December 2019 Polo Players' Edition

DECEMBER 2019

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N

Chicago polo resurgence

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CONTENTS

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N

D E C E M B E R 201 9

VOL. 23,

FEATURES

NO. 4

DEPARTMENTS

28 Illustrious individuals

6

by Brenda Lynn

Association News USPA Bulletin Governor spotlight

Latest Hall of Fame inductees announced

32 Team effort

14 Instructors Forum

Chicago polo collective building momentum

by Jeffrey Scheraga

38 Living a dream by Alice Gipps

16 Usefuls

Texas teen enjoyed competing in English season

by Patricia T. Anderson, EA

18 Equine Athlete DECEMBER 2019

TION P L AY E R S’ E D I

OUR COVER Horacio Onetto and Tomas Obregon battle at the historic Oak Brook Polo Club.

Chicago polo resurgence

Courtesy Chicago Polo

20 24 26 42 44 60 64

by Heather Smith Thomas Polo Scene News, notes, trends & quotes

Polo Development Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Polo in the Pampas Polo around the Globe Yesteryears Calendar

48 Polo Report Flaming Flamingos takes USPA Karen Carra Memorial

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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

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N THE OFFICIAL MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE UNITED STATES POLO ASSOCIATION

Editor & Publisher

GWEN D. RIZZO

Contributing Editors

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

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©Copyright 2019 by United States Polo Association..

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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

Meeting Recap The board of governors, subsidiaries, committees and staff met in beautiful La Quinta, California, for the fall Board of Governors and Annual Member Meeting. Annually, the volunteers, members and staff convene to discuss and approve upcoming rule changes, governing document updates, policy revisions and much more. This year was special because it was the first time it was held in the California desert to showcase two of the premier polo clubs in the country, Empire and Eldorado.

The week kicked off with the chairman’s cocktail reception hosted in Empire Polo Club’s stunning rose garden. As a variation to the traditional reception, all guests were invited to show off their skills in fast paced, competitive golf cart polo matches. In addition, Casablanca displayed its new NOCSAE certified polo helmet.

The reception was followed by two days of productive committee meetings and presentations at the La Quinta Resort & Club, just minutes from the polo clubs, both located in Indio. On Thursday night, the first governors match took place on a full-size field under the lights at Empire with 1,500 people in attendance to witness the action. The Polo Training Foundation hosted its intercollegiate/interscholastic awards reception at the Embassy Suites on Friday evening. The Board of Governors and Annual Member Meeting took place Saturday morning from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. The installation of a new chairman, treasurer and secretary and governors-at-large was followed by the second governors match at Empire.

The week concluded with a delegates forum, open to all USPA members, hosted in Eldorado’s Cantina.

Guests had breakfast and were given the opportunity to meet one-on-one with USPA staff to learn about the programs and benefits available to their clubs.

The USPA would like to extend its gratitude to the overwhelming hospitality shown by Empire owner Alex Haagen III and club staff along with Eldorado and its staff. Committee highlights were: Arena Standing in for committee chair Daniel Coleman, Robin Sanchez reported that all national arena tournaments have been awarded for 2019. The committee met on Friday to discuss metrics, national arena tournaments, arena leagues, arena polo promotion, arena construction plans and providing clinic support for 2020.

The Pacific Coast Arena League and Texas Arena League both have had successful seasons. Recently, the USPA launched a page on uspolo.org for the National Arena Amateur Cup, which displays rankings and points for all participating amateur players.

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

Armed Forces Committee chair Karl Hilberg reported that there were 37 military events in 2019. The committee met on Thursday to review changes made to the Armed Forces Budget and the Military Incentive Program.

A military team will be traveling to Normandy, France, on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and Helen Patton, granddaughter of Gen. George S. Patton Jr., has expressed interest in making this an annual event.

The 2020 National Outdoor Commander in Chief Cup was awarded to Sarasota Polo Club for a second consecutive year. Virginia Polo will host the Arena Commander in Chief Cup in 2020.

There will also be six mounted military color guards for major national and international events in 2020 and eight in 2021. The Admiral Nimitz museum will be adding a polo exhibit in conjunction with the Nimitz tournament.

Audit Steven Rudolph reported that the Audit Committee only found one inquiry of substance, which has been resolved. The committee is currently seeking a USPA member that is also a CPA to replace Chuck Stanislawski who is terming out in 2021. The board approved the changes to the Audit Committee Charter and the Audit Committee report.

Board and Staff Development The committee discussed the Safe Sport Act as it applies to a recognized sport organization. Co-chair Peter Rizzo reported that the delegate job design was completed and the board unanimously approved it. It is the last of the committee’s job design goals.

Club and Membership Admin On behalf of the committee, chair Steven Armour requested the board approve five new club applications for provisional status and associate membership status. Armour visited 25 clubs (Rocky Mountain Circuit and Northern California), representing all levels, to educate them on USPA benefits.

The board approved the removal of the club approval and club renewal policy in order to allow time to develop a policy consistent with the constitution and bylaws. Once a new policy has been drafted, it will be presented to the Executive Committee for approval.

Constitution Co-chairmen Paul Jornayvaz and Charles Smith reported that the committee has been working closely with legal council and staff on revisions to the USPA governing documents.

The delegates approved the proposed changes to

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USPA leadership, including officers, governors and governors-at-large, met in La Quinta, California for the fall meetings.

the USPA constitution. The board approved the changes to the by laws and disciplinary policy.

the proposed 2020 annual operating budget and the committee report.

Equine Welfare Chairman Dr. Mike Manno reported that the USPA is currently researching the effect of CBD oil in horses. The board approved the revisions to the Equine Drugs and Medications Rules.

Handicap The fall outdoor Handicap Committee meeting took place on Sept. 30 in Lexington, Kentucky. The Women’s Handicap Committee met Oct. 28, and the Arena Handicap Committee met Nov. 6 via teleconference.

Executive Following its review, the board approved the 20202022 ChukkerTV extension and amendment to the 2017-2019 ChukkerTV production service agreement.

On Friday, the committee approved the LLC manager committee chair recommendations as follows: Polo Development, LLC Advisory Board: Stevie Orthwein I/I Committee: David Wenning Junior Polo Committee: Chrys Beal Polo Development Initiative Committee: Bob McMurtry Team USPA: Mason Wroe Umpires, LLC Advisory Board: Tom Gose.

Finance Chair Samuel Ramirez Jr. requested a motion to approve the 2020 operating budget, which reflects a one-time subsidy increase of approximately $330,000 to the board-mandated $11 million subsidy cap.

Ramirez reported the USPA currently has $150 million in the USPA’s investment portfolio and the portfolio is on track for the targeted goal of self-funding the USPA subsidy by 2025.

USPA Global Licensing is performing ahead of budget year-to-date for 2019. Ramirez reported the committee unanimously supported the 2020 international event budget and the 2021 FIP World Polo Championship plan and budget. The board approved

High-Goal Chair Maureen Brennan reported that the committee has been very active, meeting on a monthly basis. The board approved the revisions to the High Goal Committee policy, which will now define high goal as 16 goals and above.

Horse Registry Chair Stewart Armstrong reported that the horse registry will begin with a self-reporting system for the 2020 Gauntlet of Polo, utilizing a knowledgeable person to acquire information. By the second quarter of 2020, there will be a working horse catalog in place.

International Samuel Ramirez reported on behalf of chair Jeff Hall that the committee had numerous meetings over the course of the year to present the proposed 2020 international budget plan. The budget encompasses women’s, arena, youth, armed forces and high-goal polo, along with various other medium- and low-goal events.

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

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

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A large crowd attended the Polo Development, LLC presentation.

The committee also proposed a complete plan to host the FIP World Polo Championship at the Empire Polo Club in October 2021. The 2020 budget and 2021 FIP WPC budget and plan were approved unanimously.

Nominating The board unanimously approved the committee’s recommendation to fill the Audit Committee vacancy with Tim Kelly.

Rules Chair Chris Green reported the proposed changes to the outdoor and arena rules. The main changes are the consolidation of outdoor and international rules, and the replacement of the current arena rules with the optional arena tournament conditions. Following discussion among the board members, a motion was made to approve all the proposed changes except changes to the american and high-goal substitution rules, which were tabled for further review.

Safety The Safety Committee focus was on the NOCSAE helmet rule and status of availability of the NOCSAEapproved helmets. An in-depth report and update on the NOCSAE rule will be forthcoming.

Tournament On behalf of the committee, chair Michael Carney recommended the approval of the following 2020 national tournament applications: the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship to California Polo Club (Los Angeles, California); the National President’s Cup as a 4- to 8-goal tournament to New Bridge Polo & Country Club (Aiken, South Carolina); and the Heritage Cup and National Butler Handicap at 14 to 18 goals to Port Mayaca Polo Club (Okeechobee, Florida). The board approved the tournament applications as presented.

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Women’s Polo Chair Erica Gandomcar-Sachs thanked the board for all the support that women’s polo has received in 2019 (including the Women in Polo series), emphasizing that women make up just under 50% of membership. Florida is in the process of creating an all-level tournament series with the idea of a future women’s Gauntlet of Polo.

