Polo Times June 2018 by Edit

Volume 23 • Issue 5 • June 2018 • £6.50

HELMET CONFLICT Discussion on the 2018 ‘HelmetGate’ HIGH GOAL ACTION Reports from 22 Goal Finals 2018 VICTOR & VICTRIX LUDORUM Your Guide to the 2018 series PLUS: Royal Windsor Horse Show & Horse Sense Focus

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Contents

Contacts Publisher

What’s inside…

June 2018

Nick Hine publisher@polotimes.co.uk

Editor in Chief Richenda Hine richenda@polotimes.co.uk

Editorial Manager Rosabella Hine rosabella@polotimes.co.uk

PR Manager & Editorial Jen Liggins editorial@polotimes.co.uk

46 Military Polo

Advertising Sales

Richard Hine richard@polotimes.co.uk

A Round-Up of Military Polo Action

Women’s Polo

Advertising & Subscription Sales

62 62

Rebecca Hastie sales@hinemarketing.co.uk

Youth Polo 64 66

Principal Design James Morgan

Additional Design Tony Ruddy

Angie Clark accounts@polotimes.co.uk

Accounts & Administration Assistant Rosalind Cutter ads@polotimes.co.uk Overseas Reporter Katie Vickery katie@polotimes.co.uk

Contributors: Nicola Bell BVetMed MRCVS, Carolina Beresford, Stephen Biddlecombe, Adam Buchanan, Lorna Edgar, Dr.med. Andreas Krüger, Rege Ludwig, Martín Perez, ©Tony Ramirez/www.imagesofpolo.com & Caroline Stern

Contact details

Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton, Glos, GL2 9LN Tel: 01452 730770 email:admin@polotimes.co.uk

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© Polo Times Limited 2018 and Database Right 2018 Polo Times Limited holds the copyright & database right to the information it publishes in Polo Times and on the Polo Times website. No content may be reproduced or

All Aspects of Youth Polo The Copenhagen Cup

Knowledge 76 News 6 16

Financial Controller

A Round-Up of Women’s Polo 5 Minutes With… Rosie Ross

All the Latest News News: Horsebox Insurance

Comment 18

Your Views & Social Media

Features

20 Big Picture 22 Cover Story: Helmet Conflict – Discussion on the 2018 ‘HelmetGate’ 27 RoR – Retraining of Racehorses 30 Cover Story: Royal Windsor Horse Show 35 Cover Story: Victor & Victrix Ludorum 2018 Guide

Reports

70 Pony Power: Polo Times Best Playing Polo Series 74 Equipment Focus: Bits – A Sensitive Ex-Racer 76 Cover Story: Horse Sense with Adam Buchanan 80 Lipogems: Evolving Tissue Technology 82 Nutrition Focus: Conditioning Case Study 84 Polodoc: Polo Accidents Abroad 86 Playing Tips: Hitting Penalties 88 Fitness for Polo: Wrists at Risk 90 Vet Insight: Gaps and Holes

Sidelines 92 94

Gossip: Don’t Be the Last to Know! Sidelines: Social Pages

Polo Directory

104 What’s On in June? 110 Classifieds

42 Cover Story: Murus Sanctus Trippetts Challenge Final Bell 44 La Martina Queen Elizabeth 112 Passions: Nacho Gonzalez Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy SUBSCRIPTION PRICES 46 Cover Story: Hai Air Prince of Wales

Club Focus 49

Your Club News from Home and Abroad

All subscribers receive an exclusive weekly newsletter and competition offers

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distributed without the consent of the Publisher. ‘Polo Times’ is the trade mark of Polo Times Limited. ISSN 1461-4685

Cover photograph: Mark Tomlinson scoring a goal during the La Martina Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy. By ©www.imagesofpolo.com

Polo Times, June 2018

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News Copa de las Naciones 2018

Polo Times, June 2018

Colombia defeated the North American Team by 15-2 in the first game of the Copa de las Naciones

Hari Hotel Cup

The Hari Hotel Cup took place on Saturday 19 May at Klinwood Park, with four 8 goal teams participating. The tournament showcased a new match format: two-chukka matches, all games played off the stick with no handicap start and a sudden death penalty shootout at the end of the allotted seven minutes and 30 seconds. Klinwood Park is owned by The Hari Hotel owner and polo player, Thilo Sautter, who wanted the teams to enjoy this new format of polo. Clarita defeated Le Elephants de Leander in the Final, 2-1, and it is hoped that more weekends with this type of polo will happen in the future. The Hari Hotel Cup Teams: Hissam Ali Hyder & Will Emerson battled it out in the Irongate (7): James Scott-Hopkins (0), Sebastian Dawnay (3), Final of The Hari Hotel Cup Kelvin Johnson (4) & Michel Granchi (0) Clarita (7): Clare Mathias (-1), Chris Mathias (0), Freddie Horne (3) & Will Emerson (5) AFB (5): Sandra Schneider (-1), Clive Reid (-1), Chino Leiva (2) & Pete Webb (5) Les Elephants de Leander (8): Sophie Granchi (0), Mattieu Bordeaux-Groult (1), Thilo Sautter (1) & Hissam Ali Hyder (6)

Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz 2019 Tickets for the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz 2019 are now on sale. From 25 – 27 January 2019, spectators and players will be welcomed to the frozen St. Moritz lake to witness four international teams battle it out for the Snow Polo World Cup title against the unique Alpine backdrop. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.snowpolo-stmoritz.com

Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

North America (26): Julian Mannix (6), Jesse Bray (5), Fred Mannix Jnr (9) & Jared Zenni (6) Argentina (26): Manuel Novillo Astrada (2), Ruifino Bensadón (4), Guillermo ‘Sapo’ Caset (10) & Juan M. Nero (10). Reserves: Nicolás Pieres (10), Jorge Fernández Ocampo (4) & Ignacio Arbelbide (2)

Photograph by Ana Clara Cozzi

Nick Hine, Publisher

Under the hot Argentine sun, the ninth edition of the Copa de las Naciones got underway on Wednesday 25 April. In the first match of the tournament, Colombia took to the field against the North American Team. The game was narrowly fought from the first throw-in, with neither team allowing the other the space to score. Following an exciting match, the final score rested on 15-2 in Colombia’s favour, an excellent score with which to start this international tournament. In the second match, Argentina defeated North America 13-8. 2018 is the first time in recent years that a British team has not participated in the Copa de las Naciones, which may be due to the levies implemented on British players by the Argentine Polo Association. The weather has also had an adverse effect on the Copa de las Naciones. The Finals will now be postponed until the spring season and it has been decided that the undefeated Argentina will face Columbia in the Final. The Copa de las Naciones 2018 Day One Teams: Colombia (24): Felipe Márquez (6), Juan Esteban Uribe (6), Martín Huertas (6) & Federico Uribe (6)

Photograph by Matias Calléjo

May has been a hot month in more ways than one, particularly the last two weeks. Firstly, whilst basking in gloriously sunny weather, the nation was treated to unseasonally warm weather which arrived in time to make the Duke and Duchess’ of Sussex wedding the highlight of the year on all levels. Secondly, the temperatures at the start of the UK polo season have risen to boiling point both on and off the field – with the owner of a Gloucestershirebased polo club being sent off on his own ground, whilst in Berkshire, ‘HelmetGate’ quite literally reared its ugly head. Polo Times for its part, was roasted by the wife of one overseas player for having spoken out against some players who had refused to wear the new helmets. I am grateful to Carolina Beresford who took up the cudgels for Polo Times, donned a hard hat and spoke to a number of overseas players, to hear their concerns… whichever side of the fence you sit on this one, I hope that our feature in this issue addresses all points. The HPA also had its fair share of the limelight this month over ‘HelmetGate’. However, in fairness, as the governing body for polo in the UK, Ireland and many other countries throughout the world, the HPA is responsible for the regulations and rules under which the game is played. The object of the HPA is to further the interests of polo generally and support, by all possible means, the common interests of its affiliated clubs and associations. This clearly extends to ensuring that best practice is strived for at all levels, particularly player and equine safety. This responsibility leads us on to yet another hot topic that has raised its ugly head this season – that of disputes between professionals and patrons over mounting unpaid pro fees. Until now, this subject has seemingly been taboo with few players having been willing to speak out. However, with complaints coming to light of teams continuing to play the 2018 season, despite historic debts from previous year(s), this is changing. Having grasped the nettle over player safety with helmets – and separately, with the Home Office and visas – the HPA must surely take the initiative and assume a leadership role in protecting the sport of polo globally from being brought into disrepute.

Cartier rode home with the 2018 Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz title, but can they continue their success in 2019?

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News The world’s longest and toughest horse race, The Mongol Derby, will be welcoming three well-known polo faces to their line-up this year. Brothers and cousins Ed, Jack and Robert Archibald will be travelling from Scone, Australia, to the depths of Mongolia to take part in the gruelling race. All three of the Archibald boys are, or have been, professional polo players, who have represented their country on a number of occasions. They will compete against 42 other riders from 13 countries to be crowned Mongol Derby champion on 17 August.

Photograph courtesy of The Mongol Derby

2018 Mongol Derby

Ed, Jack and Robert Archibald will take part in the 1,000km Mongol Derby this summer

For more information about this incredible 1,000km event, please visit www.mongolderby.com

Perfect Polo Property Photograph courtesy of Strutt & Parker

Approximately nine miles from Guards Polo Club and five miles from RCBPC, an architecturally impressive, modern house, with excellent equestrian facilities has come on the market. The property boasts six bedrooms, seven reception rooms, a kitchen/morning room, media room, six bathrooms, staff accommodation, a chef’s kitchen, a wine room, an indoor swimming pool, a grass tennis court, gym, stables, indoor school and garaging for eight cars as well as 40 acres of gardens, land/paddocks and woodland. With such a close proximity to the some of the greatest polo clubs in the UK, it is the perfect country retreat for any polo

This perfect polo property is on the market, within close proximity of Guards and RCBPC

enthusiast. For more information, please contact Alasdhair Lochrane on Alasdhair. lochrane@struttandparker.com or James Heron on James.heron@struttandparker.com

New York Polo Series The USA high goal season in Wellington, Florida may have come to an end, but the American polo season is set to continue in New York at the beginning of June. Organised by Meadowbrook Polo Club, the New York Polo Series will begin with the Northeast Cup from 2 – 24 June and continue through to the Meadowbrook Cup between 31 July – 19 August. For more information, please visit the Meadowbrook Polo Club website www.meadowbrookpolo.com

Thai Polo Argentina Announces 2018 Fixture Thai Polo Argentina have announced their 2018 spring fixture. Unlike previous years, where the tournament has been a one-off affair with sixteen teams entered, this year, the tournament will be split into two separate tournaments. The first tournament, The B. Grimm Thai Polo Master, is scheduled to take place between 5 – 16 November at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club in Pilar, for teams between 10-14 goals, whilst The V Thai Polo Cup Argentina will take place between 3 – 14 December at the same location.

Chicago Polo Association Six USPA recognised polo clubs across the Chicago region have joined together to form the Chicago Polo Association. The Association will now comprise of 12 polo facilities, over 130 registered USPA playing members, two polo schools, fifteen polo fields and seven indoor/outdoor polo arenas, five of which are year-round facilities. They will endeavour to increase the sport’s popularity in the region, beginning with the opening of two new polo schools, Barrington Hills Polo Club and GoPolo. For more information, please visit www.chicago-polo.com

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Polo Times, June 2018

News On 1 May, Argentine polo players and equestrians gathered to celebrate the Argentine Horse Festival, a symbol of their history and tradition. The unique event took place at Palermo and includes polo, pato, salton, riding and racing, amongst other equestrian disciplines. AAP President, Eduardo Novillo Astrada was on hand to represent Argentine polo, as well as high goal players from across the region. In other news, due to poor weather, the Final of the Santa Paula Cup has now been postponed until September, as well as the ESPN Evolution Cup. In the Final of the 30th annual Campeonato Argentino del Interior con Handicap (CAIH), on Saturday 12 May, Pompeya Polo Team took home the trophy for the first time as a team (coincidentally, this was the 12th time a team from Cordoba has won this illustrious title). Their rivals, Los Sauces, couldn’t quite keep up with Pompeya, losing out on the top position for the third consecutive year with a final 14-12 score. The Campeonato Argentino del Interior con Handicap Teams: Pompeya Polo Team (15): Sebastián Borghi (5), Magín Burgos (2), Iván Maldonado (5) & Santiago Otamendi (3) Los Sauces (13): Juan Carlos Sánchez (2), Ezequiel Sánchez (5), Rodrigo Sánchez (4) & Jerónimo Venturini (2)

At the beginning of June, Central London will once again be buzzing with polo action, as six teams take to the specially-made Chesterton’s Polo in the Park field, to compete for the coveted trophy between 9 – 11 June. Alongside the tournament matches, spectators will also be treated to an International match between Flannels England and ICM Team Ireland on the Friday evening. The Chesterton’s Polo in the Park 2018 Teams: Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Team London: Garrie Renucci, George Meyrick & Malcolm Borwick EFG Team Zurich: Gregory Touret, Juan Cruz Merlos & TBC Team Dubai: Hissam Ali Hyder, Chris Hyde & TBC Experience Kissimmee Team Kissimmee: Charlie Wooldridge, Jamie Morrison & Joaquin Pittaluga Whitley Neill Team Cape Town: Oli Hipwood, Eduardo Novillo Astrada & TBC Air Europa Team Buenos Aires: James McCarthy, Nacho Gonzalez & Marcus Araya

Chesterton’s Polo in the Park Team Captains recently gathered for the 2018 draw

Sixth Annual Arena Polo World Cup Azerbaijan

Polo Times, June 2018

The Hawaii Polo Life Invitational 2018 kicked off on Sunday 6 May in Mokuleia on Hawaii’s North Shore. The 20 goal match featured global professional players, in the highest handicapped match the Hawaii Polo Club has ever seen.

USPA Handicap Changes Following the end of the American high goal season, the United States Polo Association has made some notable changes to high goal professionals’ handicaps. The following changes have been made: Moved from 8 to 9 goals: Nico Pieres Moved from 7 to 8 goals: Julian ‘Negro’ De Lusarreta & Juan Britos Moved from 5 to 6 goals: Jared Zenni, Agustín Obregon, Toro Ruiz, Jesse Bray & Felipe Viana Moved 4 to 6 goals: Tommy Beresford These changes will come into effect on 1 January 2019. For more information, please visit www.uspolo.org

Power of Polo

Action from the unique 2017 Arena Polo World Cup, Azerbaijan

have his usual ‘touch of Gaudenzi magic’, with a star-studded Polo Night to round off the thrilling occasion. What’s more, ‘The Voice of Polo’ Jan-Erik Franck will be on hand to impart his knowledge of the sport and entertain the masses. For more information, or to book tickets, please visit www.worldpolo.com

Photograph courtesy of Power of Polo

The Hawaii Polo Life Invitational welcomes guests each year for an exciting polo event

Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

The Arena Polo World Cup, Azerbaijan, is a polo tournament unlike any other. As an unique hybrid of arena, snow and outdoor polo rules, spectators and players alike are treated to the thrills and spills one would expect from the polo field, with the added unparalleled hospitality of the Azeri people. This year, Baku residents and visitors from further afield will enjoy the excitement of the Sixth Arena Polo World Cup Azerbaijan from 15 – 17 June at the Elite Horse & Polo Club, Baku. Following their success at the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, the tournament will be welcoming the well-known faces of the Azerbaijan Land of Fire team. The tournament will see a total of four international teams, made up of three players each, compete with a handicap of 10-12 goals. Alongside the polo, Baku will host a series of social events for the guests and VIPs. Event organiser and creator of the renowned Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, Reto Gaudenzi, has ensured the event will

Hawaii Polo Life Invitational 2018 Photograph by Musashi Photography

Polo in the Park

Photograph courtesy of Pitch Marketing Group

Argentine Update

Westcroft Park Polo Club welcomed youths from the Power of Polo organisation for a day’s team-building on Sunday 13 May

On Sunday 13 May, Westcroft Park Polo Club hosted children from the Power of Polo organisation for a day of horse handling and chukkas. The participants were led by Westcroft Park Polo Club’s Richard BlakeThomas and enjoyed a day of team-building. www.polotimes.co.uk

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News Gloucestershire Festival of Polo

Beaufort Polo Club will host the 2018 Gloucestershire Festival of Polo from 9 – 10 June

2017, this event is set to be a great success. Advance tickets begin at £15 per person, per day (including free parking), available until 28 May, with pitch-side picnic spots available on request. For more information, the full list of exhibitors or to purchase your tickets, please visit www.beaufortpoloclub.com

Julius Bär Beach Polo World Cup 2018

Photograph by Holger Widera

Over the weekend of 19 – 20 May, teams took to the pristine sand for the Julius Bär Beach Polo World Cup 2018 in Sylt, Germany. Over the course of the weekend, a record breaking 6,000 people were in attendance to watch their favourite teams battle it out. Spectators were treated to the dulcet tones of ‘The Voice of Polo’, Jan-Erik Franck, who kept everyone up-todate with the goings on in the arena throughout the weekend. In the Final, 2017 winners Maus Immobilien came up against Maserati, with the former coming out the victors, 9-7. The Julius Bär team (Marc Aberle & Tim Ward) defeated their rivals to be placed third. The Julius Bär Beach Polo World Cup 2018 Final Teams: Maus Immobilien: Agustin Kronhaus & Frank Kirschke Maserati: Patrick Maleitzke & Rene Kleinlugtenbelt

Maus Immobilien lifted high the Julius Bär Beach Polo World Cup 2018 trophy

Polo Times, June 2018

Photograph courtesy of Polo for Europe

Photograph courtesy of Beaufort Polo Club

Each June, hordes of spectators and polo enthusiasts flock to Beaufort Polo Club for their annual Gloucestershire Festival of Polo. From Saturday 9 to Sunday 10 June, visitors will be treated to top class polo, including a celebrity match, The Swinhay International Test Match between Flannels England and Ireland, followed by the U15 Javier Novillo Astrada Memorial Tournament and The Maserati Charity Polo Trophy between Maserati and Dhamani 1969 on Sunday. The Club has announced its list of 2018 exhibitors who will be on hand to showcase their products and goodies from 10.30am to 6pm each day. Visitors are invited to wander through the trade village, delighting in brands such as British Polo Gin, SATS, RJ Polo and Maserati. With over 6,500 people attending in

South African Open

Kurland won the South African Open title, defeating Dunlop 12-9

Kurland defeated Dunlop, 12-9, in the Final of the South African Open on Saturday 14 April. Ben Crowe was presented with the Most Valuable Player Award for his outstanding play for Kurland. In the Subsidiary Final, Medlife defeated Enricos 9-6. The South African Open Final Teams: Kurland (14): Gareth Evans (5), Mike Osborn (4), Ben Crowe (3) & Tommy Crowe (2) Dunlop (14): Dirk van Reenen (5), Shaun Brokensha (4), Hugo Lewis (2) & George Morgan (3)

First Day of The Cartier Queen’s Cup As we go to press, the first day of The Cartier Queen’s Cup at Guards Polo Club came to a close. On Tuesday 22 May, Park Place and Talandracas opened proceedings at the Windsor Club, with Talandracas taking the first victory, 12-10, whereas in the second match, team La Indiana defeated all-Brit El Remanso, with a narrow 8-7 victory. Action continues through May and June, with the Final scheduled for Sunday 17 June.

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News Watershed Riding for the Disabled

Famous polo faces took part in the 2017 Watershed Riding for the Disabled annual Electric Bicycle Polo Tournament

The HPA has announced the 2018 end of season arena handicap changes

The Cartier Queen’s Cup Draw

All Pro Polo League Lands in Europe

With 11 teams entered in this year’s Cartier Queen’s Cup, the competition for the coveted trophy is fierce

Cambiaso (10) & Hugo Lewis (4) Talandracas (22): Julian ‘Negro’ De Lusarreta (7), Alejandro Muzzio (7), Francisco Elizalde (8) & Hughes Carmignac (0) La Indiana (22): Alec White (4), Nic Roldan (7), Facundo Pieres (10) & Michael Bickford (1) Clinova (22): Adrian Kirby (0), Juan Gris Zavaleta (7), Malcolm Borwick (6) & Nicolàs Pieres (9) Park Place (22): Juan Britos (7), Tommy Beresford (5), Andrey Borodin (0) & Hilario Ulloa (10) El Remanso (22): Ollie Cudmore (6), James Harper (6), James Beim (6) & Charlie Hanbury (4) La Bamba de Areco (22): Byron Watson (3), Juan Martín Nero (10), Jean-François Decaux (0) & David ‘Pelón’ Stirling (9)

The Hurlingham Polo Association announced the end of season arena handicap changes, following a Steward’s meeting on Monday 6 April. These changes came into effect on Tuesday 1 May. There have been a total 66 handicap changes from across the broad range of handicap levels. FIP international and Arena Gold Cup winner Ed Banner-Eve, and his Gold Cup team mate brother Alec, have both been promoted from 5 to 6 goals and 4 to 5 goals respectively, following their success at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club (RCBPC) and their home Club, Moor Hall Farm. It has also been a successful season for the Cork family, who have seen three out of their four playing family members (apologies Marcus), each rise by one goal apiece. The HPA have also reduced the handicap of a stream of well-known top arena players. RCBPC Chairman Jamie Morrison has seen his handicap move from 7 to 6 goals, whilst RCBPC regular Ryan Pemble will now play off 7 goals, following a one goal demotion. Irish international Mikey Henderson has also seen his handicap reduced from 6 to 5 goals. In the lower ranks, there has been a spate of handicap promotions, the largest of which goes to Rugby’s Tarek El Ahmar who has been moved from -1 to 2 goals! For more information and to see the full list of handicap changes, please visit www.hpa-polo.co.uk

The APPL Chantilly Teams: Team 1 (14): Pierre-Henru Ngoumou (6), Adrien Le Gallo (3), Julien Reynes (3) & Clément Toussaint (2) Team 2 (15): Brieuc Rigaux (6), Mathieu Delfosse (4), Clément Gosset (3) & Stan Clavel (2) Team 3 (15): Clément Delfosse (5), Edouard Pan (4), Jérôme Anier (3) & Gaëtan Gosset (3) Team 4 (15): Patrick Paillo (5), Robert Strom (5), Louis Jarrige (3) & Jiles Legoubin (2)

Photograph by Aicha Housseini

On Tuesday 15 May, the All Pro Polo League (APPL) landed in Chantilly for their first tournament of the French season. Four teams of French players took to the field playing under APPL rules. Both exhibition matches were received very well by the gathered spectators, of whom had not seen the new APPL format before.

Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

On Saturday 5 May, the draw for The Cartier Queen’s Cup was made at Guards Polo Club. The teams, sponsors and Guards representatives gathered at the Club on Saturday 5 May to pull the team names at random to be placed into two leagues. The draw is as follows: League One: Emlor, Les Lions, Monterosso, RH Polo & Valiente League Two (Sub Group A): Clinova, La Indiana & Talandracas League Two (Sub Group B): El Remanso, La Bamba de Areco & Park Place Matches began on Tuesday 22 May with play continuing until the Final on Sunday 17 June at 3pm. The Cartier Queen’s Cup Teams: Les Lions (22): Max Gottschalk (0), Joaquin Pittaluga (7), Guillermo Terrera (8) & Jaime Huidobro (7) RH Polo (22): Ben Soleimani (0), Martín Podesta (5), Rodrigo de Andrade (8) & Guillermo ‘Sapo’ Caset (9) Emlor (22): Diego Cavanagh (8), Agustín Merlos (9), Nacho Gonzalez (5) & Spencer McCarthy (0) Monterosso (22): Santiago Toccalino (8), Alessandro Bazzoni (0), Ignacio Toccalino (8) & Juan Martín Zubia (6) Valiente (22): Robert Jornayvaz (1), Christian ‘Magoo’ Laprida (7), Adolfo

Photograph by Gillian Hughes

Photograph by Tom Reynolds

Longdole Polo Club is set to host the annual Electric Bicycle Polo Tournament in aid of Watershed Riding for the Disabled Group on Friday 1 June. Teams from Longdole, Edgeworth, Beaufort and Cirencester Park will battle it out for the chance to win the coveted eCycle County Cup in front of a plethora of spectators. Following the matches, players and guests will be treated to a BBQ, raffle, cakes and a tombola. The event has been extended this year to include an ebike gymkhana and a celebrity ebike match between Gloucester Rugby Club’s players, past and present. All the funds raised will go directly to the Watershed RDA Group.

Arena Handicap Changes

The APPL landed in Europe on Tuesday 15 May

Polo Times, June 2018

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News Lipogems Equine Success Story

Photography courtesy of Lipogems

Granulated wounds can also be treated by Lipogems Equine. This regenerative therapy does not exclusively treat tendon and ligament injuries, it has extensive capacity to heal many other conditions. Rasta had a classic growth of granulated tissue following a very nasty field accident. The scarring was extensive and had caused the leg to remain swollen and she was lame as a result of long-term effects of the injury. Rasta was treated on 30 April 2016 and the progress of the wound was remarkable. She was back playing polo on 28 June 2016 and her leg in 2017 was unrecognisable. For more information on treatments for saving your champion and for a list of accredited equine vets visit www.lipogemsequine.com

The original injury that was treated but subsequently the trauma caused granulated tissue to form

Here you can see the extensive granulation and the size of the leg as a result

This image was taken during the 2017 polo season showing a normal sized leg and much less scarring

The Polo Magazine is Out Now! The Polo Magazine

Dog of the Month

Shambles

Jack Russell

Spring 2018

OWNER: RICHARD BUCKETT Age: 5 Nickname: Bamble What’s your story? My future owners were invited to dinner not knowing that my breeder had had a litter of puppies. Of course, I was too cute to resist so they just had to take me home. What do you like about polo? I love my local Polo Club, Cirencester Park, and meeting up with all my dog and pony pals. Do you have a polo party trick? I enjoy running after polo balls and then taking them back to the RJ polo van. What is your best feature? My look... butter would not melt (and it helps me get what I want!).

Credit: The Art of Polo

P O LO T E A M SOR OF THE ENGLAND

Most embarrassing polo moment? Stealing the polo ball during chukkas. Your celebrity lookalike and why? Anyone little and cheeky… perhaps a female version of Danny Devito…

Spring 2018

W W W. F L A N N E L S .C O M

FROM RJ POLO

Your polo crush? To be honest, I don’t really like people, so I’m going to say no one. Any secrets about your owner? He loves giving treats to my pals – the big softie. Do you have a polo guy boyfriend? Buddy – we grew up together. Justin Bieber’s ‘rider’ includes a yoga casket and jacuzzi. If you had your way what would your ‘polo rider’ include? Polo balls… that is it – I need nothing else in life. Favourite thing to steal from a polo picnic? Chicken breast in any form. Your most disgusting habit? Ohh no – I’m too much of a princess. If you had one wish, what would it be? For polo to be on all year round in the Park. Describe yourself in three words: Happy, friendly, loyal.

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The exceedingly sunny, whopping 116 page spring issue of The Polo Magazine is out now. The latest issue is jam-packed with interviews, features, lifestyle, polo reports and stories to whet your polo whistle, including: Interviews: • 10 goaler Hilario Ulloa • 'Mr Armis' Robin Spicer

Features: • The High Goal Guide • Obituaries – we remember Doug Brown, Susan Bailey, Major Iain Forbes-Cockell & Steve Orthwein Snr • Grand Folly Hotel Lifestyle: • Spring Essentials • Best of British Flavours • Images from Iran Reports: • 16th Bendura Bank Snow Polo World Cup Kitzbühel • Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz 2018 • The Thai Polo Open • Cartier Dubai Polo Challenge • International Test Match for The Bryan Morrison Trophy • Arena Gold Cup Final Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without all the usual features, including HPA News,

a selection of favourite Voyeurs, Valentin Novillo Astrada’s Favourite Things, The Polo Magazine Introduces Luke Wiles and, last but by no means least, The Polo Magazine delves into the psyche of Dog of the Month, Shambles. If you are not already a subscriber or wish to gift a subscription to friends or family, visit www.thepolomagazine.com or call 01452 730770. A connection that goes beyond the regular relationship to the realms of pure communion of man and beast

the horses need a lot of practice to get fit. We play a lot of matches and watch a lot of videos. Before that hour and half that we finally get onto the field, there are about four months of thinking and planning – when to play practices, how many practices, when to ship the horses, when is the best time to move them and many other things.” When all of this comes together in perfect harmony we see the magic

on the field and no one puts on a spectacle quite like Hilario. Having been around the block and played at the highest level of polo since he was 18, Ulloa eats high goal tournaments for breakfast, making the pace and skill needed on the field look easy and most importantly making the polo look fun. “Honestly I don’t feel the pressure because I really enjoy what I do and I have a lot of fun. When you’re confident in yourself and you know in your mind that you have done everything possible to win, that you have a good string of horses, keep them in shape and you have a competitive and consistent team, you can arrive at the match knowing you have every chance of winning. You can always have bad luck and lose, but you’ve done everything before you get on the field to be in with the best chance of winning and that takes the pressure off.” With great power comes great responsibility and becoming a 10 goaler comes with its own obligations when it comes to team building and strategy. With teams changing each season, it often falls to the 10 goaler to lead the team. “Now it is my responsibility to make the team work and it’s my responsibility if something’s not working. I know that the team’s results depend a lot on me, because you have to find the way

to make your team mates play at their best. I think one of my strengths is getting used to any position on the ﬁeld where the team needs me to be. I can help them by playing in different ways and adapting round them.” Hilario can be seen playing up front just as much as he plays the more defensive number four position and is at home anywhere on the ﬁeld – an adaptable player, he works well in any team dynamic.

Following his US Open win in Florida with Daily Racing Form, we can’t wait to see what the rest of this year has in store for Hilario as he takes on the UK season. We look ahead to a year that is all change for this charismatic player.

there. We breed horses and at one point we bought a lot of ponies off the race track. We did a bit of everything. I loved that. Making horses

has always been my favourite part of the process. I started playing polo because I lived on the farm and my dad schooled the horses, but I always knew that if I wasn’t good enough to play I would still do something with horses.” Any doubts as to his polo prowess were, of course, unfounded as ability on the polo ﬁeld was not something that Hilario lacked and his rise to professional happened in the blink of an eye. “It happened really quickly. I was 2 goals and playing just for fun with my brother and some friends in Argentina, and then I was invited to play for a month in Switzerland. I took up the offer and went there for two months and they paid me a bit of money. So, when I came back I bought some sticks. I still treated it like a hobby because I was young, but then the next year they invited me to France for a couple of months and then the following year I went to Holland for six months to play in the 12 goal. I started to earn my own money and I could begin buying my own horses when I went back to Argentina – I realised I could make a living like this. I was 16-years-old. By 18, I was travelling for six months of the year.” The rest, as they say, is history and we have all watched him ﬂy up the rungs of the handicap ladder and rejoiced when in 2015 he was

moved up to 10 goals in Argentina, shortly followed in 2016 in the USA and UK, and took his rightful place at the top of the tree. Hilario spends hours in the saddle every day, honing his skills while

the seasons away, back in Argentina the whole family congregates in their spiritual headquarters, the farm. Now growing his own family, Hilario has bought his own farm to continue his story. “In

he schools his horses to perfection and it’s easy to see the passion with which he approaches the sport. It is a lifestyle and a life choice, and something to which he dedicates almost all of his time. The hours not spent in the saddle are spent with his young family, the other thing closest to his heart. Hi wife Maria Clara and two gorgeous daughters Lavinia (three) and Ambar (one) follow the seasons with Hilario and are never far from his side, wherever in the world he happens to be. “We have an amazing life, moving from one place to another. We are always in nice places at nice times of the year. I am really happy with the way we live. It’s great to have my family coming everywhere with me because I am away from Argentina for nine months of the year, so it’s great to have the company. They are always there when I need any support. Ambar, my youngest daughter especially loves horses and she really enjoys coming to the stables. The family love going to the farm, spending time there and riding the horses, watching the breed and the babies.” Do we have two future superstar female players in the making? Fingers crossed! Like any true Argentine, it is all about family for Hilario and polo is an inherently family sport. While they may be separated by oceans during

Argentina I am based in Lincoln, about three hours from Pilar. My family has a farm named Lavinia and two years ago I bought the farm next to them called San Martín.

