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Contributors: Lorna Edgar, Dr.med. Andreas Krüger, Rege Ludwig, India Parker-Smith, Tony Ramirez/ ©www.imagesofpolo.com, Emma Sheridan, Paul Stalker & Rosanna Turk
Cover photograph: Leading The C.V. Whitney Cup in scoring, Facundo Pieres accounted for eight of Pilot’s goals in the Final. By David Lominska
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Sir Winston Churchill’s famous words, “A polo handicap is a passport to the world” have been repeated many, many times before, (least not which on this page) and will almost certainly go down in the annals of polo truisms, but reading through this issue of Polo Times , which reports on polo played on almost every continent, the big guy’s adage is most definitely true as we have polo news from six out of seven continents: Asia, North America, South America, Europe and Australia.
Testament to this is that just as this issue was going to press, the English team (James Beim (6), Tomas Beresford (7), Max Charlton (6) and Mark Tomlinson (6)) were getting ready to fly the flag and play against the U.S.A. team in The Westchester Cup, Wellington, Florida. First inaugurated 137 years ago in 1876, let’s hope that Team Captain Tommy Beresford, along with Beimy, Max and Marco will be triumphant and successful in bringing home the stunning Tiffany & Co. silverware.
When so much in the news is of gloom and doom – and in some cases very justifiably so – it is reassuring to learn that polo gets played on Slovakia’s ski slopes, quite literally after the last skiers have finished their last run and that the Korea Polo Federation, (which was formed in August 2022) is aiming to change perceptions and popularity of polo in Korea. Of course, these two countries have been ravaged by conflict and beset by turmoil in our lifetimes, so it is reassuring to see polo blossoming. The humanitarian advancements which have occurred in these two countries in the last ten years, must surely give optimism that the suffering in Ukraine can and will be assuaged.
As we work hard to get ready for the 2023 polo season which beckons, I cannot help but feel a sense of guilt that we are free from harm, living in our very cosseted lives of modernity. Therefore, we must all do our bit –whatever that might be – to ensure the candles continue to burn brightly for the courageous Ukrainian nation, so that they may see peace again, and very soon.
Keep well and play safe
Nick Hine, Publisher
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland, H.E. Massimo Baggi, Swiss Ambassador to the UAE and Bahrain, in collaboration with Reto Gaudenzi, Founder & CEO World Polo GmbH, organised a friendly polo match in Dubai on Sunday 19 March at Ali Albwardy’s Desert Palm Polo Club. Team Dubai defeated Team St. Moritz/Switzerland, 5-3 and after the prize-giving the 150 guests enjoyed delicious food and cocktails.
UAE vs Switzerland Invitational Teams: Team Dubai (6): Ali Albwardy (0), Nawaf Shahin (1), Saoud Khoory (1) & Juan Pedro Heguy (4) Team St. Moritz/Switzerland (4): Piero Dillier/Daniel Savary (0), Massimo Baggi/Katja Grauwiler (0), Nick Rogerson (2) & Janik Oertli (2)
The Players’ Cup will be played over 24 June – 2 July and will allow players to train and play alongside 10 goaler, Sapo Caset. Four days of training, which includes the ‘10 Goal Polo Day’ on Monday 26 June, will be followed by a three day tournament, all while receiving feedback from your instructor.
Bellamar Pampa Norte comeback, but by the fifth and sixth chukkas, it was Lavinia who were controlling the action with Carlos María Ulloa and Manuel Giménez Villamil commanding the team from the back and combining well with their forwards, Ramon Cassino and Jack Whitman to secure Lavinia their first Thai Polo Cup title, 10½-4.
The Hipwood and Rocksavage, which have previously been Junior HPA tournaments, will now be merged into the Pony Club from this season onwards, while the Buckmaster section will be discontinued. The format of Hipwood and Rocksavage will remain unchanged, with three and four chukka matches on private grounds over 4 – 17 July, which will allow players to also compete in other Pony Club tournaments. Hipwood and Rocksavage players will be required to be members of both the HPA
and Pony Club; all Pony Club members less than 3 goals will play a flat rate of £50 for their HPA membership. Andrew Barlow, Chairman of the HPA Development and Coaching Committee, commented, “A vital HPA role is to promote grassroots polo and the development of young polo players. In combining the previous Junior HPA with Pony Club tournaments, this allows us to enhance our long-term objectives of promoting talent for the benefit of all players and the sport in the future. With generous
The Westchester Cup is one of the biggest rivalry competitions in polo with England and the USA going head-to-head for the prestigious trophy since 1876. The Westchester Cup has been played 19 times in its 137-year-old history, with only seven of these since World War II.
Best Playing Pony of the Final: Alberta Belvedere, played by Carlos María Ulloa
Santiago Llavallol & Carlos María Ulloa
After a three year hiatus, The Westchester Cup will return on Friday 31 March at the USPA National Polo Center-Wellington (NPC) in Florida. The Cup, created by Tiffany & Co., is currently held by the USA after they defeated England 9-8 in overtime in 2019 to capture the title, which was the USA’s first victory after four consecutive wins by England. Over the years, USA has 12 wins while England has seven.
Gaston Lucero & Federico Martelli
financial support from Park Place this new partnership enables us to focus on our structured development pathway whilst wholeheartedly supporting and promoting Pony Club Polo”. For more information on Pony Club polo please contact Charles Whittington, or for Hipwood and Rocksavage specifically contact Jilly Emerson.
The two teams have been announced with James Beim, Max Charlton, Mark Tomlinson and Tommy Beresford (Team Captain) representing England and Matt Coppola, Nico Escobar, Jeff Hall, and Jared Zenni lining up for USA.
The England team is filled with players who have plenty of experience in The Westchester Cup: Beim and Tomlinson combined forces to win the 2013 Westchester Cup, while Beresford and Beim won the 2018 edition.
RAISE Polo, a Polo Times Knowledge pages contributor, has been
Charlton commented, “The mental side of polo is huge, and I think
Fair Play Award: Carlos Braun
MVP
The game will be played using the players’ world’s highest handicaps, meaning that players will compete on their highest handicap on record. For England, all the players’ English handicaps match their world’s highest handicap level. For USA, several of the players will be handicapped based on their Argentine rating. The Westchester Cup Teams: USA (25): Matt Coppola (5), Nico Escobar (6), Jeff Hall (7) & Jared Zenni (7) England (25): James Beim (6), Tomas Beresford (7), Max Charlton (6) & Mark Tomlinson (6)
what Stalkie does is to really get us wanting to play the sport we love. issues and nerves. One thing I haven’t had is issues or nerves.”
Authorised by the OISC Ref No F201400827
Over 3 – 5 March, four teams competed in The Villa Erdődy Snow Polo Cup 2023 organised by the Danube Polo Club in cooperation with the HBH Group directly on the slopes of the ski resort Orava Snow - Oravská Lesná. Oravská Lesná, a small mountain village in Slovakia’s north-west corner hosted the tournament which was
played directly on the ski slope after the skiers were finished each day. “Our initial goal was to bring something new to this beautiful mountain environment in the village of Oravská Lesná and to have a good time with our friends from the club and from abroad. Neighbouring countries organise snow polo tournaments regularly and we
The Korea Polo Federation was founded in August 2022 and is aiming to change perceptions and popularity of polo in Korea. The KPF is based out of Korea’s only polo Club, Korea Polo Club. KPF has focused on supporting young, up-and-coming Korean players as well as welcoming new potential players to the sport – KPF plans to foster young players and support youth polo teams and already has 50 new members.
would like to introduce the tradition of winter chukkas in Slovakia as well“, commented Ladislav Agárdi, president of the Slovak Danube Polo Club.
Team Green (Slovakia): Barbara Rárbovská (0) & Lucia Simásková (0)/Lukás Zatko (-1)
Team Red (Slovakia): Alexandra Benčíková (1) & Ladislav Kollar (-1)/ Tibor Horvath (-1)
Team Blue (Poland): Marianna Olbrych (1) & Jacek Baranowski (-1)/Kasia Baranowska (-1)
Team Yellow (Poland): Pawel Olbrych (1)/ Pablo Ribeiro (-1) & Grzegorz Zawada (-1)
Over 1 – 6 May USA, Argentina, Morocco, France, Austria and Uruguay will take part in the inaugural FIP World Arena Polo Championship at La Carona Polo Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina which will be a 10 to 12 goal tournament.
The writer of letter of the month wins a bottle of British Polo Gin @britishpologin 18 years and over & UK addresses only
Dear Editor
On 26 February The Junior Gold and Silver Arena Cup tournaments were held at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club.
The Junior Gold Cup was played first and it was incredible and inspiring to watch Sniper Polo (Logan Anderson, Hector Rogberg and Lucas Stern) go against La Mariposa/Elemental (Rafi Bruckner, Tani Darritchon and Charlie Hipwood). The game was very fast and technical and Tani was on point with his turns and he was awarded MVP. La Mariposa were winners of the Junior Gold Cup.
I played in the Junior Silver Cup with my Dever teammates Ocean Williams and Charlie Hipwood. It was a very well matched game against Froggy/Elemental consisting of Rafi Bruckner, Dante Khawam and Elana Khawam.
Froggy/Elemental started the game with a 2 goal lead on goal difference and took an early lead in the first chukka but by the end of the second chukka we had equalised at 6-6. I narrowly missed a goal with a big shot from the half-way line, defended by Rafi Bruckner. The score was very close until the final chukka when we all scored some great goals and I scored a very surprising back hand goal and then Charlie widened the gap by scoring a few goals close together. In the last minute of the game the ball was at our end of the arena, Rafi attempted to clear it but left it behind and I took the opportunity to take a shot and scored, taking the score to 15-10 and a win for Dever.
It was my first Junior Silver Cup and I was very pleased to win and also amazed to be awarded MVP. I have known Charlie for a few years but we didn’t know Ocean and sometimes it’s difficult to play with people you don’t know but we all got on and played really well as a team and our confidence grew throughout the game.
The whole day was incredible and a big thank you to Mariano Darritchon for letting me use his horses and grooms and also for some great advice that definitely helped my game. The empanadas from the cafe kept me going all day. Also thank you to Nicki Blakely and Charlie for letting me ride one of their horses.
Q: Schools and Universities Polo Association (SUPA) was created to promote and develop polo in schools and universities throughout the UK and is a popular route for players to hone their skills outside of other youth programmes such as Pony Club, but what year was SUPA founded?
A: Turn to page 61 to check your answer.