Sixty women’s tournaments were played in 2019 with international opportunities on the rise, including the 12- to 16-goal FIP Women’s World Cup in 2021; Nation’s Cup in April (Argentina) and the 5th annual tournament in Manipur, India.

The tournament incentive program is beneficial to anyone holding a women’s tournament, and teams can utilize the Women’s International Polo Network to ensure tournaments do not overlap and plan accordingly.

Young Players Chair Todd Thurston reported that the committee sent out a survey to players ages 35 and under. It will utilize the feedback for future strategic goals and initiatives. Committee members are accomplished polo players, and member Jared Zenni is the only American playing in the Argentine Open qualifier. All members of the committee have been certified in Safe Sport training.

Communications Department The department has been focusing on top-tier tournaments and tournament detail pages housed on uspolo.org.

The USPA Polo Network has been focusing on elevating the livestreaming experience with slow-motion cameras introduced during the Silver Cup at Aspen Valley Polo Club (Carbondale, Colorado) and increasing the quality of replay and social media content.

Javier Herrera will join the Polo Network team in 2020 as the livestream director to help elevate onscreen fan experiences. Through the USPA club commercial program, new commercials have been created for Spokane, Menlo and Houston Polo Clubs. In 2020, the team will produce more horse interest videos, which will begin with the winter high-goal season in Wellington, Florida.

Scott Walker stepped down as chairman of the USPA Marketing, LLC. The board ratified the actions of the Marketing, LLC as outlined in the meeting/teleconference minutes.

Marketing, LLC The documentary “The Perfect Match” is finished, and was screened on Thursday, Sept. 20. The

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response from the audience of board members, members, staff and committees was very positive and exciting for the future of the documentary. The Marketing, LLC and USPA Global Licensing are exploring different options for sale and distribution of the film.

Polo Development, LLC Advisory board chairman Stephen Orthwein Jr. reported that the advisory board, along with the four committees—the Polo Development Initiative Committee (formerly Club and Membership Development Committee), Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Committee, Team USPA Committee and Junior Polo Committee—have been diligent in refining the programs to align with the current strategic initiatives.

Team USPA There are many changes taking place within the Team USPA program, evolving to focus on elite player training. Targeting 5 goals by the time a player reaches 22 years old, the program is shifting to accept players starting at 15 years old and limiting it to 12 members at a time. There will be an annual review of the existing members with the intention of graduating players from the program. In 2019, seven players are graduating and seven others have been accepted.

Club and Membership Development PDI Chairman Denny Geiler stepped down and was succeeded by Bob McMurtry. Geiler thanked the board for continuing its support of the PDI Program and increasing the 2020 PDI funding to $800,000.

The board ratified the actions of the Polo Development, LLC as outlined in the meeting/teleconference minutes. The board also approved the PDI Policy.

Incidentally, Director of Club Development Justin Powers is being inducted into the Robert Morris University Sports Management Hall of Fame as its youngest inductee. His alma matter is recognizing him for his accomplishments in the sports industry.

Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Orthwein assured the members that the advisory board understands the importance of the I/I program and will ensure it continues to grow and be successful. The board approved the revisions to the I/I tournament conditions. Committee Chairman David Wenning reported that the I/I program is partnering with U.S. Polo Assn. with 30 out of 40 collegiate teams participating in the sponsorship program as social media brand ambassadors. He thanked the board and staff for their continued support of the programs.

Junior Polo There has been a steady growth in female participation in the National Youth Tournament Series.

The 2020 NYTS Championships are set to take place in Chicago. The board approved the revisions to the National Youth Tournament Series tournament conditions.

Umpires, LLC Western Regional Umpire Director Fergus Gould reported that there are 25 professional umpires at 93 polo clubs, umpiring over 2,000 games.

Umpire Dana Fortugno created the video rulebook for the USPA outdoor rules, which will be available soon on uspolo.org. This resource was created to easily explain rule violations to players through videos and show how the umpires would call the plays. Arena rules will be added next to the playlist and updated every time there is a rule change or interpretation.

The focus in 2020 will be on training, and the Umpires, LLC urges clubs to take advantage of the popular PUMP/8 Program to receive professional umpiring for a $500 fee.

Global Licensing, LLC J. Michael Prince, president & CEO of USPA Global Licensing, reported that U.S. Polo Assn. was on pace to have another record financial year, had expanded into over 90% of the world’s countries and was targeting 1,500 retail stores over the next few years. He mentioned that despite marketplace challenges and volatility globally, the brand had good momentum. He also discussed the recent ranking of U.S. Polo Assn as the fourth largest global sports [apparel] licensor only trailing MLB, NFL and NBA in sales. He also announced the launch of the U.S. Polo Assn. global website that will rollout to some 100 countries over the next several years. Additionally, the brand’s social media following has eclipsed 5 million followers around the world.

He provided an update on all of the support U.S. Polo Assn. had provided the gauntlet series, women’s events, collegiate programs, arena, etc. Finally, he shared with the board that apparel brand Nantucket Whaler had officially launched and the digital site was up and running for product purchases.

David Cummings, chairman of USPA Global Licensing, reported on the financial strength of USPAGL and the U.S. Polo Assn. brand. He indicated there was sufficient cash to meet financial obligations and there was no need for a line of credit or a bank loan.

There are currently 46 licensees/sublicensees covering 180 countries with approximately 1100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores. Furthermore, Nantucket POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 9

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Outgoing Secretary Samuel Ramirez and outgoing Chairman Chip Campbell were presented with bronzes for their dedication to the association by incoming Chairman Stewart Armstrong.

Whaler was acquired 18 months ago, and in January, management opened its first retail store on Nantucket Island. He stated the 2019 Gauntlet of Polo was a success, making a positive impact on the sport of polo in the U.S. The 2020 Gauntlet of Polo is off to a good start with 14 teams. Finally, Mr. Cummings said Global Polo Entertainment is launching an OTT platform featuring a TV show format. The objective of the TV channel is to increase distribution of the livestream games/polo lifestyle and monetize the content.

Shannon Stilson, senior director, marketing of USPA Global Licensing, reported a strong U.S. Open broadcast that was aired across five different networks (CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network, Eurosport, Dsport and TVG) to 160 different countries, receiving 4 million household viewers. She said the program was a successful vehicle for bringing awareness to the sport of polo and the authentic connection of the brand.

Additionally, she explained that strong strategic marketing planning and media partnerships have increased the value of the Gauntlet of Polo, and is now opening doors to corporate sponsors.

AIPF Ed Armstrong reported that American International Polo Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit that will be available to assist with donations for the 2021 FIP World Polo Championship.

New Business The new slate of officers were elected by the board: Stewart Armstrong will replace Edward “Chip” Campbell III as chairman, Tony Coppola remains president, Charles Smith replaces Armstrong as secretary and Steven Rudolph replaces Samuel Ramirez as treasurer. Armstrong presented Campbell and Ramirez with beautiful Roenish bronzes for their dedication and leadership to the association.

Following the governor-at-large election this past

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summer, 12 candidates were elected by the playing members of the association. The electees were installed, including five new GALs. Charles Smith withdrew his position as governor-at-large to take his position as secretary, consequently leaving one governor-at-large seat open. Chairman Armstrong deferred filling the open seat until the 2020 spring board of governors meeting. The following governors-at-large will serve a new three-year term: Julio Arellano, Steven Armour, Chrys Beal, Michael Carney, Cecelia Cochran, Pamela Flanagan, Tom Gose, Chris Green, Vicky Owens, Peter Rizzo and Robin Sanchez The association congratulates the new governors-atlarge and sincerely thanks the outgoing governors-atlarge for their diligent service to the USPA during their respective terms, including Maureen Brennan, Dennis Geiler, Scott Walker and Peter Poor. The outgoing governors were presented with Roenish bronzes in appreciation for their dedication and service.

The board approved Armstrong’s recommendations to fill the balance of the executive committee with Danny Walker, Paul Jornayvaz, Stephen Orthwein Jr., Mike Carney and Chrys Beal. Armstrong also invited Tom Gose, Chris Stratemann and Chris Green as ex-officio non-voting members.

The board also approved the Advisory Committee chairs as follows: Arena: Daniel Coleman Arena Handicap: Thomas Goodspeed Armed Forces: Karl Hilberg Audit: Chuck Stanislawski Board and Staff Development: Peter Rizzo Club and Membership: Steve Armour Constitution: Paul Jornayvaz Equine Welfare: Dr. Michael Manno Horse Registry: Stewart Armstrong Finance: Samuel Ramirez Jr. Outdoor Handicap: Chris Stratemann High Goal: Maureen Brennan International: Jeff Hall Rules: Chris Green Safety: Dr. Thor Norregaard Strategic Planning: Stewart Armstrong Tournament: Michael Carney Women’s Handicap: Maureen Brennan Women’s Tournament: Erica Gandomcar-Sachs Young Players: Todd Thurston Armstrong requested committee chairs that have served more than six years step down at the April meeting with the effected committee members recommending new chairmen for those committees. The next board of governors meetings will be held April 15-19, 2020 in Wellington, Florida.