It’s nice, we are just ﬁve minutes away from each other, so we get to spend a lot of time together and we love going to spend time with my parents. We have a very close family and I think it is the most important thing.” With so many seasons and tournaments in the year, the polo is relentless and a player’s work is never done. So much work goes on backstage to prepare and with the players making it

look so effortless on the ﬁeld, it is easy for us to forget that what we see as spectators is the result of months of planning and preparation. “90 percent of my time I spend at the barn, watching

the horses, talking to my grooms and making plans for the week, like when we are going to ride and when we are going to play team practices. The match itself is only ﬁve percent of the total effort behind the scenes. It has taken months of pre-training and organisation

to get to that point. When we ﬁrst arrive for a season,

18 | The Polo Magazine | Spring 2018

Looking further forward – the Argentine season with Las Monjitas Since 2013, Hilario has formed part of the iconic and successful Alegría organisation – the only team in the last eight years to stop La Dolfina from making an Argentine Triple Crown Final. This year is all change for the industrious players that made up this fan favourite team as they move across en masse to the Las Monjitas organisation. Hilario will once again lead the charge and this year it’s all about horsepower! “There is a big change in our focus and the way we are approaching the Argentine season this year. Obviously, the goal is simple – to win the Argentine Open. In our first official meeting as Las Monjitas, it was clear that everyone was very conscious that to do this meant having, buying and breeding the best horses, and the ultimate goal of Las Monjitas is to have the most powerful polo organisation in the world. They are going in that direction. Sapo [Guillermo Caset] and I have been having meetings. We really want to win the Open and we know we can do it and we know how to do it, but we really need an extra hand on horses and that is what Las Monjitas can give us. They bought in a lot of new blood a few years ago so those will be coming through the breeding process now and it should be amazing. We are definitely in with a chance. I played with Facu [Facundo Sola] last year as well as a few years ago as well, and obviously I have played with Sapo for some years now. I have never played with Negro [Julian de Lusarreta], but he is a very talented guy and an excellent rider, and I think he is one of the best up and coming players at the moment so it’s going to be a great and exciting challenge.”

Spring 2018 | The Polo Magazine | 19 TPM_Spring18_Front.indd 18

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Polo Times, June 2018

News

Horsebox Insurance

Photography courtesy of The Polo Magazine

Do You Have the Right Horsebox Insurance?

It is vital to understand the type of horsebox insurance you require when purchasing a lorry

We are all aware of the legal requirement to ensure our vehicles are insured before we take to the road, but when it comes to horseboxes are there other requirements we should be considering? Legally you are only required to hold third party insurance and commonly you will find most insurers offer third party, fire and theft as a minimum whilst fully comprehensive cover remains the most popular cover option. Considering the additional coverage it provides, you will not see a significant increase to your premium. What is important however, and where you can get caught out, is ensuring that you are covered for the correct ‘usage’. Charles Harris, Horsebox Account Executive for KBIS British Equestrian Insurance, explains further. “Typically, insurers have three classifications for usage; Social, Domestic and Pleasure, Business Use and Hire and Reward. Social, Domestic and Pleasure use is for those who are simply transporting their own horse(s) and are not doing so in connection with a business i.e. they are not making a living out of their riding activities, it is purely a hobby. Under this policy you could still transport a friend’s horse on occasion as long as you were not financially gaining. Confusion often arises between the term ‘business use’ and ‘hire and reward’. As a professional polo player, where you are earning a living 16

Polo Times, June 2018

from the sport, if your vehicle is used for transporting your own horses you will need to ensure your policy includes ‘business use’.” If you are transporting other people’s horses and for doing so charging the owners a specific fee, then you will require a policy for ‘hire and reward’. Whilst a good insurer or broker should be happy to explain the usage options and guide you, they can only base their advice on the information you supply. “Be absolutely clear with them about what you use your lorry for”, emphasises Charles. As with any insurance policy ultimately it is your responsibility to ensure you have adequate cover and have disclosed all of the relevant information, this also applies to other drivers of the vehicle. You can either choose a ‘named driver’ policy, where you must ensure anyone driving the vehicle is specifically named on the policy or opt for a policy which covers ‘any driver’ over a certain age; the latter providing much more flexibility on driving numbers. The wording of these terms varies, but in most cases terms will be subject to the driver falling within a certain set of guidelines. You have a duty to ensure the driver using the vehicle falls within these and will therefore be insured to drive the vehicle; failure to do so could invalidate any potential claim.

“Aside from the usage and driver restrictions be aware that unlike car insurance, contents cover is not normally covered on a horsebox policy so any tack and equipment in the lorry is unlikely to be insured in the event of theft”, Charles advises. “Also remember that you cannot rely on a commercial motor insurance policy to cover you for third party when driving another vehicle.” Depending on the insurance they have in place, you may need to be added on as a named driver, so it’s always important to check before driving someone else’s lorry. Finally, if you will be travelling abroad with your lorry then it is always advisable to speak with your broker. Coverage is likely to be restricted to the minimum requirement for the country you are travelling in, so if you have a fully comprehensive policy and want to keep this in place you may need to pay an additional premium to cover your time abroad.” Receive 10% OFF KBIS Horsebox Insurance until 30 June. T&Cs and Underwriting Criteria Apply. T: 0345 230 2323 E: ask@kbis.co.uk W: www.kbis.co.uk

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We have received a number of positive reactions to our story regarding the ‘HelmetGate’ situation at the beginning of the UK high goal season. We have noted some below: Mark Burgon, Cowdray Park Polo Club Member “I thought your update yesterday (14 May newsletter) with regards to all the rumours surrounding the introduction of the new polo helmets ruling by the HPA was spot on. It is indeed very disappointing that the world number one seeks to take this action, it has to be one rule for all and it was equally disappointing that the umpires, referee and match officials failed to uphold the new ruling at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club at the weekend. “As the governing body of the sport, everyone whoever they are has to abide by the ruling or play somewhere else. As a parallel can you imagine the FIA allowing Ferrari to race without the new Halo device on their car even for one race – of course not it would never happen and should not have been allowed to at the weekend and those who presided over the farce should be taken to task by the HPA. “Cambiaso might be number one in the world, but he is not the only player in the world and this is for the greater good and benefit of us all.” Danvers Baillieu “I totally agree with your editorial. It is quite outrageous for Cambiaso/Valiente to behave like this and even more outrageous for the HPA to be so supine. I can’t see them ignoring such high-handed behaviour by low goal players...”

Photograph courtesy of Joe Manheim

“In December 2017, I had a proper crash in a tournament at Tortugas and was wearing, thank god, an Armis helmet. I have a background in ski racing and the technology that has been applied there to helmets and as soon as MIPS was available I ensured that myself and all my family members helmets were MIPS. I started riding and playing polo only a few years ago – 2014 and immediately, before any crash or accident, I was unhappy with the helmet choices. I was very close to starting a company to address the issues I saw in the polo helmet space and when I saw the news about Armis’s work, I waited to buy one of theirs. I honestly believe that without wearing an Armis helmet I would have been more severely injured as I came off the horse backwards and was knocked out for 30-45 seconds. If I had been wearing any other helmet than Armis, the specific impact I incurred would have been potentially lifethreatening.” For more news about ‘HelmetGate’, please turn to our Helmet’s feature on page 22.

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Quick Question Q: Who is attributed with the design of the original polo helmet and for a bonus point, in what year did helmets become compulsory for polo players in England? A: Turn to page 107 to check your answer.

As polo across all levels in the UK reaches the season epicentre, WW2 military-style precision planning is essential to get the right teams to the correct club with the required trucks, drivers, ponies, grooms and tack

the

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Stallions at Sunset Gili Trawanagan, a crystal blue water, white sandy beach paradise, nestled off the coast of Bali, is perhaps not the first place you’d expect to find horses swimming at sunset. Well-known for its diving, parties and laid back atmosphere, it is less known as a an island where motorised vehicles are forbidden and therefore traditional horsepower really does rule. Every evening, as locals and tourists alike enjoy the stunning sunset views, some of the island’s stallions are treated to a post-workout swim against the beautiful backdrop of Bali’s Mt. Agung. wP hotograph by Polo Times

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Polo Times, June 2018

Feature

Helmet Conflict

Helmet Conflict Carolina Beresford

reports

nother week, another bout of Anglo-Argentine antagonism has hit the polo world. A lot has happened since Adolfo Cambiaso, Christian ‘Magoo’ Laprida, and Rob Jornayvaz rode onto the field on Saturday 12 May, during The Prince of Wales Trophy wearing their usual, unapproved (as of 1 January 2018) helmets. Letters, lawyers, loaded statements and a lot of upset pursued. The HPA stood their ground and warned that no player would be able to compete unless wearing a helmet that meets a standard recognised by the Association. Outrage ensued. There are many facets to this particular issue, and discussing it does not come without its perils. Let’s consider what the best player in the world is campaigning for: Cambiaso has stated that he is fighting solely for the safety of the players. He is undoubtedly in favour of innovations in

The HPA Statement on Helmets, Friday 18 May The HPA had a lengthy telephone conference to discuss the HPA’s rule on helmets with Diego Bucking from BA and Stefano Macchi di Cellere from London, lawyers representing Adolfo Cambiaso, Andrew Barlow, Chairman of the HPA’s Disciplinary Committee, Dr Victor Chua, Chairman of the HPA’s Safety Committee, Patrick Russell, Legal Adviser to the HPA, and David Woodd, CEO of the HPA.

Polo Times, June 2018

the field, but he highlights that the players are the ones risking their heads. Cambiaso has also dispelled comments that this goes back to the visa problem; it is not about egos, and this is not a tantrum. Let’s be fair: Cambiaso’s opinion is important, and he believes that he is fighting for something which merits his time and attention. It is curious that so many Argentine players say that they do not fully understand everything that has happened surrounding the issue over the past two years. Instead of imposing laws on the very players we fall over ourselves to watch on the field, perhaps a more inclusive, didactic approach would be beneficial. It has been mentioned that members of the Valiente organisation have been testing the new helmets since January. Contrary to popular belief, Cambiaso, it seems, has given the helmets a chance. His stance on the matter, however, is clear: If the players are forced to wear these new helmets, then the HPA should insure them in case of injury. Beyond what Cambiaso says, this debate has almost turned into a human rights issue. “I think it boils down to freedom of choice,” says Guillermo ‘Sapo’ Caset. “When you are forced to do something the first reaction is always negative. It is great that technology is improving, but players must have the right All agreed that safety for players was everybody’s aim but it was not possible to establish what testing if any had been carried out on the helmet that Adolfo Cambiaso wishes to play in and it is our intention to obtain a Cavalier helmet for examination. However, the HPA is not in a position to be able to allow any player to play in a helmet that does not meet a standard recognised by the HPA or indeed by any independent body. Consequently, the rule stands that no player will be allowed on the ground unless they are wearing a helmet which is acceptable to the HPA. There is plenty of scientific evidence to show that falling off a horse at speed can cause serious injury or concussion, and although injuries sustained playing polo are not well recorded, we all know players who have suffered injuries regardless of the helmet worn. To establish whether the injury might have been less serious or worse if a different

Photograph by Polo Times

Carolina Beresford explores the situation surrounding the helmet conflict, with comments from the HPA and top Argentine players

Traditional, single strap Argentine-style helmets have been banned by the HPA

to choose.” Facundo Pieres also expressed a similar view. “It is great that the HPA are working to improve the helmets, but I don’t think they went about it the right way. We were never involved in the process, we were never asked, we never got to test the helmets. We arrived in England and it was compulsory. We were told about this new rule last year, but not much was explained beyond that.” This has been a complex issue for the HPA, to say the least. “The decision around imposing a standard has been much discussed since I took over in 2000; whether to recommend or mandate,” explains CEO David Woodd. “In 2008, I was not pro a mandatory rule. We funded tests that year on the nine helmets that were generally in use in the polo community at that stage. The only ones that really met any UK, or international standard, were the Charles Owen helmets. No polo players liked them and it would helmet had been worn is impossible to establish with a live person in a live situation. Crash tests in cars are not carried out on live drivers. This has to be done in laboratory conditions where identical tests are conducted against each make of helmet so that the different helmets can be measured against the same tests. No helmet will provide full protection, so it is all about improving the protection and reducing the risk. The standards set by the HPA are based on those of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) which was judged to present the most similar risk. Although no polo balls or sticks are involved, the tests cover a spike and impact test as from a horse’s hoof. We met in person with Dr Jerry Hill, chief medical officer of the BHA, and Dr Adrian McGoldrick, chief medical officer of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Body to explain the risks involved in polo and both agreed that the BHA standard of PAS015:2011 was

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Helmet Conflict

Feature

Despite the issues earlier in The Prince of Wales, the Valiente players all conformed with the HPA’s helmet regulations for their remaining two matches, including the Final

the most appropriate for polo. This is not to say that the adopted helmets cannot be improved and any feed-back from players should be provided direct to the different manufacturers. In Europe, a governing body does not set what can or cannot be used by make. It sets the standard that must be met. The testing is carried out by independent EU approved ‘notified bodies’ which also test helmets for other sports such as F1, cycling, ice hockey and cricket and it is they who decide whether a certain standard has been met or not; for example cricket helmets have to meet BS7928:2013. We did start off by requiring the standard to include the ‘kite mark’ which is UK specific and more rigorous. There was extensive liaison with La Martina, Casablanca and Falcon and we removed this requirement during the summer of 2017 to make it easier and cheaper for Argentine manufacturers to meet the standard as we were led to believe

that they would then have helmets that met one of the standards required available for players for the 2018 season. We are very disappointed that they have not been able to achieve this, especially given that we agreed to delay the introduction of a mandatory standard from 1 Jan 2017 to 1 Jan 2018 at their request, as we realised that it was important to have as wide a choice as possible. It has been pointed out to us by Stefano that the rule as written in the 2017 rule book had not been amended in the 2018 rule book to reflect the removal of the need for a ‘kite mark’ which requires type approval to be performed by a UK headquartered Notified Body for Personal Protection Equipment’. Casablanca, La Martina and Falcon were aware of the change and this will be amended. Cavalier did not contact us until early February 2018 which was very late. The time for consultation was between mid-2016 and 31 December 2017. It was well publicised

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Photograph by Cymon Skinner Photography

have been impossible to impose them, in my view.” However, pressure fell on the HPA when all other equine disciplines in the country imposed a mandatory helmet standard and the argument was that polo should do the same. “This has been a hot topic since 2008, and in 2016 Cambiaso and Facundo agreed that they would support a standard provided that there were sufficient helmets available,” states Woodd. “The rule was made known to the AAP and the USPA as well, as both are looking at their own position regarding helmets. We wanted to introduce the rule in 2017, but we extended that to 1 January 2018, at the request of the main Argentine manufacturers – Casablanca, La Martina and Falcon – as they had difficulties in terms of time and expense. We wanted to provide a choice of helmets, especially Argentine ones. They were confident that they could deliver on time for 2018, but have not as yet done so. Cavalier came to us only in February 2018 asking what they needed to do to be certified. It is very disappointing for us as we wanted it to be a competitive market and for players to have a choice. We are not blaming the Argentine helmet manufacturers, but they have not made the cut, and the players are blaming the HPA for not giving them another year.” Many players feel that the issue has been handled in a dictatorial manner, that the evidence is lacking as to whether the helmets are in fact safer, and resent that if something does happen to them, they are not insured or compensated in any way. “It’s a sensitive subject, and it’s not easy to solve,” continues Facundo. “I am currently using this new helmet, and I am trying to adapt to it. They are all bigger than the ones we are used to and they don’t fit as well. I feel that my helmet is too high on my head

in the polo press that these regulations were coming up and we consulted extensively with manufacturers. Because of the new rule we felt that it would be helpful to those having to buy new helmets to list those that had met the standards. It is our firm view that a helmet that has been certified to one of the standards mandated by the HPA is going to stand a much increased chance of providing better protection than a helmet that has not been certified and this is supported by every British equestrian regulatory body which has had helmet standards since the mid1990s: British Horseracing, British Eventing, British Dressage, British Show Jumping, Pony Club. International regulatory bodies such as the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) also require certified protective headgear. Since doing so the number of serious head injuries has reduced significantly.

Polo Times, June 2018

Feature

Helmet Conflict On Monday 14 May, Polo Times released the following website story in response to the situation regarding helmets which occurred at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club on Saturday 12 May. Polo Times would like to state that the comment to “Get on and play or go home”, which has caused upset with some players in particular, was not aimed specifically at Argentine or foreign players, but the whole UK community as a whole, and was simply a take on a traditional English saying, “Play hard or go home” Photograph courtesy of Armis

Armis have supplied a helmet for world number one player, Adolfo Cambiaso in his eye catching colours

and that it doesn’t protect me as much. I am not sure what will happen in a fall because they have not been tested at high speed in a polo setting. The fact that they absorb the impact of a hit better than the old helmets is comforting to know, but I would like them to be developed further so that they don’t feel so foreign. And I think that is a possibility. I am speaking to the helmet manufacturers to see what can be done. If the HPA had involved the players in the dialogue, this could have been sorted before, and if the product is better and safer, then we are all going to end up using it anyway. There is no need to force us.” The general consensus is that the HPA could have included the players in the process, especially considering that it has been an ongoing topic since the millennium. In response to this, Woodd emphasises that the HPA, “Was not involved in the development of helmets apart from setting the standard. That could have been construed as a conflict of interest.” Whether they were involved in the design or not, a high number of players feel that the HPA has a responsibility to explain the new law in a clear and direct way. “Many players found out late,” says Caset. “I heard that I needed a new helmet in March. I think there needs to be more of a dialogue between the players and the directors. At the end of the day, we all want the best for the sport.” As it turned out, Cambiaso played the rest of The Prince of Wales Trophy wearing the correct helmet, but it would be wrong to think that this is the end of the matter. In the meantime, all we can do is hope that someone, somewhere chooses to focus on all that unites us – the love of the sport, the wish to develop polo both in the UK and internationally, the admiration we feel for all the players, the respect we have for the sport’s history and the eagerness to take polo into the domain of professional sports. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But if this particular argument is about something as fundamental as safety, then why has it been so difficult to tackle? 24

Polo Times, June 2018

HelmetGate

Valiente go against HPA ruling Following on from ‘Visagate’ there appears to have been another large knock to AngloArgentine relations over the weekend, ‘Helmetgate’. Our readers will have no doubt seen the social media frenzy following the first Prince of Wales matches at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club. Since 1 January this year, a new helmet rule has been introduced and enforced by the Hurlingham Polo Association, stating that all helmets must be type approved to the standard PAS015:1998 or PAS015:2011 with a CE Mark, SNELL E2001, VG1 01.040 2014-12 or UTAC/CRITT 04/2015. Three players from the Valiente team (Adolfo Cambiaso, Christian ‘Magoo’ Laprida and patron, Rob Jornayvaz) refused to wear the newly approved helmets, with Cambiaso reportedly stating, “If something happens to me using this new helmet, I have the right to go against the HPA and the Club I’m playing at.” Jornayvaz and Laprida are yet to make a comment. At the time of the match, there was no representative from the HPA present, but Michael Amoore, the General Manager of RCBPC, approached the Valiente players during the third chukka break to request the players change their helmets. According to sources, Cambiaso presented Amoore with a legal letter stating that if the HPA and the Club force him to wear a certain type of helmet, they must insure him against injury. He requested that the Club sign the document, but they did not. Cambiaso, Laprida and Jornayvaz were let back onto the field for the remainder of the match, directly going against the HPA’s new rule. Polo Times has been made aware that Cambiaso sent a letter to the HPA earlier this year explaining his views about the new helmet rule, to which the HPA responded with the reasoning for the introduction of the new regulations. In response to the weekend’s match, the HPA sent an email to all clubs stating the following: “When players join the HPA they agree to abide by the HPA Rules. If you feel it necessary or appropriate for any individual players, please pass on the following: Playing in a helmet that has not been approved as compliant by the HPA is against the rules and club officials have

been instructed to stand any player down from playing until they have complied with the rules. Playing or attempting to play in a non-compliant helmet may be subject to disciplinary action by the HPA.” As ever, there are two sides to every story, but really there should only be one side here. The HPA came under great pressure to drag polo into the 21st century and enforce a standard for polo helmets. As polo has a somewhat questionable reputation for pony and player safety and welfare in the wider equine community, it is only right that our discipline now has at least some degree of hat safety ruling. How can polo be viewed as a prospective Olympic sport or avoid litigation in head injury cases without reform? If the European standard adopted is considered safe by professionals for racing, show jumping and cross country, how can it possibly be so unsafe for polo? Apparently Cambiaso has issue with those helmets which have been designed and approved by the HPA for polo, but don’t forget, if all else fails he can pop to his local tack shop and pick up a basic skull cap at £20 which conforms to all EU hat regulations, is perfectly acceptable to jockeys tackling National Hunt fences up and down the country and meets the HPA criteria. Now that would be a sight worth seeing. It is disappointing that the best polo player in the world and other online polo publications have chosen a contrary view. One can be forgiven for suggesting that it is nothing to do with helmets and a whole lot more to do with visas and/or egos. What is equally disappointing is that the HPA have not enforced the new regulations more rigorously and ‘headed off Cambiaso at the pass’ before the topic became an issue. To have no HPA presence or legal representation at RCBPC at the weekend to stop players before they even put a foot in their stirrups for the first chukka is incomprehensible, particularly as Cambiaso had made his views known beforehand. However, despite the lack of teeth shown so far by the HPA, the UK has introduced hat safety rules for a reason and those that play here must abide by those rules. Get on and play or go home, is surely the stance that should be firmly adopted? www.polotimes.co.uk

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Retraining of Racehorses

Feature

Retraining of Racehorses RoR – supporting polo through the years

were first on the list in those early days. Of course, this was not a new idea, using Thoroughbreds in these disciplines had been going on for years, and players and producers like Alan Kent and David Morley had been going to Ascot and the Doncaster Sales, sourcing these horses with great success. However, more needed to be done to promote these horses to a wider audience, to encourage more players to take on these Thoroughbreds, who are versatile and highly intelligent, and can, and often do, go right to the top in polo. Since 2004, RoR has been giving prizes to acknowledge the success of these horses as well as the £2,500 annual Elite prize to the highest achiever and £1,000 prize to the Best Young Producer, which were introduced in 2014. With the support of The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club (RCBPC), three years ago RoR launched a Thoroughbred Polo Challenge with classes for three-year-olds and upwards, to encourage registration and to know the whereabouts of the horses, but also to recognise the producers of these horses who were successfully retraining them for polo. The older horse section moved to Cowdray Park

Polo Club on The Gold Cup Semi Finals day in 2017 and was well supported and to a high standard. This will be repeated again this year, while the younger horse section will stay at the RCBPC. 2018 will see more support from the charity, for moving horses responsibly from the owner/trainer to the sport horse world and this will include launching a new RoR ‘Source A Horse’ website. This website will facilitate an in-house owner/trainer hotline, a recommended list of nationwide assessment centres and professional assessors available to visit and advise on the suitability for retraining. Many polo players and producers already have racing contacts and we hope working together will help more suitable horses for polo to go through the system. RoR will continue to work with the Hurlingham Polo Association, the players, producers and clubs to help as many suitable Thoroughbreds have a second career in polo. As ever, RoR’s thanks to Lycetts for their continued support and we are all looking forward to seeing more former racehorses playing this season.

Photograph courtesy of RoR

ighteen years on from RoR being given charitable status (Rehabilitation of Racehorses in those days) is a good time to be looking back and studying the history of the charity, as well as looking forward and to make plans for the future. Following the television programme, ‘They Shoot Horses Don’t They’, racing was prompted to concentrate on racing aftercare. A generous endowment fund from the estate of the late Paul Mellon and the vision of a Jockey Club appointed member of the British Horseracing Board, RoR became racing’s official charity dedicated to the aftercare of former racehorses. While horses needing charitable intervention were looked after in those early days by three centres funded by RoR: Moorcroft, Greatwood and TRC and later joined by Heros, the focus was on being proactive rather than reactive and with a need to promote the Thoroughbred in other equestrian disciplines. There will always be a supply and the challenge is keeping up the demand. Polo, along with the showing discipline,

Daisy is one of the world’s most famous RoR ponies

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Polo Times, June 2018

Feature

Retraining of Racehorses

RoR Polo Dates 2018

Photograph courtesy of RoR

9 June: Best Playing Pony Rug at The Swinhay International Test Match, Beaufort Polo Club 24 June: Best Playing Pony Rug at The Warwickshire Cup, Cirencester Park Polo Club 18 July: RoR Polo Challenge Final at Cowdray Park Polo Club (riders must be 2 goal and above in order to ride) 18 July: Best Playing Pony Rug at The King Power Gold Cup Semi Finals, Cowdray Park Polo Club 28 July: Best Playing Pony Rug at Flannels England International Test Match for The Westchester Cup, The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

Henry Brett is well known for rehoming ex-racehorses

Jack Richardson

Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

“Harmony will play with me in every tournament I do this year as she is one of my top horses. She has come on a lot in the last two years and I am really looking forward to playing her this year. She has amazing speed and sides, which suit the way polo is going with the new rules. I believe the Thoroughbreds will become very important as polo gets quicker because they can go for longer than the polo bred ponies. I currently have about 36 RoRs from threeyears-old and just learning polo to 16-yearsold that I’ve played for a long time. Out of my main 12 playing string only one isn’t an RoR. So, the RoRs have been a massive part of my polo career and have helped me reach 7 goals and will hopefully help me go even further!”

Photograph by Tom Reynolds

Mark Tomlinson’s pony Marmite is a key force in his string

Photography courtesy of RoR

Photograph by Gordon Lindsay

Shannon, owned and played by Gonzalito Pieres is a regular in the high goal across the world

Gloucester never fails to assist owner Mikey Henderson on the field

Mark Baldwin

“In total I have 18 Thoroughbreds in my string, some of which are in their first year and others that are playing at top level. All the horses are sourced by my mother, Ruth, and I train them. My top six played with me in the winning FIP XI World Polo Championships qualifier team in France last year and my string plays everything from 4 to 18 goal. I was thrilled to win the RoR Young Producer Award last year and have put the prize money to good use in buying five more horses which all look very promising. Zarene and Nicaldani are probably my best two, having won multiple best playing pony awards. The only thing holding them back from playing high goal is me, but I have no interest in selling them despite huge interest.”

Polo Times, June 2018

Henry Brett

“Drastic Art is the mare that won the RoR Polo Challenge Final competition last year. She is playing chukkas this year and will hopefully play low goal tournaments midseason. She has been entered into The Royal Windsor Horse Show Polo Competition and should be at the RoR Polo Challenge Final again at Cowdray. I have a few more, new ponies in my string this season and hope to send one or two of them to the RoR competition as well”.

www.polotimes.co.uk

Royal Windsor Horse Show 2018

Photograph by Mandie Beitner

Feature

Competitors line-up to hear the judges’ views

Polo Ponies at RWHS reports from Windsor, Berkshire

Photography by Caroline Stern

Polo Times, June 2018

olo ponies once again briefly took centre stage at Britain’s largest horse show on Thursday 10 May. The Royal Windsor Horse Show this year celebrated its 75 anniversary and remains the only annual occasion at which polo ponies’ and riders’ skills are displayed alongside competitors from other equestrian disciplines. Players have shown polo ponies in the grounds of Windsor Castle since 1950 and Prince Charles himself rode in the class on many occasions, whilst HM The Queen’s ponies were frequently competed by Lord Patrick Beresford. The idea of introducing polo ponies to the show ring came from the then Guards Polo Club Secretary, Geoffrey Cross, who split the entries into lightweight and heavyweight polo ponies. Horses entered in the lightweight class needed to be capable of carrying players up to 13½ stone, whilst the heavyweights had to be up to carrying heavier riders. The conclusion of each class saw the best lightweight and the best heavyweight ponies judged against each other and a Supreme and a Reserve Champion determined. Last year, the weight differentiation was abolished, and entries divided into RoR Thoroughbred sponsored by Retraining of Racehorses and Polo Pony sponsored by Guards Polo Club, the latter being for purpose-bred polo ponies. The class continued in its revamped format this year and entries increased slightly from 2017. However, the criteria for success has remained basically unaltered since the last century, these being that the pony will

Photograph by Mandie Beitner

Caroline Stern

Jess, Supreme Champion ridden by Nina Clarkin

be judged on ‘performance with rider, conformation and turnout’ and that the judge will ride the ponies him or herself, in the event of a tie. Lord Patrick Beresford has judged the class for the past 12 years and Guards Polo Manager Antony Fanshawe has acted as co-judge and riding judge, for the past four years. They were joined in the ring by longtime Best Turned Out Polo Pony sponsor and judge, Sarah Gracey, who owns the local Millwheel Tackshop & G.G. Feeds. Newcomers to this year’s competition included RoR competitor George Meyrick. “I have never done anything like this before, but I am riding Sally Turner’s Drastic Art, who already won the Cowdray Park Polo Pony Show Class last year, so at least the horse knows what she is doing!” The photogenic chestnut mare also had quite an extensive racing career, according to her owner and was trained by Michael Bell. Oli Hipwood’s Elf was another firsttimer. “She hasn’t played properly as yet, but she is pretty good at dressage,” said Oli of the classical-looking pony. “I last took part in this show 25-yearsago,” remarked Austin Clarke in the

Ruben, Best Turned Out Polo Pony Winner with Jose Surr Ruben, Best Turned Out Polo Pony Winner with Jose Surr

www.polotimes.co.uk

Royal Windsor Horse Show 2018

Photograph by Mandie Beitner

Open Milinea, ridden by Daniel Otamendi, was awarded second place in the Polo Pony sponsored by Guards Polo Club

collecting ring. The Gloucestershire player and polo manager carried on the class’s royal tradition by showing two ponies owned by HRH Prince Harry, Noche and China. Pippa Vincent from Kirtlington was a returning entrant, bringing last year’s fifth placed Cindy and also her handsome eightyear-old bay gelding, Ruben. Pippa brought with her Kirtlington Park Polo School’s Melissa Wadley to offer support, plus groom Jose Surr, who had honed her ponies’ performance in preparation for the event. Louise Saul showed Major Jamie Hayward’s veteran 22-year-old Chloe for the second year running and the black mare’s superb condition and performance once again belied her age. “Chloe won the Lightweight class here in 2006 and came second in the Championship and won both the Lightweight and the Championship in 2008,” said her proud owner. This year’s competition was moved to the Frogmore Arena, providing a polytrak surface on which each player had the chance

to demonstrate their pony’s skills in a twominute show. This replaced the grass surface in the Copper Horse arena, which sometimes proved slippery in past years. “The class always used to be run on an arena-type surface,” commented Oli Hipwood, who watched girlfriend Clare Campbell compete on his pony, Elf. RoR class competitor Nick Johnson was the first to show the crowd and the judges what his mount could do, on the stunning seven-year-old mare Maidana, owned by Alan Kent. He was followed by Nina Clarkin on the striking Jess, a grey Thoroughbred owned by Doug and Sue McGregor. All 10 players gave energetic and exciting shows on their 12, star performing, polo ponies, a fact the commentator seemed to have little interest in sharing with the substantial crowd, the majority of whom had little knowledge of polo. The fact that the UK’s leading woman player – Nina Clarkin – was lighting up the ring went unremarked, nor did the presence of England players George Meyrick and Oli Hipwood merit a mention. It would also have been interesting for the spectators to know that a 14-year-old Pony Club player, Barney Hughes, had bravely entered the show ring to pit his riding skills against those of adult professional players of the standard of Daniel Otamendi, off five goals, riding Open Milinea. Or, that two of HRH Prince Harry’s own mounts were impressing the judges, although their ownership was eventually revealed in the commentary during the presentation. The opinion of the small group of polo aficionados also watching was that Major Jamie Hayward himself should have been asked to fulfil the role of class commentator,

Feature

given both his expert knowledge of the sport and its people, as well as his experience of explaining polo to newcomers to the sport. When this group elected to energetically applaud the performance of Barney Hughes on his own big chestnut gelding, Chilli, the spectators at least inferred that polo pony showing does not have to take place in a silent vacuum and that clapping is allowed. After the 12 individual shows of pony prowess, Antony Fanshawe donned his HPA approved helmet and knuckled down to some comprehensive pony-testing. Having last year awarded Supreme Champion to Alan Kent’s RoR entrant, Maria Medicis, Anthony started with Alan’s 2018 contender, Maidana. The riding judge then moved on to Doug and Sue McGregor’s lovely grey mare, Jess and then to Sally Turner’s Drastic Art.

