 25 – 2 August Epsom: Ladies Tournament (-4 -0): 1 – 2 August Ranelagh: Ranelagh Farm Ladies (0-2): 1 – 2 August White Rose: Ladies Tournament (-6 - -2): 1 – 2 August RCBPC: Polo Festival Ladies (Open): Jul 28 – 9 August Wicklow: International Ladies Invitational Tournament (-4-0): 15 – 16 August Heathfield: Tie Polo (Ladies Tournament) (Open): 22 – 23 August Tidworth: La Chamiza Ladies Tournament (Open): 22 – 23 August Dundee: Ladies Cup (0-4): 29 – 30 August Kirtlington: Thorneloe Ladies Tournament (Open): 31 August DBPC: Ladies Tournament (Open): 12 – 13 September West Wycombe: Ladies Mixed (Open): 19 – 20 September

GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO Club, Florida will host the Women’s Championship Tournament Finals and Women’s Polo Week from 1–4 April. Two levels: 8-11 goals and 1216 goals will be played throughout the week, with the draw being decided at the kick-off party at the Polo Museum & Hall of Fame on the Wednesday evening. The teams will be introduced and presented with their official WCT Finals La Martina shirts before the WCT play-off matches take place on the Thursday and Friday. The Finals will take place on the number one ground at the Ganzi’s polo Club on Saturday 4, with a Junior Invitational game scheduled before the main match. Requirements for players wishing to enter the event, which marks the end of the tenth WCT season, are that they’ve played an official WCT qualifier anywhere in the world in the 2014/15 season and must be a current playing member of the USPA. Female players with a current USPA women’s handicap of 7 or higher are automatically qualified. Last year’s line-ups included Hazel Jackson and Claire Brougham, but at the time of going to press, no English players are flying over to Florida to compete. Confirmed teams so far include 6 goalers Jolie Liston for La Mariposa USA and Courtney Asdourian for Mother Chukkers and 7 goaler, Tiffany Busch for Pegasus Pursuits. Check out www.wctwomenspolo.com for further information.

News snippets DALLAS BURSTON POLO CLUB THE WARWICKSHIRE CLUB have added to their events schedule this summer with a new Ladies’ Tournament on the same weekend as their Polo in the Park event. The tournament Finals will be played for on 13 September, but qualifying games will be scheduled throughout the week. The Club are also offering a pre-order picnic service this summer. This allows you to order your picnic online and collect on the day, so you can turn up to polo and enjoy a perfect lunch without any preparation! Available from 1 April.

Polo Times, April 2015

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BEND AND SNAP WITH THE OUTDOOR polo season mere weeks away, it’s time you got in shape. Luckily 0 goal player, Laura Ormerod who played for her father, Clinton’s Emlor team last season, is also a Pilates teacher. She has recently built a studio at her home in Cowdray where she regularly hosts classes and private sessions, which combine Pilates and cardiovascular training. Focusing on strengthening the entire body whilst improving balance, flexibility, agility and posture, as a player herself she knows the importance of preparing the body for the impact of playing. Laura welcomes teams or individual

players to her studio or arrangements can be made to visit locations. For further information, contact Laura on lauraormerod@me.com FACE OF AKUMA HAZEL JACKSON, A regular player on the international women’s polo circuit has been announced as an ambassador for sportswear brand, Akuma. 8 goals in the recently published women’s handicap ratings, the young player is one of the most respected and successful on the circuit. Look out for her in Akuma shirts during the ladies polo tournaments this summer.

www.polotimes.co.uk

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International

Book news 3 GOALER, PREVIOUS winner of The US Open with Cambiaso and founder of WCT, Sunny Hale is in the process of writing and editing a book, Let’s Talk Polo. Aimed at the polo player, it promises to reveal insider details on subjects such as strategies to improve your handicap, tips for all players, from the beginner to the aspiring professional and how to get the most out of practice games. A series is apparently in the pipeline, but the book tour for the current title is said to kick off in April. To sign up for a copy and for further information on Sunny and her promotion of women’s polo, visit her website: www.sunnyhalepolo.com

Spain

Polo on the Costa Brava AMOURDAN POLO CLUB, found in Figueras, Spain is hosting the first ladies tournament of the European polo season on 17–19 April. A three-day event of polo, asados, sight-seeing and even a shopping day may make this weekend the ultimate girl’s holiday. Horses are available to rent and players can either enter as a complete team (€1,000) or sign up as an individual (€250) to join one. Chukkas and a chance to get to know the ponies will be available to all players the day before the tournament starts with league games scheduled over the following two days, before the main Final on Sunday 19 April. Email: info@clubdepoloampurdan.com for further information. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Women’s Polo

5 minutes with…

Lucy Taylor

LUCY TAYLOR WAS part of the world’s most successful all-ladies team when they dominated the 8 goal in 2008. And now they’re all reforming with the same line-up but a different sponsor. Post weddings and babies, the Appitzed team will be taking on the established men’s teams throughout the 2015 UK season. The 2 goaler, based between England and New Zealand, talks to Charley Larcombe about her achievements and how to be pro-active in polo sponsorship. How did you start playing polo? In 1989, I joined the Cheshire Polo Club. The polo team required a fourth player and they totally converted me. They knew my brother, Oli, played and that I was a decent rider. When did you start to see polo as a viable career for a woman? Polo in general – livery, teaching, breeding and training – has been my career since 1999, whilst the actual playing side of the sport has been part of my career since 2006. Sunny Hale, Claire Tomlinson, Marianela Castagnola and Mumy Bellande, to name just a few, made a career out of polo long before the current crop of up-and-coming players. We can now make a living from the female playing circuit, which is very exciting for girls today. And that’s because of the foundations laid down by some of those earlier players. What would you consider your greatest polo achievement? Being part of the all-female team to win The Holden White in 2008. Which lady players do you admire? Nina [Clarkin] is fearless and she takes her fitness seriously. Sunny, who I have only met fairly recently over the past few years is always polite and well-mannered. What do you particularly love about the sport? The friends who you don’t have to see week-in, week-out, but when you meet up, you have a blast. How do you see women’s polo benefitting from the UK introduction of women’s handicaps? From a sponsorship standpoint, it should bring the best brands at the highest level. From a playing point of view, it will make playing much fairer. The difference between a novice -1 and an experienced -1

is too huge to be in the same bracket. Some of us are also better at female polo than mixed, so it allows handicaps to be different in two quite different games. Do you prefer to play mixed polo as per the ladies team, Appitized, you’re reigniting this season or do you like to play all-women tournaments? I like to play both. I like playing with my Appitized teammates mostly because I like the other three girls [Nina Clarkin, Emma Wood and Tamara Fox]! 8 goal polo becomes more competitive every year and I look forward to being a part of it, but it’s very reliant on the four of us coming together and playing well as a team. In the women’s polo, I personally feel more responsible for the result of the game It gives you a thrill to be one of the more experienced players out there in female polo, but in the same breath, I like running fast, playing upfront with better players in the mixed game. What do you think female players have to do to compete against men? We simply have to be as good as them! We are rated equally against them. Women are improving and as it is now so much more accepted in the sport, there is no reason why more girls cannot get to 4 and 5 goals. If you know a decent female player, I bet they are dedicated people who work hard one way or another. You’ve always been very proactive about finding sponsors, what do you think female players have to do to increase the appeal of women’s polo? I’m afraid you have to work at it; there is no simple way. You have to self-promote, but not over-promote and then either be the best on the field or the best at email and communication. If you can be both, you’re doing well. Appitized is lucky as they have the best female player in the world (Nina) and the best email-er (me)!

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Women’s Polo

International

Winning Women Lucy Wilson reports from the annual Women’s National Arena Championships

Photography by NND Photography & Graham Morrison

The Polo Magazine Most Valuable Player Saskia Meadows with Robert Burke

3-4 goal winners Clarita in their pink shirts with runners-up Mrs B’s

THE LARGEST WOMEN’S tournament in the winter arena calendar was played in the midst of the new women’s handicap debate, on 21 and 22 February at Ascot Polo Club. Driving rain, snow, sunshine and hailstorms didn’t put a dampener on a fantastic display of all-female competition from both professionals and patrons alike. The top level (3-4 goal) Final was played between Clarita (Saskia Matthias (-1), Saskia Meadows (1) and Rosie Ross (3)) and Mrs B’s (Maxine Betteridge (0), Georgia Sweeney (1) and Charlotte Sweeney (3)). Clarita may have run out the winners with a final score of 21-10, but it was by no means a reflection of the game, which was far more exciting than the scoreline suggested. Clarita started with a twogoal advantage on the scoreboard and at the end of the first chukka were up 9-1. By half-time, the score was 12-4 with Mrs B’s finally having made a mark, but in the third, the gap widened yet further to 18-7. Sadly for the Sweeney-Betteridge line-up, they couldn’t make up the lost ground and were defeated by an 11-goal margin. Saskia Meadows, who also played in and reached the Final of The HPA New Year National Club Championships at the Royal County of Berkshire in an all-ladies line-up, was awarded The Polo Magazine Most Valuable Player Award. She managed to open the scoring 60

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with the first goal of the game for Clarita, but spent the remainder of the game defensively riding off the opposition giving her teammates the chance to score. Rosie Ross’ Bush Pig was awarded the Polo Times Best Playing Pony Award. Turn to page 76 to read more about Rosie’s pony. There wasn’t an easy route to the Final of the 2 goal section; Adrenalin Polo (Heather Winsor (0), Georgie French (0) and Georgiana Crofton (2)) were in the last game of the day in the qualifying rounds on Saturday, which ended in a twilight penalty shootout – twice over! After two lots of nail-biting penalties, Adrenalin Polo went through to the Final to face Moor Hall Farm, leaving Alegria in the Subsidiary. Despite Adrenalin Polo’s tenacious battle to make the Final, they were defeated by Moor Hall Farm (Alex Edwards (-1), Francesca Smith (0) and Charlotte Sweeney (3)), 13-9. Alex Edwards was awarded The Polo Magazine Most Valuable Player Award. Alegria (Tatiana Menshenina (-1), Laura Plant (1) and Claire Maldonado (2)) defeated Las Aguilas (Sophie Granchi (0), Lucy Bowman (1) and Charley Howell (1)) in the Subsidiary Final with a score of 14-10. In the 0-1 goal section, Berkshire Vehicle Sales (Yasmin Tatlah (0), Genevieve Meadows (0) and Charley Howell (1)) won their Final,

despite having to contend with the worst weather of the day. Their opposition, Paradise Farm (Honor Horswell (-1), Christobel Horswell (-1) and Lolly Stanhope-White (2)) lost the tense match, 12 goals to 10. The scores had been 6-6 at half-time with Paradise Farm edging forward with a one goal lead and a score of 9-8 at the end of the third. The final chukka was neck-and-neck, until Genevieve scored a two-pointer to make a winning 12-10 score for Berkshire Vehicle Sales. She was later awarded The Polo Magazine Most Valuable Player prize. In the Subsidiary Final of the 0-1 goal, Salesforce (Sophie Morrison (-1), Jemma Bryne (1) and Sarah Hotston (0)) pipped Women In Polo (Heloise Wilson-Smith (2), Georgie Wood (0) and Claire Graham (-1)) to the posts with a final score of 11-9. Ascot Park will look to host the 27th UK National Women’s Tournament once again this summer. The event is currently scheduled for 4 and 5 July with levels ranging from -6 to 2 goal. However, with the introduction of the women’s handicapping system, the tournament may adopt new levels.

Genevieve Meadows and Lolly Stanhope-White in the 0-1 goal Final

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PJ’s Bar & Grill, Chelsea’s perennial favourite, was opened in 1990 by restaurateur Brian Stein as a tribute to his love of great food and the sport of polo. PJ’s plays proud host to the legendary ‘PJ’s Polo Party’ held annually to celebrate the start of the UK polo season. International dining seven days a week. Casually sophisticated.

