Polo Times March 2023

I know it’s only the end of February, but this year seems to be whizzing by. Maybe it is because here in the UK we have been blessed with rather unseasonably warm – and somewhat premature – spring-like weather, but as I write, it feels as though winter is a long-distant memory. No doubt we will soon be gripped by an equally unseasonal March Arctic freeze, but at the moment, I am not complaining. The ponies’ winter rugs are hanging on the fence during the day which I don’t think I can ever remember in February. I know I should be gripped by fear of global warming and its truly terrifying results, but on a selfish and rather shallow level and behalf of outdoor wintered ponies, I am quite pleased to have such a dry summer.

Like nature, polo has its own natural markers that count down the year’s calendars. The arrival of our Argentine cousins in the UK means spring; the Cowdray Gold Cup signifies the winding down of summer, whilst the Argentine Open the depths of the UK winter. For me, the start of the long haul out of winter is signified by The Snow Polo World Cup, St. Moritz. Always staged at the end of January when usually winter is still very much with us, but not for too much longer. This year was the exception. Mirroring the unusually high temperatures in the UK, St. Moritz, along with the rest of the Alps had a chronic lack of snow and for the organiser of the snow polo, Reto Gaudenzi, a rather large headache in the form of not enough ice depth on the frozen lake. However, just in the nick of time, the low temperatures which were required arrived, which meant the whole infrastructure of 220 tonnes being assembled in only 10 days. Being Swiss, this of course was managed with efficiency, a calmness and, because they can, the help of many, many helicopters who flew in the infrastructure hardware onto the lake. Very rock n’ roll, not very Swiss, but needs must. The resulting 25,000 spectators of the event were largely unaware of the averted crisis and Mr Gaudenzi and his team must be congratulated on pulling off a great event.

Meanwhile, here in the UK, SUPA has been at its prolific best – how wonderful it is to see polo burgeoning at the youth level. Congratulations to everybody who works so hard to put on so many chukkas enjoyed by so many enthusiastic students. Grass roots polo is what the sport is about and long may this continue.

So, as the polo action in the USA is underway and approaching its peak, to us ‘polo people’ this indicates that the UK outdoor season is not far away. The horses are coming in as the expectation for the 2023 season builds. I can’t wait.

Play safe

Nick Hine, Publisher

AAP Announces New Mandatory Helmet Dates

On Wednesday 1 February, the AAP added two new dates to wear mandatory standard helmets:

From 1 March 2023, onwards: For all official tournaments of all levels in the metropolitan area.

From 1 July 2023, onwards: For all official tournaments of all levels all over the country.

These follow the introduction of mandatory standard helmets in October and November 2022 for 24 goal+ and 20 goal+ respectively. Before the start of each game, umpires must make sure that all players wear the mandatory standard helmets that meet the PASO15 and NOCSAE requirements.

The list of helmets which pass the AAP’s test are:

Casablanca, Model NEU La Martina, Model Windsor Armis, Armis Duo Armis, Armis Edge Armis, Armis Vera

Charles Owen, Palermo II Polo

Charles Owen, Polo Edition

Charles Owen, Young Rider Polo

Charles Owen, Sovereign GPA, Speed Air 2X

HPA Arena Rules Amendment

GPA, Polo 2X Instinct Polo, Instnict MK1 Instinct Polo, Askari Kep Italia, Cromo

The Hurlingham Polo Association’s Arena Rules Committee has confirmed with immediate effect the following amendment regarding yellow flags:

Rule 10 – Calling of fouls by the umpire.

h. Yellow Flag. A player committing a Technical Foul or persistent fouling will be penalised with a Yellow Flag and as a minimum a 15-yard penalty will be awarded to the opposition team. Should a player accumulate three Yellow Flags in a match, or two Yellow Flags on the same play, that player will be Sin Binned. The Yellow Flags are removed from a player’s record when they return to the game. A Yellow Flag may still be awarded for a period of 15 minutes subsequent to the end of the game. This Yellow Flag will be carried forward to the next game at the same level.

If a player is sent to the Sin Bin for a third time in a match, then the Umpire will award a Penalty 7.

The Umpire may still Sin Bin or award a Penalty 7 to a player for a first Technical Foul.

Penalty 7.

i) In situations of dangerous or persistent fouls a player may be sent to the Sin Bin for 60 seconds. The Sin Bin will be used in conjunction with a minimum 15-yard penalty hit to the opposition which can only be taken once the offending player has left the arena.

Photograph by Casablanca

The Casablanca Model NEU is one of 14 helmets on the AAP’s mandatory standard list

Bellamar Pampa Norte comeback, but by the fifth and sixth chukkas, it was Lavinia who were controlling the action with Carlos María Ulloa and Manuel Giménez Villamil commanding the team from the back and combining well with their forwards, Ramon Cassino and Jack Whitman to secure Lavinia their first Thai Polo Cup title, 10½-4.

NZ Polo Open Cancelled

Unfortunately for all of the organisers and supporters, the difficult decision was made to cancel the 2023 New Zealand Polo Open which had been scheduled to culminate on Sunday 19 February at Auckland Polo Club. Sadly, just days before the event, the Clubhouse and grounds suffered extensive flooding as a knock-on effect from Cyclone Gabrielle, which caused over 1 metre of internal flooding within the Clubhouse.

The Hipwood and Rocksavage, which have previously been Junior HPA tournaments, will now be merged into the Pony Club from this season onwards, while the Buckmaster section will be discontinued. The format of Hipwood and Rocksavage will remain unchanged, with three and four chukka matches on private grounds over 4 – 17 July, which will allow players to also compete in other Pony Club tournaments. Hipwood and Rocksavage players will be required to be members of both the HPA

Argentine Association of Horse Breeders’ Best Playing Pony: Future Lituania, played by Carlos María Ulloa

Rocksavage & Hipwood Merged into Pony Club

and Pony Club; all Pony Club members less than 3 goals will play a flat rate of £50 for their HPA membership. Andrew Barlow, Chairman of the HPA Development and Coaching Committee, commented, “A vital HPA role is to promote grassroots polo and the development of young polo players. In combining the previous Junior HPA with Pony Club tournaments, this allows us to enhance our long-term objectives of promoting talent for the benefit of all players and the sport in the future. With generous

Best Playing Pony of the Final: Alberta Belvedere, played by Carlos María Ulloa

financial support from Park Place this new partnership enables us to focus on our structured development pathway whilst wholeheartedly supporting and promoting Pony Club Polo”. For more information on Pony Club polo please contact Charles Whittington, or for Hipwood and Rocksavage specifically contact Jilly Emerson.

Horsepower at Thoresby Hall Defender Sponsoring Polo Rider Cup

Game Polo has announced that Defender will be the Official Courtesy

Polo Rider Cup 2022

Across the weekend of 1 – 2 April, Thoresby Polo Club will be running a series of polo events to coincide with the Eventing Spring Carnival HorseTrials and Classic Car show at Thoresby Hall. On Saturday 1 April they will be holding their opening season cocktail party with tickets priced at £55/head which includes entry to the horse trials followed by an evening of canapés, dancing and a welcome drink. For more information please email the Club info@ thoresbypolo.co.uk

Thoresby Polo Club will be holding a series of polo demonstrations in

how and surpassing oneself are the values that unite us. Together, let’s embrace the impossible.”

more information on how to book in attending in your classic and/or modern classic car please visit bede.ticketsrv.co.uk/tickets/394

Photograph by PRC

Defender will be the Official Courtesy Car of the 2023 Polo Rider Cup

Polo Club Niederweiden will be competing in the 2022 Polo Rider Cup

Fair Play Award: Carlos Braun

Gaston Lucero & Federico Martelli

Carlos María Ulloa

Santiago Llavallol & Carlos María Ulloa Photography by Matias

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Le Pousse Caillou Amarena Phoebe

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Letter of the month

The writer of letter of the month wins a bottle of British Polo Gin @britishpologin 18 years and over & UK addresses only

Dear Editor

Jack Niven, 1892 – 1985 was the Life President of the Addo Polo Club, and he bought the ground, and built the Clubhouse, and, also played polo here right from the beginning until after his 70th birthday!

In fact, polo is said to be an Indian invention, but an English sport, and an American profession.

From Persia, where the game flourished, it was taken to England by Indian army officers, and from there to South Africa by English army officers.

Polo horses are called polo ‘ponies’, because originally there was a pony height limit. The maximum duration of a match is 60 minutes, and each chukka lasts just 7½ minutes, there is system of handicaps, and the higher the handicap, the better the player.

In any one tournament, no player is allowed to play on more than four ponies, and ponies of any height are allowed, and these are known as ‘ponies’, since, originally, there was a pony height limit, but, nowadays, scarcely any are true ‘ponies’!

In polo, there is a system of handicaps, and the higher the handicap, the better the player, and in polo, each player is given a handicap of from the nought to ten to goals, and a player may be worth 0,1,2,3, etc, and the total handicap of the team in open competitions, teams are said to ‘play even’, in other words, handicaps are not really taken into consideration at all!

Val Sullivan was the Chairman of the Addo Polo Club where I would play as a schoolboy, and Dan Niven usually played back, and he was promoted to a 3 goal handicap, while Jack Niven was ‘the old man of the game’, and Peter Bunton was known as the ‘Thundering Vet’, since as he played thundering game, ‘when upright’, according to the image of these players adorning the walls of Addo Polo Cub!

Finally, Jack Niven, ‘The Grand Old Man of Addo’, was still playing tournament polo at 64-years-old.

I’ve also included a ditty on the wives of polo players!

Yours sincerely,

Martin Briggs

(37 Hely Road, Fernglen, Port Elizabeth, South Africa)

Quick Question

Polo Wives

Polo wives, polo wives, Ours are truly dreadful lives, We flog around from ground to ground To try to keep his ponies sound.

We sit an shiver in the stand, A precious stick in frozen hand. If ponies just cost a little less I might have a warmer dress

Look, he’s missed it Oh dear me! Now he’s hit his pony’s knee As none of them can hit the ball I wonder why we’re here at all.

A broken stick – I try to run

Not that fool – a fifty one. He says the umpire should be shot I’d like to shoot the flipping lot,

The game is lost. They mostly are. The men have vanished to the bar. Oh pity us poor polo wives, We really lead most dreary lives

We love you dearly, polo wives, It’s due to you our game survives. So slog away and tend the fire You’ll get the dress when we retire

Val Sullivan polo player & farmer

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Sun-Kissed St. Moritz

They say the sun shines on the righteous and this year, Reto Gaudenzi (Founder, CEO and Vice President of Evviva Polo St. Moritz AG) managed to pull off another fantastic event despite some pre-event adversities; with doubts over consistent ice depth just a few weeks prior to the tournament, the team worked double shifts, around the clock, even using helicopters to fly in the infrastructure to make sure they pulled it off – and that they certainly did. A sell out across the board saw over 25,500 spectators descend upon the frozen Lake St. Moritz over the three day event to enjoy the most glamorous polo event in Europe. If you haven’t already booked your tickets for next year, get the date in the diary, 26 – 28 January 2024!

w Photograph by Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz

Glam and Glitz in

St. Moritz

The original, biggest, best and most fabulous snow polo event in the world

Tournament Action at a Glance

Friday 27 January

Match 1

Azerbaijan Land of Fire beat Flexjet, 5-3½

Match 2

St. Moritz beat World Polo League, 4½-4

Match 3

Clinique La Prairie beat The Kusnacht Practice, 4-3

Saturday 28 January

Match 1 (President’s Cup)

The Kusnacht Practice beat Flexjet, 5-3½

Match 2 (Clinique La Prairie Cup)

Azerbaijan Land of Fire beat World Polo League, 5-4

Match 3 (Waldorf Astoria Maldives Cup)

St. Moritz beat Clinique La Prairie, 8½-4

Sunday 29 January

Match 1 (Casablanca Cup)

World Polo League beat Flexjet, 7-5½

Match 2 (St. Moritz Cup)

Clinique La Prairie beat The Kusnacht Practice, 3-2

Match 3 (Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz)

Azerbaijan Land of Fire beat St. Moritz, 6-5

The frozen Lake St. Moritz is a unique polo location

Photograph by Christian Sommer

The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz is an event like no other on earth. For polo fans there are some ‘must see’ bucket list events: Palermo for the Open, Manipur for the mini ponies, and the truly jaw-dropping spectacle of polo played on the frozen lake of St. Moritz.