90 SUPA Schools players descended upon Rugby Polo Club for both The SUPA Senior National Arena Championship and The SUPA Ladies School National Championship on Sunday 5 March. With a busy day of polo on the schedule, the organisers utilised both the indoor and outdoor arenas from an early start of 10.30am! This year’s Championships welcomed new event sponson, Glion, who provided prizes for all the division winning teams and all of the players who competed also took home a Polo Times magazine and SUPA beanie hat. For all the results, plus more information form the day please turn to our Youth Polo pages.
w Photograph by Emmpix
Where: Grand Champions Polo Club, Florida
The All-Star Challenge: 7 – 26 February
The Founders Cup: 23 February – 12 March
The Palm Beach Open: 8 – 26 March
The Tommy Hitchcock Legacy Memorial: 2 April
The Triple Crown of Polo: 22 March – 15 April
The Beach Polo World Cup Miami Beach: 21 – 23 April
The 2023 World Polo League (WPL), the only 26 goal series played in the USA, began on Tuesday 7 February at Grand Champions Polo Club with eight teams, featuring some of the most recognisable names in polo such as Castagnola, Pieres, MacDonough, Nero, Caset, Zubia and Elizalde to name but a few, competing across two leagues for a place in the first WPL Final of the season.
After nearly three weeks of action, the finalists were decided as Casablanca, who began the tournament as the underdogs of the tournament, and Richard Mille, who had won the tournament in 2021 and were the tournament favourites. However, the pundits were on the wrong side it seemed as Casablanca had managed to gain a 5-3 lead by half-time through a combination of strong defensive plays, capitalising on Richard
Mille’s mistakes and minimising their own misdemeanours as Grant Ganzi commented, “We just capitalised on every mistake they made. We made very few mistakes. I thought we worked really hard to create so much space for Barto [Castagnola] or whoever was getting the ball. We worked and rotated really well and it just kind of clicked.” The second half saw Richard Mille turn up the heat as they took advantage of penalty opportunities and managed to tie the scores at 7-7 going into the fifth chukka, however Casablanca played their best horses in the last two chukkas which saw them increase the pace and their goal scoring capabilities to outscore their opponents four goals to one in the fifth chukka and three goals to one in the sixth chukka. This last-minute attack proved vital and Casablanca ran out the winners with a decisive 14-9 win.
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On Saturday 25 February the grandstands at Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club filled with brave spectators willing to take on the piercing wind to watch three exhilarating games of polo.
First up was The Silver Cup between Ojo Caliente and Regenall. The teams were neck and neck throughout but with Ojo Caliente one point ahead with just one minute to go in the fourth and final chukka it looked like they would be walking away the winners, but Tyrone scored an impressive 2 pointer which put Regenall into the lead. However, Ana Escobedo retaliated in the dying seconds and scored an equalising goal pushing the match to over time. After a well fought two minutes, Tyrone managed to get past the tough defence of Good and put away the winning goal to secure a 20-19 win for Regenall.
Last but certainly not least, the Arena Gold Cup 2023. Voelker and his team, Tchogan, made a convincing start and won the first chukka 5-0. However, the Hyde/ Henderson duo were quick to strike back during the second chukka and the match finished the first half with Tchogan just one goal ahead. With the tension building during the second half, it was obvious how much both teams wanted the victory, both scoring an impressive seven goals each in the third quarter. Tchogan slowly started to extend their lead during the final chukka but two goals in quick succession from Chichvarkin and Hyde put Hendonism back in the running, unfortunately for them though it was too little too late and Tchogan ran out The 2023 Arena Gold Cup Champions by just one goal, 19-18.
Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club would like to thank their sponsors; Arbuthnot Latham, Knauf Jewels and HWM Aston Martin.
The C.V. Whitney Cup is the first leg of The Gauntlet of Polo, which sees teams pitted against one another for three months in three tournaments – The C.V. Whitney Cup (12 – 26 February), The USPA Gold Cup (2 – 26 March) and The U.S. Open Polo Championship (29 March – 23 April). There is considerable prize money up for grabs with $50,000 for both The C.V. Whitney Cup and The USPA Gold Cup and an enticing $100,000 for The U.S. Open Polo Championship winner. Also, in partnership with USPA Global Licensing will select a charity of their choice from 10 non-profits
and both charities of the winner and runners-up will receive a $2,500 donation.
This year’s C.V. Whitney Cup saw 12 teams compete across four brackets with 2019 winners Pilot returning to try and retake the title from 2022 champions Park Place, while Valiente entered the tournament for the first time since 2018, determined to add a fifth title to their name.
The Final saw 2022 USPA Gold Cup and U.S. Open Polo Championship winners Pilot face four-time C.V. Whitney Cup winners Valiente, who returned to The C.V. Whitney Cup for the first time since 2018; both teams had enjoyed undefeated runs to the Final
match, although it had by no means been an easy journey for Pilot with some narrow goal margins along the way, including a nailbiting 12-11 win against Shack Attack in the Semi Final.
Pilot’s Facundo Pieres is always a force to be reckoned with and he swiftly scored three goals (two penalties and one field goal) to get his team off to a quick start, however Lucas Criado Jr. and Mariano ‘Peke’ Gonzalez replied with a goal apiece at the end of the chukka to bring them within one goal of Pilot, 3-2. Valiente went from strength to strength and the second chukka saw them take the lead, while simultaneously
managing to hold Pilot scoreless, 5-3. Both teams scored a goal apiece in the third chukka to bring the scores to 6-4, but Pilot needed to up the pace if they were going to put a spanner in the works for Valiente. An even fourth chukka saw the two goal margin maintained, but a field goal from Lucas Escobar in the fifth chukka saw Pilot move to within one goal of Valiente going into the final chukka. Pieres broke through the Valiente defence and tied the scores 9-9 at the start of the sixth chukka, but Gonzalez rapidly replied with an impressively nimble goal to re-take the lead for Valiente.
Although Pilot tried to find their way to goal, the clock ticked down and Valiente managed to hold onto their lead and secure their fifth C.V. Whitney Cup title. After the match, Adolfo Cambiaso commented on the strengths of their opponents, “Obviously they have Facundo [Pieres] – they’re already strong with that. We believe in our system, we’ve been playing pretty good the last two
or three games. We believe in our game. We were more thinking about what we were going to do than [what] to expect about them. I think the first half we did pretty good, and in the second half they did better. They came back, we made some mistakes –we were lucky to end up winning.”
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Second Final in the series completed
The World Polo League’s frenetic pace continued with The Founders Cup Final, played just a few weeks after the opening Final of the series, The All-Star Challenge Final – turn to page 12 to read more about this – the second Final saw Audi face Richard Mille on Sunday 12 March at Grand Champions Polo Club. Eight teams competed in this year’s tournament and both finalists enjoyed undefeated journeys to the Final, although Richard Mille had to alter 50 percent of their line-up for the Final due to injuries in the Semi Finals, which saw Patricio Mayor replace patron Gilberto Sayao and Lucas James replacing Alejandro Novillo Astrada. Unsurprisingly, this line-up change appeared to set Richard Mille back and by the fifth chukka they were trailing by five goals, 13-8, however the team began to click and they scored three goals in the opening minutes of the sixth chukka and substitute Mayor secured the equalising
goal with just over four minutes left on the clock. Neither team was able to convert their opportunities in the closing minutes of the last chukka, which forced the Final into overtime, an unexpected outcome for Audi who had looked so dominant at the start with their aggressive and offensive attack. In the end, Audi’s Marc Ganzi clinched the win with a 30 yard penalty conversion in overtime, Audi’s Nic Roldan commented on their opponent’s comeback, “That sixth chukka happened so quick I don’t know what happened. We kind of got comfortable. They scored two quick goals and came out really strong in that sixth chukka and we were a little bit soft. But look, at the end of the day we won and we’re happy about that because we know we played well and we deserved it,” Roldan said. “It’s always good to be on the podium and it was fun to win. Our team feels good and everyone is playing great. It’s a fun team to play with.”
UAE Polo have had a very successful season in Dubai this year, which bodes well for their future tournaments in 2023. Fresh from their IFZA Silver Cup win at the start of February, they had an incredibly strong journey to the Final of The IFZA Gold Cup where they faced a similarly strong IFZA Habtoor. This year’s Final was a replay from 2022, which saw UAE Polo narrowly defeat Habtoor Polo 9-8, although there were slight line-up changes on both sides from last year with Brit Matt Perry joining the IFZA Habtoor side and Faisal Yabroudi and Mín Podestá sporting UAE Polo shirts.
UAE Polo’s Tommy Beresford, who will also be playing with the team in this year’s UK high goal season, opened the scoring in the Final, but IFZA Habtoor’s Juan Jauretche and Bautista Bayugar swiftly replied with a goal apiece and their success continued into the second chukka with a further two back-to-back goals from Bayugar. However, Beresford once again stepped in and managed to level the scores at 4-4 by the end of the chukka. The third and fourth chukkas saw the advantage flit between both sides, but UAE managed to pull away and gain a narrow one goal lead going into the fifth and final chukka, 7-6. UAE Polo worked hard in the last chukka with Lukin Monteverde and Beresford managing to create a three goal cushion by the mid-chukka point, yet IFZA Habtoor weren’t willing to give up and Bayugar scored another goal. However, Monteverde quashed all hopes of a comeback with a decisive goal for UAE Polo, who took the win 10-7.
After a two-year break, the annual tour which is steeped in 40 years of friendly rivalry between Barbados and Cheshire was action packed. The first game played at the Holders ground turned out to be an exciting match drawing level at 7-7 with outstanding play from 4 goal player Charlie Walton pivoting and captaining the Cheshire team.
The second game played at the Apes Hill was played off 4 goals, with Charlie using his team members to maximum effect with Steve Jones and Steffan Groch doing great work mid field marking much higher handicapped players; Lucy Coddington at number 1 receiving numerous exceptionally long passes up the ground from Charlie, which resulted in a 10-2 convincing win.
Sunday 5 March was all set for an entertaining Final, large crowds in attendance lined the touch lines with the Clubhouse and roof top stand overflowing. The Final was played off 8 goals against the best of Barbados, Cheshire with a 7 goal line up received a half goal; Jamie Dickson captained the Barbados team and Charlie Walton again in charge of Cheshire with team mates Steve Jones, Lucy Coddington and Pablo Crispin. Lots of great play from both teams but individual play from both Charlie and Pablo ensured victory for the Cheshire side who took the game 6 ½ goals to 3.
At the presentation Lucy Coddington thanked the Barbados Polo Club for their generous hospitality, remembering those we have lost over the past years, in particular Sir Charles Williams and Kent Cole and took great pleasure in receiving the Mickey Hutchinson Memorial Trophy from his daughters.
