September 2019 Polo Players' Edition

SEPTEMBER 2019

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CONTENTS

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N

S E P T E M B E R 201 9

VOL. 23,

FEATURES 26 Island time

DEPARTMENTS 6

by Gwen Rizzo

Youth overcomes experience in Greenwich

32 O Canada Photos by Kerri Kerley

Association News USPA Bulletin Governor spotlight

12 Instructors Forum

Calgary celebrates holiday with tourney

38 Custom fit

NO. 1

by William Cameron Forbes

14 Usefuls

by India Parker-Smith

Polo-specific exercises keep you in the game longer

by Dana Fortugno

16 Equine Athlete SEPTEMBER 2019

Canada Day At Calgary

OUR COVER BD&P’s James Kidd leans on Remax’s Ryan Kerley in the final of the Western Canadian tourney’s EH! Flight.

Photo by Kerri Kerley

by Dr. Stephanie Massey Colburn

18 22 24 42

Polo Scene News, notes, trends & quotes Polo Development Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Polo in the Pampas

44 60 62 46

Polo around the Globe Calendar Yesteryears Polo Report

by Ernesto Rodriguez

Buffalo celebrates Inaugural season

$5.00 US/$5.50 Canada

OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN SIGNED COLUMNS ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLISHERS OF THIS MAGAZINE.

2 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

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P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N THE

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UNITED STATES POLO ASSOCIATION

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Editor & Publisher

GWEN D. RIZZO

Contributing Editors

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS, ERNESTO RODRIGUEZ, ALICE GIPPS, CHRIS ASHTON, TOM GOODSPEED

Editorial Board BOB PUETZ, TONY COPPOLA, TOM BIDDLE, DAWN WEBER, AMI SHINITZKY

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VOL. 23, No.1 POLO Players’ Edition (ISSN #1096-2255) is published monthly by Rizzo Management Corp. 6008 Reynolds RD, Lake Worth, FL 33449 for U.S. Polo Association, 9011 Lake Worth RD, Lake Worth, FL 33467.

Periodicals postage paid at West Palm Beach, FL and additional mailing offices. (USPS: 079-770).

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4 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Central Coast Polo Club is one of several clubs that participate in the Pacific Coast Arena League.

Fall Meetings The annual USPA Board of Governors and Annual Member Meeting will be held Oct. 16-19 at the La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, California.

The USPA fall meetings are one of two meetings held every year.

The USPA board of governors, committees, subsidiary boards, club delegates, members and staff will gather to hold a variety of meetings, discussions and presentations to review the progress and health of the sport throughout the United States and abroad, as well as debate and vote on key issues and policies affecting the game of polo.

For more information on the USPA Board of Governors and Annual Member Meeting please contact Lindsey Ebersbach at lebersbach@uspolo.org.

So far, USPA arena tournaments have been played at 17 clubs in 10 different states with more tournaments on the calendar. The NAAC Committee tallies points for the individuals once clubs submit tournament results to the USPA. Players with the highest points will be eligible to play in the National Arena Amateur Cup being held at Orange County Polo Club in Silverado, California, in November. Visit uspolo.org to check your point status.

If you are interested in raising your points level or competing in the NAAC, encourage your club to host USPA arena events, look for a USPA arena tournament near you or consider traveling to one of the arena tournaments where horse leasing is available.

In addition to NAAC points, circuit and national arena events are eligible for:

National Arena Amateur League With the Texas Arena League, Pacific Coast Arena League and other arena leagues gaining momentum, it seems that 2019 is becoming the year of arena polo. More polo arenas are being built and improved

• Trophies and/or trophy reimbursement from USPA • Arena Incentive Program reimbursement funds • Pump 8 Umpire (maximum 8-goal tournament with four team minimum) • Exposure through USPA weekly e-blast “This Week In Polo” and Polo Players’ Edition magazine with submission of write-up and photos

thanks to the USPA Polo Development Initiative, polo school students are being gradually introduced into the sport through arena tournaments and seasoned players are enjoying the quick play that arena polo provides.

Earlier this year, the USPA announced the innovative new format of the National Arena Amateur Cup. Individuals competing in national, circuit and sanctioned arena events will earn points based on the number of teams in the tournament and their team’s standing within that tournament.

6 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Middle School Tournaments Interested in hosting a USPA Middle School tournament at your club? All USPA arena clubs are welcome to sign up to host a Middle School League event. The Middle School League offers a first tournament experience for our youngest members, grades fifth through eighth. Players should be tournament ready with basic knowledge of the rules to participate and are required to bring or source their own pony or ponies they are comfortable on. Players enter individually for either two or four chukkers per game. The Host Tournament Committee and coaches will work together to form evenly-matched teams.

The Middle School League runs weekends from September through November. Players register for each tournament individually with the USPA, and pay the entry fee directly to the host club. The host club is responsible for the overall organization and management of the event and the USPA will supply a tournament box complete with trophies, balls, awards and T-shirts for participants. To sign up to host a middle school event, contact Amy Fraser at afraser@uspolo.org.

Upcoming tournament dates: Sept. 28-29 NWA Polo Club, Gravette, Arkansas

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Oct. 12-13 Garrison Forest School, Owings Mills, Maryland Aiken Polo Club, Aiken, South Carolina Lakeside Polo Club, Lakeside, California Oct. 19-20 Marlan Farm Polo Club, Freeland, Maryland Barrington Hill Polo Club, Wauconda, Illinois Oct. 26-27 Gardnertown Polo Club, Newburgh, New York Nov. 9-10 Central Coast Polo Club, Los Osos, California Prestonwood Polo Club, Oak Point, Texas Nov. 16-17 Buffalo Polo Club, Wainfleet, Ontario Nov. 23-24 Yale Polo Club, Bethany, Connecticut Houston Polo Club, Houston, Texas TBD: Maui Polo Club, Makawao, Hawaii Summer Tournament Results Please remember to submit 2019 summer tournament results from all USPA events for inclusion in the Blue Book and on uspolo.org. Please include the name of the host club, name of tournament and dates played.

Information must also include names of players on all teams that have competed in the event, list of games played with scores of each game and captioned high-resolution photos of the winning team, Most Valuable Player and Best Playing Pony for each event. Tournament results may be emailed to tournaments@uspolo.org. The results packet can be found at uspolo.org by clicking on the “Association” tab, then clicking on “Programs” and scrolling down to the “Forms and Documents” section.

Club Awards The USPA offers awards for excellence in four fields to be presented annually at each member club. All club delegates are encouraged to send in their choices for each award. Clubs will be sent certificate awards for each recipient, who will then be recognized in the Blue Book. Please see descriptions below for each award.

Submit the names of awardees to clubs@uspolo.org.

• Clint Nangle Equine Welfare Award: Awarded to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in the field of equine welfare.

• Owen O’Hanlon Best Groom Award: Awarded to the best groom, based on dedication, ability and knowledge.

• Dr. Billy Linfoot Most Improved Player Award: Awarded to the most improved player for the year

based on the following virtues: improved athletic ability, sportsmanship and integrity in all aspects of the game, both on and off the field.

• Club Pony of the Year: Awarded to an exceptional pony at your club (used for playing, lessons, etc.)

Remember to send in tournament results and club awardees for inclusion in the annual Blue Book.

National Tournaments Member clubs are encouraged to apply for one of four national tournaments listed below that need to be awarded for 2019. Download tournament applications at uspolo.org by going to the “Association” tab, then clicking on “Programs” and scrolling down to “Tournament” in the “Forms and Documents” section. The application is listed as “2019 National Application.”

Available National Tournaments: Regional Classic-Southwestern (10-14 goal) Western Challenge (12-16 goal) National Eight Goal (4-8 goal) Delegates Cup (4-8 goal) Applications may be emailed to tournaments@uspolo.org. The USPA offers several benefits for hosting a national tournament, including awards provided for the winners and runnersup, a customized Best Playing Pony sheet, promotional assistance provided through electronic mail, web and social media, and umpire reimbursement through USPA Umpires, LLC. Additionally, winners will be published in the Blue Book.

• Published by the United States Polo Association Offices at 9011 Lake Worth Rd., Lake Worth, Florida 33467 • (800) 232-USPA Chairman: Chip Campbell President: Tony Coppola Secretary: Stewart Armstrong Treasurer: Sam Ramirez Chief Executive Officer: Robert Puetz

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 7

EMILY DEWEY

U S PA B U L L E T I N

The I/I season is starting! Shown here: Interscholastic players in Maui.

Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Sophia gets some lastminute tips from coach Branden VanLoon.

I/I teams: make sure to keep an eye out for startof-the-season information! You will be receiving emails on requirements and dates in the coming weeks.

All information will also be posted on the I/I page at uspolo.org. If you are interested in starting an interscholastic or intercollegiate team, please contact Ali Davidge at adavidge@uspolo.org to get started. Deadline to add new teams is Oct. 1.

LIS JULIE DEANGE

Middle School Players and parents: if you are interested in participating in the Middle School League, registration is now open on uspolo.org! Tournaments are open to players in 5th-8th grade.

We have 13 tournaments going on across the country. Tournaments are filled on a first-come, 8 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

first-served basis so be sure to get your registration form in today!

I/I Start-up & Enhancement Fundraising Program The I/I fundraising application is open to all intercollegiate and interscholastic teams looking to hold a fundraiser to support their I/I team. If you are interested in applying for a reimbursement grant of up to $1000 please visit the I/I webpage on uspolo.org for more details.

National Youth Tournament Series Two new clubs joined the NYTS family, hosting their first NYTS qualifier tournaments. Three teams competed at Heritage Farm Polo Club in Canaan, New Hampshire. Summer Kneece, Landen Daniels, Vlad Tarashansky, Sophie Grant and Caleb Kingsbury were named all-stars. In Crozet, Virginia, the Roseland Polo Club organized its first NYTS tournament played at the beautiful King Family Vineyard.

Reagan Leitner, Virginia Gwinn, Robyn Leitner and Alea Crespo were named all-stars.

The NYTS qualifier season wrapped up on Aug. 1. The NYTS National Championship Cecil Smith Cup and NYTS Girls’ National Championship will take place in Aiken, South Carolina, Sept. 6-8, and will be livestreamed on the USPA Polo Network.

U S PA B U L L E T I N

David Ragland Growing the Great Plains Circuit

R

MICHELLE LAVASQUE

emaining patient, yet Oklahoma. I went back for a consistent in his efforts, second time and after that I was USPA Great Plains Circuit hooked. And as they say, the rest Governor David Ragland has was history! made a substantial impact on the I didn’t know how to play the growth of polo in America’s game when I first started riding, heartland. Donning his signature but I’d played sports most of my cowboy hat, just one of the many life so I was confident that I hats Ragland wears as club could learn. Dale Smicklas’ president and manager of OKC father advised me not to pick up Polo Club, he continues to a mallet for a year and to buy an cultivate his ongoing love affair older made polo horse and learn with polo alongside his wife Judy. to ride. The following summer, I Although himself not an went back down to Broad Acres Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Polo Club and learned how to David Ragland alumni (his son Jeremy played I/I play the game of polo. I became a polo), Ragland passionately member of the club and invests his time into the rising generation of polo eventually club president. talent as the beloved coach and advisor for the After Bob Moore died in 1998, the players who Oklahoma State University Polo Club. Traveling all were playing at and around Broad Acres Polo Club over the world at the height of his 2-goal outdoor dispersed to different parts of the country. The career, Ragland truly embodied Winston Moore family closed the club a couple years later Churchill’s spirit of polo as a passport to the world. and for the next 15 years there wasn’t much polo Currently in his second term as circuit governor, being played in the Great Plains Circuit. In the previously serving from 1987 to 1991 in the region winter, I would travel to play in the California formerly known as the Northwest Circuit, Ragland desert and in the summer I’d go to Jackson Hole, has dedicated the past five years to stimulating Wyoming. After a while, traveling became so interest and participation across each of his involved and since I had property in Oklahoma circuit’s clubs. Earning a marketing degree from City that I purchased in 2008, I decided to start my the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Ragland own OKC Polo Club in Jones, Oklahoma. began employment at Duncan Equipment What have you learned in your time as the club Company in 1967, developing his career with the manager of OKC Polo Club? thriving industrial truck distributor for 43 years.

A polo manager has to be able to wear dozens of Beginning his polo journey later in life, Ragland hats and juggle polo balls (and beer bottles!) all at recognized an opportunity in his circuit for the same time. One thing you have to do as a polo resurgence, transforming his property into a fullmanager is learn to delegate and there are so many fledged polo facility. Sitting on the board of important factors to consider, including the various USPA committees since the mid-1980s, grooms, horses and weather to name a few. A goal Ragland is a wealth of valuable knowledge, fueled I have is for the club to become financially sound by a genuine desire to see as many as possible enjoy enough to hire a club manager. the sport of polo.

What is your equestrian background and how did you become involved in polo??

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

In 1982, I had just turned 40 years old and I had never ridden a horse. A friend of mine invited me to ride some of his horses at Bob Moore’s Broad Acres Polo Club [now defunct] in Norman,

I lived on Oahu and Kauai in Hawaii for a year (1964) right after finishing undergrad. I worked and took some graduate courses through the University of Hawaii. It is a beautiful place, but POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 9

MICHELLE LAVASQUE

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Ragland is especially proud of his club’s polo school, which has quality instructors.

eventually I grew tired of the weather being the same every day and went back to Oklahoma’s four seasons.

Ragland coaches the Oklahoma State University team and is helping it raise money to build a facility on campus.

10 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

MICHELLE LAVASQUE

Which countries have you traveled to play polo?

I’ve had a lot of opportunities to play both in the United States and internationally. Some of the places I’ve been to include India, Jamaica, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Malaysia and Singapore. Although the polo community is relatively small worldwide that common thread that every polo player shares is the handicap which can get you into just about any country in the world.

My favorite polo vacation has been to Costa Careyes Polo Club on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

It’s a beautiful place where you can rent horses and I’ve taken my family down there many times and just had a beautiful polo holiday. There are two fields right on the beach and there are hotels and casitas [small houses] nearby. It’s owned by an Italian family who have been there for 40-45 years and it’s a beautiful facility.

U S PA B U L L E T I N

How are you involved with the OSU Polo Club?

I currently coach and advise the Oklahoma State University team. In fact we are in the middle of raising $150,000 to build a facility on the OSU campus. OSU is a land grant university and the president has been very helpful in our acquiring 30 acres of prime property designated on campus for the club. Our short-term goal is to fence that property and build an outdoor arena, paddocks, barns and loafing sheds for horse shelter. The longterm goal is to have a covered arena that would enable us to be a host center for all in the middle of the country. Polo Development, LLC is helping us a great deal with that project. I hope to have the arena completed by this upcoming fall.

The responsibilities involved in the I/I program include the health and welfare of horses, financial management, organizational skills, and individual and team development. These are all skills important to polo and important to life, in general.

I’m excited to participate in I/I’s programs promoting these skills to young, potential polo players.

What have you accomplished for the Great Plains Circuit that you are most proud of?

For 15 years, from 2000 to 2015, there was very little polo in the Great Plains Circuit. Broad Acres Polo Club was the leading club, but when it closed all the pros moved on to other places. Wichita was a regional host center for a while, but with the lack of activity and decreased number of players, it had diminished as well. Since we started the OKC Polo Club, Tulsa, Wichita and Northwest Arkansas have experienced an increase in membership and there has been an overall general boost in interest within the circuit.

I’m especially proud of our OKC Polo Club’s polo school. One of the reasons why our club has grown so much is due to our use of knowledgeable instructors who have brought a premiere level of professionalism to the polo school. Our instructors help new, aspiring polo players to overcome the fear of falling off the horse and to understand about all of the hand-eye coordination that is required to hit a ball on a moving animal. Students graduate, no matter what their polo skill level, being confident in their improved riding skills, which allow them to be safe and have fun.

At the end of the day, you have to have interest in horse ownership to go to the next level. You can play arena polo with one or two horses so that’s the reason we have beginner interest because they are not required to buy six horses, a truck and a trailer.

What is the biggest goal you hope to accomplish for the Great Plains Circuit?

Ragland reached a 2goal handicap on the grass and a 1-goal handicap in the arena.

There are several, but the ultimate goal is to grow the USPA membership of the Great Plains Circuit at a rate of 20% per year with quality, committed, dedicated and diversified players.

Although there are not a lot of clubs in the circuit, there is a lot of history and potential for polo because of the horses and the character of those interested in playing here. [USPA Governor-atLarge] Mike Carney in Wichita, Kansas, is headed to Omaha, Nebraska, to put on a demonstration polo match at the state fair. Hopefully that will spark interest and we will have our first club in Nebraska in the near future.

If you would like to contact David about your club or are interested in starting a new club in Nebraska, he can be reached at d.ragland@aol.com.

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 11

INSTRUCTORS FORUM

Oldies but goodies When it comes to the sport, some things never change

by William Cameron Forbes

Polo is a very traditional sport, with several elements that have withstood the test of time. Not much has changed when it comes to equipment (bridles, saddles, mallets), hitting, game strategies and the basic rules.

In 1929, William Cameron Forbes wrote in his book “As to Polo,” about three fundamental things players must learn before they can hope for excellence: horsemanship, hitting and the strategy of team play.

“The first care of every player should be to make the game absolutely safe by avoiding committing fouls, which are usually, per se, dangerous riding,” he wrote.

His tips are just as useful today.

Forbes considered these plays to be bad polo: • taking the ball round the field except when saving goal • knocking the ball out. Instead, plan your stroke to stay on the field • hitting long strokes toward the sides in the offensive half of the field or hitting into the offensive corners.

• trying for goal from too great a distance or from too sharp an angle. Instead, play approach shots.

• having two players from the same side riding for the ball at the same time.

• having two players from the same side riding out the same opponent at the same time.

• having two players on the same team riding parallel to each other • galloping your pony parallel to the ball when it is beyond your reach • riding too close to a teammate • backing the ball into a rush of oncoming ponies.

• hitting the ball across [field] if a backshot will do.

• riding across the line of play too close to oncoming opponents • knocking in directly in front of goal • playing for your opponent’s misses • leaving an opponent to get to the ball when it was last hit by a teammate who is clear behind you • hitting to an opponent who is clear.

• playing in circles. Play up and down the field.