•

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Intercollegiate/Interscholastic We are excited to announce St. Edwards University, Babson College and Morehouse College have joined the I/I program for the 2019-2020 season.

National Youth Tournament Series The NYTS Committee extends an invitation to submit bids to host the NYTS National Championship Cecil Smith Cup and NYTS Girls Championship in 2021. These events showcase the talent of young players across the country and the committee encourages interested parties to submit proposals.

To be considered, member clubs must be in good standing and have successfully hosted a NYTS qualifier in the past. Consideration is based on the following criteria: host facilities, including available stabling near the club; number of grass fields and quality of footing; typical weather conditions for the applicable time of year; availability and quality of rental horses; regional support; local accommodations; and travel accessibility.

The NYTS Championship location alternates between the four regions. Clubs on the West Coast are encouraged to apply.

Clubs interested in hosting the NYTS Championships should submit a bid with the following criteria outlined to Director of Player Development Amanda Snow at NYTS@uspolo.org. The NYTS Committee will review all bids before making a decision.

Dates: Aug. 26-Sept. 12 Stabling: Assistance with securing stabling for 130 horses Fields: Two game fields, one practice field, stick and ball area Airport: Located within an hour of a major airport Accommodations: Location within 30 minutes of hotel and restaurants Venue: Stadium or tent for spectators Horse rental: Access to 60-70 rental horses

Middle School League Thank you to our 12 USPA Middle School League host sites! The middle school tournament took place throughout the fall across the United States and Canada at the following clubs: Battlefield Polo Club, Maui Polo Club, Garrison Forest School, New Bridge Polo Club, Lakeside Polo Club, Gardnertown Polo

Club, Marlan Farms, Prestonwood Polo Club, Central Coast Polo Club, Buffalo Polo Club, Yale Polo Club and Houston Polo Club If you are interested in hosting a middle school tournament next year, contact Emily Dewey at edewey@uspolo.org.

I/I Funding/Fundraising The Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Committee is excited to announce the list of Start-Up & Enhancement Funding and Fundraising Recipients.

Funding Recipients: Brown University Cal Poly Colorado State University Cornell University Michigan State University Montana State University Oklahoma State University Texas A&M University University of Guelph University of Michigan University of Wisconsin-Madison Virginia Tech Washington State University Fundraising Recipients: Boston Polo Club Point Loma Nazarene University Skidmore College University of Kentucky University of Michigan University of Wisconsin-Madison Virginia Tech The Start-Up & Enhancement program is in place to provide reimbursable grants to clubs participating in the I/I program. The I/I fundraising application is open to all intercollegiate and interscholastic teams looking to hold a fundraiser to support their teams. If you are interested in applying for a reimbursement grant of up to $1000 in 2020, please visit the I/I web age on uspolo.org for more details.

For more information on the I/I Start-Up & Enhancement program please contact I/I Program Coordinator Ali Davidge at adavidge@uspolo.org. • POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 11

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Stevie Orthwein Jr. A champion for progress

T

aking the field with Old Hickory Bourbon, one of 16 teams competing in the inaugural Gauntlet of Polo, USPA Florida Circuit Governor Stevie Orthwein Jr. is just as active and involved behind the scenes as he is in the game. The oldest of Ginny and Polo Hall of Famer Stephen A. Orthwein’s three sons, he assumed the reins of his father’s Port Mayaca Polo Club in Okeechobee, Florida, dedicating his life to the advancement of polo as generations of Orthweins have

Orthwein reconnected with Margaret Lipman at her sister’s wedding. The pair eventually got engaged at Robert’s Western World, a famous honky tonk on Broadway in the heart of Nashville and later married, uniting two families with a shared passion for polo. A competitive tennis player growing up, Orthwein’s pastimes include vegetable and flower gardening with his wife and a love for all things sports related, including the occasional round of golf. Hoping to one day share the sport with his 2year-old daughter Hazel, Orthwein is excited to make an impact in polo’s upward trajectory, consistently striving to enhance the experience for all who play.

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

Stevie Orthwein and his wife Margaret Lipman Orthwein

done before him.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Orthwein played intercollegiate polo for the University of Virginia, balancing the demands as a Cavalier team captain while studying government and foreign affairs. As a three-time Federation of International Polo competitor, Orthwein’s career as a 4-goaler has taken him across the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Malaysia, Mexico and France.

Residing seasonally in Wellington, Florida, Orthwein spends his summers at Graymar Farm (his wife’s childhood home) in Franklin, Tennessee, playing at the Nashville Polo Club and instructing at the nearby Franklin Polo Academy.

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I come from a long line of polo players as a thirdgeneration player myself. My grandfather was a fox hunter who started playing polo after World War II at the St. Louis Polo Club in St. Louis, Missouri. His five sons all played polo at some point in their lives and many of their children play and/or married polo players. My father, Stephen Orthwein, had a deep passion for the sport so it was very natural for him to teach me and my brother Robert how to play when we were growing up.

The first horse I learned to ride as a kid was a palomino pony named Daffodil. Most of my early riding lessons were taught by my mother, leading me around our farm and the neighboring farms, which included my grandfather’s. Later, I got the polo bug and started to play with the St. Louis Polo Club in beginner chukkers because there wasn’t a junior polo program at the club.

I would also sometimes travel with my dad when he played in Florida, and there I was able to get involved in some junior polo, but the junior polo at that time was much smaller and less organized than it is today.

In the summertime, my dad would travel up to Chicago and play at Oak Brook and Naperville Polo Clubs in Illinois, and he would bring me along. The first tournament I ever played was a Governor’s Cup 6-goal against Robert Yackley at Blackberry Polo Club in Batavia, Illinois. I was around 12 years old at the time and I ended up substituting for Carlucho Arellano.

What is one of your favorite memories of playing intercollegiate polo at UVA? In 2002, my senior year, our men’s team

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DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

[Orthwein, Santiago Avellan, Richard W. Hartnett Jr.] finally beat Texas A&M after many close defeats to win the National Intercollegiate Championship, 19-14. Winning the championship in my final year of college was a big deal for me. Becoming a team captain in college was a great opportunity because it allowed me to take on a leadership role at a young age. Young players usually don’t get to experience leading a team so that is one of the best things about intercollegiate polo. That role was very valuable to me both in my polo development and in general, at that time in my life.

Throughout your career, do you have a favorite or most memorable horse?

I had a bay gelding named Star Man that stands out as one of my favorite horses. He always played with a lot of heart and was very strong in a ride off.

His quickness, handiness and strength made up for not having a lot of speed, but he was willing to perform whenever I brought him to the field.

He came from my grandfather’s breeding program and I got him from one of my uncles when he was 18 years old. We were the same age when I got him, and I had the chance to substitute in a U.S. Open game with him when he was 26, which may or may not be a record!

What have you accomplished for the Florida Circuit you are most proud of?

Florida is such a unique circuit because most of the players travel from all over the world and only play here seasonally. It invites a real convergence of a diverse group of polo players that play at all levels.

A lot of the work I’m involved with has more to do with the broader USPA agenda rather than the local one. I was the head of the High Goal Committee when elected spots were added to the committee to ensure accurate representation of the high-goal stake holders, so I was proud to have accomplished that.

I’m really excited about what is happening in the world of polo development. I see progress is being made in terms of isolating focus and improving on the successful programs that were started when polo development was created. For example, PDI [Polo Development Initiative] grants have opened up to a broader range of reimbursements, including capital expenses. There is no longer a cap on the amount a club can request and we are really looking for matchfunding opportunities with clubs. This has allowed PDI grants to become much more targeted and effective in their impact. The Team USPA program, which historically focused on a broad range of polo skills, is now focused solely on producing elite high-

goal players, and has shifted the executive and industry professional portions of Team USPA into other programs and into the intercollegiate/ interscholastic program’s renewed focus on alumni retention in the sport.

Before my involvement with polo development, I was on the Handicap Committee and as the handicap chairman I was able to establish a clearer policy, which put to paper the process for handicapping, including anonymous voting within the committee.

The policy clarified and standardized the handicap process so every player gets an equal evaluation.

Stevie Orthwein and David Cummings present Jared Zenni MVP awards after the 2018 U.S. Open final.

What have you learned in your time as club president of Port Mayaca Polo Club?

Building a polo club takes a lot of time and it can definitely be a slow process. As with any project, you can become frustrated with the pace so it’s important to look back and see where you started to realize how far you’ve come and all the progress you’ve made.

For me the most important and hardest thing about being club president is keeping the best interests of all in mind, but still having the ability to make decisions that are not popular, but are to the benefit of the majority. It’s also important to have a great club manager, which Port Mayaca has with Laura Townsend.

What is most important when building a team to compete in high-goal polo?

For me the most important part is playing on a team with the people you enjoy spending time with— that’s huge. It really means nothing to win if you don’t enjoy the people you are playing with and it (continued on page 47) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 13

INSTRUCTORS FORUM

Skills test Basic drills to improve your abilities

by Jeffrey Scheraga

SHELLEY HEATLEY

Getting started in polo can be a daunting task. All the skills that need to be learned; customs and rules of the game, not to mention the gear and horses that must be acquired. This can be a lot to ask when you are starting out. Simplifying things will go a long way towards moving on the right track.