Results RoR Thoroughbred sponsored by Retraining of Racehorses 1 Jess Owners: Doug & Sue McGregor Rider: Nina Clarkin 2 Maidana Owner: Alan Kent Rider: Nick Johnson 3 Drastic Art Owner: Sally Turner Rider: George Meyrick Polo Pony sponsored by Guards Polo Club 1 Noche Owner: HRH Prince Harry 2 Open Milinea Owner: Nick Beitner 3 Chilli Owner: Barney Hughes 4 Bazil Owner: Nina Clarkin 5 Elf Owner: Oliver Hipwood 6 China Owner: HRH Prince Harry

Rider: Austin Clarke Rider: Daniel Otamendi Rider: Barney Hughes Rider: Nina Clarkin Rider: Claire Campbell Rider: Austin Clarke

Best Turned Out Polo Pony Prize sponsored by Millwheel Tack Shop & GG Feeds Ltd. Ruben Owner: Pippa Vincent Rider: Pippa Vincent Supreme Champion Jess Owners: Doug & Sue McGregor

Rider: Nina Clarkin

Reserve Champion Maidana Owner: Alan Kent

Rider: Nick Johnson The young Barney Hughes riding Chilli

www.polotimes.co.uk

Polo Times, June 2018

Feature

Royal Windsor Horse Show 2018

Antony Fanshawe, Sarah Gracey Caroline Ellis, Storm Macdonald & Oli Hipwood & Lord Patrick Beresford

Having ridden the three RoR candidates, Antony elected to first try out Prince Harry’s powerful bay mare Noche, in the Polo Pony Sponsored by Guards Polo Club category. His next selections were the two imposing chestnuts, Barney Hughes’ Chilli, followed by Nick Beitner’s mare, Open Milinea. After a brief consultation, the judges chose Jess as the winning Retrained Racehorse, with Maidana second and Drastic Art third. Noche carried off the honours for the polo ponies, followed by Open Milinea and Chilli. Finally, the award of Supreme Champion was given to Jess, with Maidana Reserve Champion. The respective winners of the RoR Thoroughbred, sponsored by Retraining of

Ariel Otamendi & Jose Surr

Racehorses and the Polo Pony sponsored by Guards Polo Club each received a £500 prize. Pippa Vincent was the deserved recipient of the Best Turned Out Polo Pony prize of a £100 voucher from Millwheel Tackshop and GG Feeds Limited, provided by Sarah and Gerry Gracey. “I am so pleased,” said Nina Clarkin, post-class. “Jess is such a lovely horse. I played her yesterday in the 15 goal and then came here today, so she is a bit excited, but she loved it and I am really, really pleased.” Nina also achieved a respectable fourth place in the Polo Pony sponsored by Guards Polo Club, with her home-bred gelding, Bazil. Antony Fanshawe pronounced himself to be ‘exhausted’ post-class, having trialled the

Heloise Wilson-Smith

six ponies prior to the judges’ verdict, but pleased that this year’s class had attracted increased player and professional player numbers. “I asked the organisers for some posters to put up in our saddlery,” added Sarah Gracey. “They could not give me any, but people kept coming in and asking when the polo pony show class was and how to enter!” Lord Patrick Beresford concluded “The new surface provided a very good footing for the ponies and the professional players were more engaged in the class this year. All of the riders showed their ponies better than they have done in recent years, showed off their potential and made good use of the space in the arena.”

Available at

Polo Times, June 2018

www.polotimes.co.uk

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Victor & Victrix Ludorum 2018

Feature

Victor & Victrix Ludorum 2018 Guide The sun is shining and the 2018 Victor and Victrix Ludorum series are underway. We catch up with players and clubs to find out what they have planned for us this summer

Photograph by Ben Hastie Photography

he Victor Ludorum Series is without doubt one of the most exciting and important tournament series in the UK polo season. Each year, the tournaments receive more and more entries and, running over the summer season with 14 clubs hosting 36 tournaments, the whole country has got the Victor Ludorum fever. What’s more, this year sees the second annual instalment of the Victrix Ludorum, which will host six tournaments of its own. Since the introduction of specific ladies’ handicaps in 2015, the popularity of this section of polo has gone from strength to strength. The ladies’ series follows the same, point accumulative, system as its unisex counterpart and will this year take place at six clubs across the country. Due to the point system, teams don’t even need to win every tournament to win the series, which acts as a great incentive to both new and traditional

The Victor Ludorum Series brings together teams from across the country

teams looking to cement their success. To top it all off, the Championship trophies are handed out at the annual Polo Awards the following year at Guards Polo Club, in front of a gathered throng of polo aficionados and tournament peers. This year’s Victor

Ludorum sees the introduction of a 4 goal series, inviting a collection of low goal clubs to get in on the 2018 action and as usual, the series will bring together teams, patrons, clubs and supporters to revel in all things polo this summer.

WHEN AND WHERE YOU CAN PLAY IN THE VICTOR LUDORUM 2018 SERIES 15 Goal

2018 Victor Ludorum and High Goal Dates 22+ Goal Guards – Cartier Queen’s Cup: 22 May – 17 June Cirencester – Warwickshire Cup: 19 – 24 June Cowdray – King Power Gold Cup: 26 June – 22 July

18 Goal Cowdray – Duke of Sutherland: 21 May – 10 June Cirencester – Apsley Cup: 13 June – 1 July Guards – Indian Empire Shield: 3 – 21 July Cowdray – Challenge Cup: 23 July – 5 August www.polotimes.co.uk

Guards – The OUT-SOURCING Inc Royal Windsor Cup: 5 – 24 June RCBPC – Eduardo Moore Trophy: 26 June – 14 July Cowdray – Harrison Cup: 16 July – 4 August Cirencester – County Cup: 7 – 18 August Beaufort – Arthur Lucas: 21 August – 2 September

12 Goal Cowdray – Dollar Cup: 14 May – 3 June RCBPC – John Prestwich: 4 – 16 June Beaufort – Prince of Wales: 18 – 30 June Cirencester – Queen Mother Trophy: 2 – 15 July Guards – Duke of Wellington: 4 – 19 August Cirencester – Cheltenham Cup: 28 August – 9 September Cowdray – Autumn League: 10 – 23 September

8 Goal Cirencester – Gerald Balding: 14 – 28 May

Guards – Archie David: 8 June – 1 July RCBPC – Hipwood Trophy: 4 – 21 July Cowdray – Holden White: 23 July – 5 August Beaufort – Wichenford Bowl: 13 – 27 August

6 Goal Dallas Burston – Stoneythorpe Cup: 14 – 27 May Beaufort – Rojas Lanusse Trophy: 5 – 16 June Kirtlington – Budgett Everett Trophy: 2 – 12 August HPC, The London Polo Club – Roehampton Cup: 14 – 26 August Cirencester – Kingscote Cup: 28 August – 8 September

Feature

Victor & Victrix Ludorum 2018

The HPA Victor Ludorum 2017 Top Three Teams (N.B. Handicaps as per 2017) 18 GOAL

1 Armis Snake Bite: Max Kirchhoff (0), Tom Beim (3), James Harper (6) & James Beim (6) 2nd Emlor C: Emma McCarthy (0), José Araya (2), Jack Richardson (6) & Jeronimo el Carril (6) 3rd Apes Hill: Luke Wiles (1), Tommy Severn (2), Isidro Strada (6) & Mark Tomlinson (6) st

12 GOAL

8 GOAL 1st Limitless Silvertown: Olivia Clowes (-1), Jake Rigby (0), Mikey Henderson (4) & Matias Amaya (5) 2nd Snake Bite: Max Kirchhoff (0), Thomas Coid (1), Nick Pepper (4) & David Ashby (3) 3rd Strategic Help for Heroes: Peter O’Rorke (-1), Archie Smyth Osbourne (2), Henry Fisher (4) & Matt Evetts (3)

6 GOAL 1st Thomson Local: Benji Bradshaw (-1), Phil Sellars (2), John Martin (2) & David Ashby (3) 2nd Maiz Dulce: Millie Cooper (-2), Matt Pitts (2), Jack Berner (3) & Derreck Bratley (3) 3rd Sefton Lodge Racing: Charlie Townsend (0), Freddie Meade, (1), William Almond (2) & Fabio Lavinia (3)

Polo Times, June 2018

Peter O’Rorke

Our team, Strategic/Help for Heroes competed in the Victor Ludorum for four consecutive years at the 6 and then 8 goal level and I always felt it was the best of polo. Sticking with the same team through wins or losses, playing against different teams and players around all the clubs, the frantic Monday morning points calculation and the tension towards the end of the season all made for a coherent approach to a complete season. In fact, we are not doing it this year only because we want to make some exploratory steps towards a slightly higher level and it works to do this closer to home at our new base in Cirencester Park. However, we do intend to return to it in 2019 and would encourage others to do so. I do think it is a shame to see so few teams consistently taking part in the Victor Ludorum series through the year. For example, there were 26 teams for the Hildon Archie David at Guards, but only six for the Wichenford Bowl at Beaufort, which is a fantastic tournament with a super Club, at a great time of the year. I don’t understand the dynamics of that difference. Book a local B&B for the whole mob of your team, not forgetting the patron to be chief poo-picker, load up the ponies, the beers and the tunes, take a few days out of the office and take a POLO ROAD TRIP!! What could be better! (N.B. Strategic Help for Heroes will not be taking part in the 2018 Victor Ludorum Series)

Chris Mackenzie

What was your 2017 highlight? My 2017 highlight was winning The Royal Windsor at Guards, getting the Best Playing Pony rug in the Final for my South African mare Crystal and being awarded the Most Valuable Player as well! Will you be taking to the field again this year? Yes. I will be playing with Park Place again this year. Who is in your 2018 team? Our 18 goal team line-up is patron Andrey Borodin, Alfredo Bigatti and myself again – our 4 goaler is still to be decided. We played together in our winning 18 goal team last year. I’m also playing the 15 goal with Park Place with Andrey, Jeronimo del Carril and Jimbo Fewster. Have you changed anything for the upcoming season that you’d like to tell our readers about? I have added two homebred mares to my string this year, who are now old enough to compete seriously at this level of the sport. It’s exciting to get them to this stage, having bred them from mares who were in my first ever string when I came to England at 15-years-old, and it’s a great feeling to play the progeny of some of your best ever mares. What draws you to the Victor Ludorum series? The Victor Ludorum series incorporates a number of great tournaments and this year there are a lot of very competitive teams entered to play. The first 18 goal tournament of the season (The Duke of Sutherland), has got 15 team entries, so I am looking forward to seeing the competition we are up against this year and getting back out on the field to play. www.polotimes.co.uk

Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

1st Foxcote: Darko Horvat (-1), Tom Beim (3), Ollie Cudmore (5) & Jacinto Crotto (5) 2nd Beaufort Black Hound: Luke Wiles (1), Tommy Severn (2), Jack Berner (3) & Mark Tomlinson (6) 3rd Emlor C: Emma McCarthy (0), Jose Ramon Araya (2), Jack Richardson (6) & Henry Fisher (4)

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed playing in the 2017 Victor Ludorum series due to the high level of competition at the different clubs around the country. 2017 was a great year, with Snake Bite competing mainly in the 8 and 15 goal Victor Ludorum series, winning the latter and narrowly coming second in the former. Through injury and high goal call-ups, the side saw a bit of rotation, sadly never fully catching our stride again in the 8 goal after the Hildon Archie David. Nonetheless, it was highly enjoyable both on and off the pitch, playing with friends, something that I am aiming for again this year, where we will be cherry picking tournaments across the levels from 8-18 goals.

Photograph courtesy of Peter O’Rorke

15 GOAL

Max Kirchhoff

Photograph by Tom Reynolds

1 Park Place: Andrey Borodin (0), Alfredo Bigatti (6), Juan Britos (6) & Chris Mackenzie (6) 2nd Marchfield: Gregorio Gelosi (4), Manuel Plaza de Ayala (6), Guillermo Terrera (8) & Saad Audeh (0) 3rd Cortium: Malcolm Borwick (6), Adrian Kirby (1), Nico Pieres (8) & Jack Hyde (3) st

PLAYERS PLAYERS

CLUBS

Victor & Victrix Ludorum 2018

CLUBS

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The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

(General Manager, Michael Amoore)

Dallas Burston Polo Club (Polo Manager, Huw Bevan)

Is there anything new coming to the Club this season? Here at DBPC, we always try to introduce some new and exciting things each season. This year we are looking at potentially introducing Camel Polo to the Club, as a bit of fun. This year’s Equestrian Day will feature Horse Falconry, Mounted Games, Dressage from Ekko Equestrian, Horse Archery, Side Saddle, Horse Quadrille, Horse Physiotherapy and a range of other displays, which should be really exciting for everyone involved. Which aspects of the 2018 season are you excited to tell us about? This year we will be upgrading the DBPC Clubhouse for the polo season as part of our fiveyear plan as well as making the Polo in the Park event bigger than ever before. On top of this, our Fine & Country Polo Day will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. Are there any changes you think will affect your members and visiting non-members this season? Due to the upgraded Clubhouse, our site now has even more sheltered spectator points, so we hope the numbers will only go up. Our site also offers hospitality packages and other added value packages to our visitors – many of whom then return to try our next event’s hospitality too, so we’re really lucky.

Cowdray Park Polo Club (Polo Manager, Chris Bethell)

Is there anything new coming to the Club this season? We look forward to welcoming King Power as our title sponsor of the Gold Cup for the British Open and I am expecting two more teams entering than last year. We are also extending the British Ladies Polo Championship into a two tier tournament of 6-12 goals and 12-18 goals. Which aspects of the 2018 season are you excited to tell us about? We are looking forward to building on the success of our Weekend Polo which we launched last year and also attracting an increased number of 12 goal. King Power will also be entering the 15 and 18 goal.

Photograph by Cymon Skinner Photography

Are there any specific home-grown players from your neck of the woods we should look out for this season? 15-year-old Will Harper is definitely one to watch this season. He has won the Pimm’s Cup for Most Improved Young Player at the end of the past two seasons.

Action from the 2017 Prince of Wales Final at RCBPC

www.polotimes.co.uk

Is there anything new coming to the Club this season? There is the most exciting thing of all – The International Test Match for The Westchester Cup! This is the first time the Test Match has come to RCBPC, so we’re really excited to breathe some new life into the event, with lots of exciting surprises for our players and spectators. Which aspects of the 2018 season are you excited to tell us about? There is a lot of polo going on this season across the board, from low goal to high goal. Our 18 goal and 22 goal tournaments are in really good order, and we’re really excited to welcome new and old members to the Club. What is your view on the continued 2017 concessions provided by the Home Office for polo? This year the atmosphere seems a little more settled, as the information from the HPA and the Home Office has been clearer. We seem set for the high and medium goal tournaments, but the effect on the low goal remains to be seen. Are there any changes you think will affect your members and visiting non-members this season? Other than more thrilling polo, we don’t have any significant changes that should affect our members. We are always keen to welcome new members and our polo schools are busier than ever before. We need to make sure these new players make it up the handicap ladder to ensure our sport’s future. Are there any specific home-grown players from your neck of the woods we should look out for this season? We are really lucky at RCBPC, as we have a plethora of talented young players coming through the ranks. Young players these days have a lot more to deal with, in the sense that, before they’re even out of their primary school shorts they have to play exactly how their pro dictates in 8-10 goal polo – it’s a steep learning curve. But, despite the tough environment, we have no lack of enthusiasm from our young players. Polo Times, June 2018

Feature

Victor & Victrix Ludorum 2018

Cheshire Polo Club

(Polo Manager, Martin Kidd) Is there anything new coming to the Club this season? Yes, in addition to new rules, hat regulations and hopefully some new playing and social members, we have a brand-new member area being constructed from four shipping containers, which will be situated between Grounds 3 and 4. This is something we have decided to invest in to alleviate some of the yearly expenses associated with the renting of marquees and is also substantially safer in an open field area. Which aspects of the 2018 season are you excited to tell us about? We are particularly excited about our main events this season – The Wirral Cup, Hospitality Action and National 4 Goal lunches, as we have secured the help of a PR Agency with the aim of reaching more visitors to watch polo and hopefully leading to new social and playing members. Our

goal is to host successful events which will encourage a larger footfall of supporters, that will inevitably lead to more high-profile sponsors to financially support the Club, supporting higher goal polo in the future. What is your view on the continued 2017 concessions provided by the Home Office for polo? What I cannot understand is why they targeted polo at all? There are numerous sports, such as football, rugby and motor racing that attract overseas players of all standards, backroom staff etc, which do not seem to have the same restrictions against their sport. Are there any changes you think will affect your members and visiting non-members this season? I do not think much will change this season to be honest. We have always, and will continue to, support our members and visiting non-members, and hope to attract more and more players and visitors to Cheshire throughout this season and beyond.

Are there any specific homegrown players from your neck of the woods we should look out for this season? We have a few good up-and-coming juniors that will continue to grow under the supervision of our Club instructor, Glynn Henderson, namely George Smith (-1), Connor Kay (-1) and Oliver Conway Johnson (-1), who will be seen playing in the Rocksavage section of the Junior HPA tournaments this summer. Leonardo Conway Johnson who is younger than his brother Oliver, will also be one to watch. Further to the younger players, there are more senior homegrown players such as Henry Smith (1), Charlie Walton (3), Will Padden (2) and Lucy Coddington (1) and others that will be seen playing at Cheshire and around the country this season.

WHEN AND WHERE YOU CAN PLAY IN THE VICTRIX LUDORUM 2018 SERIES Knepp Castle – 18 Goal: 11 – 15 July Cowdray – 18 Goal: 13 – 21 July Cirencester – 18 Goal: 24 – 29 July

Beaufort – 18 Goal: 27 July – 4 August RCBPC – 18 Goal: 4 – 12 August Guards – 18 Goal: 21 August – 1 September

PLAYERS PLAYERS

Tamara Fox

What was your 2017 highlight? Playing in Argentina in the first Ladies Open, a really fun tournament, tough but fast. Will you be taking to the field again this year? Absolutely! What team name will you be playing under for 2018? I am playing again with Siri EvjemoNyvseen’s team Monterosso, which is always fun. Who is in your 2018 team? This year, due to handicaps changes, we

Polo Times, June 2018

had to change the team from the 2017 lineup, so we are Siri, myself and Emma Wood. We are just confirming the 3 goaler. Have you changed anything for the upcoming season that you’d like to tell our readers about? This year we are looking to play some fast, mixed polo beforehand to speed us up for the ladies! What draws you to the Victrix Ludorum series? To be victor of all is a good title at the end of the season! What do you think the Victrix Ludorum series has brought to women’s polo? It brings consistency and encourages teams

to stay together and play to the end of the season.

www.polotimes.co.uk

Victor & Victrix Ludorum 2018

Hazel Jackson-Gaona

Will you be taking to the field again this year? Of course! I have played all winter in Argentina, Houston, Thailand and Barbados so I am more than ready for the English season. What team name will you be playing under for 2018? I will be playing for Coombe Place Polo Team. Who is in your 2018 team? Beanie Bradley, Daisy Hatfield, myself and

Alex Jacob

What was your 2017 highlight? Winning the RCBPC Ladies tournament with my sister and friends. Will you be taking to the field again this year? Yes definitely! We have plans to play at Guards, Cowdray and RCBPC.

Lottie Lamacraft, with Holly Butler as reserve. Have you changed anything for the upcoming season that you’d like to tell our readers about? Horse power for us this year will be stronger, and a big thank you to Spencer McCarthy and Roger White for helping me out with that. But, tactics-wise... yes as well. We have made a change which should really help to improve our team this year, however, it’s a secret!

Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

What was your 2017 highlight? My 2017 highlight was playing for Flannels England alongside Nina Clarkin against the USA at Guards, on the same day as The Royal Salute Coronation Cup.

Feature

What draws you to the Victrix Ludorum Series? The beauty of the Victrix Ludorum is that we are able to play continuously with the same team, which in my eyes means your team becomes stronger and stronger as you go on. Plus, it’s extremely competitive and a good level. 100 percent we are going for the top this year.

What do you think the Victrix Ludorum series has brought to women’s polo? The Victrix Ludorum now offers female players the opportunity to play in the most prestigious clubs in England and to compete in the highest level of ladies polo in Europe. It’s fantastic!

Otamendi and myself. We are in the process of confirming our fourth player.

teams to travel to different clubs and also brought in the competitive edge tournament to tournament. As we all know by now, ladies’ polo has grown massively all over the world in the last couple of years and I think the Series is a great step for ladies’ polo in England. As far as I’m aware, we are the first to run something like this and there is no other country with a similar series concept in place yet.

Have you changed anything for the upcoming season that you’d like to tell our readers about? My sister has stolen what ponies I had left!

What team name will you be playing under for 2018? For Guards, I will be playing for Pink Power. We reached the Semi Finals last year so are hoping to maybe go one better this year!

What draws you to the Victrix Ludorum Series? Although, I am not part of a team competing for the series this season, I can see how many enjoy the idea, bringing a competitive edge to the season. Even if you have one bad tournament there is still lots to play for.

Who is in your 2018 team? For Pink Power we have kept a very similar line-up, with Mandie Beitner, Kirstie

What do you think the Victrix Ludorum series has brought to women’s polo? I think it has encouraged more ladies’

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Polo Times, June 2018

Feature

Victor & Victrix Ludorum 2018

New Kids on the Victrix Ludorum Block

With women’s polo gaining more and more traction, and gathering interest and popularity across the globe, we speak to Amanda Fontanarrosa, 0 goal patron, the wife of 5 goal Argentine player Nico Fontanarrosa and Kirtlington Park Polo Club stalwart, about why she has decided to take the Victrix Ludorum plunge. What brought you to the Victrix Ludorum Series? I’ve been really impressed with the energy and passion shown by female polo players here in Kirtlington, especially in the ladies’ tournaments over the last couple of years. After a conversation with Sam Buckles I decided it was time to step up and get involved. We wanted to be competitive but, we wanted to take the La Rosada heritage, team spirit and good vibes with us too. And so, the dream of securing a competitive team was born and the support we have received so far from friends and players has been tremendous. What team name will you be playing under for 2018? La Rosada Polo Team Who is in your 2018 team? Amanda Fontanarrosa, Sam Buckles, Steph Haverhals and Lia Salvo What are your main aims this season and how do you plan to achieve them? We will be taking the Victrix Ludorum seriously. But not only on the field - off the

Beanie Bradley

Will you be taking to the field again this year? Yes. I’m playing in Florence, Italy with Hana Grill and Hazel Jackson-Goana in the Ladies 18 goal tournament as well as taking part in The HPA Hipwood and Rocksavage series, and the all-important Victrix Ludorum. What team name will you be playing under for 2018? I will be playing for Coombe Place in the Victrix Ludorum. Who is in your 2018 team? The team will be me, Daisy Hatfield, Lottie Lamacraft and Hazel JacksonGaona.

Polo Times, June 2018

What do you think the Victrix Ludorum series has brought to women’s polo? A series like the Victrix Ludorum is such a fantastic platform from which to showcase ladies’ polo, the fastest growing area of polo across the globe. To be able to utilise the women’s handicap system and create a high goal series is a great step forward. To bring the best ladies in the world together and give them a series which takes them on the road to some of the best clubs in the country can only be a great opportunity. A chance for players, for sponsors and

Have you changed anything for the upcoming season that you’d like to tell our readers about? Yes. It’s all in the details and one thing I have changed is my grip and the size of my mallet straps. I have them slightly smaller than the standard size for men. It’s just the right amount of twists in to be really comfortable, so the mallet can sit totally balanced in my open hand along with the perfect size handle for my hand. My saddles are also 16 inches to fit my seat, so I feel more response and secure. Our tactics haven’t changed, as our main aim is to win! But, most importantly my horsepower has really improved. What draws you to the Victrix Ludorum Series? Without doubt, the whole competitive female polo scene, playing with and against your idols, travelling as a team to play, playing with the same players, and building a strong team tactically. What do you think the Victrix Ludorum series has brought to women’s polo? The Victrix Ludorum has brought the

for those aspiring to be part of the sport in whatever way they can. I think it is important to remember… it’s not what the Victrix Ludorum can bring to women’s polo, but what women’s polo can bring to the Victrix Ludorum.

excitement of seeing foreign female players play here and getting to see our top players together at different clubs around the country. It’s all about showcasing lots of talented female players which is great. Also, the lower goal tournaments now have so many women involved, including all the keen club players who may not get the opportunity to experience tournaments and the opportunity to play in all-female tournaments. The spirit of the woman’s game is so friendly, with a mad pony sisterhood vibe on and off the field, although we still want to beat each other on the field! Off the field the friendships you make mean it’s always fun hanging out afterwards talking ponies, talking polo, fashion, sport and travelling for polo. The Victrix Ludorum is going to be great in 2018!

www.polotimes.co.uk

Photograph by Peter Bradley

What was your 2017 highlight? Playing and training in South Africa with Buster Mackenzie and winning the 2017 Pony Club Championships, but my biggest highlight was playing with Hazel Jackson-Gaona in the UK.

field too. We will be going heavy on our social media (@larosadapolo) which we hope will not only keep our #polotribe up to date but will also raise the profile and increase the opportunities for ALL ladies in polo. We aim to bring sponsors on our journey and give value to all those who want to support. This will consist of opening up the backstage doors of polo – the ponies, the epic talent of polo grooms, the gear, the asados and our culture, utilising our beautiful, authentic HQ in Kirtlington as well as the sidelines.

The best players and teams around the world use our polo equipment. www.rjpolo.com

01285 238228

Reports

The Murus Sanctus Trippetts Challenge Final, Cowdray Park Polo Club

La Bamba Seal the Deal

Sun shines on the Murus Sanctus Trippetts Challenge Final

The Murus Sanctus Trippetts Challenge Final was a fast-paced, red-hot match throughout

De Lusaretta finally secured a goal for Talandracas in the following moments, but as the second chukka came to an end and the third began, there was little doubt who

Photography by Clive Bennett/www.polopictures.co.uk

n an exceedingly sunny Sunday afternoon, on 20 May, JeanFrançois Decaux’s La Bamba de Areco came out against long-time rivals, Hugues Carmignac’s Talandracas, for the Final of The Murus Sanctus Trippetts Challenge for The James Wentworth Stanley Memorial Cup. This tournament stands alongside The Prince of Wales 22 goal Trophy to mark the beginning of the UK high goal season and with glorious weather, there was no better way to celebrate British polo. From the first throw-in, the match was a fast-paced, red-hot game of attacking polo, which saw La Bamba’s David ‘Pelón’ Stirling open the scoring with a 30 yard penalty, followed by a rapid run to goal to put La Bamba ahead 2-0. Talandracas spent the majority of the first chukka trying to catch up, as Francisco Elizalde and Julian ‘Negro’ de Lusaretta were hot on Stirling’s heels. Despite their best attempts, their efforts resulted in a goaless first chukka for their side, with La Bamba ahead 2-0. The second chukka saw wonderful play from the La Bamba side as Stirling and his 10 goal team mate Juan Martín Nero quickly put a third goal on the scoreboard for their side. La Bamba continued to control the play, as following a throw-in win for de Lusaretta, Stirling stole the ball and with a huge hit up to Byron Watson waiting in the wings, they put a fourth goal on the board.

La Bamba de Areco secured their first title of the 2018 UK high goal season

Polo Times, June 2018

was in control of this field. Elizalde secured a second goal for Talandracas following a La Bamba mistake resulting in a 60 yard penalty. But going into half-time, La Bamba were still ahead, 9-2. The intense play continued in the second half, with Elizalde and de Lusaretta finding the posts for Talandracas in the fourth chukka, but with a 10-4 lead at the end of the chukka, it looked like it was all over for Carmignac’s side. De Lusaretta continued his dominance for Talandracas in the fifth, securing two needed goals, but with one apiece from both Stirling and Nero, there was now little chance Talandracas could catch up. The underdogs kept the crowd on the edge of their seats, as Elizalde secured another two goals, but as the seconds ticked down towards the end of this mighty feat, the polo gods seemed to be on La Bamba’s side. Much to the crowd’s delight, the fraught action continued until the final whistle, with spectators all agreeing La Bamba de Areco had truly earned their 12-8 win, as well as the James Wentworth Stanley Memorial Cup presented by Clare Milford Haven in memory of her son. www.polotimes.co.uk

The Murus Sanctus Trippetts Challenge Final, Cowdray Park Polo Club

Reports

David ‘Pelón’ Stirling dominated the play from the first throw-in

The Murus Sanctus Trippetts Challenge Final Teams:

BPP Where: Cowdray Park Polo Club

Alsina, owned and played by Juan Martín Nero La Bamba de Areco (22) Jean-François Decaux (0) Byron Watson (3) David ‘Pelon’ Stirling (9) Juan Martín Nero (10)

www.polotimes.co.uk

Talandracas (22) Hugues Carmignac (0) Francisco Elizalde (8) Alejandro Muzzio (7) Julian ‘Negro’ de Lusaretta (7)

8-M2A0 Y

FINA

20 M AY

MVP Byron Watson

Polo Times, June 2018

Reports

La Martina Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy Final, Guards Polo Club

Extra Time Tussle HB La Forge snatch a golden goal victory in the first 15 goal tournament of the season at Guards

Polo Times, June 2018

Richard Tyrone for HB La Forge & King Power’s Juan Martin Zubía vie for the ball in perfect conditions on The Queen’s Ground

from the throw-in. HB La Forge were now back in the hunt, with Tomlinson getting one back before the start of the fourth. This final chukka was a display of fast and flowing polo; both teams knowing they had a chance to take home the trophy. A Zubía penalty gave King Power a two-goal advantage – and a bit of breathing space – only for Tomlinson to close the gap. Then, after a melee in the King Power goalmouth, HB La Forge found the equaliser. With the crowd holding their breath, the teams battled but could not find that winning goal. It was time for an extra chukka. This started with a throw-in just inches from King Power’s goalmouth and Tyrone sent a pass to Tomlinson to secure HB La Forge’s victory. Pailloncy joined his team mates at the presentation and received the trophy from La Martina Royal Box guests Charlie Mills and Chloe Keenan.

Photography by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

he wonderful English sunshine which had bathed the Royal Wedding in Windsor the day before was once again out in its full glory and there was a great feel good factor still very much in the air as La Martina guests mingled with the Argentine Ambassador, the Anglo Argentine Society and the Bentley Drivers Club. All eyes were on the polo action as HB La Forge took on King Power in the La Martina Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy, the first 15 goal tournament of the season which has been sponsored by La Martina since 2008. Medium goal in the UK is booming this season and a healthy entry of 16 teams (up from 14 in 2017) is a good barometer of polo’s health in the UK. With Sebastien Pailloncy playing very well off 3 goals and no patron on the King Power team taking part, there were two evenly balanced teams facing each other, so this match delivered five flying chukkas (due to an extra chukka) which were appreciated by everyone. It had looked to be a clear win for HB La Forge in the first chukka when they were up 3-0 after seven minutes. This team worked well together to close down any King Power attack and Mark Tomlinson, well supported by his patron, had no problem finding the flags. It was all change in the second though – you can never underestimate a team with horsepower such as King Power. It had looked as if HB La Forge might continue to dominate when this chukka started as Richard Tyrone spectacularly saved a penalty off the stick off King Power’s Juan Martin Zubía. However, this save only appeared to inspire the young Argentine and he promptly levelled the scores before the half-time bell. This chukka also saw Pailloncy take a heavy fall in the goalmouth and although he was able to remount and continue to the end of the chukka, he retired at half-time. His place was taken by the young Englishman Ralph Richardson. Any team change always alters the team dynamic and King Power made the most of this, with Zubía scoring his fourth goal to put King Power in the lead for the first time. Team mate Marcos di Paolo then followed that up with a lovely goal

HB La Forge lift the La Martina Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy

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La Martina Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy Final, Guards Polo Club

FINA

Reports

4 20

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Umpires: Howard Smith & Tim Bown Where: Guards Polo Club, Windsor Chukka Scores: 3-1, 3-3, 4-5, 6-6, 7-6 to HB La Forge

Greg Keating

BPP

X9, owned by King Power and played by Marcos Di Paola

T o read more about X9, please turn to our Pony Power pages

Photograph by Polo Times

Most Valuable Player Juan Martín Zubía It certainly was a red letter weekend for Zubía who was awarded the Most Valuable Player award, as he had won the Prince of Wales Trophy only the day before with his 22 goal team Monterosso and had bagged his first MVP of the weekend.