PJ’S BAR

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& GRILL | 52 FULHAM ROAD CHELSEA LONDON SW3 | 020 7581 0025 | WWW.PJSBARANDGRILL.CO.UK

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Youth A round up of the latest youth news SUPA Senior and Girls School National Championships Roundup

Charles Whittington Pony Club Chairman

ast month I wrote about the opportunities for young players, a number of which are provided by The Pony Club. This week, as Chairman of Pony Club Polo, I attended the annual conference of The Pony Club and the Council Meeting, which followed the conference the next day. We convened in the vast Centaur conference centre at Cheltenham Racecourse, which was at the time gearing up for Cheltenham Week. Of course, by now, you will all know which horses won the Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle. Many trainers, jockeys and indeed owners were members of the Pony Club. The Pony Club conference always brings home to me what a fantastic organisation it is. It covers almost every discipline from the more traditional Eventing, Showjumping and Dressage through to Polo, Polo Crosse, Mounted Games, Pony Racing and Tetrathlon. It is one of the few organisations which has the whole country covered, from the Isle of Wight to the Shetland Isles and from Northern Ireland to the Suffolk Coast via central London! It has a small staff, and the majority of the work, is done by volunteers. It has the most comprehensive training and competition structure of any youth organisation, as well as all the safeguarding and child protection compliance. The point of all this, from the point of view of polo, is that young people can learn polo from scratch, with one pony, in a structured way, wherever they are in the UK, be somewhat at arms’ length from the polo establishment, and have the chance to play on the Lawns at Cowdray at the end of the season. Also the children and all the volunteer organisers are covered by insurance. Wonderful stuff. Take advantage!

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Girls Schools’ Championships On Sunday 1 March at the start of three weeks of SUPA Schools’ tournaments including Senior Schools and Junior Schools, 13 teams arrived to play at Longdole for the National Girls Schools’ Championships. Tudor Hall, Wellington College, Heathfield (Ascot), Rugby, Marlborough, Cheltenham College and St. Swithuns all entered teams to play in the four different sections. This year St. Swithuns C won the Novice section with a team line-up of Harri Waldron, Catherine van Ranwich and Ella McKee. The Intermediate section was separated into two sections to include the team numbers. Ellie Shepherd, Lauren Wright and Zoe Ashby for Rugby School won Intermediate Blue, whilst Intermediate Red was won by Cheltenham College with a team line-up of Alicia Williams, Harriet White and Joanne White. The Open section was won by a very strong Wellington team, which featured Izzy McGregor, Alex Stone and Sassy Mathias. Rosanna Turk, who played for Cheltenham College, was awarded the Best Supporting Player Award, Larissa Westall was named the Most Promising Player for her part on the St. Swithuns team in Novice Red and the final prize went to Virginia HamiltonBarnes for the Most Sportsmanship Player. A number of the girls went on to play in National Senior Schools in mixed teams the following weekend. Izzy and Alex played on the Wellington A team in the Open section whilst Sassy Mathias played in the Intermediate 2 section for Wellington B. National Senior Schools’ Championships On Sunday 8 March, a turn out of 33 teams from Senior Schools the length and breadth of the UK played in six different sections at the annual SUPA Arena National Senior Schools’ tournament. The day was filled with up-and-coming players, plus plenty of talent and sportsmanship from all participating teams. Watching schools’ polo is almost more interesting than the high goal, knowing that these players are the future of the sport, whether as professionals or patrons. No-nonsense umpiring from Jamie Potter and Mikey Henderson, which left no doubt that back-chat would

end in punishment, and resulted in all teams showing little interest in playing a technical game and made for a rewarding tournament. Backhands, hard-hitting shots and use of the arena walls all contributed to some very fast polo, especially in the upper sections of the tournament. Novice Red was won by Stowe C (Isabella Baillie, Billy Hawkings-Byass and Jamie Baillie) in a section of six teams. Novice Blue, a much smaller section of three teams, was won by Felstead B (Hugo Benz, Beau Carter and Sam Wisbey). The Intermediate section was split into two with the first being won by Harrow B. The only Scottish team in the entire tournament took sixth place with Ishbel Henderson from George Watsons School in Edinburgh competing for the first time at SUPAs. Intermediate 2 was won by Stowe B with a team line-up of Steven Duncan, Charlie Tighe and Thomas Townsend, the second win of the day for a Stowe team. The combined section saw the Millfield/Richard Huish team of Oscar Luard, Padmanabh Singh and Hannah Parry Jones defeat their opposition in a section of four teams. The Open consisted of six teams from Wellington, Cheltenham, Langley, Millfield, Harrow and Stowe, with the Harrow A team of James Emlyn, Charles Cadogan and D’Artagnon Giercke taking home the trophy. Three Most Valuable Player awards were given at the presentation with Timi Badiru from Langley School (who played in Novice Red) receiving the first, followed by D’Artagnon Griecke from Harrow and the Worshipful Company of Saddlers Most Valuable Player award went to Padmanabh Singh from the winning Combined team. The Association of Polo Schools and Pony Hirers Best Playing Pony rug went to 18-year-old gelding, Blue from Offchurch Bury Polo Club who was played by Benny Knots from Marlborough. JJ Spark Coach for Harrow School spoke to Polo Times about the work behind their wins: “Harrow players are going from strength to strength. We have restructured their training with the introduction of instructional chukkas for the teams, enabling them to focus more on tactical play and defense. Determination from the boys, combined with huge parental support at fixtures, has encouraged the boys to wins against Marlborough, Stowe and Eton. Many of the students have been

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Youth Junior polo in the States Four young British players (Zac Beim, Christian Oberschneider, Jasmine Stanhope-White and Luke Wiles) in the shirts of England Colts flew to Florida as part of a youth polo programme in midFebruary. They joined three other youth teams to compete in the inaugural Polo Training Foundation Junior International Cup at Grand Champions Polo Club. In a busy day at Marc and Melissa Ganzi’s Club, the four teams (including an all-girls side) battled through four qualifying chukkas to determine the Final and Sub Final games. Girls International (Mia Novillo Astrada, Riley Ganzi, Hope Arellano and Mia Cambiaso) defeated the Brits team 4-2 to take their place in the Final whilst the USA foursome (Landen Daniels, Kristos Magrini, Mackenzie Wesiz and Benji Daniels) beat Argentina (Juanse Olivera, Poroto Cambiaso, Santos Merlos and Santos Bollini). Despite a fantastic day, Girls International couldn’t overcome the USA team and lost in the Final, 2-1 with Kristos Magrini, the nineyear-old son of 8 goaler, Matias Magrini securing the winning goal. Mia Novillo Astrada was named MVP. In the consolation game, Argentina swept the board, defeating the British Colts, 4-0, but Jasmine Stanhope-White (an English player to watch for the future) was awarded the Sportsmanship Award for her team effort. The Avendano Junior Tournament at International Polo Club in Palm Beach was also held during the British team’s trip. The tournament, run in a similar format to UK SUPA Schools, is hosted by the Polo Training Foundation for players under-15 years of age and is the largest of its kind in Florida. Zac Beim and Christian Oberschneider were on the winning Eagles team for the Upper Intermediate section alongside teammates Breanna Heiston and Joseph Schwartz.

Langley on the ball against Harrow

Photograph by Lacey Winterton

Photographs by Peter James Photography

at the Eldorado Polo Club is the American equivalent to Pony Club and has produced an Argentine Open Finalist (Frederick H. Mannix), US Open Winner, (Julian Mannix), three of the four Zone A World Cup Qualifying Team Players (Jesse Bray, Jared Sheldon, & Patrick Uretz), and others such as Jason Crowder (6 Goals).

Participating teams in the Fish Creek Cup

Open winners Harrow A (James Emlyn, Charles Cadogan and D’Artagnon Giercke) with Richard Buckett of RJ Polo

Most Valuable Player Timi Badiru from Langley School

Eldorado Polo Club Fish Creek Cup At the beginning of March the Fish Creek Cup was held at the Eldorado Polo Club – a Junior polo tournament sponsored by Fred Mannix Sr. in which one of the teams, the Hackett Team, wore the Old Etonian Hackett shirts. The Junior polo program www.polotimes.co.uk

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Photograph by Lucy Wilson

fortunate enough to train in both Argentina and South Africa over the winter. Polo at Harrow is gaining ground and these boys are in it for the long haul with summer memberships at some of the best clubs in the country. This summer’s training sessions will use new technology from Greenpoint Polo, which will provide structured feedback sessions using drone footage of matches and practices. The B Team are catching up fast! They have been diligent with training and I am excited about the next chapter of polo at Harrow.”

Photograph by Paul Oberschneider

Harrow on a winning streak against Stowe in Schools’ Polo On Sunday 1 March, Harrow and Stowe met at the Pyatts Arena in Buckinghamshire for an A, B and C team match. Harrow A team (D’Artagnan Griercke, James Emlyn and Hugo Taylor) won against Stowe A team (Jamie Grayson, Henry Frisby and Patrick Robinson who shared a seat with Flo Burner) with a very convincing score of 14-8. The Harrow coach, JJ Spark umpired the proceedings, but the teams played a great game with clean hits, strong backhands and lots of running to goal. The B team match had a similar theme with Harrow (Faiz Kawar, Charles Cadogan and Valentine Hutley) defeating Stowe (Stevie Duncan, Billy Hawkings-Byass and Isabella Baillie) with a score of 13-7. The C team match between Harrow (Elliot Mackey, Henry Empson and James Burgess) and Stowe (Jamie Baillie, Georgie Peagram and Charlton Tufnell) ended in a draw of 4-4. It was a busy afternoon in the arena with lots of parents supporting the games, alongside coaches for both teams including Chris Crawford and APSPH hirers, Kirtlington Park Polo School, Greenpoint Polo and The Oxford Polo School who all provided ponies at the games.

Hugo Taylor on the ball for Harrow

The British Colts (Jasmine Stanhope-White, Christain Oberschneider, Zac Beim and Luke Wiles) with Mark Tomlinson in Florida

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Youth Spotlight on ‘new to polo’, Polo Times talks to President of the Bournemouth Equestrian Society and Captain of the Polo Club, Sarah Tijou, about her aspirations for polo at Bournemouth. Statistics How many members do you have? We currently have nine members in our squad, and we are recruiting this week as well as expanding in September (8 girls and 1 boy). How many lessons have you had? 16 How many matches/chukkas have you played? Three friendly games against Winchester, and eight chukkas at the SUPA Winter Arena National Championships When did you form your club? October 2014 How did you all get started as a club – was it a planned idea, or had some of you played polo before? As President of Bournemouth University’s Equestrian Society, I wanted to give students the opportunity to have a go at something different during Fresher’s month. Sean Wilson-Smith, our coach, got in touch with me asking if the society wanted to hold a taster session. We jumped at this chance and brought a big group to Hampshire Polo Club. Everyone was buzzing afterwards and really enjoyed it, although a lot of wrists were shaking after half an hour on the ponies! Sean explained a little about the sport and the SUPA Championships in February, and instantly light bulbs lit above my head, and I remember thinking ‘challenge accepted!’ By the next day, I had set up a team and recruited more

students who hadn’t been at the taster session. Training sessions were underway instantly, and now here we are. As a new team we have to fund everything out of our own pockets so unfortunately some have had to drop out. We are working on finding sponsors and asking our Student Union to help us, who so far have funded our chukka hire at the SUPA. Where do you have your lessons and games? We have our lessons at Hampshire Polo School in Winchester each week. It’s almost an hour long drive to get there and we all share lifts, so the time spent together has meant we have all become great friends and a strong unit. What has been the hardest shot you have all had to master? As a lefty, I have had to build up a lot of strength in my right arm! At the moment, mastering a full swing without smacking the ground with my mallet or whipping the air above the ball has been a test for me! But practice makes perfect and I will be swinging like a propeller in no time! What are your aspirations as a club? We want to become bigger and better. We have enough people to make up two teams for winter polo but we are aiming for more. We have all fallen in love with polo and want to share it with as many students possible. Especially students who may not have had a chance to try it before coming to Bournemouth.

Will you be going to the SUPA University Nationals in the summer? Absolutely, this is our main goal for the teams. After playing at this year’s SUPA, we have a burning passion to return and win next winter! It was such an amazing weekend for everyone, we had a lot of fun and learnt an incredible amount playing and watching other teams and meeting new people. Tell us a bit about some of your players? Danielle Johnson studies Commercial Photography, originates from Newbury, and has been riding from the age of six but took a break at 17 to study for A Levels. Since competing at SUPA University Arena Nationals she has fallen even deeper in love with the game and attributes the team’s success so far to our coach Sean WilsonSmith. Danielle can’t imagine life without polo and hopes to continue playing well after graduating from Bournemouth. Emma Jones studies Occupational Therapy, she is from Woking, and has ridden since the age of 4 with a background in showing and carriage driving, until at 14 was given a retired polo pony to hack on the local common. Emma took a break from riding at 16 until picking up the reins again at University. Emma is totally hooked by the game, to the detriment of her student loan, and finds the rules more complex than balancing four reins and a mallet! Ellie Seedhouse-Morton is from Manchester and studies Wildlife Conservation and Ecology. She started riding at her local riding school before going on to work with rescued and abused horses. So far her journey in polo has been filled with tears, sweat, bruises and laughter, rewarded with meeting new people and ponies.