• doing the work for a teammate who is in position, believing you can do it better His list of good polo included: • turning your horse to the new direction before reaching the ball if it is going slow or standing 12 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

still, and if you have time.

• calling “turn” if you back the ball or miss it and it changes direction • reaching out to try and hook your opponent’s mallet when he is hitting, even if it looks as though you can’t reach him • knowing where your opponent is at all times and play so that he is always covered • hitting short strokes and playing for a second chance when there is an opponent in front who is clear • watching the ball • saying the same thing in the same way when calling to your teammates [to avoid confusion] • keeping the line of play straight up and down the field except when defending goal • looking where you are sending the ball before hitting and avoiding putting the it within reach of an uncovered opponent • letting the ball roll over your back line, if it will, when hit by an opponent • watching the eyes of your opponent and maneuvering to cover or leave him when he is watching the ball It is bad horsemanship to: • jerk your pony’s mouth when hitting • stop the pony by turning him. Check him, slow him up and turn him afterward, otherwise you ruin your play and his legs.

• hit the pony with the mallet • gallop when a change comes to pull up and wait • use a sharper bit than absolutely needed • hold yourself in your saddle with the reins.

• ride into the line of play at a dangerous angle • turn to get into the line of play [while] too close to a pony [in front of you]. The ponies may trip.

It is good horsemanship to: • use your voice before the rein and use both sparingly • check the horse and get him well gathered and slowed down before turning him • save your pony in every possible way. Don’t gallop an unnecessary inch • stop your horse by the alternating system of pull and let go, never by steady pulling Finally, he said to read the rules each year.

•

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USEFULS

Reel time 2

Umpire video rule book project update

By Dana Fortugno

By the time you read this we will be close to finishing the first round of the video rule book project. The outdoor rules will be available on the website next month and the arena rules, with a section for the intercollegiate/interscholastic play along with special tournament conditions, will be available by the end of this year. We are on track with everything and this is an unexpected happy condition due to the size of the project and the detail that is required.

The video rule book will be available on the USPA Polo Network.

Dana Fortugno (inset) has worked extensively on the project.

If you read the first article in July, you know we had big visions and high hopes for the project but we were still in the conceptual and very early production stage. As many of you know, concept and practical application are not always the same—that’s sarcasm— they are never the same and usually not even in the same ball park. But, we got lucky this time.

We have learned that what we thought would be a large task was actually a very large task and I am happy to fill you in a little bit, just for fun. In order to get a website to offer users the ability to click on the table of contents and be directed to a rule page with links to video explanations and examples—well, you have to have video explanations and examples.

This means each rule must be read, understood completely, then reframed in a user-friendly way, then a video must be produced with the user-friendly explanation. Easy right? Not so fast. Remember why we are doing this in the first place, because the rule

14 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

book is incredibly hard to read and understand! So, lets read it and understand it. As you can see, the project has irony built in to its very nature.

Don’t despair, I’m on it. Passing three bar exams (yes, three) was a good foundation to feeling confident reading our love-to-hate rule book. Also, having had a 5-goal rating for over 20 years, playing all levels of polo (26 goal and under), coaching for five years at a college and umpiring for the USPA for five years full time, I should have no problem, at least so I thought. It was and is very, very challenging because the rule book is written in legalese by nonlawyers and (most importantly) subject to interpretation (not in a good way either).

As irony would have it, the very reason we are doing the project is the very thing that makes the project hard to do. Well, be happy because you will no longer have to endure the pain when referencing the rules because I have endured it on your behalf.

Hundreds of plays were watched and hundreds more will be watched to select good examples and visuals of some of the rules for you to see.

Overlaying marked-up graphics on video footage, slow motion, green screen and other tricks were used to help you understand the concepts. Video editing, shooting and production is the only way to record our results. I don’t spell very well either, so there is lots of re-editing happening!

Each rule must be broken down and the current umpires’ interpretations must be agreed upon, simplified and presented in a fun way. Yes, a fun way.

USPA branding and licensing rules, copyright rules and fair presentation/display practices must be observed. I can’t just tell what the best ball is (and there is one) but I can’t tell you the brand. It is the same thing for helmets and boots and spurs and things you wouldn’t think about when chatting with your buddy about polo.

This was only a challenge because one of the overriding principles of the project was to come to you in a form that is not intimidating (as if you and I were chatting privately about a rule). If any of you have ever chatted privately with me about anything, you know it is an authentic experience (sometimes too authentic for comfort). I will tell you what I think—like it, love it or don’t get it. I toned it down

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We have light mallets for for the videos (no I didn’t) but whatever. I get in trouble all the time but I keep it real with you and that’s what you will like (studies on juries show you will like that), the more real, the more you will trust and accept what is presented.

If I were to get formal, which is what is expected from me, you would likely tune out and all we would have accomplished is to produce another version of the rule book that nobody looks at or that everybody hates. Nope, this time you’ll like it because it is informal and sometimes off-puttingly honest. I wouldn’t do it any other way. So, it is going very well and I have enjoyed learning things I never knew and passing them along to you in a fun way.

We will email you when it is ready for your exploration. We are so excited for you to click a topic and learn what it is all

about. I expect most of the users will love it and use it to teach new players. I expect seasoned players to use it to understand how umpires are calling certain plays today and be able to hold the umpires to that standard. I expect umpires will use it to refresh their knowledge. I know Umpires, LLC plans to use it to train umpires internally and at clinics.

I already used a few samples at an umpire clinic and it was well received. In fact, participants liked it more than they liked me talking. That made me happy, then a little sad then mostly happy!

We will have our critics and I will find them and beat them down. (No, I won’t.)

Actually, we welcome constructive criticsm to keep us committed to high standards and on top of our game. I feel comfortable saying, we are finally on top of our game.

•

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E Q U I N E AT H L E T E

Bumps & lumps How to treat the most common skin ailments

By Dr. Stephanie Massey Colburn

I

edgeable horse owner! Understand though, many skin issues, despite having varying causes, can look very similar, and in order to treat a problem most effectively, you need to know what is causing it. In a 21-year study done at Cornell University, of all their equine dermatology cases, the Top 5 equine dermatoses seen were bacterial folliculitis, dermatophytosis, insect hypersensitivity, dermatophilosis and skin issues secondary to drug reactions.

Following are the top four most common skin conditions seen when taking care of your horses daily and what you can do to better understand and treat them.

Bacterial Folliculitis Bacterial folliculitis simply means inflammation of your horse’s hair follicle or bacterial infection

TIERFOTOAGENTUR/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

MAGINE GETTING READY for a polo game, brushing your horses in preparation for the match.

To your dismay, you discover your horses have developed small bumps and spots of hair loss. These simple bumps, lumps, and areas of alopecia (hair loss) could be indicative of a wide array of factors that cause skin problems, including bacterial infection, fungal infection, viruses, insect hypersensitivity, insect bites, parasites, allergies, sunburn or just abrasions from trauma.

A nationwide survey, polling equine veterinarians, found that skin disease was the fourth most common medical problem they encountered and treated in equine practice. Cool fact, the skin is the largest organ in the body and most skin conditions are not life threatening. In fact, most skin problems can actually be treated effectively by you, the knowl-

Bacterial Folliculitis causes mild to moderate itching, while Dermatophytosis generally does not.

16 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

E Q U I N E AT H L E T E

involving the hair follicles and skin. The most common bacterial culprit involved with this condition is Staphylococcal spp. This was the most common skin condition seen during Cornell’s study, with 11.78 percent of horses diagnosed over the 21-year period.

Other names: Heat Rash, Summer Rash, Summer Scab, Saddle Scab, Saddle Boils Causes: Most commonly occurs in areas contacting tack, initially affecting saddle and tack areas in about 90 percent of cases. It can also be caused by hypersensitivities, ectoparasites or trauma (anything damaging or causing breaks to the skin).

Lesion: You typically see 2-3 mm small, solid, raised elevations in skin (papules) that can grow to 6-10 mm. The bumps may also develop purulent material (pustules) or light yellowish color discharge. Hair loss, dander, and scabbing can also be seen.

Season: Occurs all year, but usually is seen in spring and early summer. Spring and summer also coincide with when horses are shedding out winter coats, dealing with higher temperatures, getting clipped, dealing with more insects and getting ridden more frequently.

Areas affected: Any part of the body, but lesions usually occur on the sides of the neck, trunk, saddle region, rump/tail, and shoulders.

Can be confused with: Ringworm or hives!

Bacterial folliculitis, in its chronic stage, has areas of circular hair loss and scaling, making it easily confused with ringworm lesions.

Pruritus (itchiness): Mild to moderate itch, but can be painful with deep lesions.

Diagnosis: Definitive diagnosis is based on findings from cytology, skin biopsy and culture.

How to treat: The size of our horses makes most systemic skin treatments very expensive and quite a few have questionable efficacy, therefore, horses are most commonly treated with topical solutions.

Topical solutions for treatment include iodophors, ethyl lactate, 2-5 percent lime sulfur, and 1-4 percent chlorhexidine solutions. Most likely, you will need to get an appropriate shampoo prescribed from your veterinarian.

Apply topical solutions for three to five consecutive days followed by weekly treatments, allowing solutions to remain in contact with skin for at least 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Along with topical treatments, try to remove hair mats and crusts, which harbor infection. For superficial infections, continue treatment at least one week post resolution of infection. For deep infections,

continue baths at least two to three weeks post resolution of clinical signs.

Dermatophytosis Dermatophytosis was the second most common skin condition seen in horses. Dermatophytes are fungi. The most common forms of ringworm seen on horses are Microsporum spp. and Trichophyton spp. Trichophyton equinum is the most common cause of dermatophytosis in horses and in most areas of the world, is rarely transferred to people.

Other names: Ringworm Causes: Horses develop ringworm infections after coming into contact with infected hair or fungal elements on other horses, on fomites (shared combs, brushes, clippers, bedding or blankets) or within the environment. Once infected, it takes between one to six weeks for your horse to develop lesions.

Lesion: Patchy asymmetrical areas of scaling, dander, crusts and hair loss (alopecia) Season: Seen all year, but more commonly in

Dermatophilosis, also known as rain rot, is common in humid environments especially during rainy season.

(continued on page 57) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 17

POLO SCENE

N E W S • NO T E S • T R E N D S • Q U O T E S

WITH HEAD HART Detroit match benefits Subheadlocal community

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NATHANAEL CASSION

HE THIRD ANNUAL HARTLAND POLO CLASSIC, benefiting local scholarships and community givebacks, was presented by the Hartland Area Chamber of Commerce at the Detroit Polo Club in Howell, Michigan on June 8.

The day kicked off with an introductory match featuring up-and-coming Detroit players and a bourbon tasting in the signature Tack Room Bourbon Tent with a professional bourbon steward serving up unique and hard-to-find bourbons.

Guests enjoyed a strolling catered dinner, featuring amazing food from local restaurants, and entertainment from Empty Canvas, a cover band that painted a polo scene while performing live.

The art created was auctioned off after the feature match.

The Livingston County Sheriff’s Department presented the colors and the Livingston County Chorale sang the National Anthem before a parade of ponies and the main match between the sponsored teams, St. Joseph Hospital and Bulldog IT. Players from Grand Rapids and Darlington Polo Clubs mixed with Detroit players for a competitive game.

Halftime featured the traditional divot stomp with Cadillacs on display on the field while over 200 contestants vied for prizes in one of four categories, from Best Dressed Couple to Most Original, in the hat contest. Local business leaders served as judges and everyone had fun.

The game’s second half kicked off with St. Joseph Hospital up by a goal but Bulldog IT was still in the fight. With a few hardfought goals, Bulldog IT was able to retain the Hartland Polo Classic Cup for a third year. As the players walked off the field, the after-party started with amazing local DJs keeping the bar, featuring local breweries, and going late into the night.

The Hartland Polo Classic continues to grow each year and draws more people from the surrounding communities to experience polo and showcase the club as a feature in the area.

Spectators watch the action.

NATHANAEL CASSION

Below, right: The Empty Canvas band painted a polo scene while performing.

18 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

POLO SCENE

MUSIC TO THE EARS Gala raises funds for Newport Music Festival

NEWPORT POLO’S Diamonds are Forever Polo Gala raised over $35,000 in auction proceeds to benefit the Newport Music Festival. Proceeds from the live and silent auctions will assist the Newport Music Festival in expanding education and outreach programming and bringing world-class musicians to Newport, Rhode Island to perform, inspire and be inspired. Offering 45 concerts to over 10,000 audience members each July, the festival commits itself to bringing top-tier talent to Newport as well as making music accessible to all with free family-friendly lawn concerts.

More than 450 of Newport’s glitterati made red carpet entrances around town at the various events on Friday, August 2, to welcome the South African polo team and support the jewel of the community—the Newport Music Festival—at Diamonds are Forever, the 19th annual International Polo Charity Ball.

The sold-out black tie gala embraced the glamorous world of James Bond and South African cultural influences to rule the night and captivate the senses with exotic flavors, rhythms, decor and auction treasures.

Celebrations began with a meet & greet reception for the South African team on the Cliffwalk Terrace of The Chanler.

Gala-goers then made their way along famed Bellevue Avenue mansions to Marble House for a champagne welcome where the terrace offered passed hors d’oeuvres and a specialty martini bar serving the James Bond inspired Vesper Martini and South African Port Elizabeth Martini by The Cocktail Guru before drifting with the sounds of a jazz duo across the lawn to immerse in twilight ocean views and the scenic Rhode Island Sound in the backdrop for photos at the Japanese Tea House.

Diamonds, well-tailored dinner jackets and exotic animal prints inspired the many fabulous interpretations of the bond-esque South African theme. As the sun went down, the bidding heated up on exclusive silent auction opportunities featuring original works of art, exciting adventures, excursions and getaways, designer accessories and jewelry, wine, dinners, theater tickets and other highly sought-after packages. Live auction items included a private 5th Avenue Party and performance by Neal; Patriots and Chiefs tickets; an autographed Tom Brady jersey; a South African Kruger Safari; and two more exclusive experiences to delight the highest bidders.

Under the canopy, the terrace was decorated in garden motif with bold South African hues and exotic florals on the mild summer night, perfect for dining al fresco. Keepsake gifts from Paxmonde were at each place setting. Live musical entertainment from Decades by Dezyne added to the magic. Grammy-nominated baritone Trevor Neal was accompanied by Suzanna Laramee on piano for a special surprise performance.

In honor of the visiting team, Blackstone Catering’s chef created the South African inspired hors d’oeuvres, three-course dinner with South African springbok paired with South African wines and desserts. Guests enjoyed refreshments and dancing until the stroke of midnight. The odyssey’s finale ascended to the Skybar atop Clarke Cooke House for a last dance.

An annual New England lobster bake gave a spectacular finale to the weekend’s events.

Amy Rice, Shelby Williamson, Laurel Gastall Howe, Rob Howe and a friend

Lis Mello, Christon Gibson and Elissa Mitchell Luccio chat with South African guests at Chanler at Cliff Walk.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 19

POLO SCENE

QUEEN OF SARATOGA Club honors Marylou Whitney’s memory

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Saratoga Polo’s Jim Rossi and Mike Bucci, with Lance Vetter, flank participants in the match honoring Marylou Whitney.

20 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

HE SARATOGA POLO CLUB in Saratoga Springs, New York, paid tribute to the philanthropist Marylou Whitney, who died July 19. She was 93. Whitney, a polo and racing enthusiast, was known as the Queen of Saratoga.

She was married to polo player Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney from 1958 until his death in 1992.

C.V. “Sonny” Whitney, was the son of 10-goal Harry Payne Whitney. An aviation-industry pioneer, Sonny Whitney founded Pan American Airways and was the first assistant secretary of the U.S. Air Force. He was also one of the leading owners and breeders in Thoroughbred racing. As a player, Whitney won the U.S. Open three times (1928, 1937 and 1938). The C.V. Whitney Cup, now part of the Gauntlet of Polo, is held each year.

Marylou carried on the family’s racing interests after Sonny’s death and continued to attend polo events.

Saratoga Polo honors the family each year by hosting the Whitney Cup on its Whitney Field. For decades, the cup has paid homage to the role the Whitney family has played in polo and in the United States. Marylou enjoyed attending the event each year and presenting the trophies. This year, the club planned the kind of weekend Marylou would have loved to participate in.

In 2010, a specially bred long-stem pink tea rose was named in Whitney’s honor as a gift from her third husband, John Hendrickson, for her 85th birthday. This year, the club’s festivities began on Friday night with a rose theme: “Rosato al Tramonto” (Rose at Sunset). Santa Margarita Wine presented a Rosé flight paired with Prosciutto di Parma PDO and specialty cheeses. The Whitney Cup final was held on Sunday with Saratoga la Dalila (Pablo Dorignac, Al Keshvarzian, Ana Winslow Palacios, Liam Palacios) defeating HL Polo (Harry Landy, Tato Bollini, Jamie MacLaine, Nano Melendez), 11-9.

Landy’s Japonesa was named Best Playing Pony and was presented with a luxurious “pink mink” blanket courtesy of Pretty Rugged Gear. The Whitney Cup arrived at the field via helicopter and was presented by Penelope Miller, a member of the Whitney family.

During the trophy presentation, a special commemoration to Whitney was held where dozens of her signature long-stem pink roses were given to guests to take home as a remembrance. After, adult attendees were treated to Heaven Hill and Evan Williams Bourbon’s specialty frozen peach ginger mint juleps and honey lavender lemonade. Representatives of RAM truck were on site both nights distributing special gifts to guests.

Former Saratoga polo player Lance Vetter donated $10,000 to Backstretch Employee Service Team of NY, a non-profit offering free healthcare and wellness services for racetrack grooms, a charity nearand-dear to Marylou’s heart. He also penned a poem honoring her.

POLO SCENE

OUTBREAK UPDATES VSV, EEE cases confirmed

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N A SITUATION report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on August 1, Vesicular Stomatitis Virus has been confirmed in five states, including Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.

Horses with vesicular stomatitis usually develop lesions on the tongue, mouth, nose or lips.

According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, Vesicular Stomatitis is a contagious disease, caused by a virus, that afflicts horses, livestock, wildlife and even humans.

To prevent spread of the disease, confirmed positive and suspect premises are quarantined for 14 days from the onset of lesions in the last affected animal on that property. Because humans can contract the disease, it is important to follow biosafety measures such as wearing latex gloves and avoiding contact with the horse’s saliva and blisters. Also avoid contact with secretions from sneezing or snorting horses and keep mouth, eyes and open wounds protected.