SUB FINAL

La Martina Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy Teams: HB La Forge Luke Wiles Sebastien Pailloncy – substituted after the second chukka by Ralph Richardson Richard Tyrone Mark Tomlinson www.polotimes.co.uk

(15) (1) (3) (5) (6)

King Power Marcus Cork Ned Hine Juan Martin Zubía Marcos Di Paola

(15) (1) (1) (6) (7)

The Subsidiary Final had been an equally close game on The Duke’s Ground earlier in the day and was a victory for Alan Fall’s Mad Dogs. They defeated Charlie Wooldridge and James McCarthy’s Twelve Oaks/Emlor 7-6½. Mad Dogs: Tommy Severn (3), Alan Fall (0), Will Emerson (5) & James Harper (7) Twelve Oaks/Emlor: James McCarthy (1), Charlie Wooldridge (2), Michel del Carril (6) & Jacinto Crotto (5)

Polo Times, June 2018

Reports

Hai Air Prince of Wales Trophy, The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

Monterosso Seize Victory The Hai Air Prince of Wales Trophy

reports from Windsor, Berkshire

his year’s tournament saw four teams competing to take home the coveted trophy, first played for in 1986. The tournament promised to be competitive with three of the four teams entered having previously taken the honours. Valiente were returning having played and won in the 2016 series. 2017 runners-up, and twice previous winners (2010 & 2013), Emlor were back for another bite of the cherry, whilst Jax Coco/Les Lions (previously Les Lions), 2012 winners, were back on the scene having not played high goal since 2013 when the team was captained by Max Gottschalk’s father, Jo. These teams were joined by the newcomers to the tournament, Monterosso, who made their UK high goal debut last season, but have already proven that they are not to be underestimated. The first round of matches, the very first of which was shrouded by ‘helmetgate’ issues, provided spectators with fast, flowing and open polo. Winning both their league stage matches, Valiente secured their place in the Final, forcing Emlor and Monterosso into a penalty shootout to decide who would go through to Saturday’s Final. The penalty shootout saw the Toccalino brothers represent Monterosso, whilst Diego Cavanagh and Agustín ‘Tincho’ Merlos stepped up for Emlor. After a few rounds of sudden death penalties, it was Ignacio ‘Cubi’ Toccalino who found the posts to put his side into Saturday’s Final. Saturday 19 May brought beautiful sunshine to ‘The Berkshire’, following on from a showing of the Royal Wedding in the Clubhouse, the Hai Air Prince of Wales Final took place on the No. 1 Ground. Rob Jornayvaz’s Valiente lined up in royal blue and Alessandro Bazzoni’s Monterosso in white, whilst the teams were introduced by commentators Tarquin Southwell and Chris Hyde. With the teams having met in the first game of the tournament, both sides had a good idea of what to except from one another. It was fair to say that Monterosso were the underdogs going into this match, but the crowd were in for a treat in what was a fast, tough and exciting game. As the game got underway it was clear 46

Polo Times, June 2018

Photography by Cymon Skinner Photography

Alex Jacob

that Monterosso had fire in their bellies. They were determined from the very first throw-in not to have a repeat result of their first game against Valiente just a week earlier. The first chukka was very close, with both teams playing tit-for-tat, whilst settling into their rhythm. As the first half continued, the Toccalino brothers really showed their skills with an almost telepathic ability of knowing where one another were at all times, combined with the strong performances from Juan Martín Zubía and Bazzoni, the team took an early lead from the second chukka. Valiente found themselves on the back foot and were struggling to find the form they had shown throughout the tournament. At halftime, the scoreboard read 7-4 in favour of the boys in white and Monterosso were going from strength to strength, whilst Valiente really needed to find their mojo to get back into this Final. The second half continued in much the same form with Zubía really wowing the crowd with not just his ball skills, but his fearlessness of taking on the world number one, Adolfo Cambiaso, at every opportunity and not giving any of the Valiente players an inch. Despite the best efforts from Hugo Lewis, Rob Jornayvaz, Christian ‘Magoo’ Laprida and Cambiaso, luck was just not on their side on the day. They had a couple of missed opportunities to convert throughout

Monterosso, winners of the 2018 Hai Air Prince of Wales Trophy

the game at key stages, but just couldn’t find the posts. Monterosso ran out the gallant winners with a 13-8 final score. RCBPC’s Club President Greta Morrison, alongside Nick Cox from Hai Air, presented the prizes and the players received an array of goodies including Apriati bracelets. Speaking to Alessandro Bazzoni after the game, he was thrilled with the outcome and is looking forward to the rest of the season ahead. “It was a very hard game, but the team worked well, and the horses did really good. Taking into consideration that this is the first tournament of the season, we are just happy to be playing together again and hopefully we can keep doing well. The field was great and the weather fantastic – you can’t ask for better, so all in all, it was a really good day.”

Hai Air Prince of Wales Trophy Teams: Valiente (22) Rob Jornayvaz (1) Hugo Lewis (3) Christian ‘Magoo’ Laprida (8) Adolfo Cambiaso (10)

Monterosso (22) Alessandro Bazzoni (1) Juan Martín Zubía (6) Ignacio ‘Cubi’ Toccalino (8) Santiago Toccalino (8)

Chukka Scores: 2-2, 4-2, 7-4, 10-6, 12-7, 13-8 to Monterosso

MVP

Top Goal Scorer: Ignacio ‘Cubi’ Toccalino & Adolfo Cambiaso

Juan Martín Zubía, who collected a pair of Gun Metal Carlos Gracida spurs

BPP Winner, owned and played by Santiago Toccalino

Umpires: Jason Dixon and Tim Bown with Julian Appleby as third man Where: Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

T o read more about Winner, turn to the Pony Power pages www.polotimes.co.uk

Hai Air Prince of Wales Trophy, The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

5-1A9Y M

Reports

FINA

M AY

Christian ‘Magoo’ Laprida & Ignacio ‘Cubi’ Toccalino in action during the Final

www.polotimes.co.uk

Polo Times, June 2018

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PERIMETER EXERCISE TRACK, A RANGE OF PERMANENT STABLES, NUMEROUS ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY STABLES, MULTIPLE TACK ROOMS, FEED BARN AND A BOARDED POLO ARENA

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LEADING THROUGH TO THE HORSEBOX PARKING, PONY LINES, , IRRIGATION AND TROUT FISHING LAKE, PURPOSE BUILT PONY POOL, ALONG WITH A PLETHORA OF FENCED CORRALS ALL SET

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Tel: +44 (0)1628 777666 WWW.PSKRURAL.CO.UK

Your Club News from Home and Abroad

Photograph courtesy of Polo for Europe

Ampurdan Polo Club

Schneider Polo Team defeated their rivals to win the Sant Jordi Cup at Ampurdan Polo Club

Cheshire Polo Club

Argentario Polo Club

On Saturday 5 May, Cheshire Polo Club welcomed Channel 4. They were filming the programme Extreme Cake Makers which is set to air later this year, so keep an eye out for all your favourite ponies and players.

Italian Club, Argentario Polo Club, has announced its 2018 summer season fixtures. The Club will host three tournaments in July and August starting with the 6-10 goal XXXI Monte Argentario Gold Cup between 19 – 29 July. The Junior Tournament will be held concurrently, hosting a plethora of local youngsters. Finally, the 4-6 goal X Coppa Italia F.I.S.E Tournament will be held between 1 – 11 August, to end the season. For more information about the Italian Club, please visit www.argentariopoloclub.com

Black Bears

Photograph by Luru Wei

The Langman Cup sees the perfect combination of polo and classic cars

On Saturday 18 August, Epsom Polo Club will host The Langman Cup, a day which will see a charity polo match with a classic car twist in memory of Roy Langman, to raise money for Marie Curie. Gates open at 12pm with the Classic Car vs Horse race at 1.30pm and polo matches from 2pm. For more information or details about sponsoring a team, please contact Charlotte Langman on charlotte@thelangmancup.com

The PGH Cup, which normally marks the beginning of the French high goal season, has been rescheduled to 28 June, due to poor weather. The PGH Cup is played at a 16 goal handicap level and will provide teams with the perfect stepping stone into the French Triple Crown, which takes place in August. www.polotimes.co.uk

Black Bears is opening up to the public this summer for a series of tournaments

For decades the superb facilities at Black Bears have only been made available to a privileged few – either those coming in on an invitational basis for private practices, or those that are fortunate enough to have their games that would otherwise have been held at Guards or RCBPC scheduled to take place at Lower Bolney Farm by special arrangement. This privilege is about to be opened up further with the announcement that Black Bears will be celebrating their HPA affiliation as a Polo Club by running a number of tournaments, starting with a Midsummer Festival of Polo. The Festival will comprise of the 0-6 goal Henley Cup and the 10-14 goal Culden Faw Challenge with Finals taking place on 30 June and a family fun day on 1 July with hunt teams competing for the Silver Fox Challenge trophy and an open junior tournament. As Simon Keyte, Polo Manager explained “It has always been apparent that people hugely enjoy coming to Black Bears and we have decided to make it a really special event for them, not only by running top class tournaments, but by putting on some exceptional hospitality at the Finals days, so that they can bring family and friends along to enjoy some competitive polo in the very convivial setting of the hospitality marquee”. From 13 – 19 August, Black Bears will also be running a 12-18 goals ladies tournament. For further details please contact polo@blackbears.org.uk, or call 01491 411300.

Beaufort Polo Club Beaufort Polo Club have welcomed a new signboard sponsor for the 2018 season. Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa is a quintessentially British hotel, in the heart of the Cotswolds, offering an entire luxury experience to its guests. The new Whatley Manor signboard will be present on the Club’s main grounds for the entire season and the Club will be offering unique polo experiences to the hotel’s guests. Members are also invited by 2018 sponsor The Priory Gym to partake in a discounted membership rate of £30 per month (normally £40) as part of their 2018 Club membership. The 5,500 square ft gym is open from 7am-9pm every day and caters to all levels of fitness. For social photos from the Club’s Start of Season Cocktail Party, please turn to our Sidelines pages. For more information about the new partnership, please visit the website www.beaufortpoloclub.com

Photograph courtesy of Beaufort Polo Club

Chantilly Polo Club

Photograph courtesy of Black Bears

On 22 April, Schneider Polo Team (Bernard Sicard, Cristofer Borge, Sandra Schneider & Tim Ward) defeated their rivals to be crowned champions of the 4 goal Sant Jordi Cup.

Epsom Polo Club

Club Focus

Beaufort Polo Club has welcomed new sponsor Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa into the fold

Polo Times, June 2018

Your Club News from Home and Abroad

La Mariana Elmor defeated La Aguada to win the Abierto de la Cañada

Cambridge County Polo Club

www.polotimes.co.uk

Foxcote won the Cirencester 0-40 Goal tournament on Monday 7 May

Action from the a’Brassard Trophy Final

Guards Polo Club Teams and spectators gathered for the Final of The Valerie Halford Memorial Trophy on Sunday 13 May, at Coworth Park. White Crane defeated Mad Dogs, 9-6 in the Final with Josh Cork’s pony, Bonita, named the Polo Times Best Playing Pony. Andrew Blake Thomas was awarded The Polo Magazine Most Valuable Player award. In the Subsidiary Final, The Polo Manager’s Trophy, AEPC Hickstead defeated Comland 13-4. To read more about Bonita, please turn to our Pony Power pages The Valerie Halford Memorial Trophy Final Teams: White Crane (11): Andrew Blake Thomas (3), Jasmine Calvert-Ansari (0), James Harper (6) & Josh Cork (2) Mad Dogs (12): Alan Fall (0), Luke Wiles (1), Mark Tomlinson (6) & Will Emerson (5) In the Final of the Rodney Moore Cup on Sunday 6 May, at the beginning of The La Martina Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Centenary Trophy tournament, Spencer McCarthy’s Emlor rode out the victors, 7-6 against HB Glebe Farm. Both teams

Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

On 17 May Cambridge County Polo Club hosted a NatWest sponsored Chamber of Commerce networking and polo event. It was a unique opportunity to network and watch a game of polo between the RAF and the Cambridge Varsity team while enjoying a glass or two of Prosecco and a buffet. They will also host the BMG Foundation Cup Charity Day on 12 July. New for this season Cambridge County Polo Club are opening to the public and hosting Polo & Picnic Days at all their tournament weekends. They are also introducing a Ladies Day on the Finals day of the Cavendish Cup, on Sunday 29 July, with tickets available online at www.cambridgecountypoloclub.co.uk They are also connecting with the business community in Cambridge with a Free Business Open Day on Friday 27 July at which they will be offering an open invitation to companies, large and small, to bring their guests/clients/colleagues to join them for Semi Finals day of the Cavendish Cup. For ticket enquiries please contact jon@cambridgecountypoloclub.co.uk

Gloucestershire-based Cirencester Park Polo Club has announced that for 2018, Isabel Branch will be in place as General Manager and will also be standing in as interim CEO. Tom Meyrick, a regular on the field, has begun his new role as Polo Manager. Finally, the Club has welcomed Chloe Vezey as Administrative Assistant. She will manage the office and assist Isabel and Tom in the day-to-day running of the Club. On Monday 7 May, Foxcote took home the Cirencester 0-40 Goal Trophy, with a 7½-6 win against Trewsbury Farm. The Cirencester 0-40 Goal Final Teams: Foxcote (13): Darko Horvat (-1), Tom Beim (4), Ollie Cudmore (5) & Jacinto Crotto (5) Trewsbury Farm (13): Martin ffrench-Blake (3), Oliver Jones (2), Nina Clarkin (3) & Satnam Dhillon (5) In the Final of The Tyro Cup, on Sunday 13 May, Syreford defeated Cotswold Airport in a thrilling Final. In the Subsidiary Final, Foxcote beat Virgo to take third place. The Finals took place following the 2018 Polo Ball the previous evening, which saw the silent auction raise over £18,000. For social images from the Cirencester Summer Ball on Saturday 12 May, please turn to our Sidelines pages. In the Final of The a’Brassard Trophy, on Sunday 20 May, Los Chinos defeated Dawson Group, 10-3.

Photograph by Ben Hastie Photography

On 22 April, in the 28 goal Abierto de La Cañada, La Mariana Elmor defeated La Aguada 9-7. Juan Cruz Merlos was presented with the Most Valuable Player Award, whilst Miguel Novillo Astrada’s pony Arroba Frescura was presented with the Best Playing Pony rug. The Abierto de la Cañada Final Teams: La Mariana Elmor (28): Ignacio González (5), Juan Cruz Merlos (6), Agustín Merlos (8) & Fred Mannix Jnr (9) La Aguada (25): Cruz Novillo Astrada (3), Alfredo Bigatti (8), Miguel Novillo Astrada (8) & Valentín Novillo Astrada (6)

Cirencester Park Polo Club

Photograph courtesy of Ollie Cudmore

Photograph courtesy of Polo for Europe

Club La Cañada

Club Focus

White Crane defeated Mad Dogs to take home The Valerie Halford Memorial Trophy

then moved on to compete for the coveted trophy, whose Final fell on Sunday 20 May. The Rodney Moore Cup Teams: Emlor (15): Spencer McCarthy (1), Marcos Araya (7), Jose Ramon Araya (2) & Nacho Gonzalez (5) HB Glebe Farm (14): Alejandro Novillo Astrada (8), Fabio Lavinia (3), Ralph Richardson (2) & Ludovic Pailloncy (1)

Polo Times, June 2018

Club Focus

Your Club News from Home and Abroad

Houston Polo Club

Dutta Corp won their third consecutive spring season tournament

Cowdray Park Polo Club

Photograph courtesy of Grand Champions Polo Club

Grand Champions Polo Club

On Sunday 13 May, three sets of fathers and sons, as well as the mothers of two players competed in The Spring Challenge Cup. Dutta Corp captured their third tournament win of the spring season with an 11-7 win against Aspen Valley. Timmy Dutta was awarded The Most Valuable Player award, whilst Diamante, an eight-year-old mare, owned and played by Timmy Dutta, was presented with the Best Playing Pony rug.

In the Final of the 8 goal USPA Southwestern Circuit Officer’s Cup, Horsegate took home the title, with Shane Rice awarded the Most Valuable Player prize. Marco Villanueva’s pony Gata was presented with the Best Playing Pony rug. In the Final of the 4 goal Lone Star Cup, BCI/CW Petroleum rode out the winners. In other news, on Sunday 6 May, spectators gathered for the Final of the Land Rover Houston Central Cup at Houston Polo Club, Texas. Whitehall Ranch ultimately defeated Eureka to take home the trophy with a 7-6 final score.Geronimo Obregon was awarded the Most Valuable Player award, whilst Alexia, played by Jorge Cernandas was presented with the

Best Playing Pony rug. On Sunday 13 May, two weeks of play in the 4 goal Ponies & Petals Cup came to a head. Dunbar Capital came up against Ghurka, with the former taking home the ultimate prize, with a final score of 7-3½. Bryan Middleton was presented with the Most Valuable Player award, whilst Lady Luck, played by Nick Cifuni, was presented with the Best Playing Pony rug. In other news, EEW Steele Trading LLC won the 2 goal 2018 Jetlinx Challenge and Land Rover/Spindletop defeated their rivals to take home the 2018 May Match Up Club League tournament title.

Photograph by John Waine Photography

Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

Kirtlington Park Polo Club With King Power on the sponsor’s sheet instead of the team lists, who will take home The King Power Gold Cup title this year?

Action from Kirtlington Park Polo Club over the first May Bank Holiday weekend

Over the weekend of 5 – 7 May, Kirtlington Park Polo Club held two tournaments. In the Final of the 4 Goal Mackenzie Hill Trophy, La Rosada (George Deverall (0), Nico Fontanarrosa (5), Mike Milligan (-1) & Neil Cox (0)) rode out the victors, whilst in the 0 Goal Continental Cup, Oxford Polo School (Jonty Barlow (-1), Christian Oberschneider (0), George Deverall (0) & Hector Worsley (1)) triumphed to take home the trophy. For more information about upcoming fixtures please visit kirtlingtonparkpoloclub.co.uk 52

Polo Times, June 2018

For the first time, the British Ladies Polo Championships at Cowdray Park Polo Club will be played at two handicap levels, 6-12 goal and 12-18 goal. The tournament will be open on 13 July and run through the final week of The King Power Gold Cup. Tickets are now on sale for The King Power Gold Cup, scheduled to begin on 26 June with the Final falling on 22 July. Some of the world’s best players will descend on the Midhurst-based Club for one of the top UK tournaments of the year. Tickets for league games begin at £5, with tickets for the Final beginning at £18.50. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.cowdraypolo.co.uk In other news, in the Final of The Tyro

Cup, the first 2018 tournament at the Club on Sunday 13 May, Gardenvale defeated Cowdray Vikings in a narrowly fought 7-6 victory. This was also the first victory of the season for Flannels England Captain James Beim, who also played in The Murus Sanctus Trippetts Challenge with El Remanso. In the Barrett Cup, Taittinger and Bamboleo began proceedings, with Taittinger coming out the victors, 6-5, whilst in the following match, Maiz Dulce defeated DJ Cats 5-4. In the Final of The Barrett Cup Final on Sunday 20 May, Maiz Dulce defeated Taittinger 9-7 to take home the trophy. Former Club Chairman, and Maiz Dulce leader, Peter Barfoot was on hand to present the trophy to his winning team. www.polotimes.co.uk

Horse Riding Holidays Worldwide info@farandride.com

01462 701110

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La Lucila Polo Club

Moor Farm Polo Club Moor Farm Polo Club kicked off their 2018 season with polo matches of varying levels on Saturday 28 April, followed by a post-polo party and have released their 2018 season membership pricelist. All memberships include bicycle polo membership. The prices are as follows: Full Playing Membership: £400 + HPA membership Junior Membership: £200 + HPA membership Playing Family Membership: £1,000 (based on two adults and two juniors) + HPA membership HM Armed Forces Membership: £360 + HPA membership U18 & Student Membership: £340 + HPA membership Bicycle Polo only: £60

Photograph by Polo Times

In the Final of the Derick Emerson Cup at La Lucila Polo Club on Sunday 22 April, Abu Dhabi defeated Venado Tuerto in a narrowlywon match, 11-10. The tournament saw six teams participate, all ranged between 15 and 17 goal handicap. The Derick Emerson Cup Final Teams: Abu Dhabi (15): Felix Esain (2), Ramon Cassino (2), Alfredo Cappella Barabucci (8) & Nicanor Esain (3) Venado Tuerto (15): Eduardo Venturino (5), Gonzalo Ferrari (3), Guillermo Cavanagh (6) & Matías Venier (1)

Club Focus

Moor Farm Polo Club kicked off their season with a variety of polo matches followed by a post-polo party

For more information, or to join Moor Farm Polo Club, please visit www.moorfarmshop.co.uk/about-us/polo/

Photograph courtesy of the AAP

Abu Dhabi narrowly beat Venado Tuerto in the Final of the Derick Emerson Cup Final

Since 2005, Magyar Polo Club in Hungary, has hosted the annual Diplomats Cup, the largest tournament in the Hungarian Calendar. This year’s 6 goal tournament will be sponsored by BMW-Wallis and will take place from 25 – 27 May. The announcement of the schedule was marked by a press conference and ceremony on 4 May at the Argentine Embassy in Budapest.

Photograph courtesy of the Hungarian Polo Club

Magyar Polo Club Campo Argentino de Polo Dallas Burston Polo Club In the Final of the 16 goal Copa Ciudad de Lobos on Thursday 19 April, San Francisco de Asís defeated L.E. Quiroga Medios with a final score of 11-7. The Copa Ciudad de Lobos Final Teams: San Francisco de Asís (15): Tomás Leguizamón (3), Afustín Bottaro (3), Martín Podestá (6) & Román Rampello (3) L.E. Quiroga Medios (16): Mauro Altamiranda (1), Horacio Lizaso (4), Federico Teves (6) & Luis Duggan (5)

Polo players and ponies gathered for the BMW-Wallis Diplomats Cup press conference at the Argentine Embassy in Budapest

On Sunday 24 June, Dallas Burston Polo Club will be hosting their annual Equestrian Day. Various displays will be on offer for visitors, from polo to dressage with exhibitors’ stalls and refreshments available all day. For more information, please visit the Club’s website www.dbpoloclub.com

San Francisco de Asís defeated L.E. Quiroga Medios to win the Copa Ciudad de Lobos

www.polotimes.co.uk

The International Polo Club, Florida, is once again welcoming players for the annual Gladiator Polo tournament. The tournament will feature numerous well-known faces such as Tommy Collingwood, Luis Escobar and Juan Martín Obregon. Gladiator Polo will continue through the summer in North Carolina, whilst IPC is set to host a full series next winter.

Photograph by Alex Pacheco

Photograph courtesy of Polo for Europe

International Polo Club

Gladiator Polo has returned to the International Polo Club

Polo Times, June 2018

Your Club News from Home and Abroad

Ranelagh Polo Club

Ranelagh Farmhouse and Polo Ground are for sale – the perfect polo property

Polo Club, two miles from Ascot racecourse and only five miles from Guards Polo Club. For more information about this amazing polo property, please contact Pike Smith Kemp on tommcardle@pikesmithkemp.co.uk

Ham Polo Club Photograph courtesy of Asia Cup Polo

Ham Polo Club will welcome players and spectators for the 2018 Asia Cup International Day on Saturday 7 July. The day will consist of two polo matches as well as luxury hospitality for the gathered VIPs, a fashion show, auction, music and entertainment. Polo Times will be supporting the Best Playing Pony rug, whilst The Polo Magazine will be proudly supporting the Most Valuable Player Award. For more information or to book tickets, please contact Renu on renu@asiacupolo.com In other news, the season has begun at the Club, as Hollywood and Braemar Farms took to the No.1 Ground for the first tournament of the year, The Erskine Trophy, with the latter coming out the ultimate victors. In The Anthony Cup, on Sunday 6 May, Tigersteam took the win against Vendetta with just half a goal in it at the final bell. Play continues this week at the Londonbased Club, with matches taking place each weekend. Furthermore, the Ham Polo Club

Ham Polo Club will be hosting the 2018 Asia Cup International Day

Summer Party will take place on Friday 8 June. For social pictures from Ham’s Start of Season party, please turn to our Sidelines pages. In the first tournament of the year, The Ham House Cup Final on Saturday 12 May, Impavido defeated Mavericks to take home the trophy, whilst in the Hine Cognac Cup, the trophy for the Subsidiary Final, Quadriga defeated Vendetta to take home the victory.

Suffolk Polo Club

On 22 April, the Jnan Amar Polo Club welcomed hordes of spectators to witness the 8 goal Marrakech Polo Challenge. Following a series of narrowly-fought matches between the four teams, the Moroccan Royal Guard team rode out the victors. The Marrakech Polo Challenge Teams: Moroccan Royal Guard (8): Lachuger Zouhir (1), Hanafi Abdessalam (1), Simo Es Mhamdi (2) & Santiago Novillo Astrada (4) La Martina (6): Thomas Rinderkneht (0), Andy Bihrer (0), Sylvio Coutinho (0) & Lucas Labat (6) Jnan Amar Polo Resort (6): Bruno Rossi (0), Michele Cattadori (0), Massimo Baggi (0) & Martin Iturraspe (6) Marrakech Polo Club (6): Driss El Badaoui (0), Rommy Gianni (1), Ignacio Tejerina (3) & Pablo Casero (2)

Polo de Paris In the Final of the 6 goal Tournoi Members Games, Sainte Mesme defeated Mendoza 5-4 to take home the title. In the Subsidiary Final, Red Falcon defeated Le Pommeray 9-3½. The first tournament of the Polo de Paris Triple Crown, The Tournoi de Printemps, came to an end on Sunday 13 May at Bagatelle. In the Final, La Concepcion scored a resounding win against rivals Red Falcon, with a 7-1 final score. Coupe du Capitaine des Jeux defeated Le Pommeray, 6-4½ in the Subsidiary Final.

Astrovenus defeated Gally’s Farm to win The Mad May Hare Trophy

Photograph courtesy of Polo de Paris

www.polotimes.co.uk

Moroccan Royal Guard beat their rivals to be crowned victors of the Marrakech Polo Challenge

Photograph courtesy of Suffolk Polo Club

The Suffolk Polo Club season got off to a flying start with the most amazing weather for the first tournament of the year, The Mad May Hare Trophy between 5 – 6 May. Of the seven teams entered, Astrovenus (James Nicholson, Harry Hutchings, Stuart Beetles & Vicky Griffin) rode out the winners, beating Gally’s Farm in the Final and taking home the prizes and trophy. Harry Hutchings’ Pony Nueve was also awarded the Best playing Pony rug. The Mansfield Advisors tournament was next up between 17 – 18 May followed by The Flaming June tournament, which will take place between 16 – 17 June.

Jnan Amar Polo Club Photograph courtesy of Polo for Europe

Photograph courtesy of Pike Smith Kemp

Ranelagh Farmhouse and Polo Ground, in Windsor, Berkshire, has been listed for sale. This exceptional polo establishment comprises of a detached five bedroom farmhouse, which has been recently extended and renovated. Alongside this lovely house, the property boasts 28 permanent stables, temporary stables, designated yards, 12 tack rooms, a feed barn, a boarded arena (100 x 200) with viewing deck, pony lines, fenced corrals, a laser levelled stick and ball field with a 500m exercise track, irrigation, a purpose-built pony pool and, last but by no means least, a full-sized laser levelled HPA approved polo pitch, all set in 32.8 acres. This property is perfectly located just 0.2 miles from the Royal County of Berkshire

Club Focus

La Concepcion defeated Red Falcon to take home the first step in The Tournoi de Printemps at Polo de Paris

Polo Times, June 2018

Club Focus

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Aspen Valley Silver Leys Polo Club Polo Club

Silver Leys members and their steeds took to the street of Bishops Stortford on Thursday 17 May

On Thursday 17 May, Silver Leys Polo Club and their steeds marched through the streets of local town, Bishops Stortford, in celebration of the Royal Wedding between HRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The parading players spoke to local people about the upcoming season as well as their special celebrations at the Club over the weekend.

Photograph courtesy of White Waltham Polo Club

Polo Valley

Photograph courtesy of Silver Leys Polo Club

Aspen Valley Polo Club have announced their 2018 summer fixtures list. The season will commence in July and feature 13 tournaments, with 10 grass tournaments including the inaugural Triple Crown of Polo trophy between 31 August to 2 September. Furthermore, the season will feature three arena tournaments including the USPA National Arena Handicap between 24 July – 7 August. For more information, please visit the Aspen Valley Polo Club website www.aspenvalleypoloclub.com

White Waltham Polo Club

Odosan 1485 won The Royal Camelot Trophy

The Royal Camelot Trophy at White Waltham Polo Club was won on Sunday 20 May by Odosan 1485 Polo Team (Nicola Bonito-Oliva, Birgitta Elfversson, Sophie Morrison and Sebastian Alexandra). From the very beginning they had a clear two goal lead, which they held onto in the last chukka against a team of two goals higher handicap! A champagne afternoon tea was served after the matches to toast and celebrate the marriage of HRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex down the road at Windsor.

After three days of competitive play, British Polo Gin defeated their rivals to be crowned winners of the La Reserva Cup

Following a day of getting to know ponies and team practice, the La Reserva tournament opened with a shirt presentation and asado held in the candle-lit Polo Valley barn on Sunday 13 May. The three teams, British Polo Gin, Polo Times and Polo Valley played over three competitive days, mixing chukkas with trips to beach clubs and some of Sotogrande’s best restaurants in their downtime. From the start, British Polo Gin played a strong defence and equally accurate attack, taking the lead on the first day despite Polo Valley and Polo Times’ best attempts to defeat them. Going into the final match British Polo Gin were convincingly in the lead with three goals on Polo Valley. Polo Valley quickly put two goals on the score board which was met by another two goals by British Polo Gin maintaining their lead, only letting in one final goal to make the final score 9-7 and British Polo Gin the La Reserva Cup winners. 58

Polo Times, June 2018

Polo Park Zürich has announced its fixtures list for the 2018 season. Twenty years after its inauguration, Polo Park Zürich has become one of the biggest and most prestigious clubs in Switzerland with 60 playing members and 120 VIP members. The 2018 season kicked off with the Opening Dinner on Saturday 5 May, with play continuing with The Zürich Championship Low Goal (19 – 20 May) and then continues with The Zürich Championship Medium Goal (9 – 10 June). The full schedule is below: The Kensington 20th Anniversary Polo Trophy: 15 – 16 June Swiss Medium Goal: 21 – 24 June The 19th Zürich International Ladies Polo Cup: 6 – 8 July The Gold Cup: 20 – 22 July The Polo Park & Country Club Zürich Cup: 27 – 29 July San Francisco de Asís: 25 – 26 August

Photograph by De Rote Drache Fotographie & Kreativberatung

Photograph courtesy of Polo Valley

Polo Park Zürich

La Irenita beat Los Lobos to win the 2018 Zürich Polo Championship Low Goal Final

The Vecinos Cup: 1 – 2 September The Patrons Cup: 22 – 23 September In the Final of the 2018 Zurich Polo Championship Low Goal, La Irenita defeated their rivals, Los Lobos to take home the title. This tournament marked the beginning of the 2018 summer season in Switzerland.

Westcroft Park Polo Club Between 16 – 17 June, teams will be competing at Westcroft Park Polo Club for The Chukka for Life Tournament in aid of the Institute for Cancer Research. Tournament winners will receive a VIP tour of the Institute in Sutton and meet one of the top scientists working in cutting-edge cancer research. The weekend will also feature family fun entertainment, a BBQ and open bar. Entry to the grounds is free and open to the public. To enter a team or to find out more information, please visit www.westcroftparkpolo.co.uk www.polotimes.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1842 862 068

Fax: +44 (0) 1842 861 936 Email: info@greenheath.co.uk Website: www.greenheath.co.uk

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A Round-Up of Military Polo Action

Military

Military Ladies Take Centre Stage at Tidworth

Photograph by Peter Meade Photography

On Monday 7 May, the WIP (Women in Polo) sponsored Military Ladies – now in its third year – showcased ladies’ military polo, and a highlight of the summer calendar. Three teams contested the main tournament this year with HACKETT Army playing a WIP foursome in the day’s final match. HACKETT Army came out of the traps like a greyhound in full flight and by the end of the first chukka the lead was clear, 3-½. Jessica Andrews marshalled her troops against the WIP team, who looked at sixes and sevens early on. WIP found their stride in the second chukka, with Robyn Evans running the Army defence ragged with bold individual and attacking play that resulted in three goals for her before the half-time break. WIP did not have the second chukka all their own way though, as Jessica Andrews and Lt Col. Lucy Anderson both put the ball between the flags to keep HACKETT Army ahead 5-3½ going in to the third chukka. HACKETT Army came out very strong at the beginning of the third chukka, as WIP started to look vulnerable, the team making some mistakes. There was relentless defensive pressure from Maj. Janet Johnstone and strong running from Capt. Scarlett Geering that forced WIP to give

HACKETT Army came from behind to win The WIP Military Ladies at Tidworth Polo Club

away penalties, which put the momentum very much with the ladies in red. Jessica Andrews put another goal away for her team and some spirited play from Robyn Evans yielded her fourth goal of the afternoon showcasing that WIP may have been down, but not out. The final chukka was dramatic to the last. A resurgence from the WIP team of Ives, Swift, Evans and Talbot-Rice put HACKETT

Army under the cosh and Evans grabbed two more goals to lift her match tally to six. With the scores now at 6½-6 in WIP’s favour, Evans had the opportunity to put the game beyond doubt, but then hit the ball wide. HACKETT Army rallied and fought their way back inside the WIP 30 yard line, pressuring the defence and resulting in a spot penalty from close range that was converted by Andrews and sealed a half goal win.

Tom Morley plays with Ainsley Polo saddle and tack (and pony) - photo by www.imagesofpolo.com

Ainsley Polo saddles Perfect hitting position and unsurpassed grip for all shots See it at Tally Ho Farm and www.performance-polo.com

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Polo Times, June 2018

Women’s Polo

Supported by International

2018 Ladies League WIP

& Home International & Home

Global Handicap Changes

invites you to learn to play polo or join us for chukkers or tournaments

Polo Park and Country Club Zurich is one of the oldest clubs in Switzerland and opened this season with a brand new clubhouse. Take your customers, friends or family to watch our games on Sundays. We offer kids and adults polo school - discovery days - low and medium goal club chukkers. More than 12 tournaments each season. Clubhouse, changing rooms, apartments, stables, everything is ready to welcome you and play the best polo on full size fields in Switzerland.