Photograph by Sarah Tijou

Eleanor Blackford studies Psychology, she is from Surrey and began riding at 12 but took a break at 16 after an injury. Eleanor fell in love with the game instantly at the first taster session and can’t wait to play and win at SUPA National University Championships.

The Bournemouth University Polo Club with Coach Sean Wilson-Smith

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Youth heat in the third chukka, marking harder and getting more physical. Adam Dove dominated Rosser, leaving Hodges and Bowman free to score. Bowman took a mallet to the face and later the hand, forcing her to retire as she could no longer hold her stick. Going into the fourth chukka Britain had overtaken their rivals by two goals Exceptional teamwork from Charlie Scott and Harold Hodges (who was awarded the Most Valuable Player prize) in the final chukka clinched the win for Britain 16-13, reclaiming the Intercollegiate title lost to the US the past two years.”

Have you all got favorite ponies? We are all ridiculously soppy, everyone has his or her favourite and no one wants to share! TT is a popular pony she is short, stocky and can turn on a sixpence! Sombre is a beautiful grey, fast and able to ride off and destroy the target! Susuki is another speedy pony, but shows us up with backhand shots as she knows it’s coming – she does her best to make sure we can’t hit that ball! Pukka is our royal pony, but she doesn’t act very lady like, biting anyone considered a threat to your perfect ride off into the goal! Guidiana won The Association of Polo Schools and Pony Hirers award for Best Playing Pony at SUPA! They are all amazing and we are lucky to have them. Any advice for other universities who are thinking about forming a polo club? Go for it! It is the best thing I have ever done and I wouldn’t go back. However, it does take up more time than my course, which is already a 24/7 commitment! I am always thinking about the next step for the team or ideas for the future, in my sleep and in my lectures! It is also expensive, so be prepared to put the money in but know that it is 100% worth it. None of us will ever forget this experience.

Royal Agricultural University charity day The Royal Agricultural University charity polo match was held as part of a module for third year Events Management students on Saturday 13 March at Longdole Polo Club. In the morning, there was a Pony Club mounted games display followed by a Riding for the Disabled Association exhibit by one of their young members. In aid of the Watershed RDA Centre, the main feature of the day was an afternoon polo match. Top three-day event rider, Mary King, swapped her body protector for a polo stick and joined Ludwig Svennerstal and Sarah Henderson in the yellow-shirted team, to face the Shadow Kings featuring Tom McEwen, Ella Hitchman and Emily King. The game finished with a close score of 6-5 to Shadow Kings. £3,500 has currently been raised for the cause, but the figure is expected to increase once all the adding up has been done!

Lucy Bowman clears the ball for SUPA Britain

SUPA Britain team win in America The SUPA Britain side won their match against an Intercollegiate team for The USPA International Intercollegiate Challenge Cup on Saturday 14 March. The Intercollegiate USA team fielded top college players from University of Connecticut (Drew Gale), Michigan State (Hunter Jelsch), Colorado State (Kareem Rosser) and Oregon State (Carina Deck). The SUPA Britain team, selected by Charles Betz and Michael Amoore, featured Charlie Scott (University College London), Harold Hodges (Exeter University), Lucy Bowman (Royal Agricultural University) and Adam Dove (Edinburgh University). Elizabeth Humphreys reported for Polo Times from Empire Polo Club “The SUPA Britain University team put on a wonderful display of teamwork; no member of the four person squad (each playing three chukkas) was a weak link. The hard fought match started with four penalty goals, including a penalty 1 against Lucy Bowman who was nearly taken out by Kareem Rosser only feet from the goal. Rosser broke away and scored a superb 2 pointer from behind the center line despite being heavily marked by Britain’s Harold Hodges. Yet another penalty meant that the teams were tied at five goals going into the second chukka. A goal by Hunter Jelsch put USA ahead, followed by a beautiful goal-to-goal run by America’s Carina Deck. Kareem blasted the ball down the field to his teammates who then had a penalty in their favour, which put the USA ahead 9-5 going into the third. Britain turned up the

Photograph by Anthony Pettifer @ www.bladephotography.co.uk

What do you love most about the sport as an activity to do at Uni? We are all horsey people and missed our four legged friends when we were at university, so being around the polo ponies and the fresh country air is our favorite part of training each week. It is great to escape from coursework, stress and deadlines, and a great form of exercise! Plus I never would have met the team members if we hadn’t started playing, and they have all become great friends of mine.

Photograph by United States Polo Association

Jessica Timlin studies Event Management, from Buckinghamshire, and has so far turned her hand at show-jumping, cross-country, dressage and now polo. Jessica started polo on a whim and was unsure about the commitment to the cost, but like her teammates has enjoyed every second and can’t imagine life without polo.

Mary King took part in the day for the RDA

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Youth went round the world an impressive eight times in 30 seconds! Prizes were kindly donated by RJ Polo, Harbro Country Stores and Walkers Shortbread.

Youth Dates for the Diary SUPA 2015 Tournaments Longdole – National Junior Schools: 17 May Rugby – Senior School Trials: 27 May Dallas Burston – National Universities Championships: 5–7 June Guards – Jack Wills Varsity: 6 June Longdole – National Schools Girls Championships: 7 June Kirtlington – Towler Trophy: 14 June Kirtlington – National Senior Schools: 21 June RCBPC – SUPA vs. RCBPC Quatro Amigos Trophy: 28 June TBA – International Polo Festival (SUPA Gold Cup): 2–6 July Cheshire – SUPA Home Nations Cup: 22–23 August

Oxford University Hilary Cuppers After great success in Winter Cuppers the University Polo Club ran their Hilary Cuppers in the arena. St Peters reigned champions of Cuppers again having defeated St Catherines College and a team of MBA students. The winning St Peters team featured William Hsu, Jacky He, and Christiaan de Koning. The other participating teams were from Wycliffe College, New College and University College.

Pony Club Dates Vaux Park – Pony Club Tournament: 13 July Taunton – Pony Club Tournament: 14 July Frampton – Pony Club Tournament: 16 July Rugby – Pony Club Tournament: 17 July Suffolk – Pony Club Tournament: 18 July Epsom – Pony Club Tournament: 19 July Kirtlington – Pony Club Tournament: 21 July Ascot – Pony Club Tournament: 22 July Hurtwood – Pony Club Tournament: 23 July Cirencester – Qualifying Pony Club Tournament: 27–28 July Longdole – Qualifying Pony Club Tournament: 29–30 July Tidworth – Qualifying Pony Club Tournament: 3–4 August Hurtwood – Jorrocks Championships: 5 August Cowdray – Pony Club Championships: 7–9 August

Photograph by Amy Nizolek

Stirling University Polo Club holds inaugural tournament The Scottish University held their very first tournament (made up of two categories, Beginner and Novice, with three teams in each) at Kinross Polo Club on Saturday 14 March. The teams included a mix of players from different universities; Stirling, Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Glasgow Caledonian and an extra guest player from George Watson’s College. In the Beginner section, the all-Stirling Blue team (James Whiteford, Roslin Macdonald and Colleen Batey), Red (Abigail Butler, Alex Lane (both Stirling) and Amy Gillespie (Glasgow Caledonian)) and Green (Emma Mackie, Holly Watson (both Stirling) and Doina Becker (St. Andrews)) played each other with Red taking first place and Abigail Butler being named Most Valuable Player. In the Novice section, Red (Nikolas Theodosiou, Francesco Tonci Ottieri and Jordan Boyd (all Stirling)), Blue (Katrina Ring/Lauren Geddes, Kathryn Hamilton (Stirling) and Megan Armstrong (George Watson College)) and Green (Harriet Smith (Edinburgh) Ellery Carmichael (St. Andrews) and Nicola Brown/ Mala Stewart (Glasgow Caledonian)) played each other for the trophy. Blue took first place and Harriet Smith won the Most Valuable Player award. The students also took part in The Horse & Hound #roundtheworld Challenge, the winner of which was Alex Lane who

The winning St Peters team

Photograph by Katrina Ring

Thom Bell with all the players from the tournament

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Young England Dates Cowdray – The Colts Cup: 11–13 August Kirtlington – Alan Budgett: 22 August Ham – Stagshead Trophy/ BBVA/ Kingfisher: 16 August Rutland – England Colts vs. Scotland Colts: 19 August www.polotimes.co.uk

26/03/2015 16:12

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Knowledge

Sinus Disease

s a herbivore the horse requires a strong skull with large cheek teeth in order to grind down its fibrous diet. However, as a prey species, the horse also needs to be able to lift its head quickly to check for predators in the wild. If the skull were composed of solid bone it would be far too heavy, so the horse has evolved a uniquely large network of sinuses to minimise the weight of its head, while still accommodating the large cheek teeth required. These sinuses are large air-filled cavities located on each side of the skull, above, below and between the eyes, extending down the face to a point approximately level with the end of the obvious facial crest. Unlike many mammals, the horse has to breathe through its nose. Therefore, conditions of the sinus and nasal cavities are of particular importance due to their potential effects on general performance, especially the high levels of athleticism required of polo ponies.

This shows the inside of the sinus cavities where all the issues can occur

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Matthew Cullen BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS. Matthew works at Onley Equine Vets, which is part of the Towcester Veterinary Centre. Having graduated from Bristol in 2012, he then completed a busy Internship at the Rainbow Equine Hospital. During this time he developed a special interest in sports medicine and lameness, as well as gaining extensive experience in anaesthesia and emergency medicine. He is a keen polo player and started playing at Tidworth Polo Club in Wiltshire. He continued at University and now plays when he can at Rugby, where Onley Equine Vets is based. To determine the cause of a potential sinus problem, your vet will perform a routine clinical exam and ask a number of questions about the history of the complaint, but may also recommend X-rays and a look at the upper airway using an endoscope. Occasionally, more detailed imaging is required for more complex issues; this can involve an invasive procedure whereby a hole is made in the front of the skull and an endoscopic camera is passed through to directly visualise the sinuses. Alternatively, a Computed Tomography (CT) scan may be performed. Advances in technology allow CT to produce fantastically detailed images of the head of a standing horse, using a specially designed system developed by the late Alastair Nelson MRCVS at the Rainbow Equine Hospital in North Yorkshire. This design uses an air-floated platform that slides a sedated horse in and out of a stationary scanner. Removing the need for general anaesthesia makes the process much safer and also significantly reduces the cost! A variety of diseases can affect the sinuses, all of which may affect performance and cause discomfort. They can cause a range of clinical signs which may indicate a sinus problem: • Nasal discharge; usually one-sided but can also be bilateral. This can vary in colour, thickness and smell, depending on the exact disease process • Foul smell associated with the nostril • Facial deformity • Discharge at the corner of the eye or a bulging eye • Difficulty chewing food • Loud or laboured breathing • Head shaking If you spot any suspicious signs the best thing to do is ask your vet for advice as soon as possible. Sinusitis is by far the most common, and is a general term indicating inflammation, normally as a result of an infection. It usually affects all the sinus cavities on one side of the horse’s head, and there are two major types.

