PT March 2012

Volume 17 • Issue 2 • March 2012 • £5.50

www.polotimes.co.uk

FIGHTING TALK

Five-goaler Max Routledge on young players’ prospects

Honoured:

Peter Grace OBE

Focus:

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Contents

30

60

Contacts Publisher Margie Brett margie@polotimes.co.uk Editor James Mullan jamesmullan@polotimes.co.uk

What’s inside...

March 2012 News

12 All the latest news 20 The big picture

Sub editor John O’Sullivan john@polotimes.co.uk

Comment 22 Backchat with Clare Milford Haven

Assistant editor

24 Herbert Spencer’s Global view

Georgie May georgie@polotimes.co.uk

26 A rthur Douglas-Nugent’s Umpire’s corner 28 Your views: letters, emails & tweets

Advertising manager Duncan Wilson duncan@polotimes.co.uk

Features

Art editor

30 C over story: Interview with Ascot Park’s Peter Grace OBE

Nicki Averill nickiaverill@polotimes.co.uk Marketing & PR PJ Seccombe pj@polotimes.co.uk Subscriptions Sarah Foster sarah@polotimes.co.uk

34 Cover story: Sponsorship in polo 40 The evolution of the arena game

Reports

60 Cover story: Interview with outspoken English rising star Max Routledge 66 SUPA University Arena Champs 71 Greenpoint Polo Arena League

Knowledge 72 Know your game 74 Know your horse 76 Worming special: three-year calendar 78 Ones to watch 80 Book review: Polo Basics 82 How to spend it

Sidelines 84 Gossip: Don’t be the last to know 86 Social: Snow Polo World Cup; Thai Polo Open; Dubai and snowy ponies

44 FIP Snow Polo World Cup, China 48 International Test Match: New Zealand vs Australia

90 What’s on in March 98 Passions: Nacho Figueras

50 Heaton-Ellis Trust Arena Tournament, Emsworth 52 Thai Polo Open, Thailand

Tel: 01993 886885 Fax: 01993 882660

56 Home and abroad

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Youth polo

88 S ocial: Klosters Snow Polo, SUPA Champs and Heaton-Ellis Tournament

Accounts Philippa Hunt - accounts@polotimes.co.uk

www.polotimes.co.uk

44

54 Klosters Snow Polo, Switzerland

Cover photograph: English five-goaler Max Routledge at his family’s farm in Surrey, captured by Georgie May

Polo Times, March 2012 11

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from the Editor

News

To be honest, this issue has been a bit of a nightmare. Rarely can I remember changing the flat-plan layout that decides the progression of pages in the magazine so frequently.

Provisional sides

First, we lost what is usually our main report of the March issue, when St Moritz was cancelled at short notice because of warmer than usual conditions in the Swiss Alps. However, as we then marvelled at what had hitherto been a mild winter, our plans for what we intended to cover here in the UK were also severely disrupted by a cold snap in February that put pay to two weekends’ worth of arena polo for much of the country.

The ironic upshot of the weather’s unflappable sense of humour is that we’ve had a significant reshuffle and so this month the balance between reports and features now leans much more towards the latter. You may prefer it. Let me know.

However, one report we have been able to carry as planned is the story of the inaugural FIP Snow Polo World Cup in Tianjin, China. Played on a surface of artificial snow at Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club last month, there was little doubt the weather would threaten this extraordinary tournament.

The venue’s Cantonese owner Pan Sutong negotiated with the FIP to allow the hosts to field a Hong Kong team that wasn’t made up of any Hong Kong natives. Rather, the organisers drafted in Argentina’s Martin Inchauspe and Guillermo Terrera to play alongside the club’s director of stable operations – Englishman John Fisher, a two-time Gold Cup winner.

If that seemed an odd compromise for the FIP, it quickly became a rather embarrassing one, when the side fasttracked their way to the World Cup title, dispatching India, Argentina, France, England and South Africa en route.

The story bears a striking similarity with an issue in the football world, namely that only five of co-hosts Equatorial Guinea’s 23-man African Cup of Nations squad were actually born in the country. They reached the quarter-finals.

This follows the ridiculous Nation’s Cup at Dubai’s Desert Palm Polo Club in January, which we blew the lid on in the news pages of the last issue. However, that FIFA and the FIP have actually endorsed and got behind the hosts of these two tournaments, shows a worrying lack of integrity in the stewardship of their respective games.

Sadly, unlike football’s passionate fans and media that constantly hold those that run the game to account, the concern in polo is that people’s mercenary instincts take over and few will kick up a stink. So apologies if you feel we’re harping on about it too much. But, given how plainly the FIP Snow Polo World Cup failed to capture the imagination of both local and overseas spectators, I believe we should make every effort to ensure the worldwide image of the game is better protected.

Tweet me: @mullanitunder Email me: jamesmullan@polotimes.co.uk 12

Polo Times, March 2012

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Polo Times has learnt of several interesting changes to the sides that will be occupying our attentions from May to July, for the newly rebranded Cartier Queen’s Cup at Guards and the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray Park. As you’ll see on the right, 2012 welcomes the return of James Packer’s Ellerston after a three-year hiatus, splitting up Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres for the first time in the UK high-goal. And it is also understood that this year Karan Thapar’s Aravali side, featuring Eduardo Novillo Astrada, will play the Gold Cup as well as the Queen’s.

However, having had Novillo Astrada pinched, now not looking likely to make a return to the Gold Cup at this stage is Camilo Bautista’s Las Monjitas (winners in Sotogrande last August).

Also missing out from the list at present is Spencer McCarthy’s Emlor, Paul Oberschneider’s La Golondrina (which last year featured Satnam Dhillon), and Stirling McGregor’s Stella Artois.

Pleasingly from a British perspective though, Mark Tomlinson appears likely to make a return to Gold Cup action, joining Aravali, and Polo Times also understands that young three-goaler Nick Pepper is in the running for a slot on Enigma, finalists in the Queen’s Cup last summer.

1870 Adrian Kirby

1

Francisco Elizalde

6

Polito Pieres

8

Jaime Huidobro

7 22

Aravali Karan Thapar

1

Mark Tomlinson

6

Eduardo Novillo Astrada

8

Marcos di Paola

7 22

Dubai Tariq Albwardy

2

Ignacio Heguy

8

Adolfo Cambiaso

10

TBA

2 22

Ellerston Tomas Gabarini

3

Gonzalito Pieres

10

John Paul Clarkin

8

James Packer

1 22

South Africa to play THE HPA HAS announced that South Africa has accepted the invitation to play England for the Coronation Cup at Guards Polo Club on Sunday 22 July.

This will be the first time since 1994 that the South Africans have fielded a team on International Day. On that occasion, they lost abysmally to England, 11-1.

Therefore the visitors, who will be sponsored by Equus & Co, will be looking to field a strong, competitive side to try and rectify that record.

Among the possibilities that South Africa could field are eight-goaler Nachi du Plessis, six-goalers Tom du Bruin,

Gareth Evans and Jean du Plessis and up-and-coming young player Chris Mackenzie – currently a five-goaler.

They will come up against stiff competition from the yet-to-be selected England side – sponsored once again

by Audi – who will be vying for their third win this year, having beaten New Zealand in 2010 and Brazil in 2011.

In recognition of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the winners of the morning game will receive a new Diamond Jubilee Trophy, replacing the Golden Jubilee Trophy, which replaced the Silver Jubilee Trophy in 2002. www.polotimes.co.uk

17/2/12 16:09:35

News

for 2012 UK high-goal El Remanso

Loro Piana

Sumaya

George Hanbury

2

TBA

0

Ahmad Aboughazale

Charlie Hanbury

4

Augustin Nero

6

Facundo Sola

7

David Stirling

9

Lucas James

8

Javier Novillo Astrada

8

7

TBA

8

Matias Vial

Guillermo Terrera

22 Enigma

22 Piaget

Jerome Wirth

1

6 22

Talandracas

1

Joaquin Pittaluga

7

Edouard Carmignac

TBA

3

Magoo Laprida

8

Chris McKenzie

5

Juan Martin Nero

10

Negro Zavaleta

7

Lucas Monteverde

9

8

Stefano Marsaglia

0

Milo Fernandez Araujo

Matias MacDonough

22 La Bamba

22 Richard Mille

0

Bahar Jefri

1

Harald Link

7

Tomas Garcia del Rio

7

TBA

Facundo Pieres

10

Pablo MacDonough

10

TBA

5

Ollie Cudmore

4

TBA

Max Routledge

22 Les Lions

8

Thai Polo

Nico Pieres

22 Salkeld

0

Zacara

3

Nick Clarke

0

Lyndon Lea

1

Agustin Merlos

9

James Beim

7

Ignatius Du Plessis

8

Sebastian Merlos

10

Luke Tomlinson

7

Hilario Ulloa

9

Joachim Gottschalk

0

José Donoso

7

TBA

4

22

wS UFFOLK-BASED CLUB Carlton House will hold two charity tournaments this year. An arena tournament, raising money for St Elisabeth Hospice and East Anglian Air Ambulance, will be held from 21-22 April. Their annual charity polo day at Boxted in Essex is due to take place on 5 August.

22

Matt Perry

21

22

England at Guards in July w S outh Africa’s international pedigree was confirmed shortly after the above news was released, when the three-man 16-goal side representing them at the inaugural FIP Snow Polo World Cup in China finished second of the 12 teams. Read more on page 44 www.polotimes.co.uk

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Photograph by Tony Ramirez

A title sponsor for the International Day – to replace long-standing sponsors Cartier – has not yet been confirmed.

England last met South Africa on International Day in 1994, but the sides recently met in the St Regis Test Match at Cowdray Park in 2010, when the hosts won 12-11

w ENGLAND FINISHED THIRD in the inaugural FIP Snow Polo World Cup in Tianjin, China. Chris Hyde, Jamie Le Hardy and Max Charlton defeated Argentina 8-7 in the subsidiary final to secure third place. Hong Kong were the overall winners, beating South Africa in the main final at Goldin Metropolitan. See pages 44-47 for the full report. wG UARDS POLO CLUB is offering its members the chance to sponsor a tournament during the 2012 season. The member will not only have the tournament named after them but they will also be able to present the prizes and look forward to featuring in the following year’s Club Yearbook. For more information, contact Gillian Richards at the club.

0

22

Jean-François Decaux

News in brief

wL A MARTINA LAUNCHED their new Guards collection of clothing at the Pitti Immagine Uomo ’81 exhibition in Italy in January, attended by Guards CEO Neil Hobday. The Guards-branded La Martina clothing, based on a palette of navy, sand, khaki and army green colours, will be on sale in La Martina dedicated retail outlets across the globe, including the La Martina Guards Polo Store at Smith’s Lawn. wT HE POLO GROUNDS at a new polo club in Dubai, Saif Al Ghurair, will be ready to play on this October. Despite being in the desert, their number one ground is already looking very lush and green, having been watered every day. The club, which was founded in 2010 and based 10 minutes away from Desert Palm, will host 12-15 goal tournaments, organised by polo manager and Indian player Udaay Kalaan.

Polo Times, March 2012

13

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News News in brief w RCBPC ARE CURRENTLY looking for a new polo manager to replace Louisa Dawnay who has been there for four years. Dawnay was headhunted earlier this year and has accepted the opportunity to join a new technology company, where she will be responsible for PR, marketing, communication and business strategies. However, for some healthy diversity, she will continue to keep a finger on the polo pulse by organising various international polo events. The club hopes to find a suitable candidate, who will take over the day-to-day running of the club by the summer. w RIVERLANDS POLO SCHOOL in Australia has joined forces with Windsor Polo Club to give their improving and new players the opportunity to be associated with one of Australia’s leading clubs. Windsor Polo Club hosts all of the annual major New South Wales Polo Association (NSWPA) tournaments, the polo school specialises in tuition, clinics and instructional chukkas. w THE GOVERNOR OF Manipur in India has donated some traditional Manipuri polo gear to Kentucky’s International Museum of the Horse in the USA. The equipment, which includes a traditional Manipuri wooden saddle, braided bridle and a full set of traditional polo player’s attire will be displayed in the museum’s permanent exhibit “Horse in Sport”. The Manipuri Pony will also be a part of the “Horse Breeds of the World” exhibit. w BEAUFORT POLO CLUB are running a new two-day pre-season training course on 6-7 April.

Designed by Mark Tomlinson, the course will cover all aspects of the game, from riding, hitting and tactics and personal fitness.

England fitness coach Winston Squire, as well as polo coaches Jason Dixon and Claire Tomlinson will be on hand to give their expert views during the course. The course costs £750 for those with their own ponies (only two needed) or £1,000 for those without.

Call 01666 881251 for more information or to book a place.

14

Polo Times, March 2012

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John Wright in line for HPA chair TIDWORTH POLO CLUB’S polo manager of 17 years Brigadier John Wright has been elected as the vice-chairman of the HPA for 2012 and is in line to take over from HPA chairman Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers next year.

Colquhoun-Denvers will reach the end of his four-year tenure at the end of 2012 and proposed Wright as the next vice-chairman. The HPA Stewards were in favour of Colquhoun-Denvers’s proposal and successfully elected Wright for the position.

“It is likely John Wright will become the next chairman, although he must be voted in at the end of

“I’m incredibly honoured to be elected as vice-chairman and chairman too if it comes about” this season first,” HPA chief executive David Woodd told Polo Times. “It is usual practice that the current vice-chairman takes over as chairman.”

Wright, pictured above, said: “I’m incredibly honoured to be elected as vice-chairman and

chairman too if it comes about.

“I will continue running Tidworth Polo Club this season but it is doubtful that I will next year if I’m chairman as I don’t think I’ll have enough time to do both. However, Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers is still chairman of Ham Polo Club so it is possible to do both.”

HPA chairmen to date (1952-2012) 1952-1967 1967-1974 1974-1980 1980-1991 1991-1995 1995-2000 2001-2004 2005-2008 2009-2012

The Viscount Cowdray Alan Budgett W H D Riley-Smith Brigadier Peter Thwaites John Tylor The Hon. Mark Vestey John Tinsley Major Christopher Hanbury Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers

Polo Times to host pony welfare day at Lynt POLO TIMES HAS teamed up with Lynt Polo Club and Baileys Horse Feeds to put on a special Pony Welfare Day on Saturday 31 March. Now that ponies are coming back in to work, knowing how to feed them, shoe them and look after them correctly will ensure you get the best out of them.

Our guest speakers include David Morley, chairman of the HPA Polo Pony Welfare Committee, equine vet Mark Emerson, equine nutritionist Lorna Edgar from Baileys Horse Feeds, Mick McCormick, an expert farrier, and HPAqualified coach Jason Dixon.

Pony Welfare Day vital information Date: Saturday 31 March, 2012; 10.30am

for 11am start Venue: Lynt Polo Club, Wiltshire Experts: David Morley, Lorna Edgar, Mark

Emerson, Mick McCormick and

Jason Dixon Price: £30 (inc refreshments and lunch) Tickets: georgie@polotimes.co.uk; 01993 886885 For more information see www.polotimes.co.uk

Equine Logistics move into the heart of polo country EQUINE LOGISTICS, a company offering bespoke shipping services for transporting horses to all parts of the world has relocated its office from Stockbridge in Hampshire, to Westerlands at Graffham in West Sussex – five minutes drive from the Ambersham grounds of Cowdray Park Polo Club. Westerlands, home of David Jamison, was where the famous Tramontana team, patroned by David Jamison and Anthony Embiricos, was based in the late 80s and early 90s. Tramontana won the

Gold Cup five times. “We felt that being closer to many of our clients was a good idea and the offer at Westerlands came up,” said Lina Churchward of Equine Logistics. “We are more accessible at Westerlands and are on hand to discuss all aspects of our clients’ shipping requirements.

“No matter how big or small the job – our door is always open – and we look forward to catching up with old clients and meeting new ones in the coming season.” www.polotimes.co.uk

17/2/12 16:14:41

News

Get ready for Gaucho

“Any game with Argentina is a challenge. They’ll be tough opposition” – Gavin Turner Turner told Polo Times. “Any game against Argentina is a challenge and they will be a tough opposition but it should be a competitive game and a great spectacle.”

In the second international match of the evening Ireland will face Scotland. Leading the Scottish side is Jamie Le Hardy, who

www.polotimes.co.uk

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also represented England at last month’s FIP Snow Polo World Cup. He is joined by six-goaler Howard Smith and fourgoaler George McCorkell. Ireland features team captain Sebastian Dawnay, Polo Wicklow’s Siobhan Herbst and Richard Le Poer – an arena JLS have helped to promote the Gaucho event, five-goaler playing where Jamie Morrison, right, will lead England off six for this event.

Gaucho International organisers have purchased tickets for the event.” Another new decided to ditch the varsity match and celebrity twist to the 2012 event is the addition of a contest this year and instead an Argentine White Jeans Party theme. Gaucho will donate group, Bajofondo Remixed, will play a live £1 to the British Forces Foundation for every “electrotango” set at the start of the evening person arriving in white jeans. and in between matches.

Seen promoting the idea were boyband JLS “We wanted this year’s event to be a shorter who posted a photo of themselves in white format, higher octane and have a higher jeans and Gaucho merchandise on Twitter last impact,” Martin Williams of Gaucho said. month. Meanwhile, Roy Prisk is organising the “There will be two and a half hours of after-party at Indigo2, the O2 Arena’s nightclub, Argentine music and polo and a huge which will start after the prize-giving.

Argentine wine tasting session will kick-off the evening in style. w Tickets are selling fast, with the lower band “Wines from Argentina’s top 50 wineries nearly sold at the time of going to press. will be available to taste for all those who have For information, visit www.gauchopolo.com

Polo Times, March 2012

Photographs by Martin Williams and Tony Ramirez

ORGANISERS HAVE ANNOUNCED the full team line-ups for this month’s Gaucho International Polo. Now in its second year, the indoor arena polo event will take place on the evening of Wednesday 21 March at the O2 Arena, London.

England will once again face rivals Argentina in the main highlight of the evening. Defending champions England – who won by the skin of their teeth, 17-16, last year – will field a new team this year, comprising arena eight-goaler Jamie Morrison, Maurice Ormerod and Gavin Turner.

Up against them are Nacho Figueras and Oscar Mancini, who were both part of last year’s losing side. They are joined by relatively unknown player, Juan Leiva – officially rated in the arena by the HPA as a two-goaler but playing off four goals for this event.

“I’m really looking forward to playing with Jamie and Maurice for the first time,” Gavin

15

17/2/12 16:11:12

News

Aiming high OUTTS INTERNATIONAL: < CChester Racecourse will be hosting the eighth Coutts International from 1-2 June, where £10,000 will be up for grabs. And, for the first time, the same amount of prize money is also on offer at their Roodee Challenge Cup (8-9 September)

PALM: Per Aquum < DhasESERT unveiled five new luxurious hotel suites at Desert Palm in Dubai, overlooking the club’s impressive polo fields

ersey beaches: an < jinternational beach polo event has been given the go ahead in Jersey after beach rules were relaxed to allow horses to play on the sand at St Brelade’s Bay in September

FOR POLO: < RtheECOGNITION 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France, will hold a polo demonstration event in Deauville

Swinging low OHN GOODMAN: the = JIPCPB founder is back in the limelight after it was revealed that he adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend. See page 85 for more AD WEATHER: snow in = Bearly February postponed the finals of the Heaton-Ellis Trust tournament twice and cancelled the upper section finals at the SUPA National University Championships OLO IN INDIO: a 21-day = Pquarantine stopped play at Empire and El Dorado Polo Clubs in Indio, California in the USA in January and February after a horse in the area contracted equine herpes DIEGO POLO CLUB: = StheANclub’s 26-year lease runs out in March and the future use of the land will be open to discussion, leaving them at risk of losing their grounds 16

Polo Times, March 2012

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University student re-opens the file on player injuries AN EQUESTRIAN MAD university student is using a 1996 Polo Times article as the basis for her final year dissertation. Kimberley Gallagher, who studies Equine Management at The University of Greenwich and is a playing member at Sussex Polo Club, will assess whether there has been a change in polo player safety over the last 16 years.

The idea for the dissertation came from Paul Baynham-Honri’s 1996 study titled “Is polo as dangerous as people think?”, which appeared in Polo Times (Vol 1, Issue 8).

Kimberley explains: “I am very much a newcomer to polo. This is my first season playing, but I have really caught the polo bug.

“It struck me that there is a real shortage of intellectual work about polo – it is never talked about in any of our lectures.

“My first idea was to do something about pony welfare so I spoke to David Morley about this. It was David who dug out the article in Polo Times from 1996. I then managed to track down Paul BaynhamHonri and he was extremely helpful. He suggested looking into player safety.”

Baynham-Honri’s original study found that sprains and strains were the most common polo player injuries, that the neck and trunk were the most injured part of the body and that falling from the pony was the most common cause of injury.

He also concluded that “riding in general has, on average, a greater chance of injury than

playing polo”.

Kimberley’s dissertation aims to prove or disprove each of these findings.

She said: “I Equine student Kimberley Gallagher want to know whether the changes to the rules by the HPA since 1996 have made a difference to the safety of polo. I also wondered whether the introduction of the rules test helped to improve safety?

“The other thing that struck me is that compared to other equestrian disciplines, such as eventing and dressage, there really has been very little change to the safety gear worn by players during that time.

“Paul Baynham-Honri found that polo was safer than these sports. It will be interesting to see if that is still the same.”

To aid her research Kimberley has set up an online questionnaire which she is hoping that at least 300 players, who were active in the 2011 UK summer season, will fill out.

She said: “The questionnaire should only take about five minutes and it really is the key to the dissertation. I hope all of your readers will take the time to fill it out.” w To fill out the questionnaire online, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/73FSWLN

Polo community backs charity gala LEADING FIGURES FROM the polo world are expected to attend a black tie charity gala evening, held at the British Antique Dealers Association Fair (BADA), on Thursday 22 March, hosted by Head Injury Through Sport (HITS).

HITS was founded by Sandra Cronan, Greta Morrison and Francesca Schwarzenbach to help raise money for The National Brain Appeal – a charity dedicated to raising funds for The National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery, London.

All three founders have been affected by head injuries, either to themselves or people close to them, prompting them to form the charity. Sandra Cronan suffered a serious head injury while playing in Holland nine years ago and was brought back to the UK and cared for by Dr Paul Jarman,

who currently works at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

In 2006, Francesca’s husband Urs Schwarzenbach suffered a serious accident and in the same year Bryan Morrison, the husband of Greta, had a severe accident and subsequently died two years later.

Around 250 guests will be invited to look round the Fair, which includes two antiques exhibited

by Cronan, before sitting down for a three-course dinner. During the evening, there will be a raffle and auction, with prizes from Relais & Chateaux.

Among those invited to attend are Michael Amoore, Nicholas and Annie Colquhoun-Denvers, David Woodd, Stefanie Powers, Kenney Jones, Kuldip Singh Dhillon and Jacqueline Dhillon. www.polotimes.co.uk

17/2/12 16:11:52

News

Last-minute drama for AEPC arena international LESS THAN THREE weeks before the International Arena Test Match at AEPC, Hickstead, organisers were forced to rearrange the England line-up after two of the USA players pulled out. According to the USPA, Tommy Biddle and Brad Blake are no longer travelling to England for the international on Saturday 3 March due to “injury-related reasons”.

It is understood that Blake has damaged his hand and Biddle, who is now 10 goals in the arena, is not 100 per cent match fit and does not want to risk further injury. Polo Times has also learned that Biddle has a contract to play in a US tournament in late March.

Without another USA player of Biddle’s standard, the USPA is now sending over an 18goal team, comprising six-goalers John Gobin, Carlos Galindo and Steve Kruger.

Chris Hyde, who was on form during the league

stages of the FIP Snow Polo World Cup, but not so in the semi-finals, will still play for England in the international, although he will no longer have the showdown with Biddle that he was hoping for.

Max Charlton, who missed some good chances on the snow in China, still keeps his place on the Test Match team. The only change to the England line-up sees seven-goaler Eden Ormerod replaced by four-goaler Danny Muriel, bringing the team’s total handicap to 19-goals.

England last met the USA in the Hickstead arena in 2009, where the home side clinched the Bryan Morrison Trophy. They will therefore be determined to repeat their performance this month to retain the title.

The day will commence at 11.30am with a 12-15 goal match, organised by the HPA, and the Test Match will follow at 1.30pm.

Cash up for grabs as new RoR challenge races into polo calendar

Photograph courtesy of RoR

RETRAINING OF RACEHORSES (RoR) are holding a brand new polo competition for ponies who have previously raced. The idea is the brainchild of Henry Brett. There are numerous cash prizes to be won, including a £1,500 cheque for the pony judged as overall champion of the competition and £100 appearance money for each horse entered.

The competition is to be held at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club on Tuesday 12 June, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, and will require each rider to carry out a two-minute freestyle display. Ponies will be judged on conformation, movement, responsiveness and willingness.

Henry Brett riding re-trained racehorse Secret Dossier to victory in the 2011 Warwickshire Cup

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Ponies who complete a more advanced display may gain higher marks. There will be three sections – three-year-olds, four-year-olds and fiveyear-olds and upwards – and the winner of each section will receive £1,000.

Second placed ponies will receive £500. The pony judged to be overall champion from the three sections will receive an additional cheque for £1,500. They will also win the Balding Trophy, which will be awarded at the HPA dinner at Guards Polo Club on Thursday 19 July.

The judges will comprise two or three international players and a representative from RoR. The judges may ask to ride some of the ponies in the four year old and five year old and upwards sections to help make their judgement.

All ponies must have raced in the UK and be registered with RoR in order to be eligible.

Riders must be two-goals or above – although the owner/player may enter a pony with another rider. The owner/player cannot enter more than two ponies in any section. The ponies’ passports/proof of ID must also be brought along to the competition to be inspected and verified. w To enter the competition, please visit www.ror.org.uk and complete the entry form Polo Times, March 2012

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News

Latest from the HPA HPA chief executive David Woodd rounds up the news from UK polo’s headquarters International Day The Hurlingham Polo Association is delighted to announce that South Africa has accepted the invitation to play England for the Coronation Cup at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park on Sunday 22 July. In recognition of HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Hurlingham Polo Association has agreed that the winners of the morning game will receive a new Diamond Jubilee Trophy. This will replace the Golden Jubilee Trophy, which took the place of the Silver Jubilee Trophy in 2002.