The confirmed dates for the 2018 UK League have been announced! Cheshire Polo Club: 31 May – 3 June Dallas Burston Polo Club: 6 – 9 June New Forest Polo Club: 7 – 8 July Beaufort Polo Club: 27 July – 5 August Westcroft Park Polo Club: 13 – 19 August Tidworth Polo Club: 25 – 26 August Ranelagh Polo Club: 8 – 9 September Teams receive points for coming to a tournament, for reaching a Sub Final or Final and for winning a Sub Final or Final. To enter, teams must contact each club directly and the WIP will release more details nearer to each tournament. For news from the WIP Military Ladies Tournament at Tidworth Polo Club on Monday 7 May, please turn to our Military pages. PPZAddPoloTimesl.indd 2

Across the pond, our American friends have released their April 2018 Women’s handicap changes, with some notable changes. Adolfo Cambiaso’s daughter Mía has risen from 5 to 6 goals, whilst her team mate and close friend Mía Astrada has risen from 4 to 6 goals. Flannels England stalwart, Nina Clarkin, has also retained her 10 goal status. Shariah Harris, the first African American female player to ride out in the American High Goal season (as we reported in the August 2017 issue of Polo Times) has also risen, from 1 to 3 goals. For more information about the handicap changes, please visit the USPA website www.uspolo.org In other news, the AAP has also announced their list of women’s handicap changes. 14 players in total have risen, with their handicap changes coming into effect at the beginning of the 2018 spring season. The changes are as follows: 0 to 1: Luisa del Carril, Amalia Sáenz, Helena Schoeller, Soledad Servera, Catalina Trino & Morgan Van Overbroek 1 to 2: Catalina Ayerza, Beanie Bradley, Konstanze Kofler, Bianca Pagano & Azucena Uranga 2 to 3: Maitena Marré & Sofía Rivas 3 to 4: Alice Servaes In addition, nine players were also assigned an Argentine handicap. Seven players were assigned a 0 goal handicap, Sofía Copello will now play off 1 and British player Farida Rosso Baldacchino has been assigned a 4 goal handicap. For more information, please visit the AAP website www.aapolo.com 20/06/17 15:11 I

fast, but ladies’ polo is rocking at the moment. It is a great, competitive and a fun new concept!

5 minutes with…

Rosie Ross

What’s your greatest ambition? Trying to get back to where I was a fewyears-ago polo wise and lose weight! Handicap: 2 mixed, 6 women’s How did your polo career start? I started working for the Grace family at the military barracks stables in Aldershot, grooming for polo at weekends and whenever I could bunk off school (very Perdita from Jilly Cooper’s polo!) What’s your greatest achievement to date? My greatest achievement to date, well other than surviving a load of injuries and generally life, was beating the Argentine ladies in Argentina when I played with the England squad. It was a life-changing moment.

Which lady players do you admire? There are many amazing female players, but I would have to say Victoria Grace for all she has done for ladies’ polo, whilst raising the bar of ladies’ polo and still being a badass on the field! What’s your favourite tournament? The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club Tally Ho Polo Festival. It is such a great weekend, welcoming players of all levels from across the country. Which version of the sport do you prefer, mixed polo or ladies’ polo? Polo’s polo, as long as it’s played fair and

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Polo Times, June 2018

Are there any changes you would like to see in polo as a sport? I’d like to see more support for ladies’ and grass roots polo from the HPA please. If you could pick a fantasy team, who would be on it and why? I reckon my fantasy team would be my great friends and team mates from Barbados. This year we did pretty well for going in the underdogs. The team consisted of Monique Archer, Tiva Gross, Celine Lawrence and myself. We had a blast! “I couldn’t have done it without. . .”? I could not have done anything in my career if it was not for all the help and love of the amazing people and friends I have met and worked with, with a special mention going to the Grace and Wooldridge families, Suzie and Phil Meadows and the crazy clan that is my family! Thank you to them all.

Call our friendly subscriptions team: 01452 730 770 or visit www.polotimes.co.uk

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For Women’s polo dates for your diary, turn to our What’s On pages

Youth

All Aspects of Youth Polo

Following on from its very successful ‘Taste of Polo’ for Pony Clubbers, Black Bears Polo Club hosted the first HPA Development Day of the season on Monday 7 May in glorious sunshine. 21 young polo players brought their ponies to the Club for preparation for the season ahead. The morning sessions, coached by David Morley, Jason Dixon, Philip Elliott and Ryan Pemble, were devoted to flat work and schooling exercises to improve each pony’s way of going and to give the riders valuable skills to take forward through their careers. The morning was rounded off with a presentation by top performance coach Winston Squire, who

focused on the importance of polo fitness and took the children through a vigorous warm-up training session. After lunch, the children were organised into teams for a four chukka tournament and benefited hugely from the coaches preparing them for each chukka and debriefing afterwards. It was evident that the ponies were enjoying being in the sunshine, and on the splendid grass at Black Bears, as much as the children and whilst it was clear that some partnerships are still in their very early days, the excellent training that they received will certainly set them up for the future. For all those that had not previously visited

Photography courtesy of Black Bears Polo Club

Junior HPA at Black Bears 21 young polo players gathered at Black Bears Polo Club for the first HPA Development Day

Black Bears, the incredible facility gave them something to aspire to in their polo careers and diaries were being consulted to see if the proposed Junior tournament on 1 July to be held as part of Black Bears’ forthcoming Midsummer Festival of Polo was a date they could all commit to.

Oxford vs Oxford

Photograph by David Hammant Photography

The Polo Café team, made up of Oxford University alumni, took on Oxford University on Ground One for their opening season schedule at Kirtlington Park Polo Club. After weeks of rain the sunshine finally bathed the Park, allowing the two very evenly matched teams to compete. The first chukkas were without goals, as play went to-and-fro, back from the goal mouths of each teams. With the sidelines hosting the Oxford supporters both new and old, who enjoyed a wonderful luncheon, they soon got behind the team and the goals started to go through. A hat-trick of goals from Issa Patel took Polo Café into the lead, which the Oxford University side were unable to overcome. Polo Café ran out the winners with a final 5-3½ score.

Oxford University took on The Polo Café team in their annual skirmish at KPPC

SUPA Junior National Championships

Polo Times, June 2018

Photograph courtesy of SUPA

On a perfect summer Sunday (13 May), children and their families gathered at Ranelagh Polo Club, Winkfield, for the SUPA Junior National Championships. 14 teams took part in the tournament, split into four divisions. According to Gill Glimmerveen from SUPA, “The standard of play was outstanding from these under-13 players.” The ground proved a little long for some of the beginners, so placings were decided with a penalty shoot-out. The results were as follows: Beginners: 1st Sunningdale, 2nd Summer Fields, 3rd Lambrook Novice: 1st Summer Fields, 2nd Dragon Ruby, 3rd Heathfield Rubies, 4th Cothill Intermediate: 1st SUPA Specials, 2nd Dragon Navy, 3rd Summer Fields A, 4th Lambrook Blue Open: 1st Seaford, 2nd Beaudesert, 3rd Heathfield

14 teams across four divisions took part in the SUPA Junior National Championships over the weekend

Robbie Slatter was awarded the Most Valuable Player award, whilst Zara Mathews received the Most Promising Player accolade. The next SUPA school’s

tournaments will take place in June – Senior SUPA National Championships on 17 June and the Girls SUPA National Championships on 24 June. For Youth polo dates, please turn to our What’s On pages

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Youth

All Aspects of Youth Polo

A record nine teams competed in this year’s Copenhagen Cup and Copenhagen Shield

The Copenhagen Cup Harrow overcame 2017 champions Wellington College

Caroline Stern

reports from Windsor, Berkshire

he Finals of the 2018 Copenhagen Cup and Copenhagen Shield took place at Guards Polo Club on Sunday 20 May. A record nine teams took part in this year’s invitational competition for senior schools’ polo players. Saturday saw play-offs between the four teams in The Copenhagen Cup held at Black Bears, thus avoiding the royal wedding gridlock surrounding Windsor. Wellington College overcame Stowe by 6 goals to 2½. Stowe’s Captain, 0 goal Henry Frisby was unfortunately unable to play on this first day, but the less-experienced Harry Hobby bravely stood in. Harrow beat the higherhandicapped Millfield team by 8½ to 4 to book their place in Sunday’s Final. On Sunday, Harrow overcame Wellington College by 6 goals to 2½ to win

Polo Times, June 2018

The Copenhagen Cup Final. Wellington’s handicaps totalled -5 to Harrow’s -4, giving the local team a half goal start on the scoreboard. Playing off a 1 goal handicap, 15-year-old Ned was this year joined by Jakob Samonig and Flo Evans-Thomas, both playing off -2 for Wellington. The number one slot was filled by Max Sponer, who had the honour of representing his soon-to-be senior school a term early, having been the only prep school player to be so chosen. Their opponents were captained by 18-year-old Hugo Taylor, the highest rated player in this year’s tournament, off 2 goals. Harrow’s team structure virtually mirrored Wellington’s, as their numbers one, two and three were also all -2. Dougal Barr went up front at one, with Marc Lindgren at two and Michael Fitzgibbon at number three. In the first 30 seconds of the match, a foul after the throw-in saw a swift penalty awarded to Harrow and taken by Hugo Taylor, with his three team mates all racing ahead of him looking for the pass. Ned Hine stopped the attack and took the ball back in the other direction. This characterised the next four chukkas, as the two skilful backs battled it out in a more or less constant dog fight.

Wellington’s number three, Jakob Samonig came through again and again in support of Hine, whilst team mate Flo EvansThomas made sterling efforts to disrupt Hugo Taylor. Harrow scored once before the chukka’s end. Chukka two saw Hine quickly enter into the attack with a hit-in, but left it behind for Taylor. Wellington’s Samonig set off in dogged pursuit of Taylor and hooked him out of it in the end, leaving the ball for his Captain, Hine. In his turn, Harrow’s Fitzgibbon chased down the opposing Captain, but found it hard to catch up with Hine’s pony. Hine’s run ended with a nicely angled cut shot into the centre of the goal mouth, but no team mate got there in time to finish the job and Taylor cleared the ball out of danger. Taylor found himself marked hard by Samonig, but his Harrow team mates stepped up in support and Barr eventually scored for Harrow, making it 2-½. Taylor and Hine both half chukkered their ponies, reflecting the work each was doing on their respective teams. Despite Ned Hine’s efforts, Harrow received a Penalty two, which Taylor popped in, increasing the score to 3 goals to For Youth polo dates, please turn to our What’s On pages

The Copenhagen Cup, Guards Polo Club Dan Bell, Harrow’s Master in Charge of Polo, professed himself delighted with his team’s victory. “Harrow actually started The Copenhagen Cup tournament with Wellington College, eight years ago.” John Gale, now Heathfield’s Director of Boarding, explained how he himself set up The Copenhagen Cup eight years ago, whilst working at Harrow. “There was a lack of high quality matches for school children then. All that was on offer was SUPA’s one chukka matches, which are lovely and fine for players of a certain level. But at Harrow, Wellington and Eton we had boys who were playing high goal polo. So we set up The Copenhagen Cup as a four chukka tournament at Coworth Park and it has gone from strength to strength.” The prizes for The Copenhagen Cup were sponsored by La Martina and presented to the victorious Harrow team by Old Harrovian Philipp Mosimann, joint Managing Director of private dining and hospitality experts Mosimann’s at Guards Polo Club. The Copenhagen Cup Subsidiary Final saw Stowe represented by Henry Frisby and Ivan de Poligny alongside Billy Hawkins Byass and Jamie Baillee. De Poligny and Hawkins Byass impressed in last year’s Copenhagen Cup, whilst Jamie Baillee this year took over from sister Isabel in the Stowe team. Their opponents, Millfield, comprised Bello Ali Shinkafi at number one, Harry Fuller at two, Nik Rogerson at three and Oscar Luard at back. Stowe started with a goal and a half on the board. Millfield’s Rogerson scored the only goal in this chukka in what started to look like a slightly more physical contest than the previous game. Millfield scored again from a Penalty two, midway through the second. The play opened up and Luard began to dominate.

Photography by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

Harrow at half-time. In the first few minutes of the third, Samonig succeeded in hooking Taylor and effected a nice backhand. Unfortunately, Barr read the game well and was backing Taylor up and promptly scored himself. The pace increased during this chukka and Hine showcased his ball retention skills, working the ball around two Harrow players. However, Fitzgibbon, Lindgren and Barr were providing sterling support for Taylor, whose own superb hitting, coupled with horsepower, enabled him to increase Harrow’s lead again in this chukka. Samonig battled on at the start of the fourth and held his nerve to ride the line against the higher handicapped Taylor, which claimed a foul against Taylor for turning back. Hine blasted the resulting 60 yard penalty, which was deflected out to the right. Shortly afterwards, Wellington were given a Penalty 2 and Hine scored it, taking the score to 6-1½ halfway through the last. Taylor won the next throw-in and took the ball round a knot of players before sending it goalwards. Hine intercepted it and passed to a waiting Samonig, who hit just wide to the right of the post. Then, a second Penalty 2 taken from the spot was again put away by Hine, to make it 6-2½. With just one minute left on the clock, Hine won the throw-in and bypassed everyone, only to be stopped by Barr, who had gone back to number four. This was typical of the confidence on the field shown by all six -2 players on this occasion, all of whom played with great assurance and were not often sucked into fouls by their plus goal opponents. The final score was Harrow 6, Wellington 2½. “Dougal was the man of the match – he scored three goals!” said Hugo Taylor. Barr, in turn, praised Harrow’s “inspirational” team coach, Nico San Roman.

Action from the Final between Wellington College and Harrow

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Youth

The Copenhagen Cup Teams: Harrow School (-4): Dougal Barr (-2), Marc Lindgren (-2), Michael Fitzgibbon (-2) & Hugo Taylor (2) Wellington College (-5): Max Sponer (-2), Flo Evans-Thomas (-2), Jakob Samonig (-2) & Ned Hine (1) Millfield (-2): Bello Al Shinkafi (-2), Harry Fuller (-1), Nik Rogerson (0) & Oscar Luard (1) Stowe (-4): Jamie Baillee (-2), Billy Hawkins Byass (-2), Ivan de Poligny (0) & Henry Frisby (0) The Copenhagen Shield Teams: Cheltenham College (-2): Gus Roberts (-2), Denis Antonov (-1), Edward Walker (0) & Luke Wiles (1) Eton College (-3): Jake Ritblat (-2), Dolapo Ibitoye (-1), Tom Jodrell (-1) & Eric Appen (1) Heathfield Diamonds (-7): Kitty Clarry (-2), Angelina Mestoyeva (-2), Victoria Schneider (-2) & Kiki Severn (-1) Radley College (-4): Harry Pitt (-2), Jonty Barlow (-1), Ben Fleming (-1) & Freddie Jodrell (0) Rugby School (-4): N Ponsonby (-2), Freddie Thame (-1), Toby Bradshaw (-1) & Benji Bradshaw (0) Stowe scored once and fought hard, but still found themselves trailing 3-2½ by midmatch. Chukka three saw real end-to-end play, powerful hitting and good use of the ground, particularly by the more experienced players. Some great backhands at speed came from Bello. Hawkins Byass was particularly thwarted by Luard, but Stowe managed to score the next one, edging ahead of Millfield for the first time. Frisby kept Stowe well in the game during the fourth and Luard missed a chance to put Millfield in the lead at the start of the chukka, hitting a huge, lofted penalty 60 slightly wide. But with just three minutes left in the match, Millfield put away a penalty two to finally edge past Stowe. Stowe’s Baillee so nearly scored, with just 30 seconds left on the clock, and then Hawkins Byass found Frisby with a lovely nearside backhand. Agonisingly for Stowe, as the final bell sounded, the umpire’s whistle resulted in a 60 yard penalty being awarded to them but stopped on the 30 yard line. The final score was Millfield 4, Stowe 3½. In The Copenhagen Shield, Cheltenham College overcame Eton by 5-3½, in a four chukka match, which ran concurrently with the Cup matches on the adjoining ground. Some powerful and exciting play during the course of this game reflected the players’ handicaps and resulted in some powerful clashes between Cheltenham’s Luke Wiles (1), Ed Walker (0) and Eton’s Eric Appen (1). Polo Times, June 2018

Youth

The Copenhagen Cup

Harrow, winners of The 2018 Copenhagen Cup, with Philipp Mosimann

Polo Times, June 2018

BPP

Sortija, owned and played by Ned Hine To read more about Sortija, please turn to the Pony Power pages school, so that other students could watch.” The final two chukka match of the day saw Heathfield Diamonds comfortably defeat Radley by 3-1. This was perhaps due to their outstanding team communication skills, as well as some impressive contributions from Captain Kiki Severn. Heathfield ran out as round-robin winners.

MVP Dougal Barr

Photograph by Caroline Stern

Harrow won The Copenhagen Cup 6-2½ against Wellington Cheltenham College won The Copenhagen Shield 5-3½ against Eton Photograph by Caroline Stern

“Sadly, our team could not play yesterday, only today, but we would have loved to have played Harrow and Wellington as well”, said Ed Walker. Another three teams then competed in a round-robin and the first of the three matches saw Heathfield’s all-girl team draw 3-3 with Rugby. The considerable skills on display during Rugby versus Radley in the second twochukka match produced some quick and dynamic play. One of Rugby’s youngest players, Toby Bradshaw scored the two goals which secured victory over Radley. “I didn’t think we were actually going to win, though!” he remarked post-match. Rugby’s Director of Sport, Debbie Skene, enjoyed her first experience as a polo spectator, which she described as brilliant. “I was engrossed – this sport has skill, speed, aggression and hence is so exciting to watch. It gives a chance for students to shine who may not be noticed in the course of normal school sports, such as rugby or cricket. And it is amazing to see Year 9 pupils competing against Year 13, aged 18. I would love to get a match played at our

Where: Guards Polo Club, Windsor

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Knowledge

Pony Power

Sortija Height: 15.1hh Age: Seven-years-old Colour: Dark Bay Sex: Mare Owned and played by: Owned by the Hine Family and played by Ned Hine Tournament: The Copenhagen Cup at Guards Polo Club Photograph courtesy of Ned Hine

Where is she from/breeding? I first played her in Argentina, but she was bred in Uruguay by Juan Cuerbelo. We bought her from his string at Polo One in Pilar. How long have you had her? We have had her for three years, since she was a fouryear-old. Tell us about her background? After we bought her, I played her for two years in Argentina, before bringing her to England in 2017. The last tournament I played with her in Argentina was the 16 goal at Polo One, where I played her in two chukkas in the Final. What are her strengths? She has an extremely soft mouth, great sides and her acceleration from a standstill is amazing!

What are your plans for her in the future? She is still very young, as she just turned seven, so I am hoping she grows up and becomes more powerful. I am hoping to play her for a long time to come. Does she have any special quirks? She doesn’t have any specific quirks, but when you play her in practice, on set or in a match, she always has her ears pinned back, but she would never want to bite you – it’s just the way she is.

Photograph by Caroline Stern

How has she gone this season? She has been going really well so far this season and I have played her in most of my games from the school tournament up to the 15 goal. She is just amazing because she runs so fast and is so easy to hit the ball off. Plus, she stops and turns quicker than all the other horses.

Has she won any other Best Playing Pony Awards? No she hasn’t, but hopefully there might be more to come.

Describe her in three words? Handy, agile, speedy.

Winner Photograph by Cymon Skinner Photography

Height: 15.2hh Age: 12-years-old Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Owned and played by: Santiago Toccalino Tournament: The Prince of Wales Trophy Final at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club Where is she from/ breeding? She is an Argentine Thoroughbred, I brought over with me for the summer season in the UK. How long have you had her? I have had her since 2012, so six years. Tell us about her background? She is a fantastic mare, who has been part of my string for a long time now. What are her strengths? She is very complete and has a lot of power. On top of this, she is very handy on the field. 70

Polo Times, June 2018

How has she gone this season? She played for the first time this season in The Prince of Wales tournament, so we’ll have to wait and see. Has she won any other Best Playing Pony Awards? Not that I’m aware of.

What are your plans for her in the future? The plan is to play her as much as I can this season and take it as it comes. Does she have any special quirks? In the stables, she is really noisy! Describe her in three words? Special, fast, calm. www.polotimes.co.uk

Pony Power

Knowledge

Bonita Height: 15.2hh Age: 12-years-old Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Owned and played by: Owned by the Cork family and played by Josh Cork Tournament: The Valerie Halford Memorial Trophy at Guards Polo Club

Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

Where is she from/breeding? She is an ex-racehorse and has been part of our string for as long as we can remember. How long have you had her? We have had her for eight years thus far. Tell us about her background? We bought her as a four-year-old and she was our first ex-racehorse. She and the family were all very green at the time, but we have learnt a lot together and we’ve enjoyed the journey from us all being youngsters up to now. What are her strengths? She’s fast, reliable and consistent with a very soft mouth. She also rides off well and can play low goal to high goal as nothing phases her. She is definitely in our top six horses.

How has she gone this season? She has only just started the season, but she’s had a great start and means to finish well! Has she won any other Best Playing Pony Awards? Yes, but only in 0 goal.

What are your plans for her in the future? To continue enjoying playing her. Does she have any special quirks? She’s a dream, so no! Describe her in three words? Easy, fast, reliable.

X9 Height: 15.1hh Age: Nine-years-old Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Owned and played by: Owned by King Power, played by Marcos Di Paola Tournament: La Martina Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

Where is she from/breeding? X9 is an Ellerstina bred horse, and played the high goal in Argentina. She’s out of a mare called Celene, who played The Argentine Open with the Pieres family. The father is an Ellerstina stallion called Chismoso. How long have you had her? She came here to the UK three years ago from Argentina. Tell us about her background? She came over to the UK from Argentina and has been playing in The Gold Cup and The Queen’s Cup since then.

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What are her strengths? She’s so easy, handy, quick in the turns and you are close to the floor as she’s not the biggest of mares How has she gone this season? She’s gone really well, this is our fifth game and she’s definitely one of my best mares.

Does she have any special quirks? She’s very easy going and easy to handle, it’s great to have her. She always plays the same and I’ve become accustomed to her very quickly. Describe her in three words? I only need one – Amazing!

Polo Times, June 2018

Knowledge

Pony Power

Morita Height: 15.2hh Age: Seven-years-old Colour: Roan Sex: Mare Owned and played by: Ed Whitechurch Tournament: The RAF Polo Association 2018 Cranwell Tournament at RAF Cranwell

Photograph courtesy of Ed Whitechurch

Where is she from/breeding? She is originally from Argentina, from the Mar del Plata area. How long have you had her? Thus far, I have had her for three years. Tell us about her background? I bought her in Argentina as a four-year-old and she played her first season in the UK in 2015. I mainly play her in 0 or 2 goal tournaments, but she has played some 6 goal. What are her strengths? She is very strong in a ride-off, but she also has a very relaxed gait which makes her a fantastic, stable hitting platform. She is definitely my favourite pony to take penalties on. How has she gone this season? This was only her second tournament this season, having played in a 0 goal Tournament at Cambridge County Polo Club the week

before, but she is going really well so far and came out of the tough winter in great condition. Has she won any other Best Playing Pony Awards? She won a Best Playing Pony award at White Waltham Polo Club last season.

can, or until the children try and steal her from me! Does she have any special quirks? She quite often stretches like a cat when she sees you come near her with a saddle. Describe her in three words? Powerful, great temperament.

What are your plans for her in the future? I plan to play her for as long as I

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Polo Times, June 2018

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The shoulder should be set at the correct angle to achieve the desired shot

Photograph courtesy of Cirencester Park Polo Club

Photograph courtesy of Barbados Polo Club

Ribs

Key fat areas

instead, forward and in, on an approximate 30 degree angle during the forward portion of the arm swing, and back and out on the same angle during the back swing. As a consequence of that natural arm movement, when you swing the stick, your right arm has the tendency to move in that same natural swing fashion. Furthermore, if your shoulders are perpendicular to your horse, your arm will move forward and in towards your horse on an approximate 30 degree angle, causing the stick to move in a similar manner. The stick will hit the ball to the left producing an approximate 30 degree angle offside neck shot. If a 45 degree angle neck shot is desired, your right shoulder should be rotated fifteen degrees from perpendicular, forward and in towards your horse to create a plane that is consistent with the desired fifteen degree increase in the angle of the neck shot. If you want to hit the ball straightforwards, then you must change the angle of movement of your right arm by rotating your right shoulder back approximately 30 degrees from perpendicular. That 30 degrees

Key muscle areas Key muscle & fat areas

Dallas Burston Polo Club

Key fat and muscle areas

How to score condition 1 - You need to touch them – not just stand and look at them, especially when they come in from the winter with thick, hairy coats! 2 - Look at them from different angles – from the side, standing behind, standing in front. 3 - Watch them move – riding ‘sets’ is a great viewing platform to look at the condition/top line of the lead horses. 4 - Taking photos regularly – especially if there is an individual you have concerns for – take at fortnightly intervals, from different angles to help you see their progression. Can the ribs be felt easily? As a general rule, if the ribs can be felt, being fat is not usually a problem and the area being focused on is most likely the ‘belly’, which stands out significantly when top line muscle is lacking. Being able to feel ribs easily is indicating a BCS of 4 – which is NOT FAT!

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19/03/2018 10:50

Polo Times, March 2018

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Coronel Suarez Polo Club

3 - Thin Hips and ribs slightly covered. Some hollowness through quarters and tucked up. Top line undeveloped, angular appearance. 4 - Moderately thin Outline of ribs discernible although covered. Scapula and hips covered. Neck reasonably well covered with some top line. 5 - Moderate Ribs not easily distinguished but can be felt. Well muscled top line, shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body. Fat around tailhead feeling spongy. No hollowness through quarters. 6 - Moderately fat May have slight crease down back. Fat over ribs feels spongy. Fat around tailhead feeling soft. Starting to deposit fat down withers and behind the shoulder.

Polo Tech Knowledge

20/02/2018 12:16

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Polo Times, March 2018

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As part of a 12-year, £122 million investment programme, DBPC has announced that it will be moving ahead with extensions to its Clubhouse facility. With groundworks underway already, the new marquee is expected to be completed by April this year, in time for the beginning of the 2018 polo season, and will provide space for an additional 220 guests within a 450 square metre space. The planned investment programme aims to add to the unique ‘Olde World Colonial India style’ Clubhouse, which plays hosts to a wide variety of events from wedding receptions, dinners and family celebrations, to the all-important polo events. On Saturday 3 February, DBPC welcomed guests for the 12 and 2 goal Charlotte Trophy tournaments. To start the day, Catherine Varney’s Toasty Tips team beat Towcester Equine Vets, 9-8 in the 2 Goal Final, which was followed by the 12 Goal Final, where CANI took home the trophy 9-5 against DBPC. Grant Collett was awarded the Most Valuable Player award whilst his pony Maggie was presented with the Best Playing Pony rug. For social images of the event please turn to our Sideline pages.

Youth Polo NWA, USA – Middle School League: 30 September – 1 October Aiken, USA – Middle School League: 14 – 15 October Garrison Forest, USA – Middle School League: 21 – 22 October Bluewater Creek, USA – Middle School League: 28 – 29 October

Grand Champions Polo Club

Between 15 – 18 February, the Juan Carlos Harriott Cup took place at Coronel Suarez Polo Club. The international tournament was split into two categories, 16 goal and 10 goal. In addition to the tournament, a children’s tournament also took place for kids under 14-years-old.

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Photograph courtesy of DBPC

The DBPC Clubhouse will undergo further improvements before the 2018 season begins

Tickets and hospitality packages are now available for Chester Polo Club’s 2018 fixture list, including the LDF International Polo and The Boodles Roodee Challenge Cup. The season will begin on Friday 8 June, with the LDF International Polo tournament and will continue until The Boodles Roodee Challenge Cup Final on Saturday 8 September. A complete fixture list as well as ticket information can be found on the Club’s website www.chester-races.co.uk/polo

Between 1 – 14 April, the $100,000 World Cup will be returning to Grand Champions Polo Club, Florida. The tournament will feature 16 teams ranging from 0 to 26 goals and will continue its main aim to highlight young American talent. This tournament is unique to the USA because it welcomes such a variety of handicapped teams, with last year seeing entries as low as 4 goals. This year’s tournament will see Adolfo Cambiaso and his son Poroto play for the first time together in a USA tournament. In other news, on Saturday 10 February, Patagones won the Sieber Memorial 12 Goal Opener with an impressive 13-9 victory over Sebucan. Patagones led for most of the game and at half-time they broke away with a 5-2 lead. By the fifth chukka, they led by as many as nine goals, 11-2, before Sebucan came back in response. 19-year-old Benjamin Avendano was named Most Valuable Player, whilst Pablo Pulido’s pony Burbuja was presented with the Best Playing Pony rug. The Sieber Memorial 12 Goal Opener Teams: Patagones (12): Joaquin Avendano (1), Robi Bilbao (4), Benjamin Avendano (2) & Santi Wulff (5) Sebucan (12): Pablo Pulido (2), Marc Ganzi/Grant Ganzi (2), Jesse Bray (5) & Stewart Armstrong (3)

NWA, USA – Great Plains Circuit Women’s Challenge: 30 September – 1 October Timor, Aus – Timor Polo Club Ladies Tournament: 30 September – 1 October Virginia, USA – National Women’s Arena Championship: 19 – 22 October

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After 14 years of royal service, The Queen’s carriage harness horse, Windsor Grey, Daniel, has announced his retirement from public life. He has taken part in events including state visits, The Queen’s birthday parade and the opening of parliament during his career and has even featured in a 2014 Royal Mail stamp collection. He will now join his harness horse friends Flint, Marsa and Big Tom at the Horse Trust in Buckinghamshire. Happy retirement Daniel!

La Aguada – Argentine Amateur Championship (0-4 & 4-8): 14 – 22 October La Aguada – Julio Novillo Astrada Cup (22): 16 – 27 October Tortugas – Tortugas Open (40): 19 September – 7 October Hurlingham – Hurlingham Open (40): 10 – 28 October

FESTIVAL HEN DO

Hazel Jackson celebrated her Hen Do at well known, laid back music festival, Bestival. It was the first time the event has moved off the Isle of Wight and with a peace and love theme, it was the perfect backdrop for the celebrations.

Freddy Trew & Angharad Llewelyn

Assad Hussain & Andrew Tan

Shining Bright at Beaufort

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

On a twinkly Saturday evening, guests gathered at Beaufort Polo Club to celebrate the fast approaching end of the summer season, with lashings of Justerini & Brooks champagne, canapés and most importantly, glitter! The glitter theme was subtly incorporated throughout the beautiful venue with shimmering table decorations, glimmering flower jars and a starlit ceiling. Each guest came to the evening suitably ‘glittered-up’ ready to dance the night away to local band the Chip Shop Boys, after tucking into a deliciously delectable three-course meal. It’s safe to say, the party carried on until the wee small hours of the morning!

EMPEROR’S NEW ROWING JACKET?

Jono Smail, Edgeworth Polo Club’s Polo Manager tied the knot with Rachel Newman on Saturday 9 September, followed by an evening of revelry at the Gloucestershire Club and bleary eyed matches the following day, luckily held late to allow recovery time!

CPPC has teamed up with local tailor Barrington Ayre to produce a Club blazer in CPPC’s iconic colours. Those lucky enough to be awarded the Cirencester MVP award will be in with a chance of wearing one of these unique pieces, useful at all polo, tennis, rugby and rowing events.

Tom Morley & fiancée Tessa Foot have welcomed a baby girl into the world. She was born on Monday 11 September and both mother and baby are doing well.

HIGH GOAL RUMOURS On Wednesday 30 August, Rugby Polo Club donned their finest pink outfits for a day of Pink Polo in support of Breast Cancer Now. Even the Club’s Polo Manager, Jeremy Pidgeon, got involved.

North Kenya – Timau 8 Goal Open (8): 13 – 15 October

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Polo Times, October 2017

19/09/2017 11:33

Polo Times, October 2017

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Polo News, Fixtures & Reports

Norman Bellone

Congratulations to their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who announced the imminent arrival of their third child. Will the third addition to the family grow up to play polo? Will he or she be left-handed like their father or allergic to horses like their mother? Time will tell!

France

Mariana – Challenge de France (-1-1): 7 – 8 October Chantilly – Coupe de l’Automne (0-4): 7 – 15 October Pays de Fontainebleau – Criterium de France (-4 - -2): 14 – 15 October La Tullianna – Coupe Cassoulet: 26 – 29 October

PRETTY IN PINK

Photography by Jocelyn Ridley Photography

THERE’S A THIRD CAMBRIDGE ON THE WAY!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Kenya

Karen Chung, Christopher Sokol, Niul Wood & Kitty Sokol

Beaufort Glitter Ball; Beaufort Polo Club; Saturday 26 August

Libby Snell & Lily Freeman

Australia

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20/02/2018 13:38

DBPC PICKS UP ITS NEW WHEELS

Dallas Burston Polo Club has been handed the keys to a brand new, bespoke fitted 5.0 litre V8 supercharged Range Rover Autobiography LWB. The car has been extensively personalised, courtesy of Listers Land Rover Solihull and Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations Divison. Looking swish, DBPC!