There are three basic categories of polo skill that contribute to the total player. They are horsemanship, strategy, and mallet work. These drills are designed as such that with a willing horse, a mallet, a ball, cones, and a stopwatch you can work every single day and vastly improve your abilities, while jump-starting your polo.

These drills can be challenging, so have patience with your horse and yourself while learning. Give your horse plenty of praise and time to process.

Although these drills are suitable for beginners, they test the skills of advanced riders and ponies as well.

Each drill can be broken up into several stages depending on your skill level. Firstly, start by going through the motions of the drill without a mallet at the walk. Next, ride through the course with a mallet and no ball, practicing the swing mechanics you need as if you were doing so with a ball. Observe when you

Practice goal shooting, timing yourself to see how long it takes to score a set number of goals and tracking your progress.

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

or the horse become unbalanced. Make strategic corrections on your own or with expert eyes on the ground helping guide you.

Once you are comfortable with the movements continue on to performing them with the ball.

Finally, time the drill to put the pressure of speed with execution. Once you reach this stage you can begin recording the level of skill you have obtained based on time and or score. However, be careful the added speed does not impair the quality of the drill.

These concepts can be applied to a number of variations. After you master these don’t be afraid to create your own drills and expand your game in a custom style for you.

By the square This drill is one of the most simple yet powerful of all. It consists of cones set up in a perfect square (I prefer 25 paces apart). Begin by walking your horse in a straight line from the first cone to the next. Once there, stop as squarely as possible, correcting imperfections accordingly and pausing for three seconds. The horse must be straight, still and relaxed in the bridle. Using your gaze, shoulders and outside leg turn sharply 90 degrees to the next cone, then ride forward to your next cone. Make sure you can execute this drill properly and competently in a walk before increasing the speed. At times reverse direction by executing a roll back 180 degrees either to the left or the right. Again use both sides equally.

What is important is the quality of the transitions to and from the halt. Use reins and all other aids as softly as possible, helping the horse become sensitive to your movements. Do all of this first sitting in the saddle then graduating to a hitting stance.

Once comfortable you can carry a mallet, swinging easily on either side of your horse. Now add the ball and tap it from cone to cone still stopping for three seconds before moving on to the next cone.

Time yourself and see how long it takes to go 16 cones with four of them roll backs, two to the right and two to the left. This will tell you a lot about your riding and ball-handling skill.

Don’t forget, fast is not always smooth but smooth is always fast. The lighter and more responsive you and your horse become the better your score will get.

INSTRUCTORS FORUM

On the circle While the square is an excellent tool for straightness, the circle is key for controlling the position of the horse’s body. Using cones, measure the circle’s diameter 20 paces. This visually aids the rider on keeping a consistent path. The key to riding on a circle is to have the horse properly bent in the direction you are tracking. Both the horse’s poll (top of the head between the ears) and inside eye should be slightly oriented towards the inside of the circle, with the barrel slightly bowed towards the outside of the circle. The outline of the horse should look like the letter “C”. The horse’s body bends around the inside leg of the rider, which should be positioned on the girth area. The opposite leg rests slightly back, placing the rider’s hips in conjunction with the horse’s shoulders. Both directions must be practiced equally to ensure your horse develops evenly throughout its body. Most ponies prefer to travel in one direction over the other.

Once on the circle start by riding a few laps in the walk to warm up before beginning transition work. Once the circle is well established change gaits per circle—trot one circle, canter one circle—making the transition in the same place each time. For more advanced riders, walk half the circle and trot the other half. The transition to canter, called the departure, requires the most strength and balance. Pay attention in and out of the canter to assure striking off on the correct lead foot.

What is especially important during transitions is the push coming from the hind legs. You don’t want a weak or rushed stride, which is mostly propelled by the forelegs creating the feeling of being dragged along. Be sure that you are sitting tall and balanced in the saddle while staying relaxed enough to follow the horses movement.

The lower leg must only cue the horse intentionally (not grip!) and the knee and thigh is snuggly supportive. Remember, your hand is attached to a sensitive mouth; squeeze gently first and give your horse time to respond. With discipline the hand becomes less and less influential, allowing the leg and seat to be the commanding force. Giving the horse soft cues early will prepare it for better transitions and the whole picture improves with practice. Practicing smooth transitions is key for horse and rider in developing the ability to stop and go with balance, power and speed.

You can also add mallet work by maintaining a dribble with the ball on the inside and outside of the circle, both on the near and offsides. All mallet work should be done in a hitting stance to strengthen the muscles needed to be effective in a turn with the ball.

Goal shooting Lastly, work on becoming proficient at shooting on goal. This can be done simply by carrying the ball from goal to goal and taking a shot. After you consistently carry the ball, time yourself with a stopwatch and see how many goals can be scored in two minutes (arena). For my students on the stick-and-ball field, I set up two goals 60 yards apart. You can also see how long it takes to score a predetermined number of goals (say 10). This scientifically tracks your progress.

Going straight to goal is rarely an option given to you by the defense. Practice altering your shot on goal from the left of center and the right of center, forcing yourself into either a neck shot or a cut shot to goal. This will train all of your angled shots that are vital to the fundamentals of mallet work in the sport of polo. Partner up to practice working with your teammate.

These three drills, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned veteran will help you and your pony build or rebuild polo fundamentals. Elevating your efficacy with your horsemanship and mallet work will greatly assist in your contribution to the team effort.

If you have questions or feedback about the drills I am available by e-mail jeff@sbpolo.com.

•

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USEFULS

Taxing advice Preparing for tax season is best done early

By Patricia T. Anderson, EA

SHELLEY HEATLEY

For clients and accountants alike, it is always hard to believe when we arrive at the last month of the year, which launches us into the midst of the holiday season! Something that most do not regard as a holiday gift is the calendared item of the much dreaded-but-necessary task of gathering your information and planning for your individual (and business, if applicable) tax returns.

Cost of uniforms can be deducted if they are required for your employment, they are not suitable for wear outside of work and they are not worn outside of work.

A proactive approach to this activity can always help your bottom line. The earlier you start and the better organized you are, the less painful this process will be both for you and your accountant, which saves time and fees.

Most clients ask what is required when gathering tax-relevant information so they can maximize the deductions they claim on their tax returns. That question is very common and can be addressed with ease when they have the answers to important details such as business qualifications, expense deduction details, and tax return filing protocol.

First, how do you know if you have a business?

This seems like an easy question. You might

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

think, either I set up a business entity as a corporation, an S corporation partnership, or LLC or I didn’t, right? However, it is not as simple as it appears. A client can own a business that is included in their tax return, which they could use to offset other income, even without a separate tax ID or legal entity. Accountants call this a “Schedule C” business as that is the schedule of the 1040 form on which it is reported. The IRS looks at whether you engage in your business activities (either inside or outside of a separate legal business entity) with a profit motive.

They determine this by looking at the last five years of your activities and counting how many of those years showed a profit. Usually, if you generated income three out of five years, the presumption is that you had a viable business and can continue to deduct future losses. However, there are special rules for any activities involving horses in that you are only required to show income for two out of the previous seven years. If you cannot show a profit for the required number of years, the IRS considers horse ownership or a horse business, a “hobby” (no matter how much time or money you spend on it) and as a result, you cannot deduct the losses.

If you receive one or more 1099-MISC forms, it’s a safe bet you should be filing the aforementioned Schedule C and keeping records of expenses related to earning that income as well as other income you may not receive a 1099 for, but that you still are required to report. Opposite of being a W-2 employee, you will not have U.S. or state and local taxes withheld from your pay, so it’s important to make quarterly estimated payments to the governments which you owe to avoid penalties and interest, as well as a whopping tax bill when it’s time to file your return.

Second, what kinds of business deductions can you claim?

A common one may be hanging right in front of you—uniforms. There are three requirements that allow you the opportunity to deduct uniforms or other clothing. They must be required or essential for the taxpayer’s employment; they must not be suitable for wear outside of work; and the taxpayer must not actually wear them outside of work.

Other equipment purchases you should record are

USEFULS

polo helmets, elbow pads, gloves, knee guards, whips, half chaps, polo balls, polo boots, spurs, and eyewear (provided it meets the criteria for clothing mentioned above.)

Mileage, fuel, trailer leasing expense, tolls, parking, travel costs are also vehicle or travel-related items that can be tax deductible. Using smartphone apps can be helpful when tracking these expenses as well as the uniform purchases while frequently on the go. The smartphone apps allow you to take pictures of receipts, organize them for later, and save them in the cloud. Some common and extremely user-friendly apps include Expensify, Receipt Bank, Everlance and TripLog. In this digital age, accountants find this technological practice to be so much easier than delivering a shoe box full of paper receipts at tax time!

Thirdly, where should you be filing returns?