Tickets for The 2023 Rundle Cup on Saturday 8 July are now on sale, with just a few Top Bank Picnic Pitches left. The Rundle Cup is the largest military polo event to date and the day includes three polo matches, a military band, REME parachute display, shopping village and food vendors. This year will also see the return of the After Party with British Polo Gin providing refreshments all day and into the small hours too, so don’t miss out and get your tickets today. For more information and for tickets, visit tedworthparkpolo.com
This year, from 8 – 18 June Chantilly Polo Club, created in 1995 by Patrick GuerrandHermès, will host The Polo Nations Cup, a first in France. The 10-12 goal tournament is open to teams representing a country, a region, or a state of the world. Teams will be selected by their respective federations and may have up to two foreign players per team.
Congratulations to Vallex (Inge Burke, Rohan Ford, Byron Watson & Ned Hine) who secured the Victorian Polo Championship with a 7-4 win against Rathgormack (Jack Berner, Ed Matthies, Anthony O’Leary & Oscar Kelly).
Event catering company Lush by Tom Kerridge, in partnership with Searcys, has been appointed the official caterer for the Guards Polo Club from spring 2023. The events caterer, founded by the famed Michelin-starred chef, will take over the hospitality services for the Club’s upcoming events, with Searcys providing catering at the Clubhouse restaurant from spring 2023. Tom Duffy, General Manager at Lush by Tom Kerridge commented, “We are delighted to be working with the Guards Polo Club on its upcoming events programme as we mark the next step of our partnership with Searcys. As a highly respected venue, the team and I will be bringing only the finest food and events to its guests and members across our menu packages.”
Electric Polo Team (Sarah Braune, Simon Crotto, Francisco Crotto & Felix Esain) defeated GMC 10-8 to secure the fourth edition of The Thai Polo Weekend Tournament. Eduardo Mazza received the Fair Play Award, Felix Esain was chosen as the Most Valuable Player, Marcolina played by Genaro Ringa was the Best Playing Pony and Open Soldan, played by Simon Crotto, was the AACCP BPP.
On Sunday 9 April, Windsor Polo Club will be hosting a day of international and high goal polo. The day begins with The Junior Open between NSW and South Island NZ, followed by The Women’s Open between Australia and England and finally Australia vs Argentina in The Men’s Open.
Rutland Polo Club has made the decision to freeze Membership subscription rates for 2023 in light of the tough financial climate. The Club’s 2023 AGM date has been announced as Sunday 2 April at the Edmondthorpe Social Club (LE14 2JU) at 12pm. A light lunch will be served immediately after the meeting, to book your lunch tickets click here. The Club has also confirmed their 2023 Fixture List which sees chukkas starting on 14 April and the first tournament, The Spring Cup, on 6 – 7 May.
The Mitre Cup was created in 1944 by the newspaper La Nación as a permanent tribute to its founder, Bartolomé Mitre. This year The Gold Cup was won by Altamira who defeated La Fika 15-8, while Centauros defeated Chapo Uno II 11-4 in The Silver Cup Final.
The Mitre Gold Cup Final Teams: Altamira (20): Beltrán Laulhé (4), Lorenzo Chavanne (4), Francisco Irastorza (6) & Santiago Laborde (6)
La Fija (19): Felipe Martínez Ferrario (6), Simón Pioltino (2), Alejo Aramburu (6) & Gastón Beguerie (5)
The Mitre Silver Cup Final Teams: Centauros (19): Marcos Rivarola (3), Ignacio Rivarola (4), Juan Monteverde (6) & Juan Cruz Losada (6)
Chapa Uno II (17): Ollie Cork (4), Lucas Bosch (4), Bautista Ortiz de Urbina (6) & Santiago García Guerra (3)
On Saturday 4 March, Grand Champions Polo Club defeated Orea Polo in over-time with a 10-9 win in The Top Pony 8-Goal Final. 16-year-old Miki Novillo Astrada, son of former 10 goaler Miguel Novillo Astrada, tied the match with just over two minutes remaining and then also scored the gamewinning goal in over-time and was hence chosen as the Most Valuable Player.
The Halo Polo Trophy was also played on Saturday 4 March at Santa Rita Polo Farm and saw an undefeated Brookfield Farm secure a very narrow 6-5½ win against Santa Rita with Grant Ganzi selected as the Most Valuable Player after scoring five goals.
The Top Pony 8-Goal Final Teams: Grand Champions Polo Club (8): Fran Spinacci (0), Miki Novillo Astrada (1), Antonio Aguerre (1) & Max Charlton (6) Orea Polo (8): Petra Sobotova (-1), Justo Mourino (3), Justin Daniels (2) & Mati Busquet (4)
The Halo Polo Trophy Final Teams: Brookfield Farm (6): Sophia Doble (-1), Facundo Frayssinet (2), Grant Ganzi (3) & Alex Webb (2)
Santa Rita (3): Artemio Figueras (0), Fran Spinacci (0), Florencio Lanusse (-1) & Pablo Spinacci (4)
James Moylan, the Club’s Most Improved Player for the Arena Season 2022/23
Congratulations to James Moylan who has been chosen as the Club’s Most Improved Player for the Arena Season 2022/23. He began lessons in 2022 and played his first grass chukkas at the end of the summer and then enjoyed a packed arena season which included polo overseas.
Six teams competed in The Crescent Polo Beginner’s Tournament
On Saturday 18 March, Crescent Polo hosted the first all-Chinese polo Beginner’s Tournament in Britain at Ash Farm Polo Club on a sunny Saturday. Six teams
and eighteen players competed across two divisions during the friendly but fiery competition. In the end, Crescent Polo Team took home the upper division title
On Sunday 19 March, Bangash Bhansali defeated Habtoor Ankora 11½-8 in The Dubai Challenge Cup Final, the third phase of The Dubai Gold Cup Series. Habtoor Ankora’s Jose Riglos opened the scoring with two brilliant back-to-back goals, however two successful penalty shots from Bangash Bhansali’s Tomas Iriarte ended the first chukka with Bangash Bhansali ahead by just half a goal, 2½-2. Habtoor Ankora fought back and took the lead in the second and third chukkas, but goals from Rishi Bhansali, Iriarte and two goals from Federico Von Potobsky sealed the 11½-8 win for Bangash Bhansali. Iriarte was chosen as the Most Valuable Player and Camarera, played by Riglos, was named Best Playing Pony.
and Crescent Green edged Ash Farm to win the lower division. The Crescent Polo Beginner’s Tournament showcased the growing interest and bright potential for Chinese polo players in the UK. It is also a great indication of a bright future for the growing polo community for Chinese polo players globally.
Founded by Joey Zhou in October 2022, Crescent Polo’s mission is to attract more Chinese to join polo, improve horsemanship and create a vibrant polo community. Crescent Polo is determined to build the foundation to revive the sport that once was an essential part of Chinese heritage and history in China.
The Argentine Polo Association (AAP) has announced that underage players will be authorised to play official tournaments and/or sponsored by the AAP in the Senior category from the age of 13-years-old on the date the contest began. Additionally, players who turned 13-years-old after 1 January of the current calendar year must have at least a 1 goal handicap to play in official tournaments and/or sponsored by the AAP in the Major category. Therefore, this mandatory minimum handicap does not apply to those players who have already turned 13 years old prior to the beginning of the current calendar year.
The USPA Polo Development, LLC Junior Committee hosted the USPA Junior Open Final for the second consecutive year to showcase the talent of young players with Wind Swept and Dutta Corp/Show+ demonstrating their skills in a five chukka match.
Wind Swept took an early lead, working quickly to build their momentum, but Dutta Corp/Show+ responded by increasing their own offensive efforts which meant that by half-time the scores were only one goal apart with Wind Swept ahead 4-3. Poroto Cambiaso worked diligently in the second half to increase Wind Swept’s lead, he scored eight goals during the match and was later named Most Valuable Player, while 15-year-old Rufino Merlos (the youngest player taking part) also found his way to goal in the fourth chukka. Penalty conversions from Leon Schwencke and field goals from Ignacio Arbelbide meant that Dutta Corp/Show+ remained in contention, but their efforts were not enough to close the gap and Wind Swept ran out the winners, 10-7. Dolfina Cauta, a seven-year-old mare owned and played by Cambiaso, was chosen as the Best Playing Pony.
Following on from the success of the event, the USPA Junior Open will return again for 2024.
The USPA Junior Open Final Teams:
Wind Swept: Harrison Reicher, Rufino Merlos, Poroto Cambiaso & Santos Merlos
Dutta Corp/Show+: Leon Schwencke, Nico Diaz Alberdi, Ignacio Arbelbide & Timmy Dutta
On Sunday 26 February the fourth annual Junior Arena Silver and Gold Cups were held at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club. The Junior Arena Gold Cup Final for under 18s was played between Sniper Polo and a Berkshirebased La Mariposa/Elemental, with Sniper Polo one goal higher than their opponents on handicap. Sniper Polo’s lofty shots found their way out of the arena towards the neighbouring gardens rather than to goal every time, which allowed a competitive La Mariposa/Elemental to take the win and with it lift high the trophy. The Junior Arena Silver Cup for under 16s
saw Gold Cup teammates Rafi Bruckner and Charlie Hipwood on opposing sides for this contest in a challenge between the two teams which were full of friends. Monty Threadgold put in a stellar performance with goals aplenty for La Mariposa/Dever which helped secure the win for his team – to read more about MVP Threadgold’s experience of the day, please turn to the Letters pages. A fun day of competitive youth polo in the might Berkshire arena was had by all.
On Sunday 5 March, 90 players took part in The SUPA Senior National Arena Championships at Rugby Polo Club. The SUPA Ladies School National Championship was also held on the same day as the Seniors, which made it a very full day of youth polo.
Gill Glimmerveen (SUPA Section Manager for Ladies Schools)
summarises the day’s success:
“The SUPA Senior National Arena Championships at the Rugby Polo Club Arenas were a roaring success once again. It was a real treat to welcome the Glion Institute of Higher Education as the sponsor of the 2023 SUPA Arena Nationals for the first time. It’s always good to have a new sponsor on board, and we were thrilled to have them join us.
The excitement was palpable as the seven divisions were packed with school teams and individuals, some of whom had journeyed from far and wide to be there for the 10.30 am start. The SUPA Ladies School National Championship was also held on the same day as the Seniors and intermingled seamlessly with the Senior chukkas. From the Beginners experiencing their first competitive tournament to seasoned pros competing in their final SUPA Schools Arena Tournament before they head to university and join us at the SUPA University Tournaments, it was a day full of adrenalinefuelled action.