International Arena Test Match On Saturday 3 March the AEPC Hickstead will host the 2012 Arena Test Match for the Bryan Morrison Trophy, where England will play USA. Treat yourself to the post match lunch in the company of the great and the good of British and American polo (admission for International Arena Test Match is £5 and post match lunch including admission is £50) and receive heavily discounted tickets to the second of the arena internationals at London’s O2 Arena on 21 March. For more information, see www.hickstead.co.uk/polo, call 01273 834315 or email polo@hickstead.co.uk The HPA Gaucho International On Wednesday 21 March Gaucho will host an evening of international polo at the O2 Arena.

Argentina – Juan Leiva (4), Oscar Mancini (6) and Nacho Figueras (7) – will play England – Gavin Turner (4), Maurice Ormerod (5) and Jamie

Morrison (8) – in the main event. Earlier, Ireland – Siobhan Herbst (3), Richard Le Poer (6) and Sebastian Dawnay (8) – will take on Scotland – George McCorkell (4), Howard Smith (6) and Jamie Le Hardy (7).

Anyone who also attends the Hickstead Test can buy an HPA VIP Experience ticket worth £82.50 for just £10. This includes pre-match access to the VIP Lounge at Indigo, vouchers to ‘Wines of Argentina’ tasting lounge and free entry to the after-party at Indigo.

These specials are also available until Friday 16 March for £20 to those who attended the O2 last year, and to HPA members for £15. For tickets for HPA members, email lucy@hpa-polo.co.uk Overseas New Zealand The following team of young players based in New Zealand for the winter represented Young England against a New Zealand Colts team for The Gibley Cup on Friday 3rd February: Tabba Woodd (0), Toby Pitts (1), Oscar Mathies (1) and Tom Lamacraft (1).

Result: New Zealand Colts 6 – Young England 5 China With Jamie Le Hardy and Max Charlton, Chris Hyde led a 16-goal team through to the semifinals of the FIP Snow Polo World Cup at the Metropolitan Polo Club. The team was coached

by Alan Kent. See page 44.

Club affiliations Following the stewards meeting on Tuesday 7 February, the following clubs and associations have been granted provisional affiliation to the HPA: The Indian Polo Association, The Welsh Polo Association, Stewarton Polo Club and Hertfordshire Arena.

Dates for the diary Coaching Wednesday 11 to Friday 13 April – Coaching Course, Beaufort Polo Club Monday 30 April – Seminar for HPA Coaches, RCBPC Wednesday 16 May – Voluntary Assistants Course, Beaufort Polo Club Wednesday 6 June – Seminar for HPA Coaches, RCBPC Wednesday 19 to Friday 21 September – Coaching Course, Beaufort Polo Club Meetings Tuesday 3 April – Welfare AGM, Sunningdale Park Hotel Tuesday 17 April – Stewards, Cavalry and Guards Club, London Wednesday 18 April – Club Chief Umpires, Sunningdale Park Hotel Wednesday 2 May – Council, Cavalry and Guards Club, London

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www.polotimes.co.uk

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News

New association awaiting funding New international A group of “We need to know representatives from various we’ve got the funds and polo schools and pony hire the HPA behind us before companies are currently we can make a step waiting to see whether they forward,” Susie Meadows will be able to receive funds of Coolhooves Polo, through the HPA to allow one of the polo schools them to move forward their involved, said. idea of an Association of “We don’t want it to be Polo Schools and Hirers. a white elephant.”

Following a meeting at “The HPA need to push the end of last year to see this request up immediately whether the idea of an if we are to have this up association to help raise the and running before the standards of teaching and start of the season,” Piers ponies for hire was feasible, Plunket of Lycetts Insurance the group approached David also said. “The HPA has Woodd of the HPA to ask suggested we form a trade All polo instructors and pony hirers will soon have to meet a clear set for initial funds – provided association but we need of recognised standards through the Polo Charity more specific advice from Trust – to allow them to approach the HPA’s their lawyers first.” lawyers, Patrick Russell, and get the ball rolling.

“We’re very keen for this association to be Although Woodd has shown his support for set up,” Meadows continued. “While we’re the formation of an official association, the HPA spending money on making sure proper is yet to confirm whether the committee will insurance is in place, our ponies are properly receive the necessary funding. The committee looked after and our clients receive structured hope to have the association up-and-running tuition, some other companies may be under cutting us by not doing everything by the book.

“By having an official association that schools and hirers can be a part of – because they meet certain standards – it will allow those learning to play polo to be confident that they – Susie Meadows are receiving the best possible service.”

Although schools and hirers won’t in any way be forced to become a member, the idea by this summer so are eager to hold their is that those that do meet the criteria and second meeting – inviting all polo schools and become fully-affiliated can expect to pick up hirers to come along and voice their ideas – as soon as possible. Exasperatingly, they can’t do increased business straight away from those this until they have the go ahead from the HPA. that are not accredited.

“We need to know we’ve got the funds and the HPA behind us”

match in Suffolk this summer

TRINITY PARK IN Ipswich (right) will host an international match on Saturday 30 June. Organised by the Suffolk Agricultural Association (SAA) and ratified by the HPA, the International Polo event will see England take on Australia on a new polo ground built specifically for the event.

“The Suffolk Agricultural Association came to us last year proposing the idea,” David Woodd of the HPA said. “I went down to Suffolk to have a look at the site.

“They have a large, flat, open area with sandy soil and irrigation that’s used for their annual agricultural show, which will be an ideal area to put a polo ground in.”

The handicap level of the international is likely to be 15-18 goal, although it is dependent on which Australian players are in the UK this season and free to play. The HPA have said they will aim to field a team of young players, however that was also the aim of the International Test Match in Chile in April, which now features seasoned England players Mark Tomlinson and Malcolm Borwick.

The 3,000 members of the SAA are likely to form a large part of the crowd, although the reasonable cost of admission – £20 for a car pass and £5 for a grandstand seat – should attract many more spectators.

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Polo Times, March 2012

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the

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picture

20/2/12 11:15:28

Sun, sand and champagne With the main focus on snow, arena and grass polo across the globe in this month’s issue of Polo Times, we thought we’d bring you something different for the Big picture – in the form of beach polo.

This stunning photograph was taken at last September’s Veuve Clicquot Polo on the Beach at Watergate Bay from the balcony of uninventively named Cornwall retreat “The Hotel”, which provides the perfect viewing platform for spectators.

Organisers of the event announced in February that the sixth Polo on the Beach will go ahead this year on the evening of Tuesday 11 September. Last year, more than 2,500 people turned out to watch Joules take on First Great Western, where the latter – led by six-goaler James Harper – secured victory. w For more information about Polo on the Beach, see www.watergatebay.co.uk/polo

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20/2/12 11:15:54

Comment

Backchat with Clare Milford Haven

Unless you’re Cambiaso, imitation is the best way to improve your game

R

ecently we had a 10goal Argentine pro staying with us for a few days skiing in Switzerland. Initially it brought much amusement and a sense of atonement when he fell over at every turn, nervously moving along at a snail’s pace firmly in a lavatorial pose diligently following the flawless technique of Georges, the ski instructor.

There was a certain amount of schadenfreude in watching him being rather bad at something for a change. But this lasted about five minutes. On day three, apart from a couple of spectacular wipeouts, he irritatingly went down every black run in sight without hesitation. I was wondering whether it is simply a fact that certain people are born with an innate athleticism so if they are say, good at polo, they automatically qualify to be more than competent at other sports involving balance, coordination, and timing. (It is a well-known fact that some 10-goalers have single-figure handicaps in golf and wouldn’t look out of place on the outer courts of Wimbledon).

But then something else suddenly hit me as I watched goggle-eyed in amazement at his

The best polo players appear to have an innate athleticism that gives them a natural competence at other sports involving balance, coordination and timing, such as skiing. Part of it is also the ability to watch others and then imitate their skills into your own

However, the fact remains that it is a subconscious reflex in most of us to try to copy our superiors and, by all accounts, it’s one way of fast tracking the arduous and,

Copying your superiors is one way of fasttracking the process of learning a new skill minute-by-minute progress. It is also the ability to watch others and then imitate their skills into your own. It’s like being a sporting impressionist. I once asked Cambiaso in an interview if he could give one piece of advice to young players what would it be and he replied that they develop their own style and not imitate others.

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at times, humiliating, process of learning a new skill.

Image problems I was at an event in London recently and, perhaps not surprisingly, we got on to the subject of polo. The guy I was talking to works in television.

He said: “I know a thing or

two about polo. That’s the big International Day when everyone gets hammered and all the girls totter onto the pitch in their high heels at half time stomping in the mud. Then there’s a big party in the evening and then everyone …..” Need I say more?!

The perception of polo from those who don’t play and aren’t involved is that it’s one big social piss-up with a few swarthy South Americans riding around in tight white jeans being ardently stalked by swathes of ladettes eager to improve international relations at the after-party.

How can we change this naff image and make it go away? By proper media coverage.

Think about it. Horse racing has moments when it loses its identity during Royal Ascot, when only the photos of dishevelled punters in silly hats hit the headlines rather than the fact that it is the premier showcase for some of the world’s finest flat racing. However, that is only a fleeting unflattering reflection of a sport that is otherwise taken seriously and understood generally, thanks in part to the wide television coverage it gets.

Surely this has to be the way forward for polo. F w Read more “Backchat” from Clare at www.polotimes.co.uk www.polotimes.co.uk

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Comment

Global view with Herbert Spencer

It’s time associations face reality and pay the pros playing for their country

T

he not-ungenerous fees earned by players on national teams in last month’s snow polo event in China, plus the big cash rewards paid to winners of this international tournament, again raises the questions of whether professionals should be paid to play for their country and whether money prizes are appropriate in the sport.

Firstly, should professional polo players be paid to don their nation’s colours in international competition? No, say the purists, they should be proud to represent their country, out of patriotism and without playing fees. After all, being selected to play on a national team enhances a player’s reputation and may even help the player earn higher fees from team patrons in pro-am polo.

A more realistic view, however, is that most of the players selected for national teams are professional sportsmen earning their living from polo, most with pro-am commitments throughout the year. The pros earn money playing in pro-am tournaments, so why not also when they compete in internationals?

Most of a professional’s income comes from playing on pro-am teams, so his (or her) first loyalties must lie with the team patrons

Nick Britten-Long, Jamie Le Hardy, Lucy Northmore, Henry Brett and Roddy Williams cashed in at the 2009 Hurtwood Polo Masters

a period of time. If he is also expected to provide his own ponies, he is also risking injury to them, possibly affecting his proam commitments.

One should also consider the fact that the players are the “entertainers” in any international.

Host venues and national associations derive income from international Tests as do many individuals involved, and corporate sponsors gain promotional benefits.

So surely the entertainers – the

Photograph by Andrew Tobin

Most players selected for national teams are professionals earning their living from polo who pay his fees. When asked to play on his country’s national team in internationals, the pro must consider not only his time away from pro-am commitments but also the ever-present risk of injury that could put him out of action and out of a job for 24

Polo Times, March 2012

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players – should share in any income accruing to the event.

In my opinion, polo associations everywhere should make it a policy to pay their national team players. Not only is it fairer to the hard-working pros, but it might also encourage some

to make themselves more readily available for selection.

As for cash prizes in polo, the US$340,000 (£216,750) paid to the four highest-placed teams in China was almost certainly the largest amount ever, but this was not the first time big money has been up for grabs.

In the US, prizes of $100,000$150,000 (£63,750-£95,625) were awarded in Chicago, Palm Beach and Boca Raton for major events in the 1970s and 80s.

In the UK, the Polo Masters at Hurtwood Park Polo Club paid winners-take-all cash prizes of $100,000 (£63,750) for a couple of years in the 2000s. This year Chester Racecourse Polo Club is offering £10,000 on two separate weekends in June and September.

Of course the cash prizes in polo are peanuts when compared to those in other horse sports.

For example, prizes at the 2012 Winter Equestrian Festival

in Wellington, Florida will total $6m (£3.825m), the highest individual event award being $500,000 (£318,750).

Personally, I have no objections to cash awards in polo, provided it is money well spent in relation to the overall funding of an event. The money has to come from somewhere, from corporate sponsors, from host clubs or from the polo associations.

Obviously cash prizes are welcomed by national teams in internationals and by team patrons and players in pro-am polo as they help defray expenses and they may offer a bit of extra income to the players. Whether or not the chance to win cash, not just a trophy, encourages the players to play harder is another question. F w Do you agree? Tell us your views at letters@polotimes.co.uk w Read more from Herbert at www.polotimes.co.uk www.polotimes.co.uk

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16/2/12 11:16:34

Comment

Umpire’s corner with Arthur Douglas-Nugent

Today’s umpires can learn much from polo greats of years gone by

I

spent time recently delving into some old scrapbooks held in the office of the HPA. Someone had taken a considerable amount of time and trouble to cut out articles pertaining to polo from publications such as Horse & Hound and The Field. In a 1960 issue of Horse & Hound, there was an article entitled “The Umpire’s Problems” by Humphrey Guinness. He argues that the umpire is in charge of the game and, to a very great extent, can make or mar it.

If a game is continually being stopped the players get fed up, the rhythm is destroyed, spectators are dissatisfied and the result is governed by the number of penalty shots that can be put through the posts.

These words have certainly stood the test of time. He goes on to quote the great

the game is he who delights to umpire; is continuously out to prove his umpiring at the expense of the players and is searching all the time for some technical infringement.” Thus, he states, the right attitude for an umpire is: “I am the custodian of the game; I must try not to influence the course of the match in any way; I hope the best side wins and there will not be too many fouls but a cross is a cross, a foul hook is a foul hook and dangerous riding must be stopped immediately.

“I must be particularly vigilant when a goal is being attacked and must watch the defending side carefully.” In a final flourish he states: “It is often said that a policeman’s lot is not a happy one – neither is an umpire’s!”

No need to confer I then came across another voice from the past, from The Field of

Photograph courtesy of Horrace A Laffaye

Humphrey Guinness argues that the umpire, to a very great extent, can make or mar the game American polo umpire, Wesley White: “Any foul play I stop immediately; the line of the ball is sacred; don’t look for fouls – fouls will be seen; fouls generally take place in the vicinity of the goal that is being attacked.”

Guinness endorses the above and adds: “The one who spoils

1962, in which that great AngloArgentine player Lewis Lacey writes that much of the conferring between officials is unnecessary and bad for the game.

He states that: “In my opinion too much consultation is a double error, firstly because the apparent uncertainty of the verdict causes

The Anglo-Argentine great Lewis Lacey

doubts (besides undermining the authority of those who made the decision) in the minds of the players and in those watching.

Secondly, the continuous interruptions have a bad effect on the smooth rhythm of the game.

“Furthermore, generally only one of those controlling the game is in position to see whether or not there has been a foul. The umpire who saw the foul and blew his whistle should immediately make up his mind, both as to the nature of the foul and the corresponding penalty. This should be done without consulting his colleague. A consultation can be held, but not as

a general rule, as is now customary, but as an exception.

“If after consultation the umpires cannot agree then, as a last resort, they can consult the referee, who is frequently put in the unenviable position of having to give a questionable decision on an aspect of the game which, when seen only from the stands, puts him in an inferior position as a judge in comparison to the consulting umpires.”

He continues by dividing umpires into two groups: those who see the fouls and apply the rules without loss of time and those who are constantly on the lookout for infractions to penalise.

This latter group falls victim to gesticulating players, who by their spectacular antics deliberately induce the umpires to penalise non-existent fouls. This, above all, happens when the umpires are led into a trap.

A different view point Given the difficult viewing position of the referee, it has been suggested by David Morley that they should have a third signal for when they are consulted by the umpires. As well as indicating “foul” and “no foul”, perhaps they should also be able to signal that they were “not in a position to make an informed decision”. F ◗ Read more from Arthur at www.polotimes.co.uk

Foul for thought…

This month’s puzzle The interval between chukkas is normally three minutes and five at half-time. When is an exception made to this rule?

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Polo Times, March 2012

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Last month’s solution What are the rules governing the return of a player from the pony lines for a throw-in?

We call it the offside rule (Rule 19b), in which a returning player must be behind (ie on his side of the ground) of a player of his own team. This rule was introduced about 20 years ago when, I think, Gonzalo Pieres emerged from the pony lines to collect a ball which had been hit down field from a lineout and hit it through the goal. www.polotimes.co.uk

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17/2/12 11:35:34

Comment

Your views

Letters Write to the editor in the following ways: ◗ letters@polotimes.co.uk ◗ Tweet: @PoloTimes or

@mullanitunder ◗ The Editor, Polo Times,

Holbrook Farm, North Leigh, Oxon OX29 6PX

Other nominations for OBEs Sir, I was interested to note Ascot Park’s Peter Grace has been awarded an OBE and, prompted by your query about who else might be deserving of such an honour in the weekly newsletter, it occurred to me there is surely one other notable polo person that should not have been overlooked. Well, who deserves an OBE for services to polo better than Margie Brett?

Firstly, for producing the best English player (in my view) since the war and, secondly, for producing the best polo magazine the world has ever seen!

Granville Bailey London Sir, I must congratulate Peter Grace. Well done! He could even have been awarded something for his previous disciplines – but, as you point out, he richly deserves his OBE for what he has done in polo.

Without doubt, another person who should have received some sort of recognition is Mervyn Fox-Pitt, right [uncle of international eventer William Fox-Pitt]. Without Mervyn, and his extraordinary energy and enthusiasm in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, there would have been no polo in Scotland!

John Drummond Moray Crieff – Perthshire, Scotland 28

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Letter of the month

Give me kids over chupamedias anyday Sir, this letter comes to you from the last few days of my current trip to Argentina, which has given me much to reflect on.

Looking back on the season in Argentina, it’s been a very difficult time for all but the very best pros. Most have had to play for absolute peanuts, arriving with just a phone and then renting horses to try and make the best of things. It’s been awful for the newcomers, especially the Brits, who’ve had to pay for everything and play for nothing. The problem is there are too many pros all after the same jobs. And the problem is only likely to get worse, with loads of youngsters (some as young as 10 years old) bitten by the polo bug and already getting up to one and two-goal handicaps. It’s very fashionable right now, but seems hard to make a living. The other problem that also affects these pros is that exporting horses from Argentina is becoming impossible.

However, despite all this, polo still always excites me. I particularly enjoy watching Pony Club matches: young players such as Marcos Hancock’s son, Rory Sweet’s boy and Saskia Meadows played here with spirit, fighting to become someone, to stand out and to make a name for themselves.

This is far more rewarding than following some of the players that have already made it, who now spend their time fixing matches and licking the boots of their patrons. Most of these chupamedias (bootlickers) are sommeliers of socks, and worth little more.

Atilio Degrossi in Argentina The writer of the Letter of the month wins a bottle of La Chamiza Argentine red wine

Sir, further to the news that Peter Grace has been awarded an OBE, and your enquiry about who else might be deserving, might I recommend Ali Schwabe from Suffolk Polo Club. She does nothing except help and encourage others into the sport and raise funds for charity with their matches all summer, and she is a truly good person.

Harriet Servaes Carlton House Polo, Bungay – Suffolk

Tweets worth re-tweeting We follow them on twitter, to save you bothering: @pitchblackpolo (photographer Mark Crislip) I took over 100,000 polo photos in 2011 and this is my Top 5 list.

At #5 @pieresfacu @PoloTimes pic.twitter.com/YaIpBx8n (right) @nachofigueras (six-goal player, Nacho Figueras) Wànshìrúyì - “May all your wishes be fulfilled” @PoloTimes (Polo Times) Happy Chinese New Year!

“Entertainer” Justin Bieber is 18 this year, but Polo Times has been informing and entertaining even longer.

@carlie_trotter (Polo Times contributor, Carlie Trotter) Gawd darnit make it an Olympic sport RT @PoloTimes: England beat South Africa 7-6 today in the FIP Snow Polo World Cup in Tianjin, China

@stewartonpolo (Scottish polo club, Stewarton) With the polo season not far off. It is a good time to strengthen up those core muscles. Why not check out your local Pilates class?

@mullanitunder (Polo Times editor, James Mullan) Lying in the dark in bed last night, the girl beside me said “I’ve never been with anyone so well endowed” “You’re pulling my leg” I replied. www.polotimes.co.uk

16/2/12 21:15:55

Your views

Comment

Public ridicule at John Goodman’s adoption of his adult girlfriend Sir, I was fascinated to read in your weekly email newsletter about International Polo Club Palm Beach owner John Goodman and the lengths to which he is going to arrange his financial affairs ahead of his criminal trial for DUI manslaughter (this month – it begins on 6 March).

At first I thought perhaps I read it wrong but is he really adopting his girlfriend?! A quick search on the internet reveals he is. He already has in fact! Only in America… Whilst conducting this interesting bit of investigation, I also came across the following very entertaining “comment” piece from Sun Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo, who is based in the Florida state in which Goodman’s alleged crimes took place.

James Marriage via email

Some men marry their girlfriends. Palm Beach County polo magnate John Goodman adopted his. Even by South Florida standards, this move seems a little out there.

Remember how Woody Allen caused a New York ruckus by dating and then marrying the young adopted daughter of his longtime girlfriend Mia Farrow? Well, Goodman has pulled a reverse Woody, turning his adult girlfriend into his adopted daughter.

Goodman is 48, and in a heap of trouble from a February 2010 car wreck that killed a 23-year-old Wellington man. Heather Hutchins is 42, a divorcee from Atlanta. Their evolving relationship certainly raises interesting questions.

Goodman and Hutchins have been dating for three years, but what did they do last month for their first Valentine’s Day as father and daughter? Was Goodman supposed to wine and dine Hutchins, shower her with red roses and sinful chocolates? Or just send a teddy bear with a card signed, “Love, Dad.” Ick. Cynical people think Goodman’s move has something to do with a pending civil suit brought by the parents of Scott Wilson, who died in the crash. Perhaps it’s a way for Goodman to shield his considerable air-conditioning and heating business fortune, or a way for Goodman to get his hands on trust fund money meant for his young children from a previous marriage.

But Goodman’s move might boomerang. At first, the judge in his civil case said the trust couldn’t be mentioned to a jury weighing punitive damages. But now that Hutchins is a trustee, Palm Beach Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley has ruled the trust can be considered.

Maybe Goodman would have been better off adopting an accountant. Or a lawyer.

According to Bachi’s statement, Hutchins will get up to five per cent of the trust as compensation for “the large undertaking of overseeing such a complex” family business. Thanks Daddy.

www.polotimes.co.uk

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With celebrations for the new “Year of the Dragon” and the inaugural FIP Snow Polo World Cup, it’s been a busy few weeks for the Chinese

Eerie quiet at the Metropolitan metropolis Sir, Polo, Opera and fine wine!

The three great loves of the owner of Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club came together to make for an interesting combination in Tianjin China, the venue of the inaugural FIP Snow Polo World Cup. Snow was being made six weeks before the event, huge marquees were erected on either side of the field for spectators, and US$3,000a-night gala dinners took place every night with the finest of foods, wines and entertainment.

Horses to mount 12 teams were purchased from Australia and New Zealand for the event.

Team feedback on the horses was very positive and very obvious for all to see was the quality and care.

The games seemed to get faster and more dangerous the closer to the prize money they became.

What a pity then, that after all this preparation and planning, there was hardly anyone in attendance to watch some very good polo. The sponsors were promised 10,000 people, but instead all their lavish expenditure went virtually unnoticed.

A confused visitor via email

Remembering a friend Sir, the sudden passing of Stephan Louis in mid-2011 was not only a loss to German polo, but also to Thai Polo & Equestrian Club. Stephan was a long-time friend of Thai Polo’s co-owner Harald Link and helped in the establishment of the club in 2005.

As a tribute to a great polo friend, Mr Link organised the 6-goal Stephan Louis Chimfunshi Cup in December at Thai Polo Club. The aim was to bring together many friends who knew and had played with Stephan in a charity tournament.

Four teams participated, with Adamas the eventual winners over Maple Leaf.

A dinner and auction of Chimfunshi shirts followed.

All the money raised will go towards Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in central Zambia – a non-profit refuge that cares for a wide variety of sick, wounded or unwanted animals, which was Stephan Louis’ favourite charity.

This memorial to a dear friend will be an annual event.

John Leicester Thai Polo & Equestrian Club Polo Times, March 2012

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Feature

Interview â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Peter Grace OBE

The man for all seasons

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20/2/12 11:18:17

Peter Grace OBE

Despite a relatively late start in polo, 73-year-old New Zealander Peter Grace has been a pioneer of the UK game for almost 40 years, growing arena polo and – with the help of his family – striving to make learning as inclusive as possible

Feature

Caroline Stern in Surrey and Berkshire

O

n 29 February, legendary coach Peter Grace was awarded the OBE for services to polo. However, perhaps surprisingly, he didn’t pick up a mallet until he was 29 years old.

Growing up in Huntville, near Wellington, he preferred showjumping, dressage and eventing , whilst farming three family-owned sheep stations. He equalled the New Zealand showjumping Puissance record and allowed British professional showjumper Pat Smythe to compete his horses but not to buy them.

However, Peter did not want to jump professionally and his wife Elizabeth “decided that he needed another sport”.

Elizabeth persuaded a polo-player cousin to phone up and beg Peter to help him with a problem horse: “I had never seen a game of polo,” explained Peter, “but I turned up and was put straight into a six chukka game! By the end of it, I was getting into it and having the best fun I’d had for ages.” Peter had his first lesson shortly afterwards, when New Zealand Captain Tony Kaye gave a two-day clinic at the Rangitiki Polo Club.

Six years later he took up a challenge from his uncle Hamish Wilson, then chairman of the New Zealand Polo Association, who informed

“Nobody was teaching polo when I arrived in the UK in 1973” – Peter Grace OBE Photographs courtesy of the Grace family

Peter that “they would never let him play polo in England.”