This horse developed a hard, painful swelling between it’s eyes due to Suture Line Osteitis (infection of the junction between two facial bones over the sinuses) and was also suffering from Sinusitis. These pictures show how the infected bone had to be scraped back and removed to leave only healthy bone

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Knowledge

This horse is undergoing a routine sinus trephination to treat Sinusitis. A hole is drilled into the sinus to find out exactly what is going on inside and to give it a thorough clean. The plastic tubing, visible in the final photo, will remain in place for a few days following surgery to enable daily flushing with saline solution

Primary Sinusitis occurs when a bacterial infection invades the delicate lining of the sinus and causes a build up of pus in the sinus cavity. It may follow an upper respiratory infection, and typically leads to a unilateral (one-sided) nasal discharge. The diagnosis can be made by endoscopy, radiographs or CT scan, and occasionally by sampling fluid from the sinuses. Primary Sinusitis may respond well to antibiotic therapy, but this sometimes needs combining with surgical treatment and daily flushing of the sinus. It can also be helpful to keep the horse in light exercise to aid drainage of the sinus. Secondary Sinusitis is most often caused as a result of a diseased cheek tooth. In these cases the infection cannot be resolved until the affected tooth has been removed because it allows food particles to continually re-contaminate the sinuses. It causes the same signs as primary sinusitis, but is often more severe and is more likely to cause bad breath. Sinusitis may also be secondary to a facial fracture or tumour, where the fractured bone or tumour tissue acts as the source of infection. Progressive Ethmoid Haematoma is another possible sinus disease in horses. The cause of this is unknown, but affected horses develop a mass of tissue composed of a mature blood clot surrounded by a membrane within the affected sinus. The mass normally extends from the sinus into the nasal cavity, where it can be seen on endoscopic examination. The most common clinical sign is a persistent and intermittent trickle of blood from one nostril, in an otherwise healthy horse: blood loss is rarely severe. In contrast to Sinusitis, Ethmoid Haematomas are unlikely to cause the sinus to swell. Treatment can involve surgical removal or injection of formalin into the mass, both of which have good success rates, but the rate of recurrence is relatively high, at up to 50%. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Sinus Cysts are large, thin-walled structures filled with fluid, which develop and invade the sinus cavities, usually limited to one side of the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head. They usually develop from normal sinus structures but the cause is unknown. Typical clinical signs include: a persistent discharge of mucous from the nostril on the affected side, and swelling on the outer surfaces of the sinuses. These horses will also have swelling on the inside of the sinuses that may partly obstruct the nasal passage, leading to decreased air flow through the nostril on the affected side. This may in turn cause exercise intolerance and an abnormal respiratory noise. Sinus cysts respond very well to surgical removal. Wounds and fractures of the sinuses are quite common due to their location. Horses are well known for causing trauma to themselves. In addition, the facial bones over the sinuses are very thin and easily damaged by kicks or other blunt trauma, such as fast-moving polo sticks. If the skin has not been broken, the face may appear normal, but when palpated, trapped air may be felt in the tissues between the skin and underlying bone. Also, the normal bony

surface may not be easy to feel because it is depressed into the sinus. Fractures can cause a variable amount of bleeding from the nose. Non-displaced fractures (where the bones havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t moved) may be treated successfully with conservative management, particularly if there is no wound. However, they occasionally require surgical repair and if this is not performed promptly, the depressed segment of bone will heal and form an obvious concave depression, which, is difficult to repair later. Any fragments will need to be removed to prevent infection, and any displaced large pieces of bone can be raised into the correct position, and held there with surgical wire. Fungal Infections are rare in this country, but more common in hot, humid climates. They can also be very difficult to treat, but surgical debridement followed by topical application of antifungal medications can be successful. Repeated treatments may be required.

The CT image shows a Progressive Ethmoid Haematoma on the right of the picture (left of the head)

In this photo (of a different horse) an encapsulated haematoma is being removed via a sinus trephination

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Knowledge

This horse suffered a depression fracture which is a common polo stick injury. These pictures show the fragments of bone removed under general anaesthesia to prevent a secondary infection

Cancers are less common causes of sinus disease. These develop in older horses and can have a mixture of clinical signs. Benign tumours may respond well to surgical treatment. However, malignant tumours can rapidly invade all the sinus cavities on one side of the head. They cause considerable damage and are rarely responsive to surgical treatment. This article is by no means exhaustive, and a number of rarer conditions may be seen both here and abroad. Sinus problems can be complex and require prolonged treatment, however, the long-term outcome for most conditions is good. Even following surgery, horses often make a full recovery with a

surprisingly good cosmetic result! The key is prompt recognition and intervention, so if your horse develops a one-sided nasal discharge contact your vet for advice. I am very grateful to Moses Brennan at the Rainbow Equine Hospital, and Alice Sheldon of Towcester Equine Vets, for their help in supplying images for this article. If you have any questions after reading about sinus disease, please feel free to contact the clinic on the details below.

Matthew Cullen BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS Onley Equine Vets Tel: 01788 523000 Email: equine@towcester-vets.co.uk or matthew@towcesterequine.co.uk Or visit: www.onley-vets.co.uk

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Nutrition focus

Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist

Always thinking of their stomach!

•

You may read the title of this article thinking, ‘Yes, my ponies are always thinking of their stomach’. What I actually mean is, are you thinking of their stomach? What do these buckets illustrate?

•

Knowledge

quality hay or haylage will not impact performance Choose good quality fibre sources – soft and leafy NOT stalky and coarse Think of the forage as part of the ration and not just bulk To get perfect condition and performance, tailor hard feed to complement forage, not vice versa

What Some of the Players say – Oli Hipwood (5 goals) “I have fed ad lib hay or haylage to all of my ponies for 10 years now and their performance has not been affected. For the good doers, we double net the small holed haylage nets to slow them down, and the others have the large, small holed nets to ensure they can graze constantly. They are always relaxed and happy in the stables and don’t gorge at all as they know they will never be without.”

It is worth noting that acid is continuously being produced (with, or without the presence of food) whereas saliva is only produced when they chew. So, when forage is restricted for long periods of time, or muzzles are put on, gastric acid is still continuously being produced and bubbling in the stomach. Naturally, the horse would always graze to buffer the acid by the production of saliva and chewing of forage.

Unfortunately, more often than not, a lot of polo ponies don’t get this opportunity, so eventually the acid makes its way through to the hind gut, disrupting gut bacteria which affects efficient digestion of fibre. This can cause loose, ‘smelly’ droppings and a horse to be in discomfort which is unlikely to perform to its best, and eventually increased risks of ulceration in the hind gut. Approximately the size and shape of a rugby ball, where food/forage only sits for 2030 minutes before passing through to the small intestine, the bottom half of the stomach has a protective layer to the stomach lining, in contrast to the top half, where there is no protective layer of stomach lining and this is where ulcers will begin to form. What can you do? • Feed plenty of forage, allowing 24hour access is ideal • Use small holed haylage nets if you don’t want to allow ad lib off the floor • Remember that good

Max Charlton (7 goals) “My ponies are never without hay, they never have it removed from their stables no matter when or what level of polo they are playing. I do not feel it hinders their performance in any way, and with the amount of polo they do play, I feel it helps hugely towards them maintaining their condition and energy levels. I only own two muzzles and they are covered in dust!” George Meyrick (6 goals) “I had always restricted the forage intake of my ponies as I felt it would make them heavy, however, since feeding it ad lib they are so much more relaxed and happy in the stable and their performance has not been affected at all. The good doer we have is fed with a small holed haylage net to slow him down and therefore still allowing him to trickle feed.” Jamie Peel (3 goals) “We allow our ponies to have forage at all times. I feel that by the time ponies are tied up and groomed prior to travel/play there is more than enough time for them to be without it. After polo it, is just as important getting forage into them and I feel is the key to their recovery. We take hay nets with us for the journey home and I feel this makes a big difference for them – don’t worry about your image, even Frankel enjoyed this luxury!” Contact Lorna Edgar of Baileys Horse Feeds on lorna@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

Diagram of a horse stomach www.polotimes.co.uk

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Knowledge

Equine legal advice

Legal Issues Relating to Escaped Ponies This month Solicitor, Lottie Goldsmith (née Prentice), focuses on the issues surrounding liability of escaped ponies on public highways padlock had been cut by potential horse thieves, then arguably the horse owner is not negligent and will not have any liability at common law. This would come down to a question of evidence however, to insure that the field was secured by a padlock and chain in the first place. Case law has shown that the Courts tend to favour the innocent party, i.e. the driver, who may potentially be seriously injured by the collision with the escaped animal. If, for example, the horse had taken fright and trampled through fencing or jumped out on to the road and this did not result from any negligence of the owner of the horse nor from the livery yard owner, then one would look to the Animals Act and consider where and how strict liability will therefore be attached.

When polo ponies are ‘roughed off’ and out at grass, a topic for debate that frequently arises is the legalities around escaping ponies on to public highways. Questions such as who is liable, who should be insured and what are the possible legal outcomes of various different scenarios often surface. By way of illustration I have devised a case study to work through. Let us assume that a car is being driven with due care and attention at a reasonable speed (within the speed limit) at night and it collides with a polo pony that is loose on the road. This causes damage to the vehicle and the driver suffers from whiplash and other minor injuries including what is invariably incorporated in any accident claim, namely nervous shock. It transpires that the polo pony had escaped from a nearby field which was part of a livery yard. So who exactly is liable? Is it the livery yard owner? Is it the polo pony owner? Is it the groom who was in charge of the polo pony? Or is it the driver? Firstly, as we have assumed that the driver was not speeding, nor was he using his mobile phone and he was not drink driving, then we can assume that there is no contributory negligence on his part. If it transpired that he was speeding, using his 72

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mobile phone or over the legal limit for alcohol in his system at the time of the collision, then a proportion of the negligence claim could arguably be attributed to the driver. There can also be a degree of contributory negligence if he did not react quickly enough. As to whether the horse owner is liable or not, we need to establish whether the owner has been negligent or attracts strict liability under the Animals Act. The horse owner has a general duty of care to keep the horse properly secured and preventing any possible access on to the highway. If upon inspection it shows that the fencing is inadequate then there is the potential to attribute the liability to the horse owner. However, it is more complex than that – as the horse owner is contracted to the livery yard owner. There is an implied condition on behalf of the livery yard owner within the contract that the fencing and fields will be adequate. Whilst the owner of the polo pony has the overall responsibility of the wellbeing of the horse and should check that the facilities are secure, there is an argument that the liability will attach to the livery yard owner. Furthermore, this point could quite successfully be argued. Let us consider that perhaps the polo pony had been let out deliberately and the

The Animals Act 1971 The Animals Act is known for being filled with tortuous wording and many legal debates and litigation have ensued with unsuccessful attempts at amending or altering the Act in any way. As far as a horse owner is concerned, the Animals Act is exceptionally onerous and can only really be described as a nightmare. Horses are not animals which belong to a dangerous species contained within the Act. However they can be caught under section 2(2) whereby; a) the damage is of a kind which the animal, unless restrained, was likely to cause or which, if caused by the animals likely to be severe; and b) the likelihood of the damage, or of it being severe was due to the characteristics of the animal which are not normally so found except at particular times or in particular circumstances; and c) those characteristics were known to the keeper or at the time known to a person who at the time had charge of the animal. All of these subsections must be satisfied in order to be caught by the Animals Act. In a situation whereby a horse has taken fright and trampled through the fencing or jumped out, then the likelihood is that the liability would be with the horse owner under the Act, as all three subsections would be satisfied. From this point alone it can be seen how important it is to have your animals insured due to the very nature of the Animals Act and the liability it places on the horse owner. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Knowledge However, returning to our original scenario whereby a horse is on the road, it does not appear to have jumped out or trampled the fence due to either fright or flight instincts, characteristics known to horses, then it could be argued that the Animals Act section 2(2) (b) has not been satisfied and therefore there is no strict liability under the Animals Act. It is also important to note whether or not the horse was standing still in the road at the point of the collision as this would mean that there would be no strict liability under the Act because the horse would not be exhibiting some transient or abnormal characteristic, the damage was caused by the horse’s size and weight. So in summary to this case study and returning to our driver, if we can prove that the liability does not attach to either the horse owner or livery yard owner in negligence or to the horse owner under the Animals Act, then the claim for whiplash and minor injuries could be successfully argued that costs payable would be out of the driver’s own public liability or personal liability insurance as these could be classed as predictive costs arising out of a Road Traffic Accident.

So it can be seen that this area of law is somewhat of a minefield and there are various layers of complexity relating to liability. It is important that your horses are insured due to the onerous nature of the Animals Act and as a horse owner you have taken reasonable care to ensure that the perimeter fence where your horse is kept is secure. Likewise, if you are a yard owner you have an implied duty of care for the wellbeing of the animals on your property and to make sure that the horse or horses are secure at all times. If you have a spare five minutes when you are having a coffee break, it would be a prudent move, as a horse owner, to at the very least, dip in to the Animals Act 1971 – so that you are fully aware of the legislation that can be used to pin liability on you in the event of an accident.

Third party liability cover is available as part of your Membership with the HPA. However there are restrictions: you are covered if you are up to and including two goals in handicap and own 10 or less ponies that are either registered or passported in your name with the HPA; however, if you are 3 goals and above, then you are not covered. Likewise, if the ponies are registered in a different name or business name then you are excluded from this cover. Ponies used for commercial use, for example ponies that are hired for reward or gain or used in conjunction with hire and reward are also excluded. So be aware that ponies used by players who charge fees (or even get reward in kind – so diesel paid etc) are also excluded. If you offset your polo costs against your business (as marketing costs etc) you may also not be covered by the HPA member’s scheme. In cases of exclusion, it is the player’s responsibility to ensure that he, or she has adequate insurance cover.