Interstate and international movement of horses may be restricted and organizers may elect to cancel equestrian activities in the surrounding area.

If you have horses in any of the affected states or will be traveling through those states, check with your veterinarian to see if there is anything you should do to prevent exposure. There is currently no approved vaccine for VSV. Luckily, there are vaccines for Eastern equine encephalomyelitis and West Nile Virus. More than two dozen EEE cases have been reported in Florida, three have been confirmed in South Carolina and two in Michigan.

Ten-goal Adolfo Cambiaso has been winning WNV cases have recently been confirmed in California and Iowa. Many of in the Texas Polo Luxe Edition Saddle for the infected horses had not been vaccieight seasons everywhere he plays: nated and had to be euthanized.

“This is a clarion call for vaccinaFlorida, England and Argentina tions against diseases like EEE and West Nile Virus,” said Boyd Parr, South Carolina state veterinarian and director of Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health.

According to Clemson University, EEE and WNV are mosquito-borne and fast-acting viruses. Symptoms of EEE in horses usually develop from two to five days after exposure. WNV symptoms may take up to 15 days to develop.

Symptoms of both diseases are similar and can include fever, depression, lack of appetite, neurological signs, partial paralysis and changes in behavior.

“These diseases have a very high mortality rate in infected, unvaccinated horses—between 30 and 40 percent for West Nile and 90 percent for EEE,” said Sean Eastman, veterinarian and director of field services for Livestock Poultry Health Animal Health Programs.• DALLAS •www.Texaspolo.com • 214 - 720 - 0233

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 21

P O L O D E V E L O P M E N T, L L C

Opportunity knocks Young player travels with polo family for the summer

By Hayley Heatley • Photos by David Lominska/Polographics

Danny Walker presents Winston Painter with MVP honors in the Summerland Cup at Santa Barbara.

Winston Painter made the leap from riding hunters and jumpers to polo ponies when he was 8 years old and never looked back. Now 15, the New York native is now making a name for himself in Santa Barbara, California.

Lack of opportunities and location often prove to be hurdles young players face when looking to advance in the sport. Growing up, Painter took full advantage of the polo available locally, playing in the interscholastic program at Gardnertown Polo Club in Newburgh, New York, and making a foray into grass polo at nearby outdoor clubs. After making what he called a pilgrimage to watch the best polo in the country in Wellington, Florida, he realized the intense level of immersion required to make the next step in his game.

Luis Escobar extended an offer for Painter to travel with his family for the summer after reconnecting at the Junior Westchester Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington. Though the

22 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Escobar family’s destination was not yet certain at that point, he was eager to play higher-level polo and advance his game in the upcoming season.

Fast forward to the final day of the school year.

With his final exams finished and his sophomore year complete, Painter woke up the next morning and jumped on a plane destined for Santa Barbara. His first stop, Joel Baker’s ranch in Buellton, California, located just over the mountain from the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. Under the guiding eyes of Baker and Escobar, he helped prepare a string of horses for the 16 goal and began his regular practice schedule at Piocho Ranch.

Two short weeks later, Painter moved over the mountain with the Escobar family to a condo overlooking the fields at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. He quickly immersed himself in the close-knit community at the club. In his first two weeks at the club, Painter played 16-goal practice chukkers and jumped in as a substitute in the Kopu High Goal Challenge on the main Sunday field.

The close proximity of the barns, fields and the condos where many of the players live stood out to Painter. “You get to be around great polo and great horses all of the time, which has been amazing,” he explained. With everything in one location, Painter felt like he was constantly making new connections and learned how professional players structure their daily lives.

One afternoon, Painter was watching a game from the porch of the Escobar’s condo when he was asked to grab his boots and fill in for a player in the Farmers and Merchants Bank USPA America Cup. It was one of those ‘right place, right time’ moments.

“Playing in the 16 goal was an unforgettable experience. It is one of the main perks of being here,” said Painter. “I can always be ready to jump in.”

Playing practice three times a week at Piocho Ranch helped him learn to anticipate plays and be confident in faster polo. Even with plenty of preparation, jumping into the 16 goal brought out his nerves.

“I don’t think I had played above 10-goal polo before this summer, but it was amazing to play with

P O L O D E V E L O P M E N T, L L C

those players! The play changes so fast, the horses are going so fast. It is all around an incredible experience,” he said.

Painter also stepped in to play for an injured player in the 8-goal Summerland Cup and advanced to the final where he was awarded MVP. Aside from time on the field, Painter spent many hours with Santa Clara’s team coach Joel Baker “I am basically attached at the hip to Luis and the Escobar family, so I am really involved in all aspects of preparing for the games and reviewing them after. I know all the plays the team runs. In my practices and throughout the summer, Luis had me really focus on learning how to play a disciplined No. 1 so if I get the pass, it is only me between the ball and the goal.”

Painter pointed out that this year has been a transitional year for him. “I had always taken polo seriously, but this year has been quite a leap. This is the most polo and most exposure I have had in my life. I have gotten to do little pieces of all of it–take sets, play 16 goal, play 8 goal, play NYTS, hold spares.

It has been a polo intense summer.”

As a first-generation player, Painter advises other young players to build relationships with a few people who are established in the sport already. “Take a trip to Wellington in the winter and get a glimpse of the high-level polo,” he said.

Painter is looking forward to continuing to play and improve in the sport. “His talent and impeccable manners will take him far. I am excited to see where • he ends up,” said Escobar.

Painter spent the summer with the Escobar family and practiced with the family’s Santa Clara team.

Living on the grounds of the Santa Barbara Polo Club offered Painter several opportunities to play.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 23

I N T E R C O L L E G I AT E / I N T E R S C H O L A S T I C

School selection Students choose their colleges for a variety of reasons

By Amy Fraser

The USPA offers a catalog to help students sift through the 40 schools offering polo programs.

There is nothing quite like the excitement of back to school. More specifically, back to I/I season! While some teams may still be reeling coming off their 2019 national wins, other teams are chomping at the bit to get started for their taste of a national title.

September is the official start of the I/I season, and as book bags are getting packed, and dorm rooms getting moved into, we wait anxiously to see what teams will have in store for us this season.

As in any scholastic or collegiate sport, team rosters can change drastically from year to year. A hot team could graduate all their seniors, or the freshman class could have a heavy recruiting year.

Players may opt to red shirt, sit down due to injury or even transfer.

It gets particularly exciting at the college level when we see what schools our high school students decided to attend.

Will they be a starter?

Will they take the spot of an upper classman?

Will they red shirt?

Will they be the missing link to keep a team going for another four years as they recruit more players?

Making the leap from high school sports to college level is a feat not many student athletes accomplish. Based on numbers from the NCAA, the percentage of high school students going on to compete at a D1, D2 or D3 school is less than 6%. If you break that down to specific sports, on the low end is men’s wrestling where only 2.9% of high school wrestlers compete at the NCAA level, at an offered 240 schools. When you look at more mainstream sports like basketball, soccer and baseball the numbers are 3.4%, 5.5% and 7.3%

24 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

University of Kentucky horses relax in turnout. Joe Post chose UK for its location, sports and areas of study.

respectively, with over 1000 schools offering each sport. On the men’s side, lacrosse has the highest return rate at 12.5%, and women’s ice hockey tips the scale at 25%.

So how does polo match up? When looking at the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level, our interscholastic players have 40 colleges and universities to choose from. Factors in choosing higher education not only include polo, but academics, locales and financial considerations are all part of making that decision. With all of these things considered, 30% of our high school graduating seniors go on to play polo in college.

Time out. I want to make sure you grasped that your average high-school-to-college athlete conversion is 6%, and polo rates are at 30%. So how do students make their final decision? I like to imagine all the high school juniors take out their current year copy of the USPA college catalog that lists all the current collegiate programs with highlighted information about the school and polo program, and they flip through it, dog-earing the corners of the schools they want to go visit, and start their selection process there.

We encourage players to look at schools first, polo second. At the end of the day it’s about an education, and polo is the having fun while doing it.

I N T E R C O L L E G I AT E / I N T E R S C H O L A S T I C I/I students are encouraged to consider a school’s academics first and polo programs second.

When Joe Post (Gardnertown Polo Club, New York) started looking at schools, he chose the University of Kentucky for the full realm: a great locale, college sports atmosphere and areas of study.

“I chose the University of Kentucky because of the atmosphere of the school. Lexington is one of the meccas of equine sports in the United States. Being a polo player and riding horses my whole life, I immediately felt at home with the school polo team and all of the equine activities going on around the school, such as training, racing and breeding. As soon as I went to visit the school, I went and saw the huge football stadium and the basketball stadium.

Being a huge sports fan, that made me fall in love with the school immediately. As soon as I toured the academic part of the school, I knew it was the right place for me,” he said.

For other players, it is location, location, location.

Tess Sabatini (Blackberry Polo Club, Illinois), chose Oklahoma State University.

“My mom was moving to Oklahoma for work the summer before my freshman year and I decided that I wanted to move down with her and go to a college that was close enough for her to visit,” she explained. “Oklahoma State had the only polo program in the state and when I visited the club everyone was very kind and welcoming. They showed me the club, all the horses and even set up a meeting with one of the professors on campus to talk through any questions I had about the school. After meeting all of them and touring the beautiful

campus, I knew I didn’t need to look anywhere else.”

Aaron Schneider (Horse Park Polo Club, California) went across the country to find what he was looking for in his school. “I didn’t want to give up polo just because I wanted to pursue an education. For a long time, it felt like I would have to choose between getting a business degree or playing polo. Then I found Skidmore. Skidmore College, being a liberal arts school, was a place that really encouraged me to explore what I wanted for my future career rather than choose right away.”

And for those players who don’t have a direct career path set, schools that offer many opportunities and the ability to explore get top choice. Anders Carlton (Gardnertown Polo Club, New York) chose the University of Connecticut. “I knew I wanted a big campus with a lot of options and opportunities. I was undecided coming to college and UConn had all of the potential majors that I was interested in. This allowed me to explore all areas of interest before making my decision. The great academics paired with a great polo program and a lot of school spirit made UConn a great choice for me,” he said.

As we get ready to kick off this season—whether players chose Brown or Texas Tech or Montana State—we are ready and waiting for those first scores to come in! Keep updated on all regular season scores on the I/I Scoreboard on uspolo.org and follow your favorite teams through the tournament season, beginning in February! Good Luck to all teams as you head back to school!

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 25

Island time Youth overcomes experience in Greenwich

The Island House’s Toro Ruiz put in an MVP effort in the final of the Shreve Crump & Low Cup against Gardenvale.

26 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

RO FERNANDEZ

By Gwen Rizzo

RO FERNANDEZ PETER T MICHAELIS

The Island House team took two of three tournaments in the first part of Greenwich Polo Club’s rain-soaked summer season. Six teams competed in each of the tournaments.

Relay (Will Tomita, Nico Diaz Alberdi, Mariano Gonzalez, Matias Magrini), Altaris (Nick Manifold, Nic Roldan, Jamal Nusseibeh, Marcos Garcia del Rio), The Island House (Peter Holowesko, Toro Ruiz Jorba, Santino Magrini, Peke Gonzalez) and White Birch (Chris Brant, Kristos Magrini, Lerin Zubiaurre, Joaquin Panelo) anchored each tournament with the other teams changing.

The season began in early June with the Shreve Crump & Low Cup. Gardenvale (Shane Finemore, Matt Coppola, Matt Grimes, Tatin Zubiaurre) and Hawk Hill (Segundo Merlos, Dylan Rossiter, Gringo Colombres, Philip MacTaggart) joined the line-up.

In Round One, Hawk Hill topped Altaris, 16-15; White Birch defeated Gardenvale, 9-6; and The Island House edged Reelay, 6-5. Rain interrupted play in Round Two but when it was dry enough White Birch beat Reelay, 8-5; The Island House downed Hawk Hill 13-7; and Altaris beat Gardenvale, 10-7. The first game of the last round got off as scheduled with White Birch besting Hawk Hill, 15-10, and securing a spot in the final with a 3-0 record. Rain continued, pushing the schedule back a few days. When play resumed, The Island House defeated Gardenvale, 108, to earn the other final spot, scheduled for the next day. With both teams out of the running, the last preliminary game wasn’t played until the day of the final when Reelay edged Altaris, 11-9.

The final was played June 16, with White Birch taking on The Island House’s young guns. Santino

The Island House’s Peke Gonzalez, Toro Ruiz, Santino Magrini and Peter Holowesko

Greenwich Polo Club manager Pedro Gutierrez presents the MVP trophy to Peke Gonzalez after the Monty Waterbury Cup.

Magrini put The Island House on the board but Joaquin Panelo responded with two in a row to give White Birch an early edge. A Penalty 2 from Toro Ruiz, followed by a field goal, put The Island House on top but a goal by Lerin Zubiaurre knotted the score. The third chukker belonged to White Birch as Chris Brant, Zubiaurre and Panelo found the target while the opposition was held to one from Ruiz.

The 6-4 lead White Birch carried into halftime was erased in the fourth when Ruiz hammered in three goals while holding White Birch to a goal from Panelo. Costly errors by White Birch in the fifth gave Peke Gonzalez three opportunities from the 40-yard line, which he seized. He added a field goal for good measure, giving The Island House an 11-7 lead.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 27

RO FERNANDEZ

Toro Ruiz’s Caña Fly was named Best Playing Pony. Ruiz is flanked by Fernando Poca Montoya and Jose Gabriel Cardoso.

PETER T MICHAELIS

Good aim in penalty shootouts by Mariano Gonzalez put Reelay into two finals.

Panelo sunk a pair of penalties to cut the deficit to two, but wasn’t able to make up any more ground.

The Island House had the win.

Ruiz was named MVP and Zubiaurre’s Rusa was Best Playing Pony. Peter Holowesko was awarded the Sportsmanship Award.

The Island House team carried the momentum into the historic Monty Waterbury Cup, which dates back to 1922, and is named for James Montaudevert Waterbury Jr., an American businessman and 10-goal player. Waterbury, playing alongside his brother

28 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Lawrence, was captain of the famed “Big Four” team that dominated the Internationals against England in the early 1900s. He was also on the Wanderers team that won the first U.S. Open in 1904.

Waterbury died from an apparent heart attack in 1920 at age 44. Two years later, the tournament was established in his name and first played at the historic Meadow Brook Polo Club in Long Island, New York.

This is the sixth year the tournament has been held at the Greenwich Polo Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. Greenwich’s own White Birch team, anchored by Mariano Aguerre and Peter Brant, has won the title five times (2003, 2011, 2014-2016).

White Birch, with Aguerre and Brant’s son, Chris, fell to Dillon Bacon’s Huntsman team last year.

Huntsman was trailing by two goals but rallied to score three goals in the last seven minutes to win.

Two of those goals were tallied by Toro Ruiz, who led this year’s winning team. For the first time in decades, Aguerre, a former 10-goaler, didn’t compete in Greenwich after being suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct in a U.S. Open match.

The Island House’s young pros were living together for the entire season. The team faced Reelay in the final, pitting two fathers (Mariano Gonzalez and Matias Magrini) against their sons (Peke Gonzalez and Santino Magrini).

RO FERNANDEZ

“I played the entire season in Florida with my dad so I’ve played more often with him than on an opposing team,” Peke Gonzalez said. “I would rather have him on my team than play against him.”

Six teams, divided into two brackets, were scheduled to start the tournament on June 21. Rain delayed the start, postponing Round One and forcing Round Two games to be held first, beginning on June 23 as originally scheduled. Postage Stamp Farm (Annabelle Gundlach, Brandon Phillips, Martin Gandara, Tomas Garcia del Rio) and Mt. Brilliant (Bo Goodman, Agustin Arellano, Michel Dorginac, Julian Daniels) filled the vacancies left by Gardenvale and Hawk Hill.

In competitive Round Two matches, Reelay slipped Altaris, 12-11; The Island House defeated Postage Stamp Farm, 14-11; and White Birch got the best of Mt. Brilliant, 11-7.

Round Three, which was scheduled to take place June 27-28, stretched into July 2 after yet more rain.

It had Reelay top Mt. Brilliant, 10-7; The Island House edge White Birch 11-10; and Postage Stamp slip Altaris, 9-7.

The gaps in play caused by wet weather made it seem like the players were indeed on island time. The players were anxious to get back on the field when Round One was finally played, completing preliminary matches on June 30, the original date for the final. It saw Altaris edge White Birch, 10-9; Postage Stamp Farm beat Mt. Brilliant, 11-7; and The Island House down Reelay, 12-7.

The Island House was the only team to go undefeated in preliminary play, taking first place and a spot in the final. Reelay and Postage Stamp tied with 2-1 records so a penalty shootout was held to determine the other finalist. Mariano Gonzalez sunk two penalties, topping Brandon Philips’ one and giving Reelay a second chance against The Island House on July 5.

In the final, Reelay began with a handicap goal but Santino Magrini quickly negated it in the opening chukker. Diaz Alberdi answered to take back the lead. In the second, The Island House was awarded a Penalty 3, which Ruiz easily converted, but Mariano Gonzalez scored a Penalty 4 in response. Santino Magrini found the goal to end the chukker level, 3-3. Gonzalez traded penalty conversions with Santino Magrini in the third but Ruiz wrapped goals around one from Mariano Gonzalez to get the 6-5 edge at the half.

A Penalty 1 for Reelay early in the fourth tied the score until Ruiz took back the lead. Penalty 3 conversions by Mariano Gonzalez and Matias Magrini briefly put Reelay on top, but a Penalty 4 by

Peke Gonzalez tied it up and a goal by Ruiz gave The Island House the 9-8 lead. The teams traded penalty conversions in the fifth to maintain the difference heading into the final seven minutes.

Peke Gonzalez gave The Island House its widest lead, 12-9, after back-to-back goals early in the sixth.

A Penalty 2 by Matias Magrini cut the lead but The Island House held off any more drives from Reelay until the horn signaled the game’s end. The Island House had its second victory.

The Island House left the trophy stand with a bounty. Peke Gonzalez was named MVP, Toro Ruiz’s Caña Fly was Best Playing Pony and Peter Holowesko took the Fair Play Award. It was the third Waterbury title for Santino Magrini who won it with White Birch in 2015 and 2016.