Peter and Elizabeth arrived at Cowdray Park and stayed at the Park House Hotel, “a home for itinerant polo players”, before renting Ambersham House from the late Lord Cowdray. One of his first ventures was perhaps the earliest indoor polo venture in the UK, at Stocklands in Hampshire. Despite playing successfully off a four-goal handicap in highgoal, Peter soon decided to move to a more u Left: Janey, Pippa, Victoria, Katie and Peter Grace, photographed at Ascot Park in the mid-1990s

Polo Times, March 2012

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Feature

Interview – Peter Grace OBE

5

t hings you didn’t know about Peter Grace OBE

1. As a 17-year-old schoolboy, he bowled out the then captain of the Australian cricket team, Ian Chappell.

2. He was a member of the New Zealand Olympic show jumping team that qualified for the Rome Olympics but was unable to participate due to funding problems.

3. His textbook, Polo, came out in the same year as Jilly Cooper’s novel of the same title, in which he is also recommended as an instructor. The popular author was quoted, revealing that Peter’s book, unlike hers, was for “those learning about polo on the right side of the blanket!”

4. He bred over 100 polo ponies, many from his New Zealand thoroughbred stallion, Force Ten, that are still playing high-goal today.

5. During the early 1970s, he was stopped as a suspected bullion-smuggler by French customs whilst driving patron Harold Bamberg’s Rolls Royce from England to a match in France.

Peter and Victoria Grace on London’s Regent Street, introducing polo as part of the Regent Street Summer Festival

u populated area and set up a polo school.

“I had an urge to teach,” said Peter. “I was so taken up with this wonderful sport that I wanted to give something back. But polo was exclusive then. Nobody was teaching it when I arrived in England in 1973, and so I realised that the sport needed to be promoted. It was not widely available.”

The much-photographed image of Peter’s students learning dismounted hitting techniques was born when Ronald Ferguson asked him to teach at Guards in 1976.

“I formulated a teaching programme with (Australian 10-goaler) Sinclair Hill. Every Monday we had new players standing on chairs learning how to hit, in front of the Guards clubhouse. When I first joined the club, there 32

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were 48 members. By 1987, there were 148, 78 per cent of whom had come through our polo school. David Pearl kindly told me that I was making money for everyone else but myself, which was part of what prompted me to set up my own club in 1988.”

Peter’s textbook – simply titled Polo – was published in 1991, with a foreword by the Prince of Wales. He also flew to Florida each winter to coach in Palm Beach, numbering the Michelob high-goal team among his clients.

In the early 1990s, a group of coaches met at Claire Tomlinson’s Down Farm in Gloucestershire to lay down the first HPA guidelines as to how polo should be taught.

“This was an amalgamation of the best polo teaching brains in the UK at that time,

including Hugh Dawnay, John Horswell, David Morley and Claire Tomlinson. In those days, there was no defined method of coaching polo and we didn’t all agree on everything, so it was a controversial exercise. However, what was devised has proved in the long term to be a very sensible way of coaching.”

Peter’s classical riding background informs his own style of teaching, along with what he describes as an innate ability to evaluate swing, be it polo, tennis or golf.

“Whilst it is essential to have the HPA guidelines, a good coach also has to remember that every client is an individual and you have to identify their characteristics in order to find the correct way of teaching that person.”

The combination of Peter’s coaching skills and good marketing put Ascot Park swiftly in the public eye. One of the club’s best strategies proved to be the small ad offering polo tuition that ran for 20 years in the back of Horse & Hound. In the ‘80s, ‘90s and noughties, the club appeared to have cornered the celebrity polo market, as Grace and his four photogenic daughters taught the basics to numerous television comedians and actors. Most recently, they taught Atomic Kitten’s Liz McClarnon last year, and they also made the headlines when the successful team on Dragons’ Den had a polo lesson on national television. www.polotimes.co.uk

17/2/12 14:48:53

Interview – Peter Grace OBE

Feature

Peter Grace OBE, with Prince Talal of Jordan (holding the Ascot Park Cup) and Victoria Grace at Ascot Park in 2002. This was the first of two seasons the prince spent with the Graces. He also brought Peter out to Jordan to begin developing polo resorts in Aquaba and near the capital Madaba – a project scuppered by the start of the Iraq war in 2003

Unusually for a player of his generation, Grace firmly believed that the game was equally suitable for women as well as men, and is in no doubt that Ascot Park’s all-girl family polo team helped contribute to the club’s attractiveness to the media.

Daughters Pippa, Janey, Victoria and Katie attended university at a time when virtually only Oxbridge students played polo. So the family decided to introduce an alternative universities’ tournament.

“The girls brought teams from London, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Bristol and St

of marketing genius, along with long-time member Nick Beitner, which was the club’s acquisition of the domain name polo.co.uk.”

That name helps ensure that the club picks up many of those researching the game online before anyone else. It is also no doubt popular with the club’s sponsors and – by the standards of a low-goal club – Victoria Grace has overseen impressive levels of strategic corporate support. Indeed, England shirt sponsors Joules started out with the IWPA National Women’s Polo Championships in 2004.

Many disparate people have bought Ascot

“The HPA had no idea Peter had been nominated for this award, but we are naturally delighted for him” – David Woodd Thomas’s Medical School – they had a great time, despite the fact that few had played before and some could barely ride!”

Pippa Grace subsequently set up the International Women’s Polo Association (IWPA) in 1989, which now includes players from 33 countries and aims to further women’s polo participation at both professional and amateur levels.

“Of course polo is for girls. For a start, they usually tend to ride better, so it was a great idea. Pippa was also behind another stroke www.polotimes.co.uk

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Park’s “Learn to Play Polo” package down the years, which were at one point available on the shelves of WH Smith as part of the “Red Letter Gift Experiences”. With the help of these sales, Grace pioneered the introduction to polo for non-riders and corporate clients.

“I have taught everyone from high-goal patrons to train drivers. It’s essential to keep bringing people into the sport. Highgoal is a spectacle, low-goal is not, but it’s the core of the game – you need a wide base to get more people up to the top level.

The wider the base, the higher the peak.”

It is this broad attitude that helped earn him the attentions of the Queen, but his OBE came as a complete surprise to the HPA. “Yes, we had no idea Peter had even been put forward,” admitted chief executive David Woodd. “However, naturally we are delighted for him. It’s a wonderful award, of course.”

It marked a special moment for Grace, though he admits he had never expected such recognition, and that his own ambitions in the game peaked when he played with his family at Polo in the Park two years ago. He played with his grandson Maxi and two pros from Ascot Park in a “Battle of the Sexes” against his four daughters.

Considering the game’s future, Peter believes polo may reach its zenith once more with eventual Olympic inclusion, though would want it played in the arena, arguing that it would be virtually impossible and unwatchable to run Olympic grass polo. When asked if there is anything else he’d like on the horizon, his answer is simple: “I think it’s time to rewrite my book, so am planning to update Polo in the near future.” F w See a few suggestions for who else in polo might be deserving of public recognition and a similar honour on page 28 Polo Times, March 2012

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Feature

Sponsorship in polo

Branding exercise Polo sponsorship is a hot topic in the UK this year with Cartier switching its backing to the Queen’s Cup and Guards still searching for its replacement for International Day. We talk to the most recognisable brands in the game to find out what attracts them to polo

John O’Sullivan

Photographs by Centaur

investigates

S

port as we know it today simply wouldn’t be the same without sponsorship. Whether you’re attending top-class international competition at Palermo, Wembley Stadium or the Nürburgring, or simply watching a junior rugby game at your local park – the impact of sponsorship is unavoidable.

Sponsorship money allows football clubs to spend tens of millions of pounds on new signings and to offer exorbitant wages of £200,000-a-week to their top players. In Formula One it allows the leading teams to spend hundreds of millions developing their high-tech cars, which, as a result of the sponsorship, compete all over the globe.

In grass-roots sport, sponsorship helps to pay for the essentials – the kit, ground rental, coaching. Although perhaps not as glamorous, these sponsorship deals are just as important to those who play.

Polo is no different. The king of games has been transformed by sponsorship and, put simply, today’s highest profile Test Matches and tournaments would not exist as they do without it. Neither, of course, would the grass-roots clubs and the UK’s flourishing junior programme.

Every year new luxury brands in the jewellery, motoring, leisure and drinks sectors flock to polo. It is obvious what the game gets out of these deals – the HPA and Guards are rumoured to want a six-figure sum for the sponsorship of this year’s International Day. We seek to find out from the game’s top sponsors what’s in it for them.

Cartier If one sponsor more than any other has become synonymous with polo at home and abroad over the last three decades, it is Cartier. The French luxury jeweller and watchmaker first sponsored the HPA International Day at Guards in 1984 and has been part of the furniture ever since.

The jovial Arnaud Bamberger, executive chairman of Cartier UK, believes Cartier and polo are a perfect match.

“Polo is the king of games, and Cartier is the king of jewellers,” he said, simply.

Last July’s centenary edition of the Coronation Cup marked the last year of Cartier’s sponsorship

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www.polotimes.co.uk

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Audi’s head of PR Jon Zammett, HPA chairman Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers, the Duke of Edinburgh and Cartier UK’s executive chairman Arnaud Bamberger, with players Jack Richardson and Johnny Good on International Day last year. Mr Zammett and Mr Bamberger are two of the most important decision-makers for UK polo sponsorship

Cartier UK’s managing director François Le Troquer added: “Polo for us is not a commercial event. We don’t display our products and we’re not trying to sell them.

For us, we like polo because it is about passion. More important than creating useful business connections, polo for us is a chance to share our passion in common with other polo aficionados.”

Like leading champagne house Veuve Clicquot, who have sponsored the British Open for the Gold Cup at Cowdray Park since 1995, the brand Cartier became as famous in polo as the tournament that bore its name.

During the 27-year association, International Day at Guards widely became known as the “Cartier International”.

However last summer Cartier announced that it would not be renewing this deal and instead signed a three-year contract to sponsor the Queen’s Cup. Mr Bamberger explains: “At times, people need to www.polotimes.co.uk

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change. Especially when you are at the height of your powers, not when you are already beginning to fall down.

“So, strategically, after doing the same thing for so many years we felt that, while polo remains a very good association for Cartier, we could u

Polo Times, March 2012

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Feature

Sponsorship in polo

Julius Baer’s polo sponsorship activities now concentrate on grass-roots polo, like the IPA Academy in Zurich

Cartier UK’s managing director François Le Troquer and executive chairman Arnaud Bamberger

Photographs by James Mullan and Julius Baer

u perhaps reinforce our focus on the game. The International Day had become so successful and so popular that, in many ways, the polo got lost sight of amid the lunches, celebrities, champagne and parties.”

And the Queen’s Cup represented the perfect opportunity for Cartier. Mr Bamberger continues: “The patrons have invested heavily in the tournament and their entrepreneurial spirit means they want to be successful. So the players really fight, they always work to get the best out of their horses, and they really want to win.

“The other advantage with the Queen’s Cup for us is the fact that it happens in May and June. It allows us to have more of our friends coming to watch the final with us, because many of our favourite people are away at the end of July, overseas.

“We are very loyal at Cartier and, while of course we consider the strategic merits of other offers, we have stuck by Guards.”

Audi While Audi’s history in polo may not stretch back as far as Cartier’s, no sponsor has had a bigger impact on the British game 36

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over the last seven years. The German car manufacturers initially signed a two-year deal to sponsor the England team back in 2005, a move that brought about the creation of the Cowdray and Beaufort Test Matches.

Audi, under the guidance of Jon Zammett, has maintained its allegiance to the England team and now hosts numerous annual weekend tournaments with Princes William and Harry, as well as sponsoring the Audi Polo Awards.

Mr Zammett told Polo Times: “If you want to get the landed gentry and people who are conspicuously wealthy, you don’t get them through conventional advertising.

“With the high net-worth individuals we want in our cars, we can get real projection of our brand image standing in polo.”

with Argentina. The motivation behind this sponsorship is different from any of the HPA’s other main sponsors. While the likes of Cartier, Audi and Veuve Clicquot see polo as a vehicle to enhance the reputation of their luxury brand, for Thai Polo this sponsorship is seen as a means to help promote and develop polo both in the UK and in Thailand.

Harald Link, who owns Thai Polo & Equestrian Club with Nunthinee Tanner, explains: “The beginning of Thai Polo’s sponsorship of the HPA came about when I was talking with my good friend Andrew Hine about ways to support the sport.

“I strongly admire the HPA’s work, its management and committees. We can all learn from the HPA. At the same time it seems not so easy for the HPA to find sponsors for

“The International Day had become so successful, in many ways the polo had been lost sight of” – Arnaud Bamberger, Cartier UK For the last two seasons Audi have also concentrated on the grass-roots side of the game by sponsoring the Pony Club Polo Championships at Cowdray Park.

Mr Zammett added: “We are delighted that there are serious benefits for the sport.

This is not just another shirt sponsorship.”

Thai Polo Another of the HPA and England team’s big sponsors is the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club, who financed last April’s trip to Buenos Aires for the Copa Naciones showdown

the English national team. It makes me very happy when I see that our sponsorship helps them to win or perform well.”

Nunthinee Tanner, who runs all of the Thai Polo events and is also vice president of the Thai Equestrian Federation, added: “The HPA kindly sent their young team to Thai Polo last year to compete against the Royal Malaysian Polo Association. One day in the very distant future Thailand may have a team that can also play against Young England.

“I think the England team does very well and is an inspiration to the younger players.” www.polotimes.co.uk

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Sponsorship in polo

Feature

HPA view from chief executive David Woodd

Audi bring together members of the Royal family and the UK game’s top players for their popular tournaments

Julius Baer Swiss private bank Julius Baer started their polo sponsorship by making a significant commitment as a team sponsor to the prestigious St Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow in 2007. However, since then their sponsorship focus has changed more to polo at the grass-roots level.

Julius Baer now sponsor the HPA Victor Ludorum prizes at the Audi Polo Awards. In 2010 they sponsored the Junior Polo British Championship at Hurtwood Park and they are significant backers of the IPA Academy in Zurich. Marketing manager Andrea Schneider explains that, for Julius Baer, sponsorship means much more than just handing over money. She said: “We concentrate on knowledge transfer and

talent development in all our sponsorship commitments because, for us, sponsorship means much more than providing funding.

“We see ourselves as a partner with the shared goal of developing a platform and realising a vision from which talented people will benefit.”

Miss Schneider underlined that polo, as well as contemporary art and classical music, will remain a crucial part of Julius Baer’s marketing activity in the coming years.

“Audi’s sponsorship funds the England team. Other sponsorship pays for all of the development of the game, for grants, for the Pony Club, for the Junior HPA. “We do not use any of the HPA income – things such as membership fees, club fees and these type of things – to fund the internationals and development. I suspect if we did do this – using the money that comes from club members to fund the international game – I don’t think it would be a particularly popular move. If you remove the sponsorship then, quite simply, we could not run the England team and the development of the game in the way we do. It is fundamental.

“If we did not have sponsors, then all of these things would have to be subsidised by someone – by a player, by a patron, by a club.

“By our estimations, the Coronation Cup could break even without sponsorship, but the other international days will not.

“Most of the clubs employ people who look for sponsorship for all of their tournaments and events. When it comes to finding a sponsor for the Test Matches, the club takes the lead but it is very much a joint-venture.”

She said: “Polo perfectly mirrors our corporate values – care, passion excellence – and has related attributes, such as teamwork, trust and tradition.

Polo represents our philosophy of doing business and reaching our goals through flexibility, a strong team approach and a clear vision. Polo is also played worldwide and in all the regions where the Julius Baer Group u Malcolm Borwick in action for England in Argentina last year, where they were backed by Thai Polo

Photographs by Images of Polo and Audi

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Feature

Sponsorship in polo

Leigh Anne Moore with the Montana team – Martin Roman, Manuel Plaza de Ayala, Tony Gerrard and Michel Del Carill – who won the UberPolo-sponsored Cowdray Park 12-goal tournament last year

Photographs by Peter Hamblin and Clive Bennett

UberPolo

The England team of Max Charlton, Tim Bown and Chris Hyde were backed by EFG at the Gaucho International

u is active. On top of this, polo tournaments are fascinating for our guests and are good platforms for hospitality activities.”

EFG Another private bank with vast sponsorship within the game is EFG. Last year they backed the victorious England team at the inaugural Gaucho International, but their sponsorship reaches much further than that.

They boast a presence on every polo playing continent, and at every level from Cambridge University polo in the UK to the Nations Cup at Desert Palm in Dubai and 38

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the 40 Goal Challenge in Palm Beach. Keith Gapp, EFG’s head of strategic marketing and communications, believes this is the key to their success.

He said: “For us, polo is more than a backdrop to client entertainment. We follow and encourage the sport. It’s good to work at different levels within the sport and in very different countries. It’s about earning our spurs over time rather than being formulaic – we want to put something back.

“We’re particularly proud that we have developed some strong partnerships and, I would like to think, friendships as well.”

Polo equipment suppliers UberPolo are another company that buy into the mentality of using sponsorship as both a tool of promotion and an opportunity to help with the game’s development.

The Haslemere-based shop sponsors tournaments from -2 goals to 12 goals and have a particularly strong presence during the arena season and at university events.

Leigh Anne Moore, who runs the business with her sister Steph, said: “When we sponsor shirts or prizes at large tournaments we are very much focussing on increasing brand recognition. This does, however, only form part of our sponsorship efforts.

“The other objective we have is in promoting and growing the sport. We try to support young players as much as we can.

We consider this fundamental to helping grow the sport in this country – these are the polo players of the future. Our presence at tournaments is very much about networking and having fun. Polo is a great sport and one we’re very passionate about.” F w Read about the latest UK polo tournament for young players on page 66 www.polotimes.co.uk

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16/2/12 11:17:40

➘ Fact box To help speed up the game, the HPA’s arena polo rules call for teams to hit in from the backboard immediately after conceding a goal, rather than both teams riding back to the centre for a throw-in. Interestingly, Argentina’s Javier Tanoira, in his respected treatise on possible changes to polo, suggested that a similar rule would speed up the grass game.

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The evolution of the arena game

Feature

Is indoor the new outdoor?

With two high-profile arena internationals scheduled for March in the UK, Polo Times considers the growth of “indoor” polo, from its origins in the US in the 19th century, to its increasing fashionability in recent years and the similar new forms of the game it has spawned

Herbert Spencer investigates

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Jonny Good leads the race for the ball during the recent HPA National Club Championships at RCBPC

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arena and there are fewer upkeep costs than for a grass ground.

And with only three players and four chukkas, a team needs less horsepower.

grounds were built around New York.

Arena polo really came into its own after military and civilian teams began playing in the indoor drill halls of US Army armouries in cities like New York and Chicago. An Indoor Polo Association was formed in 1921 (merging with the US Polo Association in the 1950s). Between the wars many of the topranked grass players, including 10-goalers of that period, also competed in the arena.

The world’s first arena international was in 1923, between the USA and Great Britain for the John R Townsend Arena Challenge Cup in New York’s Squadron A Armoury.

Surprisingly, the transatlantic competition was not played for again until it was revived in 2008, at Great Meadow Polo Club, Virginia.

The USPA still uses, somewhat confusingly, the terms “outdoor polo” – the traditional game on grass – and “indoor polo” – the arena game – even though most arenas are outdoors rather than under cover. Players are assigned “outdoor” and “indoor” handicaps.

The association estimates some 1,200 of its u

USA

➘ Fact box

➘ Fact box It is likely that today’s recommended size of an arena, 100 by 50 yards, is based upon the playing areas in the US Army’s armouries where the game first became popular in America.

The USA is not only by far the biggest arena country, but was also the first to play this version of the game.

When newspaper publisher James Gordon Bennett introduced polo to America in 1876, his first practice matches were not outdoors on grass but in the arena at Dinkel’s Riding Academy in Manhattan. So arena polo can be said to predate the traditional game in the US, if only by a few months until the first grass

Photograph by Gillian Hughes

ith not one but two important arena polo internationals being played in England this month, it’s time to have a look at how the three-man game is faring worldwide.

Arena polo has long been established in the US and the UK, but how extensively is it played in other countries?

Some traditionalists who play only fourman polo on grass grounds turn up their noses at the arena game, seeing it as inferior and only good for training.

Devotees of arena see it differently. It is not just for beginners, they say, but is a “gladiatorial” contest demanding as much skill as traditional polo. With a playing area about a tenth of the size of a grass ground, there are no long gallops but plenty of fast, breakaway sprints, quick stops and tight turns by the ponies. The horse-high boards around an arena add another dimension; bouncing the ball off the boards is a wellpractised tactic.

Polo in the arena, it is argued, is more

spectator friendly. Ranged along the boards, spectators can almost reach out and touch the players as they gallop past and the action is never far away as it regularly can be in grass polo. Arena rules are designed to speed up the game, providing almost continuous action goal-to-goal.

There is also a financial advantage to arena polo. A club needs much less land to install an

There have only been four players with 10-goal arena handicaps, three Americans and one South African (“Smoking Joe” Henderson) playing in the US. The most recent arena 10-goaler is Tommy Biddle, son of retired USPA chairman Tom Biddle of Aiken, South Carolina.

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Feature

The evolution of the arena game

Photograph by Sebastian Meredith

4,000 players hold arena handicaps. More than 80 of the USPA’s grass clubs also have arenas and there are some 30 arena-only clubs.

The association’s inter-scholastic and inter-collegiate programmes, with a total of more than 800 players, compete only in arena polo.

According to the USPA, varying climatic conditions across the continent make it too difficult to organise polo on grass for the country’s youth. u

UK and Ireland After World War II there were occasional arena exhibitions in English equestrian centres, during horse shows at the famous Harringay Arena in London’s East End and other venues.

In the 1970s and ‘80s, there were more exhibition matches at equestrian events; Prince Charles played in one at London’s Olympia.

A number of prominent grass players also got together to play two or three-a-side in indoor riding schools, including the army’s old Victorian facility at Aldershot, using the American arena Seb Dawnay in action at the Oaklands Arena in South Africa, which used to host an annual International Arena Test Match

➘ Fact box The UK is the only country where the arena surface is typically made of specially constituted artificial material from suppliers such as Martin Collins. Most arenas in other countries, including the US, use natural materials like sand or dirt.

rule book. In the mid 1980s, Epsom Polo Club began playing domestic tournaments in its small, indoor arena, but only two-aside because of its size. The UK’s first arena internationals, the J&B Pro-Polo series, were played there for several years.

In 1990, the late Bryan Morrison installed the country’s first all-weather arena at his Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club (RCBPC). The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) officially adopted the sport with an Arena Polo Committee. HPA arena rules were drafted based upon the American model and players were given arena handicaps.

The number of arena clubs in the UK and Ireland grew from seven in 1995 to 20 a decade later. There are currently 29 arena clubs listed by the HPA, including those in the Republic of Ireland, and there are 520 arena members, of which 120 are junior members.

England’s Schools and Universities Polo Association (SUPA) plays both national and international tournaments in the arena (see page 60 for the latest SUPA arena news).

South Africa Five of the Rainbow Nation’s clubs have arenas, of which one is an arena-only club.

There are only a handful of regular South African players with arena handicaps, but they are joined by players from abroad for national tournaments. Players would also come from overseas in the days of the annual Arena International Test Matches at Oaklands Country Manor, held at the resort’s beautiful facility at the foot of the Drakensberg mountains until founder Jamie Bruce’s death in 2010. The South African Polo Association (SAPA) has arena internationals in the planning stage. “Up to now arena polo has

➘ Fact box There is no arena polo in Argentina, the world’s leading polo nation. Nor is the arena game ever likely to catch on there, according to the polo association, as the generally milder weather in Argentina allows traditional outdoor polo on grass to be played all year round.

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16/2/12 17:41:47

The evolution of the arena game Germany Polo Club. There they play two-ontwo polo in an indoor arena.

There is also an arena at the Chiemsee Polo Club in Gut Ising, but there is no organised arena polo in Germany.

Australia Photograph by Jim Bremner/PoloZONE.com

Only one of Australia’s polo clubs, Biddaddaba Creek in Queensland, has its own arena, but there is three-man polo at several big agricultural shows across the country.

Sydney’s Royal Easter Show traditionally has the largest crowds in the world watching the arena game, with upwards of 20,000

England’s Seb Dawnay and USA’s Tommy Biddle mark each other in front of a packed grandstand in California

been slow in getting off the ground,” says SAPA executive director Clive Peddle, “but it seems to be more popular as more players give it a try.”

France

Germany

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Arena polo fans in the UK have been denied a real treat this month after America’s top player Tommy Biddle pulled out of the Hickstead International Test (see news).

Impressively built 43-year-old, Biddle, has recently become just the fourth player in arena history to reach the coveted 10goal rating. The Hickstead International on Saturday 3 March, would have seen him go toe-to-toe with England’s finest, nine-goaler Chris Hyde, in what is sure to have been a mouth-watering clash of the titans.

However, Biddle’s withdrawal and injury to Brad Blake forced a late re-shuffle of the sides and denied Hyde the chance of avenging England’s 15-9 defeat against the USA in the Townsend Cup last March.

Biddle started playing arena polo at the University of Florida and by the age of 24 he had secured an eight-goal handicap.

Towards the end of the last decade he started to concentrate more on his arena polo and in 2010 his handicap was raised to nine.

w See page 50 for the latest news from the 2012 Heaton-Ellis Trust arena polo tournament

England’s Tim Bown races Argentina’s Nacho Figueras during 2011’s Gaucho International at London’s O2 Arena

www.polotimes.co.uk

would have served up a thrilling battle with Chris Hyde at the Hickstead Arena International, says John O’Sullivan

spectators in the stands. This year Australia will play South Africa on 7 April.

There are some 20 Aussie players who compete in one show polo event or another, but the Australia Polo Council (APC) does not assign them arena handicaps. F

Photograph by Peter Hamblin

The country’s most active arena is outside Hamburg at the Winter family’s North

The arena game has spawned two other versions of the sport, snow polo [see January/February Polo Times its history] and beach polo.

Both are played three-on-three on an arena-sized area and both have gained popularity in a number of countries around the world. Indeed, outside the US and the UK, snow and beach polo are now played more extensively than arena polo.

Tommy Biddle

Photograph by Jim Bremner/PoloZONE.com

Most of France’s polo clubs have arenas, some 20 in total, but the Fédération Française de Polo (FFP) has no figures on how many of their members play arena polo. The federation also recognises two other threeon-three disciplines: “paddock-polo” and “poney-polo”, the latter similar to the UK’s Pony Club polo, played in 14 centres. The FFP is seeking to stage arena polo exhibitions at some of the country’s major horse shows and to expand regular arena competitions.