For more information call Lottie on 07725 240233 or email her at lgoldstone@hcrlaw. com. As the recognised legal partner with the HPA, all HPA members are entitled to 15 minutes free legal advice with Lottie and a 10% reduction in fees upon initial instruction.

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Knowledge

Equipment Focus: Bits

The Balding Gag As part of the Polo Times bitting series, Stephen Biddlecombe of Equine Management Ltd. looks at the merits of the Balding Gag

The Big Ring Balding is used specifically for polo, and gives extra control at speed

The main points of pressure exerted by the Balding Gag are the bars and roof of the mouth, as well as the poll

Gag bits are often used for horses that pull; their leverage element gives extra control at speed. The Balding is as a loose ring Gag with extended cheek pieces, usually nylon cord, that pass through holes in the metal cheekpiece. Pulley Gags like this work by raising the bit up in the horse’s mouth and exerting pressure on the bars and roof of the mouth, as well as giving poll pressure. The loose ring cheeks of the Balding make it more mobile than its ‘cousins’ the Cheltenham and Nelson Gags. This mobility aims to help encourage the horse to keep a relaxed jaw and mouth. The loose ring may be useful if the horse leans on the bit, as the bit is always movable, so the horse cannot take hold as easily as with a fixed cheek. It gives clearly defined aids. The Balding Gag, as with most Gag bits, should be used with two reins. The first running rein attaches laterally to the saddle via the girth straps, passing through the main ring of the bit, while the second rein on the Gag cheek controls the poll pressure. Although poll pressure does encourage the horse to become rounder, the Balding Gag also has a ‘head raising’ action that encourages the horse to lighten its front end – ideal for horses that are excessively on the forehand, or like to have their head too near the ground. Different mouthpieces are available, although those with either a single or a double joint in the centre are most commonly seen.

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The Control Plate Balding is a bit with a control plate set at 45 degrees, to follow the tongue’s contour

This Balding Gag has an Elliptical roller, designed to heighten the horse’s awareness of the bit

The Happy Tongue version is curved and ported, to give tongue relief

Bombers Bits include hundreds of off the shelf bitting solutions; customers can design their own bespoke bit from a selection of mouth pieces, cheek pieces and widths, visit: www.bombersbits.co.uk. Call Equine Management on 01825 840 002.

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Knowledge

Pony Power

Polo Times Best Playing Ponies As the arena season comes to an end we take a look at just a handful of the ponies that have been playing this winter in the UK. Polo Times, as part of its 20th Anniversary celebrations, are proud to have sponsored a series of Best Playing pony rugs. Lucy Wilson talks to Rosie Ross, Stuart Beetles, and Richard Le Poer about their prize-winning ponies from Ascot Park’s Women’s Nationals, the RCBPC’s HPA New Year Nationals and most recently the Bryan Morrison International Test Match at Hickstead. Polo Times Best Playing pony in the UK Women’s National Arena Tournament

Bush Pig

Owned and played by Rosie Ross

Where is she from? I bought her when she was two. She came from a stud dispersal sale, as a yearling she ran through some fencing so I picked her up just before she was sold to the knackerman. I broke her in with just a headcollar in the field. How long have you had her? Just over three years now.

Photographs by NND Photography

Height: 15hh Age: 5 rising 6 Colour: Appaloosa Sex: Mare Breeding: Sire Joe Glow, Dam – unknown – paperwork just says ‘quarter horse mare’.

Rosie Ross with Bush Pig winner of the UK Women’s National Arena Tournament Polo Times Best Playing Pony

Tell us about her background? Her Sire is the National Canadian reigning Champion who featured in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations with a Native American Indian riding him in the show. Whilst on his overseas trip he had the chance to cover some mares. The mare was an American quarter horse from a stud in Devon, but that is all I know about her. What are her strengths? Escaping – she won’t stay in a stable or a field. She is so clever, relentless and tough with awesome lateral movement. She has an excellent mouth and great strides and the best bit, is that she loves to play. You know when she is having a good day by how many bucks she does when you get on! How has she gone this winter season? She has been one of my top ponies this winter, it’s bit scary at the start of the season, as she always has to have the last 76

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say. She is just a very independent pony. If she is standing still in the yard she will have to push something over, or be playing with something, she is a bit like a child. I haven’t played her much on the grass, last year was her first. She hasn’t really not played much at all. This winter I had her in for only three months in the arena, two months last summer on the grass and before that three months last winter. I have never actually had to make her, she has pretty much learnt it all herself. I haven’t had to teach her, I just ask, and she does it. I only wish she was a bit bigger. Everyone laughed at me when I first got her – she was so small and runty. Has she won any other awards? No – Just the prize for 1st class pain in the yard! What are your plans for her future? I really don’t want to sell her, but I probably

Bush Pig in action with Rosie this winter

should. If I won the lottery I would definitely breed from her. Otherwise she will be playing all the ladies polo with me this summer and in my main string for the Sau Wild team. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Pony Power

Knowledge

Polo Times Best Playing pony in the HPA New Year National Club Championships 3 goal

Plato

Owned and played by Stuart Beetles Height: 15.1hh Age: 13 Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Breeding: Argentine Where is he from? We got him from a good friend where the majority of our ponies come from. How long have you had him? We have had him for three seasons now. He only plays arena polo as he is a little too hot for outside, so he spends the summer turned away at my farm. Tell us about his background? He came to me three seasons ago as he was a little troublesome! Unfortunately I don’t know a lot about his background. He was wild and strong as an ox! After a lot of experimenting with different bridles he chose a roller gag and runners.

Stuart Beetles with Plato at the RCBPC for the HPA New Year National Championships

What are his strengths? Sheer power and one hell of a ride off! He suits a more chilled regime than most of my other ponies, so we do lots of hacking; rather than practice chukkas or stick and ball as he is so full on in a game. However, he is very easy to look after at home when he’s not playing. How has he gone this winter season? This is his best season yet and we’ve really jelled. Finding the correct bridle and work regime has been the key. Has he won any other awards? Nope just this one! What are your plans for his future? Short term – after his summer holiday he will be brought back in to be tamed again, for the forthcoming arena season. Long term – he will stay with me forever, but I don’t think we will ever venture on to the grass. But we are true mates as we are both overweight and slightly cranky! Plato, the HPA New Year National Club Championship Polo Times Best Playing Pony, in action with Stuart in the RCBPC arena

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Knowledge

Pony Power

Polo Times Best Playing pony in the Bryan Morrison International Test Match

Dig Deep

Owned and played by Richard Le Poer Height: 15.1hh Age: 13 Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Breeding: South African TB

How long have you owned the pony? Two years What is the pony’s background? Not sure! What are her strengths? She is very low to the ground and has incredible power laterally and going forward. She is incredibly comfortable to hit the ball off at any speed or situation during the game. She also has huge capacity and has not yet got tired while playing. In the important games she is easily capable of playing two chukkas. She is incredibly quiet in the yard, which is great as she never bothers at anything. Luckily for a thoroughbred she eats well and is not the picky type.

Photographs by Tony Ramirez/imagesofpolo.com

Where is the pony from? She is originally from South Africa. I bought her from Jean Du Plessis two years ago.

Richard Le Poer with his Polo Times Best Playing Pony, Dig Deep

How has the pony played this season? She has been great for me ever since I bought her. She takes longer to reach maximum fitness than others, but once right she is very consistent. She goes in a loose cooper gag and running reins. She is very lazy in general with work and being around the yard, but fine in games. She gets the same feed and conditioning work as the general horses in my yard, except I tend to do more cardiovascular training with her. So basically she is galloped more than the other horses to get fit for games. Future plans for the pony? She will play a few more seasons with me and then I will retire her to stud at Curraghmore in Ireland. I would like to put her to a polo bred stallion but I’m not sure which one yet. Have you won any other BPPs with Dig Deep? No – The Polo Times Best Playing Pony rug at Hickstead is her first!

Polo Times, April 2015

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Richard Le Poer in action at St Moritz with Dig Deep

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Knowledge

Pony running reports

PONY running reports

As the arena season draws to a close, our hard working arena ponies are enjoying some downtime in the field before they come back in for the summer season. For the first time, two of our Running Report ponies have been part of polo history by being at the inaugural four-a-side tournament in the Dallas Burston Polo Club Super Arena. Huw Beavan’s exracehorse, Madge, was upgraded from slow chukkas and schooling, to umpire in the arena for the event. Chris Crawford played Rainbow in the very same tournament before turning her out on holiday. Squeaky has been enjoying a good roll in the mud on her holidays, before she comes back after Easter to get fit for the summer university polo term. Passion has also been turned out for the winter in New Zealand after her hard work for Glenn Armstrong, complete with a rug to help keep her condition over the next six months. *PUBLISHER’S NOTE This ongoing feature is aimed at following the training programmes, the amount of polo played, and any additional costs incurred on top of the usual livery or field rental costs. Livery can be hugely expensive, but keeping ponies at home or at grass in a rented field can be vastly different in price. By excluding the cost of livery, which can vary greatly across the UK and internationally, the feature focusses more on the costs such as shoeing, vet bills or chiropractor appointments. Likewise we track the number of miles travelled from an interest point of view, but do not enter in to discussion about costs of diesel, trucks, drivers etc. We hope you find the included facts and figures enlightening.

MEXICANITA Age: 5 Height: 15.1hh Sex: Mare Owners: Carlitos & Mariano Gracida Breeding: Out of Valid Expectations From: Mexico Base: Valiente Level of polo: High goal

Mexicanita is still on the mend. Last month she suffered a small tendon injury and we gave her regenerative therapy and got her working on a hydrotherapy treadmill. We were hoping to see more developments and get her back into work this month, but sadly she hasn’t come right just yet. But there are improvements. She has lots of potential, which I’m looking forward to being realised. We’re still keeping our fingers crossed that she will make the Valiente string for Adolfo [Cambiaso] to play her in this year’s Open at International Polo Club Palm Beach. She is young though so hopefully she will have opportunities in the future. March overview: Number of chukkas played: 0 Number of miles travelled: 0 Cost this month: Still waiting for the vet bill! Total cost: £ Expensive, watch this space…

SQUEAKY Age: 16 Height: 15hh Sex: Mare Type: Polo pony Name of owner: Matt Evetts Based out of: Inglesham Polo Club Level of polo expected: Beginners to intermediate

Squeaky has been out since the SUPA National University Arena Championships, so we have stopped feeding her any hard feed and she is just on grass with daily hay rations, which she is more than happy about. It is nearly the end of term so the Bath Spa and Norland College girls are missing her. It was important for us to give her a break, SUPA can be very intense and although we don’t overwork the ponies, travelling and all the chaos of the four days can be more tiring than playing lots of chukkas. The summer season is much longer than the winter as we don’t have breaks at Christmas and New Year, so it is even more important for the ponies to have a break before the next season. We will bring her in later in April, she will be due her vaccinations, annual teeth checkup and new shoes on before we begin her summer fitness programme. Hopefully by then she will have rolled and scrubbed most of her winter coat out – it’s the worst time of year for brushing hair out – you seem to end up eating/ inhaling most of it! She is having a great time with her mates in the field and you only see her when you go in with hay to check on them, otherwise they have their heads down enjoying their time out as ponies. March overview: Number of chukkas played: 0 Number of miles travelled: 0 Cost this month: Wormer £21.50, shoes off and trim before going out £30, no carrots this month! Total Cost: £51.50

Polo Times, April 2015

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Pony running reports

RAINBOW Age: 6 Height: 15.1hh Type: Argentine Thoroughbred (Supressa x Mr Superb) Name of owner: Chris Crawford (CSC Polo) and Tristan Pemble Base: Kirtlington Park Polo Club Level of polo expected: Medium – High goal Rainbow came back into work midFebruary and returned to her usual schooling regime. Highlights this month included winning the 8 goal at the Midlands Polo Festival at Rugby Polo Club with Chris Bell’s Team, Twisted, where she put in a sterling performance in the first and fourth chukkas. She also played in the first four-a-side in the new all-weather Super Arena at Dallas Burston Polo Club with Tom GordonColebrooke’s Pond Farm, where we also won. Rainbow is now turned away to rest and relax before the looming grass season kicks off. She will come back into work midApril, when she will embark on a routine of sets and singling, before being upgraded to CSC Polo’s A string. We expect great things from this fantastic mare. March overview: Number of chukkas played: 8 Number of miles travelled: 312 Cost this month: Shoes £70, 1kg carrots 75p, and unconditional love £priceless Total cost: £70.75