This year, temperatures had been unseasonably high in the Alps, with the January ski season impacted upon – not great

for skiing and certainly not ideal for hosting the expected 25,000 polo spectators on a lake that was yet to freeze. With thermometers refusing to dip, there were doubts over consistent ice depth of the St. Moritz lake until mid-January. However, just in the nick of time, Jack Frost arrived with a vengeance in the Engadin Valley and the organisational team had to make up lost time. 180 people worked double shifts, around the clock, even

using helicopters to fly in the infrastructure. Founder and organiser Reto Gaudenzi commented, “The event was built in 10 days, with 220 tonnes of equipment – the equivalent to the weight of 80 elephants! We worked day and night, it’s a miracle that we finished it all in time. The Almighty must be a polo player because he has organised perfect weather – it is cold for the ice, but sunny for the spectators and we are sold out!”

Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, Engadin Valley

FINAL

Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, Engadin Valley Reports

THE SNOW POLO WORLD CUP ST. MORITZ TEAMS

How right Mr Gaudenzi was. With literally hours to spare and with typical Swiss efficiency and a calmness that belied the gargantuan efforts, the polo gods had intervened to save the event in its 38th year.

As the world’s glitterati descended on an already über glamorous St. Moritz, the sell-out crowd were treated to a three-day polo spectacular, which saw three matches

played each day to decide the eventual victors. Points of interest for the many polo aficionados in the packed grandstands were that the Ganzi family – stalwarts of the recent St. Moritz roster and who own Aspen Polo Club and Grand Champions in Miami

– were once again very much in attendance, with not one, but two Ganzi teams. Marc Ganzi patroned Clinique La Prairie, whilst his wife Melissa – the only woman to have won the tournament back in 2019 –headed up the team for World Polo League,

alongside their son Grant. For us Brits, Team St. Moritz were the ones to watch: Patron of the long-term Emlor team Spencer McCarthy and his son James joined St. Moritz stalwarts and five-time tournament winners, Max Charlton and Nacho Gonzalez. Fresh from a win at The Inspired Arena Polo Test Match for The Bryan Morrison Trophy Max, as always was focused, on form and has the distinct advantage of playing off 10 goals in the UK arena, but due to the rules of The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz he sneaks in under his outdoor rating of 6; likewise Nacho, who currently holds an arena

handicap of 7, plays off 4 on the snow. So, if you will, between these two well-drilled arena experts the team had a combined ‘hidden handicap’ totalling 7, which is not to be underestimated, particularly in the environment of the St. Moritz lake.

The polo played here is a hybrid between the outdoor and indoor games, with use of the sides of the playing area being important as in the arena game, but speed and the ability to ‘whack it’ with conviction, also playing a major part. The playing surface, the wind, (which can whip down the valley and carry the arena-style ball) and the general unpredictable nature of the play renders too much skill or ‘fiddling around’ detrimental. These factors mean snow polo

in this unique environment can be a great leveller of high goal egos and flourishes. Many times we have seen the snow polo dreams of many a skilled 9 or 10 goaler snow polo virgin be dashed in the St. Moritz arena. This is what makes it so fantastic to watch for those in ‘the know’. Conversely, for those just wanting to watch a great spectacle, without any idea of polo nuances or the skill involved, it is still a great closerange sport – teamed of course with ‘seeing and being seen’ at one of the most exclusive events in the world. The two make for a truly heady combination.

Naturally, all eyes were also on the Azerbaijan Land of Fire team, returning this year as defending champions and unusually with the team unchanged from their win in 2022, and with the added benefit of also having played alongside each other back in Baku in September for The FIP Arena World Cup, bagging a respectable second place slot, they were certainly the ones to watch. They did not disappoint, impressively blazing a fire trail to the Final, where, to the delight of the British contingent, they were up against Spencer McCarthy’s team St. Moritz for the Final on day three.

So, after two days of fierce polo action the sun was still shining, the Perrier-Jouët flowing, 250 of the world’s press gathered in attendance to watch battle on the frozen lake of St. Moritz to decide the final placings. Despite the Ganzi family’s best efforts, this was not to be their year to feature in the Final. Melissa Ganzi and her son Marc had to settle for a win against Flexjet in the first match of Final’s day, played to decide 5th and 6th place for The Casablanca Trophy.

Nacho Gonzalez chases down Adrian Laplacette Jr.

Record-breaking crowds attended this year’s event

Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, Engadin Valley

Next up, the record-breaking crowds were in for a treat with the second match of the day between Clinique La Prairie and Kusnacht Practice in the Subsidiary Final for The St. Moritz Trophy. The Kusnacht Practice struggled to find their form in the first half, with fantastic defence from Clinique La Prairie hampering each attempt on goal. With evenly matched teams, the play was fast-flowing with open and thrilling polo; yet the 1-0 score at half-time belied the efforts of both sides. The start of the third chukka saw Taranco equalise, but thereon in he was effectively marked out of the second half. Juan Guerrero took the lead to the delight of their supporters, which brought on frenzied efforts from Clinique La Prairie to equalise, which they managed with a strong penalty from Marc Ganzi which meant that with just 20 seconds left on the clock, the match was pushed into a sudden death, golden goal over-time period. With all to play for in in this pivotal part of the match an expectant hush fell over the crowd and as commentator Jan-Erik Franck pointed out, “You could hear a snowflake drop, it’s so tense.” After a frenetic battle for possession, a penalty was given in favour of Clinique La Prairie which Ganzi effortlessly sent home to secure the second win for the Ganzi family of the day.

To end a perfect day of adrenaline-fuelled action, the last two teams took to the frozen lake to do battle for the hotly anticipated finale to the three-day polo spectacular. A skilled and on form St. Moritz team faced last year’s winners – the well-drilled Azerbaijan Land of Fire team, in front of capacity crowds for the coveted Snow Polo World Cup Trophy

2023. Sparkling sunshine, music pumping out courtesy of DJ Mr Mike and ‘on tap’ PerrierJouët meant the fur clad, über glam spectators were in high spirits as the first ball was thrown in. General Elchin Guliyev, President of the ARAF flew in direct from Baku for the tournament, so the pressure was on for Azerbaijan Land of Fire to deliver the goods for the second year and they were on full power from the first throw in. Their line-up had also seen a tactical change of players to allow the Final to take place between teams of even handicaps, so the talented Tito Gaudenzi who plays off 2 goals and had played in the team’s two winning matches was replaced by Azeri Tarlan Gurbanaliyev for the Final.

As expected, from the first throw in, the action was fast-paced and passionate with fast, flowing attacking play matched with skilled, strong defence from both teams. Azerbaijan Land of Fire played from the outset with their usual veuve and enthusiasm, which was equally matched by team St. Moritz with alacrity. With little dividing the teams, it was too close to call at half-time, with the scores at 3-2 to Azerbaijan Land of Fire. At the start of the fourth chukka, the scores were even and despite both teams playing off all cylinders, the result was still tied at five goals apiece at the end of the chukka. Play then went into extra time for only the second occasion in

Raul Laplacette Jr. waits to mark Max Charlton on the ball

Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, Engadin Valley

25,500

the last 15 years of the tournament’s history. Despite valiant efforts from team St. Moritz, Adrian Laplacette Jr of the Azerbaijan team converted a penalty in the golden goal period to claim the Trophy for the second year running.

So, after three days of truly world-class polo, which saw nine matches played at the highest level on the frozen lake of St. Moritz, the event drew to a close and the curtain came down on this truly remarkable event for another time. Until, of course, next year – be sure you make a note of next year’s dates as the 39th Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz will take place on 26, 27 and 28 January 2024.

$Tournament budget: CHF 2.5 million

250,000 viewers online

Handicaps: Outdoor handicaps are used rather than arena handicaps. For example, Max Charlton plays off 6 goals outdoors and therefore on snow, but has a handicap of 10 goals in the arena

Estimated revenue for the Engadin Valley: CHF 12 million

The event was another sell-out, with over 25,500 visiting the frozen lake over the tournament

Adrian Laplacette Jr

BPP Cicatriz, played by Max Charlton and owned by Spener McCarthy To read more about Cicatriz, please turn to our Pony Power pages

Commentator: ‘The Voice of Polo’ Jan-Erik Franck

Umpires: César Ruiz Guiñazú, Chris Hyde, Oli Ellis & Mark Holmes

Best Playing Patron: Spencer McCarthy

Elcin Jamalli & Tarlan Gurbanaliyev embrace following their Final victory

Official Timekeeper: Christian Dunkelberg

Chukka scores: 1-1, 3-2, 4-4, 5-5, 6-5 to Azerbaijan Land of Fire

A jubilant Tarlan Gurbanaliyev celebrates his win for Azerbaijan Land of Fire

UAE Polo Wins IFZA Silver Cup

This year’s IFZA Silver Cup saw five teams (UAE Polo Team, Dubai Wolves by CAFU, AM Polo Team, Habtoor Polo and Bangash) compete over 21 January – 4 February at Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club. Finals’ Day saw 2022 finalists, UAE Polo Team return to try and capture the title which has eluded them for the past four years, while AM Polo looked to be strong contenders, having already defeated

Last-minute, penalty clinching win

UAE Polo Team in the qualifying stages of this year’s tournament; would they be able to make it a repeat performance?

Sheikha Alia Al Maktoum’s AM Polo line-up got off to a strong start, dominating the first three chukkas of the Final and going into half-time they held a three goal lead, 7-4. However the second half saw the tide turn with UAE Polo Team outscoring AM Polo by four goals in the fourth chukka, which ended

with UAE Polo Team ahead by 8-7. A nailbiting fifth chukka ensued, with Isidro Strada tying the scores with a penalty conversion for AM Polo, which was followed by UAE’s Tommy Beresford and AM’s Benjamin Urquiza exchanging goals to maintain the tie. As the chukka ticked by, a tense 60 yard penalty conversion by Beresford in the last few minutes of the match saw Sheika Maitha’s team take the title.

Where: Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club

UAE Polo Team, winners of The IFZA Silver Cup

UAE Polo Team (20) Faisal Yabroudi (0)

Lukin Monteverde (6) Min Podesta (7) Tommy Beresford (7)

The IFZA Silver Cup Final Teams AM Polo Team (20) Sheikha Alia Al Maktoum (0) César Crespo (6)

Strada (8) Benjamin Urquiza (6)

Tommy Beresford, who scored the winning goal, chases down the ball

Isidro Strada

Chukka scores: 0-4, 3-5, 4-7, 8-7, 10-9 to UAE Polo Team

BPP Argentine Polo Pony Breeders Assn. BPP: El Overo Sensata, played by Lukin Monteverde

Nobu, played by Min Podesta

Matías Baibiene & Peter Wright

Where: The National Polo Center – Wellington, Florida

The Ylvisaker Cup Final Teams

Iconica (16)

Maureen Brennan (0)

Lucas ‘Luckitas’ Criado Jr. (6)

Peke Gonzalez (6)

Santos Merlos (4)

Dundas (16)

Sarah Siegel-Magness (0)

Geronimo

The Ylvisaker Cup was first played for in 2003 and each year sees a field of up to 16 teams compete for the title, in a tournament in memory of polo pioneer, William T. “Bill” Ylvisaker. This year there was added excitement, as The Ylvisaker Cup formed the second qualifying leg of the inaugural Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super Series; if a team wins more than one qualifier event (Joe Barry Memorial, Ylvisaker Cup, Iglehart Cup and Continental Cup) then they automatically advance to the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super-Series Championship. Iconica were hot from their Joe Barry Memorial title, looking to seal their second win in the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super Series, but Dundas entered the Final with an unbeaten record which included a previous win earlier in the tournament against Iconica.

Iconica’s team familiarity showed early on as they quickly created an early lead in the first chukka with three unanswered goals, which Lucas ‘Luckitas’ Criado Jr. and Peke Gonzalez added to in the second chukka. Dundas woke

up and started to fight back, which meant that by half-time Dundas had moved up to within just one goal of Iconica, 7-6.

Iconica flew into the second half with the bit well and truly between their teeth, with Criado finding the goal twice in the fourth chukka to further extend his team’s lead. Iconica’s goal scoring continued throughout the second half, while they simultaneously locked down Dundas who only managed to score a single goal in the second half. Criado, later named Most Valuable Player, ended the final chukka with two field goals and a penalty, which hammered home Iconica’s 13-7 win. This result combined with Iconica’s Joe Barry Memorial win in January means that they have automatically qualified for the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super-Series Championship.

Iconica’s Criado and Gonzalez now shift to compete in the 22 goal Gauntlet of Polo, both playing for Valiente alongside Adolfo Cambiaso, while they will also continue to play for Iconica in The C.V. Whitney Cup, which is already underway.