Reelay’s Mariano Gonzalez and The Island House’s Toro Ruiz get pushy in preliminary play.

Reelay fell 12-7 in the match.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 29

PETER T MICHAELIS

“The Monty Waterbury was the cup that we really wanted to win this summer. It’s very special to be able to have our names engraved on such an old and historic trophy. Toro Ruiz, Santino Magrini and I played two 12-goal tournaments in Argentina and a 12-goal in Florida during the winter which was a great way to prepare for the Greenwich season,” Peter Holowesko told United States Polo Association.

“I’ve been playing with Toro since he was 16 years old and 3 goals and it’s been amazing to watch him develop into a 7-goaler. Santino I also know well and have enjoyed the opportunity to play with the last few years.”

Mariano Aguerre presents Best Playing Pony awards to Tomas Garcia del Rio’s Cuidadana, held by his groom.

30 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

PETER T MICHAELIS

Postage Stamp’s Martin Gandara reaches out to stop Mariano Gonzalez in the final of the American Cup.

“We’ve played together several times so we know each other pretty well. That has been tremendously helpful to finding a succesful system. Also, because we live together the three of us are always together and when Peter is in town we all hang out,” explained Peke Gonzalez.

The subsidiary finals were scheduled for July 7.

More rain allowed only one game to be played on the scheduled Sunday. White Birch got the 11-8 edge over Mt. Brilliant for the fifth place Greenwich Cup. Lerin Zubiaurre was named MVP. The other subsidiary final, for third place and the White Birch Cup, was going to be played the next day, but more rain in the morning postponed it until late in the day on July 9. When Mother Nature allowed, Altaris slipped Postage Stamp, 11-10. Jamal Nusseibeh was named MVP and Neptuno, owned and played by Marcos Garcia del Rio, was Best Playing Pony.

The inaugural American Cup was scheduled to begin on July 10, with the final on July 21. The teams from the previous tournament lined up with the exception of Bo Goodman’s Mt. Brilliant. That spot was filled by Goodman’s brother, Hutton Goodman’s Faraway Polo (Hutton Goodman, Michel Dorignac, Julian Daniels, Stevie Orthwein).

The games got off as scheduled, with White Birch downing Faraway, 13-7, and Altaris edging The Island House, 12-10. The third game was suspended in the

PETER T MICHAELIS

third chukker when the skies opened up. Reelay was leading Postage Stamp Farm, 4-3, with three minutes left in the third. With polo manager Pedro Gutierrez trying his best to stick to the schedule, the teams moved on to Round 2 on July 14.

White Birch slipped The Island House, 10-9; Reelay edged Altaris, 11-10; and Postage Stamp Farm topped Faraway Polo, 7-6. A few days later, the game between Postage Stamp Farm and Reelay resumed.

Postage Stamp Farm managed to tie the score, 6-6, in the fifth. The teams remained tied through regulation time. In overtime, a Penalty 2 conversion gave Postage Stamp the win.

The same day, Altaris sank Faraway, 10-5, to start Round 3. More games were scheduled the following day, but Mother Nature didn’t cooperate.

Unrelenting rain postponed the action for several days and a stifling heat wave was forecast for Sunday, July 21, the original date for the final.

The club considered playing very early or very late and consulted with team captains, the host tournament committee and the USPA to go over the options. With some of the teams having to travel a long distance on typically heavily congested roads, it could expose the horses to even more excessive heat, particularly if the trailers got caught in traffic.

Ultimately, for the safety of the horses and players, the matches were cancelled altogether and rescheduled for Monday.

The 9 a.m. game between The Island House and Postage Stamp Farm was for The Island House, 9-6.

The last game in Round 3, originally scheduled for 6:30, was moved up to 5 p.m. due to forecasted rain.

But, there was no escaping the downpours, which came early and forced the game to be moved yet again. The game wasn’t able to be played until five days later, on Saturday, July 27. A tight game, Reelay and White Birch were tied in three of six chukkers and only a goal separated the teams in the other three chukkers. In the end, Reelay got the 12-11 edge.

The result left Reelay, Postage Stamp, Altaris and White Birch knotted in a four-way tie with 2-1 records, requiring a penalty shootout between the teams to determine the finalists.

From the 40-yard line, a representative from Postage Stamp was the only one to score. From the 60, Postage Stamp again hit the target while the only other team to do so was Reelay. The final between Reelay and Postage Stamp was scheduled for Monday, July 29.

Reelay, playing in its second final this season, began with a handicap goal and added to it with goals by Will Tomita and Mariano Gonzalez in the

first period, while Postage Stamp failed to reach the goal. Martin Gandara put Postage Stamp on the board in the second, with the only goal of the period.

Tomas Garcia del Rio and Nico Diaz Alberdi swapped goals in the third, leaving Reelay holding a 5-2 lead at the half. Gandara and del Rio brought Postage Stamp within one, 5-4, in the fourth but Gonzalez increased the lead to two, 6-4.

Back-to-back goals from del Rio knotted the score, 6-6, to end the fifth. Del Rio tipped the scales with an early goal but Magrini fired back. A Penalty 3 conversion from del Rio was matched by one from Gonzalez. With time winding down, del Rio broked away from the last throw-in and hit the target to win the match, 9-8. Garcia del Rio led the scoring with seven goals. Gandara, who notched two, was named MVP; del Rio’s Ciudadana was Best Playing Pony; and Magrini won the Sportsmanship Award.

Gonzalez led the scoring for Reelay with four goals.

After the awards ceremony the club celebrated with a barbecue for the players and their families and friends. The club traditionally takes a break for the month of August. The players will be back on August 25 for the start of the East Coast Open. •

Clockwise from top left: Postage Stamp Farms’ Annabelle Gundlach, MVP Tomas Garcia del Rio, Martin Gandara and Brandon Phillips.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 31

O Canada

Calgary celebrates holiday with tourney Photos by Kerri Kerley

32 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

The tournament celebrates the anniversary of the Constitution Act.

The Calgary Polo Club in Calgary, Alberta, Canada celebrated the Canada Day weekend with a fun, competitive polo tournament with 15 teams playing in four flights. Canada Day celebrates the July 1, 1867 anniversary of the Constitution Act, which united the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into a single territory. The federal holiday is comparable to the U.S.’s July 4th celebrations.

The club, dating back to 1890, is one of the oldest in North America. Set on 300 acres 20 miles south of Calgary, it features eight fields, 400 stalls, a mile-and-a-half exercise track and an historic ranch house. The club offers polo for just about everyone. It has a bustling polo school and coaching league, as well as a full schedule of tournaments at several levels.

The Western Canadian Polo Tournament started on Friday, June 28, with a welcome party and rules review with Umpires, LLC umpire Fergus Gould.

Players were completely engaged, soaking in all the information Gould could offer.

The polo action got underway on Saturday with two teams in the Eh! Flight (4-6 goal), five teams in the Alberta Flight (1½-2½ goals), four teams in the Canuck Flight (01 goal), and four teams in the Double-Double Flight (school).

Finals were played Sunday but the action continued Monday with polo manager Mike Kerley mixing up the teams for the Canada Day Mixer Monday. The fun didn’t end there. Parties were held in the Cantina on Saturday and Sunday night.

The first match-up saw Blizzard edge Centurians, 7-6. Centurians led 3-0 before Blizzard got on the board. Centurians outscored Blizzard, 3-2, in the second to take a 5-2 lead at the half. Blizzard bounced back in the third with three unanswered goals to knot the score, 5-5. The teams battled in the last seven minutes, but Blizzard got the narrow edge.

At the same time on another field, Somerset took on Mayhem for the Canuck Flight. Neither team could reach the goal in the first, but Somerset took over in the second with Heidi Clark scoring two in a row and Jodi Morel adding another. Cole MacKinnon put Mayhem on the board but Kirsten

Wade Gaboury’s pony was a little excited about Canada Day celebrations.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 33

On Canada Day, polo manager Mike Kerley mixed up the teams for some fun in the Mixer Monday games.

Berrier answered for Somerset. In the fourth, James Scott split the uprights and Berrier added another. MacKinnon answered but Mayhem ran out of time and Somerset had the 5-2 victory.

Next, Engel & Volkers took on Identity Polo, also for the Canuck Flight. Identity got right to work, with Anne Evamy, Brent Watson and Sheryl Sick each finding the goal. Manolo put Engel on the board in the second to end the half, 3-1. The teams traded goals in the third, but Engel ran out of gas in the fourth. Evamy added one more to end with Identity ahead, 6-3.

In the Alberta Flight, Grande Prairie, Black Diamond and Tekarra played off in a round robin.

Grande Prairie came out on top with a total of seven goals, while Black Diamond and Tekarra ended with five goals each.

In the EH! Flight, Remax overcame BD&P, 5-3.

Remax shot in three unanswered goals in the first and neither team could reach the goal in the second. The teams traded goals in the third, and BD&P outscored Remax, 2-1, in the final chukker but Remax hung on for the win.

34 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

The teams came back the following day for the consolations and finals. The first consolation round pitted Black Diamond, Tekarra and Centurians in a round robin. So closely matched, each team won a round, and each round ended 3-2.

Another close match had Mayhem edging Engel & Volkers, 3-2, in the Canuck Flight consolation. A low scoring first half had Mayhem with the only goal.

Engel got on the board in the third with two goals but Mayhem responded to tie the score, 2-2, heading into the last chukker. Cole MacKinnon snagged the only goal of the fourth to give Mayhem the win.

In the Double Double Flight consolation Blue Besos defeated Insync, 3-1. It was a true team effort for Blue Besos, with three of the four players connecting with the goal.

The Double Double Flight final had Rough Riders getting a 2-1 edge over T Square Polo. Will Schneider struck first for Rough Riders, a goal that went unanswered. Teammate Brendan Kwong followed with a goal in the second. Jenn Foster put T Squared on the board but that would be it and Rough Riders took the trophies.

EH! Flight Remax

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Identity Polo

1

Ryan Kerley Dayelle Fargey Tim Rudy Gordon Ross

-1 1½ 3 ½

Anne Evamy Brent Watson Sheryl Sick Kim Ross

0 1 ½ -1

BD&P

4

Somerset

0

James Kidd Nacho Bello Saul Torres Ian Schnoebelen

½ 4 ½ 0

Heidi Clark -1 James Scott -1 Kyle Fargey 3 Jodi Morel/Kirsten Berrien-1

Mayhem

Alberta Flight

0

Cole MacKinnon -.5 Luis Galdon/Frank Galdon -.5 Stephanie Davidson -1 Russell Stimmel 2

Blizzard

2½

Aly Rooney John Rooney Daniel Roenisch Hope Kerley

-.5 1.5 2 -.5

Grande Prairie

1

Insync

Craig Nelson Fernando Pliego Wade Gaboury Chet Nelson

0 1 0 0

CorryAnn Struik Sabine Stobbe-Wiens Elaine Pohl Richard Stobbe-Wiens Aimee Nelson

Tekarra

1

Rob Foster Rogelio Ramirez Jayden Nelson Matt Schneider

0 1½ 0 -.5

Centurions

2½

Greg Schindel Cheryl Schindel MacKenzie Brewin Tim Rudy

0 -.5 0 3

Black Diamond

1½

Ross Prokopy Stephen Cobb Selina Watt Sebastian Aycinena

0 0 -.5 2

Double-Double Flight

The EH! Flight final saw Remax get the best of BD&P, 8-3. Tim Rudy jumped out in the first chukker with a hat trick. Ryan Kerley added another for Remax and Rudy shot through back-toback goals. Meanwhile, BD&P was unable to reach the goal, ending the half with Remax ahead, 7-0.

BD&P began to rally in the third with Nacho Bello and Saul Torres splitting the uprights. James Kidd added another one for BD&P in the last chukker but Rudy responded. Time ran out and Remax had the victory.

Somerset came out shooting in the Canuck Flight final, adding to a half-goal handicap. Kyle Fargey scored early in the first, then added two more in the second. James Scott also scored a pair to take a 5½-0 advantage. Identity struggled to reach the goal in the third, but successfully stopped the bleeding from Somerset. Anne Evamy put Identity on the board in the last chukker but the team was unable to make up any more ground and Somerset had the win.

In the Alberta Flight final for the Ross Fargey Cup, Grande Prairie came from behind early in the

Canuck Flight Engel & Volkers Thomas Keeper Alberto Manolo Damon Hackshaw

Rough Riders Brendan Kwong Will Schneider Grace Tanton Charmaine Stobbe-Wiens Anika Nelson

T Square Polo Jenn Foster Julie Tooth Todd Taylor Macie Nelson

Blue Besos Tiffany Burns Nadia Stobbe-Wiens Mel Bowie Neve Nelson

½ -.5 0 1 0

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 35

Rough Riders’ Charmaine StobbeWiens, Anika Nelson, Brendan Kwong and Will Schneider

Grande Prairie’s Chet Nelson, Wade Gaboury, Craig Nelson and Fernando Pliego won the Ross Fargey Cup for the Alberta Flight.

Remax’s Ryan Kerley, Gordon Ross, Dayelle Fargey and Tim Rudy took the top prize in the Eh! flight.

Somerset’s Kyle Fargey, Jodi Morel, Kirsten Berrien, James Scott and Heidi Clark won the Canuck Flight.

36 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

match to take the 6-2 win. Grande Prairie began with a one-goal handicap, which Daniel Roenisch quickly negated. John Rooney added another goal, giving Blizzard the 2-1 lead after the first seven minutes. Craig Nelson and Fernando Pliego scored in the second to put Grande Prairie ahead, 3-2, at the half. Pliego added another in the third and teammate Chet Nelson followed with a goal for the

5-2 lead. Craig Nelson got off his second goal in the final chukker, while the team continued to stop all of Blizzard’s attempts. Time expired with Grande Prairie holding the trophies.

The action continued into Monday when the teams were mixed up for even more competitive fun, and finished out the celebration with a barbecue. •

Above, left: USPA umpire Fergus Gould gives a rules review.

Above, right: Members of the club enjoy polo yoga.

Alyson Rooney and Chet Nelson battle in the final of the Ross Fargey Cup.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 37

Custom fit Polo-specific exercises keep you in the game longer

By India Parker-Smith

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38 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Many of the world’s top sportsmen and women are still at the top of their game as they approach, or even exceed, 40. Consider Tiger Woods is 43, Roger Federer is 38, Frankie Dettori is 48 and Serena Williams is 37. There is an ever-growing list of sporting legends across disparate disciplines, such as skiing, American football, cycling and soccer, that have extended their sporting life expectancy by heavily investing in their personal fitness regimes and their nutritional intake. The net benefit of this investment is prolonging their passions, winning more consistently and over longer periods, and additional prize money and sponsorship.

Polo players have also recognized the need for overall fitness and physical strength. More and more players are turning to polo-specific exercise training and nutrition in order to reach their peak polo athletic performance and play higher-goal polo for longer. For instance, top polo player Adolfo Cambiaso credits his health and wellness as key elements to his long term success. He said, “I have to look after myself; I go to the gym every day; I have physio every day.�

To be the best you have to look after your body.

How you feed it, exercise it and recover it all contribute to marginal gains in order to be the best and help prevent injury.

As medical science better understands the workings of the body, the appreciation of how to maintain it increases exponentially, resulting in better health and a stronger body for a substantially longer time.

Each sport has its own specific body movements to consider. Polo, for instance, is a very dynamic and physical game. It is fast-paced and places specific strain on the skeletal system and muscles.

Additionally, it is a lop-sided game since it is played

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right handed so it requires balance and core strength.

Fitness for polo should mainly focus on the biomechanics of the sport-specific movement patterns. Training the dominant muscle groups used in ride offs, swings and overall play off the field will of course transfer into play on the field. Combining this with a good recovery routine and nutrition can be a major contribution to a higher handicap.

MUSCLE MOBILIZATION Mobilization of the muscles starts with mobility and improving the range of movement in the joints.

It is pointless to strengthen a body with incorrect biomechanics and doing so can cause long-term aches and pains and lead to a premature exit of the sport.

A good starting point is to have a fitness professional analyze your movements to identify any biomechanical issues and muscle weaknesses. Focus on correcting these through mobilization and stretching before re-engaging the muscles in the newly-corrected position.

Start every training session with a dynamic mobility warm-up to open up joints and loosen the muscles.

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1. Back Roll Downs 2, 3. Wrist openers 4. Low lunge with side bend 5. Oblique and Hip Stretch 6, 7. Back Stretch 8. Lower Leg Stretch

MUSCLE ENGAGEMENT Once the muscles are well warmed-up and fully mobilized, activate the muscle groups through low impact exercises. If certain muscles aren’t fired up, the rest of the body tends to over-compensate, leading to less stability and control in the body and potential longterm injury. It is best to start with the dominant muscle groups used in polo such as the core, shoulders and posterior chain muscles (glutes, hamstrings, backs, calf muscles).

9. Oblique Twists Why? This slow and controlled core exercise wakes up all angles of the abdominals. Core control is obviously a big element when riders are in the POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 39

6 saddle, such as when they are standing up out of the saddle, when they twist to prepare for a swing and during ride offs.

How? Tie a resistance band to a stable base and hold it with two hands keeping a slight bend in the elbows. Engage the abdominal muscles and slowly rotate your hands and upper body away from the stable base. Then bring the arms back to the start position.

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40 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

10. Single Leg Aeroplane Why? The posterior chain is a very dominant muscle group engaged when riding. The single leg movement is a simple but effective exercise to activate these muscles. It is a great compound movement that also requires the core and balance elements in order to perform the exercise correctly and safely. By getting those glutes and leg muscles firing, the rider gains more control in the standing position in the saddle.

How? Stand up tall, engage your core muscles and simulate a ‘see-saw’ action; lower your torso to the ground with your chest leading and raise one extended leg up behind you. You should feel your

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stationary leg and glute muscles activate during this exercise.

11. Squats Why? The squat is a great all-body exercise. As well as being a strengthening exercise, the squat can be used in warm ups to raise the heart rate and improve blood flow to the muscles. The squat is a complex exercise, which the majority of people will perform incorrectly. Take the time to practice the perfect squat (adapted to your own individual biomechanics) before adding weight.

How? Here are the basics to get you started. Begin with feet hip-width apart and keep the torso upright as you lower your hips back and down until they are at a 90-degree bend. Focus on keeping your knees over your toes. Push back up through your heels into standing position, squeezing your glutes as you do so.