➘ Fact box

Feature

After another excellent season in the US, Biddle, who hails from Aiken in South Carolina and was an eight-goaler outdoors in his prime, joined arena polo’s elite this year.

In January the USPA confirmed that he had followed in the footsteps of Winston FC Guest (1929), CC “Buddy” Combs (1951) and “Smoking” Joe Henderson (1989) to become the fourth arena 10-goaler, and the first in 23 years.

British arena polo fans will no doubt be disappointed to miss the opportunity to see him go head-to-head with another of the indoor game’s top players. But, rest assured, the 43-year-old’s passion for the game shows no sign of abating and another clash with Hyde is surely just around the corner.

Polo Times, March 2012

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Reports

FIP Snow Polo World Cup – Tianjin, China

“Hong Kong” victory poses questions for FIP James Mullan rounds up the action and reaction from the inaugural FIP Snow Polo World Cup at Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club in Tianjin – where victory for Hong Kong – a side, perplexingly consisting of two Argentines and a Brit – left FIP officials with egg on their faces

Hong Kong South Africa

Photographs by Action Polo and Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club

L

7 4

et’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with money – the formidable entry of China and the vast amounts they are spending on the game is naturally welcomed by many and, long term, should be of benefit to polo as a whole.

In particular, Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club’s rapid achievement in its infrastructure, ponies, administrators, events and large-scale tournaments is nothing short of extraordinary.

However, when the present holders of office in national and international polo associations allow their heads to be turned by the sums of monies on offer and ignore their fundamental principles of existence in order to get their hands on the “folding stuff ”, one is entitled to ask whether or not the game of polo is being brought into disrepute.

Thus, when five-goal Argentine player Martin Inchauspe lifted his second FIP World Cup in less than five months, this time representing Hong Kong as opposed to his home country Argentina, at an FIP-sanctioned tournament, it begs the question – is polo really serious about its international reputation?

Whereas every other side in the FIP’s first Snow Polo World Cup fielded a team selected by their nation’s polo association, and containing nationals from that country, eventual winners Hong Kong – a recently reclaimed region of China without a single active polo club – were given licence to put

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together a representative side made up of whomever they liked.

The newly formed Hong Kong Polo Development and Promotion Federation duly selected Argentines Inchauspe and Guillermo Terrera to play alongside British ex-pat John Fisher, who lives in Tianjin with his family and who works for Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club.

Hong Kong lost just once (against England in the group stages) as they made their way to the final. They beat France in the quarter finals before exacting revenge over England at the semi-final stage. Hong Kong

then overcame South Africa in an entertaining final, 7-4.

Though the surface was much improved from the club’s previous snow polo tournament in 2011, FIP tournament director Pete Abisheganaden sensibly brought forward the 2012 final because warm temperatures forecast meant the artificial snow was unlikely to stay frozen for long.

“The final made for a good game,” said Karen Kranenburg, an organiser of polo tournaments worldwide for more than a decade. “And, despite being brought forward, at last there were some spectators there. The rest of the tournament had been like a ghost town, so it was good that they got some people in.

“However, from a sponsorship point of view, those that had supported the event were not well looked after, particularly given how much they had been asked to spend.

And then, when you consider that the Hong Kong team that won was in no way representative

English four-goaler John Fisher goes in search of a goal for Hong Kong in the final with South Africa

www.polotimes.co.uk

16/2/12 21:07:06

FIP Snow Polo World Cup

Reports

Martin Inchauspe lifts the Snow Polo World Cup with his Hong Kong teammates, applauded by FIP president Eduardo Huergo (left) and tournament financier Pan Sutong (in grey)

of anything remotely Cantonese, the event undermined itself from a branding point of view even further.

“It’s a shame, because the polo was actually generally very watchable. The problem was Most valuable player

Guillermo Terrera everything else surrounding it would need complete restructuring if the tournament is to have a successful future. Though their Australian polo director Derek Reid did very well, laying on the polo is only half the job.

The sponsors need to be taken better care of, the hospitality for the players needs much more careful thought and the local spectators that finally came to watch need educating as to what they are witnessing. All that was sorely lacking, and so, for the most part, it felt like a monument to extravagance without any understanding of the culture of polo and its people.”

However, Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club’s financier – Hong-Kong native Pan Sutong – is unlikely to see it that way. By throwing money www.polotimes.co.uk

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at the FIP and being sanctioned to host a tournament with a world title has undoubtedly put the club on the map. Televised live on freeto-air channels in Hong Kong throughout the 11 days of competition, Hong Kong’s victory will have guaranteed huge coverage for the tournament, the club and, crucially, the vast residential development that is being sold off surrounding the polo fields.

But, by looking after number one, the result the Chinese organisers wanted is surely not the one the FIP would have hoped for. Hong Kong’s victory only serves to reiterate the unsavoury point made by Herbert Spencer’s column in the November/ December issue of Polo Times: that the ethos of the FIP has been compromised.

All FIP tournaments in the past have been designed to create a level playing field on which all member nations can compete, and article 3.2 of their constitution states that the principal mission and objective of the FIP should be to “enhance the image and stature of polo on an international level”. In this case, however, the world’s governing body left themselves open to ridicule by creating and u ratifying a new World Cup at short notice

The numbers game

Financial information Prize money (payable to national associations) Winning team: US$130,000 Runner-up team: US$90,000 Third team: US$70,000 Fourth team: US$50,000 Quarter-finalists: US$20,000 Individual payments Players were paid US$1,500 for each goal on their handicap Sponsorship Sponsorship packages varied from US$30,000 (for signage at the event) to US$3million (for title sponsorship, though this was not sold) Team sponsorship was believed to be around US$120,000 Polo Times, March 2012

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Reports

FIP Snow Polo World Cup – Tianjin, China

u and then waiving the federation’s strict nationality rules for the hosts, such that the result surely cannot be taken seriously.

Nevertheless, horses were successfully grouped and allocated to teams according to the same system used at the outdoor World

achievements of the players involved.

For Guillermo Terrera, his most valuable player performance marked the end of a difficult year, having been diagnosed with cancer last April. After undergoing an intensive treatment of radiation and

All photographs by Action Polo

“Yes, it would have been fairer to have all nations made up from their own players but, looking at the bigger picture, none of us would be here at all without the investment Mr Pan has made. It’s incredible. To mount 12 teams is an astonishing achievement” – Jamie Le Hardy Cup, with Argentine Benjamin Araya taking pains to ensure as much equality as possible.

Thus, if it is accepted that the winners had no clear advantage in terms of horsepower, it seems the only ray of light gleeming from the discomforting darkness surrounding Hong Kong’s victory was the personal

chemotherapy for a tumour in the brain and two in the chest, Terrera was so weak he wasn’t able to ride for more than six months, and was only able to build up his strength from October. To then come to China and be the tournament’s standout performer was nothing short of remarkable.

For John Fisher, a talented player considered by many in the UK to have been overlooked far too often for international recognition and the top jobs in the high-goal, it was a fitting reward for the almost two years he has invested in Tianjin, developing a huge string of some 157 polo ponies.

And, for the dignified Martin Inchauspe, winning another FIP prize has ensured more interest in a player many had thought had entered the twilight of his career. He’s a clever operator and brings consistency and experience to allow the other players in his team to bring the flair around him. The Paul Scholes of the polo world, if you will.

Of course, the other huge advantage for all the players (and associations) in the tournament is that it pays so well.

England’s players, for example, received US$1,500 for each goal of their handicap, and the prize money on offer was also very generous, with each of the top four teams getting a share of the spoils. With England finishing third, this meant players such as Chris Hyde are believed to have pocketed some Left: Hong Kong’s playmaker Guillermo Terrera, for whom victory meant not just beating South Africa but also conquering the odds. He was diagnosed with cancer last April

46

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US$20,500 for the two weeks’ work, which will have been particularly welcome given the loss of revenue for him from the cancellation of the St Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow.

“The attraction of prize money was obvious, but was also addressed as a concern,” said Torrey Dorsey, former manager at Singapore Polo Club and a guest of FIP for the latter stages of the tournament. “Some wondered if the tournament has opened a Pandora’s Box, setting a precedent that other events are unable to follow. In my view, however, if that money can be generated by sponsorship revenue, then no doubt it will be welcomed as in the best interests of furthering the game, as has happened in Formula One. There is already talk of a professional Arena Polo League in India.”

England beat Argentina 8-7 in a fiercely fought match for third place. It was all tied with less than a minute to go when Jamie Le Hardy scored the winner.

“Personally, I think what they have done in China is incredible,” said Jamie Le Hardy.

“To mount 12 teams for a world cup is an astonishing feat, and Mr Pan, John Fisher and Derek Reid deserve a lot of credit. The horses were in pretty good condition and well turned out for the start of the tournament, and their stable development is amazing.

“Hong Kong has a one-goal player so, looking forward, it’s certainly true that the FIP would be well-advised to insist on his involvement in the future, to make things fairer. But, this year, I was really trying to see the bigger picture: without all the investment spent in the venue and the event in the first place, none of us would have been there at all, so we certainly weren’t in any position to have any complaints.

“Max [Charlton], Chris [Hyde] and I played really well together, and we were happy with finishing third. It was hard to put on a good exhibition on the warmer days when the ball would stick in the surface a bit, and we just www.polotimes.co.uk

16/2/12 21:09:12

Snow Polo World Cup

Reports

How did they perform?

We mark the finalists out of 10, based on their effectiveness in terms of handicap

Hong Kong Martin Inchauspe (5) What a remarkable season it’s been for the diminutive Argentine, proving his quality and versatility with World Cup victories on grass and on snow at two rich and ambitious polo clubs that are expanding the game in new regions: Estancia Grande near San Luis in Argentina and now here, at Goldin Metropolitan in China.

Guillermo Terrera (7) Heroic – having lost approximately a third of his body weight whilst ill with cancer over the last year, Terrera’s return was spectacular. He was the outstanding player of the tournament, scoring goals from all angles and dictating the pace of the game, despite facing a very physical South African side. Perhaps it’s true what they say – what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.

All 12 countries parade their teams before the start of the tournament at the opening ceremony on 2 February

couldn’t quite finish all our chances in the semi-final against Hong Kong, but otherwise we were one of the dominant teams in the

tournament. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to go back.”

South Africa, meanwhile, were deserving finalists under the simple direction of their much-respected coach Clive Peddle, and many will reflect on what a shame it was that they couldn’t bring their best form to the final. That at least might have tempered the very-public embarrassment of the FIP caused by victory for “Hong Kong”. F w See more photographs from the tournament on page 86

Game rating

• • • • • • • • • •

u F IP Snow Polo World Cup; 2-12 February 2012; Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club, Tianjin, China Result: Hong Kong beat South Africa, 7-4 Number of team entries: 12 Most valuable player: Guillermo Terrera Best playing pony: Negro, an Australian thoroughbred owned by the club and played by Guillermo Terrera

England’s Chris Hyde goes on the charge

Finalists Hong Kong (16): Martin Inchauspe 5; Guillermo Terrera 7; John Fisher 4 South Africa (16): Leroux Hendricks 4; Jean du Plessis 6; Tom de Bruin 6

John Fisher (4) Perhaps unsurprisingly, the director of stable operations was one of the best-mounted players in the tournament. Clearly anxious to help ensure his employer’s Hong Kong side won, a fired-up Fisher argued with every umpiring decision that went against them and was prepared to do whatever it took to disrupt South Africa’s fluency. It worked.

7 9 7

South Africa Leroux Hendricks (4) Hendricks was certainly active in the final, riding off hard at every opportunity, but was guilty of missing several clear chances that the South Africans could ill afford not to score.

This encouraged du Plessis to shoot from range himself and the team’s game-plan quickly unravelled and, in the end, they were well beaten.

6

Jean du Plessis (6) Some of his shooting was wayward, but du Plessis was the engine of the South African team in the final, leading by example with some brave plays and good intensity. However, he lacked support at the crucial moments from his two teammates – they couldn’t quite find the extra gear they’d shown previously and the game got away from them.

7

Tom de Bruin (6) A contender for player of the tournament until the final, he was well dealt with by Martin Inchauspe and failed to bring his usual physicality.

He was undoubtedly not at his best, though still led his side’s scoring and will be a player to keep an eye on again during the English high-goal summer.

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Reports

International Test Match: New Zealand vs Australia

Kiwis edge absorbing Antipodean showdown The enduring sporting rivalry between Australia and New Zealand served up another classic last month, when the Kiwi hosts edged out their visitors in a Test Match that went right down to the wire

Brett O’Callaghan on New Zealand’s North Island

Photographs by Brett O’Callaghan

New Zealand Australia

N

10 9

ew Zealand won the Test Match for the Australasian Gold Cup in mid-February, defeating Australia by one goal in the dying seconds of a fine exhibition of polo played in front of a large parochial Kiwi crowd in Kihikihi.

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Australian captain Rob Archibald arrived with his three teammates just three days before the game, when they took the opportunity to try ponies offered by a wide array of local players, all of whom were delighted to have their ponies chosen by the Australians for the one-off Test Match.

Both sides were playing new line-ups that had never played together before, and it was a particularly special moment for New Zealand’s Jimmy Wood, who pulled on the black shirt for his international debut. He proved to be an excellent selection, helping the hosts to victory with two goals scored after winning the ball successfully from line-

Above: Australia’s Rob Archibald (striking the ball) led the line for his nation in the Test Match, with the side’s usual captain Glen Gilmore still on his way home from the FIP Snow Polo World Cup

outs on the half-way line. He won the most valuable player award, and his horse Coco picked up the honours for best playing pony.

Nevertheless, the Australians can take a lot out of their performance, with Archibald announcing that he was pleased with how the side settled quickly into a rhythm and played the traditional passing running style of polo.

It’s a testament to the generosity of the Kiwi players that the Australians were mounted well enough to push New Zealand all the way.

“We had the Kiwis rattled at times,” said Australian number two Matt Grimes, captain of the Australian World Cup squad that finished fifth in San Luis, Argentina, www.polotimes.co.uk

16/2/12 17:43:45

International Test Match: New Zealand vs Australia

Reports

How did they perform?

We mark the players out of 10, based on their effectiveness in terms of handicap

New Zealand Jimmy Wood (3) Hit and run. Played the game fast. Enjoyed the moment. His big contribution was scoring twice from line-outs. He’ll improve and will be in a black shirt for a long while. Watch him.

New Zealand’s Tom Hunt, captain John Paul Clarkin, Sam Hopkinson and debutant Jimmy Wood celebrate victory

in October. “I think we were better than them for long periods in the match, but

they just pipped us on the scoreboard in the end. It was a great effort.”

New Zealand were certainly not at their best on occasions, slow to find each other with the ball and loose in their marking.

However, as has been the case so often in the past, John Paul Clarkin was the solid rock the Kiwis needed. He scored half his teams goals, including the goal that tied the game at 9-9 in the final chukka and the winner, running the ball in from 30 yards and evading the Aussie defence to clinch the Test at the death in the final chukka.

It was a wonderful even game, which both sides played in a good spirit, but there could only be one winner, and for the Kiwis to win at home over their neighbours Australia after such a tight contest is always a special feeling. F

Game rating

• • • • • • • • • •

u I nternational Test Match: New Zealand v Australia; Saturday 11 February 2012; Kihikihi Polo Club, New Zealand Result: New Zealand beat Australia, 10-9 Principal sponsor: Rosetown Holden Handicap level: 22-goal Chukka scores (New Zealand): 2-1, 3-4, 6-6, 7-7, 8-9, 10-9 Most valuable Player: Jimmy Wood Best playing pony: Coco, owned and played by Jimmy Wood

Jimmy Wood enjoyed an impressive debut performance for his country

www.polotimes.co.uk

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Test Match teams New Zealand (22): Jimmy Wood 3; Sam Hopkinson 6; John Paul Clarkin 8; Tom Hunt 5 Australia (22): Jock Mackay 3; Matt Grimes 5; Robert Archibald 7; Damien Johnston 5

8

Sam Hopkinson (6) Scored twice in the third chukka.

Played well, considering the number two position is not his normal one. He offered good support to JP Clarkin, and played a lot of powerful long balls forward. He also rode hard and created space.

7

John Paul Clarkin (8) JP is a class act. He had trouble getting a break in the first three chukkas, but then made his mark in the second half. His consistency helped keep the Kiwis in the Test when they struggled early on.

8

Tom Hunt (5) Normally a forward, Hunt took a while to get the hang of playing at back and was often caught out of position.

However, after struggling early on, he found his form as the game went on and sent a lot of good balls forward.

He’ll learn a lot from this outing.

6

Australia Jock Mackay (5) Very efficient with the ball, Mackay created a few headaches for the Kiwi defence. A useful number one, he was always there ready when the ball came his way.

7

Matt Grimes (5) Given the difficult task of keeping JP Clarkin in check, Grimes didn’t let anyone down. He also combined well with Archibald going forward to keep the ball moving and ran the ball hard to great effect.

7

Rob Archibald (7) Very cool and calm. Archibald set play up for his forwards, displaying plenty of his seven-goal skills. His best moment was in the second chukka, when he won the ball from a line-out and ran half the length of the field to score.

8

Damien Johnston (5) Johnston scored five goals, and ran like the wind. The Kiwis struggled to keep him quiet and he frequently got onto loose balls quickly to keep the game flowing for his side, applying pressure on the hosts.

With his strength and experience, he’s always quite a handful.

8

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Reports

Heaton-Ellis Trust Tournament, Emsworth, Berkshire

Snow bother The Heaton-Ellis Trust charity tournament at Emsworth was once again a roaring success, even though the freezing weather did its best to disrupt the festivities

T

he annual Heaton-Ellis Trust Arena Tournament at Emsworth Polo Grounds, near Windsor, refused to give in to the worst of the winter weather in February.

Having produced two days of thrilling arena action across three separate tournaments on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 February, the main finals day was one of many events in England to be postponed because of the snow on Sunday 5 February.

Refusing to bow down to the forces of nature, the final was quickly rescheduled for the following Sunday, 12 February, but another

“Due to an overwhelming response, we closed the entry list three weeks early” fresh scattering of snow frustratingly forced yet another postponement.

As Polo Times was going to press the organisers were keeping their fingers crossed that it would be third time lucky for the finals day, with the culmination of the tournament finally expected to go ahead on Sunday 19 February. Despite all of the disruption, the tournament has already raised £8,000 for the title charity, and organisers hope the finals day itself will help to raise even more funds.

From a polo point of view, the tournament was also a great success, attracting more teams than ever before, increasing from eight in

2011 to 12 this year. 2012’s offering once again featured four 6-goal and four 10-goal teams, with some of the best–known names in arena polo taking part including Jamie Morrison, Seb Dawnay, Peter Webb, Tarquin Southwell and Oscar Mancini.

But also new for 2012 was a 3-goal “Young Guns” section, each team with a pair of two up-and-coming players alongside a three-goal adult. Jan-Erik Franck provided commentary from the sideline, while Tristan Pemble, Rupert Lee-Uff and Richard Le Poer umpired.

The Heaton-Ellis tournament was the final arena event of the season at Emsworth, which has enjoyed its first full winter of action.

Sebastian Sebaj of Emsworth-based Four Quarters Polo said: “The season has been a great success judging by the number of teams wanting to play regularly each week.

“Due to an overwhelming response to the Heaton-Ellis Trust Arena Tournament we found we had to close the entry list three weeks before the actual event.

Apologies to anyone who was unable to get an entry for their team. There is always next year!

“Friday got the tournament off to a

Sophie Heaton-Ellis organised the tournament and played in the Young Guns section for the HeatonEllis Trust team with Freddie Buxton and Jo Arber

fantastic start and Saturday saw a really full day of polo with six games – the Young Guns games were particularly exciting.”

The Heaton-Ellis Trust, for whom Emsworth owners Simon and Romilla Arber are patrons, has raised £800,000 for fund research into Motor Neurone Disease since 2008. F w For full results from the finals day, see April’s Polo Times

Emsworth owner and Heaton-Ellis Trustee Simon Arber played in the 10-goal tournament with his wife Romilla and Jamie Morrison for Four Quarters Orange

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17/2/12 10:07:48

Reports

Thailand – Thai Polo round-up

Mixed fortunes for hosts Having lost to La Sarita in the final of the BMW-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open, the home team took revenge in the B.Grimm Thai Polo Masters a month later, writes John Leicester

I

t’s been an exciting past couple of months for Thai Polo & Equestrian Club. The BMW-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open ran from 11-21 January, where La Sarita narrowly defeated the home side, Thai Polo, in the final. However, more recently, Thai Polo were more successful in the Thai Polo Masters in mid-February.

Harald Link’s Thai Polo pipped their regional rivals BRDB-Ibil by half a goal to win the B.Grimm Thai Polo Masters and claim the trophy for the first time in four attempts.

Although BRDB-Ibil were awarded with a half goal handicap advantage in this 8-10 goal tournament, Thai Polo showed that they had learnt from their nail-biting last minute loss in the final of the BMW-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open the previous month. This time there was to be no mistake, despite playing catch-up throughout the match against a strong BRDB-Ibil team from Malaysia.

BRDB-Ibil smoothly moved into a 3½-3 goal lead at half-time, widening this to a 6½-5 lead at the end of the third chukka.

However, Thai Polo came back strongly in the final chukka, led by the extremely influential Lucas Labat. It was fitting that Lucas’s stirring efforts were rewarded by scoring the last-minute goal that won the game for Thai Polo by 8-7½.

A month earlier, in the Thai Polo Open, La Sarita held off a late charge by defending champions Thai Polo to win by half a goal, 8½-8, in an exciting and dramatic final to take home the Princess Cup. This well-fought Thai Polo Open MVP

Photographs courtesy of Thai Polo & Equestrian Club

Lucas Labat match between two outstanding teams proved a fitting finale to the region’s most prestigious tournament, a 12-14 goal challenge organised at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club under the auspices of the Southeast Asian Polo League.

The Thai Polo Open is held annually to raise funds for the Chitralada Vocational School Project of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. More than €25,000 (£20,700) was raised this year, thanks to strong support from title sponsors BMW Thailand and B. Grimm 52

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Thai Polo Masters winners, the Thai Polo team: a jubilant Caroline Link, Lucas Labat, Harald Link and Manuel Cereceda

Group, major sponsors La Martina and EFG Bank, and a host of other sponsors.

Nine teams participated – Axus (China), BRDB-IBIL (Malaysia), EFG Bank-GTM (Singapore), La Sarita (Malaysia), Macau Polo (Macau), Ranhill (Malaysia), Royal Pahang (Malaysia), Troika (Australia) and Thai Polo (Thailand). A three-group format was adopted, with a series of round robins played to determine the group winners and best runner-up to contest the semi-finals.

La Sarita, Thai Polo and Troika won their groups, with Royal Pahang as best runner up. The remaining five teams played in a subsidiary tournament of two-chukka round robins for the BMW-B.Grimm

Cup, with Ranhill emerging as winners.

More than 1,000 spectators packed the tents alongside the championship field, creating a lively festive atmosphere on finals day (21 January) and lending plenty of vocal support to home team Thai Polo.

In the main four-chukka final, La Sarita’s experienced foursome looked to be coasting to victory, building up a 7½-5 goal lead by the end of the third chukka. However, a strong challenge from Thai Polo in the final chukka, with the goal charge led by Argentine Lucas Labat, brought the score to 8½-8 goals entering the final minute, much to the delight of the partisan crowd.

A Penalty Two awarded to Thai Polo in the dying seconds seemed Max Charlton, playing for Troika, was the only British player taking part in the Thai Polo Open

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likely to provide a dramatic home win. However, the shot rebounded off the post and La Sarita ran out the winners.

In the play-off for third place, strong play from Royal Pahang saw them beat Troika – featuring young British player Max Charlton – 8-6. The two teams were evenly poised 3-2 at half time, but four goals from Royal Pahang’s Gaston Moore and Tomas Gandara in the third chukka took the game out of Troika’s reach.

This highly successful tournament ended with Argentine Ambassador Ana Maria Ramirez presenting the Princess Cup to Asad Jumabhouy’s La Sarita team. Lucas Labat of Thai Polo was chosen as MVP and best polo pony award went to La Sarita’s ‘Manuela’. F ◗ See page 87 for more pictures from the Thai Polo Open and its social side La Sarita’s Pablo Dorignac (in blue) rides-off Thai Polo’s seven-goaler Guillermo Terrera

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Above: more than 1,000 spectators lined the edge of the polo field to watch the final of the Thai Polo Open. Right: La Sarita – Pablo Dorignac, Quzier Ambak, Asad Jumabhoy and Benjamin Araya – lift the Princess Cup

Game rating

• • • • • • • • • •

u BMW-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open; 11-21 January 2012; Thai Polo & Equestrian Club, Thailand Result: La Sarita beat Thai Polo, 8½-8 Handicap level: 12-14 goal Principle sponsors: BMW Thailand and B.Grimm Group Number of team entries: nine Chukka scores (La Sarita): 2½-2; 4½;-3; 7½-5; 8½-8 Most valuable player: Lucas Labat Best playing pony: Manuela, played and owned by Asad Jumabhoy Finalists: La Sarita (13): Quzier Ambak 0; Pablo Dorignac 6; Benjamin Araya 7; Asad Jumabhoy 0 Thai Polo (14): Claudia Zeisberger 0; Harald Link 0; Guillermo Terrera 7; Lucas Labat 7 Polo Times, March 2012

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Reports

Switzerland – Klosters Snow Polo

Home win for the Eight teams played the eighth annual Klosters Snow Polo, in which two Swiss players – Simon Luginbühl and Mark Hänni – backed up by Argentine Pedro Fernandez Llorente beat an all-British side in an exciting final

Annika Urbat

reports from Klosters

Maissen/Parmigiani BMW

10 9

S

imon Luginbühl’s Maissen/Parmigiani team won this January’s Klosters Snow Polo tournament, after seeing off stiff competition from an all-English side of Sebastian Dawnay, Gavin Turner and David Lewis. Accompanied by Argentine pro Pedro Fernandez Llorente and Swiss player Mark Hänni, Luginbühl scored the golden goal in extra-time, securing a 10-9 victory for his side.

After six months on the sidelines due to injury, the Swiss patron certainly made his mark on the tournament by scoring the allimportant goal in the fifth chukka. This was the first time that long-standing sponsors

Photographs by Andre Springer

Record snowfall meant the firebrigade was called in Maissen/Parmigiani have won the title, with all three players taking home a Parmigiani watch.