Obregon (5) Paco de Narvaez Jr. (3) Tomas Panelo (8)

Lucas ‘Luckitas’ Criado Jr

Incari Citadina (Guadalupe), played by Mariano ‘Peke’ Gonzalez and owned by Iconica Polo

The Ylvisaker Cup Trophy

Photography by ©David Lominska

Iconica’s MVP Lucas ‘Luckitas’ Criado Jr. pursued by Dundas’ Paco ‘Paquito’ de Narvaez Jr.

Day of Rays for

Rosina

The Paul Sweeney Memorial Cup

Paul Sweeney Memorial Cup

Rosina faced Twelve Oaks in the Final

This year’s Paul Sweeney Memorial Cup provided an exciting weekend with players and supporters making their way to the Sweeney Family Club, Ash Farm. With four teams up to four goals participating this year.

Thursday’s Semi-Finals saw Twelve Oaks go up against Madeva for a position in the Final. Twelve Oaks came out on top, finishing on 15-8 to secure their place in Sundays’ Final. The next game proved equally exciting with Rosina playing Los Quirones/HAC with Rosina taking the win.

Sundays’ main event was preceded by a quick paced Subsidiary Final, seeing Madeva

take on Los Quirones/HAC. Taking the edge was Madeva, with Nicola Davidson demonstrating excellent play and teamwork to help secure the sub-final win of 12-9. The Final proved to be an exhilarating game, with Rosina beating Twelve Oaks 12-8 after an intense battle for the win. Ola Kelly showed particular skill, taking home Most Valuable Player, with winnings including a voucher from The Four Horseshoes in Chobham and Best Playing Pony was awarded to Tatty Wooldridge’s Sospechosa. The Sweeneys would like to thank Black Hound and Newmarket Stablecare for sponsoring the prizes this year. Special thanks go to all players, friends and family who came to support the Sweeney family in keeping Paul’s legacy alive.

Ola Kelly

Where: Ash Farm Polo Club, Surrey

Best Playing Pony, Sospechosa

Jessica Oakes-Smith reports

Rosina (4) Ola Kelly (0) William Newman (2) Nell Jacob (2)

Twelve Oaks (4) Tatty Wooldridge (0) Georgia Sweeney (2) Charlie Simpson (2)

The Paul Sweeney Memorial Cup Teams

Four teams competed in this year’s Paul Sweeney Memorial Cup

Photography by Art of Polo

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wood chipper. Low hrs. Very tidy condition £9000

We stock an extensive range of Major Roller mowers as well as other makes and models. New and Used in stock. Cylinder mowers also available. Contact us for more information.

Avant 635.

8 months old. 80 hrs with mower and pallet tines. Like new POA

Roll, airates and Decompacts. Very little use. £9750 plus vat TYM 65 hp tractor.

Air con. Creep box. Ideal polo pitch tractor. Hire or buy to suit. POA

Volvo 2019 digger. Full set of BUCKETs. 1 owner. 2400 hrs. Quick hitch.

Ford 3 series tractor.

2wd. Turf tyres. 2000 genuine hrs from new. 1994 £10250 plus vat.

Ride-on Rollers

Selection of construction ride on rollers.

2018 JCB 535-95

2018 Toyota Hilux Invincible

Volvo 2019 digger

Take 12 Goal Crown Tafia Mafia

Winter Victor Ludorum Round Up

As the 2022/23 arena season begins to wrap up for another year, so does the Winter Victor Ludorum series. Unfortunately, this year’s Victrix Ludorum series didn’t get off the ground due to a lack of team entries, something which has also affected some of the Victor Ludorum tournaments as well. At the time of going to print, the

10-12 Goal

Westcroft Park Polo Club – The Surrey Hills Winter Trophy

Final – Sunday 5 February

Number of teams: Four

Winners: Hickstead

Points: 30

The Surrey Hills Winter Trophy Final began with a two goal head start to Tempest. The first chukka was tight competition, Ryan Pemble and Gustav Rausing were formidable in their play together, but quickly Hickstead adapted and began to dominate the score line, although the field play remained fairly evenly matched into the second chukka. Niall Donnelly, later named Most Valuable Player, scored six goals including two 2 pointers with no response from Tempest. The remainder of the game was a fast and exciting contest, but Hickstead were the more clinical in front of goal, making the most of their opportunities, John Bunn continually stretched the Tempest defence opening space for Simm and Donnelly to attack. Gustav Rausing gave an excellent account of himself in the big Westcroft Arena and Clavijo, played by Ben Simm in the third chukka and owned by Adolfo Casabal, was chosen as the Polo Times Best Playing Pony.

The Surrey Hills Winter Trophy Final

Teams:

Hickstead (11): John Bunn (2), Niall Donnelley (5) & Ben Simm (4) Tempest (10): Jesper Brunander (1), Ryan Pemble (7) & Gustav Rausing (2)

15 Goal Series was still underway, with The Arena Gold Cup Final awaiting to be played, however the 12 Goal Series had reached its culmination with the following results:

1st – Tafia Mafia (55 points)

2nd – Tempest & Tchogan Polo Performance (50 points)

Photography by Andrea Leigh

Both Tempest and Hickstead were evenly matched in the Final

The Polo Times Best Playing Pony, Clavijo

HORSEPOWER AT THORESBY HALL

Come and join us at Thoresby Hall for a weekend of equestrian sport and best of classic car marques at the Eventing Spring Carnival

KEY EVENT FEATURES

• World Class Eventing

• Ample parking space in beautiful parkland

• Parking allocated in marque and model (where possible)

• Concours (Pre-War, 1950s to 1960s, 70s to 80s, 90s to ‘00s and ‘10s to ‘23) Saturday Only

• Access to exclusive VIP Members’ Marquee (Silver Package)

• Meet the rider talks and VIP Hospitality (Gold Package)

• Tradestands

• Food and Drink Village

• Thoresby Courtyard

• Polo demonstration

• Childrens’ Fairground

• Shire Horses

• Blacksmith Display

• Archery Display

• Ferret handling demonstration and racing

• Dog Show & Agility

• Option to stay for the weekend in the 200 bedroom iconic Thoresby Hall

PACKAGES AND PRICING

Bronze £20/day or £40 for two days (two guests in one vehicle)

• Admission in to Horse Trials for two people

• Designated brand/marque parking

31ST MARCH - 2ND APRIL 2023

£70/day or £130 for two days plus £5 P&P inc. Recorded Delivery (two guests in one vehicle)

• Admission in to Horse Trials for two people

• Entry to Members’ Pavilion for two people - adjacent to the showjumping marquee

• Complimentary unlimited hot drinks

• Complimentary glass of fizz

• British Polo Gin Pay Bar

• Designated brand/marque parking

Gold £170/day plus £5 P&P inc. Recorded Delivery (two guests in one vehicle)

• Admission in to Horse Trials for two people

• Entry in to Allstar B Enclosure (VIP Hospitality) for two people

• Parking in prime location infront of Thoresby Hall (unless entered in concours)

• Breakfast, Bu et Lunch and Afternoon Tea all included for two people

• Complimentary glass of fizz

• British Polo Gin Pay Bar

• Guest Speakers throughout the day

• Excellent views of showjumping and cross country course

• Private Toilets

To book your tickets please visit: https://bede.ticketsrv.co.uk/classic_cars or call 01452 730770

Thai Polo Equestrian Club

On Saturday 28 January, Hanuman defeated Thai Polo by just one goal, 8-7, in The Thai Polo Open Final at Harald Link’s Thai Polo Equestrian Club. Caroline Link was named Most Valuable Player, Mingming Tomongkol received the Fair Play Award and Calandria, played by Darío Musso was the Best Playing Pony.

The Thai Polo Open Final Teams:

Hanuman (10): Mingming Tomongkol (0), Darío Musso (5), Nicolás Pieroni (3) & Damián Marco (2)

Thai Polo (10): Caroline Link (0), Luciano Tatoni (0), Agustín García Grossi (7) & Juan Pedro Griou (3)

Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club

Druids Lodge Polo Club

On Sunday 12 February, Los Quirones won The Katie Tunn Trophy for 2023 and Rosina narrowly defeated Tchogan in the Subsidiary Final.

Congratulations to Xanthos, winners of The Data-IS Lismore Trophy on Sunday 29 January at Druids Lodge Polo Club.

Congratulations to the Tedworth Seriously Cool Events who defeated a tough Druids Lodge team 21-20 in the final chukka of the 10 Goal Play for a Cure tournament, which saw Jaz Stanhope-White chosen as the Most Valuable Player. The grass version of the Play for a Cure event will be held at Tedworth Park Polo Club on Sunday 10 September.

Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club

Ankora claimed The Sultan Bin Zayed Cup at Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club after defeating Abu Dhabi 7-4 in the Final on Sunday 5 February. Khalid Alomran was chosen as the Most Valuable Player and Aiti Garros’ Mano a Mano was named the Best Playing Pony.

The Sultan Bin Zayed Cup Final Teams:

Ankora: Salman Ben Haif, Aiti Garros, Khalid Alomran & Santos Iriarte

Abu Dhabi: Murat Ozgel, Faris Al Yabhouni, Martin Ordinas & Estanislao Abelenda

Hanuman players celebrating their win

Photograph by Thai Polo Equestrian Club/ Matias Callejo

Los Quirones, winners of The Katie Tunn Trophy

Photograph by RCBPC

Xanthos, winners of The Data-IS Lismore Trophy Tedworth Seriously Cool Events, winners of the 10 Goal Play for a Cure tournament

Photograph by Michael Berkeley Photography

Photograph by TPPC

Ankora, winners of The Sultan Bin Zayed Cup

Photograph by Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club

Santa Rita Polo Farm

The Limited Edition 12-Goal Series Final Teams: Wind Swept (12): Harrison Reicher (0), Rufino Merlos (1), Tincho Merlos (7) & Baldo Palomeque (4)

Oriflamme (12): Jason Crowder (5), Frankie Bilbao (4), Benn Shepherd (0) & Jason Warren (3)

The Metropolitan Cup Final Teams:

Orea Polo: Petra Sobotova, Finn Secunda, Justin Daniels & Matias Busquet

The Polo School: Meredith Lovegrove, Santos Bollini, Alex Webb, & Juan Bollini

On Tuesday 31 January, Loudmouth won its first-ever tournament at Santa Rita Polo Farm after defeating Dracarys 12-8 in The Aspen Valley Cup Final. Kris Kampsen was chosen as the Most Valuable Player and the Best Playing Pony was Fly Reina, owned and played by Dracarys’ Chetan Krishna.

On Monday 20 February, Aspen Valley Polo Club won The President’s Day Tackeria Cup and GJ Racing captured the 41st Avendano Memorial Trophy at Santa Rita Polo Farm. The President’s Day Tackeria Cup Final saw Aspen Valley Polo Club defeat ChukkerTV 4-2, with Joseph Schwartz receiving the Most Valuable Player Award, Joaquin Vilgre de Madrid the Sportsmanship Award and Jack Whitman’s horse Lavinia Brownie was the Red Barn/Purina Best Playing Pony. The Avendano Memorial Trophy Final saw GJ Racing defeat Santa Rita 4-1, with Fran Spinacci, who scored all four goals, chosen as the Most Valuable Player. Cruz Bilbao earned the Sportsmanship Award. Santos Teves’ horse Mariana was the Red Barn/Purina Best Playing Pony.

The President’s Day Tackeria Cup Final Teams:

Aspen Valley Polo Club: Robin Leitner, Sebastian Mandelbaum, Ramon Caro & Joseph Schwartz

ChukkerTV: Matteo Bilbao, Ava Nunes, Artemio Figueras & Daniel Arnold

The 41st Avendano Memorial Trophy Final Teams:

Wind Swept secured their first Limited Edition 12 Goal Series title at Santa Rita Polo Farm after six unanswered goals in the second half claimed them a 13-10 win against Oriflamme. Former 10 goal player, Tincho Merlos, was chosen as the Most Valuable Player and Pony Vicha, played by Rufino Merlos in the fifth chukka, was named Best Playing Pony.

Orea Polo defeated The Polo School on a windy day at Santa Rita Polo Farm in The Metropolitan Cup Final. Orea Polo had been defeated earlier in the tournament by The Polo School, so their 3-2 win on Final’s day avenged their previous loss. Matias Busquet scored the winning goal and was later named Most Valuable Player, whilst Orquideo, a 6-year-old homebred stallion (Orquidea x Chapa Aquario), played by Justin Daniels, was selected Best Playing Pony.