SUPA has embraced the Play Polo app to share live tournament information with our members and spectators. It’s a game-changer! With the app downloaded
to your phone, everyone could check the current chukka number, see which teams are playing, and even get automatic match updates when matches have been played. It’s the ultimate tool for keeping track of all the action on tournament days. Thank you Benji for your support and help throughout the day.
There was hearty support from the sidelines. The stands were packed with cheering parents and family members, adding to the lively atmosphere in both arenas. It’s always great to see the positive encouragement from the crowds – it really gives the players that extra boost of confidence to give it their all. The final chukka of the day in the outdoor arena is always the Open Final, this year played between Cheltenham College and Harrow School. This chukka is always
fast and furious with both teams eager to taken the coveted title of SUPA Open Arena Champions and this year’s Final did not disappoint.
A close score in this hard-fought chukka indicates that both teams played at a high level, with a strong emphasis on defence and strategy. The final was highly competitive, with neither team willing to give up an inch of ground to the other. Eventually Harrow emerged victorious 1-0, a close score indicating that the match was a true battle of skill, endurance, and mental toughness.
All 90 players who participated in the Championships received a Polo Times magazine and a super SUPA warm beanie hat.
The seven division winning teams also received a giftbag from sponsors Glion, which added an extra level of recognition and celebration for their achievements.
Open Champion Winners Harrow received padded gilets sponsored by Black Hound Sports. Jose from the Radley A team was recognised as the Most Promising Player and was awarded leather knee pads from the Worshipful Company of Saddlers, a fantastic achievement for Jose and shows his skills and potential as a polo player. These fantastic gestures of support from the SUPA sponsors adds an extra layer of recognition and celebration for the winning teams, a great example of how sponsor support can enhance the experience of players and add value to the tournament. Our sponsors
Glion, Black Hound Sports, the Worshipful Company of Saddlers, RJ polo and Polo Times play a vital role in supporting and promoting the sport of polo, and initiatives like this show their commitment to the sport and its grassroot players. SUPA are most grateful for their continued support.
So, SUPA did it again! With non-stop action, enthusiastic support from sponsors, players, parents, umpires, school polo managers, pony hirers, and cutting-edge technology the 2023 SUPA Arena Nationals were nothing short of spectacular.”
Beginners
1st – Stowe
2nd – Heathfield Emeralds
3rd – Radley C
4th – Stowe D
Novice Ladies
1st – St Mary’s A Team
2nd – Westcroft Park
3rd – Kings High School
4th – Heathfield Sapphires
5th – SUPA Ladies
Most Promising Player Jose (Radley A)
Novice Senior Schools
1st – Radley B
2nd – Millfield
3rd – Shrewsbury School A
4th – Sherborne Grey
5th – Shrewsbury School B
Intermediate Green
1st – Sherbourne Blue
2nd – Felsted
3rd – SUPA Inters
4th – Stowe C
Intermediate Red
1st – Cheltenham Ladies College
2nd – Harrow School
3rd – Marlborough College B
4th – Cheltenham B
Open
1st – Harrow
2nd – Cheltenham College
On Saturday 4 March, La Fe defeated San Saba 9-5 to take home the 2023 Tabebuia Cup. Both teams were similarly matched and the scores were tied throughout the first half. The second half saw La Fe pull ahead so that they went into the last chukka leading by one goal, 5-4; the final chukka saw goals from every player in the La Fe team which allowed them to secure the win. La Fe’s Winnie Branscum was the Most Valuable Player and Dawn Jones’s Pulga was chosen as the Best Playing Pony.
The 2023 Tabebuia Cup Final Teams:
La Fe (24): Pamela Flanagan (5), Hazel Jackson (10), Hope Arellano (8) & Winnie Branscum (1)
San Saba (24): Dawn Jones, Kylie Sheehan (5), Izzy Parsons & Gillian Johnston (6)
The idea of hosting The Jaipur International Ladies Polo Tournament first arose in December 2022 and the tournament began on Wednesday 8 March at Jaipur Riding and Polo Club, which also coincided with International Women’s Day. The aim of the tournament was to encourage and increase the number of female polo players in both India and the rest of the world, a total of four international teams (UK, Ireland, Czech Republic and Jaipur) competed in the tournament for The Jaipur Gold Cup; Katy Hayward, patron of the UK team commented, “It is an honour to be playing for our country in a ladies tournament at Jaipur Riding and Polo Club the same week as international women’s day. The opportunities in Polo for women have increased in the last few decades and being able to play somewhere with such heritage in the sport is a beautiful way to celebrate.”
The Final was played on Sunday 12 March between Ireland and the Czech Republic and saw the players thundering up and down the ground in a fierce contest which saw the score tied at 4-4 in the fourth chukka, but as the seconds ticked down it was Ireland who scored the winning goal to take the win.
The Jaipur International Ladies Polo Tournament Teams:
UK (1): Charlotte Sweeny (1), Katie MacKeith (0), Tamara Gibbons (0) & Lola Barlow (0)
Ireland (-1): Nell Macaire (-1), Blondie Horan (-2), Siobhan Herbst (1) & Natasha Tismininsky (1)
Czech Republic (-4): Josephine Lorenz (-2), Filippa Lundman (-1), Amelie Polanova (-1) & Victorie Polanova (0)
Jaipur (-6): Shivangi Singh (-2), Vijayashree Shaktawat (-2) , Sanjula Maan (-2), Monique van Haarst (-2) & Rajvi Sen (-2)
Paul Sweeney Memorial Final Teams:
On Sunday 19 March, The Women’s Cup (Copa de la Mujer) Finals were held at the Alfredo Lalor de Pilar Headquarters; The Gold Cup saw Las Palmeras defeat La Dolfina Amanara 14-5, La Violeta beat San Diego Fundación Schoonem 8-6 in The Silver Cup and La Estrella Polo Champagne defeated La Higuerita The Polo House 9-6 in The Bronze Cup. Luisa Del Carril was The Gold Cup Most Valuable Player and Jazmïn Dupont was The Silver Cup Most Valuable Player.
Twelve Oaks (4)
Tatty Wooldridge (0)
Georgia Sweeney (1)
Rosina (4)
Ola Kelly (0)
Will Newman (2)
The Women’s Cup (Copa de la Mujer) Final Teams:
The Gold Cup
Charlie Wooldridge (3)
Charlie Simpson (2)
Las Palmeras (9): Mora Condomí Alcorta (1), María Gallego (0), Paulina Vasquetto (3) & Luisa del Carril (5)
Chukka Score: 3-2, 5-5, 11-11, 14-13, to Twelve Oaks
La Dolfina Amanara (9): Isabella Menéndez (0), Chiara Nally (1), Olivia Zucchi (2) & Paola Martínez (6)
The Silver Cup
La Violeta (9): Mora Erdozia (0), Catalina Tomasevich (1), Alexia Laprida (5) & Martina Gadea (3)
San Diego Fundación Schoonem (10): Lynly Fong (1), Sofía Fernández Danvila (0), Pauline Schaer (3) & Jazmín Dupont (6)
The Bronze Cup
La Estrella Polo Champagne (10): Luisa Goti (0), Juana Pando (3), Dayna Waechter (4) & Felicitas Fernández (3)
La Higuerita The Polo House (10): Teresa Santillán (1), Stephanie Haverhals (4), Cornelia Haufele (3) & Delfina Santillán (2)
The Queen’s Cup Pink Polo Final was played at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club on Saturday 11 March to raise funds for the Queen Sirikit Center for Breast Cancer Foundation. Thai Polo defeated Milano Polo 6-2½ in the 14th anniversary of the tournament.
For Women’s polo dates for your diary, turn to our What’s On pages
On 28 February myself, Alice Walsh, Kristina Karailieva and Lottie Harper travelled to Hyderabad, India, courtesy of Galaxy Impex, to take part in the 2023 HPRC International women’s Arena Cup organised by The Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club (HPRC) and Polo Yatra by Huntre! Equine of Manipur. We were met by an American team from the USPA and an Indian team from the IPA, who looked to be great opponents, and we were instantly welcomed to the Club with brilliant hospitality.
I picked the team to try and provide balance across all areas of arena polo. Alice is a great attacking player and deadly and calm in front of goal. Kristina is a fantastic allround player who I knew would gel well in the No. 2 spot. I had played with and against Lottie a few times at Druids Lodge Polo Club and knew her to be, as well as a fantastic player, a really cheery person who would be able to help the team and slot in anywhere,
should the need arise as the travelling reserve. We had not played together as a team before we left for India, so it was a justifiably nervous team flying out!
A walk around the Club revealed the huge stadium housing the arena, which was unusually as wide as it was long. The surface might have made Martin Collin’s palms sweaty, being a few inches of sand on concrete. It played extremely well however, with no horses slipping at any point and the ball travelling very well.
Despite the jet lag, the team were up early on the first day to try horses, with coordination from Mitesh Mehta and Khader Siddqui, with Mitesh having travelled especially from The Amateur Riding Club in Mumbai to assist with the tournament. There were over 100 horses at the Club for us to choose from, and we were so grateful to the organiser and grooms for their tireless efforts in matching us up with mounts that we felt comfortable on. Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club hosted us for our entire stay and we couldn’t be more grateful to them for their generosity.
The Club also put on a Novices Tournament which enables the reserve players to play along with local mixed players and those in the other international teams. It was wonderful to watch the talent of the local players, who are specialist on this surface and are familiar with the horses. Lottie said it was very different to playing at Druids Lodge Polo Club, and that she had a great time! The Inhabit Arena Polo Cup of the tournament was won by Team Galaxy Impex.
Our first international match was the same day, where we took on the USA. We had been looking up the players on Instagram to try and get a sense of how they played and came up with a game plan. The game went really well, and I was especially pleased with how well we communicated. It’s a magical feeling when a team gels, and there’s no better time than in an international tournament! The final score was 10-2.
In the evenings we began to get a sense of the camaraderie at the Club. The games were played in the evenings, finishing at around 9pm, in order for it to be cool
enough to play. However tough the matches were, all the players convened together and shared beers and stories afterwards. It was a great privilege to get to know everybody.
The next day was against the host nation, India. We were confident with a win under our belt, and I was proud of the team to come away with a 16-4 win. The Indian girls played brilliantly, especially considering they were unfamiliar with arena polo, and Priya from Manipur had only ridden Manipuri ponies before, and never a ‘full-size’ polo pony.
In between games there was a press meet, a lavish dinner party hosted by H.E. Raunaq Yar Khan, and visits to some incredible cultural monuments around the city like the Charminar. Hyderabad is a buzzing city full of huge companies like Microsoft, Google and Amazon who all have their India headquarters in the city, whilst also being steeped in incredible history. Definitely worth a visit.