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MADGE

(ON THE BIAS)

Age: 4 Height: 15.2hh Sex: Mare Type: Thoroughbred Name of owner: Huw Beavan Base: Dallas Burston Polo Club Level of polo expected: Not sure

Madge has been working very well since our last update, her exercise regime has been schooling for an hour or so followed by slow stick and ball. She has been doing the occasional slow chukkas at the weekend, in which I look to maintain the same speed throughout. Making sure I am not asking too much of her in terms of, stopping and turning. I decided to give Madge a month off at the end of February to allow her some down-time before I bring her back into work at the beginning of April. While turned out she got a small foot abscess so she has been in the stable for the last week while that clears up. Hence the extra spend on vet wrap! I am still hoping to bring her back at the beginning of April to continue her work over the summer. March overview: Number of chukkas played: 4 slow young horse chukkas Number of miles travelled: 10 miles from Rugby to Dallas Burston Polo Club Cost this month: Blacksmith £15 (trim), Animal Lyntex £15, vet wrap £10 Total cost: £40

Knowledge

PASSION Age: 13 Height: 15.1hh Sex: Mare Owner: Glen Armstrong Breeding: NZ Thoroughbred Base: Christchurch, New Zealand. Level of polo: 4-18 goal

After the big, month-long trip to the North Island, I turned out all of the horses for five days to relax and recover. Passion then played in just a couple of low goal tournaments as the season came to a close. The last weekend was The Gould Cup at Christchurch Polo Club, in which I played the 8 goal level tournament. It was a particularly fast tournament as there was NZ$10,000 prize money, but sadly it wasn’t to be ours! At the end of March, all the ponies were turned out onto the hill paddocks with their rugs off. The only one of my string that I have kept a rug on is Passion as I want to bulk her up as much as possible before I take it off. She has had a great season and well deserves the next six months off!

March overview: Number of chukkas played: 4 Number of miles travelled: Approx 190 Cost this month: Fuel £30, feed (divided between six horses) £10 Total cost: £40

Polo Times, April 2015

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Sidelines

Gossip

INGLESHAM ENGAGEMENT

NEW FACES FOR AKUMA

Hazel Jackson (1) and Ollie Cudmore (5) have been announced as two new ambassadors for Akuma Polo’s international brand. A champagne shower at The Arena Gold Cup for Simon ‘Skinny’ MacDonald courtesy of Black Eagle’s Jonathan Munro Ford

Photography by Stirling University

Matt Evetts, Polo Manager at Inglesham Polo Club, is engaged to Mhairi Gould. The two are planning their wedding for later in the year in Scotland.

New arena umpire in training Coco with Kinross Polo’s Thom Bell

SPRING BABY

Guards-based patron, Alan Fall and his wife, Julia welcomed a baby daughter in March who will be a sister to their two sons, James and George.

THE POLO MAGAZINE MVP SERIES LAUNCHED

Tell us yours at gossip@polotimes.co.uk Anonymity guaranteed if you want it...

The Polo Magazine, sister publication to Polo Times, has announced the launch of The Polo Magazine Most Valuable Player Series for 2015. Partnered with Guards Polo Club, the luxury quarterly publication will support high profile tournaments such as The Indian Empire Shield and The Royal Windsor.

GUARDS GOES SHOOTING FOR CHARITY

Gillian Hughes & Tony Ramirez/ www.imagesofpolo.com

The Charity Shoot for The Charles Stisted Memorial Trophy will be on 1 July at Flemish Farm. All money raised will go to the Welsh Guards Afghan Fund. Contact events@guardspoloclub.com to book.

The Polo Magazine MVP presented to Chris McKenzie by HM The Queen

Terence Lent

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Chris Hyde

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Polo The

Magazine

LUXURY

POLO

LIFESTYLE

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Sidelines

Christiane Wright, Brigadier John Wright & Santi Torreguitar

Richard Fagan supporting the Irish Test Match team

Richard Le Poer & Ryan Pemble with John Horswell

The Bryan Morrison International Arena Test match; Hickstead; Saturday 7 March

Laughter and leprechauns

Ricky Cooper, Lisa Cooper & their children Jaquemillie and Jasper

The All England Polo Club at Hickstead was blessed with sun for the Bryan Morrison International Arena Test Match. The sidelines were filled with a whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who of the UK winter arena season, from HPA Officials to grooms taking a day off to watch the polo. Dressing up to show support was the theme of the day with green clovers, wigs galore, leprechauns and leeks all cheering on their countries as Wales, Ireland and England battled it out in the Bunn Leisure Arena for the 12 goal and the highest handicapped Test Match to date. Celebrations continued at the post match lunch in the membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; enclosure.

Roddy Williams with his hands full!

Photographs by Tony Ramirez/Imagesofpolo.com

Mikey Henderson dressing up for the occasion

Chris Hyde & Jonny Good hanging with the kids

Olly Hughes, Simon McDonald, Chris Bethell & Marcus Hancock

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Greta & Jamie Morrison

Louisa Dawnay and her lucky clover

Starting them young - Balti Hancock

Oscar Mancini & Andrew Blake Thomas

Young ball collecting helpers

David Woodd

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Sidelines

The Gaucho Guards Camel Polo Team

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Camel Polo Team

British Polo Day; Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club; Saturday 21 March

British Polo Day does Abu Dhabi

Bryn & Emma Parry

The team behind British Polo Day launched their 2015 Global Series with a black-tie evening of floodlit polo and royal guests. Over 200 VIPs including HH Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, His Grace the Duke of Argyll and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Marc de Panafieu, attended the event held at HH Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club. Players stayed at the InterContinental Abu Dhabi and arrived at the grounds in chauffeur-driven Land Rovers and prepared for the main polo game, whilst guests enjoyed a Taittinger champagne reception and looked around the pop-up Harrods garden party. The Hackett Camel Polo Trophy saw members of the Cavalry and Guards regiments go head to head before The British Exiles and Ghantoot Polo teams took to the pitch for The British Polo Day Plate. The Exiles had a strong start over the home team, but it was the Ghantoot side who galloped into the lead, winning the match 9-6½. The Royal Salute MVP went to the Exiles’ George Meyrick, whilst Despreciada played by Clemente Zavaleta of Ghantoot won the Jaeger-LeCoultre BPP. Post presentations, guests sat down for a three-course dinner by Gaucho before Colonel Simon Ledger raised his gavel to start the evening’s charity auction. £35,000 was raised for Help for Heroes and Women and Health Alliance (WAHA). Photographs by Sam Churchill

HH Sheikha Lubna & Ed Olver

George Meyrick & HH Maharaja Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur

Alexandra & Marc de Panafieu

www.polotimes.co.uk British Exiles vs Rest of World Brompton Bike Polo

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Colonel Simon Ledger

Ambassador Philip Parham, HH Sheikha Lubna, General Carew Wilkes & HH Maharaj Narendra Singh of Jaipur

The Duke of Argyll, Jan Masters, Robert Taylor, Pia Kussrow & Jean Claude Messant

Polo Times, xxxxxxxxxx 2015 85 The winning Ghantoot Polo Team with HM Ambassador to the UAE Philip Parham, HH Sheikha Lubna & HE Saeed bin Houfan Al Mansouri

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Dunja AksentijeviÄ&#x2021;-Ricciarelli, David Walton Masters & Elizabeth Hamilton

Alissa Kleinnijenhuis, Christiaan de Koning & Kira Steinkraus

Joseph Hutchinson & Lucinda Armstrong

Oxford University Polo Club Ball; Blenheim Palace; Friday 6 March

Ponies and players at the Palace Amy Nizolek

Rachel Harrington-Kandt & Roberto Weeden-Sanz

The inaugural OUPC Ball was held at Blenheim Palace with players and guests from universities around the country in attendance, including Varsity rivals Cambridge University. Guests were greeted at the Palace by OUPC coach David Ashbyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s polo ponies, from the The Oxford Polo School, for a photoshoot. A champagne reception in the courtyard followed, before guests entered the Blenheim Orangery for a four course dinner, raffle and speeches from HPA Chairman, Brigadier John Wright, and David Walton Masters. The evening continued with a live band before revellers made their way back to Oxford for an after party.

Brigadier John Wright

Thor Gilje & Grace Blest-Hopley

Photographs by Elaine Zhao Photography & Nasir Hamid/simplyoxford.com

Lana Hsu, William Hsu, Jessie Jiang & Lawrence Wang

Becky Whittaker, Dan Benson, Tom Humphrey & Sarah White

Lizzie Tobin, Oli Lawrence, Toby Al-Mugheiry, Genevieve Hampson, Clifton Yeo & Caroline Gotschall Chris Fender, Florence Wood, Nusrat Laskar, Apruv Gupta, Emma Jarvis, Louis Osman, Clara Shepherd & Isabel de Andreis

Prabh Johal, Martyna Zelek & Tia Sager Betsy Glasgow & Boudewijn Wijnands

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Marketplace Ponies • Equipment • Trucks • Tack • Situations Vacant • Property

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Marcus, Andy & Ollie Cork

Harold Hodges & India Ringer

John Sach, Debs Sach, Julie Fuller & Paul Fuller

Glynn Henderson & Jenny Doherty

The Midlands Festival Ball; Rugby Polo Club; Warwickshire; Saturday 21 February

Air Ambulance fundraiser The second Midlands Festival Ball raised over £700 for the very worthy cause of the Midlands Air Ambulance. Donations for guest wrist bands and an auction of prizes which included a free flight with Rugby member Del Kang from an airport of the winner’s choice, to a hamper of the finest cuts and joints of meat from the Onley Farm Shop. Guests also enjoyed a display match of polo at the reception, before the three-course meal and a game of Heads and Tails for a bottle of vintage bubbles donated by Jane Kang. The evening continued on the dance floor with live band, 90’s Infusion, treating guests to renditions of the Spice Girls and other 90’s dancefloor fillers. Claire Hall, Emma Mortimore, Sophie Talbott, Alice Hartwell, Megan Durose, Lucia Mander, Danny Claxton & Andy Dunn

Ian Martin, Stephanie Kay, Becky Wallis & Claire Booth

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Photographs by Peter James Photography Del Kang on the dancefloor

Kio Briggs, Jamie Potter, Michael Henderson, Jeremy Pidgeon & Chris Bell

Sue & Tim Harrison Jones, Hannah Henderson & Gina Lovelock-Martin

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90’s Infusion provided the entertainment

Charlie & Jackie Morton

Polo Times, xxxxxxxxxx Kat Shrives, Hope Merritt2015 & Kate 89 Eadie

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Polo directory

Dates for your diary

What’s on in April 2015 UK highlights – Listed in date order Arena Dates: Kirtlington – Rupert Thorneloe Memorial Trophy Wicklow – USA (Yale) vs. Ireland (Open): 4–5 April Rugby – The Final Arena Challenge (6-10 & -2-2): 5–6 April DBPC – The Genesis Trophy (4-8): 11 – 12 April Rugby – T-Bone Challenge (Open): 15 April Wicklow – National Arena Championships: 26–27 April

Grass Dates: Low Goal

Ranelagh – Copa La Ranita (-2-0): 18–19 April Guards – The Spring Amateur (-2-0): 24–26 April Kirtlington – The May Cup (0-4): April 24–4 May Ranelagh – Copa Primavera (0-2): 25–26 April Tidworth – Rabbit Cup (-2-2): 25–26 April Beaufort – La Ema Polo Mallet (0-4): April 29–10 May

Open Tournaments Vale of York – San Pan Susi Vase (Open): 5 April Vale of York – Greyhound Cup (Open): 19 April

Key Dates for the Diary: Test Matches Cowdray – Cowdray St Regis Test Match (OPEN): 16 May Beaufort – International (OPEN): 13 June Guards – International – The Coronation Cup (OPEN): 25 July Chester Racecourse – International (OPEN): 5 September

High Goal Highlights RCBPC – The Prince of Wales Trophy (17-22): 6–13 June Guards – The Queen’s Cup (17-22): May 19–14 June Cirencester – Warwickshire Cup (17-22): 16–21 June Cowdray – Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup – British Open (20-22): June 23–19 July