The Aspen Valley Cup Final Teams:

Loudmouth (8): Scott Sorbaro (-1), Nick Manifold (3), Kris Kampsen (6) & Michael Armour (0)

Dracarys (7): Chetan Krishna (-1), Joseph Schwartz (1), Leon Schwencke (3) & Brandon Phillips (4)

GJ Racing: Max Scott Barnes, PJ DeAngelis, Fran Spinacci & Santos Teves

Santa Rita: April Welker, Cruz Bilbao, Benjamin Obregon & Celestino Merlos

Wind Swept, winners of The Limited Edition 12-Goal Series

Orea Polo, winners of The Metropolitan Cup

Photography by Candace Ferreira

Loudmouth, winners of The Aspen Valley Cup

Photography by Candace Ferreira

Tackeria President’s Day Cup winners, Aspen Valley Polo Club

Avendano Memorial winners. GJ Racing

Al Habtoor Polo Club

Beaufort Polo Club

The first ever Panacor Cup was a week-long tournament hosted by Al Habtoor Polo Club and saw four teams compete in six matches.

Habtoor Polo and UAE Polo faced each other in the Final, which saw Habtoor Polo secure a 10-7½ victory. The award for Most Valuable Player was tied between Lucero Monteverde and Khalaf Habtoor, while the Best Playing Pony was named as Open Amsterdam, played by Mohammed Al Habtoor.

The Panacor Cup Final Teams: Habtoor Polo: Mohammed Al Habtoor, Santos Iriate, Khalaf Al Habtoor & Carlos Ulloa

UAE Polo: Lucero Carlitos Monteverde, Keyley Smith, Sheika Alia Al Maktoum & Lucas Monteverde Jr.

Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club

On Saturday 11 February, Ankora Lamar defeated UAE Polo, 6-5, in The EMAAR Cup Final, making it their second consecutive title in seven days having also won The Sultan Bin Zayed Cup, at Ghantoot, in Abu Dhabi.

The EMAAR Cup Final Teams:

Ankora Lamar (10): Rayyan Al Ajaji (0), Ricardo Garrós (5), Khalid Al Omran (0) & José Riglos (5)

UAE Polo (10): HH Sheikha Maitha (0), Clara Cassino (1), Juan Cruz Gallegos (3) & Lukin Monteverde (6)

The Club has confirmed its 2023 Gloucestershire Festival of Polo dates as 10 – 11 June. Tickets are yet to go on sale, but the weekend promises action-packed polo, captivating arena displays, the endless fun of a traditional funfair and a variety of retailers in the tented shopping village, so make sure to save the date.

Kirtlington Park Polo Club

With the countdown to the 2023 outdoor season well underway, Kirtlington Park Polo Club has announced its 2023 fixtures list at www.kirtlingtonparkpoloclub. co.uk with season highlights including The Budgett Everett Victor Ludorum 6 goal, The La Rosada Ladies WIP 12 goal as well as their One Day Tournaments to help beginner players develop their skills.

Photograph by AHPC

Habtoor Polo, winners of The Panacor Cup

The Gloucestershire Festival of Polo will be held over 10 – 11 June

University

Winter Nationals

Over 140 teams compete in biggest British indoor polo tournament

‘Gus’ Crewdson reports

On Thursday 9 February, Rugby Polo Club hosted the SUPA Winter Nationals. Over the next four days, universities from across the UK came together to compete in four divisions: Beginner, Median, Novice and Intermediate. With over 140 teams competing, The SUPA Winter Nationals is the biggest indoor polo tournament for universities in the country.

The competition was intense; teams of three on enthusiastic ponies, battling it out on the field in front of a packed crowd of vocal fans and players. This tournament

Augustus

Youth The SUPA University Winter Nationals

produced exhibitions of impressive horsemanship and polo, an electrifying experience that threatened to unseat as many spectators as players. Players were giving it their all; hats off to Oli Beyrich for getting back on after his nasty teleportation and make-out session with the nearest wall. For many, the tournament provided opportunities to try new ideas; Cambridge winning their ‘foot mallets’ using nearside backhands, a questionable but successful technique, raised eyebrows and laughs.

The mixture of enthusiasm and nerves was heady and with so many people gathered for one common purpose, new friendships were quickly formed. The days were blessed with some better than British weather and we saw some great goals, intense ride-offs and the odd tumble. As is traditional, the umpires were tortured by Nottingham’s Green and Gold chant –erupting fortissimo with every goal.

The themed players’ party brought everyone closer still, the dancefloor squashed with bananas in pyjamas, pirates and the Baywatch crew... the chukka bar filled with sleepy survivors nursing heads the next morning.

“Been playing long?” I asked a new friend. “I used to play water polo, but my horse drowned” he replied. And this calls to mind that SUPA does extremely well in catering to the varying abilities and experience of the different teams. For a sport whose public face is often exclusive and seemingly out of reach of all but the few, SUPA succeeds in developing grass roots polo for the next generation on a decidedly inclusive basis. Large crowds were on hand for every chukka, no matter the standard of play, the nerve to remount after gymnastic tumbles applauded as vigorously as the skill and verve of the experienced. For international students arriving to study at UK universities, polo can prove a great way of making new friends and of developing new skills and an enduring and challenging passion.

There were several new additions this tournament, not least the brilliant PoloPlay app. For anyone involved in SUPA activities who isn’t using it, it really is a game changer, streamlining the timetable of tournaments.

The tournament also witnessed the premier of The Game of Kings documentary, an intense and instructive look at the world of polo. Inter alia, the film follows the extraordinary fortunes of the underdog Spanish polo team Marques de Riscal and the Help for Heroes polo team, the latter providing real insight into areas of inclusivity and rehabilitation.

The SUPA Winter Nationals tournament was a huge success and would not have been possible without the hard work of Nigel Mercer, Luke Sandys-Renton, Caroline Grayson and their dedicated team. The support from RJ Polo, Black Hound and Emmpix.co.uk was unwavering and greatly appreciated by all attending.

The SUPA University Winter Nationals Results

Beginner 1

1st – Harper At Foal Throttle

2nd – Nottingham B1

3rd – Exeter Storm

Beginner 2

1st – Durham Dynamos

2nd – London Unicorns

3rd – LSE Ash Farm Angels

Beginner 3

1st – Nottingham B3 Gold

2nd – Warwick B3 Red

3rd – Saints B3

Beginner 4

1st – FearLeics B4

2nd – Saints B4

3rd – Durham Desperadoes

The Quatro Amigos Trophy

Top Beginner 1 Team –Harper At Foal Throttle

Median 1

1st – UCD M1

2nd – Brookes M1

3rd – FearLeics M1

Median 2

1st – Brookes M2

2nd – Show Me Your Luffs

3rd – Oxford M2

Novice 1

1st – London Daddies

2nd – Oxford N1 Anselm’s Angels

3rd – Cambridge Trot of Shame

Novice 2

1st – Warwick N2

2nd – London to Lahore

3rd – Nottingham Panthers

Novice 3 Red

1st – Cambridge Three’s A Crowd

2nd – Nottingham N3 Gold

3rd – Exeter Vodka

Novice 3 Blue

1st – Durham Dragons

2nd – Harper Hot To Trot

3rd – Saints N3

Novice 4

1st – Nottingham N4

2nd – Brookes N4

3rd – Manchester Mares

Most Valuable Player Indoor Zoe Teagan (UCD)

Record Breaking Final’s Day

Most Valuable Player Outdoor Lottie Prosser-Wrench

The Paul Sweeney Memorial was founded by Lesley, Charlotte and Georgia Sweeney in memory of Paul Sweeney after his unexpected death in 2009 at just 48-years-old in order to keep his spirit and legacy alive. Each year, the tournament attracts a number of players and spectators, gathering at Ash Farm Polo Club to cheer on the finalists. This year saw a record number of teams and after a two-year postponement due to Covid-19, the grandstands were packed. Twelve Oaks managed to stave off a last-minute attempt by Rosina to claim the title and took a 14-12 victory.

Intermediate 1

1st – Regent’s I1

2nd – The EIC

3rd – Exeter Happy

Intermediate 2

1st – London Underground

2nd – Inter the Luff 3rd – Durham’s Dazzling Dodos

The Betz Trophy The Best University Team – London Underground

Combined 1

1st – Where’s My Horses

2nd – RAU Gold

3rd – Combined Chaos

Combined 2

1st – Los Chupacabres

2nd – Winchester Mother Chukkas

3rd – Nottingham/Harper

Combined 3

1st – Bournemouth Leopards

2nd – Warwick/ Birmingham

3rd – Cardiff/Ports/Surrey

2nd – Birmingham / Edinburgh

Paul Sweeney Memorial Final; Ash Farm Polo Club; Sunday 20 February

Photography by Antonia Bullrich

Rhett Wooldridge

Olivia Whittle & Lisa Knight

Harry Applegate, Anton Nymans, Charlie Graham, Issy Litvak & Issy Langrish

Georgia Sweeney & Gemma Byrne

Frankie & Alex Antony

Pete & George Woodward

Bridie Courtney Morgan

Charlie Simpson & Jade Louise Wheeler Sandy & Mike Warren, Ross Byrne

Sophie Morrison

Mary Kelly

Issy Litvak & Libby Connaughton

Jemima Wilson & Graham Wooldridge

Sunday 5 February started with beautiful blue skies and a crisp feel to the air. The day saw the return of the SUPA Junior National Arena Polo Championships, this year held at the stunning new venue of the Oxford Polo Academy Arena. For the second time running the SUPA Tournament Committee had to cap entries before the published close of entry date.

23 teams representing over 13 schools were present. There was plenty of enthusiasm shown during the 37 chukkas. Play started promptly at 9.30am flowing smoothly throughout the day.

A fantastic addition to the day was the new PlayPolo app available for all involved to

SUPA’s New App by Luke Sandys-Renton

“After being tested at the University Challenge tournament in November, a brand new interactive tournament information app was unveiled for the first time at a SUPA Schools event. This revolutionary innovation utilises SUPA’s very own bespoke automated tournament system, built by SUPA, which is hosted on the PlayPolo app platform. This enabled spectators and team managers both at the event, or indeed anywhere in the world (including one parent on the beach in Barbados) to check the

download and use throughout the play. This app gives interactive tournament information enabling spectators, team managers and horse hirers at the event or anywhere in the world the access to check the current chukka number, scores, and team progress. The results were also available immediately after the prize giving. A fantastic new asset at SUPA tournaments.

Wow, what a day filled with fantastic polo! These young players of 8 to 13-yearsold are truly the future of the sport and it’s exciting to see their talent and passion shine through and great to know that the future of polo is in good hands! Congratulations go out to all teams.

current chukka number or scores and team progress throughout the day virtually via their smartphone. Especially the ability to check current chukka numbers allows for team managers, parents and horse hirers to ensure that both players and horses are ready for their matches and avoids the lastminute scramble or delays waiting on teams to be ready.

“Historically, SUPA events have been known to prescribe to ‘polo time’, due to the complications of intensive days packed full of back-to-back chukkas and hundreds of players and horses. However, this stride

forward for SUPA has proven to be an overwhelming success and has ensured that the event ran more efficiently than ever before, running ahead of time, finishing over half an hour early. Equally, after prize giving had finished, the Roll of Honour was able to be circulated instantaneously on the app for all spectators to view on their journey home.

“We are incredibly excited for the app to become a core part of all future SUPA fixtures, and would highly recommend that all of our SUPA members and supporters connect with the SUPA platform by downloading the PlayPolo app now.”

Gill Glimmerveen reports

Intermediate winners, Cothill Maroon

37 chukkas were played over the course of the day

Photography by Melissa Bastin/poloimagesphotography

The SUPA Junior National Arena Polo Championships Results

Oxford Polo’s Arena Club

The inaugural Sky Wave Gin Ladies Tournament provided a fun weekend of ladies’ polo over the weekend of 28 – 29 January, with Team Sky Wave taking the win after a close comeback from La Querceta in the Final. The Most Valuable Player prize was awarded to Rosanna Turk and the Best Playing Pony was chosen as Maleva, played by Turk. Sarah Heseltine commented, “We were thrilled to see some of our ladies play their first tournament and the level really stepped up especially for those who only started playing in November.”