In total, 10 British players travelled to the Swiss Alps to play in the eighth edition of this snow polo tournament and although BMW narrowly lost out on winning the Alpine Trophy, the Brits had more luck in the third/fourth place playoffs on the Saturday. Tim Bown, Charlie 54

Wooldridge and Paul Knights, representing Hackett, defeated the defending champions, Duran Duran – comprising Marcel Geser and Oscar Mancini, plus tournament director Daniel Waetcher, and his 15 and 17-year-old daughters Danya and Jill who took it in turns to play – with a convincing 15-9 final scoreline.

However, play only went ahead on the Saturday – the day before the finals – thanks to Paul Knights and an army of helpers. Record snowfall on Friday night meant that the fire brigade had to be called in to help clear the snow from the stables in the middle of the night. Even the Mayor of Klosters, Markus Haltiner, came along to help, while many of the players and guests enjoyed a cheerful night at the new nightclub directly beside the arena. Knights was on hand to drive a tractor up and down the field to help compress the snow, which

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Switzerland – Klosters Snow Polo

Reports

Swiss in Klosters

Maissen/Parmigiani’s Pedro Ferndez Llorente in action during the final, chased by BMW’s Gavin Turner

Left: Pedro Fernandez Llorente celebrates his side’s win, after they defeated BMW in extra time, as Seb Dawnay’s disappointed face (above) testifies

allowed play to go ahead on Saturday.

Davos Klosters – another all-British team of Jamie Morrison, Simon Arber and Spencer McCarthy – finished in fifth position after securing victory in the subsidiary final. They beat How To Spend It, featuring six-goaler Henry Brett, 14-9.

David Morley, John Bunn and Tristan Pemble umpired throughout the tournament, which has found its place between the big shots of snow polo and assuredly benefited from the cancellation of this year’s St Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Winners, Maissen/Parmigiani: Mark Hänni, Simon Luginbühl and Pedro Fernandez Llorente celebrate

Entertainment wasn’t overlooked either, with Duran Duran performing at the Altitude Festival on the Saturday afternoon. Sentebale hosted a gala dinner and auction in the evening, where singer and songwriter Annie Lennox, Sebastian Baker and Jan-Erik Franck were among those who helped raise money for Prince Harry’s charity.

Patron Simon Arber also contributed a substantial amount when he successfully bid for a trip to a jazz festival in Montreux. F ◗ See page 88 for more photos from Klosters

Game rating

• • • • • • • • • •

u Klosters Snow Polo; 18-22 January 2012; Klosters, Switzerland Result: Maissen/Parmigiani beat BMW, 10-9 Handicap level: 3-6 goal Number of team entries: eight Teams Maissen/Parmigiani (6): Mark Hänni -1; Simon Luginbühl 2; Pedro Fernandez Llorente 5 BMW (5): David Lewis -1; Gavin Turner 2; Sebastian Dawnay 4 Polo Times, March 2012

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Reports

Home and abroad

France – BMW Polo Masters Tour

Costes denied double by The French BMW Polo Masters Tour concluded at the end of January, after three hotly-contested snow polo tournaments in Val D’Isère, Megève and Courchevel. Val D’Isère hosted the first leg of the tour, won by Claude Solarz’s Barmes de l’Ours. Cyrille Costes’ Fermes de Marie won in Megève, while Scapa denied Costes a second win when they beat them in Courchevel.

Four-goaler Matthieu Delfosse claimed his fourth Val d’Isère title after leading Barmes de l’Ours to their third consecutive victory over

Photograph by P.Renauldon/RB Presse

It was Paillol and Delfosse who ultimately led their side to victory in Val d’Isère Hotel Avenue Lodge, 9-8, in mid-January.

Michael Redding’s Hotel Avenue Lodge team put up a tremendous fight, with both teams neck-and-neck for most of the game, but it was the combination of Patrick Paillol and Delfosse who ultimately led their side to victory.

Paillol then went on to represent Fermes de Marie the following week in Megève, where he enjoyed another win. Cyrille Costes side came up against Groupe Edmond de Rothschild in the final of the tournament – the only leg of the Polo Masters to feature four-man teams.

Boasting the only five-goal player in the tournament, Brieuc Rigaux, Fermes de Marie ran out the winners, 7-5 and took home the Groupe Edmond de Rothschild Trophy.

In the third and fourth place play-offs, Fer à Cheval, patroned by Englishman Louis Welsh

Four-goaler Patrick Paillol out in front for Fermes des Marie in the Megève leg of the Polo Masters Tour in France, where

Ascot Park – arena round-up

Non-stop action for Ascot Park this winter ASCOT PARK HAS had a great start to the year, continuing with a busy schedule of tournaments, clinics, private tuition and instructional chukkas. The Surrey-based club welcomed the England side that travelled out to China for the FIP Snow Polo World Cup for a practice session on 26 January, where mid-week chukka players and students from Wellington College took advantage of watching 56

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the 22-goal team in action. The club will also host a practice for the USA team that is playing in the International Arena Test Match at Hickstead on Saturday 3 March.

The fixtures list this season has included a number of Champagne Challenges, catering for all levels of players, with matches ranging from 3 to 16 goal. At the end of January, the 8-goal Rangitiki tournament resulted in a

win for Jonathan Munro Ford’s Black Eagles.

They beat Richard Davis’ Clashleigh, 14-7, in the final. In the subsidiary final, Pink Power narrowly lost to Santhosh, who won 13-11 following a closely-fought game.

Santhosh repeated their dominance over Pink Power, in the 4-goal Valentine’s Tournament on the weekend of 11-12 February, beating them 10-7. The subsidiary www.polotimes.co.uk

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Home and abroad

Reports

Wicklow – Inter-University Polo Tournament

dig Delfosse and co Farmers deep to defeat who was playing on snow for the first time, beat BMW, 4-2.

Costes went on to enter a team, Doux Joallier, into the last leg of the tour in Courchevel, which faced tough weather conditions in the days running up to the final.

With Swiss player Simon Luginbühl fresh from his win in Klosters the week before (see pages 50-51 for a full report) and Costes and Brieuc Rigaux fresh from their win in Megève, the team had every reason to be confident.

However, their opponents, Scapa – featuring two French players, Robert Strom and Clément Delfosse and patron Michael Redding – proved to be too strong and defeated them by two goals, 5-3.

the surgeons

A LARGE CROWD of supporters turned out at Polo Wicklow to watch Ireland’s first InterUniversity Polo match on 3 February. Student farmers from Kildalton Agricultural College (KAC) defeated the student doctors from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI), 7-5, taking home the Frankie Sports Cup. Representing the Kildalton College team was their captain Siobhan Herbst and Pat Collins, with Paul McGrath and Kate Behan playing alternate chukkas. Jack Woods captained the RCSI side, with Faruq Pradhan and Ami Mehta making up the remainder of the team.

u BMW

Polo Masters Tour, France – teams: Val D’Isère (11-14 January 2012) Barmes de l’Ours (8): Claude Solarz 0; Matthieu Delfosse 4; Patrick Paillol 4 Hotel Avenue Lodge (8): Michael Redding 1; Clement Delfosse 4; Robert Strom 3 Megève (20-22 January 2012) Fermes de Marie (10): Cyrille/Eduoard Costes 0; Adrien Legallo 1; Patrick Paillol 4; Brieuc Rigaux 5 Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (9): Laurent Dassault 0; Matthieu Delfosse 4; Julien Reynes 1; Thierry Vetois 4

they beat Groupe Edmond de Rothschild in the final

of this tournament was won by London Executive Aviation.

In a very close match George Galanopolous’s side beat KHHP, 9-8.

The weekend was rounded off in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, with individual roses accompanying each of the prizes from the tournament. www.polotimes.co.uk

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Courchevel (26-30 January 2012) Scapa (8): Michael Redding 1; Clement Delfosse 4; Robert Strom 3 Doux Joallier (7): Cyrille/Edoaurd Costes 0; Simon Luginbühl 2; Brieuc Riaguax 5

Santhosh (Hilali Noordeen, Clare Warrender and Roddy Matthews) with Alegria (Richard Blake Thomas with Tatiana Menshenina, Igor Menshenin and Anna Menshenina) who played against each other on 5 February in a Champagne Challenge match

The Kildalton College team with their supporters

An introductory chukka was played first to allow all new players to get into the swing of things before umpire Micky Herbst threw the ball in for the first official chukka. The doctors started with a three-goal handicap advantage, but Herbst soon got one on the scoreboard for the KAC. Excellent teamwork between Pat Collins and Paul McGrath meant their KAC side soon caught up with RCSI. Jack Woods, however, was on full throttle and kept RCSI in contention, as did his teammate Ami Mehta who, when left unattended, was able to steal the ball and run it down the length of the arena unchallenged to score.

With the doctors lying ahead by a goal at the start of the final chukka, Herbst encouraged her side to pull out all the stops. Despite another goal from RCSI, KAC fought back to score four more goals, securing them victory in the inaugural tournament. w The Royal College of Surgeons took part in this year’s SUPA National University Arena Championships. See pages 66-69 for the report Polo Times, March 2012

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Reports

Home and abroad

AEPC Hickstead – The Arundel Equine Hospital Polo Cup

Snow doesn’t put Freshwater off their stride EIGHT TEAMS ENTERED this year’s Arundel Equine Hospital Polo Cup, held at AEPC in West Sussex. Freshwater took home the 5-8 goal title, while Black Knights won the 0-4 goal event. However, the tournament wasn’t all plain sailing, as overnight snow before finals day forced organisers to postpone the finals by a week.

Freshwater came face-to-face with the

home side, Hickstead, in the 5-8 goal final.

Freshwater’s Sarah Wiseman took a tumble in the opening seconds, suffering an agonising hip injury. Hickstead established ownership of the game early on, scoring an astonishing eight goals in the first chukka. However, once Wiseman’s substitute Daniel Acosta got into the swing of the game, he helped claw back the score and the side went on to win 15-13.

Strapping AEPC bachelors Harry Hickmet, Brad Shackleton and Ben Sim comprised The Black Knights, who entered the fray for the 0-4 goal title, playing against Katie Jenkins’ KSJ Consulting. Young Harry Hickmet, who received the AEPC’s Star of the Future award at the end of last season, displayed tremendous promise and maintained his encouraging form throughout. While the KSJ players fought harder with every chukka to close the lead, it was The Black Knights who were out in front from beginning to end and stole the spoils, 13-9.

In the 0-4 subsidiary final, Duncan Hotston led Matthew Mitchell’s Circadian team to victory, after they beat Orange Square. u Arundel Equine Hospital Polo Cup finalists

Photograph by Tony Ramirez

5-8 goal Freshwater (9): Ayyaz Sheikh 1; Sarah Wiseman (replaced by Daniel Acosta) 3; Leon Allen 5 Hickstead (7): Claire Donnelly 2; John Bunn 2; Caio Sorzana 3

Team Hickstead’s Claire Donnelly (left) and Freshwater’s Ayyaz Sheikh in action during the 5-8 goal final

0-4 goal The Black Knights (4): Harry Hickmet 0; Brad Shackleton 1; Ben Sim 3 KSL Consulting Ltd (4): Clare Sheikh 0; Katie Jenkins 1; Sarah Wiseman 3

Dubai – Diamond Polo Cup

New tournament attracts big names and big spenders SAEED BIN DRAI and Amr Zedan introduced a new event to the Dubai polo calendar this January, in the form of the Diamond Polo Cup, which helped raise money for the Laureus Sports For Good Foundation. Held at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, the two patrons fielded a team each – aptly named Zedan Polo and Bin Drai Polo – with the latter securing a 4-3 victory.

Unfortunately for co-host Bin Drai, he sustained an injury in pre-match training and had to be replaced by younger brother Mohammed. He was joined by Adriano Agosti, Eduardo Novillo Astrada and Ignacio Toccalino. Representing Zedan Polo was HRH Prince Hashim Bin Al Hussein, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Julio Novillo Astrada and Amr Zedan.

Watched by more than 400 VIP guests, the high-goal game kicked off with Mohammed 58

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Bin Drai scoring a goal in the opening minute. However, Zedan soon caught up and each of the four chukkas ended in an equal score. It wasn’t until the last chukka that Bin Drai managed to score an all-important goal to put them ahead and secure them the Diamond Cup trophy.

“It was frustrating watching from the sidelines after looking forward to the match for so long,” Saeed Bin Drai said after the game. “But I am very lucky that my brother was able to take over the reins. Despite his young age, Mohammed is very talented.”

Alongside the polo, a charity auction raised DHS 70,000 (£12,000) for Laureus Sports For Good Foundation. The money will go towards helping introduce sport to lessaffluent communities around the world as a tool for social change.

Dr Fareed Al Zedan and Saeed Bin Drai with the trophy

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Home and abroad

USA – Joe Barry Memorial Cup

Sugar puts the fizz into Coca Cola

Photograph by LILA PHOTO

SUGAR ERSKINE LED his side, Coca Cola, to victory in the Joe Barry Memorial Cup at International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPCPB) at the end of January. The South African seven-goaler scored seven of his side’s 11

Coca Cola’s Julio Arellano celebrates his side’s win

goals, helping secure an 11-10 win over John Muse’s Lucchese.

Gillian Johnston’s Coca Cola side, who won the 20-goal Herbie Pennell at the beginning of January, took the early lead. Lucchese first managed to get on the scoreboard at the beginning of the second chukka, with a penalty conversion by 10-goaler David “Pelon” Stirling. However, Coca Cola roared on and remained in the lead. With excellent play from Stirling and Santiago Torres, Lucchese managed to claw back the score and the 19-goal side was just one goal behind 20-goal Coca Cola at the end of the first half.

The second half proved to be the more exciting, with Lucchese equaling the score on a number of occasions. Going into the final chukka, Coca Coca held the lead by one goal before Stirling converted his fourth penalty of the game to tie the score once again, 9-9.

However Erskine, pictured above, and Johnston each managed to put the ball through the posts while Lucchese could only manage one, and Coca Cola’s Julio Arellano helped them run out the winners. Five-goaler Torres was named most valuable player and Erskine’s pony Optima won the best playing pony award.

Vale of York – ABI Beach Challenge

Television crews head down to Cleethorpes beach

FOUR TEAMS COMPETED in the Vale of York’s ABI Beach Challenge at the end of January, which was won by Patrick Wilkinson’s ABI Blue. The tournament was made even more exciting for those involved as the local ITV News camera crew were on the sidelines filming the tournament for their news sports coverage. The tournament was aired on Monday 23 January and Monday 30 January.

The ABI Beach series runs throughout the winter with a total of 12 matches. Players from nearby clubs, as well as guests from as far away as London, get involved in the lowgoal tournaments held on Cleethorpes beach. www.polotimes.co.uk

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The next ABI Beach Challenge will be held on 18 March. Turn to pages 90-91 to see what else is going on in March.

ITV News films the ABI Beach Challenge competitors

Reports

News in brief w Abu Dhabi – Hugo Barabucci, pictured below, scored four goals to lead his team, ADCB, to victory in the Emirates Polo Open Championship at Ghantoot Racing

& Polo Club on 19 January. Having been unbeaten during the preliminary rounds of the tournament, the side continued their imperious run of form and convincingly beat their opponents Emirates 6-1 in the one-sided final. w Brazil – Prince Harry will play in the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup while he is on his royal tour of Brazil from 9-11 March. The tournament will be held in Campinas in Sao Paulo State on Sunday 11 March. Team Sentebale – featuring Prince Harry – will play St Regis, featuring Nacho Figueras. w USA – The first bi-annual Charity Polo Cup at Windsor, Florida, was held on 18 February. International players including Christian “Magoo” Laprida, Lucas Monteverde and Tommy Biddle took part in the event, which benefited the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, and Saint Edward’s School Financial Aid Program. w India – A new tournament, the AMUCO Trophy, will be played in India from 25 February to 12 March to help increase awareness about the Manipuri pony, which is on the brink of extinction. Around 16 teams are expected to take part in the tournament, held at Imphal polo ground and organised by Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association. w Jamaica – Chukka Blue Polo Club held their annual Hanover Charities Polo Tournament on 19 February. The charity event featured two polo matches and a car show. All proceeds from the event benefited Hanover Charities, which aim to improve the education and health of the citizens of Hanover Parish.

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Youth polo

Presented by

Max factor Polo Times gets an exclusive audience with one of Britain’s most exciting young professionals in his home in Wormley near Haslemere, where he talks about balancing the ambitions of his polo career with his Olympic show jumping dreams

High-goal team for 2012: La Bamba De Areco

However, polo isn’t the only sport on the agenda for the 21-year-old. He’s also at the top of his game in show jumping, largely thanks to his eye-catching stallion Typhoon S, which he keeps at his base in Surrey alongside his other show jumpers and a selection of polo ponies.

During the winter, it's all systems go in the show jumping arena, while his polo ponies have their well-earned break. Routledge rarely goes abroad during the cold months to play polo, although this spring he will travel out to Palm Beach, Florida, to practice with Facundo and Nico Pieres ahead of their season here in the UK. Fortunately, girlfriend Emily Llewellyn – an international event rider – is also based at Paddock Woods and helps Routledge keep his show jumpers ticking over while he’s away, and one-goaler Jason Stubbs and two Argentines will be getting the polo ponies ready for the start of the season.

What I want to know is how did Routledge, from a family with no history of polo or show jumping, get so good – at both?!

Number of polo ponies: 19, nine of which are playing high-goal

How did your polo career start?

Georgie May in Surrey

H

idden off the beaten track in the heart of Surrey is Paddock Woods Stud, the home of Max Routledge. This year will be the five-goaler’s fifth high-goal season, where he’ll be lining-up alongside Facundo and Nico Pieres to play for Jean-François Decaux’s La Bamba De Areco team.

Profile Age: 21 years old Lives with: Parents Maggie and Allen and girlfriend Emily Llewellyn

Show jumpers: seven Stallions: six Ones to watch for 2012: Beluga (polo) and Typhoon S (show jumping)

Photographs by Georgie May

Headgrooms: Zoe Walker (show jumpers) and Juan Corbalan (polo) Best friends in polo: Ollie Cudmore and Richard Le Poer Often seen at: Guards Polo Club and the All England Jumping Course, Hickstead Other animals: three cats, three dogs, two pigs, numerous chickens and geese 60

I followed my brother, Guy, into Pony Club polo when I was about 10 years old. I liked riding and had been show jumping since I was four so I thought I’d give polo a go. I played my first adult match with Robert Graham and Will Healy at Ham when I was 11 and a year later I played my first season with Alan Kent in the 8-goal.

In 2008, I had my big break in polo aged 17, when I was asked to play for Ellerston in the high-goal, largely thanks to the support u Max unwinds between exercising his horses by relaxing in the kitchen, the hub of the Routledge family home

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At home with Max Routledge

Youth polo

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Youth polo

At home with Max Routledge

Max shows off Typhoon S, his top show jumper and a horse he says he has turned down "millions" for. Max also uses him for breeding, typically covering between 30-50 mares each year

on to win the Queen’s Cup, which is still my biggest success to date.

Are there are enough opportunities for young players to get into polo?

Max jumping Typhoon S in the 1.55m Salzberg Masters in Austria in December 2011, where they finished sixth

Action photograph by Fotoagentur Dill

u of Alan Kent and José Donoso, to whom I will always be grateful. Three weeks after Ellerston asked me to go out to Australia, they retracted the offer and said they didn’t need me anymore. But Alan immediately rang Jim Gilmore and got me a trial again.

It was a big leap for me and I wasn’t sure how to get the horses and myself ready for that level of polo but – as he always does with any horse enquiry – José helped me. We went 62

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Yes, I think there are plenty of opportunities.

People always make the same excuses such as “I’m not from a polo family…I don’t have any family connections”, but I didn’t know anyone and I’m not from a polo dynasty. I just tried hard and played the best I could. I don’t believe it’s ever been about “who you know”. The Pony Club is a great start in polo – you don’t need a polo pony so you can just give it a go and see if you like it.

Obviously you need a certain amount of money and be lucky enough to have parents who will support you from a young age but I don’t think you need huge wads of cash.

We’ve never bought an expensive horse. Even now, out of my top nine ponies, only one of them was a made polo pony, the rest we bought from the track.

But do you think the HPA could do more to help with youth development?

Possibly. Although, I never asked for any help from them and I have made it through

as a polo player. The HPA say they want to make polo more open and get more people into the sport but I don’t think that’s true.

They want to keep it elite – if you are from a polo dynasty, they love you and, if you’re not, they don’t.

What would be your advice to anyone looking to make the step up in polo?

Play your hardest and listen. Don’t try to over-impress someone – if you try hard and play well, you’ll get noticed. You don’t need to be Cambiaso with the ball to play well either. I’m not as talented with the ball as Jack Richardson and Max Charlton are but that hasn’t affected my chances.

What do you think about the Home Grown Player rule?

It’s absolute rubbish. I think it makes us look like a joke as it means we’re getting nowhere on merit. If you’re good enough, you’ll get there – why should a patron have to employ someone who isn’t good enough? Players shouldn’t have to force their way in there.

The English high-goal is reckoned to be the most competitive in the world after www.polotimes.co.uk

16/2/12 17:32:21

At home with Max Routledge Argentine polo and I think we are in danger of losing that reputation if we introduce a home grown player rule. If the HPA want to see more English players in the high-goal, why don’t they fund their own team, and become – in effect – patrons.

Have you got any ambition to play for England on International Day? If I’m asked, I wouldn’t turn it down but it’s not one of my big ambitions. It’s the same with my handicap – it’s not my ambition to reach 10-goals but I would be very happy if I was ever good enough. I just want to be a good rider, enjoy it and make a business out of it.

In 2010, England coach Milo Fernandez Araujo called me up and asked me to come for a trial for International Day but no one else was interested in me playing and it was the same again last year when Carlos Gracida was coach – he said he wanted me

Youth polo

And how do you find the time to fit in both show jumping and polo?

I dedicate the same amount of time to both sports, although during the winter I concentrate on my show jumping and in the summer polo takes priority. Usually, I’ll ride a jumper in the morning, play polo in the day and ride another jumper in the evening. It can become tricky when I have competitions on at the same time – in 2010 I jumped in a Young Riders class at Hickstead in the morning, which I won, and then raced over to Cowdray to play a Gold Cup semi-final game with Lechuza Caracas, which we also won and I picked up the MVP award. That was a pretty good day!

Who’s your best polo pony?

Max with girlfriend Emily Llewellyn, a renowned event rider also based at Paddock Woods Stud

Crafty Politician has always been my favourite but Beluga has been my best. We bought them on the same day in 2004 at the Ascot racehorse sales. The first day Crafty was here

"The Home Grown Player rule is absolute rubbish. I think it makes us look like a joke as it means we're getting nowhere on merit. Why should a patron have to employ someone who isn't good enough?" – Max Routledge to get involved but nothing materialised.

It’s always the same names that play. The Tomlinsons are great players but I don’t think they always need to be the pinnacle of the team.

I think James Beim has done very well to become a mainstay of English polo. He’s very well organised, particularly with his horses. I think John Fisher is a brilliant player and should have played for England but he was never given the opportunities and now he’s gone to China to make a bit of money – we’ve lost a good player, which is a shame.

I hear you were home tutored – did this give you more time to concentrate on your horses?

I was home tutored from when I was 11 but I never left school to play polo or show jump.

I was really dyslexic and I was quite naughty and had no interest in going. My tutor was brilliant – he taught Max Charlton too – and, yes, it did mean I could get stuck into my riding, but I think I’d still be in the same position now even if I’d gone to school until I was 18. When I was young I rode before and after school so I would have always found time for it. www.polotimes.co.uk

PT p60-65 Max Routledge JM MB PJ.indd 5

we stick and balled him and he acted like a fully made polo pony. He was so good that I never even played a practice chukka on him and we went straight into matches. He won a best retrained racehorse award six weeks after arriving and he played up to 15-goal in his first season.

Although I bought Crafty to play, we’ve bred from him year after year and I’m hopeful that one of his sons, Jack, who is now five years old, will be as good as him.

Unfortunately I had to retire Crafty at the end of last season due to injury but I’ll carry on breeding from him.

So, Beluga is my best pony now. She was part of my deal with La Bamba as they want her to be a part of the string. She’s really good for me and she’s a tough mare.

And your top show jumper?

Typhoon S – he’s better than all my others put together. I’ve turned down millions for him, especially with the Olympics coming up. I use him for breeding too and I’ve kept two of his offspring for myself just so I can keep his legacy going. He covers around 30-50 mares per year u Right: Max in his show jumping arena, where he spends much of his winters

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16/2/12 17:33:14

Youth polo

At home with Max Routledge

Max beside the pond in the family's garden. The farm is also home to cats, dogs, pigs, chickens and geese

u for other people, although that’s just something on the side – his main job is to compete.

Do you think you and Typhoon could reach the Olympics?

Max with top polo-playing stallion Crafty Politician (left), who retired last year, and Crafty's five-year-old son Jack

5

things you didn’t know about Max

1. He does Pilates once a week with mum Maggie and girlfriend Emily 2. He met Emily at a combined training programme two years ago – they stabled their horses next door to each other 3. He hasn’t been on a horse-free holiday for more than 10 years 4. He bought his lime green helmet while he was having a trial for Ellerstina in Argentina in 2007 5. Since the age of 14, Max had a sciatic pain in his leg, which caused him to limp and ride with his right stirrup two holes shorter than the left. However, since having an operation on his back last September, the pain has miraculously disappeared 64

Polo Times, March 2012

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I think we have the ability to reach the Olympics as we have such a great partnership.

I’ve owned him for nearly 10 years and I’m the only one to have competed him.

However, I’ve got everything against me – most of my results are in the winter and the Olympics are in the summer, I’m young and less experienced and I would have had to give up high-goal this year. I would have also needed to go to Palm Beach this winter to have been in with a chance of being selected.

I thought about going but it costs around £30,000 per horse to go out there and the risks are so high – if your horse gets injured for example.

What have been your big successes in show jumping?