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become fitter and stronger athletes through the use of her three elements, which cover all aspects a player requires to reach optimum athletic performance— Fuel, Function & Flexibility. See more at www.chukkawellness.co.uk and follow her on Instagram: @chukkawellness or Facebook: Chukka Wellness.

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12. Banded Rows Why? Rows can be quite a repetitive exercise to perform regularly so if you have access to a wooden (or steel) practice horse then try a few rows in the seated and standing position by tying your resistance band to the wooden horse’s head or legs. This turns the movement into a useful compound exercise, which not only activates the back and shoulders but the core and lower body too.

How? Start in the standing position with knees slightly bent. Bring your chest forward and push your hips back while engaging the abdominals. Hold the ends of the band with each hand and bend the elbow up towards the sky as you bring your shoulder blades together.

• India Parker-Smith is the founder of Chukka Wellness, a company dedicated to helping polo players POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 41

P O L O I N T H E PA M PA S

Provincial pride Tournament features men’s and women’s teams

By Ernesto Rodriguez

The province of Córdoba was the scene of two Argentine Interior Championships with Handicap: the version for men, won by Santa Fe, and the first women’s version, which went to San Luis I. A new page in the development of feminine polo was written in the province of Córdoba: the realization of the first CAIH, the main tournament for clubs representing the cities inside Argentina.

San Luis’ Catalina Jantus, Martina Díaz, Milagros Ordoñez and Mili Sánchez won the women’s CAIH.

“It was a debt that we had with the girls, because their growth is unstoppable,” explained Agustín Álvarez, head of the Interior Polo subcommittee of the Asociación Argentina de Polo. Eight quartets between 0 and 8 goals were encouraged by the challenge that, due to a new format decided by the association, was not celebrated under the name of the participant clubs but by provinces.

For the women, activities began on April 18, at the Malagueño Polo Club, located on the outskirts of the city of Córdoba, capital of the province of the same name. After three qualifying rounds, the contenders were determined for the three decisive matches scheduled for Sunday, April 21.

Despite the rain, the players showed their desire to compete on a historic day. In the match for fifth place, San Luis II (Ana Paula Rozandal, 2; Luz Maria Rozandal, 2; Alejandra Jaeschke, 2; and Virginia

42 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Reinaudo, 2) recovered the disadvantage yielded to Córdoba II (Florencia Peloso, 0; Jasmine Arab, 0; Sol Beltramone, 1; and Isabela Bocamasso, 1) and ended up celebrating, 11-8. For the third place, Córdoba I (Sofía Lerda, 2; Julia Murgio, 0; Lucía Giraudo, 2; and Sofía Sciutto, 3) had no problems to dispose of Mendoza (Federica Soler, 1; Ana Palma, 0; Catalina Ayerza, 2; and Cornelia Haufele, 2), 7-3½.

In the main event, San Luis I (Catalina Jantus, 1; Martina Díaz, 0; Milagros Ordoñez, 0; and Milagros Sánchez, 7) exhibited its greatest power and surpassed Córdoba Sur (Valentina Echavarri, 0; Katerina Courreges, 2; María Seculini, 3; and Mora Aldao, 1) by a clear 10-5½ with a remarkable performance of Mili Sanchez, the best player of the tournament.

“What the AAP is doing is incredible. It is the first time that deep inside the country we feel the real support from the central leaders. What has been done with the first Women’s CAIH is a huge step.

They are not making isolated events, it is noted that it is a policy from the AAP so we are more than grateful,” said Sanchez, who is one of the heads of Team Los Sauces, a main contender of low- and medium-goal tournaments throughout the country.

A couple of weeks later, and just a few miles away, the men’s version of the CAIH was launched in its 31st edition, with the participation of a dozen quartets from 11 to 16 goals, representing nine provinces. Divided into three brackets, the game plan had the best of each bracket advancing to the semifinals along with the best runner-up in the games held in two venues: Pompeya Polo Club and Estancia La Paz. Córdoba Escorihuela Gascón (Juan Cruz Carreño, 1; Sebastián Borghi, 5; Iván Maldonado, 5; and Santiago Otamendi, 5), with three defending champions in Borghi, Maldonado and Otamendi, was the best of Bracket A after winning its three matches.

San Luis (Juan Carlos Sánchez, 2; Eduardo Venturino, 5; Rodrigo Sánchez, 4; and Ezequiel Sánchez, 5) topped Bracket B in an undefeated manner, as did Bracket C’s Neuquén (Benjamín Hiriart, 2; Juan Martín Gramajo, 4; Francisco del Campo, 4; and Enrique del Campo, 3) as a surprise.

The fourth spot in the fight for the main trophy was

P O L O I N T H E PA M PA S

for Santa Fe (Gonzalo Ferrari, 3; Magín Burgos, 2; Nicolás Sívori, 5; and Gastón Beguerie, 5), second in Bracket B. In the semifinals, another surprise: Santa Fe (starting the match with a goal advantage) eliminated the defending champion by a forceful 145, thanks to a first half in which it took an unthinkable difference (9-1). Its opponent in the final would be San Luis, who won its fourth consecutive semifinal, defeating Neuquén, 11-8, after recovering three handicap goals.

On the closing day of the contest, on Sunday, May 12, three trophies in dispute were defined at Estancia La Paz with the presence of AAP President Eduardo Novillo Astrada. The first was the subsidiary Friendship Cup, which was won by Santa Fe León Pharma (Segundo Caimi, 4; Fabricio Vignatti, 2; Estanislao Abelenda, 3; and Hugo Iturraspe, 4) after narrowly surpassing Córdoba Sur (Lucas Boccolini, 3; Juan José Liprandi, 3; Sebastián Petrachi, 4; and Fernando Reynot Blanco, 5), 10-9.

The subsidiary Roberto Cavanagh Cup went to Mendoza Palo Santo (Facundo Guevara, 2; Gastón Guiñazú, 2; Gonzalo Guiñazú, 3; and Salvador Ulloa, 7) over Santiago del Estero Secco (Patricio Torres, 1; César de Cilia, 2; Juan Carlos Godoy, 3; and Jorge Fernández Ocampo, 5), by a forceful 14-5, with the back Ulloa as best scorer with five.

The grand final for the sesquicentennial of the

May Revolution Cup was a match divided into two parts. The first two chukkers were dominated by San Luis. Thus, the quartet of the Sanchez family recovered the handicap goal and then some, ending the first 14 minutes, 3-2. But, after the third period, Gonzalo Ferrari (best scorer of the match with five) completed a 3-0 chukker and moved on to command the score, 5-3, at the close of the first half. In the final three segments, the order and patience of Santa Fe allowed it to accumulate advantages to finish ahead by wide 13-6.

This was the third title in the history for a Santa Fe team after titles in 2002 and 2004 under the name of Venado Tuerto. For three of the players, it was the first celebration of their career; for Magín Burgos, it was the second consecutive win after having achieved it in 2018 with Pompeya.

“Last year, I won as a guest of Córdoba’s boys.

This year, I did it playing with my usual partners from Venado Tuerto. Each title has a special flavor,” explained Burgos. Ferrari monopolized the individual prizes, taking the Revelation Player award and his mare Maca received the prize for the best horse of the final.

On the defeated side, Juan Carlos Sánchez explained philosophically: “We won the women’s CAIH and we reached our fourth consecutive final in the Open. It is something to celebrate. The cup is there, sooner or later we will reach it.”

• The men’s teams included the winners (brown shirts), the subsidiary winners (not in their jerseys) and the Friendship Cup winners (black and white).

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 43

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

Saint-Tropez, France VT Wealth Management dominates 10-goal Photos courtesy Polo Club Saint-Tropez

OLIVIER MONTREUIL

Polo Club de Saint-Tropez—Haras de Gassin in Gassin, France, bills itself as polo’s ultimate playground. Who could argue the point? The venue, in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, offering spectacular views and plenty of non-polo activities, has everything a polo player needs to enjoy the season.

Set on nearly 250 acres surrounded by forests, yet just about mile from the village and sea, the club has four regulations fields and a large stick and ball field, with over 350 stalls in environmentally friendly barns built of compressed bamboo. In addition, the barn roofs are built to collect rainwater for recycling.

How cool is that? Indoor and outdoor arenas and a double training track are available to the players, as is a state-of-the-art clubhouse with a restaurant overlooking the polo fields, a sauna, and cryotherapy, massage and locker rooms.

Château d’Aulne’s Michael Taylor puts a stop to VT Wealth’s Thomas Fedier’s breakaway in the Golden Wave.

Founded in 1998, the club hosts 8- to 10-goal polo from April through August; 12- to 15-goal tournaments in July; and 15- to 18-goal events in August. The club also has a women’s international tournament each June. It is one of 36 clubs in France.

The season got underway with the 8- to 10-goal Sun Trophy, May 16-26. Four teams filled the lineups, including VT Wealth Management (Thomas Fedier, Sacha Fedier, Matias Carrique, Gerardo Mazzini), F Polo Team/Voltex (Alshair Fiyaz, Samy Jebabli, Justin Gaunt, Sebastian Harriot), Battistoni (Alessandro Barnaba, Juan Martin Gallego, Micheal

44 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Taylor, Matias Nigoul), and Saint-Tropez (Corinne Schuler, Alvaro Ortiz, Marcos Harriot, Esteban Panelo).

Playoffs began with F Polo Team/Voltex narrowly defeating Battistoni, 8-7½; Saint-Tropez topping Battistoni, 6-4; and VT Wealth Management downing F Polo, 7-4. In the semi-finals, VT Wealth defeated Battistoni, 8-5½, and F Polo got the best of SaintTropez, 8-6. In the final, VT Wealth beat F Polo, 5-2.

The same teams battled in the Silver Whips tournament, May 30-June 9, with the same results.

VT Wealth went 3-0 against the rest of the teams, while F Polo’s only loss came at the hands of VT Wealth. The semis had VT Wealth Management advance over Battistoni, 7-1, while F Polo Team/Voltex advanced over Saint-Tropez, 8-4.

The Silver Whips final seemed like déjà vu, as VT Wealth Management once again got the best of F Polo, 9-5. Thomas Fedier was MVP and was awarded a luxurious Franck Dubarry Swiss watch and his mare Plastilina went home with the Best Playing Pony blanket. In the subsidiary, Saint-Tropez edged Battistoni, 5-4.

VT Wealth Management carried its momentum in the Golden Wave, played from June 13-23. It was the only team from the previous tournaments to play.

Three new teams joined the line-up, including Dark Ice (Helen GoddardWatts, Manuel Cereceda, Pierre Juaretche, Juan Martin Garcia Laborde), Alfi Investments (Alshair Fiyaz, Constant Jacquot, Matias Nigoul, Justin Gaunt) and Château d’Aulne (Alexis Pouille de Balkany, Samy Jebabli, Michael Taylor, Mariano Uranga).

After a half dozen playoff games, the teams met in the semifinals. VT Wealth Management downed Dark Ice, 8-4½ while Château d’Aulne advanced over Alfi Investments, 11-6½. The final was set with two worthy teams facing off. Both teams put in commendable performances, but in the end, VT Wealth Management was able to get the 7-6 edge.

Alexis Pouille de Balkany won the MVP title and a

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

BRUNO MALEGUE

Las Hermanitas’ Naomi Schroeder, Tahnee Schroeder, Martincito Aguerre and Marcos Harriot topped the 10goal section of the International Polo Cup.

half. The teams matched goals in the last two periods, leaving Amanara ahead.

Fabián Bolanterio was MVP Pro, Sacha Fedier was MVP Amateur and Santiago Chavanne’s Urraca was Best Playing Pony.

In the subsidiaries, Château d’Aulne/Twenty 20 tied with Marquard Media, 6-6, in the match for third place honors. In the match for 5th place, Antelope edged Alfi Investments, 6-5½.

After, Las Hermanitas (Tahnee Schroeder, Naomi Schroeder, Martincito Aguerre, Marcos Harriott) and Antelope (Grant Palmer, Nathan Begaud, Jota Chavanne, Guillermo Li) battled it out for the 10goal title. The teams traded goals in the first chukker, ending 1-1. Las Hermanitas doubled Antelope’s score in the second, 4-2, and third, 6-3.

Antelope matched Las Hermanitas’ goals in the final chukker but couldn’t make up any more ground and (continued on page 56)

Jose Ignacio’s Sandra Schneider, Sofia Fernandez, Lottie Lamacraft and Lia Salvo won the Women’s International.

BRUNO MALEGUE

Dubarry Swiss watch, while Mariano Uranga’s Hornos Malena was Best Playing Pony. In the subsidiary, Dark Ice edged Alfi Investments, 7-6.

The following week, the club hosted the 10- to 14goal (women’s ratings) Women’s International. Four teams participated: Bodegas Jose Ignacio (Sandra Schneider, Sofia Fernandez, Lottie Lamacraft, Lia Salvo), Dark Ice (Emma Goddard-Watts, Kataline Kiklosi, Maitena Marre, Clara Casino), Nautor’s Swan Polo Team (Claudia Zeisberger, Ginevra Visconti, Vittoria Marchiorello, Hazel Jackson) and Aventus (Aline Marine Blumberg, Manon Garnier, Caroline Morandi, Mia Novillo Astrada).

In the first games, Dark Ice defeated Aventus, 7-4, while Bodegas Jose Ignacio defeated Nautor’s Swan Polo, 7-3. The teams moved on to the semifinals with Nautor’s Swan Polo downing Dark Ice, 9-6½, while Bodegas Jose Ignacio strong-armed Aventus, 12-5½.

In the final, Bodegas Jose Ignacio took the title, 6-4, over Nautor’s Swan Polo. In the subsidiary, Dark Ice beat Aventus, 4½-2.

The International Polo Cup, from July 4-14, marked the start of the club’s high-goal season, attracting seven teams at the 10-goal level and six teams divided into two zones at the 15-goal level. On the evening of July 11, leading up to the finals, teams paraded through the Saint-Tropez harbor, greeting fans along the way.

The final coincided with Bastille Day celebrations, commemorating the French Revolution.

In the 15-goal, Amanara (Nicky Sen, Tomás Iriarte, Santiago Chavanne, Fabián Bolanterio) got the best of VT Wealth Management (Sacha Fedier, Ivan Maldonado, Matías Carrique, Gerardo Mazzzini), 8-6.

The teams were tied, 1-1, after the first seven minutes. Amanara inched ahead 3-2 in the second and increased its lead to 5-3 at the end of the first

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 45

POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO C ANADA

BUFFALO CELEBRATES INAUGURAL SEASON

Hailey Van der Burgt makes a breakaway while the pack, led by her brother Hunter Van der Burgt, is close on her heels.

T

he Buffalo Polo Club, located at the Plain Bay Polo Centre in Wainfleet, Ontario, near Niagara Falls, had a successful first season at its new facility. Besides the main facility, the club also has secured the Knox Polo Field in East Aurora, New York. With access to two full-size fields, a large stick-and-ball area, and an indoor arena, the club focus is on developing new players, club-level polo and interscholastic polo and is also the home to the University of Guelph Polo

46 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Team. The club has over 35 horses, including lesson horses, green horses and horses available for lease.

Members of the club also enjoy traveling to other clubs for club polo and tournaments.

This summer, the club hosted two National Youth Tournament Series Qualifiers, the Northeastern Circuit Women’s Challenge/WCT and the Knox Memorial Cup 0- to 2-goal. The Knox Memorial was the first of two charity events scheduled this year. A

second charity event, Polo for Health, is scheduled for this month.

The first NYTS Qualifier took place on Saturday, June 29. Land Rover (Brona Mayne, Kaitlyn Gaulin, Susanna Manns, Hunter Van der Burgt) defeated KTC (Adamir Fazilov, Kenzie Ridd, Zak Coleman, Emma Langford/Sabrina McLennon), 6-1.

Hunter Van der Burgt’s horse Barbaresco was named Best Playing Pony and the selected All-Stars were Zak Coleman, Hunter van der Burgt,

P O L O

KTC’s Krista Pearce, Susanna Manns, Lindsay Dolan and Hunter Van der Burgt won the Knox Memorial.

Kenzie Ridd and Kaitlyn Gaulin.

The Knox Memorial Cup took place at the Knox Polo Field on July 12. The event was held in support of the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital. The KTC team (Hunter Van der Burgt, Susanna Mann, Lindsay Dolan, Krista Pearce) won, 8-7, over Land Rover (Hailey Van der Burgt, Shahzad Siddiqui, Kaitlyn Gaulin, Emma Langford). It was a great event with many locals from East Aurora and Buffalo coming out to watch polo and support the cause.

The Northeastern Circuit Women’s Challenge/WCT was played at the Plain Bay Polo Centre on July 13. The Women’s International Polo Network (Hailey Van der Burgt, Lindsay Dolan, Susanna Manns, Emma Langford/Krista Pearce) came out with a win, beating Buffalo Polo Club (Crystal Di Rosa, Kenzie Ridd, Kaitlyn Gaulin, Brona Mayne/Sabrina McLennon), 7-2. The Most Valuable Player Award was presented to Crystal Di Rosa, who did a phenomenal job as team captain and played strong defense. The award for Best Playing Pony went to Sombreada, played by Hailey Van der Burgt in the final chukker. Sombreada is owned by her Hailey’s brother Hunter Van der Burgt.

The second NYTS Qualifier took place on July 17. The Blue Team

R E P O R T

WIPN’s Susanna Manns, Lindsay Dolan, Emma Langford, Hailey Van der Burgt and Krista Pearce won the Women’s Challenge.

(Hunter van der Burgt, Sage Dobson, Kaitlyn Gaulin, Adamir Fasilov) defeated the White Team (Susanna Manns, Kenzie Ridd, Emma Langford, Sabrina McLennon), 9-1½. Libby, played by Sage Dobson and owned by Hailey Van der Burgt, was named Best Playing Pony and the selected All-Stars were Hunter van der Burgt, Emma Langford, Susanna Mann, and Kaitlyn Gaulin.

The Buffalo Polo Club has already started to plan its 2020 summer season and will be hosting the same events next year. As the club continues to grow its membership, officials hope to host a variety of tournaments at different goal levels, offering something for each its members.

SOMERSET TRIUMPHS IN JB CROSS CUP Somerset came away with the title in the 4-goal JB Cross Cup at Calgary Polo Club in Calgary, Ontario, Canada on July 14.