The Sky Wave Gin Ladies Tournament Final Teams:

Sky Wave: Charlotte Earnshaw, Katy Hayward & Rosanna Turk

La Querceta: Katie MacKeith, Clare Ashby & Sarah Heseltine

2023 Draft Victrix Ludorum Dates

Black Bears: 20 June – 2 July

Knepp Castle: 5 – 9 July

Cowdray Park Polo Club: 10 – 22 July

Cirencester Park Polo Club: 25 July – 5 August

The Hurlingham Polo Association has announced its draft 2023 Victrix Ludorum dates, which will see seven tournaments played over the course of the summer from June to September:

Beaufort Polo Club: 31 July – 10

August

Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club: 14 – 20 August

Guards Polo Club: 22 August – 2

September

The Mystery Creek Women’s Tournament 2023

Over the weekend 18 – 19 February, 12 teams over three handicap levels (low, medium and high) competed in Mystery Creek Polo Club’s Women’s Tournament 2023, in New Zealand. Semco/B Media won the high goal level, Kaipaki secured the medium goal title and Kihikihi won the low goal. The individual prizes were awarded to:

High Goal Most Valuable Player:

Eli Trahorsh

Tournament Most Valuable Player:

Lottie Lamacraft

High Goal Best Playing Pony: Heidi, owned by Nina Clarkin

Medium Goal Most Valuable Player:

Estee Browne

Low Goal Best Playing Pony: Versace, played by Hannah Parry Jones and owned by Paul Kay

Low Goal Most Valuable Player: Hannah Parry-Jones

The Mystery Creek Women’s Tournament 2023 Winning Teams: Semco/B Media (15): Eli Trahorsh (1), Emma Semenoff (2), Brydie Canham (2) & Nina Clarkin (10)

Kaipaki (8): Eli Trahorsh (1), Ann-Marie Cavanagh (1), Jaz Rosing (0) & Lottie Lamacraft (6)

Kihikihi (3): Harriet Eamer (0), Ella Palmer (0), Helena Hudson (0) & Hannah Parry-Jones (3)

Photograph by Oxford Polo’s Arena Club

The Sky Wave Gin Ladies Tournament Final Teams

Photograph by

Semper Anticus were the winners of the 2022 Victrix Ludorum series

Kaipaki, winners of The Mystery Creek Women’s Tournament 2023 Medium Goal

Photograph by Mystery Creek Polo Club

Kihikihi, winners of The Mystery Creek Women’s Tournament 2023 Low Goal

Semco/B Media, winners of The Mystery Creek Women’s Tournament 2023 High Goal

Pony Power

Cicatriz

Height: 15.2hh

Age: 11-years-old

Colour: Bay

Sex: Gelding

Owned and played by: Owned by Spencer McCarthy and played by Max Charlton Tournament: The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz Final

Where is he from/breeding? Cicatriz is an Argentine Thoroughbred.

How long have you had him? I’ve had him for three years.

What are his strengths? Strength. He has a lot of power, speed and holds his ground. He is very easy and quiet, is a pleasure to play and always gives a lot of confidence. He is an all-round horse.

How has he gone this season? This season, he was in my top three horses if not my number one. He does come out twice in tight matches.

Has he won any other Best Playing Pony Awards? He hasn’t won Best Playing Pony

before, so it is very rewarding for my grooms.

What are your plans for him in the future? Plans for this year are that he will remain in my string and be part of the Emlor family, winning trophies. He is a truly fantastic horse and we have had one of the greatest 10 goalers wanting to try him, but he’s mine.

Does he have any special quirks? He loves carrots and Polo mints.

Suicide is the leading cause of death in men under 50 in the UK. Our mission at James’ Place is to stop men dying by suicide.

James' Place was founded by Clare Milford Haven and Nick Wentworth-Stanley following the tragic loss of their son, James Wentworth-Stanley, aged 21.

James’ Place is a place where men in suicidal crisis can access support, advice and help. Our centres in Liverpool and London provide a safe, therapeutic environment in which men are cared for, respected, and treated by professional therapists. Since we started delivering our intervention in August 2018, we have seen over 1,100 men in crisis.

We now need to expand our service to provide our life-saving, unique intervention nationally, treating 2000 men per year, by opening three further centres in England.

If you would like to help us in this aim and you are able to make a donation, please visit https://www.jamesplace.org.uk/get-involved/donate/ or contact amy.swart@jamesplace.org.uk to learn more about the impact that you could make.

www.jamesplace.org.uk

Dr.med. Andreas Krüger is a Swiss board orthopaedic and trauma surgeon in Zurich, who specialises in knee and shoulder surgery. Andi is a second generation of tournament doctors for equine sports, known as Polodoc since 2013

Painful Foot Injury

Laser – The new kid on the block

The foot of the polo player in polo is very important as an anchor and link to the saddle and consequently to the horse. With the high levels of loading while riding, massive amounts of force runs through the foot and already small injuries can be very painful. Most foot injuries are a result of twisting or slipping. Due to the limited space in polo boots the use of auxiliary stabilisers is problematic. Initial correct diagnostics and treatment is crucial for a fast and safe return to sport.

Foot Anatomy

Most structures in the foot are fairly superficial and the cushioning through subcutaneous tissue as muscle and fat is minimal. The foot is divided in hindfoot, midfoot and the forefoot. The midfoot is the most used in polo due its contact with the stirrup. The foot is principally comprised of 28 bones. Where two bones meet a joint is formed – often supported by strong ligaments.

Most important bones in the midfoot

The midfoot (navicular, cuneiforms, and cuboid tarsal bones) meets the metatarsals at the tarsometatarsal joint, also known as the Lisfranc joint complex.

Cuboid

The cuboid bone is a square-shaped bone on the lateral aspect of the foot. The main joint formed with the cuboid is the calcaneocuboid joint, where the distal aspect of the calcaneus articulates with the cuboid.

Cuneiform bones

Here are three cuneiform bones in the foot: the medial, medial (intermediate), and lateral cuneiforms. These bones, along with the strong plantar and dorsal ligaments that connect to them, provide a good deal of stability for the foot.

Mechanism of Injury

Most injuries are as a result of twisting and turning. Even hyperextension or hyperflexion may have an impact to the joint line. During these impacts, the stabilisers as the ligaments and the joint capsule are stressed. With ongoing load, either these structures brake or the bone itself fails. Even low impact may result in swelling and painful restriction in full weight bearing.

Diagnostics

Initial clinical examination is essential. When swelling, hematoma or instability / deformity is present in combination with limited weight bearing, further examinations are indicated. Conventional (standing) X-rays are a good baseline diagnostic tool to detect dislocation and displaced fractures. Further details can be pictured with CT (Computer Tomography) where the bones and joints can be assessed by slices from different layers and angles.

Treatment

Timing is crucial. Fast initial diagnostics and treatment creates a quicker recovery. When the injury happens hematoma and soft tissue swelling always occurs. Direct compression and cold therapy are beneficial in minimising the disabling swelling. Local myofascial taping can help to reduce swelling and increase lymph drainage. Adequate adaptions on the boots may be needed.

The regions of the foot

Photography courtesy of Polodoc

Cuneiform bones

Braces like carbon insoles can minimize the joint movement and equalize the load to all other areas so that the injured region is less charged. When a decision towards the treatment regime is taken also new techniques such as laser treatment could help to minimise pain and improve the healing process.

For more information on Polodoc contact Andreas Krüger at drmedkrueger@gmail.com or www.polodoc.ch

Laser treatment can help to minimise pain and improve the healing process

Fast initial diagnostics and treatment creates a quicker recovery

Carbon insoles act as a brace and can minimise the joint movement

Carbon insole inside a polo boot

Travelling Long & Short Distances

The benefits of correct food & hydration

of ‘walking’ before, and after, playing! The energy expended will also be determined by temperament, as a stressful traveller will use a lot more energy than our relaxed individual. The longer distances can take their toll, but a lot of frequent, shorter journeys to and from polo during the hot summer months can be taxing too.

Considering energy expenditure, sweating and stress, we really need to take into account these key points, for long and short distance journeys.

Feeding

Although a lot of people are changing their mindset on forage, some still don’t quite appreciate its importance in general gut health, the opportunity for the molar teeth to grind together to produce saliva to help buffer stomach acid, but also its contribution towards energy. Unfortunately, the general practise for polo ponies is to not feed forage the morning before they play, but if we take into consideration the time for ponies to be groomed, travel to polo, arrive at the grounds, tacked up, the duration of the game and travel time home, our ponies have probably not eaten for at least six hours or more.

I have been chatting to grooms recently about travelling horses, from all disciplines. It takes me back to when I was a groom and travelled across Europe with event horses and from Florida to Saratoga (in up state New York) with polo ponies. It’s a massive responsibility and it can be quite stressful to ensure they travel well, remain hydrated, eat well, and of course arrive fit and well –often to have a couple of days rest and then compete or play.

One point we always seem to overlook is the amount of energy horses expend

whilst travelling. The notion that they ‘just stand there’ is not quite so. Research carried out on racehorses suggested that travelling 300km induced similar metabolic changes to that of cantering 1,500m – so for those ponies travelling long distances, and regularly, these factors must be considered for recovery time, energy levels and performance. Another study found that they use as much energy for balancing and bracing themselves during travel as they would walking. So, doing a two hour journey from Cirencester to Guards involves a lot

For short journeys, allow hay before they travel and play and provide a feed of chaff or beet once they arrive at polo. Some grooms will repeat the chaff and beet, others even provide a small feed whilst they rest and recover before being loaded again to travel home, when a hay net is provided. This all helps reduce the time away from forage, replenishing energy stores and assisting with recovery.

Giving a chaff with water or some beet pulp before and/or after playing is an ideal opportunity to administer electrolytes –perfect! The obsession with some to load and travel horses so quickly after playing is really unfair and doesn’t allow time for horses to cool down before traveling again – allowing some time before loading again helps with better recovery and ready to play again the next day.

Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist

Photography courtesy of Lorna Edgar

Hay nets should be offered on the journey home

For longer journeys forage is a must. Rather than using hay nets, feeding it on the floor is ideal to allow the opportunity for the head to be down and reducing the amount of dust, bacteria and mucus building up in the respiratory tract. When speaking to Oxford Polo and Richard Coates about travelling horses long distances, they feed forage off the floor for these reasons.

I appreciate it is not always possible to provide hard feed when horses are travelling in big lorries but, if it is possible, and definitely at stop over points, a bare minimum of a couple of mugs of balancer, with electrolytes, and a scoop or two of sloppy beet pulp is ideal – providing a wet pulp to reduce the risk of impaction colic from not drinking enough water, giving electrolytes to replace those lost in sweating, and some balancer to provide some nutrients to support the effort they are expending.

If possible, feeding a low starch feed, such as Ease & Excel Cubes or mix, will provide more calories than the balancer, so would be ideal for those that don’t hold their condition so well, but is safe to feed as the low starch will not increase the risks of tying up, colic etc.

When planning a long trip abroad, to Spain or St. Moritz, for example, we might have to increase the feed a couple of weeks before, particularly for those that don’t hold their condition so well. I would also encourage using pre/probiotics before, during and after the journey to help maintain condition – please see below.

Alternatively, those horses doing a lot of travelling during the polo season may need an increase of calories in the diet to ensure those energy levels are being met and condition is maintained during those busier periods.

The Effects of Stress on Gut Health

The stress of travelling can take its toll, particularly on nervous or anxious individuals who don’t eat well, or those whose droppings become lose. Trying to maintain good gut health during these times can be helped with access to plenty of forage, but to assist with the stability of the beneficial bacteria in the hind gut that is responsible for fibre digestion, consider using a pre and probiotic supplement. I have had great success in using products such as Protexin® Gut Balancer or Science Supplements Gut Balancer, for instance.

Watering & Electrolytes

One of the most important effects of travelling is the increased loss of fluids. Studies have shown that horses can lose approximately

0.5 per cent of their bodyweight every hour they travel (approximately 2.5kgs in a 500kg horse). The majority of the fluids lost are through sweat, though naturally in hotter conditions these losses are greater.

Many horses won’t drink when away or travelling, but we MUST encourage them and keep offering it – let them have a bucket in front of them in the lines if possible. To try to encourage drinking; take water containers of your own water to polo and mix with water available at the grounds, adding beet pulp water or flavouring such as apple juice or Ribena – anything to try and keep them hydrated! They can have water right up to the moment they travel or 20 minutes before they play and before being loaded again. The body is 75 per cent water, so let’s keep it topped up so we enhance performance!

During longer journeys there will be planned stops, during this time water must be offered, with electrolytes in water offered as well if possible. It’s worth being prepared for those fussy individuals with a few of the aforementioned tricks up your sleeve to help entice drinking!

Electrolytes are essential, and for the hours they spend travelling, particularly in the hot weather, the body salts lost in sweat really do need to be replaced.