The short answer is, it’s complicated. Different states have different minimum numbers of days spent there that create “nexus” (the state’s right to require you to pay taxes.) There are even some city taxes you may be subject to in a few locations, such as Louisville, the home of Churchill Downs Racetrack and the Kentucky Derby. Louisville has a flat city income tax of 2.20% plus the Kentucky income tax and federal income tax. In this scenario, it can be easy to inadvertently miss tax filing requirements if traveling frequently.

International players have additional complications; namely legally avoiding United States income taxes on worldwide income. The key thing to remember is that you are taxed as a nonresident on income you earn in the United States regardless of how many days you are here; there is no minimum number of days. We ask our clients to avoid failing the 183 day “substantial presence” test and being subject to U.S. tax on your worldwide income from all sources.

Think you are too old for tests? The way the IRS determines whether you pass or fail the substantial presence test, and thereby are a “tax resident” of the U.S., is the following: 1. The individual must have been physically present in the United States for at least 31 days in the year in question; and 2. The total of (number of days present in the tax year) + (1/3) (number of days in the year before the tax year) + (1/6) (number of days in the year two years before the tax year) must be at least 183.

Some may wonder about the foreign tax credit, which avoids dual taxation of the same income.

What you may not know is that this foreign tax credit essentially ensures that you pay whatever the top rate is in the countries in question.

Understanding all this, there still are other issues to consider.

If you own a horse (or more) yourself, there can be other opportunities for deductions that can apply that are more complicated and outside the scope of this article. If you are breeding and training horses, there are some additional specific rules.

Each client’s tax situation is unique, and your tax advisor will take into account all circumstances when providing advice, as your entire situation must be viewed holistically and not in a vacuum.

Consulting a tax advisor (the earlier the better, to allow for better planning), and discussing the options to maximize your tax opportunities, will produce a successful tax plan.

• Tricia Anderson, EA, founder, and owner of P.T. Anderson, Inc., serves the tax, QuickBooks, accounting, and profitability and growth needs of nonprofits and businesses. Tricia’s financial knowledge, combined with her expertise in small business operations, produces a partnership-like synergy for her clients.

Tricia is an Enrolled Agent with the IRS, an NTPI Fellow and a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Tricia has been working with QuickBooks accounting software for over 25 years. Tricia is a member of several professional organizations including the National Association of Enrolled Agents, the Florida Society of Enrolled Agents, the National Society of Tax Professionals, and the National Society of Accountants. Tricia earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida, doublemajoring in Finance and Real Estate and minoring in Economics.

Mileage, fuel, trailer leasing expenses, tolls, parking and other travel costs can be deductible.

Using smartphone apps to track expenses can be helpful and is easier than keeping receipts in a shoe box.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 17

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

Pain relief Bute can be helpful but there are side effects

By Heather Smith Thomas

PHENYLBUTAZONE (BUTE) is an anti-inflamma-

Follow dosing recommendations when administering bute.

tory—a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug similar to aspirin, Advil, Motrin, Banamine, etc. It has been used for many decades in horses to relieve pain and inflammation, particularly in musculoskeletal injuries, navicular syndrome and arthritis. Melinda Freckleton, DVM (in private practice in Catlett, Virginia) says this drug is a comparatively safe and effective way to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation.

Veterinarians frequently prescribe it, but horse owners should be aware of possible side effects.

“Most humans can tolerate aspirin or ibuprofen now and then, but there are a few individuals who cannot use these drugs. The same is true with horses and bute. There are also risks when using these drugs inappropriately—such as at too high a dose or for too long a duration,” she says.

There are dosing recommendations, and horse owners need to realize that even though this drug is helpful, giving more than the recommended dose will not provide more benefit.

“Several studies have shown that there are diminishing returns when increasing dosage. One gram will give a certain amount of pain relief, and 3 grams will not give you more,” explains Freckleton.

Giving an increased dose can result in more side effects and may be dangerous to the horse, without giving more pain relief. It is important to use the lowest dose that gives benefit, to avoid adverse reactions. Side effects include gastric ulcers, kidney dysfunction, and sometimes right dorsal colitis.

Gastric ulcers are proba-

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

bly the most common risk. “A few horses probably won’t get gastric ulcers no matter what we do to them (similar to some humans who can tolerate continual use of aspirin with no problems). But you need to realize that often the horses that are receiving the most bute, the most frequently, have additional risks (such as stress, pain) that also make them more prone to ulcers. A drug like bute has a risk for gastric ulcers, but so does any kind of physiologic stress.

This could include the condition you are treating, or the stress of being confined in a stall after an injury.

Often, whatever painful condition you are treating requires you to confine the horse or change its routine and restrict its activity,” she says.

Thus the risks for ulcers are often multiplied.

“The horses we know are at risk for gastric ulcers should probably receive a different drug, or we might, in addition to the bute, give some kind of gastric protective product, such as omeprazole (Gastrogard or Ulcergard) or ranitidine (a generic ulcer treatment),” says Freckleton.

Less common side effects include right dorsal colitis. “This is a more serious condition and more rare, causing diarrhea and sometimes fever. I have only seen a couple of horses in which this problem was confirmed. Any horse that has a history of right dorsal colitis should not be given bute; it could be treated with the new drug Equioxx instead,” she says.

Kidney failure is another possibility when overusing bute. “I have not seen this in any horse where bute has been administered correctly, but there are reports of owners accidentally giving the entire tube of bute paste in one dose—20 grams at once. This can cause kidney failure,” she says. The tube is calibrated for multiple dosings and you have to change the setting to give the correct dose. If you give it all at once you will make the horse very ill.

This would be a serious emergency and would require lavage of the stomach (flushing some of the drug back out). “We would also give the horse charcoal to help bind some of the rest of the bute (so it can’t be absorbed) and start the horse on IV fluids to make sure the kidneys are well flushed,” says Freckleton.

“A horse that gets an accidental overdose should

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Bute powder is easier to give than tablets but comes in varying concentrations.

also be given gastric protection such as Gastrogard, because excess bute will have GI tract effects as well. Treatment may also be needed for right dorsal colitis,” she says.

Make sure you read labels and give the correct amount. In earlier years, the only form of bute available was pills, which were typically crushed to create a powder to be mixed with feed or with applesauce or molasses and water and given by oral dose syringe. This was more inconvenient than the powders, or tubes of paste available today, but dosage was much more specific. One tablet was one gram. You might waste a little when crushing it into a powder, but you knew how much you were giving. Bute tablets are still available, and these newer versions crush up more readily than the older types.

Today, there are also some different formulations of bute powder. “They are easier to give than tablets, but come in varying concentrations. With some brands a tablespoon of powder contains a gram of bute, and with others a teaspoon equals a gram of bute,” she says. This can get you into trouble if you can’t remember the dosage.

Keep the labels from the package, and read them before administering the powder.

“I’ve seen some people keep bute (continued on page 58) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 19

POLO SCENE

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

SILVER HEAD BELLS Match benefits church, Subhead celebrates marriage

THE CINCINNATI POLO CLUB in Loveland, Ohio, held its Centennial Cup on Sept. 28, with teams

Both Vince, above, and Torie played in the match.

Spectators enjoyed live music at halftime.

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

vying for beautiful silver trophies. Silver was a key factor in the day as club president Reverend Torie Front and her husband Vince celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Torie is the only registered USPA member who is an ordained minister.

At each of the home games this past season, the club coordinated with a different local non-profit to split the gate receipts with.

The organizations were also encouraged to do their own fundraising with raffles, food sales, split the pot, etc.

Over the season, seven different local charities took advantage of the opportunity, and raised over $38,600!

Torie’s church was the nonprofit partner for the Centennial Cup. On this day, instead of paying admission, spectators were encouraged to bring a bag of non-perishable groceries to help stock the Food Pantry at St. John United Church of Christ. With over 800 items collected, two SUVs packed with groceries left the field at the end of the day. In addition, $465 was raised for the Food Pantry through free-will donations for the on-site grilled hot dogs, chips and water, and a bake sale. Raffles, including one with passes to the Cincinnati Zoo, The Cincinnati Reds and a University of Cincinnati football game, and a 50/50, also contributed to the funds raised at this event.

There are many polo-playing couples around the country as this is a sport that demands full participation and support. Vince and Torie met on the polo field and were married on it back in 1994 so it was only fitting for them to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on the field after both played in the match! Sheila Everett, who served as maid of honor at the wedding, came down from Columbus Polo Club to play in the match as well.

It was a close game, ending in a 7-6 score, and everyone had a good time both on the field and after the match on the sidelines. A live band entertained the guests at half-time and after the game, and the food and drink were plentiful! It was a beautiful fall day and the perfect way to celebrate 25 years of marriage and polo!

POLO SCENE

COLLEGE RIVALS Oldest alumni polo match played for 35th year

AFTER MORE THAN THREE DECADES in the New York TriState area, the Harriman Cup moved its festivities to the Myopia Polo Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. The crowds at the 132-year-old venue provided a warm welcome for the Yale and University of Virginia alumni teams and sponsors.

U.S. Polo Assn., the official apparel partner of the Harriman Cup, provided team jerseys and support for both collegiate programs. The VIP pavilion was sponsored by Visiting Barbados, and featured island delicacies and cocktails prepared by a visiting Barbadian chef and mixologist. VIP tickets included entry for a drawing for a fabulous trip to the Port Ferdinand Resort in Barbados with airfare provided by JetBlue.