Scone – Wootton Cup: 7 – 8 October Scone – Beersheba Trophy (0, 4, 8 & 14): 14 – 15 October Kurri Burri – KH Marshall Cup (0, 4, 8 & 14): 14 – 15 October Sydney – XI FIP World Polo Championships: 21 – 29 October Eynesbury – Mount William Tournament: 28 – 29 October

The rumours are true! It has now been confirmed that Facundo Pieres will be riding out for La Indiana for the 2018 high goal season. The full team lineup is yet to be confirmed, but we’ll keep you in the loop! In other news, Pablo Mac Donough is set to move to Talandracas for 2018 whilst, according to the rumour mill, Guillermo Caset will be donning the black shirts of RH Polo.

WEDDING BELLS!

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Olivia Castle & Looby Wright

Haden Trueman Greinke & Sarah Burgess

Chrissy Marshall

Nina Clarkin & Olivia Clowes

Annie Monaghman, Chloe Taylor & Lolly Stanhope-White

Cicely Moore & Frankie Barnes

Congratulations to Jay and Harriet Jones who were married on Saturday 26 August in St Nicholas Church, Itchingfield, West Sussex. Guests were then invited to Shiprods Manor for a downright knees-up with Jay’s father Kenney Jones (of The Who fame) taking to the stage with some famous friends! www.polotimes.co.uk

Posy Ash, Fiona Parker & Minty Bos

19/09/2017 11:28

Shannon Stephenson & Rosie Hutchin

Gwynn Bucket, Nettie Young & Jacob Kirby

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Natural arm and shoulder movement An aspect of natural body mechanics to be aware of, relative to the plane of swing concept, is how your arms naturally move when walking. They do not move straightforward or straight back – they move,

RCBPC – HPA National Club Championships (1-3 & 10-12): 21 November – 3 December RCBPC – HPA National Club Championships (4-6 & 13-15): 5 – 21 January RCBPC – Arena Gold Cup (13-15): 13 – 24 February

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Hind quarter Behind Shoulder

If your shoulders are perpendicular to your horse your arm will move to hit the ball producing a 30 degree angle offside neck shot

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On Saturday 10 February, the Canadian Polo Team travelled to Barbados to play the Barbados Polo Club team. Following an exciting match, the Canadians were victorious against the home team.

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A ROYAL RETIREMENT

New Bridge – National Copper Cup (8-12): 15 September – 1 October Aiken – Southeastern Circuit Sportsmanship Cup (0-4): 19 September – 1 October Wagener – Southeastern Circuit Masters Cup (0-6): 19 September – 7 October Willow Bend – Regional President’s Cup (5-8): 27 September – 1 October Congressional – Eastern Circuit Arena Congressional: 30 September – 1 October Barrington – Central Circuit Arena Amateur Cup (0-3): 30 September – 1 October New Bridge – Regional Presidents Cup (4-8): 1 – 22 October Commonwealth – Challenge Cup (5-8): 5 – 7 October Aiken – Southeastern Circuit Players Cup (0-4): 5 – 22 October Aiken – Southeastern Circuit Officers Cup (4-8): 6 – 29 October Seneca – Eastern Circuit Arena Amateur Cup (0-3): 7 – 8 October Skull Valley – Border Circuit Players Cup (0-4): 7 October Barrington – Central Circuit Arena Delegate’s Cup (6-9): 7 – 8 October Wagener – Southeastern Circuit Constitution Cup (0-6): 10 – 28 October Honolulu – Hawaiian Islands Circuit Masters Cup (0-4): 11 – 15 October Denver – Rocky Mountain Circuit Arena Sportsmanship Cup (0-4): 13 – 15 October Club Polo Cabo – Border Circuit Arena Congressional Cup (4-6): 13 – 15 October Westchester – National Sherman Memorial: 14 – 15 October Orange County – National Arena Amateur Cup (0-3): 14 – 15 October Willow Bend – Oktoberfest (8-10): 17 – 29 October New Bridge – USPA Bronze Trophy (8-12): 18 October – 5 November Honolulu – Hawaiian Islands Circuit Governor’s Cup (0-4): 25 – 29 October California – Chairman’s Cup: 27 –29 October

Barbados Polo Club

The ideal Body Condition Score? Personally, I like to see a FIT polo pony sitting between a Condition Score of 4 and 5, (using the American scoring system of 1-9). A polo pony coming in from a winter break should ideally be a 5, and I wouldn’t be upset if it was a 6, but coming in at 3 is going to mean a lot of food to put on condition whilst getting fit.

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Polo Times, April 2018

The Canadian Polo Team beat the Barbados Polo Club team on Saturday 10 February

Polo directory

Photograph by Big Love Photography

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Loin

Conformation? Conformation always needs to be considered, as deep girthed, wide sprung ribs does not mean the horse is fat, as it is more likely a predominant ‘belly’ and lack of top line. So often the horse’s feed and forage is restricted in the hope they lose ‘The belly’ – they don’t, they lose muscle and top line. Those ‘herring gutted’ types can tuck up and look lean very quickly, and often are how the whole string are wanting to look, but this, of course, is not always skeletally possible! When they are short coupled, compact and deep in the girth they can often look like a ‘good-doer’, but do they have fat pads?

Rugby – Toft Triathlon (Open): 30 September – 1 October Ranelagh – Copa Ranelagh Farm (-2-0): 30 September – 1 October Binfield Heath – Farewell Tournament (-4-0): 30 September – 1 October Hurtwood – Farewell Cup (0): 30 September – 1 October White Waltham – The Ultimo Polo Trophy (-2-0): 30 September – 1 October RCBPC – Club Weekend Tournament (-2-2): 30 September – 1 October Wicklow – Opening Day of the Season: 1 October Vale of York – First Beach Chukkas: 8 October Druids Lodge – First Club Chukkas: 26 October Rugby – Lagrima Trophy (-3-0 & 0-4): 28 – 29 October

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October UK Club Fixtures

An email was sent out at the beginning of February following a full review into the Cirencester office organisation and structure over the winter months. Apparently, the CPPC board has now concluded that a number of organisational changes need to be made to assist with cost saving and to bring stronger leadership. The Assistant Polo Manager and Sponsorship, Events and Office Manager positions will cease to exist with immediate effect. The new structure will introduce Kim Croutear (pictured left) and Gemma Potter (pictured right) the roles of Chief Executive Officer have been made redundant with immediate effect and Administrative Assistant with the intention to respond to the changing environment in which the Club operates.

So, where does the horse store fat?

Use a mirror to place your swing like washing the window

The effect of the plane of swing concept is to establish and keep your hand and stick head moving on that same plane or the sheet of glass, so as to have both moving throughout

Spring is in the air and the ponies are coming back into work here in the UK, hooray! Hopefully they have wintered well, and hard feed has been introduced when necessary to minimise weight loss and reduce the uphill battle of having to feed them up whilst they come back into work. The common misconception, I feel, is that the horse has wintered well because it has a ‘big fat belly’. What is actually often the case, especially after a hard winter, is that the belly is present but the ribs can be felt/seen and the top line has diminished. The ‘belly’ is not a judgement of fat when the top line is lacking and the ribs can be felt – the ‘belly’ will generally be indicating the horse has lost muscle tone from not being in work and the hind gut is nicely full of indigestible forage!

the entire swing and hit process in the desired direction. To increase the chances of the stick starting on the correct plane at the top of the downswing, the stick head should be pointing in the exact direction the ball is intended to travel.

Position the stick head in the correct plane to create the intended direction

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Cirencester Park Polo Club

Holidays are Over…

Renowned polo coach, Rege Ludwig gives his expert advice on how to get more out of your game

The Plane of the swing is the trajectory, or path, on which the stick head travels throughout the swing process. The plane should be straight and consistent with the desired direction of the hit. Therefore, no deviation from that straight line, or plane, should take place during the downswing, at point of contact with the ball or up to the end of follow through. More importantly, the Plane of Swing concept applies to all shots (offside, nearside, forward, back, neck, tail and open). I compare the plane of the swing to a huge sheet of glass. When considering the sheet of glass analogy, imagine having the palm side of your hand on the sheet of glass, not so dissimilar to your hand placement when washing the glass. That is essentially how your hand and the stick head should be positioned at the top of the downswing for all shots. As your torso is rotating during the downswing, your hand is turning over so at point of contact with the ball, the palm side of your hand is facing perpendicular to the plane. However, after contact with the ball, your hand and the stick head will have turned over to where, at the end of the follow through phase, you could wash the other side of the glass with the palm side of your hand and the stick head.

Club Focus Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist

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Goal News

Playing tips with Rege Ludwig Plane of Swing and Direction of Hit

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Knowledge

Equipment Focus: Bits

Stephen Biddlecombe of Equine Management Ltd offers a reader bitting advice

A Sensitive Ex-Racer Q. My ex-racehorse is very sensitive in her mouth but can be extremely strong. I believe she doesn’t like tongue pressure as she puts her head up and out, and head tosses. We’ve tried various bits including the Bomber Happy Tongue Pelham, but she didn’t get on with it at all. She still pulls a lot in little jerks, like a ‘tic’. Any tips? A. Racehorses are often started in Chifneys, which are used for leading in hand, and at Thoroughbred sales. They’re sometimes ridden in ring bits with two mouthpieces; a jointed snaffle mouthpiece and a larger ring that encircles the horse’s lower jaw, although many are raced in jointed loose-ring snaffles. In any case, your mare probably isn’t used to a ported bit, despite the fact it may well help her if she has a sensitive tongue, as you suspect! She may be acting defensively, pre-empting the discomfort. Incidentally, what we are seeing lately

within the bitting industry is a lot of horses and ponies that have a narrow bottom jaw, as well as bars of the jaw that are asymmetrical. This combination means the horse is frequently sensitive to tongue pressure, which is increasingly creating bit fitting issues. It’s important to ensure that the bit sits correctly on the bars of the mouth, but when the bottom jaw is narrow, which happens with some finer breeds, the horse’s mouth will have a narrower port, which means we are sacrificing some tongue relief! You have already tried a Happy Tongue Pelham, presumably to relieve the tongue pressure. This mouthpiece has a nice port, creating space for the tongue. However, perhaps your mare wasn’t comfortable with the curb groove action, or maybe she objects to the metal after a career being ridden in a metal bit. You could try a Happy Mouth 3-Ring

Gag, however as you have already tried this mouthpiece, and your mare is obviously sensitive, I’d recommend a Bomber Blue bit – we’re increasingly recommending these mouthpieces for polo ponies. The mouthpiece is ported for tongue relief, but importantly, the bit material is very light. It is made from a strong, rubber-nylon compound that’s moulded around a stainless steel core, so it’s ideal for horses and ponies with sensitive tongues, or those that are sensitive to metal compositions. The Bomber Blue mouthpiece eliminates squeezing pressure on the bars, as well as tongue pressure. Specifically you could try the Bomber Blue 3-Ring Gag from the Bomber Blue range, which creates poll pressure and also some mouthpiece leverage, but of course won’t create the curb groove action that the Pelham does. It is also available as a Pelham, Gag or a Curbgag.

Bomber Blue 3 Ring is ported for tongue relief and the bit material is very light, a great choice for polo ponies with sensitive tongues

Bombers Bits include hundreds of off the shelf bitting solutions, and customers can even design their own bespoke bit from a selection of mouth pieces, cheek pieces and widths, using a ‘design your own bit’ service. Bombers bits are made from blue sweet iron – the metal oxidises easily, creating a warm, sweet taste in the pony’s mouth and encouraging the pony to salivate. Visit www.worldwidetack.com. Submit your bitting questions to info@equineman.com to enter a prize draw to win a voucher towards the Bombers Bit of your choice, or Tweet us at @WorldwideTack with your bitting question.

Polo Times, June 2018

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Knowledge

Horse Sense

Photograph courtesy of Adam Buchanan

Adam Buchanan has been privileged enough to play and work alongside a number of top international 10 goal players including: Benjamin Araya, Adolfo Cambiaso, Adam Snow, Owen Rinehart, Carlos Gracida, Memo Gracida, Pité Merlos and Sebastian Merlos. Gaining recognition after winning The Gold Cup for The British Open in 1991 aged just 19-years-old, he has continued with his interest focused on horses. Much of his incessant passion and inspiration is derived from flat racing and horse trainers in the UK and Ireland. He questions the application of natural horsemanship. The initial ride on a new horse is not always as predictable or enjoyable as one might imagine. A reluctant or partisan philosophy to the anthropomorphic equine language considered to be ‘horse whispering’, limits a constant evolution of equine scientific ethology

Adam Buchanan (on the far right) took home The Gold Cup for The British Open title in 1991 with Tramontana (Antony Embiricos, Adolfo Cambiaso & Carlos Gracida)

The inner workings of your horse’s mind

Equine training systems and forms of ethology may deny the importance of a learning scientific theory and suggest that we must speak the language of horse, solely by using the concepts of flight, herd instinct and hierarchy, leaving out the importance of conditioning on all innate responses. It also seems likely that most human signals are not necessarily interpreted as homologues of equine signals and are certainly irrelevant once on the back of the horse. Ethologically sound solutions should therefore not depend on a notion of the horse’s desire to ‘be with’ or ‘want to please’ the trainer. Dominance evokes the expectation of ‘submission’, an important quality that is developed and scored within the discipline of dressage. We frequently deny horses their normal learning, spontaneous behaviour when we push their head away as they smell us, convinced they would bite us when they are merely exploring us with their lips, like we use our fingers. Horses use multiple senses to assess a new situation: by respecting these methods we are letting them speak in their own language, and allowing them to learn who a new person or herd member is by their own methods. In our society, horses live too often in isolation, unable to express themselves through social behaviour as a herd animal. Although we can be aware of this deprivation, most horses continue to live that way yet are punished for expressing typical herd behaviours because they do not suit our routines or lifestyles. One such example would be a horse’s reluctance to leave its peers (‘herd bound’) or to be stabled in isolation: in evolutionary terms, being separated from the herd would have been a threat to the horse through increased likelihood of predation, therefore they have evolved these behaviours in order to survive. If we respect these

evolutionary behaviours and allow the horse to learn why they are no longer needed, we can form a better relationship and avoid unnecessary stressors. Equine ethology and neurophysiology research indicates how nature curates equine behaviour and learning capacity. Training philosophies that embrace learning theory can be ethological in the sense that they might take into account the types of stimuli horses are most likely to respond to, and the types of reinforcement that are the most rewarding. The conceptualization or reasoning is blurred by humans not perceiving the relatively small size of the equine forebrain, as they enter a group of horses mimicking a factoid of behaviour through anthropomorphic signals or gestures. Chasing a frightened horse in a round pen is an aversive interaction that can be both inhumane and ineffective. If we condition horses into a constant state of hyper-reactivity, it can precipitate chronic stress. This is the same stress that occurs when we force a horse into isolation. Filial imprinting behaviour leads to ‘following’ thus allowing the equine to protect itself from predators or as a foal does to its dam. This is what has allowed horses to survive for centuries, yet humans remain determined to isolate them. Close proximity engages and enhances learning behaviour. The equine memory is gauged by motivation as opposed to innate ability. Imprinting or ‘remembering’ behaviours or tasks occurs by a multitude of different methods which draw on all the senses of the horse to cement it into their consciousness. A human equivalent would be the sudden recall of a place or person based not just on seeing the place or person but triggered by a particular smell or sound. For all species, a combination of smell and taste before and after a performance may re-sit an improved memory for a continuous

“Close proximity engages and enhances learning behaviour. The equine memory is gauged by motivation as opposed to innate ability” 76

Polo Times, June 2018

intermittent reinforcement (Pavlovian or classical conditioning). Filial imprinting by sight is not determined by the ability of the forebrain to learn about the imprinting stimulus, but rather by motor abilities and attention to potential imprinting stimuli. Imprinting in the auditory and olfactory modalities may have occurred well in advance of visual imprinting (before birth). Auditory imprinting does not form such a lasting memory as visual imprinting but, it is incorrect to consider each sensory modality as a separate entity. The short-term average memory in the horse lasts 10-20 seconds, before it can be imprinted as stored memory. This means that imprinting memory is a sequence of development. Peer imprinting holds a particular interest to me as young precocious horses imprint on their own age groups over older ones. Age matching horses together in training respects this and makes training more effective and less stressful.

Brain Asymmetry

If the nervous system is not grossly examined, it is impossible to determine the importance and progressive learning of equine neurology today. A thorough understanding of equine neuroanatomy allows ethologists to develop new training methods and to assess their results. We are already aware of the left and right side brain differences and personality. Neural sympathetic mechanisms control emotions such as fear or aggression reactions related to aggressive or defensive responses activated by the right hemisphere of the equine brain, through the sympathetic nervous system and the release of adrenaline. The left hemisphere processes more positive emotions, i.e. the reward of food. Therefore training mechanisms that stimulate the left brain may result in a calmer learning environment, with less stress and cortisone release than those that more strongly stimulate the right brain. As prey animals, a good peripheral vision is important to the horse for early www.polotimes.co.uk

Horse Sense

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threat detection. Horses have developed a ‘visual streak’: an area of their retina with the highest acuity. In humans and some other mammals, the location of highest acuity in the retina is a circular area termed the fovea or area centralis. In contrast, other animals (including horses) have a visual streak. In such animals, the area of greatest acuity in their retina is not a single point, but rather an elongated ‘streak’ running across the retina. This allows for better detection of movement in the periphery. Processing spatial and social information with their visual streak allows the horse to scan the horizon whilst grazing. Sound localization is often needed to direct the field of visual acuity to a sound source allowing for further scrutiny. Most of the time, the eyeball is reflexively rotated by two of seven muscles, keeping the eye in alignment with the horizon. Encephalon asymmetries of visual sensory channels can also be noted by their head turning or raising response to bidimensional visual stimuli (i.e. at feed time or movements outside the herd) using their peripheral vision they will tend to focus using one eye and one ear. A potential threat, when identified, requires both eyes (both brain hemispheres) to fully assess how to react to the stimulus. By lowering the collected head carriage, running reins may inhibit a horse’s ability to use binocular vision to focus on distant objects. When the head is held vertically it will have a monocular vision focused on objects near its hooves, which may induce fear or anxiety. The horse will use its monocular vision, focusing on objects such as the ball or mallet due to the applied running reins. Although horses have the ability to switch between using monocular and binocular vision, sensory information and monocular depth perception cues remain vague and cannot be trusted as far as ‘seeing is believing’. Time to acclimatise to the sound and movement of ball without running reins seems logical. Horses also are extremely sensitive to variation of the visual field, accounting for their tendency to become alarmed at the slightest unfamiliar movement and their ability to notice subtle body language cues. Lighting contrasts when entering or leaving enclosures such as tunnels or horse trailers may cause horses to hesitate until their eyes can fully adjust to the conditions, which can take up to 20-30 minutes.

Cerebral Lateralisation of Imprinting

Adam Buchanan believes using Pair-Bonding is not only preferred by the horse but may also have safety advantages

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The right brain hemisphere or left eye chooses its companion or an individual, whilst the left-brain hemisphere or right visual hemifield will choose more randomly. Analysing emotional lateralisation patterns, cognitive style and behavioural activity represents an important study Polo Times, June 2018

Horse Sense

in equine welfare and management. Brain hemispheres process and analyse information in an asymmetric way, whilst cognitive ability is enhanced by the strength of lateralisation which is more important than the direction of lateralisation. The left hemisphere (from the right eye) specialises in the control of routine invariant and repeated, relaxed or established patterns of behaviour, attending to categories of data or stimuli stored in the forebrain, which imprints memory, whilst the right eye is preferentially used to imprint stimuli. Lateralisation of the equine brain operate as sensory and motor neural entities with significant right hemispheric dominance using more of their right nostril, left ear and left eye in detecting novelty. The right hemisphere processes novel unexpected stimuli, expressing fear or aggression. Because of the optic chiasmic crossover, the right hindbrain receives input from the left eye. The left eye produces a response more critical to strangers (i.e. humans) whereas the right eye does not differentiate between companions or strangers. The left eye is also used to monitor the environment for predators or distractions, fear, stress, social and aggression cues, sexual behaviour and novel stimuli. The right hemispheric hindbrain cross over pathway from the left eye is where it projects most of its information. As a prey animal, horses are side biased in perceptual emotional processing by noticing you more with their left eye and tending towards the right brain reaction of flight. Such is the keenness of their observation they are able to catch sight of pulsation in veins on their ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head and use this as a cue to their ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expected behaviour patterns! Acoustic stimuli are also processed asymmetrically within the brain by the auditory sensory system, with the right hemisphere processing isolated or disturbing noise as opposed to familiar tones supported by the left hemisphere. The left hemisphere is also more dominant in responding to auditory cues when their owners are on the right side of the horse. Note that their senses are not taken in isolation but coordinated together, just as smell and taste share certain characteristics but are two separate systems. Horses can categorise between different sounds (whinnies) distinguishing from group members and alerting them to unfamiliar or non-group members. The equine sense of smell is thousands of times more sensitive than their human counterparts or that of the domestic dog. The main olfactory system includes the olfactory epithelium and the area below the nasal cavity protected by a cartilaginous capsule known as the vomeronasal organ. Information from these areas is directed to the olfactory cortex where the information 78

Polo Times, June 2018

Photography by Clive Bennett/www.polopictures.co.uk

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Training young horses whilst stick and balling allows the youngster to work alongside a more experienced stablemate

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Horse Sense

“The unbroken horse will gain its skill directly from its stablemate, learning its striding, movement, pace, confidence around the polo mallet, ball and close proximity horse contact, which is something no human can so fluently teach” helps formulate appropriate reproductive and feeding behaviours. This data is then redirected to different brain structures involved in memory, learning and emotion. Olfactory stimuli allow recognition of sex differences and allows the horse to identify between horses inside and outside of their own herd group. This sophisticated system should not be underestimated. Information from the olfactory systems does not cross over like optic or auditory stimuli. Messages from the right nostril are disseminated within the right hindbrain. The right nostril is utilised more when horses are learning to recognise familiar odours and it is the dominant olfactory side. Olfactory stimuli of the brain structural and pattern asymmetries are evident in equine left and right behavioural differences (lateralisation). Studies have shown that higher anxiety horses tend to use their right nostril only, whilst more passive ones may favour their left nostril. Horses receive information from multiple sensory organs. Individual recognition is more categorized than social recognition. They are also able to discriminate between familiar handlers or strangers but find it more difficult matching with their right eye, although good correlation of voice and vision occurs more readily on this side. Horses receive sensory inputs by neurotransmitters into an encoding language of equine stimuli. These sensory channels include: vision, audition, taste, touch and the most relevant sensory domain olfaction. Horses also receive information on how to react to a situation by mental transference and magnetic directional information (neurocardiology or electromagnetism). These last two are separate and not to be confused as electromagnetism cannot be the carrier wave for intuitive information.

Pair-Bonding

The unfortunate term ‘breaking-in’ means, not only isolating the horse from its herd, but also focusing on producing a desired reaction to fulfill the needs of a human. Isolating the horse may raise the heart rate and cause stress. During the first saddling and girthing lessons I have noticed that when the horse is next to a partner or stable friend, its normal reaction to buck is subdued to almost no reaction. The new horse will want to join up with its stable friend, and as the other horse is not showing negative reactions, the youngster www.polotimes.co.uk

chooses to interpret the new stimuli as non-threatening. The natural instinct of fear and its response, how the herd animal will protect itself from a predator (i.e. humans), is not accentuated around its girth area but on seeking protection from the herd: in this instance its herd friends are present, so it is secure. Pairing up with a preferred stable companion (usually of a similar age group) will have the same success when it comes to solving some problems, such as napping or overheating. Pair-Bonding by leading a juvenile from your riding horse is not only preferred by your horse, it may also have safety advantages. Training young polo horses whilst stick and balling or even in a slow practice game and allowing the youngster to work alongside a more experienced stablemate, you will notice results in both horses moving in unison. This quick learning of natural striding on a new horse is unobtainable when ridden alone. Pair-Bonding must be introduced methodically and is best with the unbroken horse led on a short lead, allowing the lead horse natural headroom and movement. When the polo mallet is introduced, naturally it does not have a familiar scent to a horse that has never seen a mallet, so hanging it up the stable for the horse to become accustomed to it, is a misconception. If the mallet bears an equine scent, i.e. smeared in horse manure, the horse can begin to identify it just as a barcode reader does, therefore it will come to think of it more quickly as nonthreatening. The unbroken horse will gain its skill directly from its stablemate, learning its striding, movement, pace, confidence around the polo mallet, ball and close proximity horse contact, which is something no human can so fluently teach. It has been shown that horses communicate to each other whilst at work and this is enhanced with less intervention or interference by the rider. The lead horse may bite at the neck of the juvenile whilst moving forward. The less interference given by the rider encourages the horses to communicate with one another, in their own specific language. Preparation is everything with horses. Nomadic herding goes as far back as the first millennium BC on the vast Eurasia’s steppe belt stretching from northern China in the east through large parts of southern Siberia and Central Asia and even further on to the Black Sea. Nomadic tribes like the Scythians had a special respect and attitude

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to their horses and were certainly among the first to master mounted skills. Although there is no way of knowing details of how they trained except the tools they used, they would have known the natural instinct of the horse is to follow the herd and would have likely used this to their advantage. Recent studies have shown that for these Iron Age tribes and their passion for these animals, it would have been an impossible existence without these skills. Nature is one of the four inspiring keywords that transfixed me whilst granted a visit to Ballydoyle, Ireland during the summer of 2016, a visit that had an immeasurable impact on me. A philosophy of management through respect of the horse’s natural instincts was evident by the lack of assumption in handling the horses and the sagacious appreciation of each individual team member. The facilities are again carefully choreographed, using nature as their ultimate partner, and lastly reveals the ingredients, the quality of which there is a multifarious and plethora of understanding of which there is no substitute. Like the mastery of a grand genre artist, this Thoroughbred establishment of the Magnier property is a culmination I believe of: Nature, Management, Facilities and Quality. Mr. Aidan Patrick O’Brien said, regarding the training and racing of horses: ‘When you think something, they feel it. They’re remarkable. They feel everything. You can see the disappointment in their faces when they lose or when something’s not right. You’d pull a horse out of a race if his mood wasn’t right.’ ‘With creatures with highly developed nervous system, mental life involves a freedom of choice however minute it may be in the case of the individual as a separate entity, could collectively harness so far as to offer the species in question enormous scope for its own evolution. True scientific theory ought not only to account for all the existing elements, it should also throw open boundless possibilities for further development and, we might say, for endless experimentation.’ Ivan Pavlov It is an inspiration to learn from these immensurable minds and a reminder that science requires your whole life. It is a philosophy of psychology and neurology and its relentless development, success, failure and enduring passion. Special thanks to: Rochelle Lewis BVSc MSc Dip ABVP (Equine) MRCVS Aurora Cotten-McKean

Polo Times, June 2018

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Lipogems

Evolving Tissue Technology Positive prognosis for Lipogems polo ponies Lipogems follows renowned veterinary surgeon Murray Shotter as he continues to treat horses and ponies around the worldwide equine community from his Berkshire based practice, Shotter & Byers Equine Clinic. It is estimated that 20 percent of all horses training for sporting or performance events are unable to compete due to injury, a frightening statistic for any polo pony owner, let alone high goal teams with a barn lined with stables full of expensive legs to worry about across the world. Murray and his team continue to travel the globe to train other veterinary professionals and offer Lipogems Equine treatments to the equine community. Lipogems is increasing the positive prognosis of career ending injuries and has seen many more equine champions from all levels of competition returning to their chosen fields. Murray is one of the world’s leading Lipogems veterinary surgeons and he has treated horses in Argentina, Dubai and the UK. Plans are afoot for training and demonstration cases in New Zealand later this year. The success rates, costeffectiveness, efficacy and feasibility are making Lipogems the treatment of choice for the equine community from top level sports horses to pleasure riders.

Common Conditions Treatable with Lipogems Equine

Photography courtesy of Lipogems Equine

• Flexor tendons – superficial and deep • Suspensory ligament – proximal body and branch lesions • Proximal suspensory desmitis • Check ligament desmitis • Osteo Arthritis – fetlock, stifle and interphalangeal joints • Impinging dorsal spinous processes • Non-healing wounds • Sacroiliac join

Murray Shotter injects the adipose tissue graft into an inferior check ligament

Polo Times, June 2018

What is Lipogems Equine Technology?

There are no other comparative treatments that trigger the body’s own damage response mechanism in a single step nonenzymatic, no-centrifuge procedure that is completed on-site, under an hour either in surgery for small animals or under standing sedation for horses. The Lipogems system is a sterile single-use medical device intended for the closed-loop processing and transferring of autologous adipose tissue in a single surgical step. Lipogems is a non-expanded and microfragmented adipose tissue graft that is injected into damaged areas of the body to provide a cushion and structural support, while promoting a healing environment. The Lipogems process preserves the natural healing properties of adipose tissue by maintaining the fat’s Vascular Stromal Niches. The micro-fragmentation of the tissue is key to the treatment process as it triggers the body’s own damage response mechanism. No lab culturing, no cell isolations – Lipogems is a complete tissue structure graft.

The Lipogems device with micro-fragmented adipose tissue ready for transplanting

Murray Shotter at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club Clinic

Murray Shotter BVSc MRCVS, Shotter & Byers Equine Clinic, Consultant Lipogems Equine Veterinary Surgeon “Lipogems continues to progress forward with the way we approach tendon injuries, suspensory and orthopaedic conditions such as joint arthritis and with confinement syndrome (kissing spines) within sports horses, we are starting to treat these and have great results. We are having very positive results with inferior check ligaments.”

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Impinging Spinous Dorsal Process Case Studies

Photograph courtesy of Waterlane Equine Vets

Photograph by Fern Lorne

Case 1 – Polo Pony Injury: This polo pony was diagnosed with ‘kissing spines’, deterioration of the dorsal spinous processes, or DSPs, which is evident in the August 2017 X-ray Initial treatment: Initially treated by local infiltration with anti-inflammatory agents Treatment date with Lipogems: On 20 October 2017 6ml of lipoaspirate was injected in between the affected dorsal spinous processes Prognosis after Lipogems Treatment: The bony reaction has settled and the space between the two DSPs in the centre has increased as per the X-ray of November 2017. At the time of going to press the pony had completed pre-season fitness and is currently in full fitness and playing pre-season chukkas

All ready for spring 2018 club chukkas

Inferior Check Ligament Case Study

These X-rays show the progression of the disease and compares post-treatment results

Photograph by Bev Prior

Photograph courtesy of Bev Prior

Case 2 – Polo Pony Treatment date: 24 April 2017 Follow up scan date: June 2017 Prognosis: The pony played the winter 2017 to 2018 arena season in Berkshire, before having a short holiday and back to playing for the 2018 summer season.

This polo pony has made a full recovery

This pony is fit and playing 2018 spring chukkas

To book a visit or to discuss your pony’s treatment with Murray Shotter and his team please visit: Website: shotterandbyers.co.uk Email: info@shotterandbyers.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1306 627706

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For more information and a full list of accredited veterinary surgeons contact details please visit: Website: lipogemsequine.com or lipogemscanine.com Email: lucy_wilson@lipogemsequine.com Tel: +44 (0)7919 252529 Follow using @lipogemsequine @lipogemscanine

Polo Times, June 2018

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Nutrition

Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist

Conditioning Case Study A look at the challenges of reaching peak season fitness A groom I have worked with for a few years now, Kerri Dyte (who works for Jamie Morrison), has a new string of horses this season who have brought with them different challenges to the old string. Therefore, they needed to be fed quite differently to how Kerri is generally used to feeding. Conditioning Cubes and a balancer is the main stay in Kerri’s feed room, however, this was not going to suit the ‘new kids in town’! Kerri got in touch and asked me to visit, saying, “We need a new strategy for these new horses – help!” With quirky temperaments and individual needs, we discussed the dietary changes we needed to make – they had not wintered all that well, so calories were going to be key too. We spoke about making an emphasis on slow release energy, rather than quick release energy, so focusing on digestible fibres and oils. As forage is always my focus, we also spoke about the quality of this and how hay would be preferable to haylage at this stage to try and reduce energy levels. She implemented this change and it did make quite a difference to the horses, helping them to have a more settled attitude. Kerri has always been a great advocate for feeding ad lib forage, so my concerns for enough fibre being received were not necessary. After discussing the need for a low starch diet, Kerri then gradually began to introduce a high fibre, high oil, low starch mix (Baileys Ease & Excel), taking 10 days to increase the feed to two scoops per day. As their

21 March 2018 – three days after coming in from the field

Polo Times, June 2018

11 April 2018

Kerri with her string of ponies, which are all on No.21 Ease & Excel

21 March 2018 – three days after coming in from the field

11 April 2018

workload intensified so did the feed with the ration, being increased to three scoops per day once cantering and doing slow chukkas, and then a balancer was introduced slowly

14 May 2018

so the horses adjusted to the increase in vitamins and minerals in their diet and to ensure their behaviour remained relaxed. Gradually the ponies’ muscles began to build and their condition improved. They are continuing to have the energy required for playing but they are remaining level headed, and as I write extra energy, stamina or quick release energy is not yet required. My point for using these horses as a case study, is that in polo ‘blanket feeding’ is so often done on the assumption that one feed fits all. However, sometimes we do need to cater for those individual needs, and think and work outside the box to ensure the right type of energy and calories are being received for each individual animal, so they can all perform to their optimum. We get used to what we know, but feeds change and science moves the feed industry forward – embrace it, don’t fight it!