To summarise, forward planning for those long and short distance journeys will pay off in how your horses recover and cope, particularly in the hot weather, by adopting the suggestions above.

I must also thank David Ashby of Oxford Polo and Richard Coates for contributing photographs – very much appreciated, thank you.

Safe travels all!

Contact Lorna Edgar of Baileys Horse Feeds on lorna@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

Eating feed from a bucket in the lorry

Oxford Polo follow Lorna’s travelling feed suggestions

Oxford Polo offer feed on the floor to allow the opportunity for the head to be down

Emma K Sheridan specialises in equine photography and equine therapies. Having qualified in Equine Integrative Support Therapies with EMA Ltd in 2019 and taking numerous CPDs to further widen her equine therapy knowledge, Emma has a wealth of knowledge which she will be sharing with Polo Times readers in a series of articles, covering topics such as Equine Integrative Support Therapies and Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy)

Equine Botanical Choices

What is it?

In very brief terms, ‘zoo’ (animal), ‘pharmaco’ (remedy), ‘gnosy’ (knowing). It is the offering (NOT feeding) of various compounds (within usage guidelines) to allow the horse to select what it would like to choose during a session, through free choice, to hopefully initiate an improvement in health (be that physical or emotional). The compounds offered might include: herbs, minerals and powders, hydrosols, absolutes, CO2 extracted compounds, macerates and essential oils.

What is the Role of the Therapist?

I view my role as being a bridge between the natural world and a manmade environment. In the wild, horses would cover long distances each day and would have had access to a wide range of plants, be that grasses, herbs, shrubs and even trees, as well as access to natural mineral sources such as areas used as ‘salt licks’. In most modern manmade environments, the horse is very restricted in the variety of plants they have free access to. For example, today’s paddocks are often made up of predominantly specific grass species within a fenced area, meaning both grazing and other forage provisions such as hay are edging

Explaining Zoopharmacognosy

ever more towards a monoculture rather than a biodiverse provision, therefore highlighting the vast gap between an ‘optimal’ and a ‘manmade’ equine environment.

Wellness and Self-selection

In the wild, various species of animals are reported to have been seen to appear to be ‘self-medicating’ when they have a specific illness or health condition, or even just to give their health a general boost. There are numerous examples of these in various literature and documentaries. Not only might they select different plants if given the choice, but they might also select different parts of plants depending on the properties of those parts, such as roots, flowers, leaves, bark etc. It is believed that the horse too has the ability to ‘self-medicate’, or rather for Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy) sessions we could say, self-select different botanical choices in an amount they decide appropriate to help improve current wellbeing.

Have you or your groom noticed your horse(s) selecting different plants available, possibly on verges or in hedgerows whilst out hacking, maybe varying at different times of year, for example nettles, or dandelions, or rosehips even, which at some points

they might leave alone and other times they select a portion? As seasons change, horses’ needs also change, such as during times of coat growth or coat shedding which might place additional stresses or detox requirements upon the body.

Why Might a Horse Select Different Plants or Compounds in Relation to Health?

In very basic and summarised terms, plants contain metabolites. Primary metabolites are things such as carbohydrates or lipids, they are required for life and healthy functioning of the plant. Primary metabolites also have nutritious value when plants are consumed by animals, these are of interest to an Equine Nutritionist. And of interest to the horse with regards their daily nutrition. Plants also produce secondary metabolites, these are what are most of interest in relation to Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy). Secondary metabolites might have functions to the plant such as repelling insects that would otherwise eat the plant, for example (there are many different secondary metabolites and huge varieties of benefits they may have to the plant). It could almost be said that at times they act a bit like the plant’s immune system. Some plants’ secondary metabolites have been shown to possess various therapeutic properties for humans and animals, such as being antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or antispasmodic to name only a few. There are various classes of secondary metabolites and each may have differing therapeutic properties. The basic thinking behind Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy) is that the horse will select offerings based on their current health requirements (or relating to their priority issue) at that specific time.

How might the horse select the Compounds?

Depending on the horse’s needs and the compound offered, and also depending on

Zoopharmacognosy is the offering (NOT feeding) of various compounds

Photography by Samuel David Ellis

the usage guidelines for each compound (some can only be offered and selected in certain ways), a horse may select and/ or request the botanical offerings in a number of ways, including via ingestion (orally), sublingually (under the tongue), via olfaction (inhalation/smell), or via topical application (external).

What are some of the categories of presenting issues that an Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy) session might be requested for?

- General overall wellbeing

- Musculoskeletal issues

- Behavioural/emotional issues

- Digestive issues

- Respiratory issues

- Skin issues

- Lymphatic issues

But My Horse is ‘Happy and Healthy’, I Hear You Say…

And I hope that to be true, that’s the goal! And not just in good health, but in optimal health.

What we need to remember is that horses are designed by nature to hide weaknesses (as a prey animal, the revealing of weakness makes them a clear target to predators). Horses can be incredible at masking underlying health issues, be that a subtle lameness or low level illness, until they reach such a level that they can no longer mask and clear symptoms show. Obviously, there are variations to this, an acute injury through accident is very different to a chronic underlying condition that gradually worsens over time. Also, just like humans, horses can experience ‘trauma’ (in the

physical sense, but also in the emotional sense) and stress which can also impact their emotional, and ultimately physical, well-being. We must always consider the WHOLE horse, hence the importance of a horse having a good team of professionals around them – vet, osteopath, massage therapist, farrier, saddle fitter, bit fitter, nutritionist, equine botanical choices (Zoopharmacognosy) practitioner, experienced groom/owner etc – to help achieve and maintain ‘optimum health’.

Human Use of Botanicals – A Forgotten Art?

The history of the use of plants and herbs to help treat disorders goes back centuries, for example the use within Chinese medicine, Shamanism, or Ayurveda. It is certainly not a new practice, its roots lay in ancient times long before the development of pharmaceuticals. Many pharmaceuticals were actually developed based on known benefits within plants, aspirin being one commonly known example. The major difference between the general use of botanicals by humans and the use of botanicals during an Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy) session is that the horse chooses which offerings, and in what amount, it would like to select so the human is not ‘feeding’ the horse what they believe to be correct. This also makes it very different to the use of ‘supplements’ in the equine diet.

Still Skeptical? So Was I!

Even though whilst in previous jobs I’d witnessed different horses select different plants at different times whilst grazing in a herd, and even after doing all the theory work as part of my qualification, I still wanted to ‘witness results’ first hand before accepting what I had learned. Amazingly, even during my case studies whilst still studying I was given that opportunity, I was stunned by some of the positive outcomes.

To be continued – future articles will cover what a session involves, case study examples, and more.

All the Above Said…

As always, in all circumstances of health issues with your horse, first and foremost consult your vet! Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy) is a type of ‘alternative therapy’, it is absolutely NOT a substitute for veterinary care and pharmaceuticals.

The information in this article does not intend to diagnose or prescribe. Any advice or information given within the article is done so in good faith but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. The article is written based on UK practices. The laws in other countries with regards the practice of Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy) may vary –always seek legal advice in relation to the practice relevant to your country.

I would of course strongly recommend that if you are interested in Equine Botanical Choices (Zoopharmacognosy) for your horse that you contact a qualified practitioner, or even undertake studies yourself in the therapy. I trained with the Academy of Integrative Animal Therapies (AIAT) – www.academy-iat.com

Disclaimer

I trained with Equine Massage Academy Ltd – www. equinemassageacademy.com

Email: equergy@gmail.com @equergy

Plants also produce secondary metabolites, these are what are most of interest in relation to Equine Botanical Choices

The horse will select offerings based on their current health requirements (or relating to their priority issue) at that specific time

Playing tips with Rege Ludwig Analogies & Concepts

Three key theories for ultimate horse control

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

Within the process of my teaching efforts

I use analogies and concepts to have the point I am trying to make come across more clearly.

Joystick Affect

I would like for you think of your body (head to toe) as a joystick; similar to that used to control a car on a screen. From that perspective, if you want the car to go faster, you would move the joystick forward. Likewise, if you want the car to go right, you would move the joystick right.

To control the movement of the horse from on top of the horse, leaning your joystick body forward and down, which should move your rein hand correspondingly. That, in turn, will be releasing pressure on the horse’s mouth indicating to the horse, move forward.

At the same time, that your upper body is leaning forward and down, your upper legs are pushing forward and down into the horse’s shoulders, which, in affect, is pushing the horse forward,

At the same time that your upper legs are pushing the horse forward, your lower legs should be moving back and up along the horse’s sides to be serving as a counter balancing mechanism to your upper body moving forward and down. Your lower legs additionally moving back and up along the horse’s sides are energizing the horse’s hindquarters indicating to the horse, to move forward at a faster rate of speed, i.e., accelerate.

Relative to moving the horse right or left, lean your joystick upper body in the direction you want the horse to go. At the same time, allow your rein hand to move correspondingly.

At the time you are leaning left or right, your opposite upper leg is pressing more strongly onto the horse’s shoulder to effectively be pushing, or pulling the horse in the direction you are leaning. Those movements of your body represent the Joystick effect of controlling the polo horse.

Six Eye Theory

The six eyes theory is intended to have you imagine having the two real eyes in your head, plus two imaginary eyes in your chest (one on either side of your sternum), and two more imaginary eyes between the fingers of your rein hand, left hand.

If you want the horse to turn, look with all six eyes, at the same time, with the same degree of intensity, in the exact direction you want the horse to go.

When you do, you will be using the whole of your body to communicate to the horse, “turn to where I am looking.”, I must reiterate that even though it is not easily accomplished, the eyes in your rein hand “MUST” turn at the same time, with the same degree of intensity as the eyes in your chest and head are turning. If you do not

look at the same spot at same time, with the same degree of intensity with all six eyes, the message to the horse is incomplete, and could be confusing to the horse.

The Six Eyes method of using the whole of your body to communicate to the horse to turn works so much more effectively for the horse; therefore, for you, than does moving your rein hand alone to indicate the same message. It is indeed, most unfortunate that more often than not, the polo horse is asked to turn by way of the rein hand alone requesting the turn.

Experiment as follows, while standing on the ground, practice turning to look with all six eyes, at the same time, at a particular spot to your right. Within that process notice how your body moves when looking with all six eyes at the same time. Then pick a spot to your left to look at with all six eyes at the same time, Again, notice how your body moves to accomplish looking left with all six eyes. Pay particularly close attention to your upper leg movement.

Now imagine an animated polo horse being between your legs as you are looking right and then left; also, imagine there are reins in your rein hand; i.e., left hand, and how the movement of your joystick body would affect an animated polo horse.

More often than not, looking with all six eyes at the same time with the same degree

Six Eyes Theory

of intensity, is all an animated polo horse needs to get the message to turn where you are looking.

Bolt Through Knees Theory

The Bolt Through Knees concept is to have you realize how your movement on the horse’s back affects the horse.

Acelerate: If you were to lean your upper body forward and down, your upper legs are pushing forward and down onto the imaginary bolt going through your knees and the horse’s shoulders, which is an indication to the horse to move forward, i.e., accelerate.

Playing Tips

Decelerate: If you were to lean your upper body up and back, you are affectively lifting the horse’s front end, while lowering its hind end, both affects are an indication to the horse to decelerate.

Change Direction of Travel

If you were to lean your joystick body right, you are affectively pushing down on the right side of the bolt, while lifting the left side. In affect, you are tipping the horse to the right causing it to change direction to the right. Similarly, if were you to lean left, the horse would change its direction of travel to be moving left.

Upper legs pushing forward and down into horse’s shoulders to accelerate

Bolt Through Knees

Decelerate Position – (Knees lift)

Lean and look to change direction of Travel

Understanding what it takes to overcome fear and self-doubt has been at the root of Paul ‘Stalkie’ Stalker’s personal transformation. He has proven experience of working with Polo Teams, Patrons and individual players for the past 2 years achieving outstanding results. With individual clients, Stalkie’s aim is to untap, nurture and focus their passion and potential on becoming the best versions of themselves in all aspects of their lives, whatever their starting point

Power of Mindset Gains

How Mindset Gains Trump Marginal Gains in Polo

Organisational gains can be found and effectively installed into a team’s daily routines and rhythms

Like most elite sports, marginal gains can mean the difference between success and failure in polo.

Marginal gains, an approach to performance improvement, first came to prominence during the London 2012 Olympics when Team GB cycling won a record eight gold medals. Here’s how Dave Brailsford, British Cycling Performance Director explains marginal gains, “The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike, and then improved it by 1 percent, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together”.