And so, on to the Final. We were very nervous, as the weight of expectation was on us. Another reason as to why I wanted Kristina to come is that she is currently studying sports psychology and was really able to help us to channel our nerves into a positive outcome for the game. In the first two chukkas the USA took us by surprise, having much improved since our first game against them. We didn’t play with the same flow we had been in the previous games, and so re-grouped at half time. The last two chukkas were a joy to play in, and we ended the game 18-5. I was really proud of the team, and to all of the players who conducted themselves with such grace. The whole team would like to extend our thanks to the many people who made the trip possible. To Chaitania Kumar of the Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club, who generously hosted us for our stay. To Suresh Khandelwal, CEO of Galaxy Impex, who
generously sponsored our flight costs. To L. Somi Roy and Ed Armstrong of Polo Yatra by Huntre! Equine who facilitated much of the organisation. And finally to Khader and Mitesh for their excellent organisation and care of the horses, and to the many grooms who kept the show on the road.
Team USPA: Sheryl Sick, Madelyn Cobb, Carolyn Stimmel & Reserve: Cecily Coors
Team IPA: Chaya Vaibase, Jaithra Kakarla, Monica Saxena, Neelu Rajkumari & Moirangthem Priya Devi
Team UK: Alice Walsh, Kristina Karailieva, Rosanna Turk & Reserve: Lottie Harper
Where: The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, Berkshire
The Ladies British Open Final formed part of the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club’s packed polo day on Saturday February which saw not one, not two but three Finals played. Despite the chilly February temperatures, the finalists were well-supported. The Ladies British Open Final was played after The Arena Silver Cup Final which saw Hilali Noordeen’s Regenall secure a 20-19 win against 2022 finalists, Ojo Caliente – to read more about The Arena Silver and Gold Cups, please turn to the Reports pages.
Genevieve Meadows was the only player from 2022 returning to defend the title (she was part of the 2022 Asian Art winning team with the Sweeney sisters) and this year joined forces with her own sister, Saskia.
Orchard Farm began with a four goal handicap advantage, so Angels Polo Team had a lot of work on their hands from the offset, yet they appeared unperturbed and by the end of the first chukka had managed to take the lead 6-4. Orchard Farm tried to break through, but the higher handicap of Angels Polo Team showed its strength as they led throughout and ended on a convincing 19-7 score to take the 2023 trophy.
The 2023 U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship began with a week of competition at Port Mayaca Polo Club (Okeechobee, Florida) and culminated with the Final which took place on Sunday 19 March as the National Polo Center-Wellington, which was an historic moment for women’s polo as this was the first time the Final was played as the featured Sunday match on the famous U.S. Polo Assn. Field One – Pamela Flanagan commented, “This is huge for the women, and I hope it stays like this for years to come. It’s an uphill battle, but we’re here, we made it. I think we put on a great show. It shows how it’s growing and how people are taking it seriously, and I’m just proud to be a part of that.”
The Final between La Fe and Dundas saw not only two British 10 goalers (Hazel Jackson and Nina Clakin) facing each other, but also a return for 2022 victors albeit on opposing sides for this year’s Final with Hazel Jackson and Pamela Flanagan teaming up again while Mia Cambiaso would be lining up against them on team Dundas.
La Fe had certainly put in the pretournament preparations, working together since the start of the season, trying out many horses, team meetings multiple times a week with Julio Arellano as well as team workouts with Chukka Wellness, you can see India’s advice in this month’s article on page 56. However, Dundas is notoriously well-mounted and the combination of Cambiaso and Clarkin meant that La Fe would need to strike early to counteract these strengths; this is something which La Fe managed to do with quick field goals from both Arellano and Jackson to take a 2-1 lead. Yet this seemed to only motivate Dundas to push harder and a duo of goals from Cambiaso from the field and penalty line meant that by the end of the second chukka Dundas had moved into the lead, 4-3. A team regroup and focussing on their pregame strategy of opening out the field meant that Arellano and Jackson were able to score six combined goals in the third and fourth chukkas, leaving Dundas struggling
to catch their breath. Arellano commented, “It’s really kind of my and Hazel’s style to hit and run. So going into this game we were like, ‘let’s hit, let’s run, let’s spread the field.’ Playing on Field One, we really got to open it up—play our game. When we got our runs, the plan was for one of us to always stay back. We didn’t really do that so well in the first two but we got it together.” Heading into the fifth chukka Dundas tried to begin a comeback but it was too late in the game and their goals were matched by their opponents; La Fe’s relentless pressure secured them a commanding 12-6 win. As well as the title, La Fe also earnt $30,000 in prize money, Most Valuable Player Hope Arellano was presented with a Rolex Air-King reference 5500 from the 1950s, presented by Wind Vintage Owner Eric Wind and Christine Wind. In the spirit of philanthrophy and in partnership with USPA Global Licensing, both finalists also received a $2,500 check to donate to a polo charity of their choice. La Fe chose to support Replay Polo, while Dundas contributed to Work To Ride.
“Let’s hit, let’s run, let’s spread the field”
Hope Arellano
A well-prepared La Fe reap the rewards
Dr.med. Andreas Krüger is a Swiss board orthopaedic and trauma surgeon in Zurich, who specialises in knee and shoulder surgery. Andi is a second generation of tournament doctors for equine sports, known as Polodoc since 2013
Polo is played by all age groups. Some of the middle-aged players already have some general medical risks or issues where thinning of the blood can apply. Some people use blood thinners after a long Welcome Night at a tournament to ease the hangover during the day. No clear statement exist for the use of blood thinners in contact sport.
For a hard blow against the head or a fall from the horse and resultant injury or fracture with the need for surgical treatment, blood thinners can be challenging and dangerous.
For several decades, low-dose aspirin has been widely prescribed for primary prevention of heart diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Aspirin is also widely used by many people as a primary headache and flu medication. The reasoning behind the use of aspirin, is its property to block inflammation and irreversibly inhibit platelet function and the clotting of the blood. Simultaneously, however, aspirin increases the risk of bleeding, particularly in
the stomach or the bowels or following an accident. Hence, persons with a high-risk potential of bleeding – including a history of gastric or bowel bleeding or stomach problem, aged over 70 years, low platelet count in the blood, other accompanying diseases and concurrent use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen or Advil – should be particularly careful in not taking aspirin unnecessarily. This holds true also for anyone involved in high-risk sports and who enjoy a fast polo chukka.
It is well known that aspirin is potentially beneficial in people with proven heart disease. For example, aspirin can be highly beneficial following a heart attack as it prevents further complications. However, in a normal and particularly heathy older population over 70 if aspirin is not indicated, it can be dangerous. Yet, inappropriate use of aspirin occurs in almost 30 percent of all persons taking the medication according to the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.
Indeed, falling off a horse while taking aspirin and particularly combined with
other medication such as corticosteroids (cortisone), Corticosteroids, Ibuprofen (Advil, Brufen, Motrin IB, others), and some antidepressants, such as clomipramine (Anafranil) and certain Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Paxil, Brisdelle, Pexeva) can significantly increase the risk of bleeding and intracranial bleeding. No pain, no gain! Sweat and tears are a part of the game, but better without the blood. Hence, talk to your GP about starting or discontinuing aspirin use.
For players without heart diseases and not at high cardiovascular disease risk there is no evidence that aspirin reduces adverse cardiovascular events and could increase bleeding.
Avoid combinations of medications with potential influence on bleeding events when exercising high risk sports, like polo.
Use pain and flu medication like paracetamol without increasing the bleeding and hematoma risk.
A specialist in General Internal Medicin with an Inderdisciplinary focus of Sports medicine located at Klinik Hirslanden, Zurich. Email: anna.erat@hirslanden.ch
The following are recommendations mirror results of multiple scientific studies:
• Aspirin should be avoided as headache medication in high-risk sports.
• Low-dose aspirin should not be administered for primary prevention among adults at any age with additional bleeding risk in high risk sports.
For more information on Polodoc contact Andreas Krüger at drmedkrueger@gmail.com or www.polodoc.ch
• Low-dose aspirin might be considered for primary prevention of ASCVD in select high risk adults aged 40 – 70 years who are not at heightened bleeding risk.
• If any blood thinning is indicated, be aware of increased bleeding risk and take precautions like carrying an emergency pass.
I am actually referring to the horses here, and yes they have evolved to think of their stomach, hence why they are grazers or ‘trickle feeders’ and not meal eaters. They don’t have a stomach that stretches, they constantly produce gastric acid and they only produce saliva when their molar teeth are grinding… so in essence, what I actually mean is, are you thinking of their stomach?
What do these buckets illustrate? The majority of us can visualise these buckets filled with water, but I am wanting to use them to illustrate the amount of gastric acid the horse produces in 24 hours.
fibre, causing loose, ‘smelly’ droppings – all resulting in a horse in discomfort which is unlikely to perform to its best, and eventually can lead to increased risks of ulceration in the stomach and hind gut.
More and more people in the wonderful world of polo are taking this into consideration in their management, which is great, but there are still more that need to adapt.
Approximate size and shape of a rugby ball where ‘food/forage’ only sits for 20 to 30 minutes before passing through to the small intestine. The bottom half of the stomach has a ‘protective layer’ to the stomach lining, however in the top half there is no protective layer of stomach lining and this is where ulcers are more likely to form – however, there are other areas of the stomach also affected by ulceration.
• Feed plenty of forage, allowing 24 hour access is ideal
• Small holed haylage nets if you don’t want to allow them ad lib access off the floor
• Be aware that good quality hay or haylage will not impact performance
• Choose good quality forage = soft and leafy NOT stalky and coarse
• Think of the forage as part of the ration, not just ‘bulk’
• Tailor hard feed to complement forage, not vice versa, to get perfect condition and performance
• Remember that prevention is better than cure!
Two and a half buckets of Gastric Acid = 36 litres
Just under one bucket of Saliva = 12 litres
And yes, that is how much they produce over 24 hours – whether food is present or not, the acid is continuously being produced. However, saliva is only produced when they chew.
So, when I am constantly questioning how much forage is being consumed and whether forage is being restricted, it really is for a reason. In nature, the horse would always graze to ‘buffer’ the acid, by the production of saliva and chewing of fibre. If forage is restricted for long periods of time, or muzzles are being used, gastric acid is still continuously being produced and bubbling in the stomach.
Eventually, gastric acid makes its way through to the hind gut, disrupting gut bacteria which affects efficient digestion of
Hopefully a little light is shed on the fact that horses really do think (and need) food, glorious food all the time!