Four teams played off in the tournament, which began on July 12.

Somerset (Heidi Clark, Lesley Timms, Kyle Fargey, Russell Stimmel) edged BD&P (James Kidd, Rob Stenzel, Saul Torres, Ian Schnoebelen) in the first match. Somerset began with a half-goal handicap and scored the first two goals off the mallets off Fargey and Stimmel.

Kidd and Stenzel responded to keep it close. Fargey scored back-to-back goals in the second, which went unanswered, ending the half with Somerset leading 4½-2. Stenzel shot back with two in a row in the third but Fargey matched those to maintain the gap. Stenzel traded goals with Fargey and Stimmel in the fourth but wasn’t able to overcome the deficit and Somerset advanced.

The next match had Remax (Gordon Ross, Dayelle Fargey, Tim Rudy, Ryan Kerley) edge Blizzard (John Rooney, Aly Rooney, Joe Henderson, Carin Middleton), 5-2. Kerley was the only one to reach the goal in the first chukker but Middleton hammered in two in the second that went unanswered to end the half with Blizzard ahead, 2-1. Remax stopped the snow in the second half, shutting down Blizzard while Fargey and Rudy added two apiece to take the win and advance to the final.

Blizzard came back to life in the consolation match, topping BD&P, 6-4.

The final pitted Remax against Somerset, which began with a half-goal handicap. Stimmel added to it in the first with the chukker’s only goal. Rudy was the only one to reach the goal in the second to keep it close. Fargey’s third chukker goal gave Remax a slight lead but back-to-back goals by Stimmel tipped the scales in Somerset’s favor.

Fargey added a pair of goals in the final chukker while Remax was shut down,

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 47

Somerset’s Kyle Fargey, Russell Stimmel, Lesley Timms and Heidi Clark won the JB Cross Cup in Calgary.

KERRI KERLEY

ensuring Somerset the win, 5½-2.

The same teams moved on to the 4goal JC Palmer Memorial from July 1928. The tournament is played in memory of JC Palmer who died as a result of a polo accident at the club in 1992. He was just 18 years old. The tournament has been played since 1993 and Palmer’s parents, Laura and Byron, continue to be big supporters of the club to this day.

The games opened with Blizzard edging BD&P, 6-5, and Somerset downing Remax, 5½-3, in a rematch of the previous final. Remax rebounded to crush BD&P, 8-2, while Somerset suffered its first loss, 5-4½, at the hands of Blizzard. But Somerset was back on

48 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

KERRI KERLEY

R E P O R T KERRI KERLEY

P O L O

Blizzard’s John Rooney, Carin Middleton, Aly Rooney and Joe Henderson won the JC Palmer Memorial.

its game for its match up with BD&P, topping it 8½-5. Remax finished strong with a 6-2 defeat of Blizzard. That left Remax, Blizzard and Somerset knotted with 2-1 records. The tiebreaker put Remax and Blizzard in the final.

Somerset settled for the consolation against BD&P, which came out strong, counting its first victory, 9-2½, against a strong team.

Later in the day, Blizzard lined up against Remax. The teams started level but goals by Middleton and Henderson gave Blizzard an early lead. Kerley split the uprights for Remax before the chukker ended. Rooney and Fargey traded goals in the second, ending the half, 4-3, in favor of Blizzard.

Blizzard’s Joe Henderson, on his Best Playing Pony, stops Remax’s Tim Rudy in the JC Palmer Memorial.

Rudy knotted the scored in the third, making it anyone’s game going into the last period. A flurry of goals by Henderson and Rooney gave it the edge.

Remax fought hard to counter but was only able to score once, off Fargey’s mallet, leaving Blizzard the winner, 7-5.

Henderson’s pretty grey mare was Best Playing Pony.

The club also hosted the 4th Fish Creek Junior Polo Tournament on July 1, with nine teams competing in four divisions. The tournament is an annual event sponsored by Fred & Li-Anne Mannix for players 5 to 18 years old. The Mannix’s son Julian umpired the advanced group with Kyle Fargey. The other divisions were umpired by Megan Kozminski and Iselin Cubbage.

In the leadline division, Hijas (Sophie Keeper, Sophia Maynard, Evelyn Maynard) edged Hijos (Nathan Keeper, Matthew Kidd, Andres Molina), 2-1. In the Intermediate I division, Mayhem (Adam Ramson, Luka Samoleski, Rheanna Fairey, Mariah Mason) slipped Planta (Grace Tanton, Sasha Samoleski, Avani Schunker, Josef Morel), 2-1. Luka Samoleski and Mariah Mason tallied the goals for Mayhem while Avani Schunker scored for Planta.

Sasha Samoleski was named MVP. In the second Intermediate division, Okotoks (Nadia Stobbe-Wiens, Danielle Conroy, Colten Scott, Remi Molina) and Calgary (Sabine Stobbe-Wiens,

R E P O R T

KERRI KERLEY

PAT MICHAELS

P O L O

Fish Creek Junior Tourney sponsor Fred Mannix presents trophies to the winners of the advanced group: Millarville’s Adam Ramson, MVP Ryan Kerley, Anika Nelson and Dante Munguia.

Nicolas Helayel, Chaz Scott, Kruz Conroy) faced off. Chaz Scott struck first but Danielle Conroy and Chaz Scott answered back to take the 2-1 win. Danielle was named MVP. The advanced group played in a round robin. Millarville (Ryan Kerley, Adam Ramson, Dante Munguia, Anika Nelson), Black Diamond (Matt Schneider, Nadia Stobbe-Wiens, Grace Tanton, Neve Nelson) and Grande Prairie (Will Schneider, Sabine StobbeWiens, Macie Nelson, Aimee Nelson) mixed it up. In the end, Millarville edged the other teams with three goals, two from Kerley and one from Ramson.

Grand Prairie and Black Diamond had two goals each. Ryan Kerley was MVP and Anika Nelson’s Teri was Best Playing Pony.

EASTERN

SENECA VICTORIOUS IN ARENA CHALLENGE A strong Seneca topped a six-team lineup to take the title in the 8-goal Women’s Arena Challenge Cup at Seneca Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland, June 8-9.

Seneca (Robyn Nietert, Eliza Jacobellis, Marisa Bianchi) took on Garrison Forest (Josie Smith, Lindsey Morris, Jenny Schwartz) in the final.

Seneca’s Marisa Bianchi, Robyn Nietert and Eliza Jacobellis won the Women’s Arena Challenge Cup at Seneca Polo Club.

Garrison Forest started with a handicap goal and Morris added the first goal but Jacobellis and Bianchi responded to level the score. Bianchi exploded with four goals in a row and Jacobellis added one more. Morris countered with a goal before the chukker ended with Seneca ahead, 7-3.

In the second half, Jacobellis traded goals with Smith before Bianchi slammed in two more. Jacobellis scored another for Seneca but Garrison didn’t give up. The team stopped Seneca’s drives, and goals by Morris and Schwartz brought the team within four goals but time was not on its side and Seneca took the title with the 11-7 win.

Lindsey Morris took MVP honors and Marisa Bianchi’s Angelina was Best Playing Pony.

To get to the final, the teams played off in two round robins. In the first round robin, Mother Chukkers (Cate Godey, Tracey Godey, Cindy Halle) took on Garrison Forest II (Madeline Radosevic, Gabby Chiasera, Kaycie Campbell). The first chukker was wide open with Garrison schooling Mother Chukkers while slamming in five goals between Chiasera and Campbell. Halle scored two of her own and Cate Godey added one to stay in the game. Mother Chukkers successfully stopped Garrison in its tracks in the second and Tracey Godey scored to bring her

team within one, 5-4, but time ran out with Garrison in the lead.

Mother Chukkers stayed up to take on Seneca. The Seneca trio caught Mother Chukkers flat-footed and overpowered it with six unanswered goals in the first chukker. Mother Chukkers rallied in the second, finding the goal twice to add to its handicap goal early in the chukker but Seneca wasn’t done and hammered in three more to take the 9-3 win.

Garrison began with a handicap goal but Seneca overcame it with three goals in a row. Chiasera found the mark before the chukker ended to stay in the game. Seneca turned up the heat in the next chukker with four goals. Radosevic tallied for Garrison but it wasn’t enough and Seneca had the 8-3 win.

In the other round robin, Mountain View (Kate Doherty, Akemi Tinder, Laura Goddard) faced Garrison Forest I in the first round. Schwartz scored a hat trick early on, added to a handicap goal, while Mountain View was silenced. Morris and Smith added goals in the second before Goddard put Mountain View on the board. Garrison easily took the 6-1 win.

Mountain View had an easier time with The Hill (Maeren Honacher, Tammy Havener, Leslie Brooks), although it gave up a handicap goal and started out slowly. Goddard struck

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 49

P O L O

R E P O R T

Stars Aligned’s Juan Martinez Baez, Leandro Berrios, Val Washington and Barclay Knapp, Tinicum’s Hesham El-Gharby and Work to Ride’s Brooke Burke, Jose Cervantes and Kareem Rosser. Stars Aligned won the Max Berger Cup at Tinicum Polo Club.

first but Honacher shot back with three in a row. Goddard had the first goal in the next chukker but Brooks and Honacher had the answer.

Mountain View had had enough and the trio combined for five goals to tie the score, 6-6, before time expired.

The Hill again began with a handicap goal and Honacher added a goal to it but three goals from Morris and another from Schwartz gave Garrison a 4-2 lead. The last chukker had the teams doubling their scores, ending with Garrison ahead 8-4.

In the consolation matches, Mountain View topped Mother Chukkers, 14-8, while Garrison Forest II defeated The Hill 13-8.

STARS ALIGNED TAKES USPA MAX BERGER CUP The Max Berger Cup was played at Tinicum Park Polo Club in Erwinna, Pennsylvania, July 9-13. It took a great effort by all concerned to play the tournament, with an impressive roster of five teams. Rain and more rain caused a juggling of schedules, a forfeited team and one game to be played in an increasing downpour.

The first game was played during a rare window of clear weather in the rainy week. However, as the tournament revealed, the real storm

50 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

was Stars Aligned. Leandro Berrios led his team of Barclay Knapp, Val Washington and Juan Martinez Baez in quintessential form and strategy.

The powerhouse duo of Berrios and Martinez Baez fortified the defense and their thunderous shots kept the games in high gear.

Game 1 saw Stars Aligned face off against Windmill Polo’s Anders Hedberg, Rhea Lowenthal, Juan Vidal and Dennys Santana. Windmill began with a 1½-goal handicap and Vidal added to it with the only goal of the first period.

Stars Aligned retaliated with four consecutive goals, one each from Martinez Baez and Washington and two penalty conversions by Berrios. A Penalty 3 by Santana closed the gap, 43½.

Windmill took a pounding as Stars Aligned outscored Windmill, 5-1, in the second half to close ahead, 9-4½.

The competition continued to sizzle when Stars Aligned met Arby Dobb in Game 2. The rain began soon after the game started and continued in intensity along with the atmosphere on the field. Spectators, peering out from car windows and from under tents, were given a show of true grit and wild polo.

Arby Dobb’s Pete D’Costa, Cheryl Arnold, Dave Halliday and Antonio Campos consistently produced goals in

every chukker under hammering rain and on a slippery field, but the unforgiving opposition of Stars Aligned did them in. The final score was 12-8½.

Barefield Polo forfeited the tournament after their game was rained out, positioning Work to Ride to face Stars Aligned in the final on Saturday at Tinicum Park. Brook Burke, Jose Cervantes, Daymar Rosser and Kareem Rosser wore the Work To Ride shirts. Burke made her debut in a USPA tournament and the Rosser brothers gave the packed house their money’s worth with a rip-roaring performance. Daymar’s ability to lean out from a leaping horse while hitting a wildly bouncing ball down the field secured a goal for his team along with defying gravity. Tough defense on the part of Work to Ride kept Stars Aligned from rapid-fire scoring for a time, but the game ultimately ended 6-3 in favor of Stars Aligned, with Berrios’ checkmating opponent Martinez Baez’s streamlining shots.

Martinez Baez was awarded Most Valuable Player and Barclay Knapp’s Shorty was Best Playing Pony.

The Max Berger Cup is in honor of a founder and friend of Tinicum Park Polo who passed away. Berger’s sister and daughter attended the final and helped award the trophies.

— Victoria Halliday

P O L O

R E P O R T

Teams in the Women’s Polo Challenge in Tulsa jump for joy. CCC Ranch’s Kelly Coldiron, Noel Dallison, Jenny Vargas and Jessica Keneally (yellow shirts) defeated Legends Ranch (red shirts) and Turquoise Angels (turquoise shirts) in round robin play to take the title.

GREAT PLAINS

CCC RANCH TOPS WOMEN’S CHALLENGE Three teams made up of players from four states competed in the USPA Women’s Polo Challenge at the Tulsa Polo Club at Mohawk Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 20-21. The teams participated in a round robin over two days. CCC Ranch won both of its matches to take the win.

The tournament began with an opening night dinner where the teams were introduced and Tulsa Polo Club’s renewed presence in Tulsa was celebrated. The club recently merged with Arrowhead Polo Club and is managed by Greg Summers. Lessons and practices are held at the city-owned Oxley Field in Mohawk Park and fields in Owasso and Bixby.

The tournament was a Sunny Hale Legacy qualifier so the club honored the late Hale at the dinner by showing a video of her 2012 induction into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

Before the games, Miss Rodeo Oklahoma sang the National Anthem.

In the first match, CCC Ranch (Kelly Coldiron, Noel Dallison, Jenny Vargas, Jessica Keneally) took on Turquoise Angels (Susan Koehler, Lacey Safonovos, Megan West, Anne

Branscum) from NWA Polo Club in Gravette, Arkansas. CCC Ranch began with a 1½-goal handicap, which Coldiron added to in the first chukker.

A pair of goals by Bransum negated the handicap and put Turquoise Angels narrowly ahead. Vargas and Safonovos swapped goals in the second to end the half with Turquoise Angels ahead, 32½. West scored a lone goal in the third to increase the lead but CCC Ranch rallied in the final period with Vargas scoring a hat trick. Bransum got off one more goal for Turquoise but it wasn’t enough and CCC Ranch had the win.

In the second match, Turquoise Angels faced Legends Polo (Roxy

Keyfauver, Meghan Rahlfs, Katie Anderson, Gemma Allman, Jessica Hotchkiss) from Kaufman, Texas.

Neither team was able to reach the goal in the first seven minutes. Legends began with a handicap goal, which Koehler soon neutralized, but Keyfauver, Rahlfs and Anderson answered with goals of their own to give Legends a 4-1 advantage. Turquoise Angels responded with three unanswered goals to knot the score, 4-4.

Safonovos tallied a lone goal in the final seven minutes to give Turquoise Angels the narrow 5-4 victory.

In the third match-up, Legends took on CCC Ranch, which started with a

CCC’s Jenny Vargas played Best Playing Pony Rosita, owned by Don Gruntmeir.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 51

ALEX PACHECO

POLO REPORT

Greenville’s Matt Coppola made his debut in Gladiator Polo at Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina. Greenville defeated Charlotte.

ALEX PACHECO

half-goal handicap. Again, all the offensive drives were stopped in the first chukker. In another close second chukker, Rahlfs traded goals with Coldiron. Anderson got the only goal of the third and Keyfauver scored another early in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.

CCC Ranch didn’t give up and shot back with goals from Vargas and Coldiron to get the 3½-3 edge.

Susan Koehler was MVP and Rosita, played by Jenny Vargas and owned by Don Gruntmeir, was Best Playing Pony.

During the tournament, a mounted tent-pegging demonstration was

provided by the U.S. Tent Pegging Federation director and a few of his teammates. The team is based in Tulsa but has a worldwide presence in this Olympic sport.

SOUTHEASTERN

GREENVILLE DEFENDS GLADIATOR TITLE

Greenville held on for a nail-biting 9-8 win over Charlotte to defend its title despite a whole new line-up in front of a packed and energetic crowd at Gladiator Polo at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Tryon, North Carolina, Aug. 3.

Gladiator Polo is played as six fiveminute chukkers in a large arena rather than arena’s traditional four chukkers.

Jumping to an Gates Gridley and Sharon Decker present a check to Greenville’s Matt Coppola, Felipe Viana and Jared Sheldon at Gladiator Polo. early lead on the

52 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

efforts of Felipe Viana, Jared Sheldon and Matt Coppola, Greenville was able to stave off a strong Charlotte (Trevor Niznik, Mike Azzaro, Patrick Uretz) offensive run in the fourth chukker.

The last two chukkers had fans on the edge of their seats as Greenville secured the win, taking home the top prize of $21,000.

Viana was named MVP. He said the team clicked right away despite not having played together before. “We felt very comfortable playing with each other. We started with a strong defense and then were able to attack pretty quickly. We already kept a positive attitude, and we had a great time out there. We got lucky as well. You have to have luck on your side in this sport. We won by one goal and these games are always going to be very tight,” he said.

Throughout the week, the players coached participants in the Ninja Polo Camp at the center, prepping them for a two-chukker showcase in the stadium prior to the main match. Sheldon said the youngsters were a joy to work with.

“The kids were great. I love working with the kids, and especially ones like these that are so focused and really into the sport,” he said. “These kids want to get better and listen, and really give their best effort, so it was great to work with them.”

PAC I F I C N O R T H W E S T

BENDABOUT TAKES BOZEMAN TRAIL CUP The opening weekend of Flying H Polo in Big Horn, Wyoming, saw Bendabout come from behind to edge BTA, 11-10, in the final of the Bozeman Trail Cup on July 6.

Bendabout (Charlie Caldwell, Gillian Johnston, Sugar Erskine, Cacho Galindo) and BTA (Paige McCabe, Steve Krueger, Frankie Bilbao, Kelly Beal) were both rated 10 goals so started level.

P O L O

Cacho Galindo, Gillian Johnston, Charlie Caldwell and Sugar Erskine won the Bozeman Trail Cup.

A Penalty 2 by McCabe early in the game put BTA on the board. Bilbao followed with a goal before Caldwell’s Penalty 2 put Bendabout on the board.