Brailsford introduced small improvements in a number of different team aspects, such as: Bringing Formula 1 motor racing design technology (computational fluid dynamics, carbon fibre) into the design of the bike’s frame, wheel and components; breathable, aerodynamic kit for riders to race in; personalised mattresses and pillows to take on tour with them, and tailored diets.

Brailsford also brought the concept to Team Sky Pro Cycling, which resulted in second place in the 2012 Tour de France team competition, and victory for Sir Bradley Wiggins – the first ever Britain to win this iconic race.

F1 is a sport dominated particularly by marginal tech gains. This is because the regulations on the specification of Grand Prix cars allows a team to gain performance advantages for their drivers. This has led

to the use of energy transfer systems, revolutionised down-force and also telemetry (the collection of real-time data from a car as it is driven).

An early adopter of marginal gains (which he termed ‘critical non-essentials’) was Sir Clive Woodward who introduced them to develop England into the Rugby World Cup winning team of 2003.

Sir Clive’s margins included skin-tight kits to make it harder for tacklers to grab a handful of his players’ shirts, individual recovery programmes for each squad member and training sessions scheduled to mirror the exact times that the tournament matches would be played.

Sir Clive’s “100 things 1 percent better” strategy involved revamping the England dressing rooms to include position-specific booths that featured the names of all the players who had worn the shirt before them, together with messages from loved ones and supporters. This connected each player with their heritage and their fans.

The England training base at Surrey’s Pennyhill Park also had a multi-millionpound, purpose-built 3G pitch and hightech gym installed – things that are now commonplace in most elite sport set-ups but were a rarity in Rugby Union at that time.

When it comes to my polo coaching, I’m a buyer of the marginal gain concept. One of the first things I discover when working with a team or an individual player is where such gains can be made. We start at the

beginning when a player first arrives in the camp and finish with the time the player heads home after each training session and match.

Many organisational gains can be found and effectively installed into the team’s daily routines and rhythms, including personalised diet, nutrition and hydration programmes, turning up early for each game and using downtime to create good vibes and team unity, guided PT warm-ups and every player contributing to the logistics of a well-run camp.

We also assess the tools of the trade such as kit and equipment and, of course, any improvements that can be made in schooling the technical and trust connection between player and horse.

However, in my experience, marginal gains will only have a high velocity impact on performance if your players are ‘intrinsically’ motivated, which means having the mindset and growth mentality to want to be the best player and teammate they can possibly be.

For these players, ‘extrinsic’ motivation – just playing for financial rewards, bonuses, gifts, ego-massaging, fame or to avoid punishment – is NOT their psychological driver. Intrinsically motivated players play polo because they LOVE it. It gives them value, meaning and purpose. It satisfies their basic human need to realise their potential, to ‘self-actualise’.

According to David Brailsford, marginal gains only add up if you “Firstly have a

team with skills and motivation to succeed”. Bradley Wiggins sums it up as, “the 5 percent on top isn’t going to make you win the bike race if you don’t have the other 95 percent underneath”.

In F1, McLaren, Ferrari, Williams and Mercedes’ success wouldn’t have been possible without the mental resilience of Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton and Vettel.

And I doubt whether Sir Clive’s T-CUP mantra (Thinking Clearly Under Pressure) would have been realised without a core of players that truly advocated it, such as Captain Martin ‘Jonno’ Johnson (who endorsed my first You Can RAISE Your Game mindset programme), Jonny Wilkinson, Dallaglio, Robinson and co.

In my current RAISE Your Polo Game programme, I coach over 100 mindset gains across nine key themes: far too many to cover here, but here’s a top-line selection that have brought tangible gains to my polo teams in the UK, Europe and US over the last two seasons.

• Turning Fear into Polo Power

According to US Polo international and 2022 FIP World Cup Championship silver medallist Agustin Arellano, who I have just visited in Florida, “fear is one of the greatest problems in a polo career”.

This is where we learn tools to overcome and deal with any fearful moods and behaviours you associate with polo and to motivate yourself to focus on fear as a positive driver to improve your game.

• An Attitude of Gratitude for Polo

What you focus on you feel. Displace negative thinking with positive thinking and you’ll trigger the neurotransmitters and neurochemicals which promote greater health, happiness, empathy, resilience and self-esteem in players.

• Take Your Polo Power Back

I covered this in some detail in last month’s Polo Times column. In a nutshell, this is how to remove blame from your game, to choose your response in any on or off-field situation, by reframing your thoughts to conquer all obstacles.

• Let the Real Polo Player in You Shine Through

How to discover your true purpose and values and behave authentically in line with them, giving you direction and selfaccountability in your polo game and career.

• Ignite Your Polo Self-Belief

How to stack up your polo self-belief using tools such as self-talk, visualisation and living ‘in the now’. This is something that Sarina Wiegman, the inspiring manager of England’s football Lionesses (brilliant winners of Euro 2021 and currently unbeaten since she took the job in 2021) deliberately embeds into her players, “We’re in the now. Everyone’s just for the here and the now, focused on the game, and everyone is in great spirits. We just want to keep building our confidence and performing for the fans” – Millie Bright, England’s captain.

• Why Do Polo Players Do That?

How to identify and prioritise your basic polo needs and vehicles, how to meet them positively and achieve balance and peak performance. This is nicely summed up by Lewis Hamilton, “The way I drive, the way I handle a car is an expression of my inner feelings. I believe I have the best job in the world”.

• Be a Polo Influencer

Learn a host of game-changing rapportbuilding, verbal and body language tips for rich and effective real-life communication and relationships.

• Praise Your Polo Game Now!

You’ll never get your time in polo back. Learn and apply the proven psychological tools of playing polo to your strengths, managing your weaknesses, looking for the good, catching yourself doing things right and celebrating success.

A team full of happy, focused players, loving life and enjoying each other’s company, will be a productive team rather than burning up belief, time and energy in things they don’t enjoy and are not good at.

• Raising Your Health and Vitality

Learn how to modify your self-care, diet, hydration and exercise routine to optimise your polo mindset and physical health. My message here is simple. Pursuing marginal gains should absolutely be on the agenda for any polo patron, coach or player. These may be tech lead or data driven, such as gathering insights into physical performance through GPS tracking, smart saddles and drones. These can be organisational or facilities driven.

But if you want to guarantee soaring margins, put MINDSET gains at the core of your activity.

Join Stalkie’s Free Webinar: Raising Your Polo Game Stalkie will be sharing three of the top tips that have supported two of the teams he’s worked with this season, achieve new heights. Register by emailing polotimes@rygp.co.uk with your name, contact phone number and team name. Please follow the QR code to see a short Introduction video clip

Grand Opening Party; 17 December 2023; Rhone Hill Polo Club

South African Soirée

Situated on the outskirts of Plettenberg Bay on South Africa’s stunning Garden Route, Rhone Hill Polo Club hosted over 250 guests for its Grand Opening Party at the end of 2022. The Club is situated on the edge of a nature reserve on the banks of the Bitou River yet only 2km from Plettenberg Bay, with onsite accommodation, wooden horse, three full-sized fields, gym and its polo school is due to open later this year in October.

Photography by Rhone Hill Polo Club

Henry Fisher, Shaun Brokenshaw, Guy Williamson & Doug Lund

Alicia Brokenshaw, Sue Lund & Claudia Pohl

Patrick Lodge, Sarah Lund, Jemima Lodge, Dom Lodge & Lily Grinrod

Ben Crowe, Harry Muddle, Arron Pagel, Craig Robertson, Dane Csaszar & Chris Lund Sue & Bob Crossley

Ben Crowe & Tam Tanner

Nina Truter, Dirk Van Reenen, Eran Van Wyk, Desire Van Reenan & Johan Van Reenan

Patrick Heffron, Matt Thame & Nathalie Dumville

Alannah Horswell, Dan Batchelor & Ashleigh Robertson

Jack Williamson, Alex Watson, Austen Saville, Dance Csaszar, Rikus Cilliers & Hunter Whittl Gareth & Louissa Evans

Joscelyn Spilsbury, Harry Muddle, Sipho Spilsbury, Jemima Heffron & Anabelle Heffron

Terrance Lent & Poppy Heaver Diana Heffron & Sue Harvey LeeAnne & Juaan Ferreira

Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz 2023; 26 – 29 January; St. Moritz

Glitterati, Maserati and the Hottest Tournament on Ice

The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz 2023 is a spectacle unlike any other, combining adrenaline-fuelled polo with ultra-glamorous social events in a three day snow polo extravaganza. The weekend began on Thursday with the practice matches then a players’ and sponsor’ presentation cocktail party at the decadent Kulm Hotel, followed by a delicious fondue at Polo Times’ favourite St. Moritz hotel – Hotel Steffani. Friday’s matches offered a glimpse of the talent on display in this year’s teams and Saturday’s Semi Finals saw everything to play for on the frozen lake, while the evening’s sold-out Snow Polo Night Gala Dinner ‘Baku Moritz Night’ at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel is the must-have ticket for the weekend. The tournament rounded-off on Sunday with the hard-fought matches for 5th and 6th, 3rd and 4th and of course the Final which this year saw Team Azerbaijan Land of Fire successfully defend their title against team St. Moritz. As the luxurious VIP tent closed for 2023, we all felt a little glum that the weekend was over, but the thought of returning next year lifted our spirits instantly – if you haven’t yet seen the exhibition that is The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, book your 2024 tickets now!

Photography by ©www.imagesofpolo.com

Robert Godley & Grant Ganzi

Reto Gaudenzi Patrick Maleitzke

Matthias Normann

Raul Laplacette Jr.

Daniela & Brigitte Märky

Christina & Antonia Schockemöhle

Jan-Erik Franck

Alejandro Novillo Astrada & Melissa Ganzi Romeo Charlton & Sophie Brogan

Tarlan Gurbanaliyev Jürg Reinger

Spencer & James McCarthy

General Elchin Guliyev & Agustin Kronhaus

Ruth Guevara & Ernest Judd

Katja Grauwiler, Katja Cramer & Kate Bührer

Andreas Bihrer & Dr. Piero Dillier

Sarah & Nacho Gonzalez

Tony & Olga Ramirez

Nick & Rosabella Hine, Geoff Hawkes, Richenda & Rich Hine Fred Mannix, Bettina Bahlsen & Nic Roldan

Cinthia & Stephen Alexander

Ruth Reinger & Irina Gaudenzi Chris Hyde & Hannah Norman

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AUSTRALIA

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NEW ZEALAND

Leadenham Polo Club 07429 299026 office@leadenhampoloclub.com

Longdole Polo Club* 01452 864544 info@longdolepolo.com

Moor Farm Polo Club 07494 114190 shop@moorfarmshop.co.uk

Moor Hall Farm Polo Club* 01279 450637 alecbeve@btinternet.com

New Forest Polo Club 07977 224404 annabelparryjoyner@yahoo.co.uk

Norfolk Polo Club 01508 480400 office@norfolkpolo.co.uk

Northern Ireland Polo Club 07803 020577 info@northernirelandpoloclub.co.uk

Offchurch Bury Polo Club* 07816 830887 info@offchurchburypoloclub.co.uk

Pangbourne Polo Club 07708 906810 aprice@polofix.com

Advertising Polo directory

Peover Polo Club 07766 016 833 polomanager@peoverpoloclub.co.uk

Polo Wicklow* 00353 404 67164 siobhan@polowicklow.com

RCBPC*

rafcranwellpoloclub@yahoo.co.uk

ranelagh@labravapolo.com

polo@rcbpc.com

rmas-nc-aci-projinters@mod.uk

info@rugbypoloclub.com

secretary@rutlandpoloclub.co.uk

Quick Question

silverleyspoloclub@gmail.com

info@stalbanspoloclub.co.uk

info@stewartonpolo.co.uk

aes3@cam.ac.uk

Answer - to the question posed on our Letters page

info@sussexpolo.co.uk

nhs.wheelers@gmail.com

A: 5,000 cubic metres of snow are required to prepare the surface for the annual Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz and the lake is at an altitude of 1,768m above sea level.