Harry Muddle (4 goals)
“My main playing string always have free access to forage in their stables – my head groom Carlos, will never let them stand with empty nets! Once the grass comes through the majority of my horses will live out at night during the summer so they can constantly graze and stretch. They all seem to thrive from being managed like this and their performance is not affected negatively at all. I actually find they perform a lot more consistently, rather than feeling too hot and fresh if they have a few quieter days of polo, for instance.
At Burningfold in general, we are able to make use of the 100 acres of grazing and keep the horses out in the fields as much as possible, with haylage constantly available when stabled in the day.”
Tom Beim (4 goals)
“Our head groom, Matti, ensures our horses all have free access to their forage and we always try to ensure they have good quality haylage to ensure it complements their hard feed. We use hay racks to encourage the picky ones to eat more, but those
that have ‘greedy tendencies’ have small holed haylage nets to slow down their rate of eating and makes sure the haylage lasts longer.
All the horses live out at night, and when Zac was playing in the high goal, they also lived out, allowing them time to stretch and graze. Zac and I don’t find the performance of our horses is hindered in any way from the amount of forage they eat – we are mindful of reducing the risks of gastric ulcers, and they actually always seem very relaxed and content in their stables and they travel well with haylage nets”.
Max Hutchinson (4 goals)
“Over the last few years I have become really mindful of gastric ulcers and have changed a few areas in our yard management to ensure the horses have free access to their haylage. We are fortunate enough to have plenty of turnout, so we try and get the horses out as much as possible as well, especially after they have played to allow them to stretch, relax and graze. Our horses all travel with haylage nets as well, again allowing the constant access to forage when they are playing a lot, travelling a lot and needing to maintain their condition over a busy season – it all helps to promote happy healthy athletes, in my opinion!”.
Understanding what it takes to overcome fear and self-doubt has been at the root of Paul ‘Stalkie’ Stalker’s personal transformation. He has proven experience of working with Polo Teams, Patrons and individual players for the past two years achieving outstanding results. With individual clients, Stalkie’s aim is to untap, nurture and focus their passion and potential on becoming the best versions of themselves in all aspects of their lives, whatever their starting point
• Your team isn’t hitting goals – literally and metaphorically
• There are communication breakdowns and tensions in your team
• There is a feedback gap between players/manager/patron
• Morale and motivation are low
• You and/or your team are simply not enjoying your polo life
• You want your team to go from good to great, or great to world-class
• You have a team vision that you want to bring to life but don’t have time/energy/ buy-in to do so
• You want support and ideas to create a winning formula to deliver sustainable high performance and success
Getting to grips with challenges like the above is where a mindset coach will really deliver maximum return on your financial and emotional investment. And it all starts with a diagnostic.
Ever since introducing my mindset coaching into polo a few seasons ago, there are two questions that I regularly get asked by patrons, coaches and managers which I will be focusing on in this article.
1) Does my team really need a mindset coach?
There’s a common view that an elite sports coach really earns their money when things are going badly, when results are poor and change needs to happen. This occurs across all elite sports, with increasing regularity. It’s the reason that the average tenure for a Premier League football manager currently stands at just two years and four days – 50 per cent shorter than the average tenure 10 years ago. Expectations are getting higher, patience is getting lower. The consequences of failure are harsher.
It’s also why elite coaches in tennis, golf, boxing and many other professional sports
are given a cut of their client’s tournament winnings. Success is often measured in the short term and in pay packets. Of course, this happens in polo too. I generally receive more SOS calls from patrons and managers who are putting out fires rather than building a vision for sustainable, long-term success.
I call this the Red Adair syndrome. Paul ‘Red’ Adair was a larger-than-life American oil well firefighter who became a global media sensation through his ability to innovate and successfully extinguish and cap the most hazardous of global oil well blowouts. This included extinguishing 117 on-fire Kuwaiti oil wells in a nine month period after the 1991 Gulf War – he was 76-years-old at the time. Red, who always wore a red boiler suit, triumphed in over 2,000 incidents in his spectacular career.
My initial answer to question 1 is to refer to a few tell-tale signs in your set-up, such as:
A Diagnostic involves working with patrons, managers and players to find out what processes and behaviours a team needs to stop, start and continue doing to achieve sustainable excellence.
To build a high performing polo team that grows successfully, sustainably and joyfully together, you will always need highly motivated players, playing for you for the right reason. David Morley, ex-England Coach and ex-HPA Polo Pony Welfare Chairman who I work alongside at the Wascosa team, describes this as “promoting being a family”.
This involves consistent investment in intangibles such as their mindset, health and wellbeing, trust, resilience, accountability, behaviour and enjoyment levels.
A Diagnostic involves the swift gathering of qualitative and quantitative data about your
team. Together we will detail challenging areas and those of excellence, with recommendations of what to stop, start and continue doing. This means you have a true benchmark for your team’s performance from which to build and measure improvements. Your needs are discussed at an initial free discovery conversation with me. Once your needs are agreed, the Diagnostic is drawn from a combination of tools to best suit your current team environment and communication channels. These include…
One-to-One player/coach/patron/wider team interviews
• To provide feedback (both positive and negative) on the internal health of the organisation
• To measure player motivation and satisfaction
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Fast and highly effective metric to gauge player commitment and loyalty
Five Dysfunctions assessment
• Sure-fire way of measuring and strengthening the levels of trust, healthy debate, commitment, accountability and results in your team
DISC Behavioural Profiling
• DISC is a self-evaluating assessment to understand communication styles, driving forces and patterns of current mindset and behaviour
With a polo team diagnostic completed, we can then agree and set about a programme to implement the tools for change and improvement, based around the practical routines and day in the life of your team and players. Some sessions will be classroom-based, individually and together. Some will take place alongside existing training routines, some will be ‘tent-based’ on and around match days, some will be more social – whatever combination suits the intended culture best.
As a mindset coach, triumph for me isn’t just about extinguishing fires and capping wells – which usually involves fixing the stubborn mental, communication and team culture barriers mentioned above – it’s about achieving sustainable excellence. This is the vision that Wascosa’s patron Philip Mueller set out to achieve during his team’s first full season. In season two, Wascosa reached at least the Semi Final in every big tournament and the pillars are now in place to land his vision in the coming seasons.
Which leads me to the second most common question I get asked by the patron and manager community:
2) How do I know that any short-term success you have with my team will last?
The answer to this is our bespoke Team Success Formula.
Team Success Formula
Whenever I work with a polo team, the outputs of working together are always gathered in a polo team bible – the ultimate best practise user-guide for patron, coach and team unity for now and seasons to come.
Having a specified formula for running your polo team provides the golden thread in bringing your team’s vision, mission and values alive.
It sets out your expectations and goals for the team and the strategies, processes and behaviours required to deliver championship success.
Working in partnership with RAISE Polo, we will capture the very best version of all aspects of your operation in a single userfriendly document (online and hard copy) –the ultimate user guide for your current and future team.
Your Team Success Formula will help you to coach and embed the on-brand mindset and tools that your team need to play to the very best of their ability. Fulfilling their personal and professional potential under your guidance will guarantee their energy and loyalty.
What does a Team Success Formula Look Like?
Here is a snapshot of some typical content of a Team Success Formula currently being used by one of my polo teams: Heritage
From past to present, your heritage makes your team unique and helps to establish a common purpose for your team to buy into. Team
Meet our team – a profile of everybody who contributes to your team environment and success, from driver, groom and horses to patron, personal trainer, manager and players. Vision
Our one to three year plan – a set of agreed on and off field goals that will roadmap the
growth of your team and set targets for the forthcoming seasons.
Our Core Values
Four to five fundamental values that will underpin the attitudinal and behavioural standards expected of all team members. Also, outlining how each of the values can be best brought alive within the team’s daily activities.
Our Way of Playing
Tactics and plays journal. Playing to our strengths, managing weaknesses and intel on opposing teams.
Winning Mindset Coaching Programme
A complete breakdown of our eight Winning Mindset coaching modules with accompanying workbooks, tutorials, videos and journals.
Winning Health & Vitality
The basics of a healthy body for optimum polo playing, including modules on hydration, nutrition, avoiding toxicity and maintaining a fit and relaxed body.
What Our Technical Training Looks Like Team training sessions, watching the game together and feeding back our experiences and ideas.
What Our Match Day Looks Like
Kit discipline, division of labour, timings, relax and warm-up routines and running order. The outcome of RAISE Polo’s mindset coaching is to set player and team potential free, nurture and focus it, enabling it to flourish on and off the field. Our own formula for this is:
Growth Mindset, Mental & Physical Resilience = Peak Polo Performance & Pleasure of the Game
By the time Red Adair died in 2004, he had been the subject of countless newspaper articles, two books and a film. He even had a rock band named after him. His mantra was: “Never fear a job, always respect it, and always leave yourself a hind door to escape”
So far, I’m on my fifth Polo Times article, I too have written a couple of books and have been the subject of a TV documentary, but that’s where the (sort of) similarities with Red end. Successful mindset coaching is not about leaving yourself a hind door to escape, it’s about demonstrating accountability until the coaching is engrained in common practice.
PIC: CROP IN CLOSER SO NOT SO MUCH GRASS; _DSF2927 Edit.
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CAPTION: Wascosa follow Raise Polo’s performance coaching formula
CREDIT: Photograph by Jack Stalker
Join Stalkie’s Free Webinar: Raising Your Polo Game Stalkie will be sharing three of the top tips that have supported two of the teams he’s worked with this season, achieve new heights. Register by emailing polotimes@rygp.co.uk with your name, contact phone number and team name. Please follow the QR code to see a short Introduction video clip
Emma K Sheridan specialises in equine photography and equine therapies. Having qualified in Equine Integrative Support Therapies with EMA Ltd in 2019 and taking numerous CPDs to further widen her equine therapy knowledge, Emma has a wealth of knowledge which she will be sharing with Polo Times readers in a series of articles, covering topics such as Equine Integrative Support Therapies and Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy)
Prior to the Session
– When a session is requested, a time and date for the first session to take place will be mutually agreed.
– Next there will be a series of questions about the horse, their current situation, and their history.
– You will then be requested to contact the horse’s vet prior to the session to gain their approval, in some circumstances this is simply out of respect and in some circumstances this is required.
– Prior to the session, based on the information you have provided, a session plan will be created by the therapist (this might be adapted on the day because the session is led by the horse).
– Upon arrival for the session the information will be checked and all relevant paperwork undertaken.
– An introduction to the horse will take place.
– The best location for the session will be agreed, this is an area where the horse is comfortable and relaxed and won’t be disturbed during the session. Usually, a stable with chain across the doorway works well, but the facilities available and horse’s personality will be accommodated. The horse will not be tied up and has free choice to move away and communicate at all times during the session.