Another Penalty 2 in the second by McCabe extended BTA’s lead. Bilboa traded goals with Erskine to end the chukker, 4-2, in favor of BTA. Caldwell brought Bendabout within one early in the third, but McCabe’s third Penalty 2 and a goal by Krueger extended BTA’s lead once again. Bendabout couldn’t seem to make up any ground. Johnston split the uprights but Krueger sunk a Penalty 4 in response. The half ended with BTA ahead 7-4.

After the half, Bendabout rallied, shutting out BTA while Caldwell converted a Penalty 3 and Erskine hit the mark to bring the team within one, 7-6. Johnston tied the score but Krueger hit the target with a Penalty 6 to take back the lead. Erskine tied it back up but Krueger, deadly accurate from the penalty line, sunk a Penalty 4 for the lead. Bilbao gave BTA a twogoal lead in the opening minute of the sixth, but Bendabout was undeterred.

Erskine scored followed by a goal from Galindo for a tie. The umpire’s whistle stopped the action and Bendabout was given a chance from the 60-yard line.

Galindo sent the ball straight and true to give Bendabout a first-time lead when it counted most. The final bell

R E P O R T

Jan Pamela’s Wayne Garrison, Paige McCabe, Frankie Bilbao and Hector Galindo won the Cloud Peak Cup.

declared Bendabout the winner.

Galindo was named MVP for his heroics and Beal’s Pistola was named Best Playing Pony.

In the consolation for fifth place, No Trees (Craig Duke, Will Johnston, Jeff Blake, Shane Rice) defeated Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Gonzalo Teves, Hector Galindo, Chip Campbell), 13-12. Parrot Heads (Rob Beckman, Lucio Benedit, Miguel Astrada, Harry Caldwell) defeated Flying H (Roni Duke, KC Krueger, Jason Crowder, Bryan Middleton), 11-8, in the consolation for third place. Krueger was MVP and Axe, a 10-year-old gelding owned by John Tasdemir and play by Middleton, was Best Playing Pony.

The following week, Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Paige McCabe, Frankie Bilbao, Hector Galindo) topped Cessna (Will Johnston, Chip Campbell, Gonzalo Teves, Shane Rice), 14-12, in the Cloud Peak Cup. Jan Pamela began with a one-goal handicap and a Penalty 4 by Galindo added to it. Johnston tallied a pair of goals to level the score, but Galindo scored from the field to give Jan Pamela the lead after the first seven minutes. McCabe converted a pair of open-goal penalties in the second and Bilbao added a goal. Teves did his part with a pair of goals to keep Cessna in the game. Campbell and McCabe

traded Penalty 2s in the third and Rice and Galindo traded field goals, ending the half with Jan Pamela ahead, 8-6.

Cessna was silenced in the fourth while Bilbao scored back-to-back goals.

Cessna fought back in the fifth, scoring four goals but a pair of goals by McCabe kept Jan Pamela on top, 12-10.

The teams matched goals in the sixth, leaving Jan Pamela ahead, 14-12.

Bilbao was named MVP and Hippo, Rice’s pretty bay that he played in the sixth chukker, was Best Playing Pony.

In the consolation for fifth place, Bendabout (Craig Duke, Gillian Johnston, Miguel Astrada, Lucio Benedit) beat Parrot Heads (Roni Duke, Nicolai Galindo, Jason Crowder, Harry Caldwell), 12-7, for the Cloud Peak Classic. In the consolation for third place, Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Jeff Blake, Charlie Caldwell) got the best of BTA (KC Krueger, Steve Krueger, Sugar Erskine, Kelly Beal), 12-9, for the Cloud Peak Challenge.

On July 20, Old Hickory Bourbon (Will Johnston, Steve Krueger, Shane Rice, Kelly Beal) defeated Evergreen (Tom Sprung, KC Krueger, Carlitos Galindo, Miguel Astrada), 9-6, in the Oliver Wallop Cup. Old Hickory began with a two-goal head start and Johnston added to it with a Penalty 2 conversion. Galindo put Evergreen on

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 53

P O L O

R E P O R T

Old Hickory Bourbon’s Will Johnson, Steve Krueger, Shane Rice and Kelly Beal won the Oliver Wallop Cup.

the board, but Krueger answered to end the first with Old Hickory ahead, 4-1. Beal scored the lone goal in the second to increase the lead to four, 5-1.

Astrada hit the mark early in the third, but Krueger and Rice shot back to give Old Hickory the lead, 7-2.

Evergreen rallied in the fourth, with Astrada and Krueger splitting the posts, doubling the team’s score.

Johnson added one for Old Hickory late in the fourth and early in the fifth to put the team up by five. Evergreen’s only goal in the fifth came from a Galindo penalty conversion. Evergreen successfully stopped Old Hickory in the sixth but was only able to gain one more goal, ending the game with old Hickory Bourbon ahead.

Krueger was named MVP and his first chukker mare, Ginger was Best Playing Pony.

In the consolation Canyon Ranch Challenge for fifth place, Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Nicolai Galindo, Hector Galindo, Lucio Benedit) edged The Villages (Malia Bryan, Paige McCabe, Frankie Bilbao, Jeff Blake), 12-11. In the Canyon Ranch Classic match for third, Bendabout (Joe Fitzsimmons, Gillian Johnston, Jason Crowder, Bryan Middleton) slipped Cessna (Harry Caldwell, Gonzalo Teves, Sugar Erskine, Chip Campbell), 11-10.

The month ended with The Villages (Paige McCabe, Lucio Benedit, Nicolai

54 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Cabo Wabo’s Craig Duke, Miguel Novillo Astrada, Shane Rice and Will Johnston won the Skeeter Johnston Cup.

Galindo, Frankie Bilbao) beating BTA (Charlie Caldwell, Steve Krueger, Miguel Astrada, Kelly Beal), 11-10, for the Moncreiff Cup. The Villages began with a two-goal handicap and the teams matched goals in the first and second. BTA took a brief lead in the third with a pair of goals by Caldwell and a Penalty 2 by Beal but a goal by Galindo tied it up, 66, at the half. Beal broke the tie in the fourth with another Penalty 2 but Bilbao tied it up and Galindo’s Penalty 4 gave The Villages back the lead, 8-7.

McCabe converted a Penalty 2 in the fifth, but back-to-back goals by Astrada knotted the score going into the sixth.

Krueger broke the tie but McCabe’s second Penalty 2 tied it and a field goal gave The Villages the win.

Astrada was named MVP and Galindo’s Peekaboo was Best Playing Pony.

In the Michelob Cup for fifth place, Bendabout (Tom Sprung, Gillian Johnston, Carlitos Galindo, Julian de Lusarreta) defeated Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Will Johnston, Shane Rice, Hector Galindo), 14-11. In the Budweiser Classic for third place, Cessna (KC Krueger, Chip Campbell, Gonzalo Teves, Jason Crowder) downed Brushy Creek (Jenni Hord, Harry Caldwell, Sugar Erskine, Jeff Blake).

The same weekend, Bud Light (Sugar Erskine, Shane Rice, Miguel

Astrada, Jeff Blake) topped Coca-Cola (Frankie Bilbao, Steve Krueger, Julian de Lusarreta, Jason Crowder). Bud Light gave up two goals to start and not only made up for it, but won by two, 10-8. Coca-Cola managed to hang on to half of the handicap through the first half, ending ahead, 5-4. Bud Light stole the show in the fourth, tallying three unanswered goals. It went on to outscore Coca-Cola 2-1 in the fifth to take a 9-6 lead into the final chukker.

Krueger and de Lusarreta wrapped goals around one from Rice in the final seven minutes but it wasn’t enough and Bud Light had the win.

Sugar Erskine was MVP and Frankie Bilbao’s Twiggs was Best Playing Pony.

Cabo Wabo took the title in the Skeeter Johnston Cup on Aug. 3. Cabo Wabo (Will Johnston, Shane Rice, Miguel Astrada, Craig Duke) gave up a three-goal handicap to Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Nicolai Galindo, Sugar Erskine), but it neutralized the difference by halftime when it tied the score, 7-7. Will Johnston led the scoring with four goals in the half. Erskine scored three for Evergreen. Sprung and Carlitos Galindo wrapped goals around one from Astrada in the fourth to take a narrow lead. But Cabo Wabo dominated the fifth with Astrada and Rice combining for four goals while

P O L O

Bud Light’s Sugar Erskine, Shane Rice, Miguel Novillo Astrada and Jeff Blake won the Goose Creek Cup.

holding Evergreen scoreless and heading into the last period with a comfortable 12-9 lead. Rice and Johnston increased the lead to five early in the chukker. Nicolai Galindo found the target for Evergreen but it was too little, too late and Cabo Wabo had the win.

Rice was MVP and Miguel Astrada’s Super Moon was Best Playing Pony.

In the Everglades Classic for fifth place, Bendabout (Gillian Johnston, KC Krueger, Steve Krueger, Julian de Lusarreta) edged Newport (Gene Goldstein, Chip Campbell, Gonzalo Teves, Michele Dorignac), 11-10. Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Lucio Benedit, Hector Galindo, Jeff Blake) defeated Parrot Heads (Roni Duke, Paige McCabe, Frankie Bilbao, Jason Crowder), 11-9, in the Everglades Challenge for third place.

The area’s up-and-coming players mixed it up in the annual Archie MacCarty Memorial. Tee-Pee Lodge (Quinn Evans, Hope Arellano, Taylor Palacios, April Galindo, Avery Evans) ousted Flying H (Charlie Caldwell, Harry Caldwell, Dig Singh, Fernando Torres, Trent Passini), 10-5½. After giving up a half-goal handicap, Palacios put Tee-Pee ahead. Quinn Evans followed with two in a row, while Flying H was silenced. Galindo and Avery Evans increased Tee-Pee’s lead before Passini scored Flying H’s first

R E P O R T

Tee-Pee Lodge’s Quinn Evans, Taylor Palacios, Hope Arellano, April Galindo and Avery Evans won the Archie MacCarty Memorial.

field goal. The Caldwell brothers each scored in the third while holding TeePee to a Penalty 4 from Quinn Evans to end the half with Tee-Pee ahead, 6-3½.

Arellano added a pair of goals in the fourth, while Quinn Evans sunk a Penalty 3. Flying H came up empty but bounced back in the fifth with goals by the Caldwells. Avery Evans sunk a Penalty 3 to end the match with TeePee comfortably ahead.

Quinn Evans was MVP and his Jay Z was Best Playing Pony.

OBITUARY

HARRY H. HICKS Harry H. Hicks died June 28 in the peaceful arms of his wife of 17 years, Dede Whiteside.

He was born in Oakland, California, Sept. 27, 1920. By 9 years old, Harry led groups on horseback and pack mules through the passes of the High Sierras. At 11, at the request of local school principals, he gave lectures in

area schools on his extensive nature collections, from wildlife to insects and minerals. As a young teen he joined the Sea Scouts, traveling the Bay and coastal waters of California.

Hicks graduated from Stanford University in 1943. By that time he was running the catering and Coke concessions for all events on the campus.

This was the beginning of a successful business career. His businesses later included a lumber company, landscaping services, swimming pool installation and eventually developer.

Harry was a pilot during World War II, attached to the War College in Washington, D.C. Harry survived two plane crashes, one during WWII and another while flying over mountains. In the latter, injured himself, he pulled the passengers to safety before the plane exploded.

Hicks was an avid polo player and designed and built the condominiums at Santa Barbara Polo Club. He reached a 2-goal rating and played across the globe. He was based at Menlo Circus Polo Club in Atherton and played at Santa Barbara as well. He retired from polo shortly after his 75th birthday.

This year, at 98, he moved from Langley, Washington to Mexico. He continued to visit polo matches, swim, read and attend classical concerts.

Aside from his third wife, he is survived by two grandchildren.

•

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 55

JACQUES TESSIER

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

(continued from page 45) Las Hermanitas held on for the win.

Naomi Schroeder was MVP and Martincito Aguerre’s Darker than Blue was Best Playing Pony.

The action continued on July 19 with the Open de Gassin. Six teams competed in both the 10- and 15goal levels. Antelope again made the final at the 10goal level, this time against Battistoni. It was a tight match that could have gone either way right up until the last bell. In the end, Antelope got the edge, 3½3. Nathan Begaud was MVP, winning a Dubarry

Swiss watch and box of Icône Cavier, while Alessandro Barnaba’s Eléctrica went back to the barn in a Best Playing Pony blanket.

At the 15-goal level, Château d’Aulne/Twenty 20 narrowly fell to Marquard Media, 8-7½. Ramiro Zavaleta was MVP and his Embrujo Flash was Best Playing Pony.

All the finalists went home with goodies from the club’s partners, such as leather goods from La Martina, chocolate boxes from Simply Chocolate, champagne from Vazart-Coquart, rosé from BertaudBelieu and beer from Blonde of Saint-Tropez. •

Antelope’s Grant Palmer, Nathan Begaud, Guillermo Li and Simon Zavaleta won the 10-goal flight of the Open de Gassin.

56 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

MATIAS CALLEJO

BRUNO MALEGUE

BRUNO MALEGUE

Amanara’s Tomas Iriarte, Nicky Sen, Santiago Chavanne and Fabian Bolanterio won the International Polo Cup.

Marquard Media’s Ramiro Zavaleta, Ignacio Kennedy, Martincito Aguerre and Thomas Rinderknecht won the Open de Gassin.

VT Wealth Management’s Thomas Fedier, Sacha Fedier, Matias Carrique and Gerardo Mazzini won the first three 10-goals.

E Q U I N E AT H L E T E

(continued from page 17)

hot, humid climates. In temperate climates, it is most common in the fall and winter. In tropical or subtropical climates, dermatophytosis is seen most coinciding with warm, wet weather.

Areas affected: Lesions can occur on the face, neck, back, sides and girth Can be confused with: Surprisingly, many other conditions can actually be confused with ringworm.

Staphylococcal folliculitis and other disorders involving hair follicles along with dermatophilosis (rain rot) and pemphigus foliaceus, an autoimmune disorder, can all mimic the classic ringworm lesion.

Again, if your horse’s skin is not clearing up or symptoms are recurring, contact your veterinarian.

Itchiness: Nonexistent to mild itch. Extreme itchiness is usually suggestive of a simultaneous allergy or insect hypersensitivity.

Diagnosis: Definitive diagnosis is based off results from skin scraping, cytology and/or fungal culture to rule out parasite involvement, as well as, bacterial infection. A fungal culture is the most reliable test, but dermatophytes can be cultured from the hair coat of normal horses.

How to treat: On healthy horses, dermatophytosis should resolve within three to four months.

Ringworm is treated topically in horses due to the high cost of administering systemic drugs. Topical therapy can include weekly lime sulfur dips (4-6 oz/per gallon of water) or shampoos several times per week that have a combination of an anti-fungal (ketoconazole or miconazole, 2 percent) with chlorhexidine (2-4 percent). Contact time between the skin and solution should be at least 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Again, a prescribed shampoo from your veterinarian will most likely be needed. Treatments should be continued for several weeks past resolution of

lesions.

Affected horses should be isolated and have their own set of grooming utensils and riding equipment.

Dermatophytes can remain infective in the environment for months. Scabs and crusts on horses should be removed and disposed of properly. To decontaminate your horses’ environment, combs, bedding, blankets, etc. should be washed in bleach to kill all potential dermatophyte spores, although, disposal of fomites might be less labor intensive than decontaminating your property. All horses coming into contact with the suspect horse, even those without skin lesions, should receive treatment (at least once) to minimize arthrospores living in the environment that can cause reinfection. Treating all horses exposed to the infected horse and decontaminating the environment are important steps to help reduce contagion and hasten resolution of infection.

Insect hypersensitivity is extremely itchy and can be seen on places like the ears, face, neck, rump or base of the tail.

Insect Hypersensitivity Insect hypersensitivity is the third most common skin condition seen in horses and the most common allergic skin disease in horses.

Other names: Queensland itch, sweet itch, summer itch, muck itch, summer eczema, summer dermatitis, summer mange and summer fungus Causes: Culicoides gnats (also known as sandflies, biting midges, noseeums and punkies) are the most important cause of insect hypersensitivity. Affected horses are hypersensitive to the salivary antigens of Culicoides bites. Other causes of itch may also stem from the bites of stable flies, horn flies and black flies. Some breeds of horses may have a genetic predisposition to this hypersensitivity.

Lesion: Papules develop followed by crusting and hair loss. Horses are very itchy, which leads them to scratch themselves, causing excoriations (ulcers, erosions), erythema (redness), alopecia (hair loss), and pigment changes on the skin. These breaks in POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 57

E Q U I N E AT H L E T E

water (where Culicoides breed) is also beneficial.

Utilizing sprays, lotions, pour-ons or wipes daily or weekly with pyrethroids are also useful, along with using fly masks or sheets sprayed with permethrin to aid in keeping Culicoides away. Controlling the itch caused by bites is another vital treatment component for this skin disease.

Your veterinarian can help administer a glucocorticoid or antihistamine to help relieve the initial itch, if appropriate. Cold water hydrotherapy with moisturizing shampoos and rinses containing colloidal oatmeal can also be effective cleansers for damaged skin to help rejuvenate and heal battered skin and prevent secondary infections.

Currently, intradermal and serologic allergy testing in horses for insect bite hypersensitivity is not recommended. In the future, allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) may be successful when we are able to tailor specific regional Culicoides specie antigens for individual horse’s therapy. For now, treatment centers on avoiding the insects (preventing the bites from occurring), controlling the itch the bites cause and treating any secondary infections caused by the scratching-induced trauma.

ALEX PACHECO

the skin can lead to secondary infections.

Season: Occurs all year (depending on climate region), but most often from spring through fall, coinciding with the presence of the Culicoides gnats and flies.

Areas affected: Dorsal insect bite hypersensitivity can affect the topline including the mane, rump, base of the tail and extending to involve the face, neck, ears, shoulders and back. Horses can have a ventral distribution, occurring on their stomach, girth area and groin.

Itchiness: Yes, this hypersensitivity reaction makes horses extremely itchy, causing them to scratch on anything within their environment to try to relieve their itch. Due to all the scratching, secondary bacterial infections are common.

Can be confused with: Allergies Diagnosis: Diagnosis based on lesion distribution, but skin scrapes and cytology can be used to rule out bacterial infection and ectoparasites.

How to treat: In order to effectively manage this condition, controlling the interactions between your horse and the Culicoides insects and the itchiness stimulated from their bite is top priority. Limiting affected horses’ exposure to the insects as much as possible with protective housing is best, especially during dawn and dusk when Culicoides are most active. Culicoides also prefer little to no wind so adding fans that provide adequate air flow can prevent further Culicoides irritation.