Last year was a good year for Typhoon S and me – I went up by about 60 places in the BSJA (British Show Jumping Association) rider rankings to 45th. We represented Great Britain in a Nations Cup last summer and we were picked for the European Championships but I couldn’t commit due to polo. My biggest win is probably the one I mentioned above – the Young Riders class at Hickstead in 2010 – but we won a few major classes this

winter, including an Olympia International Horse Show qualifier and a big Grand Prix at Addington Manor in Buckinghamshire.

Emily is so competitive and she’s always telling me I must win! I used to be quite passive and aim for a good round but Emily’s given me that kick up the backside and I don’t waste my horses anymore – I only jump in classes that we can do well in.

If you were forced to give up one sport, which one would it be?

I have no idea, that’s very difficult. Both of them have their ups and downs. Polo is out of your control, as you are always waiting to be picked for a team, whereas with jumping I can do my own thing and choose where and when I want to compete. Polo provides me with a wage, which I like, but with jumping I have more control over what I do.

Who are your “ones to watch” for 2012?

I think Jack Richardson is über talented. I saw him play at Cowdray last year in the medium goal and I think he’s really good.

Lanto Sheridan is another brilliant player and I don’t know why he hasn’t got further than he has – maybe he just hasn’t been given the opportunity. In terms of young players, Tommy Beresford is definitely one to watch out for in the future. He already plays like José Donoso and he’ll make the step up for sure. F www.polotimes.co.uk

16/2/12 17:33:28

3:6

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PT p60-65 Max Routledge JM MB PJ.indd 7

photo by tony ramirez

From the bloodlines of the very sought after and respected sire Mr Prospector. Crafty raced till the age of 7, taking him from the USA to Europe, Japan and the UK. He was bought in May 2004 and was playing matches 6 weeks later.

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16/2/12 17:29:24

Youth polo

SUPA National University Arena Polo Champs

Presented by

Freezing but pleasing

Record numbers of students should have made 2012’s tournament the world’s biggest arena polo tournament of all time, which this year expanded to its new base at Rugby Polo Club, but the weather intervened

Camilla Swift

reports from Warwickshire

T

Photograph by PeterJamesPhotography.com

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he continuing popularity of the SUPA National University Arena Polo Championships in February proves that university polo, contrary to expectations, is almost recession-proof. The number of entries this year once again broke all previous records, with 132 teams entered to play in either the SUPA or SAPA (Schools Alumni Polo Association) tournaments.

In a break from tradition, this was the first year that the tournament was being played away from the Hand Equestrian Centre – at its new location of Rugby Polo Club. Impressively, there were very few of the teething problems you might expect from a new venue on the first two days of competition, when the Novice and Beginner sections played in Rugby’s fullsize arena on the Thursday and Friday. On the Friday evening, an exhibition of polocrosse and high-goal polo was organised, which gave students a glimpse of the level of polo they might want to strive for in the future.

On Saturday, the outdoor arena was brought into use, with supporters watching from the warm clubhouse that overlooks play.

SUPA chairman Charles Betz was manning the registration desk, making sure everyone had paid for their membership and insurance, and handing out the new SUPA cards which allow the organisers to track their players and ensure that they are all covered by SUPA insurance.

RAC's Alex Jacob and Exeter's Harold Hodges in action in the Open section

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17/2/12 15:59:58

SUPA National University Arena Polo Championships

Youth polo

Pastures new: how Rugby Polo Club fared Rugby Polo Club proved themselves to be excellent hosts of the SUPA National University Arena Polo Championships 2012, providing a never-ending supply of food and drink to freezing students, donating emergency paddocks to stranded ponies, and even sending a troop of helpers to rescue a broken-down lorry which was supposed to be delivering ponies in time for their 10am chukkas. Plus, with both a large

Yurts provided a cheap, cheerful and cosy base, at just £12 a night

RAC on the ball in the NFU Cup match in the Novice 1a section, playing against eventual winners Harper Adams

However, the cold weather (-10°C on Saturday morning!) meant that the start of play had to be delayed whilst the Rugby Polo Club crew got to work in their attempts to make the arena playable. By 11am they had succeeded and play was underway.

The Open section started with a bang in a tense fight between Bristol and Exeter, with Harold Hodges of Exeter leading the play, and deservedly picking up the most valuable player title. Meanwhile, in the Upper Section of SAPA, the closely matched Ash Farm and Edinburgh teams played a thrilling two-chukka match, which despite Charlotte Sweeney and Lucy Wilson’s valiant efforts, ended in a 4-3 win to Edinburgh.

Most valuable player (Open)

Harold Hodges Unfortunately, at 5pm on the Saturday, with temperatures descending rapidly and play continuing with the help of the floodlights, the SUPA organisers made the announcement www.polotimes.co.uk

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that, for reasons of safety and welfare for all those involved, all Open, Combined, Upper Intermediate and SAPA matches due to be

"Disappointingly, the cold meant our Sunday game was off" – Edinburgh's India Hall played on Sunday had been cancelled because of the frozen surface.

Mike Hobday, SUPA’s head of university polo, explained that cancelling the day’s play was not an easy decision to make, but that it had been the most sensible option. As Polo Times went to press, a decision was yet to be reached on whether an attempt should be made to reschedule the cancelled matches for a later date, but a 50 per cent entry-fee refund is expected to be approved for all those who missed out on their play.

“We were really looking forward to playing today, as we’d had so much fun playing in the SAPA section against Ash Farm,” said Edinburgh player India Hall. “Having come all the way from Edinburgh, it’s a huge u

indoor and outdoor arena, two chukkas could be played simultaneously, speeding up the pace of the day and meaning that Thursday and Friday’s polo could be reserved for the extremely large novice and beginners sections.

The large clubhouse area overlooking the outdoor arena allowed spectators to keep warm and dry whilst enjoying the excitement of the play. Meanwhile, the indoor warm-up arena allowed players some much-needed respite from the cold whilst preparing for their next chukkas, as well as housing the catering and retail stands.

Another new addition to this year’s tournament was a group of Yurts, erected with the aim of providing cheap and cheerful accommodation for students who didn’t fancy a long commute to their early-morning matches. At around £12 a night, the price couldn’t be argued with and, although one might have expected Yurts to be suited to more temperate climes than the -10°C of Warwickshire in mid-February, reports revealed that they were in fact surprisingly cosy.

Although the cancellation of Sunday’s polo proved a disappointment for many, the club showed itself to be an excellent base for arena polo, and a suitable new home for the world’s biggest arena polo tournament.

No mean feat. One hopes both Rugby Polo Club and the SUPA National University Arena Polo Championships can long be happy bedfellows, both assisting the other in going from strength to strength.

Polo Times, March 2012

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Youth polo

SUPA National University Arena Polo Championships

Education from every angle

Recognising the signs that a young person might benefit from extra support is key for any parent, particularly when their child is engaged in an all-consuming game such as polo, and there can be many tell-tale signals that a person is struggling with their schooling or everyday life.

The indications may range from inappropriate behaviour to poor academic performance. Your child may or may not be able to articulate their feelings, the school may or may not know there is an issue, and even parents and friends can have trouble distinguishing a temporary disquiet from a serious underlying problem.

Signs can appear as early as kindergarten or primary school. If children regularly complain of feeling sick before school, this is likely to indicate stress, or maybe a sign of bullying. Or, if an otherwise normal child asks to draw each time he is asked to read, it may be an early indicator of a speech or reading problem. It may be nothing, but children are rarely upset by an assessment. It’s certainly better to find out and address a learning difference early, and the sooner a child receives support the better.

Children with learning difficulties or other school problems – such as bullying or depression – tend to be fine until they suddenly do badly.

Bright children are very good at developing their own strategies for managing their problems. As schoolwork gets harder, these self-developed processes often become insufficient. If your child was doing well at school and then unexpectedly fails, chances are something’s wrong.

The most obvious signs in older children tend to include dangerous and damaging behaviours like drug or alcohol abuse, selfharm, inappropriate sexual conduct, or verbal and physical abuse of parents, siblings and peers. If you are experiencing these kinds of issues you should get immediate help from a professional educational consultant. There are many ways to help that do not prevent your child fulfilling their potential.

This article is by no means comprehensive and, if you have any concerns, it can do no harm discussing the matter with an independent expert.

◗ Adam Caller has been the Senior Partner of Tutors International for 12 years. Tutors International is a specialist private tutoring and educational consultancy headquartered in Oxford 68

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Photographs by Peter James Photography

Our education expert Adam Caller gives advice each month on dealing with the quandaries facing young players looking to balance their polo and their studies

London Union (in white) chase the ball, with Winchester in close pursuit in the Beginners 1a section

u disappointment that our match was cancelled, but it can’t be helped. At least our beginners got to play four great chukkas, and had a good introduction to SUPA.” Despite the disappointment of the cancellation of Sunday’s polo for many of the players, the party on Saturday night, organised

by Dan Joplin of Uni Polo, was once again a

experienced UWE, with Leeds just clinching the title. Cambridge and Regents won the Novice sections 1 and 2 respectively, with Regents also proving triumphant in the Beginner 1a section.

There was also drama in the Lower Intermediate section, with two of the London universities – University of London and Royal

Despite the weather, over 100 teams were able to play on the Sunday, largely thanks to Lydia Styler and Charlie Coundley, who finished the final draw at 1am that morning roaring success, with bouncy castles providing extra entertainment for any players not exhausted by their exploits in the polo arena.

Nevertheless, even though all the higher levels of SUPA had been cancelled, the show still had to go on for the Beginner, Novice and Lower Intermediate sections. Ironically, the weather had warmed up overnight, meaning that both the outdoor and the indoor arenas could be used for play, and over 100 teams were able to play on the Sunday, due in no small part to Lydia Styler and Charlie Coundley, who finished the final draw at 1am on Sunday morning.

The Novice matches brought some tense finals to the day’s proceedings, with a golden-goal final in the 1a section between newcomers Leeds and the more

Holloway – going head-to-head. ULU only just lost out after a hard-fought match, and John Whitehead of ULU was awarded the most valuable player award for the section.

Despite the adverse weather conditions and the unfortunate cancellation of much of Sunday’s play, the tournament was a testament to the excellent standard of both coaching and play in Britain’s universities at all levels.

The sheer number of entries in the Beginner and Novice sections demonstrated just how instrumental SUPA is in attracting new players to the game and helping to promote polo at grassroots level. F ◗ See social photographs from the four days of competition on page 89 www.polotimes.co.uk

17/2/12 16:01:45

SUPA National University Arena Polo Championships

Youth polo

First-timers: what Leeds University made of their SUPA debut

London Union (in white) play Nottingham in Beginners 2

Louisa Lim of Cambridge University in Novice 2

u SUPA National University Arena Polo Championships; 9-12 February 2012; Rugby Polo Club, Warwickshire Result: Winning teams:

Most valuable players

Open (based on Saturday’s play) Exeter (3): Alice Etchells 0; Cameron Houston 0; Harold Hodges 3

Open (based on Saturday’s play): Harold Hodges (Exeter)

Lower Intermediate Royal Holloway: John Whitehead; Reda Shetty; Louise Brown Novice 1 Cambridge: Steffi Sharp; James Marshall; George Ulmann Novice 1a Leeds: Jess Cator; India Gibbs; Laura Parkes Novice 2 Regents: Eline Braathen; Hubert Van Brekel; Renee Fontaine

Lower Intermediate: John Whitehead (Royal Holloway) Novice 1: George Ulmann (Cambridge) Novice 1a: Laura Parkes (Leeds) Beginner 1: Nikolaus Roessner (Cambridge) Beginner 1a: Ali Fattahi (Regents) SAPA team entries Upper: 4 teams Lower: 5 teams SUPA team entries Open Section: 3 teams (Bristol, Exeter, RAC)

Beginner 1 Cambridge: Nikolaus Roessner; Conrad Griffing; Mikhail Kibalchenko

Combined Section: 4 teams

Beginner 1a Regents: Sara Hernmarck; Ali Fattahi; Alice Warburg

Novice 1: 16 teams

Beginner 2 Portsmouth: Emma Renals; Fleur Gindre; Rosie Middleton

Novice 2: 16 teams

Beginner 3 Royal Holloway D: Arianna Caselli; Katie Frost; Samantha James

Beginner 2: 16 teams

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Upper Intermediate: 7 teams Lower Intermediate: 7 teams Novice 1a: 16 teams Beginner 1: 16 teams Beginner 1a: 16 teams Beginner 3: 7 teams

Leeds University Polo Club, which trains at the White Rose Polo Club in Yorkshire, was started last year by Jess Cator and was one of the latest additions to the SUPA crowd this year, bringing with them teams for the Novice 1A and Novice 2 sections.

Cator arrived for her first year in Leeds in September, fresh from a gap year incorporating polo in Argentina.

She brought with her a hankering for more polo, but needed something with a student-friendly price tag. After initially playing on her own at White Rose, she was inspired by another university polo club based there – York. With their encouragement, and helped by two fellow students and polo enthusiasts, Cator decided to launch Leeds University Polo Club.

With a current membership of around 30, and about half of those playing regularly in their weekly practises at White Rose, Leeds University’s latest

"We already have around 30 members. Not bad for our first year!" – Jess Cator sports club has had a hugely successful start to life. In addition to bringing two teams to SUPA, they have also managed to sweet-talk their way into a sponsorship deal with equestrian retailers, Derby House. Not bad for their first official year as a club.

“Since we’re such a new club, we’ve got a lot of beginners,” said founder Jess Cator. “You’ll have seen that from the teams we entered into this year’s tournament. But we’re hoping that, the bigger Leeds University Polo Club gets, the more the standard will improve.”

Cator led their team in the Novice 1a section, playing alongside India Gibbs and Laura Parkes, where they reached the final to play University of the West of England. The game went to a golden-goal period after both sides remained tied on 0-0 after a well-balanced chukka, and Leeds University scored to record their first significant honour as a polo club.

Polo Times, March 2012

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17/2/12 11:32:30

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Polo Times, March 2012

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17/2/12 12:58:46

UberPolo Greenpoint Polo Arena League

Vets rule university league Royal Veterinary College win two of the three divisions in the Greenpoint Polo Arena League, held for the first time this winter

T

he inaugural Greenpoint Polo Arena League, which ran from the end of October to 22 January, was held at Buckinghamshire's Pyatts Farm Arena, and welcomed 11 university teams and sponsorship from polo outfitters, UberPolo.

Five universities took part, with Royal Veterinary College (RVC), University of London (ULU) and Oxford Brookes fielding three teams each, and Reading and Imperial College fielding one team each. Each side played four matches over the winter and were awarded points for wins, draws and losses, which were tallied up at the end.

In the Novice 1 section, RVC, comprising Nicola Bell, Sarah Brown and Francois du Plessis, finished on top with nine points, with fellow students RVC (A) in close second – also on nine points but placed second on goal

What is Greenpoint Polo?

Greenpoint Polo is run by JJ Spark, an HPA-qualified coach and chief umpire at West Wycombe Polo Club. Based at Pyatts Farm in West Wycombe, the company – who are accredited by SUPA – currently has 36 ponies available for hire. They also offer tuition, pre and midseason clinics and livery. Greenpoint’s polo manager Sophie Heath also runs West Wycombe Polo Club's winter arena polo from Pyatts Farm.

Greenpoint has been coaching schools and universities for the past 10 years.

This year they have struck up a new partnership with the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Polo Club, providing officer cadets with ponies and tuition for the forthcoming season, after the club sold off all their ponies at the end of last season.

difference. Bell received the most valuable player award in this section for both outstanding improvement and sportsmanship.

Another RVC team topped the Novice 2 section. Kat Adams, named MVP at the end of the tournament, led her team – also featuring Lisa Yates and Jess Mullard – to three wins over the duration of the competition. Abi Dixon of ULU, was also the lynch pin of her team, leading them to victory in the Intermediate section. They convincingly saw off competition from Oxford Brookes and Imperial College and won by five points.

The arena league was put together by Greenpoint Polo’s JJ Spark and Sophie Heath and provided the Novice and Intermediate university students with a chance to get back into the arena game ahead of the SUPA National University Championships, which took place from 9-12 February at Rugby Polo Club. Greenpoint also hosted a one-day tournament for beginners so that they could experience some competitive polo before they competed in the Nationals.

Of course no university league would be complete without its social element. The nearby Chequers pub in Lane End provided the “après polo” on numerous occasions, which Oxford Brookes players such as Giles Corner (pictured above) took charge of organising.

By popular demand, Greenpoint will be hosting a summer university league. F u Final positions Result: Novice 1: 1st – RVC 2nd – RVC (A) 3rd – ULU 4th – Reading 5th – Oxford Brookes

Novice 2: 1st – RVC 2nd – Oxford Brookes 3rd – ULU Intermediate: 1st – ULU 2nd – Oxford Brookes 3rd – Imperial College

Youth polo

The grass-roots view The latest from Theresa Hodges, UK Pony Club Polo chair, in her regular column Different approaches Junior Polo in the UK is fostered by the Clubs, by SUPA, by the HPA and by The Pony Club. Each of these organisations takes a slightly different angle in growing our players of the future and, just as importantly, in growing the polo network of all connections.

Some young players have the potential to make it through to high-goal, some to supporting club polo and some to becoming the patrons and sponsors of the future.

The Pony Club is indebted to Audi for their continued support of the grassroots of Polo UK, from which much future success will come and without which we would be unable to offer our players continuous development from the age of six years to 21, as their level of competency increases.

Pony Welfare (see also page 95) Pony Welfare is, perhaps, one of the most important aspects for any aspiring polo player. Without sound and fit ponies – there is no game of polo.

As the days lengthen please think about getting your ponies fit for the Pony Club arena season in April and then the summer season, which runs from midJuly to mid-August.

Remember that many polo ponies also like doing other things such as hunting, team chasing, pony racing and cross country, which helps to keep them happy and fit for polo all year round.

A busy year ahead Finally, don't forget that the schedule for the 2012 season has already been announced. To see the full list, please visit the polo section of the Pony Club website at www. pcuk.org. We hope to see you at many of these tournaments throughout the year.

Excellence in polo meets excellence in private banking.

Your contact in London: daniel.gerber@juliusbaer.com, tel. +44 203 205 1611

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17/2/12 15:59:04

Knowledge

Know your game

Must-have tips for players – from Jamie Peel, three-goal pro and 2008 Gold Cup winner

UK set for great high-goal As our lorry bound for Sotogrande slid down the drive this morning, surrounded by snow and ice, it is hard to believe that the 2012 season is almost upon us. I am going to play the Easter season in Sotogrande for the first time since 2008. It is such a fantastic place to play and I cannot wait to get started.

The 2012 UK high-goal season is looking really exciting. There have been some interesting team changes and it should be a hugely competitive campaign. Here are my three favourite teams.

Ellerston are back, although Jamie Packer is only going to play the Gold Cup. Inigo Zobel from Spain will take his place for the Queen’s Cup. The team looks very strong,

Photograph by James Mullan

We could be set for one of the most exciting seasons that we have seen for years with Gonzalito Pieres and John Paul Clarkin joined by Argentine three-goaler Thomas Gambarini, who won the Gold Cup with La Bamba in 2010. This team must be in the frame to win something this year.

Last year Richard Mille competed in the UK for the first time. They reached the semi finals of the Queen’s Cup and played some exciting polo. This season they have brought in Thomas Garcia Del Rio and Oliver Cudmore to play alongside Pablo MacDonough and Bahar Jefri Bolkiah. Del Rio is one of the up and coming stars on the Argentine scene, so

Nico Pieres, Jamie Packer and Facundo Pieres have all tasted success in Sotogrande for Ellerston over the last two seasons. The trio are all expected to make quite an impact in the English high-goal season in 2012

it will be great to see how he is going to play.

This should be a seriously dangerous team and will definitely be challenging for a trophy.

La Bamba are always a strong team and this year will be no different. Nico Pieres will play alongside Facundo for the first time in England, although the two brothers have

been playing together in Sotogrande for the last two years with Ellerston. The talented pair won the Sotogrande Gold Cup in 2010 and lost the final last year. Nico is an immense talent and will be better mounted this year than ever before. I think he is the player to watch after performing so well in Argentina.

Playing tips with Rege Ludwig – what position Each month, renowned polo coach Rege Ludwig gives his expert advice about how to get more out of your polo game

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The game of polo is extremely dynamic and there is a constant need to change, or adjust, at any given moment.

One of the more important changes that must be made, and adjusted for, is changing positions. Quite often a player will elect to change positions because they perceive it to be the correct play. However, more often than not, having to change position is forced on a player

by a teammate having passed them – forcing both players to change positions.

When that happens there is no need to wonder what position you are in now. That can be determined by knowing if your team is on offence or defence and counting how many of your teammates are in front of you.

When your team is in control of the ball and there is one teammate in front of you – you are www.polotimes.co.uk

20/2/12 11:19:58

Know your game

Fitness

season

Max Routledge is the third player; and he’s played with Facundo before with Ellerston in 2008. Alongside patron Jean-François Decaux, they will be an extremely difficult team to beat.

It is frightening to think how competitive the season is going to be; Talandracas who won the Queen’s Cup and Zacara who won the Gold Cup must also be worth a shout.

Knowledge

with James de Mountfort

Both teams have changed their third players but still carry some fantastic horses and will be brilliantly organised.

Dubai will definitely be dangerous.

Adolfo Cambiaso has decided to play with Nachi Heguy. They won the US Open together with Crab Orchard in 2008, so they are a proven combination. I am not sure yet who the two-goaler will be, but whoever it is will love every minute of it as Cambiaso is a genius and it is a great opportunity for someone.

It is fantastic to see the return of Guillermo Terrera to English polo after a year of illness (see also page 44). “Terry”, as he is known, is one of the great characters of the game and will play alongside David “Pelon” Sterling for El Remanso. Their patrons, brothers Charlie and George Hanbury, have had a busy winter in Argentina and will be brilliantly mounted as always. I am really looking forward to watching this team play.

I would not like to say which teams will come out on top this year but one thing I can be sure of is that there will be some amazing games. We could be set for one of the most exciting seasons that we have seen for years. Let’s hope the bad weather stays away! F

James de Mountfort, polo player and personal trainer to the Red Bull F1 Racing Team reveals the exercises and techniques that will help your polo Lie on a side plank on your left side, supporting your weight with your left forearm and with your right arm by your side, as in picture one.

Beginners should start off without a weight in their hand, while stronger players should hold a light dumbbell in their right hand, this should initially rest on your right hip.

Now, raise your right arm away This exercise from your body and arc it through 180 strengthens your degrees, rotating your palm as you pass trunk and your shoulders over your shoulder, until your arm is in the position shown in picture two. Now return to your starting position.

Do three sets of 15 reps on both sides. When you can comfortably do this, increase the weight of the dumbbell.

This exercise will give you greater core strength, helping to improve the accuracy of your shots, while also strengthening your shoulder girdle, which will give your shots more power. ◗ Contact James on 07949 455712 or james@ personally-trained.co.uk

◗ Like Jamie, are you excited about the 2012 high-goal season in the UK? Email letters@polotimes.co.uk

are you playing? the number two offensively. Conversely, if your team is trying to gain possession, and one teammate is in front of you; then you must be number three position defensively. This process works throughout for all changes of position. ◗ Rege Ludwig is a renowned polo coach and author of “Polo for the 21st Century” www.polotimes.co.uk

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Picture one, above, shows your starting position. Beginners should take up this position without a weight in their right hand.

This diagram from page 47 of Polo for the 21st Century shows which position you are playing depending on where you are on the field and whether your team is in possession

Picture two, right, shows the desired lifting position for the exercise

Polo Times, March 2012

73

20/2/12 11:20:27

Knowledge

Know your horse

Mark Emerson MRCVS is a two-goal polo player and an ambulatory equine vet

Photographs from Bruce Bladon MRCVS

Effective worm control for p I remember learning about equine internal parasites the hard way. Long before starting my veterinary degree, one of my family’s best polo ponies succumbed to colic during the winter. Although it didn’t appear to be too serious at first, she didn’t respond well to pain relief and eventually the vet referred her to an equine hospital where they advised surgery.

Having declared my ambition to become a vet I was invited into theatre to observe the operation. The surgeons opened her up and started to sift through the 70-plus feet of intestines. It wasn’t long before the problem became apparent: a significant length of the small intestine started to fall to bits in the surgeons’ hands and numerous redworm larvae spilled out. The intestine was so badly damaged there was no choice but to have the mare put to sleep on the operating table.

I couldn’t believe what had happened – this was the UK, not darkest Africa. How could she possibly have picked up worms that could have killed her? I thought worms in Britain just made horses a bit skinny – which indeed they can do, but such weight-loss is often accompanied by discomfort, malaise, possible diarrhoea, and has a very definite impact on performance.

So how should one go about controlling worms in polo ponies?

Unfortunately the answer is not straight forward. If one uses wormers (or de-wormers as they are called in the US) there is no one correct approach as every horse is different, herds and populations differ, and management routines and playing calendars vary.

Farrier focus Ideal types of shoe for polo 74

Polo Times, March 2012

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Picking up droppings both in stables and paddocks is the best way to reduce the spread of worms

A couple of large “Ascarid” roundworms, which can be found living in the small intestines of foals

Tapeworms found in the caecum of a horse that was put to sleep after unsuccessful colic surgery

The main principle of good worm control is to reduce the spread of worms so that parasite burdens in individuals remain within tolerable limits. Eliminating worms from the planet is not an achievable goal. Picking up droppings both in stables and paddocks is the best way to reduce the spread of worms. Wormers should then be used in a targeted manner: using the

right drug, only when necessary, and at the correct dose.

Individuals or small groups of horses can be correctly targeted by taking regular dropping samples and performing worm egg counts to assess their worm burden (this can be arranged by your vet and the cost is similar to the cost of an average wormer). Only if they have a high

One would not expect Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to play football to their optimum ability in steel toecap boots, so we should not expect our equine athletes to play polo in heavy shoes designed for slower moving and turning equine disciplines.

Lightweight fullered concave shoes – similar to those used in the thoroughbred racing industry – are an ideal choice for polo, with either toe, side or quarter clips, to help secure the shoe in position. These shoes mimic the natural concavity of the

sole, offering not only grip but also helping to disperse concussion. The groove for the nail holes also provides additional grip.

As these shoes are lighter they allow for smaller nails to be used to secure the shoes in place, thus reducing the amount of horn displacement that larger nails would cause.