– The horse requires access to clean, fresh drinking water and their usual forage at all times during the session.
– The session equipment and kit will be set up.
– The pace of the session will be determined by the horse, some sessions last approximately an hour and other sessions may last up to approximately three hours. Plenty of time must be put
aside for the session. The session should ideally be at a time of day when the horse is relaxed, the yard is quiet, and also there are no distractions, e.g. feed time.
– The session will include the offering of a selection of compounds, possibly including: herbs, minerals and powders, hydrosols, absolutes, CO2 extracted compounds, macerates and essential oils. The horse may choose to select the offerings, or they may choose to decline the offerings. Parts of the sessions are often incredibly interesting for the owners whilst watching!
– It will be requested that the horse has the rest of the day and the next day off work to ‘process’ their session.
– The number of sessions required is entirely dependent on the individual horse. Some horses will show positive changes after just one session and some will require a series of sessions. Personal experience so far has shown some significant positive changes in some horses following three sessions, and those are still being seen up to 10 months later in those cases (future progress will be monitored). From my point of view as a therapist, the ideal scenario is to never have to see a horse again, even though from a personal point of view I love seeing all their faces! The reality of life is that circumstances change, situations change, requirements change and, also, seasons change, so the option of future sessions is available if and when needed, possibly for something entirely different than was the initial focus in the first session(s).
Obviously, each case is individual, in some there will be marked improvement and in others it may be far more subtle. I have included a wide range that I have worked
with to show the types of situations that sessions were requested for.
Dylan
Horse information: 17-year-old, cob, gelding. Had had some thrush in hooves. Had an infection the previous year, thought possibly to be related to a cracked tooth, that was cleared up with antibiotics.
Personality: Good temperament, quite chilled.
Goals: General boost.
Number of sessions: Three.
Feedback from owner: The selections the horse made were very interesting based on his history. The owner said he seemed a bit more chilled than usual, and his coat was shinier.
Horse information: 16-year-old, mare. Had been sensitive to touch and sometimes seemed possibly as if presenting with hormonally driven behaviours.
Personality: Super sensitive horse (in an energetically beautiful way), quickly communicates her feelings if not comfortable with something.
Goals: Reduce soreness to touch, release emotions/improve mood, help balance hormones.
Number of sessions: Three.
Feedback from owner: Shinier coat, owner said had seemingly been less hormonally triggered and was overall more relaxed.
Ramos
Horse information: 16-year-old, cob, gelding. Had been on Ventipulmin for a period of time a couple of years ago. Has had cough and mucus for at least eight years (sometimes mucus on stable door in morning and heard occasionally coughing on yard and after being mounted). Had low grade laminitis in 2020.
Personality: Really chilled out, not phased, very subtle with reactions.
Goals: Improve respiratory, assist digestive.
Number of sessions: Three.
Feedback from owner: After the three sessions the mucus and coughing completely stopped (for the first time in at least eight years). The feedback was that he is still the same 10 months on, no coughing and no mucus.
Horse information: 18-year-old, Anglo Arab, gelding. Had an accident, hit by a tractor, as a youngster. Owner said he has arthritis in one hip. Has seasonal allergies that cause respiratory issues, the last ten years had been a real struggle at times over spring and summer. The owner had tried all sorts, and eventually found an herbal supplement two years ago that helped a bit to try and manage the symptoms better than previous years, but there was still room for improvement in the owner’s opinion. The owner had decided to try not giving him the supplement that she had used the year before, neither before, not during, nor following the botanicals sessions.
Personality: Gentle, loving, sensitive, very open, sure of his choices, not rushed, seemingly comfortable in his own skin.
Goals: Improve respiratory issues, assist arthritis management, digestive improvement.
Number of sessions: Three.
Feedback from owner: We started sessions just at the point the owner thought the seasonal respiratory and allergy issues were about to start. Following the three sessions, the feedback was that the horse has not presented with any of the usual symptoms! Progress will be monitored over time but he passed through spring and summer with no symptoms when the issues would usually occur.
Bentley
Horse information: Nine-year-old, Dutch Warmblood, gelding. Suspected past emotional trauma. A super sensitive lad. Previous check ligament injury. History of ulcers and bloating.
Personality: Anxious but willing. He was super interesting to work with because I had to adapt my practice slightly to accommodate his emotional needs.
Goals: Help improve digestive system, reduce bloating, calm mind (and release past trauma), help body repair post injury.
Number of sessions: Three.
Feedback from owner: Seemed more relaxed and less easily startled in the field after the sessions. Check ligament was reported to have healed well (credit to the owners who are experienced in rehab). Looking good in himself.
Email: equergy@gmail.com
@equergy
I trained with IAAT (www.academy-iat.com)
Horse information: Seven-year-old, cob, gelding. Was abandoned in a car park as a young foal. Has had sweet itch for several years and it was getting worse each year.
Personality: ‘Lovely but quirky’, ‘good but cheeky’, gregarious, constantly looking for stimulation.
Goals: Reduce impact of sweet itch, digestive system boost, boost immune system.
Number of sessions: Three.
Feedback from owner: He had apparently been much better following the sessions and only had a few small bites on occasion (this was fed back over the three months following the sessions during the time when the sweet itch would usually be at its worst). Much better than previous years. Also, overall, he seemed a little more chilled in himself. He allowed an owner to go into his stable and sit with him whilst laying down, whereas in the past he’d have immediately got up. Following the sessions, the owner decided to remove him off his calming supplement, when she had tried previously he had been unable to concentrate.
Disclaimer: As always, in all circumstances of health issues with your horse, first and foremost consult your Vet! Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy) is a type of ‘alternative therapy’, it is absolutely NOT a substitute for Veterinary care and pharmaceuticals. The information in this article does not intend to diagnose or prescribe. Any advice or information given within the article is done so in good faith but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. The article is written based on UK practices. The laws in other countries with regards the practice of Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy) may vary - always seek legal advice in relation to the practice relevant to your country.
India Parker-Smith is the founder and owner of Chukka Wellness which provides the leading training and movement methodology designed for the equestrian athlete to enhance suppleness, stability and strength in the saddle. India is a Personal Trainer who offers online and offline fitness training designed to elevate the well-being of the equestrian athlete. Using her knowledge of seven years she has created a series of masterclasses, a virtual membership hub and online training programmes all designed to complement the equestrian’s health and wellness both in and out of the saddle. You will find more information on India’s services on her website www.chukkawellness.co.uk and Instagram page @chukka_wellness
Rider Recovery is equally as important as equine recovery. We spend a huge amount of time ‘post game’ looking after the horses, addressing any injuries, fuelling them with water, electrolytes and food, hosing them down and monitoring them right up until bedtime.
This season why not spend as much time on your own recovery and perform better in the saddle?
Here are our top tips on how to improve rider recovery not just after the game but inbetween chukkas.
Consume electrolytes throughout the day and within the 40 minutes running up to the game.
Water is the carrier of nutrients and waste material, a thermoregulator and lubricant. All transportation in the body and cellular exchanges happen through water and it enables vascular function and blood circulation.
In a hot environment, sweating can make you lose up to one to two litres of water per hour. This water lost contains sodium and electrolytes. With prolonged sweating you lose more water compared to sodium which increases sodium levels in the blood. This then draws water out of the cell leading to dehydration.
Hydration doesn’t only include drinking water, it’s also about maintaining cellular hydration, blood volume and electrolyte status. Being just 2 per cent dehydrated can impair coordination and cognitive tasks. Good hydration equals optimal blood volume, supplying oxygen to heart, brain, skin and working muscles. This can only be achieved when electrolytes are all in balance.
Drinking purely plain water will not recover true hydration as it doesn’t replace the sodium, electrolytes, potassium, magnesium, chromium.
The absorption of fluid and electrolytes is better at rest than during exercise. This also reduces the rise in body temp, reduces sweat and water/electrolyte loss during competition.
Benefits of Electrolytes:
• Reduced perceived exertion & feelings of fatigue
• Reduced rise in core temp
• Reduced average heart rate
• Increased exercise duration
• Lower heart rate by 9-10 beats per min
• Increase power output
• Increased intensity for longer
Fitness
Struggle with breathlessness during chukkas? Come off the field gasping for air? When your body starts to fatigue; your mental clarity, decision making and focus starts to dwindle leading to misjudgement and bad playing decisions.
To reduce the risk of this happening you will need to improve both your aerobic and anaerobic fitness.
Aerobic Fitness (Endurance Fitness)
Start by going for a 20 minute run, cycle, swim or row two to three times a week to build up your endurance.
Then every two weeks increase your time by 10 minutes.
Anaerobic Fitness
The dreaded high intensity interval training method… or even worse TABATA
This ‘stop and start’ style of training is useful for transferring over to the short but high intensity bouts of work during chukkas .
A typical TABATA session includes working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds for a total amount of four minutes. You can choose whatever exercise you want to use for the 20 seconds (burpees, sprints, mountain climbers).
As you start to build the anaerobic fitness you will feel your body recover quicker inbetween chukkas and game days.
Aim to perform at 90 seconds of high intensity exercise without fatigue.
Protein
“Protein synthesis” is the scientific way of saying “repairing and growing muscle.” Postexercise intake of about 0.2 – 0.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (g/kg) has been shown to increase this muscle protein
synthesis. Repetitive muscle contractions from exercise can break down muscle cells and cause damage to the muscles in your arms, legs, and the rest of your body. Taking in adequate protein after exercise helps reverse damage, build muscle, and get you ready for the next tough workout. Make sure you have a protein bar or shake
within 20 minutes of finishing a game to reap the full benefits of the protein.
Our favourite protein sources for the team tent are:
Nuts
Cliff Bars
Plant-Based Protein Powder
Renowned polo coach, Rege Ludwig gives his expert advice on how to get more out of your game
Many years ago, a student of mine, who had a golf handicap of zero, a doctorate degree in mechanical engineering and was new to riding, told me something in passing that has turned out to become a corner stone of my polo teaching career – “There is Power in Angles.”
Consider, if you create an angle between your upper arm and torso by lifting your upper arm during the swing preparation phase of an offside fore shot, you have opened an angle between your upper arm and torso that can then be closed to generate power during the down swing phase. Not only that, the greater the degree to which that angle is created, the greater is the power of that angle.
Another angle that can be created for the purpose of generating power during the down swing is the angle between your forearm and upper arm. That angle, however, closes during the swing preparation phase of an offside fore shot, and opens during the down swing phase.
Something you can be absolutely sure of is, every angle created early in the swing process generates some degree of power that can be used as the swing proceeds through the downswing phase to the end of the follow through phase.