Keeping horses away from standing bodies of

Insect hypersensitivity can cause the horse to rub its skin raw, leading to secondary infections.

58 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Dermatophilosis Dermatophilosis (infection of the skin by a bacteria named D. congolensis) is the fourth most common skin condition seen in horses. Severe infections may cause horses to become depressed, inappetant or lose weight. Secondary infection is also common.

Other names: Rain rot, Rain scald, Mud Fever Causes: Skin damage accompanied by moisture allows dermatophilosis to thrive. The origin of D. congolensis bacteria is unknown, but multiple factors initiate and propagate D. congolensis. Skin can also be damaged from biting insects, contact with tack, prickly vegetation or other objects that could cause trauma within the environment.

Dermatophilosis can be carried by flies (both biting and non-biting) for up to 24 hours after they have fed on lesions. Infection is commonly seen in rainy areas with high temperatures and high humidity where horses may not have access to covered areas and may have poor hygiene, poor nutrition or stressful conditions, but without a break in the skin, infection is impossible.

Lesion: Lesions are superficial, pustular, crusting, tufted, elevations in skin (papules).

Lesions will coalesce and become matted together forming paintbrush like lesions. Proximal portions of hairs are matted together by thick crusts.

Chronic lesions are evident by dry crusts, scaling or hair loss (alopecia).

E Q U I N E AT H L E T E

Season: All year, but are most evident in hot, humid, moist environments. More commonly affects horses in the rainy season.

Areas affected: The rump and top line are most affected (associated with areas receiving most rainfall). The saddle area, face, neck, pasterns, coronets and distal limbs can also be affected.

Can be confused with: Chronic lesions with hair loss can be confused with ringworm. It can also be confused with staphylococcal folliculitis, demodicosis (parasite), and pemphigus foliaceous (autoimmune disease).

Itchiness: Not usually itchy, but active lesions can be painful.

Diagnosis: Definitive diagnosis is based on cytology, skin biopsy and culture.

How to treat: Most lesions will generally clear up within four weeks if you can keep your horses dry.

Keeping your horses dry and out of wet, muddy, unhygenic conditions is very important to treating this condition! Topical solutions for treatment include iodophors, 2-5 percent lime sulfur, sulfur/salicylic acid, and 1-4 percent chlorhexidine solutions. Apply topical solutions for three to five consecutive days, allowing the solution to remain in contact with skin for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

Systemic antibiotics may be needed in severe cases. Proper removal and disposal of crusts is important as crusts can harbor bacteria for as long as 34 days, making this condition contagious. Proper management of tack, blankets and grooming equipment is also important to prevent the spread of infection to the rest of the herd as grooming utensils can act as fomites and spread infection to other horses they are used on.

The most common skin conditions we see affecting our horses can all look very similar, but have vastly different causes. Skin conditions can be easily confused with each other, making an accurate diagnosis important to ensure the best treatment is utilized. Horses are too large to warrant the expense of treating skin conditions systemically, therefore, the first line of treatment is topical solutions.

For skin treatments, your veterinarian can recommend a good shampoo or wash that can simultaneously treat all the bacterial and fungal causes of dermatitis mentioned here. Unlike in small animal medicine, your veterinarian may not initially go through all the diagnostic skin tests (skin scrape, cytology and culture) to obtain a definitive diagnoses unless the skin condition has not been responding to treatment, is continually recurring or has a deep lesion or mass that needs to be biopsied. Obtaining a good topical solution or shampoo with 2-4 percent

chlorhexidine should do the trick for all conditions (except insect hypersensitivity) listed above.

It is important you leave the topical solution in contact with the skin for at least 10 to 15 minutes before washing off thoroughly. Keeping horses dry and clean is another great step you can take to try and clear up skin conditions.

Once you see skin problems arise, good barn management practices should be instituted; isolate that particular horse and any equipment used on it to prevent further spread of dermatologic problems.

Disinfect all brushes, bedding, blankets and riding equipment before using them on other horses.

If you ever have concerns about the contagious nature of a skin condition, contact your veterinarian. Skin disease can also alert you to deeper problems within your horses and their immune system, making your veterinarian’s expertise vital to helping your horses maintain optimum health.

You can easily take the first steps to treat your horse’s skin issues, but if they do not respond to treatment or they reoccur, enlist the help of your veterinarian. •

Dermatophilosis can cause crusty lesions on the legs, rump, face and neck.

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CALENDAR

September JUNE 1-SEPTEMBER 1 Women’s Polo League Denver, Denver, CO J U LY 12 - S E P T E M B E R 2 7 Polo at Sunset (Fridays) Hickory Hall, Whitestown, IN A U G U S T 3 - S E P T E M B E R 14 Fall League (4) Southampton, Water Mill, NY AU G U S T 4 - S E P T E M B E R 15 Southampton Cup (6) Southampton, Water Mill, NY AU G U S T 15 - S E P T E M B E R 1 Pacific Coast Open (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA A U G U S T 21 - S E P T E M B E R 8 Tracey Mactaggart Challenge (8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY AU G U S T 2 3 - S E P T E M B E R 8 NYTS Championships New Bridge, Aiken, S.C. AU G U S T 2 5 - S E P T E M B E R 8 East Coast Open Greenwich, Greenwich, CT AU G U S T 2 8 - S E P T E M B E R 2 Don King Days Big Horn, Sheridan, WY AU G U S T 3 0 - S E P T E M B E R 1 Gerald Balding Cup (6-8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA SEPTEMBER 1 Labor Day Classic Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Annual Grooms’ Race Banbury Cross, Middleburg, VA Henry Burgess Memorial Big Horn, Sheridan, WY SPA Anniversary Tournament Saratoga, Greenfield Center, NY Labor Day Season Finale Hawaii, Waialua, HI Capital City Aviation Cup Play Polo, Granville, OH

60 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Dave Chase Memorial Skaneateles, Skaneateles, NY

Sportsmanship Cup (3-6) Final Tinicum, Park, Erwinna, PA

Labor Day Cup Maryland, Monkton, MD

15th Annual LeCompte/Kalaway Cup Barrington Hills, Wauconda, IL

SEPTEMBER 1-8 The Triple Crown of Polo Trophy Aspen, Carbondale, CO SEPTEMBER 1-30 Kentucky Classic (14) Mt. Brilliant, Lexington, KY Texas Open (10-14) Houston, Houston, TX S E P T E M B E R 1 - NOV E M B E R 1 Keleen and Carlton Beal Cup Houston, Houston, TX SEPTEMBER 2 Nalo Polo League Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI SEPTEMBER 2-7 Sportsmanship Cup (3-6) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA SEPTEMBER 4 Sophisticated Ladies Cup Play Polo, Granville, OH SEPTEMBER 6-8 Women’s Pacific Coast Open (16-20) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA Arena Masters Maryland, Monkton, MD

SEPTEMBER 7-8 Low Goal Challenge Southampton, Water Mill, NY Garlic Cup South Bay, Gilroy, CA SEPTEMBER 8 Cohiba Cup Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Carra Memorial Women’s Arena (2-4) Maintain View, Charles Town, WV Women’s Cup (4-6) Congressional, Poolesville, MD Hat Day Banbury Cross, Middleburg, VA Butler International Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL Fall Classic Houston, Houston, TX SEPTEMBER 8-22 Stan Ackley Cup Play Polo, Granville, OH SEPTEMBER 8-OCTOBER 6 Pro-Pool League Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

SEPTEMBER 6-27 Fridays: Polo at Sunset Hickory Hall, Whitestown, IN

SEPTEMBER 9 Gene Turchi Memorial Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI

SEPTEMBER 7 Treehouse Benefit Spirit Valley, St. Louis, MO

S E P T E M B E R 11 - 2 2 Fall Classic (8-10) Stissing Cup (4) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY

Beginner Polo Clinic Mountain View, Charles Town, WV Chukkers for Charity Riverview Farm, Franklin, TN Paws & Ponies Farmington, Farmington, CT Mile High Women’s Invitational Denver, Sedalia, CO

Regional Presidents Cup Houston, Houston, TX S E P T E M B E R 13 - 15 Hall of Fame Challenge Cup Fairfield, Haysville, KS S E P T E M B E R 14 USA vs New Zealand Newport, Portsmouth, RI

CALENDAR

September Fall Polo School Begins Barrington Hills, Wauconda, IL Battle of the Sexes Farmington, Farmington, CT September Soiree & Pig Roast Dallas, Red Oak, TX Endangered Wolf Benefit St. Louis, Defiance, MO S E P T E M B E R 14 - 1 5 18th Hector Sustaita Memorial Will Rogers, Los Angeles, CA S E P T E M B E R 14 - 2 2 USPA President’s Cup (8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA S E P T E M B E R 15 William T. Tankard Cup Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

SEPTEMBER 20-29 USPA Northrup Knox Cup (8-12) New Bridge, Aiken, SC S E P T E M B E R 21 Cardinal Glennon Benefit Kraftig, St. Louis, MO Wine and Polo Tinicum, Erwinna, PA Farmington Valley Classic Farmington, Farmington, CT Habitat for Humanity Cup Congressional, Rockville, MD New England Pro-Am Newport, Portsmouth, RI S E P T E M B E R 21 - 2 2 SPPRC Training Center Tourney Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

NMSL Polo Classic Great Meadow, The Plains, VA

Players Cup (0-4) Congressional, Poolesville, MD

Rosé Cup Barrington Hills, Wauconda, IL

Arena Women’s Challenge NWA, Gravette, AR

Cecil Smith Cup Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL

24th Annual Founders Cup Horse Park, Redwood City, CA

Sophisticated Living Cup Play Polo, Granville, OH International Cup Houston, Houston, TX S E P T E M B E R 16 Nalo Polo League Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI S E P T E M B E R 18 - 2 8 USPA Masters Cup (6) Wagener, Wagener, SC S E P T E M B E R 18 - 2 9 Alan Corey Cup (4) Aiken, Aiken, SC SEPTEMBER 20 Polo at Sunset Hickory Hall, Whitestown, IN SEPTEMBER 20-22 Smithfield/Shekomeko Open Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY

S E P T E M B E R 21 - O C T O B E R 5 Copa de Plata (8) New Bridge, Aiken, SC SEPTEMBER 22 Harvard Invitational Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Amateur Cup (0-4) Congressional, Rockville, MD Penn State vs Penn U Alumni Match Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA Illinois Players Cup Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL Louis XIII Classic Houston, Houston, TX SEPTEMBER 23 George S. Patton Cup Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 12 Governors Cup (4-6) Houston, Houston, TX

SEPTEMBER 28 The Old News Boys Benefit Kraftig, St. Louis, MO Ride To Thrive Polo Classic Great Meadow, The Plains, VA Polo on the Prairie Hickory Hall, Whitestown, IN Turkish Airlines Final Newport, Portsmouth, RI SEPTEMBER 28-29 52nd Will Rogers Memorial (2-4) Will Rogers, Los Angeles, CA Fall Kickoff Tournament New Orleans, Folsom, LA Middle School League NWA, Gravette, AR Les Baddeley Arena Memorial (0-3) USPA Delegates Cup (6-9) Barrington Hills, Wauconda, IL SEPTEMBER 28-30 Amateur Cup (2) Fairfield, Haysville, KS Club Tournament (-2-2) Central Texas, Lockhart, TX Sherman Memorial (3-6) Seneca, Poolesville, MD SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 6 Wickendon Cup (8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA SEPTEMBER 29 Last Chukker Cup Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Hawaiian Luau Banbury Cross, Middleburg, VA Richie Jones Memorial Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA Studio Elements vs Computek Cup Play Polo, Granville, OH H. Ben Taub Memorial Cup Houston, Houston, TX SEPTEMBER 30 Aloha Cup Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI

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The Duke of Chukkers Prince Philip was a polo icon all over the world

By Joshua M. Casper

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Philip reached a 5-goal handicap. He and Elizabeth founded Guards Polo Club and still attend games to this day.

Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, once wrote: “Wives play an extremely important part in polo and many promising young players have had the terrible choice of keeping their ponies or keeping a wife … If he happens to be married, his wife needs to be very understanding and long-suffering. Some lucky ones somehow manage to persuade their wives to keep, groom and train their ponies, but this ideal arrangement is understandably rare.”

Rare indeed.

He walked two steps behind the queen for over 60 years, but on the athletic field Philip would do anything to get ahead. Nowhere was his competitive

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spirit more palpable than on the polo pitch.

While living on the island of Malta, his uncle Lord Luis Mountbatten introduced Philip to his passion—the game of polo. As Philip himself said, he had a good teacher in the “great Marco himself.”

It was not love at first sight. From a young age, the head of sport at the austere Gordonstoun boarding school, was a dogged competitor. While riding, he was thrown from a pony only to remount and play with a broken finger. That fiery streak never left Philip.

A cricket player, sailor and deep-sea diver, he preferred rougher sports like hockey, even calling polo a snob sport. Elizabeth, like his Uncle Dickie, preferred polo, but Lady Louis Mountbatten wisely advised the queen, also a lover of horses, not to push him.

Soon he was playing daily while on Malta and bringing his fiery spirit to the field. By 1951, he was captaining teams and winning tournaments.

He played a rough game of polo. A 1961 New York Times story noted his broken foot. Though he retired in 1971 at age 50, as an octogenarian Philip whet his competitive spirit by taking to carriage riding, expletives flying when he was thrown from his chariot yet mustering the will to continue.

The queen had been on the throne for just three years when on June 12, 1955, an article appeared in Sports Illustrated entitled “Polo at Windsor:” “English polo, once one of that country’s most glorious sports, has had a shaky time of it since 1939 when World War II put an end to such frivolities.

There are not many Britons who can field a string of polo ponies these days, and when the old Household Cavalry Polo Club was disbanded last October after its grounds were requisitioned by local authorities, the ancient sport received another wallop. But the Queen’s horses and the Queen’s men are not to be deprived of their traditional game. In January of this year, Elizabeth gave permission for a ground to be laid out on the broad flat stretch of Smith’s Lawn in the royal purlieus of Windsor Great Park, just three miles by private road from Windsor Castle.

Thereupon a new club was formed … the Duke, one of the star attractions of the game and a three-goal player, rode with his Mariners team on four of the six

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days of play … With such enthusiastic patronage of the Queen and the Duke … there is hope that polo will be restored to major status in England, supported this time by the gallery rather than by the few and the very rich. With the Duke to draw the spectators, and the Queen to give the land and to award the cups, there seems to be a good chance that this hope will be fulfilled.”

It was.

More than a half-century on, the sport of kings is thriving in Britain. Guards Polo Club is now one of the finest polo clubs in world, hosting the Queen’s Cup and the Mountbatten Cup, which honors the contributions of Philip’s uncle to polo.

“Guards Polo Club is honored to have HRH the Duke of Edinburgh as our president. He founded the club in 1955, and to have had his wisdom and experience at the helm for the past 64 years has been invaluable. We don’t believe any other polo club can currently claim such a continuity of leadership,” wrote Diane Butler, director of communications for Guards Polo Club.

“The support of the Royal Family has been invaluable to the global game of polo. HRH continues to take an active interest in all that we do ... We are also privileged that HM The Queen historically attends matches … She first personally

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presented [The Queen’s Cup] to the Club in 1960 … so we will be celebrating its 60th anniversary next season.”

Philip is an advocate of spreading the sport to the masses. One of his first jobs as a working Royal was as the patron of the National Playing Fields

An advocate of spreading the sport to the masses, Philip championed bike polo as a less-expensive alternative.

Philip was said to play a rough game of polo. He retired from the sport at age 50.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 63

KEYSTONE PRESS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Y E S T E RY E A R S

PA IMAGES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Pakistan’s President Khan gifted three polo ponies to Philip. They were on display with their escorts after arriving in London in April 1959.

The queen, with children Charles and Anne, holds one of the royal corgis while speaking with the Duke of Edinburgh at Smith’s Lawn, Windsor Great Park in 1956.

Association where he publicized the need for adequate sporting grounds for kids in every neighborhood. In fact, despite his love for polo he bemoaned the expense. He spread the popularity of bike polo, a less expensive alternative that still enjoys an ardent following.

“His impact on the sport has been huge over many years,” explained David Woodd, chief

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executive of the Hurlingham Polo Association, “firstly, as a player who helped to restart polo after the war, supporting it here and overseas; secondly, through his support for Guards Polo Club at Smith’s Lawn, part of the Royal Parks; and thirdly, through his continued involvement after he had retired from playing polo.”

British Movietone News makes note of Philip winning the 1959 Victoria Cup with the Welsh Guards Team, his daughter Princess Anne already taking to her love of horsemanship while accompanying him to the field, as he played No. 3.

Philip helped spark a polo renaissance on the field as much as off of it. Aside from winning highgoal tournaments like the Warwickshire Cup, two Royal Windsor Cups and the Cowdray Park Challenge, his third Gold Cup in 1969 was historic in that Philip was part of the first and only all-English team to win the cup, playing with brothers Lord Waterford and Lord Patrick Beresford along with Paul Withers.

Rated 5 goals at the pinnacle of his career, Philip displayed his polo prowess all over the world. His crowning moment came when he made it to the final of the 1966 Hurlingham Open in Argentina, one of polo’s most prestigious high-goal tournaments.

One Movietone commentator called Philip’s wicked backhand one of the best in the world. When Philip won a charity tournament in the United States at the Eldorado Polo Club in Indio, California, The Arizona Desert Sun aptly quipped: “He came, he saw, he indeed conquered.”

He also brought along his 17-year-old son, Prince Charles to compete in his first senior polo tournament at the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica. Like Luis Mountbatten, Philip passed along his love for polo to Charles, who played until 1992, a legacy that continues with Princes William and Harry who still play regularly. When playing with Charles, his often salty language displayed the same fiery and competitive spirit that made Philip a standout on the field despite balancing his royal duties.

“Though no one rode harder or more competitively than Prince Philip,” wrote Patrick Beresford, a vice president at Guards, “after a loss, no one was quicker to switch off and forget any rancor that might have been engendered on the ground. He simply looked forward to the next game.”

Says Philip on his love for the game: “I suppose every game’s player thinks his particular game is far better than any other. I am no exception. I have no objection to others enjoying their particular game but give me polo every time.”

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