The polo match started with a quick goal out of the line-up for the Yale team. With the handicap adjustment, this put Yale ahead by two goals. UVa rallied quickly and answered the challenge with a goal of its own. The four-chukker match included a well-balanced back and forth between the two teams. With seven seconds left in the fourth chukker, the tied score was broken with a penalty shot by Simon Colloredo-Mansfeld, ending the game—UVa 5, Yale 4.

Alumni from both schools provided the core of the teams. Colloredo-Mansfeld, Merrall Echezarreta, Nick Barry and Reed Miller wore UVA orange, while Simon’s brother, Seppi Colloredo-Mansfeld, Sam Clemens, Chelsea Messinger, Leila Chang and Patrick Marinelli represented Yale. Trophies were presented to all players, with Reed Miller’s Mistica taking Best Playing Pony honors and Sam Clemens earning MVP. Following the match, Franz Colloredo-Mansfeld was honored with the Harriman Cup Award. Colloredo-Mansfeld is a longtime equestrian and polo player, and he serves as the captain of Myopia Polo.

In addition, he has been an active supporter of the Yale, UVa and Harvard intercollegiate polo programs.

The Harriman Cup Award is given to stellar individuals who have made significant contributions to the world of polo and embody the leadership, public service and staunch advocacy for equestrian sports that were characteristics of W. Averell Harriman, a 1913 Yale graduate and polo player. Harriman was a former governor of New York, former U.S. ambassador to Great Britain and the Soviet Union and was U.S. secretary of commerce under President Truman.

Prizes were presented for Best Tailgate (the Green family), Best Hat (Patty Green), Best Dressed Man (Steven Edward Courville) and Best Dressed Woman (Heather Matheson Ryus).

The Harriman Cup is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the sport of polo and supporting the collegiate programs at Yale and the University of Virginia.

Franz ColloredoMansfeld with sons Seppi, left, and Simon, right.

The UVa and Yale teams have played the Harriman Cup for over three decades to support their polo programs.

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

POLO SCENE

KING OF COOL Actor showcased in museum’s horse exhibit

STEVE MCQUEEN, the movie star most known for his spectacular motorcycle scenes and friendly

Steve McQueen’s starring role in “The Thomas Crown Affair” is featured in a museum exhibit.

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

Hollywood stuntman persona, is very much back in a starring role in one of the fine displays of the 96-year-old Wenham Museum near the heart of horse country in the North Shore of Boston.

McQueen died in 1980 at the age 50 from heart failure hours after controversial cancer surgery in Mexico.

Action photos of McQueen, along with co-star Faye Dunaway in the classic 1968 movie “The Thomas Crown Affair” is one focal point of the well-researched and presented new permanent display “Equestrian Histories: New England Connections to the Horse,” highlighting the rich history of horsemanship of all kinds in the area. The exhibit, which opened to the public in mid-June highlights fox hunting, 3-day eventing, steeplechase riding and driving, all stalwarts of North Shore horse activity.

The sport of polo, starting from the nearby Myopia Hunt Club in adjacent South Hamilton in 1886, is front and center in the display. McQueen’s starring role as a bon vivant sportsman and bank robber in the original film, which features a five-minute polo scene at Myopia’s famed Gibney Field, gives it almost a F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby” overtones.

It is not the only polo highlight. Other displays include scenes of the early halcyon days in the end of the 19th century through World War I era when the sport first caught on in Hamilton, Denham, Danvers and Topsfield. Midway through memory lane, photos of a Myopia team playing in Tehran, Iran, against an Iranian team, with both teams mounted on stallions, are displayed. (continued on page 57)

POLO SCENE

NEVER QUIT At 75, player makes a comeback Three years ago, out of frustration, I quit polo. I could not longer hit the ball straight. My right shoulder was anchored to a healed-but-overlapped broken collar bone; only tendons connected that arm to my should blade–the nerves had been severed by a near-fatal fall; and I had ripped two right-arm tendons out of my skeleton.

Then, a super surgeon (thanks, Daniel Keefe) reattached my bicep tendon with a stainless steel screw, and the other tendon to the top of my shoulder with three dissolving screws. So, four months ago, I decided to give another shot to what I now call ‘half-arm polo.’ I’d be one of the fortunate 1% of 75year-olds who still played the world’s fastest contact sport, and second-most lethal.

Earlier this month, pre-game, I clucked my unmounted horses through large circles in a turnout arena to check for attitudes and injuries. AprilLuv, my Thoroughbred, seemed decidedly sluggish. I tacked her up with green legwraps, with matching green tape cinching her chignoned tail. Bowl-in was slated for 9:45, although there was a wispy, sheen of dew on the grass.

Waiting for clearance onto the field, I paused for a minute on April beside a goal post. My hot-blooded steed locked her hips and started dozing! As soon I got the signal to enter, I said, “Okay, let’s go babe,” raising her reins and touching her flanks with my spurs. Instantly, she sprang to life and dashed down the field, surging faster each time I swung at a practice ball.

Even if I couldn’t hit the ball well, her speed and strength would help our team on defense. We’d need it, as our rivals had better players and included one ex-pro. I joked with teammates how it’s often shrewd to feel like under-dogs.

Two minutes into the chukker, a teammate walloped the ball down field. April pounced on the right-of-way line, I rose in her stirrups, and smacked the ball towards our goal. It actually went where I’d aimed! When we reached it again, another whack kept it speeding toward goal. I glanced over my shoulder; no one could catch us before I could take the last hit from 30-yards out. That was still enough time to ask myself, “Will you miss the goal shot, as you so often do? Will your straight-wheeling wind-up and whippy release overcome ‘half-arm’ polo?” The ball sailed straight through the posts!

As both teams jostled for the umpire’s next throw-in, April and I found ourselves in the No. 1 position, instead of our usual No. 2. Just as a white blur left the umpire’s hand, I whipped my mallet towards it. It caught the ball in mid-air, sending it winging towards our goal! That also put April a jump ahead of everyone else. All we needed to do was hit the ball straight two more times. We did, for another score!

The pro on other team whacked a loose ball from 40 yards out, scoring one for his side. Then my team drove the ball to the sideboards to the right of our rivals’ goal. Again, April grabbed the rightof-way as others crowded around. My only hope was to dribble it toward the goal mouth, a challenge for old half-arm guy. An opposing player bumped and mock-cursed us, trying to make me miss-hit or shove my steed out of bounds. April leaned into him hard. As she held him at bay, somehow I managed a half-dozen dribbles, edging the ball towards our goal. From an angle that left just a foot-or-so space between posts, I was able to tap the ball through.

Three scores in one chukker at 75! In my mind, I heard my late wife quip, “Remember, what I told you, Art? Compared to chasing women, polo’s safer, cheaper, and you’ve got a lot better chance to score.” When the whistle blew at chukker’s end, I was riding on air, not just April.

–Arthur Campbell

DANIEL JONES

IT HAS BEEN OVER a decade since my horse and I did what we did recently.

Aurthur Campbell and AprilLuv

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

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

Granted PDI program benefits clubs in a variety of ways

By Hayley Heatley • Photos by United States Polo Association

Just shy of a million dollars was injected into the polo economy through capital improvements made with the assistance of the Polo Development Initiative grant program. The matching funds required by the PDI grant program’s new guidelines doubled the impact of the program’s reach. Capital improvement requests reflected the growing need for polo clubs and polo schools to expand their playing seasons and hours of availability. The trends uncovered during the program’s first year, unrolling the new guidelines, forecasts a bright future for the sustainable growth of the sport.

The Polo Development Initiative Committee underwent a strategic planning process in 2018.

Committee members sat down with a goal of furthering the mission to facilitate the sustainability of polo by empowering clubs and polo schools with grantbased reimbursable awards. Aiming to amend the PDI

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

program to have a greater impact on the sport, the committee made a leap forward, allowing capital improvements to be included in grant requests.

Additional changes include consideration of multi-year awards, promotion of polo club cooperation, segmenting specific application categories, allowing university clubs to apply for assistance and the removal of the $10,000 award cap.

“These changes to the PDI program will double the impact of PDI dollars and help clubs focus on longterm investment for sustainability rather than focusing on annual operating expenses,” said Bob McMurtry, incoming chairman of the PDI Committee.

With the loss of open land to other uses and development totaling approximately 6,000 acres a day (USDA, 2017), equestrian properties are under constant threat. The PDI grant gives club owners the confidence to invest in their club infrastructure, while

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

being considered for matching funds. The range of capital improvement requests included new arena builds, arena lighting projects, hitting cages and wooden horses, polo field and arena footing upgrades as well as stabling construction and field maintenance equipment.

The Santa Barbara Polo Club and Santa Barbara Polo School are currently installing arena lights ahead of the winter season.

“Having lights will allow working professionals to continue playing and taking lessons throughout the winter,” said head instructor Jeff Scheraga. “Shorter days limit the number of hours we can be teaching students or practicing with our I/I team. The installation of arena lights opens up our schedule, keeping students and new members engaged and playing.”