Some of those angles include:
1. Toes Up/Heels Down
2. Turning your little toe up and away from the horse’ sides laterally to put the majority of weight in stirrups on inner side of foot (big ball)
3. Knees turned in to be gripping the horse’s shoulders
4. Hip Rotation
5. Torso Rotation
6. Three Angles of the Shoulder
7. Elbow angle
8. Forearm Rotation
9. Three angles of the wrist
10. Hand and Index Finger Rotating as in the final stages of throwing a ball. A significance of the angles concept is; the greater the degree to which any angle
is created, the greater is the power to be realized from that angle.
Additionally, the greater the number of the angles associated with a joint, such as the three angles of the shoulder and three angles of the wrist, the greater the power that can be generated from the combined movements of those angles within that one joint
Because of the three distinct movements of the shoulder, i.e., pulled back, lifted up, and rotated within the shoulder socket and those three angles then being reversed in conjunction with the vertical downward rotation of your right shoulder during the downswing phase, adds tremendously to the power the swing.
Because of size of the wrist, it is not thought of as being a power creating force within the swing process. However, I ask you to consider the use of your wrist when throwing
a ball. The snapping action of your wrist just before releasing the ball adds tremendously to the power of the throwing process. The same thing is happening within the process of swinging the polo mallet to hit the polo ball. As the wrist goes from being flexed at the beginning of the downswing phase at approximately 10 o’clock of the down swing phase to being extended at the point of contact with the ball at 6 o’clock, the same thing as the throw is happening to the swing of the polo mallet to hit the ball.
The reality of the polo mallet swinging situation is that the wrist contributes significantly to the creation and the release of power throughout the polo mallet swing process.
The three angles of the wrist serve an essential role in creating and releasing the power of the swing into the hit of the ball. The first angle of the wrist to be engaged is the radius distention angle at about 10 o’clock moving down to the ulna distention angle at about 8 o’clock. From approximately 8 to 6 o’clock, the wrist is moving from a flexed angle to an extend angle.
From 5 o’clock to 3 o’clock of the follow through phase, the wrist is turning over from a supinate position to pronate position, to be releasing the last bit of power of the swing process into the hit of the ball.
At approximately the 4 o’clock point of the follow through phase of the offside fore shot, the ball has, most likely, separated from the mallet head.
Congratulations to Max Charlton and Sophie Brogan who got engaged in the stunning setting of St. Moritz during The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz. Horse drawn carriage Roses
Paul Sweeney Memorial Final; Ash Farm Polo Club; Sunday 20 February
Romantic setting Job well done Max! Tell
The Paul Sweeney Memorial was founded by Lesley, Charlotte and Georgia Sweeney in memory of Paul Sweeney after his unexpected death in 2009 at just 48-years-old in order to keep his spirit and legacy alive. Each year, the tournament attracts a number of players and spectators, gathering at Ash Farm Polo Club to cheer on the finalists. This year saw a record number of teams and after a two-year postponement due to Covid-19, the grandstands were packed. Twelve Oaks managed to stave off a last-minute attempt by Rosina to claim the title and took a 14-12 victory.
Lucero Monteverde took part in his first official polo tournament and played alongside his brother Lukin Monetverde as part of UAE Polo Team in The Panacor Cup at Al Habtoor Polo Club, and he scored his first goal within 3 minutes! Lucero was jointly awarded the Most Valuable Player award alongside Khalaf Habtoor.
Congratulations to British Polo Gin’s Rich Hine and Olivia Ellis who got engaged on Friday 10 March on a blustery south coast of England.
Quiet Polo Pony Looking for quiet polo pony to loan for this season with view to purchase.
Tel: 07774 658910
15hh Polo Pony 10-year-old, 15hh, out of work and would like fast sale so price reflects this. Sharp and good looking, for sale as plans have changed and going abroad. £4,000.
Tel: 07557 336811
Tel: 07747 020808
Six stable yard, tack room, ménage, turn out and lorry parking. Comfortable, new one bedroomed fully furnished flat. Available as whole or separate this season. Convenient Cirencester, Beaufort & M4 J15/16 Tel: 07763 768763
Brand New Men’s Ariat Telluride
II Riding Boots Retail at £160. Size UK 10. Waterproof. Never worn. Grab a riding bargain and keep your feet toasty warm and dry. Will post at cost or pick up Tedworth Park Polo Club area. £120. Tel: 07989 380058
2001 Man 2001 MAN 8-163 7.5 tonne. Only 235km on the clock. Partitioned for 6 with tack area. Electric ramp. Rubber ramp. New battery. New tyres. MOT until end of July 2023. Minor body work needed. Only for sale due to upsizing, been a fantastic truck for us over the last 8 years. £7,000. Tel: 07595409816
Tel: 07886135880
2009 Ford Iveco Eurocargo
Ideal work/hunting/polo box. 2009 – new build Horsebox 5 years ago. 2.2 tonne payload. Partitioned for 4 and a tack area, no living, no intrusive tack lockers. MOT April 2024. £18,999. Tel: 07834 702134
4
with large tack storage area. CCTV. Excellent condition. MOT and service history. Currently registered as 8.5 tonne, but can be relisted as 7.5 tonne.Located near Hitchin Hertfordshire SG4. £7,500. Tel: 07768 640760
SCOREBOARDS AND CLOCKS
DESIGNED FOR POLO Outdoor and arena sizes. Fully electronic, displaying the time counting down, both scores and chukka number. Automatic bell/ horn. Controlled wirelessly by a remote control you can even wear on your arm. Visit www.SportingDesigns.co.uk or call +44 (0)7860 303217
Ariat Quickdraw Cowboy Boots
Brand new, only tried on. Unwanted gift. Size 7.5 UK. Can post-recorded. £90. Tel: 07768 623888
2 Ainsley Polo Saddles
Both the same and had very little use. One has small stud missing from the top but does not affect the saddle. Selling on behalf of a good friend who has sadly can’t use them anymore. Open to sensible offers but looking for close to £1,000 per saddle. These are £1,500 new. Can post at buyer’s expense. Tel: 07879 895780
HAND
SANITISER
Hand sanitiser supplied at 80% ABV to WHO Formula
1. Available in 100ml (from £2), 200ml (from £4) or 5 litre (from £45) sizes.
Personalised labels available at extra cost.
Discounts & free delivery for bulk purchases.
Tel: 07969 456214
Two Bar Eco Rug Dryer
Height: 3’6” (1030mm), length: 6’6” (1980mm) at the base, width: 1’6” (450mm), weight: 23kgs. Fully portable, the two-rug dryer can easily be manoeuvred from place to place. Thermostatically controlled ECO heating element. Complete with 4 metres of cable and 13 amp plug for use on the normal 13 amp ring main system. Perfect working order - no longer required. Buyer must collect GL8 8UD. RRP £759 selling for £350 Ono. Tel: 07776 102908
Rosanna Turk holds a 5 goal ladies handicap and has captained many an England Ladies side and is fresh from her recent win in India at The HPRC International Women’s Arena Cup. We caught up with Rosanna to hear about everything from her love of chocolate to her carpentry skills!
What is your biggest passion and why?
My job. I started Lineup Polo with Alice Walsh 2½ years ago with the aim of making polo more accessible through technology. We’ve really started to pick up traction now and seeing clubs, players and spectators using it is incredibly rewarding!
Hardest opponent?
I could not figure out a way around Izzy Parsons when we played against her in South Africa. I think she’s an incredible player and athlete.
Which sports do you like outside of polo?
I love F1. I think they have commercialised it very well despite it being perceived as very exclusive, and we could learn a lot from their approach in polo. In another life I would quite like to be a team principal.
Best holiday destination & activity?
I’m presuming I can’t say anywhere I can play polo! So, I’ll go with somewhere I can watch sport. Some recent highlights include Nazaré in Portugal to watch the WSL event, and to a Panthers Ice Hockey game in Miami.
Best pony and why?
What is your all time best polo memory? Scoring my first goal for an England team in 2018. My Mum and Dad were spare holding for me by that goal and I had the biggest smile on my face! It really meant a lot.
Favourite film and why?
An Icelandic film called Woman at War. Here is the synopsis: ‘Halla is a fifty-year-old independent woman. But behind the scenes of a quiet routine, she leads a double life as a passionate environmental activist.’ I want to be Halla when I’m 50! And 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Favourite song/album?
I consulted Spotify here. Apparently my most listened to song is ‘1950’ by King Princess. It’s a great song to be fair.
Favourite food/dish?
Bongwee, who has the most illustrious past. He was bought in a job lot in 2005 from Ireland by Rob Cudmore and named after a guide at Macatoo Horseback Safaris in Botswana. He played with Ollie Cudmore and Charlie Hanbury in The Queen’s and Gold Cups. He’s now semi-retired but loves tearing it up in the Gloucestershire low goal circuit and is like a pet.
Who were/are your favourite teammates? On the field and in life in general it has to be Alice Walsh and Emma Boers. They are my best friends and I also work with Alice day to day. I feel incredibly lucky that polo has introduced me to such amazing people. I just won’t go to Miami with them together again…
Literally anything with chocolate. I have an extremely unrefined palette.
Favourite hobby outside of polo?
I am a very enthusiastic amateur carpenter. I’ve made most of the furniture in my flat!
Most prized possession?
My car. It’s on finance, so you could argue it’s not technically mine, but I’m still proud! Some of its best features include air con and a working radio.
Favourite celebrity and why?
Phoebe Waller-Bridge. How that much talent can be stuffed into one person is incredible.
Are you passionately superstitious?
Not at all. I actively dislike routine and it stresses me out if I have to follow one.
Describe yourself in three words?
I asked Alice to help me with this one: enthusiastic, competitive, committed.
One thing which would surprise us about you?
When I write with my left hand it’s backwards, so you can only read it using a mirror. Spooky!
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(For your safety and well-being, you can do these all by video.) End up with your very own handcrafted, hardback book. A unique piece of family treasure, to share with generations to come. It’s the perfect winter project. Find out more by calling us on 0800 078 3435 or visit lifebookuk.com
STALLIONS AVAILABLE IN EUROPE FOR THE 2023 BREEDING SEASON
LOVELOCKS BONJOVI
Atlantic x Paprika
LOVELOCKS CHEKHOV
Open El Padrino x Grappa Kurni
LOVELOCKS LIT
Clarin x Lovelocks Illuminate
LOVELOCKS SHADOW
Lovelocks Zazoo x Lovelocks Ilusive
OPEN EL PADRINO
Sportivo x Ilusión
DOLFINA EASTERN
Open Chimento x Dol na Lapa
#LOVELOCKSSTALLIONS