UK Club Highlights Tidworth – The Queens’ Royal Hussars’ Cup (0-2): 9–10 May Cirencester – Gerald Balding Cup (4-8): 18–31 May Chester – The Coutts International (8): 22–23 May Guards – The Archie David Cup (4-8): 4–28 June Rutland – The Assam Cup (2-6): 11–21 June Moyne – Moyne Polo Midsummer Invitational (-2-0): 21–22 June

Polo Times, April 2015

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(Open): 21 June Suffolk – Newmarket Festival Polo Match (Open): 27 June Vaux Park – Sponsors Tournament (0-3): 27–28 June DBPC – The Fine & Country Dallas Burston Warwickshire Gold Cup (2-6): 4–5 July Norfolk – The Norfolk Polo Festival (0-4): 4–5 July Beverley – BPC Summer Tournament (0-4): 18–19 July RCBPC – The Julian and Howard Hipwood Trophy (4-8): June 30–18 July White Rose – The Yorkshire Open (0-2): 8–9 August Dundee – The Highland Ball Tournament (0-4): 15–16 August Cowdray – Holden White Challenge Cup (4-8): July 20–2 August RCBPB – The Polo Festival (7-10): July 28–9 August Kirtlington – The Budgett Everett Trophy (2-6): July 28–9 August Cambridge – Exhibition Polo Match and Ball (Open): 5 September Offchurch Bury – The Collett Cup (0-4): 5–6 September Ham – Billy Walsh Tournament (0-3): 15–20 September

Combined Services Highlights Tidworth – Adm Kumar Cup (RN vs. Eton) (Open): 2 May RMAS – RMAS Heritage Open Day (Open): 14 June Tidworth – Rundle Cup (RN vs. ARMY) & ICOA Trophy (CSPA vs. RSA) (Open): 11 July Tidworth – Captains and Subalterns (Open): 25–26 July Guards – Major Generals Cup (0-2): 28 – 30 Aug Ham – Combined Services, HAC 105 Polo Invitational (Open): 5 Sep

Other UK Dates Hurlingham Park, London – Chestertons Polo in the Park: 5 June Celtic Manor, Wales – Polo at the Manor: 13 June Watergate Bay – Great Western Railway Polo on the Beach: 26–28 June Poole – British Beach Polo Championships: 10–11 July The Willows, Essex – Dukes Polo: 11 July

International Highlights Windsor Polo Club, Australia – Australia vs. New Zealand International: 4 April Ampureden Polo Club, Spain – III Spring Cup (4-6): 3–12 April IPCPB, USA – US Open Polo Championship (26): March 26–19 April

Bloodstock Sales 2015 Brightwells, Ascot – Bloodstock Sale: 20 April Brightwells, Ascot – Bloodstock Sale: 2 June Tattersals, Newmarket – July Sale: 7–10 July Brightwells, Ascot – Bloodstock Sale: 14 July Brightwells, Ascot – Bloodstock Sale: 18 August Brightwells, Ascot – Bloodstock Sale: 6 October Tattersals, Newmarket – October yearling sale (Book 1): 6–8 October Tattersals, Newmarket – October yearling sale (Book 2): 12–14 October Tattersals, Newmarket – October yearling sale (Book 3): 26–29 October Tattersals, Newmarket – October yearling sale (Book 4): 29–30 October Brightwells, Ascot – Bloodstock Sale: 5 November Tattersals, Newmarket – December yearling sale: 23 November Brightwells, Ascot – Bloodstock Sale: 7 December

Save the Date Social Events Cheshire – Pre Season Party: 9 April Sussex – Opening Season Drinks: 10 April Ham – Pre Season Cocktail Party: 16 April Guards – 60th Anniversary Drinks, Windsor Castle: 16 April Rutland – Start of Season Drinks: 26 April Kirtlington – Throw In Party: 8 May PJ’s Bar & Grill – PJ’s Polo Party: 11 May DBPC – Opening Season Party: 16 May Guards – Polo Awards: 19 May Beaufort – The Beaufort Polo Club Cocktail Party: 20 May Edgeworth – Summer Ball: 11 July

Women’s Polo For ladies polo highlights turn to our Women’s Polo section for a full list of dates and for all SUPA, Pony Club and Young England dates please turn to the Youth Polo section of the magazine.

www.polotimes.co.uk

26/03/2015 16:16

Dates for your diary

Testing times...

Save the Date Charity Events Eastwood – Midsummer Charity Cup (6): 20–21 June White Waltham – Help for Heroes Combined Forces Trophy (-2-0): 13–14 June St Albans – Polo for Heroes (Open): 27 June Triskelion – Corporate Charity Polo Challenge: 4–5 July Vale of York – Bawtry Cup/Aurora Cancer Centre (Open): 5 July Tidworth – Best of British Polo (Open): 31 May Blueys – Charity Weekend (Open): 1–2 August

Answer -

to the question posed on our Letters page England and USA teams have battled it out for The Bryan Morrison Trophy at the International Arena Test Match in both 2009 and 2012.

Club contacts UK and Ireland CLUB

PHONE

All Ireland Polo Club

+353 (0) 1 6896732 dstone@indigo.ie

Polo directory

* denotes winter arena polo venue hTo contact the HPA, tel: 01367 242828

CLUB

PHONE

Lacey Green Polo Club

07956 525222

mfdarritchon@fibertel.com.ar

All England Polo Club Hickstead* 01273 834 315

polo@hickstead.co.uk

Leadenham Polo Club

01400 272885

jameshreeve@hotmail.com

Ascot Park Polo Club*

info@polo.co.uk

Little Bentley

01206 250435

fred@littlebentleypark.co.uk

01276 858545

Ash Farm Polo Club*

07799 812739

ashfarmpolo@hotmail.com

Longdole Polo Club*

01452 864544

jo@longdolepolo.com

Asthall Farm Polo Club

01367 860207

ashfarmpolo@hotmail.com

Luton Hoo

07934 882713

poloprive1@gmail.com

Apsley End

01462 712444

peter.pollak@btopenworld.com

Lychett Heath

01202 623985

office@lytchettpolo.co.uk

Beaufort Polo Club

01666 880510

enquiries@beaufortpoloclub.co.uk

Moor Hall Farm Polo Club*

01279 450637

alec@mhfpolo.co.uk

Beverley Polo Club*

01964 544877

info@beverleypoloclub.co.uk

Moyne

+353 85 1313224

moynepolo@hotmail.com

Binfield Heath

01491 411969

bhpcmanager@googlemail.com

New Forest Polo Club

02380 811818

info@newforestpoloclub.co.uk

Blueys Polo Club*

0771 0558485

polomanager@blueyspolo.co.uk

Norfolk Polo Club

01508 480400

office@norfolkpolo.co.uk shutchinson@tayto.com

Bunclody Polo Club

00 353 87 6605917 info@poloclubbunclody.com

Northern Ireland Polo Club

02890 727905

Burningfold Polo Club

01483 200722

info@burningfoldpolo.co.uk

Offchurch Bury Polo Club*

07816 830887

info@offchurchburypoloclub.co.uk

Cambridge County Polo Club

01223 812922

info@cambridgecountypoloclub.co.uk

Pangbourne Polo Club

07708 906810

aprice@polofix.com

Chester Racecourse Polo Club

01244 304602

ctaylor@chester-races.com

Peover Polo Club

07876 254110

polomanager@peoverpoloclub.co.uk

Cheshire Polo Club

01270 611 100

info@cheshirepoloclub.co.uk

RAF Cranwell

07739 569491

rafcranwellpoloclub@yahoo.co.uk

Cirencester Polo Club

01285 653225

kim@cirencesterpolo.co.uk

Ranelagh Polo Club*

01344 885697

polo@ranelaghfarm.com

Cowdray Polo Club

01730 813257

enquiries@cowdraypolo.co.uk

Ranksboro Polo Club*

01572 720046

joe@ranksboropolo.co.uk

CSPA

01672 5649114

markcann@cspa.org.uk

RCBPC*

01344 890060

info@rcbpoloclub.com

Curraghmore Polo Club

00353 51 387102

mkennedy@cssgroup.ie

RMAS Polo Club

07738 414133

rmas-stables-polo-oic@mod.uk

Dallas Burston Polo Club*

01926 812409

april@dbpoloclub.com

Royal Navy Polo Club

07950 328097

jockiewilson@hotmail.co.uk

Druids Lodge Polo Club*

01722 782597

abi@druidspolo.co.uk

Rugby Polo Club*

01788 817724

huw@rugbypoloclub.com

Dundee and Perth Polo Club*

07831 365 194

gillian@glockhart.wanadoo.co.uk

Rutland Polo Club

01572 724568

polomanager@rutlandpoloclub.co.uk

Eastwood

07875 743475

secretary@eastwoodpolo.co.uk

Rockett’s Castle

353 87 2520301

rcpoloclub@gmail.com

Edgworth Polo Club

01285 821695

edgeworthpolo@gmail.com

Rowley Park Polo Club*

07971 200160

carterlegeorge@hotmail.co.uk

Edinburgh Polo Club*

01314 496696

djamesjamie@aol.com

Silver Leys Polo Club

07535 697854

silverleyspoloclub@gmail.com

Epsom Polo Club*

07961 232106

epsompoloclub@hotmail.com

St. Albans Polo lub

07535 697854

info@stalbanspoloclub.co.uk

Fifield Polo Club*

01628 620061

fifieldpoloclub@live.co.uk

Suffolk Polo Club

07990 576974

aes3@cam.ac.uk

FHM Polo Club

07778 436468

fhmpolo@yahoo.co.uk

Sussex Polo Club

01342 714920

admin@sussexpolo.co.uk

Guards Polo Club*

01784 434212

polo@guardspoloclub.com

SWF*

01962 885500

info@maywoodpolo.com

Cambridge Polo Club*

07711 217004

info@haggisfarmpolo.com

Taunton Vale Polo Club

01823 480460

jstanhopewhite@aol.com tidpolo@tiscali.co.uk

Ham Polo Club

020 8334 0000

polomanager@hampoloclub.com

Tidworth Polo Club*

01980 846705

Heathfield Polo Club*

07762 069 420

chris@cscpolo.com

Toulston Polo Club

01422 372529

info@toulstonpoloclub.com

Hertfordshire Polo Club*

01707 256023

polo@hertspolo.co.uk

Vale of York Polo Club

07788 426968

info@valeofyorkpoloclub.co.uk

07703 524613

vauxpark@gmail.com

Higham Polo Club

07788 753948

sarah@highampoloclub.com

Vaux Park Park Polo Club*

Hurtwood Polo Club

01483 272828

hurtwoodparkpolo@btconnect.com

West Wycombe Park Polo Club* 01494 264725

secretary@westwycombepolo.co.uk

Inglesham Polo Club*

01367 358051

mattevetts@hotmail.com

White Rose Polo Club

01430 875767

info@whiterosepolo.co.uk

Kirtlington Park Polo Club

01869 350138

secretary@kirtlingtonparkpolo.co.uk

White Waltham Polo Club

07748 670587

kim@playpolo.co.uk

Knepp Castle Polo Club

07920 023639

info@aspectpolo.co.uk

Wicklow Polo*

+353 404 67164

siobhan@polowicklow.com

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Polo directory

Eastwood Polo Club Stokenchurch Bucks HP14 3XJ Tel 1: Tel2: Fax: Email:

07875 743475 (Polo Manager) 07841 597045 (Secretary) 01494 400118 secretary@eastwoodpolo.co.uk

Chairman: Polo Manager: Secretary: Treasurer: Chief Umpire: Welfare Officer:

Larry Frankum Andres Perez Jackie Dean Sam Buckles Toby Pejkovic Sarah Frankum

www.eastwoodpolo.co.uk 2015 Key Dates Correct at time of going to press May 23/24

Polo Managers Trophy

June 20/21

Midsummer Charity Cup

July 18/19

Eastwood Cup

August 22/23

Eastwood Charity Shield

September 12/13

Autumn Trophy

Polo Times, April 2015

PT Apr15_52-.indd 92

Image Credit: Allan Marshall

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26/03/2015 16:16

Polo directory

incorporating

Address: Crouch Lane Winkfield Windsor Berkshire SL4 4TN

We h o l d t o u r n a m e n t s e v e r y w e e k e n d ranging from -2 goal up to 6 goal with the L i f e B o o k 1 2 g o a l C h a l l e n g e i n J u l y.