The immediate impact of PDI capital improvement projects will be seen throughout the fall and winter as clubs are able to utilize new arenas, lights and improved facilities. Watch for an in depth look into the process of building an arena and its effects on polo clubs in a future edition of Polo Players’ Edition.

“The new capital improvements plan under PDI will create lasting benefits for the polo club network.

Under the guidance of the new PDI chairman, Bob McMurtry, I’m sure [PDI] will continue to grow our clubs and our sport,” said Geiler.

Other clubs are also enjoying the benefits of a PDI grants in other ways. Alfie, a wooden horse, is the

newest member of the Houston Polo Club. Donated by the Stefanakis family, Alfie was named after a horse once owned by Alfonso Pieres, Tim Gannon and Dr. Scott Swerdlin before becoming a beloved member of the Stefanakis’ family. With assistance from the Polo Development Initiative, Alfie now has a beautiful and functional hitting cage around him to welcome Houston Polo Club’s spectators, clients and students to the world of polo.

A special thank you to outgoing PDI chair Denny Geiler for volunteering his time to serve the polo community over the past 10 years.

•

“Alfie” is Houston Polo Club’s newest Best Playing Pony.

A PDI grant allowed the hitting cage to be built around it.

Like Santa Barbara, Cal Poly installed lights in its arena, allowing more time for lessons and practice.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 25

I N T E R C O L L E G I AT E

Let the fun begin Three schools add intercollegiate teams

The USPA I/I Program is excited to welcome three new college programs this year: St. Edwards University, Babson College and Morehouse College. We caught up with them to learn a little more about their schools and their start this year. If you are in the area, please be sure to go catch a game or practice and join us in welcoming them!

St. Edwards University St. Edwards University players are pushing themselves to be better players.

Austin, Texas Home Club: Two Wishes Polo Club Coach: Ariel Rodriguez Club President: Lexi Elder Tell us a little bit about your school.

St. Edward’s offers a personal learning experience that is hard to find anywhere else. Since our school only has about 5,000 students, it is easy to make friends with people in your major. The campus is also incredibly diverse with people from all backgrounds, of different religions, and speaking different languages.

What are you most excited about in joining the USPA this year?

Since joining the USPA, our club has already had its first match against Texas Tech University and we have made some great friends! I’m excited for the club to meet more teams and make friends across our region. Now that we are competitive,

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

The Babson College team

our members push themselves harder to become better players. Its been a really great experience!

Babson College Wellesley, Massachusetts Home Club: Boston Polo Club Coach: Mark Tashjian Club President: Leo Liu Tell us a little bit about your school.

Babson College is a private business school in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1919, Babson is highly regarded for its entrepreneurship-focused undergraduate and graduate programs. Over the past 23 years, Babson’s undergraduate program has been consistently ranked No. 1 for entrepreneurship and is currently the No. 1 college for international students.

Its central focus is on creating entrepreneurial thought and action across all disciplines within the global context.

What are you most excited about in joining the USPA this year?

The most thrilling aspect of joining the USPA is for Babson Polo to make a positive impact through its member diversity and polo expertise. We look forward to making Babson Polo an inclusive club where members of all gender, race and economic situations can enjoy the sport.

I N T E R C O L L E G I AT E

Morehouse College Atlanta, Georgia Home Club: Atlanta Regional Polo Center Coach: Frankie Questel Club President: Caleb Cherry Tell us a little bit about your school.

Morehouse College is the nation’s largest liberal arts institution for men and the only historically black college for men. Founded in 1867, the college enrolls approximately 2,200 students and is the nation’s top producer of black men who go on to receive doctorates in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, education, the arts, and the humanities. Morehouse is also the top producer of Rhodes Scholars among HBCUs with five Morehouse men receiving the honor. Prominent alumni include: Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General; Shelton “Spike” Lee, awardwinning American filmmaker; Maynard H. Jackson, the first African American mayor of Atlanta; and Jeh Johnson, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. Morehouse currently has more than 17,000 alumni in 40 states and 14 countries.

What are you most excited about in joining the USPA this year?

Polo is an amazing sport. It helps with leadership, teamwork, critical thinking skills, and with the time I have spent, I find that it’s a great experience to share with men of Morehouse. One of the things Morehouse stands on is having my brothers’ backs.

With all of the possible scholarships and opportunities for amazing endeavors, I feel it is too much to keep to myself.

•

The Morehouse College team

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

Latest Hall of Fame inductees announced

By Brenda Lynn

The board of directors of the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame announced the next inductees into the Museum’s Polo Hall of Fame for 2020.

Joey Casey

Joey Casey was nominated as the Living Hall of Fame Inductee. A world-class polo player, Joey is well respected as a polo pony breeder and trainer of exceptional horses for the sport. A third-generation horseman, he attained a 7-goal handicap and competed in numerous high-profile events as a sought-after professional player.

His list of major tournament wins includes the 1988 Westchester Cup, the USPA Sunshine League Championship (six times), the International Gold Cup, the USPA C.V. Whitney Cup, the USPA Gold Cup, the Pacific Coast Open and many more.

For over 20 years, Casey was polo manager for the iconic Royal Palm Polo Sport’s Club in Boca Raton.

Considered a top expert on polo field installation and maintenance, he consulted on over 25 American polo field operations.

Most recently, he founded Palm City Polo Club in South Florida to provide arena and outdoor polo training, mentoring for novice players and affordable, low- and medium-goal competition.

Posthumous Hall of Fame honoree Cyril R. Harrison dedicated his entire life to polo. He is recognized as an accomplished player, gifted instructor, beloved mentor, respected horseman and exceptional trainer of polo ponies.

On the field he was known for his exquisite hitting style and smart, competitive team play.

He rose to a rating of 7 goals outdoor and 8 goals

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

Cyril Harrison

in the arena, playing alongside the greatest of the era.

His true gift to polo was in teaching and encouraging others to play. He seeded, organized and ran polo schools for young players all over the country, becoming one of the USPA’s first polo instructors of the modern game.

He has been praised by his peers for his passionate efforts to improve the sport and impart his knowledge, which he did until his untimely death in 1965 at age 56 while on the playing field at Myopia. The Harrison Cup has been played in his honor every summer since 1966.

Pat Dix is honored with the Iglehart Award for outstanding contributions to the sport.

Playing polo since the age of 13 in Spokane, Washington, Pat Dix went on to a career that saw him achieve a 5-goal rating and a reputation as a valuable teammate. His accomplishments on the field include being the leading scorer of Cornell’s

Pat Dix

George C. Sherman Sr.

1963 National Intercollegiate Championship team and many other nationally recognized tournament victories.

In 1986, he was recognized with the National Hugo Dalmar Sportsmanship Award and in 2004 was inducted into the Cornell University Polo Hall of Fame.

He managed to log over 60 years of service to polo. In his leadership roles he served as USPA executive vice-president, Pacific Northwest governor, National Rules Committee chairman, governor-at-large and chairman of the Pacific Northwest Circuit Handicap and Rules Committees. He was also instrumental in leading the effort to establish the Pacific Northwest Circuit, which had previously been part of the Pacific Coast Circuit.

The posthumous Iglehart honor was awarded to George C. Sherman Sr. Known as the father of indoor polo, Sherman was almost singlehandedly responsible for organizing and refining this ever-popular version of the sport. He introduced the inflatable ball, redesigned the standard polo equipment for the arena game’s specific needs and modified the rules of outdoor play for indoor use.

He was founder and first president of the Indoor Polo Association (1915-1926), which

merged with the USPA in 1956. He was zealous in introducing young players into the sport, and presented the first Interscholastic Cup in 1928.

Since all collegiate and scholastic polo is now played indoors, some say he innovated this invaluable training ground as well. Sherman passed the torch of leadership in polo to his son, George C. Sherman Jr. who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998 for his exemplary contributions to the sport.

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

SNOOPY PRODUCTIONS

Wembley Gargantilla

The phenomenal black Thoroughbred gelding Wembley (Catisfield Kid x Darkie), currently owned by Bob Jornayvaz, is being recognized as a Horse to Remember. Wembley was a recognizable hero on the field going back many years.

Born in 1993, the now 26-year-old horse is a veteran of the most competitive polo in the U.S. and around the world, played by the best players in the sport. He has been honored with numerous Best Playing Pony Awards, 2004 Horse of the Year and, in 2013, Wembley was the first recipient of the Wembley Award, established in his honor to recognize horses that have had longevity and excellence playing at the high-goal level at International Polo Club Palm Beach.

That year, he played throughout the season and in portions of four of six chukkers of the U.S. Open final.

Wembley was formally retired in a ceremony in 2016 during the U.S. Open Polo Championship.

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

The Horses to Remember honoree of the early era is Gargantilla, a mare played by polo Hall of Famer Devereux Milburn in his hard-fought campaigns that included the iconic International series, U.S. Open Championships and Monty Waterbury matches from 1923 to 1927.