By using the correct style of shoe, ponies will be less likely to suffer from cracked feet and concussion-derived conditions, thus not only improving performance but also maintaining soundness for longer.

www.polotimes.co.uk

16/2/12 21:01:31

Know your horse

Knowledge

Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist

polo ponies egg count need they be wormed. In fact only around twenty percent of horses tend to have a high worm burden as they have a lower natural immunity.

Worming kills drug-susceptible parasites, leaving only drug-resistant parasites alive to thrive. In other words, even appropriate and correctly-dosed blanket worming inadvertently increases the number of drug-resistant parasites.

Not over-worming allows a limited population of drug-susceptible parasites (known as ‘refugia’) to survive in the

Good worm control can keep parasite burdens within tolerable limits environment, which is beneficial as they inter-breed with the drug-resistant population thereby diluting it.

It is also important to understand that different drugs within wormers all work differently – some only kill certain types of worms, and they all work for different lengths of time. Furthermore some types of worms are only likely to cause a problem at certain times of the year – their lifecycles are different. Also many brands of wormers, with different names, contain the same actual drugs, so check the labels.

Ideally I would advise my clients to pick up their horses’ droppings on

◗ Performance Shoeing International is a collaboration of three-times world champion farrier Darren Bazin and Argentine player and farrier Luigi Ferrarese. They offer a complete farrier service, specialising in polo.

For enquiries please telephone 07896 991489. To read a full article about shoeing for snow polo please visit www.highgoalfarriers.co.uk.

Right: a typical fullered concave hind shoe with a stud hole

www.polotimes.co.uk

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a daily basis all year round, and to regularly have worm egg counts carried out on dropping samples. Failing this, a three-year worming programme that might work for most polo yards is shown over the page.

In this programme the main class of drug used during the summer season is rotated from year to year, to reduce the risk of resistance to any one drug from developing. During the winter Moxidectin (the drug in the Equest™ brand) is used as the mainstay as it has a 13-week duration of action, which means that feral polo ponies need only be caught once mid winter to be wormed, and it is the most effective drug at killing encysted small redworms which are problematic during the winter.

In spring and autumn Praziquantel or a double dose of Pyrantel embonate should be used to target tapeworm which, due to their life cycle, are not likely to cause problems during the winter or summer months. F ◗ Just because we like to help, Polo Times has put together an example of a threeyear worming calendar over the page ◗ Mark Emerson works as an ambulatory equine vet based near Ascot and has polo clients across the south of England: tel 07973 800358 or email mark@emersonequine.com

How to shed winter insulation from “good doers” The majority of you will now have your ponies back in work, however, one question I am often asked is: “When do we start feeding the “good doer” and what can I feed it?”

I always feel sorry for the good doer in any equestrian discipline, as they are expected to work as hard as their leaner stable mates but are fed very little food and often get tired quickly. In a discipline such as polo, people generally give them more oats, while reducing their hard feed and forage.

Those of us from the human species who choose to lose a little weight may seek the advice of a personal trainer and the one thing the trainer always asks is whether they are eating a balanced diet. One needs a balance of nutrients to burn the fat. And this is exactly the same for our good doer polo ponies.

So, when you bring them back into work put them straight onto a balanced ration, but in order to avoid giving calories use a balancer – and not a handful of cubes or mix. Balancers are the equine version of Slim Fast and aid the burning of fat, but help build muscle at the same time.

Although we often associate gastric ulcers with horses that are not holding condition, I feel that good doers are just as at risk because so often they have their forage intake restricted as a way of controlling their calorie intake.

By using a balancer you are ensuring all nutrients are being received without the calories and, therefore, allowing more fibre to be fed.

Some pointers for the good doer: • Use a balancer – and feed manufacturers’ recommended quantities • Use hay rather than haylage • Soak the hay to reduce the calorie intake further – this means you can feed more • Put the hay into a small holed haylage net, or alternatively place one net inside another to make the holes small which will make the forage last longer and enable them to chew for longer (pictured right) • If energy is needed, add oats to the balancer • Stand back and look at the conformation – has the pony a deep girth and wide sprung rib cage – if so, dieting won’t eliminate it!

• Can you feel the ribs? If so, this individual is not holding excess fat. Aim to build up top line as this will often make the pony look in better proportion. ◗ Contact Lorna Edgar on 07808 863864 and lorna@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

Polo Times, March 2012

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16/2/12 21:01:40

Worming

✃

✃

Knowledge

The worming calendar The following table is an example of a three-year worming programme for polo ponies who are turned away in the winter. However, it must be noted that this is only a guideline and worming needs vary depending on individual requirements – it is therefore advisable to discuss your worming programme with your vet

Year one March April

Year two

Year three

Moxidectin and Praziquantel

Double dose of Pyrantel embonate

Ivermectin and Praziquantel

or

Single dose of Pyrantel embonate every 6 weeks

Fenbendazole every 6 weeks

Moxidectin and Praziquantel

Moxidectin and Praziquantel

Moxidectin and Praziquantel

Moxidectin

Moxidectin

Moxidectin

May June

Moxidectin

July

Ivermectin

August September October November December January February * after year three return to the start of the three-year programme

Table: the principal drugs found in wormers licensed for use in the UK Drug

Fenbendazole

Ivermectin

Ivermectin + Praziquantel

Moxidectin

Moxidectin + Praziquantel

Praziquantel

Pyrantel embonate

Main targets

Roundworms

Roundworms

Roundworms and tapeworm

Roundworms (including encysted small redworms)

Roundworms (including encysted small redworms) and tapeworm

Tapeworm

Roundworms and tapeworm when given at double dose

UK brand names

Panacur™ Zerofen™

Animec™ Bimectin™ Eqvalan™ Eraquell™ Furexel™ ™ Maximec™ Noramectin™ Panomec™ Vectin™

Equest™ Equimax™ Eqvalan Duo™ Furexel Combi ™

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Polo Times, March 2012

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Embotape™ Exodus™ Provid™ Pyratape™ Strongid-P™

✃

✃

Equest Pramox ™ Equitape™

www.polotimes.co.uk

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Polo Times, March 2012

77

16/2/12 18:45:51

Knowledge

Ones to watch

Julius Baer says keep your eye on...

Photographs by Michael Chevis and Gillian Hughes

Ollie Powell, Cirencester Park Up and coming Cirencester Park star Ollie Powell celebrated an excellent 2011 season by seeing his handicap raised from one to two-goals.

At the Pony Club Polo Champs last summer he made it through to the final of the Gannon section, where his team, Cirencester Park, were beaten by a very strong Cowdray Park side.

Ollie, who is the nephew of HPA chief executive David Woodd, did not go home empty-handed, though.

He won the RoR prize for the best ex-racehorse for his five-year-old pony Miss Bouggy Wouggy. While Ollie may have failed to get his hands on the winners trophy at Cowdray Park, he had no such trouble elsewhere last summer.

He tasted success at Tidworth by winning the low-goal final of the Valete Cup with Team Botox. And he finished the 2011 summer season on a high at Cirencester Park by winning the subsidiary final of the two-goal Associates Trophy, the Los Pinguinos Plate. Playing alongside Martin, Ludo and Patrick Ephson, he was a member of the Poulton team who beat Kate Gibbon’s Cherrywhite 5-2 in September.

His highest profile game of last summer undoubtedly came at Coworth Park in May, where he played against Prince Harry at the Audi Polo Challenge. That match saw him team up with Tom Morley, Satnam Dhillon and Paul Oberschneider for Audi. Ollie’s greatest Pony Club Polo Championship success came in 2010 when he won the Gannon II with Old Berks alongside Mark Baldwin, Rupert Lewis and Mamie Powell.

Ollie has spent the winter out in South Africa with Guy Watson at Stonesfield and has played several tournaments in Plett. He will return home soon to bring on his ponies for the UK grass season.

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Twiggy

Height: 15.3hh Age: 20 Colour: Dark bay Sex: Mare Breed: Australian Thoroughbred Owner: Jamie Morrison

James Mullan hears from England’s captain for this month’s Gaucho International, Jamie Morrison, who talks affectionately about the “most consistent horse he’s ever owned”, which he also played at Klosters and in the Arena Gold Cup How long have you had Twiggy?

I bought her from Ruki Baillieu four or five seasons ago, when he decided it was time to retire her from playing the high-goal. She’d won best playing pony at the Royal Windsor, but it wasn’t until her superb performance in the final of the 2006 Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow that I earmarked her for her arena polo potential and enquired about buying her.

What makes her well-suited to the arena?

There are very few horses with the incredible power in the run and the ride-off that she has, and even fewer still with such a calm temperament.

She also turns so fast that sometimes you wonder how she does it without tripping herself up! As far as I’m concerned, she’s the perfect arena pony.

I’ve never had a bad chukka out of her.

Does she have any weaknesses?

The only thing really is her age. She’s probably in her last one or two seasons, as I wouldn’t want

to ask too much of her. However, given how much polo she’s played throughout the years, it’s incredible that she’s still so entirely sound both physically and mentally. Right now, she’s still totally consistent and has stepped up for me on countless occasions. There’s not many like her, and she absolutely loves arena polo.

What’s been her highlight for you to date?

I had a horse go lame during the 2010 Arena Gold Cup final, and so was forced to play Twiggy for an extra half-a-chukka more than planned, but she was utterly fantastic. We [Cold Smoke] won the tournament, beating Ocho Rios 17-15, and Twiggy deservedly got best playing pony, which was very satisfying. Not bad for an old horse!

What is she playing this season?

Well, she was with me in Klosters, where she was brilliant, but she didn’t really enjoy the travelling and basically didn’t eat for about three days on the way back. So, particularly since I was unable to play myself because of an injured hand, we took her out of work for a few weeks and carefully helped her recover full strength and fitness with the help of the vet. With the right vitamins and feed, she was able to play her part in the Gold Cup and, all being well, she’ll also be my top mount for the Gaucho match against Argentina. www.polotimes.co.uk

17/2/12 11:43:54

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16/2/12 18:51:09

Knowledge

Book review – Polo Basics: How to make a good shot

Polo skills are taken back to basics Santiago Schweitzer and co-author Barbara Schütz have produced a gem of a book for beginners who are happy to work hard to improve their polo skills

John O’Sullivan gives his verdict

P

olo’s coverage in the mainstream media has never been as evident around the world as it is today. Events like the Gaucho International and Polo in the Park in the UK and Polo in the City in Australia have really brought the game to a mass-market.

Partly because of these tournaments and partly because of the glamour that surrounds the game, every year sees thousands of newcomers take up polo for the first time.

While this book is aimed at beginners, it certainly isn’t aimed at all of these newcomers to the game – and I mean that as a good thing, not a bad thing.

Polo Basics presumes no knowledge of polo, horses or riding. But it is not a flaky, sugar-coated book aimed at the mass-market.

It is a serious polo book aimed at people that

want to get serious about polo. And it does not shy away from telling the reader how hard they will need to work if they want to improve.

Indeed the mantra of the book is: “Learning

This is a serious polo book for beginners who want to get serious about their polo

polo calls for intensive training.”

Polo Basics is the brain-child of Argentine six-goaler and coach Santiago Schweitzer and co-author Barbara Schütz, a German animal welfare expert and self-confessed polo nut, both of whom aim to pass on their expertise and love of the game.

The book starts with an introduction of the history and the ethos of the game before explaining key polo terms and equipment.

Polo Basics co-authors, six-goaler Santiago Schweitzer and Barbara Schütz It then concentrates 80

Polo Times, March 2012

PT p80-81 Book review JM JOS MB PJ.indd 2

on the basics. An in-depth section about the mallet – selecting the right one, gripping it properly, holding it correctly as you ride – is followed by elementary horsemanship – how to mount your pony and the riding basics – before you’re asked to even consider hitting a ball.

Once these principles are out of the way, Polo Basics then delves into each polo shot, using helpful frame-by-frame pictures to show exactly how to execute each perfectly, before a rundown on the rules and a helpful glossary, that will soon have you talking like a polo aficionado.

This book is honest and straight-forward. It is simple, easy to understand and to the point.

And if you are serious about learning polo, this book’s certainly worth a look. F Polo Basics: How to make a good shot 156 pages, landscape design, with hard cover Published by Ponyline services Price, including shipping: £45.50 Available from www.polo-basics.com

PT Rating

D D D D D www.polotimes.co.uk

17/2/12 13:05:06

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PT p80-81 Book review JM JOS.indd 3

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17/2/12 11:01:22

Knowledge

How to spend it

The sky is the limit with a Private Jet – Hawker 4000 For globe-trotting polo patrons the appeal of a private jet is obvious and there is none on the market at the moment more sleek and modern than the Hawker 4000. The jet’s fuselage is the first in the industry to be made from a carbon-fibre composite that is both lighter and stronger than aluminium. This helps to get the best out of the high-efficiency turbo-fan engines, which can propel the craft at an impressive 555mph.

The flight-deck is built with the same spec as the Boeing 777 and the spacious cabin comfortably fits ten people – so you can bring your whole team and a few VIPs. The Hawker 4000 can fly 3,200 miles on one tank with four passengers, meaning Europe to any US city can be done with just one stop, as can Los Angeles to Beijing.

From $22.9m (approx £14.5m)

Polo Art – Caroline Smail These lovely polo paintings prove that regular Polo Times contributor Caroline Smail has many strings to her bow.

The self-taught artist has been painting portraits as well as action pictures in oil and pastels for the last 15 years. She has a range of art ready to buy and is also available for commissions. Email caroline.smail@yahoo.co.uk From £100

Bike polo – The Louis Vuitton polo bike If you ask the average person in the street which version of polo is the most glamorous – traditional horse polo or bike polo, it’s fair to say that the overwhelming majority will plump for the former, thinking of the glamour of Guards, Cowdray Park and St Mortiz.

However, French fashion house Louis Vuitton have done their bit to help re-dress the balance by teaming up with top bike polo players Hannes Hengst and Grégory Barbier to produce a limited edition polo bike. The chic bike includes embossed leather pedal straps, left, and mallet holders, as well as a specially-made Louis Vuitton polo mallet, above right.

Price yet to be announced

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Polo Times, March 2012

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www.polotimes.co.uk

20/2/12 11:21:19

How to spend it

Hawker

Knowledge

Fine dining – the world’s most expensive dessert

Motoring – The Maserati Quattroporte S

If you find yourself in the Lake District during a rare weekend away from the polo field, you may want to check out the home of the world’s most expensive dessert. Lindeth Howe Country House Hotel in Cumbria – the former home of Beatrix Potter – recently served up a dessert which cost a cool £22,000.

The chocolate cake created by head chef Marc Guibert was based on the design of a

Power with a touch of Italian elegance The Maserati Quattroporte S – which is redesigned for 2012 – is expected to make quite a splash in the luxury market this year.

A re-shaped front, with new lights and grille, and revised aerodynamics give the Quattroporte S a stylish new look. And with a 4.7 litre V8 engine, the popular sports car certainly hasn’t lost any of its power.

Fabergé egg and layered with champagne jelly and glazed with edible gold leaf. A two-carat diamond sat on a handmade chocolate flower to finish off the cake, which was bought by a businessman from Rugby.

From £22,000

This month’s watch – The Cartier Tank Anglaise range This promises to be quite a year for famed polo sponsors Cartier. Not only have they had a major overhaul of their polo sponsorship, moving from the International Day to the Queen’s Cup, but they have also relaunched one of their most iconic watch ranges for 2012.

The new Tank Anglaise follows in the tradition of their well-loved Tank Américaine and Tank Française timepieces, featuring the signature bracelet, roman numerals

and blued-steel sword-shaped hands. It is available in several styles including 18-carat pink gold, above, and the elegant 18-carat rhodium-plated white gold, right.

From £4,700 www.polotimes.co.uk

PT p82-83 Spend it JOS MB JM PJ.indd 3

It produces 430 break horsepower and boasts a top speed of 174 miles per hour and a 0-60 time of 5.3 seconds.

Rugged and elegant on the outside, the theme is comfort on the inside of the Quattroporte with Poltrona Frau® leather and prestigious woods throughout.

The roomy 450 litre boot offers plenty of space to cram in all of your polo gear. And

the Quattroporte will offer you a stylish and comfortable ride to the ground.

From £76,800

Polo Times, March 2012

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20/2/12 11:21:37

Sidelines

Bras take the bounce out of Bath Spa Bath Spa University’s polo team were sponsored by sport bra brand Berlei for the SUPA National University Championships this year. However, while the female members of the team had supporting cups, the team didn’t go home with any cups of the winning kind (see pages 66-69 for the tournament report). As well as a cash boost, the female players were kitted out with the Berlei Running sports bra, designed to block “bounce”.

“Berlei has been incredibly supportive, obviously in more ways than one,” said the club president Victoria WilliamsGray ahead of the championships. “The bra itself is also really comfortable – so it’s really a vital piece of kit for the girls!”

The female members of the Bath Spa polo team model the Berlei Running sports bra (l-r): Victoria Williams-Gray, Lucinda Mitchell, Georgie Williams-Gray, and Chloe Parker

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

Baby news Jodie Kidd recently posted a photo on Facebook of herself and baby Indio looking a picture of health, while holidaying in the heat (below). Indio, now six months old, certainly takes after his mother’s and father Andrea Vianini’s good looks!

Over in Dubai, it’s understood there’s a new arrival in the Bin Drai household. Patron Saeed Bin Drai’s wife Jelena gave birth at the beginning of February – though, like the newborn, more information was being kept well wrapped up as we went to press.

84 Polo Times, March 2012

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Wedding bells Chemas patron Kevin Cheshire has been having a rather good winter. As well as winning the 7-10 goal HPA National Club Championships in December, the zero-goaler is now engaged to Meggie Thomas, his girlfriend of nearly two years (pictured together top left). He popped the question during a surprise trip to Tuscany at the end of December and they plan to marry this October.

The couple came up with the idea for Chemas polo shortly after they met – it is a mix of Kevin’s and Meggie’s surnames.

Meanwhile, five-goal pro Andrew Blake Thomas and girlfriend Sanchia Stowe, the daughter of Australian Rick Stowe, are now engaged (pictured bottom left). Andrew proposed on 15 January while they were holidaying in Perth, Australia.

They are yet to decide whether to hold the wedding in Australia or England.

Wedding bells may also be somewhere on the horizon for Mark Tomlinson, following the footsteps of his brother Luke who got engaged in January. The England player is rumoured to be looking for a house with his girlfriend Laura Bechtolsheimer – an international dressage rider – suggesting the pair may be settling down together.

AEPC Hickstead members Linda Yeoman and Chas Taylor have already set a date for their wedding. The couple will marry at the arena polo club on Saturday 28 April. Another AEPC member, Nicki Cross, is also set to marry her polo-playing partner, Oscar Montoya, this August. www.polotimes.co.uk

16/2/12 21:13:56

Sidelines

And action!

Film crews were a familiar scene at Vale of York Polo Club in January. Clothing company Jack Wills were busy filming and photographing their nationwide summer advertising campaign (pictured below), involving four of the club’s ponies – Burt, Cliff, Honey and Pabella – and players Paul and Lisa Piddington, Adam Vincent and Hayley Robinson. ITV News also visited the club at the end of January, filming the ABI Beach Challenge for their regional sports news coverage (see page 59 for more).

Sponsor leaves Singapore out of pocket Polo Times has learnt that The Affinity House, who had a sponsorship agreement with Singapore Polo Club in 2011, has filed for bankruptcy in Singapore. The club is unlikely to receive funds from the UK-based commercial and affinity partnerships agency for previous and future sponsorship entitlements, including branding, advertising and team sponsorships. The managing director of the agency, Damian Griffith, who was based in the Singapore office, has since returned to the UK.

Snowy Sussex

Pain doesn’t stop play

Sussex Polo Club member and low-goal patron Steve Imber and his wife Rachel made the most of their spare time when they were snowed in at the beginning of February. They built “Bolt” – named after the objects used for his eyes – at their home in Framfield, East Essex (pictured below with Steve on board).

Having lost the final of the Cámara in December, James Beim later revealed why he may not have been playing at his best – a polo stick had gone through his boot a month earlier, requiring him to have eight stiches in his shin. It got infected and he was suffering with septicemia throughout.

More recently, AEPC’s polo manager Sarah Wiseman suffered a nasty fall in the opening moments of the Arundel Equine Hospital Polo Cup final in mid February. The arena threegoaler’s hip took the brunt of the fall and, although she spent the following week hobbling around, fortunately she was soon back in action.

Cambiaso moves teams and Goodman adopts girlfriend Adolfo Cambiaso (below) nearly missed out on the US 26-goal season at International Polo Club Palm Beach this year, after patron George Rawlings withdrew his Crab Orchard team from the Triple Crown. It is believed that disagreements broke out about the fourth member of the team, Mike Azzaro, which led Rawlings to instruct the players, which also included David “Pelon” Stirling, to leave his stables.

However, with Valiente patron Bob Jornayvaz based in the stable block next door, the opportunistic American quickly organised for Cambiaso and Stirling to form his second Valiente side – to be patroned by Bob’s son Robert.

Meanwhile, IPCPB founder John Goodman is back in the limelight after it emerged that he adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend, Heather Hutchins (pictured above). Allegedly, he made this move to protect his financial assets ahead of his civil trial, which starts on 27 March.

However, it is understood that as a result of the adoption, a judge has ruled that the trusts are no longer off-limits to jurors.

Thus, sure enough, now a lawyer representing Goodman’s two biological teenage children has gone before a court seeking to undo his adoption, which also gives Hutchins access to a third of the children’s trust funds.

Goodman’s criminal trial, which sees him accused of causing the death of 23-year-old Scott Wilson, begins on 6 March.

Look-a-likes ◗ See also letters, on page 29 Photograph by Rory Merry

Jonathan Munro Ford and Jack Nicholson www.polotimes.co.uk

PT p84-85 Gossip JM MB PJ.indd 3

Polo Times, March 2012 85

17/2/12 10:03:02

Sidelines

The dramatic opening ceremony

England’s Jamie Le Hardy collects his third-place medal

Derek Reid

FIP Snow Polo World Cup, 2-12 Feb Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club, China

Money talks Santiago Gaztambide strikes the ball for Argentina in the semi final

With almost 160 polo ponies in action, 12 three-man teams, a playing surface made from several thousand tons of artificially created snow, live TV coverage and gala dinners each evening where the tickets cost US$3,000, this was not a tournament for the faint-hearted. However, though there were few spectators during the first week of the event, the final proved popular.

Brian Hammond

Umpire Ollie Ellis

w Photographs by Paul Terry and Neil Egerton at Action Polo Keeping an eye on the action

w Read the full Polo Times review of the action on page 44

Eduardo Huergo

FIP tournament director Pete Abisheganaden

Your snowy photos – from across the UK, February 2012

Snowy days

John Stanley caught Rachel Oddie’s pony Cody on camera

After the bitterly cold snap in February, we gathered together photographs of ponies in the snow.

Roxanne, owned by Kimberley Gallagher

Nicki Averill’s Popcorn admiring the scenery

Ice-cold water from a frozen trough at Holbrook Farm

Kimberley Gallagher’s companion Pepper

Diamond Polo Cup, 20 January 2012 Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai

Guests dazzle in Dubai Alejandro Novillo Astrada and Mohammed Al Habtoor

Yana Zia

The first annual Diamond Polo Cup, sponsored by Emaar, Veuve Clicquot and Rolls Royce, took place at the end of January. VIP guests including the region’s most prominent businessmen and women, socialites, celebrity guests and royalty, graced the red carpet.

Organised by Saeed Bin Drai and Amr Zedan, the exhibition match was won by Bin Drai Polo team. w Turn to page 58 for a report from the tournament

86

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Nicolas and Astrid Petrachi and their children

Ryan Weston and Louisa Northcote

Saeed and Jelena Bin Drai (far right) and friends Ellen Meng

Vanessa Vockmann

17/2/12 14:31:23

Sidelines Hong Kong’s John Fisher, Guillermo Terrera and Martin Inchauspe celebrate with Derek Reid and Rowland Wong

Javamond Pavarodom and Patcharapimol Youngprapakorn

VIP guests stomping divots

Best playing pony, sponsored

by Apes Hill, with the rug presented by Linda Williams Privy Councillor Air Chief Marshal Kamthon Sindhavananda

Khunying Finola and Dr Kris Chatamra

Operatic entertainment

Pablo Jauretche

Wanphen Sakdathorn and Nunthinee Tanner

BMW-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open, 11-21 January 2012 Thai Polo & Equestrian Club

Charitable fun

John Kent’s Cranberry Sky

Keeping close to the haylage Ruth Baldwin’s ponies at sunset

Nine teams from South East Asia competed in the Thai Polo Open for the Princess Cup in January.

Finals day, attended by more than 1,400 guests, including celebrities and diplomats, raised money for HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirinidhorn’s Chitralada Vocational School Project.

Sponsors’ tents offered shopping and games and there was a cocktail party and fireworks evening following the final. w See pages 52-53 for a Thai Polo round-up

Lebanese singer Elissa

Ana Maria Ramirez and Nabil Hussein Ashri

Sarita Chintakanond with son Natarit

Claudia Zeisberger (second left) with her family

Harald Link and HRH Crown Prince Abdullah Shah of Pahang Lina Samman and daughter Tamara Gary and Melissa Tiernan with their kids Interested youngsters

Saeed Bin Drai and Faris Al Yabhouni

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Rodolfo Ducos

Tipravee Phoochai

Ed Olver and Caroline Link

87

17/2/12 14:30:48

Sidelines

Annie Lennox and Simon Le Bon Duran Duran

Guests brave the heavy snow

Klosters Snow Polo, Switzerland – 18-22 January 2012

Stars serenade Pop icons Duran Duran were top of the bill at the Altitude Festival, which formed part of 2012’s Klosters Snow Polo. Scottish singer and songwriter Annie Lennox was the guest of honour at the Sentebale gala dinner later that evening, helping raise money for Prince Harry’s charity.

The new Alpine Soul Kitchen, built from shipping containers kept the polo crowd – including a large contingency of Brits – busy during the evenings.