3 May 2018

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SAVING CHAMPIONS

SAVING YOUR BEST FRIEND

We can treat ligament, tendon and soft tissue injuries in horses from all equine disciplines and back grounds. The treatment only takes an hour and has a 95% success rate with faster recovery times.

We can treat degenerative joint disease, arthritis in the hip, stiﬂe, elbow, shoulder, carpus and tarsu as well as traumatic injuries to ligaments and joint fractures.

To ﬁnd an Accredited Vet in your area www.lipogemsequine.com @LipogemsEquine www.lipogemscanine.com @lipogemscanine #savingchampions E: lucy_wilson@lipogemsequine.com Cutting Edge Regenerative Science Dr Tim Watson BVM&S, PhD, MRCVS Waterlane Equine Vets, tim.watson@mail.com Mob: 07557 857 793

Mr Murray Shotter BVSc MRCVS Shotter and Byers Equine Surgery, murray.shotter@shotterandbyers.co.uk Tel: 01306 627 706

Mr Bruce Middleton MA Vet MB MRCVS Blackdown Equine Clinic, bruce.vet@hotmail.com Mob: 07766 993 085

M: 07919 252 529 Ali Cliff BVM&S (Dist) CertAVP MRCVS Crown Vets Referrals (Canine) referrals@crownvetsreferrals.co.uk Tel: 01463 237000

Dr. Jessica A. Kidd BA, DVM, CertES(Orth), Dipl ECVS, MRCVS Valley Equine Hospital kiddvet@gmail.com Mob: 07723 317 708

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Medical Insight: Polodoc

Dr.med. Andreas KrĂźger 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 and is a member at Legacy Polo Club in Switzerland

Polo Accidents Abroad Get home safe!

Polo is one of the most thrilling sports in world to watch and play. Its speed and the massive forces at work during the game are the magic that have attracted players around the globe for centuries. This dangerous combination can have a fatal downside, which can turn this amazing sport to an unpleasant episode. Polo injuries, which need medical attention, are anything but rare and due to the sheer amount of geographical space required to play most tournaments, play takes place in remote areas, away from city centres and their medical services. Following an accident and after the transport to the nearest hospital and primary diagnosis, a definitive treatment or transport home will be required. Preparation and timing are the most relevant factors for the successful minimisation of secondary risks.

First steps to prepare your abroad adventure

Rega repatriates over 1,200 patients per year

Before leaving your home country for an abroad tournament, your insurance status for hospital treatments abroad or a repatriations service should be checked and renewed if expired. In case of playing in a country outside the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;first worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the last point is of major priority. Many countries have agencies or foundations, which provide an organisation team for repatriation. In the case of pre-existing health problems, a current diagnosis and medication list should be with you.

Rega operates with three ambulance jets to transport seriously ill or injured patients home to Switzerland

Polo Times, June 2018

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Medical Insight: Polodoc

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Switzerland’s Rega repatriates over 1,200 patients per year

Photography courtesy of Rega

Rega has spent four years designing the new cabin fit-out

The Most Important Elements for a Successful, Speedy and Safe Repatriation Process: • Travellers suffering from serious illnesses or injuries should first call out the local rescue services or contact the nearest doctor or hospital. Only then should they call the Rega Operations Centre. • Rega’s medical consultants and flight coordinators can be contacted around the clock, to help arrange to be admitted to a local hospital or organise repatriation back to Switzerland. • The Rega medical consultant decides whether repatriation is necessary and the best solution for the patient. He discusses the diagnosis with the doctor on location and talks to the patient. • Seriously ill or injured patients are usually flown back home on one of Rega’s three ambulance jets – particularly

First steps when something happens

Your primary assistance is likely to come from your team mates or the umpire from the tournament organisation. In the case of an HPA tournament, all umpires have basic life support and first aid training, and an ambulance is mandatory near the field for primary support. If you have any special medical issue as aforementioned, it would be helpful to inform the Team Captain and/ or the tournament doctor if provided by the organisation.

In the hospital

Due to different medical standards around the world it is helpful to have information www.polotimes.co.uk

The history of Swiss Air-Rescue Rega is an eventful one. In earlier years, the only way to rescue people in distress in the mountains was overland, but by 1946 aircraft started being used for this purpose. Just a few years later, the increasingly popular helicopter took over this task, and as of 1960, Swiss Air-Rescue also began to transport seriously ill or injured patients back to Switzerland from overseas countries by plane. The pioneers of the day shaped this age of development in the sphere of air-rescue. Rega crews bring people who have become seriously ill or injured abroad back to Switzerland with Rega’s three ambulance jets or onboard a commercial airline. The medical crew in the Rega jet always includes at least one flight physician and an intensive care flight nurse. Recently, Rega’s operations centre arranged for 348 patients to be transported on a scheduled flight, thus accompanied by a Rega flight physician or intensive care flight nurse. The brand-new Challenger 650 Rega ambulance jet is equipped with a custom-made interior and the latest medical equipment. A project team comprising Rega pilots, medics and engineers, in collaboration with external specialists, has spent the last four years designing the new cabin fit-out with the Rega’s knowledge and expertise accumulated in the course of almost 60 years of repatriating seriously ill or injured patients.

Dr Philip Plock, Swiss board-certified Anaesthetist and Rega flight physician

if they require intensive medical care. If the patient’s state of health allows, repatriation takes place on a scheduled flight – accompanied by a Rega flight physician. about the capacity and support possibilities of the local hospital. The information of the general quality of care can be useful before you need the help of local health care professionals or institutions. Sometimes even transport to a secondary health care centre may be necessary.

The way back home

Even simple accidents can make a scheduled flight back to your home country impossible. Some airlines will request a Fit to Fly certificate and the local doctor can refuse to complete the necessary form. In the case of a problematic organisation or an insufficient standard of healthcare it may be necessary to contact your travel insurance

Swiss air-rescue Rega transports patients from across the world back to Switzerland

provider or a transport provider so that they can help with their medical team. These specialists can manage your case from abroad with local doctors or send a medical specialist to analyse the proposed medical attention needed or transport possibilities.

For more information on Polodoc contact Andreas Krüger at drmedkrueger@gmail.com Polo Times, June 2018

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Playing Tips

Playing tips with Rege Ludwig Hitting Penalties The perfect positioning Renowned polo coach, Rege Ludwig gives his expert advice on how to get more out of your game

Polo Times, June 2018

Half Seat – 30 yards

Lean – 20 yards

Rotate – 15 yards

Upper Body Elevation – 10 yards

Photography by Salchi/Adrian LeGallo

Five or six years ago I was presented with the opportunity of witnessing an all too common occurrence. During the first chukka of a match, a penalty two was awarded to the Thai Polo team. As might be expected, the 5 goal player executed the 30 yard penalty shot. Unfortunately, the ball did not go over the backline between the goal posts, but went over the backline, wide of the goalmouth creating another missed scoring opportunity. But, all was not lost, because the 6 goal player on the Thai Polo team let it be known that he would hit the next penalty. He got his opportunity in the second chukka, when another penalty two was awarded to the team. Because there was no doubt that this would be a goal, the spectators were all looking forward to seeing another point added to the Thai Polo side of the scoreboard. Unfortunately, it did not work out as planned and another 30 yard penalty two was missed. At half-time I told the patron of the Thai Polo team, Harald Link, “It really doesn’t matter who misses the 30 yard penalties, so, why don’t you hit the next one?” He did and unfortunately missed as well. However, immediately after that game he was inspired to start work on a four month programme of his hitting penalty twos (three to four times a week, with 100 to 150 balls per session). At the end of those four months, he was hitting all the 30 yard penalties in tournament games (including the 22 goal British Gold Cup). At the end of the next two years of hitting all the 30 yard penalties, (approximately fifty penalties), he was hitting them with a 90 percent accuracy rate, whilst continuing to practice them. The 90 percent is phenomenal when you consider the majority of professional players hit 30 yard penalties within a 50 to 80 percent range of accuracy. What did Harald work on to achieve that degree of success? First of all, I suggested that to decrease the complexities associated with hitting penalties, penalty twos should be taken at a walking pace. Additionally, since the backline is only 30 yards away, and the goal is undefended, the need for accuracy is much greater than the need for distance. Therefore, he worked on developing a 30

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Playing Tips

yard swing that allowed him to hit the ball 31 yards straight forward, instead of hitting it 131 yards forward somewhere. The next thing he needed to work on was constructing a stable hitting platform. To accomplish that, he would run through a ‘hitting checklist’, of which the first step is as follows: • At least 30 yards from the ball, create a strong and secure forward half seat position in the saddle. • Approximately 20 yards from the ball lean your upper body right without having rotated. • At approximately 15 yards from the ball, rotate your shoulders roughly thirty degrees from perpendicular. A significant feature of the rotation process is to do it without losing any gripping pressure into your horse’s right shoulder with your right upper leg. Rotating your shoulders only thirty degrees from perpendicular will position your mallet hand to where it is just far

enough away from your horse to be on a plane of swing that is consistent with hitting the ball straightforward. • At 10 yards from the ball, bend your upper body down allowing your arm and the mallet to hang straight down from your shoulder to where you can just touch the ground with the mallet head. That process establishes a correct upper body elevation over the ball. • Now, maintain that forward half seat position, the leaning right position, the 30 degree shoulder rotation and the upper body bending down position, while continuing to ride to the ball. • At three yards from the ball, move the stick forward and up to where your hand is at approximately shoulder height. From there, let your stick arm and hand fall naturally down and move the stick back on the original plane of swing until your hand is up to approximately shoulder level at the top of the backswing (half swing).

Richmonds Horse Transport.qxd:Layout 1

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Knowledge

• As you near to one yard from the ball, allow your arm and the stick head to drop naturally down and forward to the ball on that straight forward plane. At point of contact with the ball, the palm side of your hand should be facing and moving straight forward toward the centre of the goalmouth. When that happens, the ball has the greatest chance of going toward the centre of the goalmouth. Assuming the swing mechanics have been correctly executed, a 31 yard hit should be no problem. With those two conditions having been accomplished, you can expect another point to be put on your side of the scoreboard. Unequivocally, the most significant factor of having the penalty hitting process working correctly is the practice put into having your body securely and correctly positioned before initiating the swing process, then applying the swing mechanics correctly for that purpose.

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RICHMONDS HORSE TRANSPORT LTD NEW MARSH FARM, HORSLEY ROAD, COBHAM, SURREY, KT11 3JX, UK • OUR HORSE BOX FLEET HAS THE CAPACITY TO MOVE OVER A 100 POLO PONIES THROUGHOUT EUROPE • WORLDWIDE SCHEDULED AND CHARTER AIR FREIGHT SERVICE TEL: +44 (0) 1932 864007 FAX: +44 (0) 1932 576483 EMAIL: martin@richmondsltd.com WWW.RICHMONDSLTD.COM

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Polo Times, June 2018

Knowledge

Fitness Focus

Prof. Martín Perez is an Argentine-born physical coach for polo players, who works with professionals and patrons throughout the polo community from high to low goal. In 2014, he founded the company Fitness for Polo, with the aim of bringing the advantages of polo specific training to a wider audience

Fitness For Polo Wrists at Risk

We talk to leading physical coach for polo players and founder of Fitness for Polo, Martín Perez about getting fit for the game and exercises to improve your polo

Photography courtesy of Fitness for Polo

Last month I spoke about a few areas of the body that can get injured, especially early on in the season. This month I want to focus on another very important area of the body that is especially vulnerable at this time of year and that often goes untrained and underdeveloped – the wrist. For many players, stick and ball sessions, chukkas and matches can be tough on the wrist when one hasn’t picked up a stick in several months. While proper technique can help reduce wrist pain and strain, there are some great exercises you can do at home to help strengthen this crucial area, as well as some simple stretches you can perform before and after playing that will help you to avoid unnecessary injuries. This article includes a few of the best exercises out there to help you improve your strength in this oftenneglected area and to help you to avoid injury.

Seated Wrist Hammer Curls

In a seated position with your back straight, place your forearm on your thighs with your thumbs pointed upward. Use a five, 10, or 20lb weight in a hammer position and lift it back and forth slowly for three sets of 20 repetitions. This will develop your brachioradialis muscle, which inserts at the distal aspect of the forearm at the wrist. Greater hypertrophy of this muscle will give more definition and balance of the forearm.

Seated Wrist Straight Curls

This is to develop your flexor muscles. In a seated position, with your forearms on your thighs and palms facing upward, with a five, 10, or even 20lb weight in hand, flex your wrist upward. Keep the forearms well placed against your thighs for greater stability and isolation of the wrist and forearm musculature. Be careful to place the wrist three to four inches away from the knee to allow the full range of motion. Do three sets of 20 repetitions.

Don’t forget wrist stretches for improving flexibility

Just like the other muscles, wrists need stretching to maintain flexibility and keep them feeling great from week to week. In addition to the above exercises, regularly stretching your wrists is one way to stave off painful conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome that can develop over time as the body matures. Below are a few recommended wrist stretches: • Prayer stretches: Start with your palms together in front of your chest. Slowly lower your palms (keeping them together) until your forearms form a straight line. This should look a little like you’re praying and you should feel a gentle stretch in your forearms. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and repeat several times for best results. • Wrist flexor stretch: Extend one arm in front of you with the palm facing up. Point your hand at the floor by bending your wrist — don’t turn your arm. Apply gentle pressure with your other hand until you feel a moderate stretch. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch hands. • Wrist extensor stretch: Extend one arm in front of you with the palm facing down. Point your hand at the floor by bending your wrist. Apply gentle pressure with your other hand until you feel a moderate stretch. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch hands.

Polo Times, June 2018

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Fitness Focus

Knowledge

Seated Reverse Wrist Curls

This is to develop your extensor muscles and is also done in a seated position with your forearms on your thigh, palms facing downward, with the wrist three to four inches away from the knees. Grasp the weight and extend the wrist fully. Do this for three sets of 20 and be sure to not lift the elbows from the thighs when extending the wrists. Keep the palms down.

Wrist Rolls

Lift both arms until they are fully extended and parallel to the floor in front of you.Â Your entire body should be stationary except for the forearms.Â Rotate one wrist at a time in an upward motion (as if accelerating a motorbike) to bring the weight up to the bar by rolling the rope around the roller. Once the weight has reached the bar, slowly begin to lower the weight back down by rotating the wrist in a downward motion until the weight reaches the starting position. N.B. The Wrist Roller is a great element that can be found in many gyms. If you do not have access to one, it is very easy to make. In order to make this piece of equipment you will need a pole (much like an old polo cane) cut to about 30cm with a nail sticking out of the middle. On this nail you are going to hang a piece of string that is the same length as the distance between your shoulder and the ground. To the other end of this string you are going to hang the weight that corresponds with the exercise.

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Polo Times, June 2018

Knowledge

Vet Insight

Nicola Bell BVetMed MRCVS Nicola Bell graduated from the Royal Veterinary College and now works for an ambulatory practice Celtic Equine Vets in Hampshire. She is a current member of the Equine Veterinary Dental Association and has a particular interest in equine dentistry and the role it has in improving performance.

Gaps and Holes Understanding Dental Pathology It is reported that up to 50 percent of horses have some form of dental pathology aside from sharp enamel points. A thorough examination of the mouth using a good light source, dental pick and mirror are an essential part of diagnosing these problems. For a more detailed examination, head radiographs and the use of an oroscopic camera can provide vital information.

Why is Dental Pathology so important?

Dental pathology can result in many obvious clinical signs, from quidding (dropping of food), nasal discharge and halitosis to weight loss and ill-thrift. It is commonly seen in horses with poor performance or bitting issues, but many horses may have no outward signs at all. The two most common problems, noted aside from ulcerations caused by sharp enamel points, are diastemata (gaps) and caries (holes).

Diastemata

Horses have six cheek teeth in each of the four arcades of the mouth. These teeth should be in close alignment to act as one continuous occlusal surface for the efficient grinding of food. A diastema is the term used to describe any spaces between these teeth. Diastema is usually seen in an older horse, however its not exclusively a geriatric problem as any malocclusion of the cheek teeth can result in a diastema if not carefully managed. There are two types of diastema, a valve diastema and an open diastema.

Valve diastema are often more of a problem than open diastema as food packs into these and cannot easily be dislodged, however both types can be of significant problem to a 90

Polo Times, June 2018

Photography courtesy of Celtic Equine Vets

Open diastema Where the gap between the teeth at the level of the gum is the same as the gap between the teeth at the occlusal surface. Valve diastema There is no, or a minimal gap at the occlusal surface, but there is a gap at the level of the gum.

horse and are one of the most painful dental conditions seen in horses. This can have a huge impact on the performance and health of the horse, and requires prompt treatment once identified. As the food becomes tightly packed into the gap and begins to break down, it results in damage and infection of the gum known as periodontal disease. This can result in deep pocketing as the gum recedes. The deep pockets result in rotting food material being in close proximity to the jawbone,

Open diastema refers to the gap between the teeth at the level of the gum

periodontal ligament and tooth root. The ultimate consequences of this can be the loss of the teeth either side of the diastema, tooth root abscesses or sinusitis in the upper jaw. Diastema without significant periodontal disease can often be managed by removing decaying food material and flushing the resultant space, which is usually recommended every three to six months depending on the severity. They can also be packed with dental putty to prevent food material re-entering the gap allowing the gum to heal. More extensive pocketing and periodontal disease may require the diastema to be widened. By widening the space between the teeth, it prevents food material from packing as tightly and can be dislodged whilst the horse is eating. This is done using a mechanical burr and should be carried out under standing sedation by a veterinary surgeon as the sensitive pulp cavity is close to this surface of the tooth. In some rare cases, teeth may also need to be removed to enable the gap to be large enough for this to be effective. www.polotimes.co.uk

Vet Insight

Caries

Caries are the result of dental decay caused by bacteria within the mouth. There are two recognised types of caries that occur in horses: Peripheral caries Occurring on the sides of the teeth Infundibula caries On the grinding surface of the teeth Peripheral caries occur when there is erosion of the enamel on the side of the cheek teeth and is often seen in conjunction with other dental pathology, such as diastemata.

The infundibula is an area of the occlusal surface (grinding surface) of the tooth and is surrounded by enamel ridges and filled with a dental tissue called cementum. This type of tissue is not as hard as enamel, so is more prone to erosion. Cemental hypoplasia is an absence or disturbance of the cementum and can result of the packing of food material into the infundibulum. Once this occurs, bacteria and decaying food cause necrosis of the dental tissue. The treatment of caries has progressed significantly in recent years and we now lean towards restorative techniques allowing the tooth to be retained. This requires

The infundibulum runs throughout the whole tooth, so if decay progresses it can result in tooth fractures and root abscesses

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Knowledge

referral to a veterinary dental specialist for endodontic treatment. The restoration involves cleaning out the caries, removing any diseased parts of the tooth and filling the cavity. As the infundibulum runs throughout the whole tooth, if decay progresses it can result in tooth fractures, root abscesses and associated problems. Again, in severe cases, or where the tooth has already fractured, removal of the affected tooth (or teeth) may be required. Early detection of dental abnormalities can greatly enhance the performance and longevity of the teeth. Ensuring horses have a regular (every six to 12 months) mouth examination, along with the removal of sharp enamel points, helps to prevent dental pathology from occurring, alongside access to good quality roughage. The practitioner you choose to use for your dental examination should either be a Veterinary Surgeon who regularly performs dentistry or a BAEDT qualified Equine Dental Technician, both of whom will refer you to a specialist in Veterinary Dentistry if further advanced treatment required. Celtic Vets The Old Barn, Minstead, Lyndhurst, SO43 7FY T: 023 8081 4155 W: www.celticequinevets.co.uk

Polo Times, June 2018

Sidelines

Gossip

NEW BABY HARRISON

Pedro Harrison and his wife Harriet have welcomed a new face into their family, baby Eduardo. Sister Florentina is said to be thrilled and we can’t wait to meet the little man. Congratulations guys!

ENGAGEMENT FOR MR ARMIS

Over the first May Bank Holiday weekend, Armis Helmet founder and creator Robin Spicer proposed to long-term girlfriend Zara Nichols on Mundsley Beach in sunny Norfolk. Congratulations to you both and we look forward to seeing whether the groomsmen will be sporting an Armis helmet each!

THE APRAHAMIAN’S GET ON THEIR BIKES

On 23 July, Billy and Charlie Aprahamian will be embarking on a 1,000 mile bike ride from the northern tip of Lake Maggiore, Italy to Home Orchard in Devon. Billy and Charlie’s sister Harriet was born with an unknown learning disability and for the past six years she has been spending time at the Home Orchard Care Home for Adults. The Aprahamian duo are raising money for a state-of-the-art sensory room, which their sister can enjoy, so dig deep Polo Times readers for this great cause. Visit Just Giving UK to donate.

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

FIP President Nicholas Colquhoun Denvers has fallen foul to a lift associated injury in Australia. Whilst at the Supreme Court in Sydney, a lift door closed on his leg, breaking his femur. Rest easy Nicholas and we hope you recover soon.

EL REMANSO

The Hanbury’s Argentine farm, El Remanso, is due to be put on the market, according to sources. Charlie Hanbury was quoted saying, “My family have decided that we will sell El Remanso in Lobos. It has been a big part of our lives, but now we have to think about our future.” All we can say is, what amazing memories have stemmed from this beautiful farm. It will be missed…

The up-and-coming British Polo Gin won Best Drinks Producer on Monday 21 May at the Western Daily Press Food and Farming Awards at Bath Racecourse, proving that they are not only The Polo Players’ Choice but also the best gin from the South West! Their events team will be attending polo events with their pop-up bar throughout the summer, so be sure to treat yourself to a sample. To find out which events they are at over the year please visit www.britishpologin. co.uk/event-schedule 92

Polo Times, June 2018

As HRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said their vows on Saturday 19 May, we had our eyes peeled for some of our favourite polo faces and their partners amongst the crowd, and we weren’t disappointed! Rob and Sue Cudmore were in attendance, as well as a posse of Tomlinsons, Malcolm Borwick, Nacho Figueras, Ali Sammon and Andrew Tucker, who were spotted by some of our eagle-eyed readers. But best of all, Austin Clarke was sat next to Mr ‘Tiny Dancer’ himself, Sir Elton John. It was quite the polo guestlist!

Photograph courtesy of HRH Duchess of Cambridge Instagram

CHEERS TO BRITISH POLO GIN!

SPOTTED AT THE ROYAL WEDDING!

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Felicity Rowbotham, Izzy Gathercold, Eleanor Thomas, Georgia Muncaster, Tom Barlow, Rosanna Turk, Olivia Barlow, Hannah Field, Dimitry Broski, Jake Leech & Melody Fork

Dominic Sellick & Grace Grant

Sophie Wall, Evie Lund, Isobel Armstrong, Zoe Durran, Lotte Wilson & Megan Taylor

Reading University Polo Club Ball; Wokefield Estate; Saturday 10 March

Roaring Good Time for Reading On a cool winter’s evening, Wokefield Estate saw 90 polo players and their companions descend to dine in its beautiful surroundings, whilst raising over £1,500 for Meningitis Now, a charity close to the hearts of Reading Polo Club’s committee. Whilst a proportion of each ticket went towards this cause, the bulk of the funds raised stemmed from the raffle, whose prizes were generously supplied from leading companies around the UK, including Hiho Silver, Valblancoleather, Rae Feather, Morris Richardson Watches, Le Chameau, Porto Polo, Pampeano, RJ Polo, Rupert and Buckley, Ladys Wood, Gun Dog Gin, TK Polo and of course, Polo Times. As the evening came to a close, everyone agreed that the ball was a staggering success combining fun and philanthropy, with many hoping it will become the focal point of the polo calendar in years to come.

Charly Brown, Zoe Durran & Rusne Zalnoraite

Megan Taylor, Luke Cows, Matthew Beeby & Ellie Blewitt

Photography courtesy of Reading University Polo Club Helen Davies, Claire Hesketh, Ellie Cornish, James Matthews, Kelly Hoff, Jamie Swaine, James Robertson, Hugo Mead & Lesh Lethbridge

Edward Sanders, Lucy Barber, Olivia Meadowcroft, Aishia Diment, Eliza Morris & Rusna Zalnoraite

Charlie Knott, Phoebe Solan & Chris Ronan

Tom Barlow, Mille Torg, Natascha Hedegaard, Rosanna Turk, Tasha Ball, Alana Dowling, Lolly Stanhope-White & Magnus Gilije

Lotte Wilson, Orlando Guiseppetti, James Shirley, Henry Mayger & Gabby Warnford-Davies

Oli Willis, Evie Lund, Stephanie Burk, Lexi Roache, Hannah Woodward & Nerissa Grant

Phoebe Solan & Melody Fork

Hannah Firman, Bianca Stefan, Rebecca Drake, Sarah Sinclair, Antonia Fitchner & Litzie Teroerde

Freddie & Nastasia Ventura

Martin Williams

Ham Polo Club Opening of the Season Cocktail Party; M Bar & Grill, Twickenham; Thursday 19 April 2018

Ham Welcomes A New Season Ham Polo Club kicked off the season with a cocktail party at the all new M Bar & Grill. Since opening their first restaurant on Threadneedle Street, M Bar & Grill have been supporters of the Club and continue to do so with great enthusiasm. The terrace outside was bathed in sunshine as the players and members caught up over champagne, cocktails and the delicious M Bar & Grill canapés. The Club’s new Chairman, Howard Davis, looked delighted to see all the players back together again and eager for the new season. FIP President and former Ham Chairman, Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers was present as well as Polo Manager Will Healy and Stable Manger Juan Cruz Araya Martelli. The Club praised Martin Williams for hosting the event as well as M Bar & Grill for their spectacular refreshments. Photography by Mark Greenwood

Jason Warren

Paul de Rivas

Christopher Tauchert, Kathie Blencowe & Ann De’Ath

Annie & Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers

Hugo & Rachael Davis

Gus Prentice

Simon Chamberlain, Jinny FeatherstoneWitty & Juan Cruz Araya Martelli

Howard Davis, Benjie Davis & Martin Williams

Rebecca Drake

Jonathan M. Gregory & Sibilla Grenon

Addie Katja Gray

Alex Brunner & Grace Que

St Andrews University Charity Tournament; Errol Park, Scotland; Saturday 21 April

Thousands Gather For Charity Returning to Perthshireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful Errol Park, the 2018 St Andrews University Charity Tournament witnessed a great turnout of over 1,700 attendees from across the UK. Thanks in part to generous sponsors Whispering Angel, Crombie Coats, Scottish Silver and Smathers & Branson, the St Andrews team were able to provide a great experience for guests which left all in attendance with a big grin on their faces. The committee had worked tirelessly to improve their winning formula of polo, refreshments and sunshine, to the delight of not only the charity of choice, Help for Heroes, but everyone in attendance. Spectators and players were treated to the perfect polo bonanza, with everything they needed to start their 2018 season in style. Anna Ulanova & Hyewon Han

Photography by Ampersand Media

Adam Volman, Tyler Markoff & Lavie Rabinovitz

Charlotte Baxter, Sarah Gibbens, Jessica Leech, Megan Rough, Addie Katja Gray, Sarah Outterson & Alyssa Colwell

Alex Repko & Taner Vickery

Hanna Ware

Ali Elsaid, JoaĚ&#x192;o Luiz Proto, Camila Davalos, Esteban Guarin & Antonia Villalobos

Brooke Stewart, Bella Schliemann, William Beddows, Tori Keogh, Gabriella Marie, Julia Yee & Eileen Waters

Benjamin Hyman & Stephen Cekuta

Aviv Fonea & Plum Schrager

Mariana Barona, Luke Trela & Annie Appen

Hassan Cara & Kate Garnett

Adrian Patenge, Anthony Drew & Wilhem Huttenes

Cambridge University Polo Club Ball 2018; Madingley Hall; Friday 27 April

CUPC Summer Ball Catherine Richards, Olivia Macleod & Cameron Talbot Stern

Danial Azmi, Harry Cranston & Nikola Petrovic

Nico Antinori

Molly McKinna

Guests to the Cambridge University Polo Club Ball were greeted with a champagne reception and the opportunity to have photos with polo pony, Caipi. The reception was followed by a sumptuous four course dinner accompanied by Anna Quiroga on the harp, whilst in between courses, the Club toast & La Martina Awards Presentation was delivered by CUPC captain, Eleanor Neyroud and Club Coach, Mark Holmes. Entertainment followed with a DJ and buzzing dancefloor in the hall, but the charity raffle was the main highlight, raising £140 for StreetVet, the award-winning RCVS registered practice, delivering free care to the homeless and their dogs on the streets of Cambridge as well as London, Bristol, Plymouth & Brighton. Photography courtesy of Cambridge University Polo Club

Richard Hine from British Polo Gin

Plum Schräger, Prasanna Sivakumar, Aviv Fonea, Wilhelm Huttenes, Eleanor Neyroud, Mark Holmes, Caitlin Whitby & Patricia Martin

Amy Khan, Mariana Barona & Annie Appen

Ted the dog

Beaufort Opening Party; Beaufort Polo Club Clubhouse; Saturday 28 April

A Very British BBQ Luke Tomlinson, Nick Wood, Philip Lamphee & Caspar West

Fern Tara Lorne & Olop the dog

Sarah Hughes, Jen Baber, Fi Jacob, Nick Wood & Chloe Price

As the Gloucestershire-based Club began their season rain, may have stopped play, but in true British form, it didn’t stop the party at Beaufort! Eat Wild hosted their first summer BBQ at the Club on the chilly Saturday afternoon, following the 2018 AGM and the inaugural First Aid Day. With live music provided by Molly McKinna, guests were treated to excellent food and delicious cocktails from the polo player’s choice, British Polo Gin. The Club will be welcoming guests for a monthly BBQ courtesy of the delectable Eat Wild, so make sure you keep an eye on their social media for updates! Photography by J Ridley Art & Photography Catherine McGhee & Joss Ridley

Stuart Torr & Chloe Vezey

Kate Jupe & Tom Meyrick

Alison Clark & Ali Murray

Arabella & Hugo Morris

Cirencester Park Polo Club Summer Ball; Cirencester Park; Saturday 12 May

Glitz & Glam in Ciren The season wouldn’t have officially started without a proper Gloucestershire shindig at Cirencester Park Polo Club. As the May summer sun began to set on the picturesque Cirencester Park, over 150 guests sipped on delicious Millionaire’s Cocktails and Chukka Cocktails courtesy of the county’s own British Polo Gin and spoke excitedly about the 2018 season to come. Prior to the event, guests were welcomed to bid on the 80 Silent Auction lots, ranging from male waxing and deer stalking to exciting holiday destinations, which raised a whopping £18,000 and following a delectable three course meal, the Chip Shop Boys provided the perfect accompaniment to dance the night away to. It’s safe to say, at The Tyro Cup Final the next day, there were a few post-party headaches and aching post-dance-off limbs.

Gwyn Bucket, Christine Williams, Jo Newman, Nettie Young, Rachel Simmons & Gillian Dalglish-Smith

Tommy Severn, Ollie Severn & Oscar Luard

Photography by Tom Reynolds

Martin ffrench Blake, James Cooper, Daiana Sales & Florry Saunders

Countess Bathurst & Nick Knowles

Ben Reisima & Megan Payne

Julian Appleby

Gaynor Hutton & Howard Smith

Zahra & Will Lucas

Melissa & Chris Walker

Mark Baldwin & Hannah Gardner

Naunton & Kate Dickins with Nick Hine

Mark Booth

Gloria D’Angelo & Adrian Wade

Georgie & Ed Morris-Lowe

Jan-Erik Franck & Becky Simpson

Max Kirchhoff

Anushchka Bahlsen & Freddie Horne

PJ’s Start of Season Polo Party; PJ’s Bar and Grill, Chelsea, London; Monday 14 May

PJ’s Opening Party As the season began with a mist of contention on the field, all issues were forgotten as guests gathered in the centre of Chelsea for the PJ’s Opening extravaganza. Polo gossip and friendly banter were highest on the calling card, as the Taittinger Champagne bubbles flowed and delicious cocktails from Ivan The Terrible made their way around the bustling bar. The evening provided the perfect place for team mates to bond and friends from far and wide to reminisce about last year’s thrills and spills and the excitement to come. PJ’s owner extraordinaire, Brian Stein, was on hand to welcome guests and get the proceedings underway with his legendary annual speech following a surprise performance from cabaret star Reuben. He welcomed in the new season and toasted absent friends, before asking the room to raise a glass to fellow player HRH Prince Harry and his bride-to-be. The 28th PJ’s Polo Party was, as always, the perfect season starter, marking what is set to be a truly thrilling season.