C O N TA C T Tel 1: 01344 885697 Tel 2: 07957 167429

La Brava Polo also cater for your every need providing polo lessons, corporate events, horses for hire and a huge selection of equipment.

polo@ranelaghfarm.com info@labravapolo.com

labravapolo.com

ranelaghfarm.com

Tidworth Polo Club Home of Combined Services Polo Tedworth Park Tidworth Wiltshire SP9 7AH Tel: Email:

2015 Key Dates April

25th/26th

31st Rabbit Cup (-2 to 2 & -6 to -2)

May

2nd 2nd/3rd 4th 4th 9th/10th

RN v Eton (Kumar Cup) (Open) Kingsett Cup (-2 to 2 & -6 to -2) Military Ladies Tournament (Open) Intra RN Sacher Cup Queen’s Royal Hussars Cup (-2 to 2 & -6 to -2) 16th/17th Maddison Cup (0 to 2 & -4 to 0) 23rd/24th Cholderton Cup (0 to 4 & -6 to -2) 25th Royal Artillery Cup (Open) 30th RN v Taunton (Kemble Salver) 30th Almost Best of British Tournament (-2 to 0 & -6 to -2) 31st Best of British Under 25’s

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June

6th/7th

Chairman: Managing Director: Polo Manager: Secretary: Chief Umpire: Welfare:

01980 846 705 info@tidworthpolo.com

Col J. W. Denny MBE Christopher Andrews Esq Jessica Andrews Melanie Robertson James Haigh Esq Susie Richards BSc BVSc MRCVS

www.tidworthpolo.com

Correct at time of going to press Duke of York Cup (RN v RAF) (Open)

Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars Cup (0 to 4 & -4 to 0) 13th/14th Mixed Doubles Tournament (-2 to 2 & -6 to -2) 20th/21st Grenadier Cup (0 to 2 & -4 to 0) 24th - 28th Tidworth Polo Week Strategic Shipping 10th Hussars Cup (0 to 4) Queen’s Royal Lancers Trophy (-4 to 0) Presidents Cup (-6 to -2) 28th Finals Day

July

1st 4th/5th 11th 11th 12th 12th 18th/19th 25th/26th 26th

Crabs vs Cav (Open) Douglas Nugent Cup (0 to 2 & -4 to 0) Rundle Cup (RN V Army) (Open) Indian Cavalry Officers Trophy (Open) Manlein Cup (-2 to 0 & -6 to -2) Inter Regimental Final (Guards) 9th Lancers Cup (4 to 6 & -6 to -2) Captains & Subalterns Trophy (Open) TPC V New Forest(Clitherow Cup) (AWAY)

22nd/23rd La Chamiza Ladies Tournament (Open) 22nd/23rd Druids Sickle Gentlemen’s Tournament (-4 to 0) 23rd The EFG Sassoon Cup (Open) 29th/30th Frost Cup (0 to 4 & -6 to -2) 31st The AGC Tournament (Open)

September 4th 5th/6th

Grooms Instructional Tournament (Open) Full Swing Polo Trophy (0 to 2 & -6 to -2) August 12th/13th Polo Captains Trophy (0 to 2 & -4 to 0) 1st/2nd Light Infantry Trophy (0 to 2 & - 4 to -0) 19th/20th Cavalry Cup (-2 to 2 & -6 to -2) 9th/10th Kings Royal Hussars Cup 26th/27th Valete Cup (Champion (0 to 4 & -6 to -2) Team Announced) 15th/16th Canada Cup sponsored by (-2 to 2 & -6 to -2) Seriously Cool Events (0 to 2 & -4 to 0)

Polo Times, April 2015

26/03/2015 16:16

Polo directory

Classifieds

Marketplace Ponies

MEDIUM GOAL MARE 15.1h 9 years £14,000. Tel: 07781 156720. cooney@ guernsey.net. Guards/Berkshire

Equipment

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 Tel: +44 (0)7860 303217

POLO SADDLE - LA POLERA We are going out of polo due to husband’s health and have several good quality polo saddles for sale. All from Argentina. Some unbranded. £250 Tel 07710 016884 Leicestershire MEDIUM GOAL MARE 15.2h age 13 £12,000. Tel: 07781 156720. cooney@ guernsey.net. Guards/Berkshire

SUPER PONY CLUB/ LADY PATRON LOW GOAL PONY. 15hh dark bay, TB mare. 14 yrs old. Double chukkas in arena and outside. A forward going so not suitable for a beginner. Loving home essential. £2,500. Tel: 07770 594455. Hertfordshire 15.2HH DARK BAY ARGENTINE MARE 12YRS A lovely uncomplicated pony, easy to play. A real confidence giver. Solid conformation, double chukkas. Suit lady/patron/PC home. £4,500 ono Tel: 07825 170313. Hertfordshire

Polo Times, April 2015

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Transport

4 HORSE TRAILER 2007 Bought new by us. Tack room plus 4 horses Tows beautifully ( we use a Landcruiser) Excellent tyres and handbrake. Always kept indoors in a farm shed. £7,000 Email: carolinewrey@gmail.com, or call 01271 373 466 / 07766 700 904. Devon

HORSEBOX FOR SALE: 2003 DAF TRUCKS FAC F65.250 11 Horse, Newly Converted Sleeper Cab Water Tank £13,500 + VAT Test Until February 2016 Tel: 07901 857960 / 01325 332649

9 STALL VOLVO HORSEBOX – FM12 – 2002 340hp, 18 tonne. (3 horses facing forwards, 6 horses on the angle). Side and rear ramps. Rear air suspension. Crew area cut through to cab. Good condition and in constant use, same ownership for the last 6.5 years. Tilt cab facility. Plated until February 2016. £18,000 plus VAT Tel: 01984 623624 / 07836 762188 Email: alan.walter1@virgin.net

IFOR WILLIAMS FOUR HORSE TRAILER Partitioned for four polo ponies. Full main dealer service/check over 10 Feb 15. Brilliant trailer in excellent condition. £6,700. Call Tim on 07703 350072 or Email: rtm.brown5446@btinternet.com. Marlborough

HORSEBOX FOR SALE: 2005 MAN 8.155 5/6 Horse Newly Painted Test Until March 2016 £7,500 + VAT Tel: 07901 857960 / 01325 332649

FAUTRAS 4 HORSE HERRINGBONE TRAILER We have owned this Fautras for 4 years. Takes 4 polo ponies herring-bone style. Front and rear unload. Tack section. Easy to tow (we use our Landcruiser). Interior 7’4” high, 6’ wide and horse area 17’ length. £7,000 Tel: 07710 016884 Leicestershire

7.5TN TRISTAR POLO LORRY Merc 814, L reg, 6ltr 4 cylinder diesel. Tristar alu box, takes 6, 4 dividers, plated until end July 2015. no tax. ex cond. £6,500 Tel: 07891 815244 West Sussex

MAN LORRY FOR SALE 2007, 74,000km, Hydraulic ramp, Camera in main body, Number of horses: 9. £60,000 Call Robert Thame on 07836 524393

JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 5DR 4WD 2000 (X-REG), 4L, 136,000 miles. 12 month MoT. Chrome bull bars & running boards, blue, auto, petrol, tow-bar, black full leather interior, elec + heated + memory seats, A/C, elec windows, cruise control & power steering. 2 previous owners. Includes boot tray. Very well looked after, been with the same polo family for 11 years and never broken down. Would be an ideal yard or groom car. £1,450 ono. Tel: 07860 906032

Situations

POLO RAT Registration plate on retention and ready for immediate transfer Offers Invited Tel: 07860 906032

DAF TRUCK FA 45.130 HGV 2 Axle-Rigid Body 2000. Takes 3 plus a tack room. £6,500. For further information please contact Robin on 07899 947056. Beverley

GROOM SOLE CHARGE WANTED To work on friendly yard, with good exercise facilities, pitch and accommodation included. Pay competitive, 7.5T horsebox driving preferred but not necessary. Please contact Ben 07785 755223, polofarmsotogrande@gmail.com Shinfield near Reading

www.polotimes.co.uk

26/03/2015 16:16

Classifieds

Polo directory

Come and join the team Junior Editor (Full or Part Time) Working on Polo Times and The Polo Magazine

Marketplace Ponies • Equipment • Trucks • Tack • Situations Vacant • Property

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Printed by: The Manson Group Contact details Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton, Gloucestershire GL2 9LN Tel: 01452 730770 email: admin@polotimes.co.uk

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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 Publisher. ‘Polo Times’ is the trade mark of Polo Times Limited. ISSN 1461-4685

SUBSCRIPTION PRICES Print and digital subscription (inc App & Website access) UK (direct debit only) UK EU WW SUPA/SAPA

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We are looking for a Junior Editor to work on an exciting and interesting office-based role working on both Polo Times and The Polo Magazine and other polo publications. As you would expect, excellent literacy is essential, as is the ability to think laterally in order to conduct research and verify facts before publication. Knowledge of the polo industry an advantage, but equally important is a ‘can do’ attitude. The position currently is to work across our polo publications, but may evolve to cover more varied titles within our publishing stable. Salary dependent on experience.

Volume 20 • Issue 3 • April 2015 • £6.50

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100 page bumper issue ARENA INTERNATIONAL TEST MATCH

The Arena Gold Cup USA Season review Equine sinus issues & much more

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Skills/Requirements: * Previous experience of a publishing environment an advantage * Excellent written English skills, with a strong eye for proofreading detail * Use of Apple Mac with Word (good typing skills), Excel and a degree of Adobe creative suite (checking image quality etc) * Ability to interact with clients and sources by telephone and email in a friendly and efficient way * Team player with ability to manage own workload * Full driving licence, and own transport essential as rural Gloucestershire location

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Final bell

In association with Aprés Polo

Silex patron, Richard Fagan

What is your fondest polo memory? Winning the 2006 Arena Gold Cup with Jack Kidd and Tim Bown in the Los Grifos shirts. Who are your favourite teammates? Santiago Torreguitar has been my friend and longest-serving teammate since I started in polo. However, I am fortunate to be playing with some super up-and-coming guys: Santi Cernadas, Richard Le Poer, Max Hutchinson and Mike Henderson, to name just a few. Who is your hardest opponent? Equus. They are probably the best-organised and funded medium goal team in Europe. Favourite polo venue and why? Sotogrande. Arguably the best fields and weather in Europe for polo.

Which sports do you like outside of polo? Rugby and football. I am a big Arsenal supporter. When I lived in the UK, I had season tickets and I used to go to the games with Jamie Morrison (another Gooner). Favourite film? Godfather Part 2. It contains the answers to all of life’s problems. Favourite album? The Smiths, The Queen is Dead. Most prized material possession? I don’t have one. Who has had the biggest influence on your life? My father’s mother. An amazing and tough lady. What has been your proudest achievement to date? Teaching my son to swim when he was two-years-old.

Tony Ramirez/ www.imagesofpolo.com

The Silex polo team has been a major competitive set up in Sotogrande in recent seasons, but you would have also heard patron, Richard Fagan’s name at St Moritz, here in the UK and through his championing of Irish polo. The 1 goaler shares his polo passions and future aims for team Silex. Which is your favourite pony in your string and why? Rey, a gelding brought over from Argentina to Europe by Santi Cernadas. For a time it was thought that Rey might not be able to play polo after the journey, but after 12 months rest, he made a full recovery. He has a fantastic temperament, is very quick and lateral, and, like most geldings, has the ability to tolerate a very long season. In the last 12 months, he has played in Sotogrande, Madrid, Seville, Chantilly, St Moritz and England – he’s now enjoying a well-earned break before the summer season starts in earnest! What makes you angry? Bullies. Which polo person offers the best advice? John Horswell. Where do you go for a polo-free holiday? Not sure I have had one of those in the last 10 years, but I do love Cape Town. What are your aims for the Silex team? To win the medium goal Gold Cup in Sotogrande. What do you think is the most important problem to address in polo? Poor behaviour and attitude towards umpires.

Polo Times, xxxx 2015

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Locations – 25 de Mayo & Pilar

Locations – Atlanta

Locations – Lacey Green Polo Club

Polo Holidays

Polo School & Clinics

Pony Hire

Tournaments

Livery

Lodge

Tournaments

Golf, ﬁshing

Polo Management

Corporate Days

Horse Sale

+54 911 5180 1759

+1 770 330 1459

+44 7947 725 305

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