Swiss polo player Cedric Schweri and friend

w Photographs

by Andre Springer and Harriet Le Seelleur French

Charlie Flain and Cat Christie

Daniel Waetcher and Celeste Neil

Fur, as ever, formed much of the fashion

Georgina Le Seelleur French, Sarah Clark, Jenny Mathias, Oscar Mancini, Kate Manderfield and Nick Manderfield

Cat Christie with Sebastian and Louisa Dawnay

Argentine Oscar Mancini

Andreas Maissen with Mark Hänni of team Maissen/Parmigiani

Duran Duran sing to Tim Bown

Oscar Mancini and Georgina Le Seelleur French

Heaton-Ellis Trust Tournament – Emsworth, 4-5 February 2012

Charity challenge Some of the game’s top arena players and most promising youngsters joined forces for the Heaton-Ellis Trust Arena Tournament at Simon Arber’s Emsworth. w Read a report of the action on page 50 A groom prepares the ponies

Tristan Pemble Action from the Young Guns game between Altyon and the Heaton-Ellis Trust Tristan Pemble’s staffie looks on

Petal, the Arber family’s border terrier

Stuart Matty, Sophie Heaton– Ellis and Charlotte Winton

88

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17/2/12 11:48:50

Sidelines

Music festival Altitude ran alongside the polo on the day before the final

Vociferous encouragement from Reading students

SUPA National Arena Champs, Rugby Polo Club – 9-12 February

Numbers game

Hackett’s Paul Knights gets soaked with champagne

Jillian and Danya Waetcher

All four days of the annual SUPA University event offer the opportunity to socialise for the vast numbers of players it now accommodates, but its party on the Saturday night has become legendary. Organised this year by Dan Joplin of Uni Polo, a student at Birmingham, some 490 tickets were sold for the bash.

Each university had their own colourful theme, so animals, jesters, doctors and nurses all piled into a heated marquee in Rugby’s indoor school (not one of those used for the polo), where an inflatable bucking bronco, bungy ropes, a bouncy castle, and lots of booze greeted them. w Photographs

by Peter James w Read

who won what on page 66

English and Germanspeaker, Jan-Erik Franck

More support for Reading University

Sponsors Hackett took the promotion of their clothing one step too far for Klosters regular, John Bunn

A student literally throws herself into a game against Loughborough

A student from Stirling University warms up

This pink watering can was a feature of the weekend’s social activities

Bath Spa University (in dark blue) and Cambridge University flank long-suffering tournament organiser Mike Hobday

Nottingham beginners, Amelia Kate Smith, Sophie Gorvett, Lily Witchell and Attahir Murtala

Sebastian Sebaj, Sophie Heaton-Ellis and John Horswell enjoy the action

Novice 1a winners, Regents College: Hubert Van Brekel, Eline Braathen and Renee Fontaine

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Novice 1 winners, Cambridge University: James Marshall, George Ulmann and Steffi Sharp 89

17/2/12 11:49:11

Polo directory

Dates for your diary

Club contacts UK and Ireland

South East AEPC, Hickstead – 01273 834315 * Ascot Park – 01276 858545 * Ash Farm – 01932 872521 * Belmont, Mill Hill – 020 7318 4490 * Binfield Heath – 01491 411969 Barcombe – 01273 400179 Burningfold – 01483 200722 Cowdray Park – 01730 813257 Coworth Park – 01344 875155 Epsom – 01372 748200 * FHM – 07778 436468 * Fifield – 01628 620061 * Guards – 01784 434212 Ham – 020 8334 0000 Hurtwood Park – 01483 272828 Kirtlington – 01869 350138 Knepp Castle – 01403 741007 Lacey Green – 07946 360569 Park Lane – 01491 411969 RMAS – 01276 412276 Royal County of Berkshire – 01344 890060 * Sussex Polo – 01342 714920 * West Wycombe – 01865 858475 * East Apsley End – 01462 712444 * Cambridge & Newmarket – 07769 976781 Carlton House – 01986 892231 Frolic Farm – 01223 812922 Haggis Farm – 01223 460353 * Hertfordshire – 01707 256023 Little Bentley – 01206 250435 Norfolk – 01508 480400 * Silver Leys – 01279 652652 St Albans – 07879 866647 Suffolk Polo – 07990 576974 South West Asthall Farm – 01367 860207 Beaufort – 01666 880510 Cirencester Park – 01285 653225 Druids Lodge – 01722 782597 * Edgeworth – 01285 821695 Ladyswood – 01666 840880 Longdole – 01452 864544 * Lynt – 07957 468220 * Maywood – 01962 885500 * New Forest – 02380 811818 Orchard – 01258 471000 Taunton – 01823 480460 Tidworth – 01980 846705 * Vaux Park – 01460 242684 * West Somerset – 01844 820432 Midlands Foxhill – 0115 9651790 Offchurch Bury – 07816 830887 Leadenham – 07816 216356 Ranksboro – 01572 720046 RLS – 01926 812409 Rugby – 01788 817724 * Rutland – 01572 724568 North Beverley – 01964 544455 * Toulston – 01422 372529 Vale of York – 07788 426968 * White Rose – 01430 875767 * Cheshire – 01270 611100 Chester Racecourse – 01244 304602 Scotland Borders Reivers – 01890 840777 Dundee & Perth – 07879 895780 Edinburgh – 0131 449 6696 * Kinross – 07831 365194 * Stewarton – 07974 706045 Ireland All Ireland – +353 (0) 1 6896732 Bunclody – +353 87 6605917 Curraghmore – +353 51 387102 Donaghadee – 02891 882521 Limerick – +353 (0) 87 2231690 Moyne – +353 85 1313224 Northern Ireland – 02890 727905 Wicklow – +353 (0) 404 67164 * Waterford – +353 51 595280 * denotes winter arena polo venue hTo contact the HPA, tel: 01367 242828

90 Polo Times, March 2012

PT p90-91 What's on JM MB PJ.indd 2

What’s on in March UK highlights Test Matches

AEPC – International Arena Test Match, England vs USA (22-22 goal): 3 March O2 Arena, London – Gaucho International Polo, England vs Argentina (Open): 21 March Medium Goal AEPC – McVeigh Parker Tournament (4-8): 26 February – 4 March Ascot Park – Westcroft Park Plate (4-8): 3-4 March

Low Goal AEPC – McVeigh Parker Tournament (0-3): 26 February – 4 March Druids Lodge – The Bodensee Trophy (5-7): 3 March Epsom – St Patrick’s Cup (3-4): 3-4 March Druids Lodge – The Renshaw Trophy (3-5): 10-11 March Rugby – 2-6 Goal Tournament (2-6): 24-25 March FHM – Stickhedz Tournament (0-2): 25 March

Open Wicklow – France (Deauville) vs Ireland (Open): 2-4 March AEPC – End of Season Champagne Pommery Challenge final (Open): 10 March Vale of York – Lay-Soft Arena Challenge (Open): 21 March

Youth Longdole – SUPA National Girls tournament (Open): 4 March Longdole – SUPA National Junior and Senior tournament (Open): 11 March

Ladies Wicklow – SUPA Tri-Nations (Open): 15-16 March Longdole – One Day Junior Tournament (Open): 25 March

For a full list of all the tournaments see www.polotimes.co.uk

Main overseas tournament highlights Argentina

Jamaica

Palermo – Argentine Polo Tour (Open): 28 February – 10 March El Trebol – Trofeo Charro Mejicano (18-goal): 14-28 March Puesto Viejo – Copa Eduardo Amaya (6-10): 27 March – 8 April La Aguada – Argentina Polo Tour: 14-24 March La Aguada – Copa Otoño (TBC): 26-30 March

Kingston – Visitors from the UK (Open): 3-4 March St Ann – Marescaux Cup (8): 13-17 March St Ann – Willie Delisser Cup (12): 22-24 March

Australia Ellerston – J.D Macleod Cup (8 & 16-goal): 17-25 March Werribee Park – Stella Artois Challenge (Open): 24 March Windsor – International Test Match, South Africa vs Australia (Open): 31 March

Barbados Apes Hill, Buttals, Lion Castle and Holders – Barbados Open (10): 6-18 March

Dubai Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club – Gold Cup (15): 24 Febraury – 9 March

New Zealand Auckland – 11th Savile Cup (16, 6, 3 and 0 goal): 6-11 March Blenheim – Gould Cup (Open): 16-18 March Lanherne – 0-40 Goal (0-40): 30 March – 1 April

Thailand Thai Polo & Equestrian Club – Anniversary Cup (4-6): 3-4 March Thai Polo & Equestrian Club – Thai Polo Cup (6-8): 24-25 March

USA IPCPB – CV Whitney Cup (26): 19 February – 4 March IPCPB – Iglehart Cup (20): 22 February – 4 March IPCPB – USPA Piaget Gold Cup (26): 11-25 March IPCPB – US Open (26): 28 March – 22 April www.polotimes.co.uk

17/2/12 12:59:59

Dates for your diary

Ouch, that’s got to hurt!

Snow polo’s heavy hits

John Fisher (in yellow, playing for Hong Kong) leads with his mallet-arm whilst riding off South Africa’s Leroux Hendricks in the FIP Snow Polo World Cup final (page 44)

TV highlights on Horse & Country TV (Sky 280)

Other dates

Friday 2 March, 7.30pm and 11pm: Argentine Open 2011 (La Dolfina vs Pilará)

Doncaster – NH Festivals Sale at Newbury Racecourse: 3 March

Friday 9 March, 7.30pm and 11pm: Argentine Open 2011 (Estancia Grande vs Alegria) Friday 23 March, 7.30pm and 11pm: Argentine Open 2011 (Pilará vs Chapa Uno)

BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair, London – Gala Dinner in aid of Head Injury Through Sport: 22 March

Friday 30 March, 7.30pm and 11pm: Argentine Open 2011 (La Dolfina vs La Aguada)

Lynt – Polo Times pony welfare day: 31 March

Friday 16 March, 7.30pm and 11pm: Argentine Open 2011 (Ellerstina vs Indios Chapaleufú II)

www.polotimes.co.uk

PT p90-91 What's on JM MB PJ.indd 3

Photographs by P.Renauldon/RB Presse and Action Polo

Scapa Sports’ four-goaler Clement Delfosse comes off so suddenly that he takes his pony’s bridle with him as he tumbles onto the Courchevel snow (see page 56)

Polo directory

Polo Times, March 2012 91

17/2/12 13:00:07

Polo directory

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Polo directory

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17/2/12 13:39:36

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Polo directory

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Polo directory

Classifieds

Ponies SUPER BEGINNERS/ PATRON PONY Super 5 year old English bred 15.2hh gelding, striking markings, very sweet and calm, good level platform to hit off. Fit and ready to try. Played up to 6 goal. £6,000. Warwickshire. Tel: 07525 824896 THREE ARGENTINE PONIES FOR SALE Schoolmistress 11 years old 15.2hh skewbald roan mare, has played up to 8 goal. Very handy and good playing platform. £3,000. 10 year old, good looking bright bay 15.1hh, Argentine/thoroughbred mare. Played up to 10 goal & very easy. £6,000. 13 year old grey gelding, 14.3hh, very handy with great paces. Played up to 10 goal. £4,000. Cheshire Tel: 07831 355856 PERFECT PATRON PONY 14.3hh Argentine bay mare. 14 years old, has played both high and low goal as well as university level polo. Plays both arena and grass brilliantly, very handy with a lovely temperament. Fit and ready to play. £3,500. Tel: 07506 003231 VERY SMART DARK BAY POLO MARE 10 YEARS OLD Very fast and handy, clean legs, has played up to 12 goal but low mileage. Easy in all ways. OIRO £12,000. Tel: 01798 875702, West Sussex TWO ARGENTINE POLO MARES FOR SALE 7 AND 8 YEARS OLD Both played low to medium goal, clean legs, low mileage, easy to do. OIRO £5500 and £6500. Please call 01798 875702 for more details. West Sussex 0-4 GOAL 11 YEARS OLD ALL BLACK MARE AND TWO 10 YEAR OLD BAY MARES FOR SALE Played 0-4 goal for four summer seasons since Argentina purchase on low mileage (only weekends). Easy stable mouth, quick turns, powerful for up to 4 goals level suitable especially for ladies.

Vetted and HPA registered. Served me well. Selling for family reasons. £2,000 - £4,000. Fifield Polo Club. Tel: 07795 127176 WANTED POLO PONY as mothers hack. Must be safe and sensible to hack alone or escort a child.

Also good in traffic. Experienced 5 star home offered for life, no more polo. Please email poloveteran@ hotmail.co.uk MIX OF POLO PONIES FOR SALE Reducing our strings, kids now at college. Currently 5 ponies for sale from £1,500 - £3,500 all around 15-15.2hh. Age 10-15 years. All played low goal last season. One an experienced ride, fast and strong. two easy, one top pony for breeding. Swindon, Wiltshire. Tel: 07545 501763

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SELECTION OF HORSES FOR SALE Very fast! 12 year old thoroughbred gelding 16.1hh. Would suit up and coming player to a 3-goal pro £8,000. Turns very quickly, fast and quiet 13 year old thoroughbred mare 15.2hh. Would suit anyone from novice to 3-goal pro £5,000. Exceptional thoroughbred mare, very fast, very responsive . 11 years old, 16hh, played high and low goal, £15,000. Well built 9 year old 15.2hh thoroughbred mare, not a novice ride, fast, stops well. £3,500. Fast, responsive 15.3hh mare, high head carriage, would suit a -1 up to a 6-goaler, has played 15 goal with 6 goal pro £7,500.

Quiet, fast, calm and very handy 9 year old, 15.2hh gelding. Would suit a beginner up to 4 goal pro or medium/low goal patron pony £12,000. Tel: 07816 257532 SADLY FOR SALE 4 year old TB bay mare: Baileys Moneypenny 15.2hh. Sire Monsieur Bond Dam Baileys Silver. Ready, fit and clipped now.

Registered with Weatherbys as TB Racehorse. Easy mannered, shoe, clip and box. No vices. Has played and won tournament polo with a novice rider, and regularly schooled and chukkered by a 0 and 4 goaler. Well schooled and often used as an umpire pony. Will play arena or outdoor. an be seen and tried at Rugby Polo Club. Needs a positive player to take her on to the next level as current rider, only has novice skills. Comes with NZ Rug and head collar only. £2600 ono. Ring Mike Hobday on 07970 720456 ASSISTANT FOR DRUIDS LODGE POLO REQUIRED Prepared to do anything from fencing and farm work to schooling horses. Would suit 0-2 goal player as opportunity to play polo.

Accommodation and salary provided. Contact 01722782597 or tae.ormerod@druidspolo.co.uk

great condition, smooth ride for horses, never broken down in 5 years. £11,950. Berkshire. Call Mark Hayden-Kellard on 07775 806333 or email mark. hk@btinternet.com HORSE BOX FOR SALE I purchased this horse box from Tristar new three years ago. It is in great condition and is fitted with partitions to carry 12 horses although it is big enough to carry up to 14. Winch 8’ 4\ Height inside 8’ 3\” Length inside 32’ 8\” Wheelbase 5.9 metres. It can be seen in Wokingham. Offers around £25,000. Call Raph on +44 (0) 7768 383399.

MERCEDES 2000 REG 1018 ATEGO 10.5 TON HGV HORSEBOX Partitioned for seven with tack lockers, hydraulic ramp, battery isolator, water barrel/pump, electric roof vents, spare wheel, new floor, Mercedes service, new brake pads and discs 1,000kms ago. Plate 31 Dec 2012. Tel: 07979 494553. £14,995 PLUS VAT. Oxfordshire.

RENAULT MIDLUM 2005 ( 55 Reg) Very tidy truck/ cab. Drives like a car! David Williams cattle back partitioned for five horses plus Luton, robust solid crate and partitions, new floor, battery isolator.

Plate till Oct 2012. £10,350. Tel: 07800 517869.

Oxfordshire.

12 HORSE HGV LORRY MAN 18-224 V909JWK (2000), MOT Sept 2012, Padded partitions, rubber skirting and floor, headboards, kick rubber. Internal spotlights, Loading light. Two internal cameras, one reverse. Two grooms doors, skirt lockers, water tank and pump. Four seater double cab, CD, DVD, IPOD, TV, Parrot Hands Free, Leisure battery. £27,000.

Chichester. Tel: 01243 511411

Situations Transport N REG (1995) VOLVO HGV HORSE LORRY 8-speed split gear box. Air con, power steering, CCTV to horse compartment, twin bunks in cab, air suspension. Partitioned for 12 horses (metal/wood with rubber skirts). Rubber lined floor throughout.

Comfortable ride for both people and horses. Taxed to Jan 2012 and MOT to June 2012. £18,000 ONO. Gloucestershire. Please contact Karen on 01793 648603.

MERCEDES 814 1993 7.5 6 HORSE TRUCK Great truck. Had it for years and never given us any trouble. Just had its MOT and is taxed until May 2012. £7,500. Midhurst. Tel: 07787 510383 BUDGET LORRY Ford Iveco, to be sold with 12 months MOT. Stalled for six, but over-weight with that number. Fantastic lockable tack locker. £2,750.

Newmarket. Tel: 07836 727377 10 HORSE LORRY FOR SALE DAF 65 220 Tdi, R reg, 17 ton, sleeper cab, cctv, air kit, battery isolator,

TWO POLO GROOMS REQUIRED For father and son (0&2goals) strings of ponies. Excellent shared accommodation and use of vehicle if required. Suit good friends or a couple. Good riding and stable management skills essential, and cheerful good workers. Malmesbury, North Wiltshire. Peter & Mark Baldwin 07785 583076 or 07917 632030 HGV DRIVER REQUIRED Full time driver for polo wanted. HGV Class 2 necessary. Some knowledge of horses an advantage. Windsor area. Good rate of pay. Email enquiries@fourquarterspolo.co.uk or call Sophie 07976 712307 for details.

Livery FULL LIVERY OR STABLES TO RENT AT PRIVATE POLO YARD On-site accommodation.

Also private yard available for a pro. Chukka ground, regular chukkas, stick and ball ground, all-weather Martin Collins geltrack, grass gallop, schooling arena, lunge ring, horse-walker, lots of top quality

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Listings turn out, parking for lorries. Faringdon, Oxfordshire.

Close to Lynt Farm, 50mins trucking to Kirtlington and Cirencester. Contact Chrissy 07814 020225 or northfieldfarm@hotmail.com.

FULL/PART LIVERY AVAILABLE IN SMALL PRIVATE YARD Stabling and turnout. Within hacking distance of Beaufort Polo Club and 12 miles to Cirencester. Nr Tetbury. Transport available.

Ring Jenny on 07810 767603 to discuss your requirements.

ACCOMMODATION AND/OR LIVERY DIY £20 or Full £100, Walker, stable, track, pitch, turnout etc. Available in Cirencester for the season. Fully furnished, ready to move in. All bills included. £80 per week per room. Tel: 07816 257532

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

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

SportingDesigns.co.uk or call +44 (0)7860 303217 POLO SADDLES, STICKS, TACK ETC FOR SALE/WANTED Polo saddles for sale from £50 to £300, sticks from £35, also tack, bridles, boots and accessories available. Used polo equipment also bought for cash. Please visit www.poloexchange. co.uk or email contact@poloexchange.co.uk or Tel 07909 965940 ADVERTISE ON A BOOT JACK Affordable, Effective. Different. Reach your target audience today! Find out how at www.giveittheboot.com or call 07503 876573

Miscellaneous POLO BREAKING AND TRAINING SERVICES English young horse breaker and trainer basing in Surrey for the 2012 season. Very gentle, natural training methods used. Anything from breaking, bringing on in chukkas or problem horses. Can travel to you or accommodate horses. Call 07584 208200 or 07850 515942 Designed by www.nickiaverilldesign.co.uk Printed by The Manson Group Contact details Holbrook Farm, North Leigh Oxfordshire OX29 6PX Tel: 01993 886 885 Fax: 01993 882 660 email: admin@polotimes.co.uk

www.polotimes.co.uk © Polo Times Limited 2012 and Database Right 2012 Polo Times Limited holds the copyright & database right to the information it publishes in Polo Times and on the Polo Times website. No content may be reproduced or distributed without the consent of the Editor. ‘Polo Times’ is the trade mark of Polo Times Limited. ISSN 1461-4685

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Polo directory

Advertisers in March 2012 Baileys Horse Feeds 01371 850247 www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

Heli Air Westbourne 01789 470476 www.heliair.com

Metropolitan Polo Club +86 22 8372 8888 www.metropolitanpoloclub.com

Berlei www.berlei.com

HPA 01367 242828 www.hpa-polo.co.uk

Monarch Equestrian Ltd 01902 605566 www.monarch-equestrian.co.uk

Play Polo 07748 670587 www.playpolo.co.uk

Nicki Averill Design 07885 285932 www.nickiaverilldesign.co.uk

Binfield Heath Polo Club 07792 211259 www.binfieldheathpoloclub.co.uk Bulthaup UK & Ireland www.bulthaup.com Cartier 0207 312 6930 www.cartier.co.uk Chiltern Equine Clinic 01494 876555 www.chilternequine.com Drom UK 01932 355 655 www.dromuk.com Druids Lodge Polo Club 01722 782597 www.druidspolo.co.uk EFG +41 (0) 44 226 1850 www.efginternational.com Equine Management Limited 01825 841303 www.worldwidetack.com Fabtek Solutions 07794 094011 www.fabteksolutions.com Gaucho International Polo 0844 248 5022 www.gauchopolo.com Greenheath 01638 507785 www.greenheath.co.uk Hagas Ltd 07816 257532 Hawker Beechcraft +44 (0)1244 523 803

Jeremy Curling Fencing 01483 894888 www.jcfc.co.uk

Paddock Woods Stallions 07845 328442 www.pwstallions.co.uk

Julius Baer & Co Ltd www.juliusbaer.com

Polo Permits 01798 869496 www.polopermits.co.uk

Kate’s Art 07887 678421 www.katesart.com

Patco Trading Limited 01837 849 200 www.colehay.co.uk

Keep a level 01359 250384 www.keep-a-level.com

Sally Mitchell Gallery www.sallymitchell.com

Kestrel Ltd 01256 880488 www.kestrelcontractors.co.uk La Quinta 01666 881254 marcotomo@hotmail.com Land Rover Centre 01484 542092 www.landrovercentre.com

Saracen Feeds 01622 718 487 www.saracen-horse-feeds.co.uk SATS 01285 841542 www.satsfaction.com Spanish Boot Company 0845 3138167 www.thespanishbootcompany.co.uk

Logic www.logictoday.co.uk

T&S Harker Horse Boxes 01325 332649 www.tandsharkerhorseboxes.co.uk

Longdole Polo Club 01452 864544 rob@longdolepolo.com

The Thai Polo and Equestrian Club +66 2 650 3055 www.thai-polo-club.com

Lycetts 01672 512512 www.lycetts.co.uk

Tutors International 01865 435135 www.tutors-international.com

Maitland 0203 077 1234 www.maitlandgroup.com

Work-lite 01279 418052 www.work-lite.com

Contributors – March 2012 Adam Caller, Arthur Douglas-Nugent, Lorna Edgar, Mark Emerson, Luigi Ferrarese, Sophie Heath, Theresa Hodges, Karen Kranenberg, John Leicester, Rege Ludwig, Clare Milford Haven, James de Mountfort, Brett O’Callaghan, Jamie Peel, Mansoor Quadri, Sebastian Sebaj, Herbert Spencer, Caroline Stern, Camilla Swift, Annika Urbat

Subscriptions UK: £55 for one year – £99 for two years Europe: £65 for one year – £115 for two years Rest of the World: £75 for one year – £135 for two years

Call Sarah Foster on +44 (0)1993 886885 Subscribe online: www.polotimes.co.uk Polo Times, March 2012 97

17/2/12 16:37:16

Final bell

In association with Aprés Polo

Six-goal polo-playing model Nacho Figueras’s...

Passions

James Mullan talks to Ralph Lauren and Jaeger-LeCoultre ambassador Nacho Figueras as he gears up to captain Argentina against hosts England at this month’s Gaucho International at the O2 When was the last time you fell off?

Oh, I fall off all the time! But the last nasty one was in December, when I fell heavily whilst playing in a tournament match at Polo One in Pilar. My right shoulder was in pain for about a month afterwards.

Who’s been your hardest opponent in polo?

It was always a tough game whenever I played Mariano Aguerre. He and I had some great battles when he was playing for Peter Brant’s White Birch side against my Black Watch team in the US high-goal in Florida. The last time we met, in 2009, he got the better of us in a 15-14 epic.

And who’s been the best teammate?

I’ve played quite a lot with both Facundo and Gonzalo Pieres, and they have always been very enjoyable to line up alongside, and brilliant teammates.

What has been your best polo memory?

I’d actually have to say playing in front of 18,000

people at the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in New York, with the city’s iconic skyline as our backdrop. For me, it wasn’t just a game, but the culmination of a lot of hard organisational work.

It was something I’d nurtured from the start.

Do you have any polo regrets?

No, none. I’m a very positive person, and so even when things don’t go quite as you might

“I’m a very positive person... but playing Mariano Aguerre is always very hard work!” have hoped, I’ll always learn from them and take something valuable as I go forward.

What was the first album you ever bought?

I think it was Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses. It was their first album, so I must have been about 12 years old!

What’s your favourite film?

Easy – The Godfather. It just has wonderful actors and a great story.

What book are you reading at the moment?

I particularly like biographies, as I like to read about influential people and leaders in their time, and I’ve normally got a couple on the go at once. Right now I’m reading the Steve Jobs book and the biography of Blake Mycoskie, who created TOMS footwear.

have met Frank Sinatra. He intrigues me. But, since he’s dead, I’m hopeful that one day I’ll get the chance to meet Nelson Mandela.

Who’s been the most interesting you’ve met so far?

Not because he’s been my employer, but Ralph Lauren has genuinely been an inspiration for me. He’s a wonderful family man, a terrific leader, and a brilliant business entrepreneur.

Who was your childhood hero?

Gonzalo Pieres.

And who’s actually been your biggest influence?

My father. He’s the one that’s taught me that hard work pays off. If you keep going, nothing is impossible.

So what ambitions do you still have?

To keep expanding polo, but my passion is to do so by linking the game to big brands and businesses in order to find means to ensure there is a significant charitable element to each event as well. The potential is almost limitless.

Who would you most like to meet?

It would have been fun to

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SPORT

Bath Spa University’s polo team is sponsored by Berlei’s ‘no bounce’ Running bra. www.berlei.com PT p98-99 Passions JM MB PJ.indd 3

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