info@tidworthpolo.com

info@toulstonpoloclub.com

polo@triskelionpolo.club

info@valeofyorkpoloclub.co.uk

vppc@btconnect.com

secretary@westwycombepolo.co.uk

info@westcroftparkpolo.co.uk

info@whiterosepolo.co.uk

kim@playpolo.co.uk

Apsley End Polo Club*

712444 tobiana.scott@gmail.com Ash Farm Polo Club*

Barfold Polo Club

812739 ashfarmpolo@hotmail.com

808853 mborwick@gmail.com

Bawtry Polo Club 01302 773282 info@bawtrypoloclub.co.uk

Beaufort Polo Club 01666 880510 enquiries@beaufortpoloclub.co.uk

Beverley Polo Club* 01964 544877 info@beverleypoloclub.co.uk

Binfield Heath 01491 411969 bhpcmanager@gmail.com

Blueys Polo Club* 07930 323263 polomanager@blueyspolo.co.uk

Bramham Polo Academy 07811 993316 emmadvh@btinternet.com

Bunclody Polo Club 00353 87 6605917 info@poloclubbunclody.com

Burningfold Polo Club 01483 200722 derrek@burningfold.com

Cambridge Polo Club* 07711 217004 cambridgepoloclub@icloud.com

Cambridge County Polo Club* 01223 812922 info@cambridgecountypoloclub.co.uk

Carlton House 07901 561113 harrietservaes@hotmail.com

Chester Racecourse Polo Club 01244 304602 amorris@chester-races.com

Cheshire Polo Club 01948 861020 info@cheshirepoloclub.co.uk

Chiltern Polo Club 07973 174542 info@chilternpoloclub.com

Cirencester Park Polo Club 01285 653225 info@cirencesterpolo.co.uk

Cowdray Polo Club 01730 813257 enquiries@cowdraypolo.co.uk

Curraghmore Polo Club 00353 51 387102 mkennedy@cssgroup.ie

Dallas Burston Polo Club* 01926 811 111 enquiries@ixlevents.com

Dorset Polo Club 01202 623985 office@dorsetpolo.co.uk

Druids Lodge Polo Club* 01722 782597 abi@druidspolo.co.uk

Dundee and Perth Polo Club* 07831 365 194 jamesscrawford@aol.com

Eastwood Polo Club 07875 743475 frankums@googlemail.com

Edgeworth Polo Club 01285 821695 edgeworthpolo@gmail.com

Edinburgh Polo Club* 07971 072336 james.dgls@gmail.com

Special occasion polo cards for birthdays, anniversaries, get well soon, weddings, & baby congratulations; from £2.99 plus p&p

Emsworth Polo Grounds* 01344 883112 info@fourquarterspolo.co.uk

Epsom Polo Club* 07961 232106 epsompoloclub@hotmail.com

FHM Polo Club* 07778 436468 frances@fhmpolo.co.uk

Fifield Polo Club* 01628 620061 fifieldpoloclub@live.co.uk

Great Trippetts Polo Club 01428 741916 charles@trippetts.com

Guards Polo Club* 01784 434212 polo@guardspoloclub.com

Ham Polo Club 020 8334 0000 office@hampoloclub.com

Visit www.Katesart.com or txt/tel 07887 678421 or email: enquiries@Katesart.com

Hertfordshire Polo Club* 01707 256023 polo@hertspolo.co.uk

image copyright protected by Katesart.com 2007

Executive helicopter charter service

mkennedy@cssgroup.ie

enquiries@ixlevents.com

office@dorsetpolo.co.uk

abi@druidspolo.co.uk

jamesscrawford@aol.com

frankums@googlemail.com

edgeworthpolo@gmail.com

james.dgls@gmail.com

info@fourquarterspolo.co.uk

epsompoloclub@hotmail.com

frances@fhmpolo.co.uk

fifieldpoloclub@live.co.uk

charles@trippetts.com

polo@guardspoloclub.com

0000 office@hampoloclub.com

polo@hertspolo.co.uk

rachaelkearnet@hotmail.co.uk

polo@hurtwoodparkpolo.co.uk

info@kirtlingtonparkpolo.co.uk

info@aspectpolo.co.uk

office@leadenhampoloclub.com

info@longdolepolo.com

shop@moorfarmshop.co.uk

alecbeve@btinternet.com

annabelparryjoyner@yahoo.co.uk

office@norfolkpolo.co.uk

info@northernirelandpoloclub.co.uk

info@offchurchburypoloclub.co.uk

aprice@polofix.com

polomanager@peoverpoloclub.co.uk

siobhan@polowicklow.com

rafcranwellpoloclub@yahoo.co.uk

ranelagh@labravapolo.com

polo@rcbpc.com

rmas-nc-aci-projinters@mod.uk

info@rugbypoloclub.com

secretary@rutlandpoloclub.co.uk

Silver Leys Polo Club 07730 060200 silverleyspoloclub@gmail.com

St. Albans Polo Club 07956 017090 info@stalbanspoloclub.co.uk

Stewarton Polo Club 07974 706045 info@stewartonpolo.co.uk

Suffolk Polo Club 07990 576974 aes3@cam.ac.uk

Sussex Polo Club* 01342 714920 info@sussexpolo.co.uk

Taunton Vale Polo Club 07771 931541 Chairman_tcvpc@btinternet.com Tidworth

info@tidworthpolo.com

info@toulstonpoloclub.com Triskelion

polo@triskelionpolo.club

info@valeofyorkpoloclub.co.uk

vppc@btconnect.com

In association with Chukkout Polo Marketplace

Ponies

Four Horse Trailer with Living

2x Snuggyhood Turn Out

Black snuggyhood turn out with ears size L. Blue snuggyhood turn out without ears size L. £35 each plus £3.50 postage. Tel: 07961 565892

Argie Bridle 1x brand new leather bridle, double layer. £90. Tel: 07594 940889

Misc

HAND

SANITISER

2016 TB 7-year-old looking for a new home. Been playing arena all winter, up to 8 goal and 4 goal on grass, fit and ready to go. Easy to operate and pleasant to look after. Can be tried at Rugby Polo Club. £9,700. Tel: 07872379098

Transport

Freelander 2.5 V6 Auto Petrol

2 owners from new. Only 62, 900 miles. Full service history. Very high specification including full body Dakar styling (colour coded wheel arches, special side door trim, front fog and spot light kit, soft front impact bar, stainless tube side steps, front and rear stone guards, mud flaps, dark rear glass, heated seats, two tone leather seats, air conditioning). Condition reflective of age and low mileage. V5, service books, spare key, locking wheelnut. Recent MoT with no advisories. £3,500. Cheltenham. Tel: 07792 422209

Four horse trailer with living area. This Titan Alpine has four partitions and overhead locker area for bandages, rugs, etc. The internal horse area dimensions are: Length 3.6m x Width 2.2m x Height 2.3m. It will easily take x4 15.1 to 15.2hh horses. We have used it to take x2 15.1hh and x2 16hh all at once, which all travelled well. Two partitions have removable anti-bite guards. All partitions are can be moved, adjusted or removed. There is an internal jockey door to living/tack area plus outside jockey door. Living area has full height wardrobe plus wall units and under-counter units. There is a sink and power socket plus TV bracket. There is a sofa with bunk bed above (removable ladder included) The trailer comes with its own generator or can be charged using the electric hook up points (similar to caravans). The trailer tows extremely well. We have towed it with a Landrover Defender and a Ford Ranger. It has a large awning attached on one side which is very handy in the wet/sunny weather… does work but requires a new ratchet to use the winding handle function. (Nantwich) £10,000.

Tel: 07771 937782

POLO LORRY FOR SALE Daf 18 ton double cab chassis 2009 Manual 6 gears, 335,400 kms New build aluminium body and floor with rubber mats in 2018 Stalled for 10 with underfloor tack lockers, water tank and camera 5,000kms since 2018 and will be plated and MOT’d to March 2024 Woodd 07803 495666

franceswoodd@outlook.com

Location: near Faringdon

Price: £28,000 ono (no VAT)

SCOREBOARDS AND CLOCKS

DESIGNED FOR POLO Outdoor and arena sizes. Fully electronic, displaying the time counting down, both scores and chukka number. Automatic bell/ horn. Controlled wirelessly by a remote control you can even wear on your arm. Visit www.SportingDesigns.co.uk or call +44 (0)7860 303217

Hand sanitiser supplied at 80% ABV to WHO Formula 1. Available in 100ml (from £2), 200ml (from £4) or 5 litre (from £45) sizes.

Personalised labels available at extra cost.

Discounts & free delivery for bulk purchases.

Tel: 07969 456214

2003 Ford Iveco 12 tonne. 6 gear manual, really easy to drive. Stalled for 7/8. Solid aluminium floor. Solid partitions. Internal horse camera and reversing camera. Really good reliable truck. 340,000km. Sold as seen. £10,000. Tel: 07760 881270

2003 Ford Iveco Iveco tector. 2003.18 tonne. 10 horse capacity horse box. 6000cc Diesel. Manual transmission. 12 months MoT. Good condition inside and out. Tack boxes. Hydraulic ramp. Well maintained and ready for work. £10,000. Email: roddymatthews@hotmail.com

Polo Boots Brand New Size 9 Brand new polo boot that didn’t fit. Please see measurements in photos to see exact fit- it equates to a size 9. £150 ono. Postage available or could meet (often at Rugby Polo Club). £150. Tel: 07961 565892

Stable front With Door And Grills

Galvanised steel stable front with door that’s works perfectly and very strong. Size is Height 230 cm, Width 350 cm and Depth 4cm so perfect for a 12ft stable front. Collection only from Daglingworth near Cirencester. £425 ono. Tel: 07887500966/ Email: kate.dickins@yahoo.co.uk

Komperdell Junior Back Protector

Vest Size 140cm height CE certified level 3. Bought for £155. £75. Tel: 07914 622456

Over the past 33 years he’s been playing polo, Spencer McCarthy has won all the major 15 and 18 goal there is to win. He’s won The Warwickshire Cup four times and the Prince of Wales, three times. While The Queen’s Cup and Cowdray Gold Cup have eluded him, he did win The Gold Cup in Deauville by scoring the golden goal. Over those years, Spencer has visited Argentina, and watched The Open and been amazed every time. Last year, Spencer got to the Final of The President’s Cup which was played on the holy Ground 1 at Palermo, which has been his ultimate achievement

What is your biggest passion and why?

My biggest passion would have to be polo in the last 33 years, I have only missed one full season due to falling off in the first match of the first chukka of the season and breaking my arm. Also, my stables – I have 28 along with probably the best grooms’ accommodation in the country based at my home down in the New Forest. During the season, polo is my life I have 35 horses in for my son and I, six grooms plus my Manager, an exercise track and small stick and ball field. I built my house based around the polo, that’s how passionate I am.

Who were/are your favourite teammates?

I would have to say the late Gabriel Donoso – he was a great friend, good fun to play with, and a good mentor, we had a lot of fun on and off the field. Over the last few years, Max Charlton has been a key member to the Emlor family, I really enjoy playing with him and we have been very successful over the years. But my all-time favourite teammate and good friend is Nacho Gonzalez. We first played together back in 1996 in a charity match with Prince Charles. Over the years we have won and lost together. Nacho’s wife, Sarah and his two daughters, Evita and Sophia are very good friends of my family.

Hardest opponent?

Most prized possession? Other than my cars… My most prized possession is my lovely family, which I couldn’t be more proud of.

Best holiday destination & activity?

Holidaying on my superyacht in the Mediterranean with my family and friends.

Best pony and why?

Cicatriz, he’s a 15.2hh, 11-year-old bay gelding. He is very fast, strong and most of all has a very good mouth. I know I’ll be guaranteed to win the play.

What is your all-time best polo memory?

There have been many great memories over the years, playing polo brings a lot of them, back in 2007 winning the Royal Windsor with my great friend, Nacho Gonzalez, would be up there, winning it again in 2021 with an all English team would be another, but of late it would be playing in St. Moritz this year with Nacho [Gonzalez], my son James and Max Charlton we got to the Final and lost it in extra-time, again with an all English team.

There wouldn’t be any patron, sorry… other than playing against my son who has age on his side, but I have the money to buy the best horses…

Which sports do you like outside of polo? Shooting. I shoot throughout the season.

Favourite film and why?

Wolf of Wall Street. I won’t say why!

Favourite song/album?

‘Bed and Breakfast Man’ by Madness.

Favourite food/dish?

Caviar and Thai green curry – I cook a wicked one. Not both at the same time.

Favourite hobby outside of polo?

Running my business to pay for the polo.

Favourite celebrity and why?

Margot Robbie – need I say why?!

Cicatriz won the Polo Times Best Playing Pony at The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, to read more about him, please turn to the Pony Power pages

Are you passionately superstitious?

No, of course, not… I have to deal with some team members that are though… no names.

Describe yourself in three words? Determined. Winner. Fair

One thing which would surprise us about you?

There are no surprises with me, you get what you see.