Platina Tong & Brian Stein

Leon Allen & Rebecca Chappell

Saskia Meadows Henry & Heather Porter with James Turner

Lesley Sweeney

Ebe Sievwright, Charles Cadogan, Alex Choynowski & Tissy van Reyk

Camilla Williams, Tom Brodie & Stephanie Price

Tara Smith, Holly Baird & Jess Thomas

Col Howard Flood & Col Stuart Cowen

Peter Hunter, Lindsay Smallbone & Charles Pandian

Royston Prisk & Rosie Chell

Benji & Michelle Mancini

Bruce Fraser

Ed Morris-Lowe & Suzie Meadows

Greta Morrison & Alesaandro Bazzoni

James Mann, John Collins & Chris Benford

The Hai Air Prince of Wales Final; The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, Berkshire; Saturday 19 May

Fun In The Sun Amidst the excitement surrounding the Royal Wedding just down the road in Windsor, The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club was busy hosting The Hai Air Prince of Wales Final between Monterosso and Valiente. With the beautiful grounds bathed in sunshine, it was a truly quintessential British afternoon of polo, champagne and rivalry as the teams battled it out on the pitch. The great and good of the Berkshire set managed to tear their eyes away from the Clubhouse TV, broadcasting both the Royal Wedding and FA Cup Final, long enough to catch up and enjoy the first 22 goal Final of the UK season. Juan Cruz Merlos & Jack Hyde

Karina Audeh, Jamie Morrison & Luci Todd

Photography by Alex Jacob

Mary Kelly, Saskia Meadows, Charley Howell, Georgia Sweeney & Genevieve Meadows

Leeo Libertini & Charlotte Sweeney

Leon Allen & Andrew Stuart

Lisa & Paul Whyman with Hardy the dog

The Presentation Table

Nell Jacob

Paul Knights & Simon McDonald

Seb & Louisa Dawnay

Siri Evjemo-Nysveen & Alessandro Bazzoni

Umpires Jason Dixon, Tim Bown & Julian Appleby

Nacho Gonzalez

Ebe Sievwright

Jock Green-Armytage & Robert de By

Charlie Mills & Chloe Keenan

Dara Williams

La Martina Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy & The Copenhagen Cup; Guards Polo Club, Berkshire; Sunday 20 May

Plenty of Polo

Martin Ambridge

Guards Polo Club kicked off the start of the 15 goal season with the Final of the La Martina Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Centenary Trophy, with sunshine, celebs and spectators galore. With no polo having being played the following day due to a certain ‘local wedding’ it was polo aplenty on the Sunday. The crowds enjoyed a game of thrills and spills on The Queen’s Ground which saw HB La Forge take the trophy, whilst the players of tomorrow demonstrated their talent in The Copenhagen Cup. Members and guests packed the Guards terraces in the balmy sunshine, whilst lucky La Martina guests enjoyed wonderful hospitality in the Royal Box. As always, the Mosimann’s team were on hand to conjure up culinary delights which was admirable considering they were fresh from catering for the Royal Wedding after party until the early hours just a stone’s throw away, at Frogmore House.

Becky Simpson & Tissy van Reyk

Lord Patrick Beresford & Platina Tong

Juan Martín Zubía

Millie & Ned Hine

Oak Wooldridge, Charlie Wooldridge, Spencer McCarthy, Jacinto Crotto, Pili Urani, Nacho Gonzalez, Tincho Merlos, James McCarthy & Bridget McCarthy

Ralph Richardson

Alida & Ludovic Pailloncy

Stephie Price, Carolina Couture de Troisments, Lynette de Jager, HE Ambassador Carlos Sersale di Cerisano, Julie Whitworth & Diego Desmoures

Ali & Phil Foster, Caspar West, Peter Baldwin & Fi Jacob

Max Hutchinson & Beth Howlett

Members enjoyed a sun-kissed evening

Cocktail Party; Beaufort Polo Club, Gloucestershire; Saturday 19 May

Buzzy Beaufort The Gloucestershire social set hardly need a reason for a get-together, but the start of the UK summer season is as good a reason as any! With the strong Irish contingent bolstering the ranks of supporters, the Club Members got together to toast the start of the summer with delicious British Polo Gin cocktails and the finest food from Eat Wild as the sun set over the delightful setting of the Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grounds. Post-Royal Wedding, spirits were high and if this is anything to judge by, the 2018 season certainly looks set to be one to remember. Kitty & Niul Wood

Joss Ridley & Rosie Hutchins

Photography by J Ridley Art & Photography

Jess & Gary Darling Parkes, Tom Reynolds & Peter West

Guests enjoyed food from Eat Wild

Lachie Gilmore & Mark Baldwin

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Dates for Your Diary

What’s On

June UK Club Fixtures Cowdray – Bryan Bethell Cup (12-15): 4 May – 17 June Cowdray – Dollar Cup (8-12): 14 May – 3 June Emsworth – 25 One Hundred (10): 14 May – 3 June Guards – The Labrador Cup (0-2): 9 May – 3 June Beaufort – The Kernow Cup (0-6): 21 May – 2 June Cowdray – Duke of Sutherland’s Cup (15-18): 21 May – 10 June Guards – The Cartier Queen’s Cup (17-22): 22 May – 17 June Cowdray – Easebourne Cup (4-8): 22 May – 9 June Cirencester – Committee Cup (0-6): 29 May – 10 June Cheshire – Wirral Cup (4-6): 30 May – 3 June Vale of York – May Summer League Match (Open): 30 May – 3 June Cheshire – Barbados Cup (Open): 1 – 2 June Cheshire – 1930 Wirral Polo Cup & Salver (-4- -1): 1 – 2 June Rugby – The Phelps Challenge (-6- -2): 2 – 3 June Silver Leys – Inventure Cup (-4- -2 & -2-0): 2 – 3 June Cirencester – Academy Tournament (-6- -2): 2 – 3 June Blueys – Blueys Cup (-4-0): 2 – 3 June Rugby – The Miller Cup (0-4): 2 – 3 June Longdole – Zimbabwean Spur (0-4): 2 – 3 June New Forest – Remnants Cup (-4-0): 2 – 3 June White Waltham – Coronation Cup (0-2): 2 – 3 June Druids Lodge – The June Trophy (1-2): 2 – 3 June Taunton – Jellalabad Cup (0-2): 2 – 3 June Binfield Heath – The June Cup (-2-2): 2 – 3 June Vale of York – KRS Breast Cancer (Open): 3 June Burningfold – VL Alford Bowl (4): 4 – 10 June RCBPC – The John Prestwich Trophy (8-12): 4 – 16 June Guards – The OUTSOURCING Inc Royal Windsor Cup (12-15): 5 – 24 June Beaufort – The Eduardo Rojas Lanusse Cup (2-6): 5 – 16 June Cirencester – Humphrey Guinness Plate (6-10): 5 – 17 June Kirtlington – Barlow Cup (4-6): 7 – 10 June Guards – Hildon Archie David Cup (4-8): 8 June – 1 July Binfield Heath – June Tournament (4-6 & -4-0): 9 – 10 June Cambridge County – Greenheath Tournament (0-4 & -4-0): 9 – 10 June Druids Lodge – The India Trophy (3-4): 9 – 10 June 104 Polo Times, June 2018

Emsworth – Winkfield Cup 12 Goal: 9 – 16 June Beaufort – Gloucestershire Festival of Polo: 9 – 10 June New Forest – Kuseyo Cup (0-2): 9 – 10 June Edgeworth – The Amir Cup (0-2): 9 – 10 June Cheshire – Dearnfold Hall Trophy (-4-0): 9 – 10 June Taunton – Friendship Cup (-4-0): 9 – 10 June Vale of York – Jim’s Birthday Match (Open): 9 June Cirencester – Meadow Cup (0-6): 12 – 24 June Cirencester – The Apsley Cup (15-18): 13 June – 1 July Burningfold – Burnthill 0 Goal (0): 13 – 17 June Silver Leys – Survivors Cup (-4- -2): 15 – 16 June FHM – La Julia Challenge Trophy (-6- -2): 15 – 16 June Cirencester – Academy Tournament (-6- -2): 16 – 17 June Rutland – The Twidale Cup (-6- -2): 16 – 17 June Druids Lodge – Spring Trophy (-4- -2): 16 – 17 June Cheshire – Orion Engineering Trophy (0-2): 16 – 17 June Cheshire – Nunsmere Hall Trophy (-4- -1): 16 – 17 June Rutland – The Eve Trophy (-8- -6): 16 – 17 June Edgeworth – June 0 Goal (0): 16 – 17 June Wicklow – Shipping Cup (-2-0): 16 – 17 June New Forest – The Mountbatten Cup/ Barfoot Bowl (-4-0): 16 – 17 June Ham – Petersham Bowl (0-2): 16 – 17 June Binfield Heath – Anniversary Tournament (0-2): 16 – 17 June Rutland – The Rutland Cup (0-2): 16 – 17 June Tidworth – Mixed Doubles (-2-2): 16 – 17 June Suffolk – Flaming June (-4-2): 16 – 17 June Celtic Manor – Polo at The Manor (0-10): 16 June Taunton – Royal Aden Cup (0-4): 16 – 17 June Wicklow – Stolen Spurs Cup (2-4): 16 – 17 June Beaufort – The Justerini & Brooks Prince of Wales’ Cup (8-12): 18 – 30 June Cirencester – Warwickshire Cup (17-22): 19 – 24 June Cowdray – Texaco Trophy (8-12): 19 June – 7 July Beaufort – The Richard Underwood Cup (0-4): 19 June – 1 July Cirencester – Wilson Trophy (4-8): 19 – 23 June Kirtlington – Brooke House Trophy (4-6): 21 – 24 June White Waltham – Madeva Polo Tournament (2-4): 23 – 24 June

Cheshire – Demetriadi Cup (2-4): 23 – 24 June Silver Leys – The Terry Bone Presidents Cup (-2-0 & -4- -2): 23 – 24 June Cheshire – Henbury Cup (-4-0): 23 – 24 June New Forest – Kings Garn Cup (-2-0): 23 – 24 June Taunton – Ethiopian Shield (-2-0): 23 – 24 June Cirencester – CPPC Low Goal Tournament (-4-0): 23 – 24 June Vale of York – Conservative Cup (Open): 23 – 24 June Rutland – The Westerby Group Assam Cup (2-4): 25 June – 1 July Longdole – John Lucas Trophy Tournament (2-6): 25 – 29 July RCBPC – The Eduardo Moore Tournament (12-15): 26 June – 14 July Cowdray – King Power Gold Cup for The British Open (20-22): 26 June – 22 July Guards – Coworth Park Challenge (12-15): 26 June – 8 July Guards – Roberts Cup (0-4): 26 June – 15 July Cirencester – Non-Playing Members Trophy (0-6): 26 June – 8 July Tidworth – Tidworth Polo Week (0-4, -4-0 & -6- -2): 27 June – 1 July Burningfold – Blackdown Equine Clinic 4 Goal (4): 27 June – 1 July Rutland – Findley Trophy (-2-0 & Open): 27 June – 1 July Tidworth – Presidents Cup (-6- -2): 27 June – 1 July Vale of York – June Summer League Match (Open): 28 June Guards – Phoenician Cup (8-12): 28 June – 15 July Black Bears – Henley Cup (0-6): 30 June Taunton – The Aden Visit Cup (2-4): 30 June – 1 July Binfield Heath – Borough Marsh (0-4 & -4-0): 30 June – 1 July Black Bears – Culden Faw Challenge (10-14): 30 June Cambridge County – Timba Tournament (0-4 & -4-0): 30 June – 1 July Druids Lodge – Salisbury Cup (-2-0): 30 June – 1 July New Forest – Rudkin Cup (-4-0): 30 June – 1 July White Waltham – Canadian Bear Challenge Trophy (Canada Day) (0-2): 30 June – 1 July Cheshire – Fox & Barrel Cup (0-2): 30 June – 1 July Edgeworth – Midsummer Plate (0-2): 30 June – 1 July Rugby – The Onley Plate (-8- -4): 30 June – 1 July Taunton – Pollard Cup (-6- -4): 30 June – 1 July Cheshire – White Horse Trophy (-4- -1): 30 June – 1 July Cirencester – Academy Tournament (-6- -2): 30 June – 1 July Black Bears – Silver Fox Challenge (Open): 1 July www.polotimes.co.uk

Polo directory

Youth Polo Kirtlington – Stephen Towler Trophy (Open): 2 June Guards – La Martina Varsity Tournament (Open): 2 – 4 June Offchurch – Universities Summer Championships 2018 (Open): 8 June Kirtlington – Intermediate/Senior School Open: 16 June TBC – Senior Schools National Summer Championships (Open): 17 June TBC – Schools Girls National Championships (Open): 24 June Cirencester – Pony Club Polo: 30 – 31 July Longdole – Junior Polo Tournament: 31 August

Cheshire – WIP Ladies League: 31 May – 3 June Dallas Burston – Ladies’ Day 2018: 9 June Tidworth – WIP European Mixed Doubles Championship (-6- -2): 6 – 17 June Cirencester – The Kings Head Hotel Ladies’ International (24-26): 24 June Edgeworth – Ladies Tournament (Open): 27 June Blueys – Ladies Sugar Bowl (-4-0): 30 June – 1 July Cirencester – Ladies Tournament (8-12): 30 June – 1 July New Forest – WIP Ladies League: 7 – 8 July Chicago, USA – Chicago Polo Women’s Invitational: 8 July Cirencester – International Ladies’ Tournament (12-18): 24 – 29 July Westcroft Park Polo Club: WIP Ladies League: 13 – 19 August Guards – Ladies’ Charity Tournament for the Lord Patrick Beresford Trophy (12-18): 21 August – 1 September Tidworth – WIP Ladies League: 25 – 26 August Ranelagh – WIP Ladies League: 8 – 9 September

Victrix Ludorum Knepp Castle – 18 Goal: 11 – 15 July Cowdray – 18 Goal: 13 – 21 July Cirencester – 18 Goal: 24 – 29 July Beaufort – 18 Goal: 27 July – 4 August RCBPC – 18 Goal: 4 – 12 August Guards – 18 Goal: 21 August – 1 September

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Military Polo

Kirtlington – Rupert Thornloe Memorial Trophy, Army vs KPPC (Open): 2 June Tidworth – RAF vs Cavalry (Open): 2 June Tidworth – RN vs TVP (Kemble Salver) (Open): 2 June Tidworth – Almost Heroes Day Tournament (-6- -2 & -2-0): 2 June Cirencester – Junior Cavalry Cup (4-8): 2 – 19 June Tidworth – Heroes Polo Day (Open): 3 June Tidworth – RN vs Millfield (Sacher Cup) (Open): 3 June Tidworth – Duke of York Cup (RN vs RAF) (Open): 3 June Tidworth – WIP Ladies vs HACKETT Army (4-6: 3 June Tidworth – RN vs Oxford University (Open): 6 June Tidworth – Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars Cup (0-4 & -4-0): 9 – 10 June White Waltham – Help for Heroes Polo Tournament (-2-0): 9 – 10 June White Waltham – Veteran’s Match HAC vs Grenadier Guards (-4-0): 10 June Tidworth – Grenadier Cup (0-2 & -4-0): 23 – 24 June Tidworth – Strategic Shipping 10th Hussars’ Cup (0-4): 27 June – 1 July Tidworth – Canonbury Queen’s Royal Lancers Trophy (-4-0): 27 June – 1 July

Social Events Ham – Summer Ball: 8 June White Rose – Gin Polo Festival: 9 June Rutland – Summer Ball 2018: 16 June Leadenham – Summer Ball: 8 July

Australia

Toowoomba – Carnival of Flowers Spring Polo: 23 September Victorian Polo Club – Melbourne Cup: 11 November

France

Polo Club Saint Tropez – Silver Whips (8-10): 31 May – 10 June Polo Club Saint Tropez – Golden Wave (8-10): 14 – 24 June Polo Club Saint Tropez – Women’s International (10-14): 27 June – 1 July Polo Club Saint Tropez – International Polo Cup (8-10 & 12-15): 5 – 15 July Polo Club Saint Tropez – Polo Master/ Open de Gassin (8-10 & 12-15): 19 – 29 July Polo Club Saint Tropez – Côte D’Azur Cup (8-10 & 15-18): 2 – 12 August Polo Club Saint Tropez – Open du Soleil (8-10 & 15-18): 16 – 26 August Polo Club Saint Tropez – Gold Cup (8-10): 30 August – 9 September Polo Club Saint Tropez – Indian Summer Polo (Open): 13 – 30 September

America

Santa Barbara – The Belmond El Encanto Polo Cup (16): 7 – 9 July Santa Barbara – Robert Skene Trophy (16): 13 – 22 July Santa Barbara –USPA America Cup (16): 27 July – 12 August Santa Barbara –Pacific Coast Open (16): 16 August – 2 September

Germany

Keitum – 21st Berenberg German Polo Masters: 1 – 5 August

International Test Matches Beach Polo

Sandbanks – British Beach Polo Championships: 13 – 14 July

Beaufort – Gloucestershire Festival of Polo: 9 – 10 June RCBPC – International Test Match for The Westchester Cup: 28 July Polo Times, June 2018 105

Polo directory

Quick Question Answer South Africa

Italy

Villa a Sesta – XII FIP European Championships (6-8): 20 – 30 September August

Pakistan

Shandur – Shandur Polo Festival: 26 July

East Rand – SA Champs: 1– 3 June Shongweni – US Invitational vs KwaZulu Natal Invitational (8): 15 – 17 June Inanda – Development Cup: 15 – 17 June Karkloof – Natal Champs: 20 – 22 July Inanda – Africa Cup: 17 – 26 August

Snow Polo Dates

Kitzbühel – Snow Polo World Cup 2019: 17– 20 January St. Moritz – Snow Polo World Cup 2019: 25 – 27 January 2019

15 Goal

18 Goal Cowdray – Duke of Sutherland: 21 May – 10 June Cirencester – Apsley Cup: 13 June – 1 July Guards – Indian Empire Shield: 3 – 21 July Cowdray – Challenge Cup: 23 July – 5 August

8 Goal Cirencester – Gerald Balding: 14 – 28 May Guards – Archie David: 8 June – 1 July RCBPC – Hipwood Trophy: 4 – 21 July

to the question posed on our Letters page A: Gerald Hardy is attributed with the design of the original polo helmet, which was made of layers of cork and pith, covered with felt or linen. Helmets became compulsory for players in England in 1899.

Something Different

Longdole Polo Club – Bicycle Polo in aid of RDA Watershed: 1 June Tidworth – Heroes Polo Day: 3 June London – Chestertons Polo in the Park: 8 – 10 June Longdole – Posh Car Boot Sale: 19 August Dallas Burston – Polo in the Park: 2 September Cowdray – Holden White: 23 July – 5 August Beaufort – Wichenford Bowl: 13 – 27 August

4 Goal Burningfold – 4 Goal: 5 – 10 June Rutland – Assam Cup: 25 June – 1 July Cheshire – Junior County Cup 4 Goal: 9 – 15 July Cambridge County – 4 Goal: 23 – 29 July Tidworth – Rundle Cup: 7 –12 August New Forest – 4 Goal: 14 – 19 August Editor’s Note – All dates are correct at time of going to press. Polo Times takes no responsibility for fixtures moved, cancelled or altered. Always check with the Club(s) for the most up-to-date fixtures lists.

Subscribe now Why not treat yourself or a friend to Polo Times?

Call our friendly subscriptions team: 01452 730 770 or visit www.polotimes.co.uk 106 Polo Times, June 2018

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Polo directory Club contacts UK and Ireland CLUB

PHONE

CLUB

PHONE

All Ireland Polo Club

00353 01 6896732

dstone@indigo.ie

Hurtwood Polo Club

01483 272828

gary@hurtwoodparkpolo.com

All England Polo Club Hickstead*

01273 834 315

polo@hickstead.co.uk

Kirtlington Park Polo Club

01869 350138

info@kirtlingtonparkpolo.co.uk

Apsley End Polo Club*

01462 712444

tobiana.scott@gmail.com

Knepp Castle Polo Club

07920 023639

info@aspectpolo.co.uk

Ash Farm Polo Club*

07799 812739

ashfarmpolo@hotmail.com

Leadenham Polo Club

01400 318006

office@leadenhampoloclub.com

Barfold Polo Club

07778 808853

mborwick@gmail.com

Longdole Polo Club*

01452 864544

info@longdolepolo.com

Beaufort Polo Club

01666 880510

enquiries@beaufortpoloclub.co.uk

Moor Farm Polo Club

07494 114190

shop@moorfarmshop.co.uk

Beverley Polo Club*

01964 544877

info@beverleypoloclub.co.uk

Moor Hall Farm Polo Club*

01279 450637

alecbeve@btinternet.com

Binfield Heath

01491 411969

bhpcmanager@gmail.com

New Forest Polo Club

07977 224404

annabelparryjoyner@yahoo.co.uk

Blueys Polo Club*

07930 323263

polomanager@blueyspolo.co.uk

Norfolk Polo Club

01508 480400

office@norfolkpolo.co.uk

Bramham Polo Academy

07811 993316

emmadvh@btinternet.com

Northern Ireland Polo Club

02890 727905

robert@hellomxb.com

Bunclody Polo Club

00353 87 6605917

info@poloclubbunclody.com

Offchurch Bury Polo Club*

07816 830887

info@offchurchburypoloclub.co.uk

Burningfold Polo Club

01483 200722

derrek@burningfold.com

Pangbourne Polo Club

07708 906810

aprice@polofix.com

Cambridge Polo Club*

07711 217004

cambridgepoloclub@icloud.com

Peover Polo Club

07766 016 833

polomanager@peoverpoloclub.co.uk

Cambridge County Polo Club*

01223 812922

info@cambridgecountypoloclub.co.uk

Polo Wicklow*

00353 404 67164

siobhan@polowicklow.com

Carlton House

07901 561113

harrietservaes@hotmail.com

RAF Cranwell

07739 569491

rafcranwellpoloclub@yahoo.co.uk

Chester Racecourse Polo Club

01244 304602

amorris@chester-races.com

Ranelagh Polo Club*

01344 885697

ranelagh@labravapolo.com

Cheshire Polo Club

01270 611 100

info@cheshirepoloclub.co.uk

RCBPC*

01344 890060

polo@rcbpc.com

Chiltern Polo Club

07973 174542

info@chilternpoloclub.com

RMAS Polo Club

07973 174542

rmas-nc-aci-projinters@mod.uk

Cirencester Park Polo Club

01285 653225

info@cirencesterpolo.co.uk

Rugby Polo Club*

01788 817724

info@rugbypoloclub.com

Cowdray Polo Club

01730 813257

enquiries@cowdraypolo.co.uk

Rutland Polo Club

07772 040668

secretary@rutlandpoloclub.co.uk

Curraghmore Polo Club

00353 51 387102

mkennedy@cssgroup.ie

Silver Leys Polo Club

07730 060200

silverleyspoloclub@gmail.com

Dallas Burston Polo Club*

01926 812409

polo@dbpoloclub.com

St. Albans Polo Club

07956 017090

info@stalbanspoloclub.co.uk

Dorset Polo Club

01202 623985

office@dorsetpolo.co.uk

Stewarton Polo Club

07974 706045

info@stewartonpolo.co.uk

Druids Lodge Polo Club*

01722 782597

abi@druidspolo.co.uk

Suffolk Polo Club

07790 576974

aes3@cam.ac.uk

Dundee and Perth Polo Club*

07831 365 194

jamesscrawford@aol.com

Sussex Polo Club*

01342 714920

info@sussexpolo.co.uk

Eastwood Polo Club

07875 743475

frankums@googlemail.com

Taunton Vale Polo Club

01823 480460

nhs.wheelers@gmail.com

Edgeworth Polo Club

01285 821695

edgeworthpolo@gmail.com

Tidworth Polo Club*

01980 846705

info@tidworthpolo.com

Edinburgh Polo Club*

01314 496696

djamesjamie@aol.com

Toulston Polo Club

01422 372529

info@toulstonpoloclub.com

Emsworth Polo Grounds*

01344 883112

info@fourquarterspolo.co.uk

Triskelion Polo Club*

07624 272547

polo@triskelionpolo.club

Epsom Polo Club*

07961 232106

epsompoloclub@hotmail.com

Vale of York Polo Club*

07788 426968

info@valeofyorkpoloclub.co.uk

FHM Polo Club*

07778 436468

frances@fhmpolo.co.uk

Vaux Park Park Polo Club*

07703 524613

vppc@btconnect.com

Fifield Polo Club*

01628 620061

fifieldpoloclub@live.co.uk

West Wycombe Park Polo Club*

07787 560729

secretary@westwycombepolo.co.uk

Great Trippetts Polo Club

01428 741916

charles@trippetts.com

Westcroft Park Polo Club*

01276 858545

info@westcroftparkpolo.co.uk

Guards Polo Club*

01784 434212

polo@guardspoloclub.com

White Rose Polo Club*

01430 875767

info@whiterosepolo.co.uk

HPC, The London Polo Club

020 8334 0000

office@hpcpololondonpolo.com

White Waltham Polo Club

07748 670587

kim@playpolo.co.uk

Hertfordshire Polo Club*

01707 256023

polo@hertspolo.co.uk

* Also open for arena polo in the UK winter

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Polo Times, June 2018 107

Experts Experts in Equine in Equine Reproduction Reproduction

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through pregnancy birth toand weaning has no genetic through pregnancy and birth toand weaning has noand genetic infl uence influence on the foal.on the foal. Beaufort Embryo Transfer uses non-surgical Beaufort Embryo Transfer uses non-surgical proceduresprocedures totransfer flush and the embryo,little meaning to flush and thetransfer embryo, meaning or no little or no to the mare’sThis schedule. Thistechnique breeding technique disruption disruption to the mare’s schedule. breeding in Gloucestershire, thedesigned speciallyMare designed Mare Situated inSituated Gloucestershire, the specially allowstobreeders to breed from top performing mares whilst allows breeders breed from top performing mares whilst and Stallion Reproduction centre offers clients extensivethey are still and Stallion Reproduction centre offers clients extensive they are still competing and also the production of competing and also allows the allows production of for their Stallions and Broodmares. The DEFRAmultiple foals facilities forfacilities their Stallions and Broodmares. The DEFRA multiple foalsmare frominone mare any oneseason. breeding season. from one any one in breeding approved semenfacilities, collectionsemen facilities, semen laboratory, Embryo Transfer approved semen collection laboratory, Embryo is also for a solution for mares with uterine is Transfer also a solution mares with uterine stallion and high-fenced paddocks stallion stables andstables high-fenced paddocks ensure thatensure the that the basedwith infertility, with themares recipient mares carrying those based infertility, the recipient carrying those highest in standards in stallion care and management are pregnancies highest standards stallion care and management are pregnancies to full term.to full term. alwaysAt provided. Beaufort Embryostallions Transfer, stallions always provided. BeaufortAtEmbryo Transfer, can beand managed andon marketed on a commercial basis, can be managed marketed a commercial basis, either ator thewalking centre or for each semen either residing at residing the centre inwalking for each in semen collection. Semenatcollected atcan the be centre collection. Semen collected the centre usedcan as be used as required: Insemination resident mares; Transporting to required: Insemination of resident of mares; Transporting to anywhere in the UK; to Exporting Europe;for Freezing for anywhere in the UK; Exporting Europe; to Freezing or export use. domestic ordomestic export use. Working fresh, frozen semen, Beaufort Working with fresh,with chilled andchilled frozenand semen, Beaufort Embryo Transfer boasts success incredible success Embryo Transfer boasts incredible rates for rates for AI. facilities The livery second to none, and broodmarebroodmare AI. The livery arefacilities second are to none, and whether a broodmare, donor mare, stallion or pregnant whether a broodmare, donor mare, stallion or pregnant recipient, highest levels of livery equine husbandry recipient, the highestthe levels of livery and equineand husbandry always be guaranteed. can alwayscan be guaranteed. Embryo transfer is theof collection an 8 day old Embryo transfer is the collection an 8 dayof old embryo from of thea uterus of a genetically desirable embryo from the uterus genetically desirable mare (the mare (the and its transfer into of thea uterus of a reproductively Donor) andDonor) its transfer into the uterus reproductively mare (the who Recipient) who then competent competent mare (the Recipient) then carries the carries the For moreFor information more information or to answer or toany answer queries, any queries, term andthe nurtures theweaning. foal until weaning. pregnancypregnancy to term andtonurtures foal until please call please the offi callcethe onoffi 01666 ce on 880236 01666 880236 Thefoal’s resulting foal’s derived from the donor The resulting genetics aregenetics derivedare from the donor or email or info@beaufortembryotransfer.com email info@beaufortembryotransfer.com mare and stallion same breeding); as natural breeding); mare and stallion (exactly the(exactly same asthe natural themerely recipient merely takes theembryo foal from embryo stage, the recipient takes the foal from stage,

OPEN MAESTRO

JAVAD

VALENTINO

2006 Bay Stallion Grappa Ilustrada x Sportivo. A superbly put together stallion bred by Gonzalo Pieres in Argentina. He is playing tournament polo and is a well balanced, relaxed stallion with a good mouth and impeccable temperament. His progeny look outstanding.

2006 Bay Stallion Java x Norman Pentaquad. Javad is a stallion of exceptional quality bred by Jim Gilmore. He is playing tournament polo and is a well balanced, agile stallion with a good mouth and lots of talent. His progeny look fantastic.

2006 Chestnut Stallion Virola x Chess. Valentino is a very good natured stallion bred by Emma Tomlinson. He is playing tournament polo and is an intelligent stallion with a good mouth and lots of agility. He has already sired good looking progeny.

ZORRO

BEAUFORT ILLUSIONIST

BEAUFORT ESCORT

2003 Liver Chestnut Stallion Forrest x Chess. Zorro is a beautifully put together small stallion bred by Rory Sweet in the UK. He is owned by Mark Tomlinson and has numerous progeny on the ground. Zorro’s full sister, Sativa, is an outstanding mare played by Sapo Caset in the 2010 Gold Cup winning team and won best playing pony in the 2011 USPA 26 Goal Piaget Gold Cup.

2010 Dark Bay Stallion. Illusa x Clark. Beaufort Illusionist is showing enormous potential as a playing stallion. His Sire, Clark is out of the Ellerston mare Claret, who was played by Facundo Pieres in the 2005 Argentine Open and the 2006 Gold Cup. His Dam, Ilusa, played with Jaime Huidobro in the Argentine Open as well as the Warwickshire, the Queen’s Cup and the Gold Cup in the UK.

2009 Bay Stallion. Rata x Personal Escort. Currently playing as part of Emma Tomlinson’s string and showing tremendous promise as a playing stallion. His sire, Personal Escort, has bred many notable ponies; Spook played by Pablo MacDonough in the UK high goal. and Dam Rata has played polo at high goal level in Argentina and the UK with Gaston Laulhe.

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Polo directory Volume 23 • Issue 4 • May 2018 • £6.50 www.polotimes.co.uk

o.uk www.polotimes.c £6.50 4 • May 2018 • Volume 23 • Issue

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Volume 23 • Issue 4 • May 2018 •

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Polo Times, June 2018 111

Final bell

In association with Aprés Polo

Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Gonzalez is the most British Argentine polo player the UK has ever seen. Having first picked up a polo stick at a tender 14-years-old, he found he had a natural knack for the sport, reaching 7 goals at just 23. He has won the world’s top tournaments: The Coronation Cup, The Gold Cup, The Prince of Wales, The Warwickshire, The Eduardo Moore, The Indian Empire Shield and even the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz – his CV could not be more illustrious. He is widely recognised as one of the world’s best arena players, having remained at 9 goals for the past 11 years, but if you frequent The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club as regularly as we do, you’ll know him as the kindly face behind the counter at La Cantina What is your biggest passion and why? My horses, because of the connection you have with them.

Which sports do you like outside of polo? I really enjoy racquetball.

What is your all-time best polo memory? I have so many great memories – winning The Gold Cup, scoring the winning goal in the eighth chukka! Also, winning The Royal Windsor Cup, The Coronation Cup in 2011 and The Prince of Wales a few times. This was really special, as I’ve been a member at RCBPC since I was 14-years-old. But, I can’t forget my first ever Snow Polo World Cup in St. Moritz too! Favourite film and why? Shawshank Redemption, without a doubt. It has friendship, love, determination and a load of great actors. Favourite song/album? Anything by The Rolling Stones.

Favourite celebrity and why? Morgan Freeman – he never gave up until he reached his goal and he always has interesting things to say. Best holiday destination & activity Anywhere I can go with my family – Dartmouth, Spain, Mallorca – it doesn’t matter where.

Favourite food/dish? Roast beef on the bone, cooked by my wife Sarah – she does the best roast EVER. Who were/are your favourite team mates and why? I’ve played with great players and great friends, but I’d have to say Spencer McCarthy, Gabriel Donoso, Joaquin Pittaluga and Marcos Araya, to name but a few. 112 Polo Times, June 2018

Best pony? Such a hard question, but probably Myrtle. Describe yourself in three words… The Nacho Gonzalez. One thing which would surprise us about you? I’m English, born and bred. www.polotimes.co.uk

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