In 1923, Gargantilla won the Prince Friarstown Cup, the most prestigious award of the era. Foaled in 1914 in Argentina, the pony first gained fame as a star there before being bought by another Hall of Famer, Harry Payne Whitney, to add to his world-renowned string of ponies. Although owned by Whitney, Gargantilla and Milburn are eternally linked, remembered for their superior play together, a union celebrated in numerous photos and as the subject of paintings of two of the most celebrated artists in history, Alfred G. Munnings and Franklin Voss.

The Grand Sponsors for the Hall of Fame dinner are Melissa and Marc Ganzi, Digital Bridge Holdings, LLC and Grand Champions Polo Club; wine and spirits sponsors include Robert S. Lipman & Margaret Lipman Orthwein, Lipman Brothers, LLC, Brown-Forman, Bacardi USA, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Old Hickory Bourbon, Line 39 Wine and Korbel Champagne; and entertainment sponsor is Jan Pamela Polo Ranch.

The 31st Annual Hall of Fame Awards Dinner and Induction Ceremony is one of the premier events of the Florida high-goal polo season. It is also the most important fundraising event for the museum each year. Ticket sales directly help support the museum, a 501 (c)3, not-for-profit organization.

The ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, at the Museum of Polo in Lake Worth, Florida. Tickets may be purchased for the dinner up to a week in advance. Reservations are $250 each (tax deductible portion $125.00). For reservations or information, contact Brenda Lynn at the Museum of Polo by phone: (561) 969-3210 or (561) 969-7015 or e-mail: polomuseum@att.net. •

10-goaler Facundo Pieres only uses Texas Polo Luxe Edition saddles

DALLAS

Texaspolo.com 214 - 720 - 0233 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 31

Team effort Chicago polo collective building momentum

Seventeen-year-old Grace Mudra was MVP in the USPA Women’s Challenge.

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

Running a polo club is no easy feat. The cost to maintain fields and facilities is rarely covered by member dues. Even so, it is not unusual to hear of members breaking off and starting another nearby club, thinning out resources.

A few years ago, six clubs in the greater Chicago area decided to buck the trend and join forces to grow polo. They created the Chicago Polo Association to optimize Chicagoland’s numerous polo facilities for the area’s more than 150 players and hired veteran polo manager Pam Mudra to work with the clubs, coordinating, organizing and promoting area polo events.

Chicago Polo now consists of 14 fields and facilities, and two polo schools. The association’s mission is to grow and develop the sport of polo in the greater Chicagoland area and establish itself as a regional asset for the Central Circuit. It recently completed its second season, which built on the success of its inaugural season with more students, players and tournaments.

This season, approximately 148 participants competed in the many events offered, including grass, women’s, youth and arena polo at various levels from polo schools all the way up to 12-goal matches at the historic Oak Brook Polo Club (Oak Brook, Illinois), including 25 new student players.

This represents an increase of over 40% from last year’s 108 participants. The increase in players contributed to a large jump in the number of chukkers played. In the first half of the season (June/July), Chicago Polo recorded a 100% increase in chukkers played compared to 2018 and a 34% increase for the second half of the season (August, September).

“The second season for Chicago Polo has seen continued success from last year,” says Mudra, Chicago polo executive director. “We are continuing to gain momentum and increase participation at all levels of polo.”

Oak Brook Polo Club’s Managing Director Danny O’Leary said, “In two short years, the Chicagoland polo community is beginning to hit its stride again, largely because there is a consensus to build a centralized organization and means of executing polo activities from the ground up and top down so that we [have] growth and sustainability across Chicago polo’s ecosystem. This is no easy task and Pam keeps everyone inline, accountable and well informed about the various polo activities and opportunities throughout the season.”

The Chicago Polo Association is not only seeing more participation among locals, it is also drawing players from other areas.

For the past two years, 21% Chicago polo participants were registered with non-Central Circuit USPA clubs. Diving deeper, of those registered in the Central Circuit, 25% are registered in nonChicagoland clubs. These figures support Chicago polo’s goals of serving as a regional hub for polo in the Central Circuit and as a summer destination for all levels of polo, including players new to the sport and the USPA. Looking at the development of new players, 37% for CPA participants have joined the USPA in the last 5 years and 23% have joined in the last three years.

Polo got underway in the spring with Barrington Hills Polo Club in Wauconda, holding its annual polo school, taking riders of all experience levels and

With youth polo in the area on the rise, the NYTS qualifier had six teams in two divisions.

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

The Team Up for Tony fundraiser was held in conjunction with the Master’s Cups. The cups’ $50,000 prize money was donated to Tony Sekera, center, for his care.

Barrington Polo Club’s arena is in use from the spring until the snow flies in late fall.

teaching them the game of polo in a friendly, fun and safe environment.

Over Memorial Day weekend, six teams divided into two brackets competed in the Great Lakes Arena Tournament. Hillside Royals won the 0- to 3-goal and Barrington Hills Black won the 3- to 6-goal.

Throughout the summer, members enjoyed fun and friendly scrimmages plus social events, including the popular July 4th chukkers.

Women’s polo got underway this year with the USPA Women’s Challenge. Held at Arranmore Farm and Polo Club in Oswego, Illinois, the final was held on July 12. Originally scheduled for June 28-29, rain caused two delays. A total of 28 players from nine clubs in six different states formed five teams competing in one of two flights at the 0- to 6-goal level.

The action began with David Yurman (Shannon Nourbash, Rileigh Tibbott, Pamela Flanagan, Grace Mudra) shutting out Bulleit (Nadia Taylor, Cindy Forster-Fueredi, Anne Heidemann, Anne Branscum), 8-1, while Merrill Lynch (Winifred Brandscum, Tracy Riff, Courtney Rohs, Megan West) shut out Heineken (Cindy Apitz, Jennifer Leffingwell, Frauke Lueders, Chloe Carabasi), 3-0.

Heineken rebound to shut out John Green Realtor (Lauren Alderman, Madi Choppa, Amy

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

James, Maria Kettler), 2-0. Merrill Lynch also shut out JGR, 5-0.

The final game was much closer as Merrill Lynch narrowly edged David Yurman, 5-4. Grace Mudra, who just turned 17, was named MVP and Clifton Yandell’s Solita, played by Courtney Rohs, was Best Playing Pony.

Action moved to the Oak Brook Polo Club in Oak Brook, with the USPA 8-goal Officer’s Cup July 10-14.

It was one of five 8-goal tournaments offered this season. For the Officer’s Cup, five teams competed over four days to determine a winner.

The first match saw G Squared (Larry Aschebrook, Juan Martin Gutierez, Matias Obregon, Chris Vangel) top Font Polo (Maximo Font, Mason Phelps, Billy Mudra, Pedro Miquel), 14-8. Oak Brook (Jim Drury/Will Mudra, Grace Mudra, Horacio Onetto, Tomas Obregon) defeated Morgan Creek (Dean Kleronomos, Tod Rackley, Lindor Corvalan, Jim Sanfilippo), 12-9, in the second match and G Squared got the best of PFP (Frauke Lueders, Jan Lueders, Anthony Garcia, Pedro Manion), 11-6. The last two games saw Morgan Creek double up PFP, 168, while Oak Brook sunk Font Polo, 11-3.

The final was between Oak Brook and G Squared.

Oak Brook got off to a good start and held the momentum for a 12-7 win. Horacio Onetto was MVP and Tomas Obregon’s Bombona was Best Playing Pony.

Another five teams lined up for the USPA 8-goal Sportsmanship Cup at the Morgan Creek Polo Club in Yorkville, Illinois, played from Aug. 2-Sept. 9.

Morgan Creek/Sanfilippo (Dean Kleronomos, Tod Rackley, Lindor Corvalan, Jim Sanfilippo) got off to

Winifred Branscum, Courtney Rohs, Megan West and Tracy Riff won the Women’s Challenge.

a great start with an 11-3 defeat of Luxe Polo (Charles Todd, Mason Phelps, Billy Mudra, Del Walton). G Squared (Larry Aschebrook, Juan Martin Gutierez, Matia Obregon, Chris Vangel) got the best of PFP (Franke Lueders, Jan Lueders, Anthony Garcia, Pedro Manion), 13-6, but PFP bounced back with a 14-9 victory over Luxe Polo. G Squared took its second win with a 10-9 defeat of Morgan Creek. G Squared and Morgan Creek sported the best records, so they met again in the final. It was a very different game as Morgan Creek failed to find its rhythm, ultimately falling 7-1 to G Squared.

Matias Obregon was named MVP and his mare Linterna was Best Playing Pony.

The 8-goal USPA Constitution Cup was held from Aug. 21-Sept. 11 also at the Morgan Creek Polo Club.

Four teams competed in the single-elimination event, but in the end, Oak Brook took the trophies.

Oak Brook (Jim Drury, Tomas Obregon, Horacio Onetto, Jose Blanco) got off to a good start with a 9-7 victory over G Squared (Larry Aschebrook, Juan Martin Gutierez, Matias Obregon, Chris Vangel). The next game was even closer with PFP (Frauke Lueders, Jan Lueders, Anthony Garcia, Pedro Manion) edging Morgan Creek (Dean Kleronomos, Tod Rackley, Del Walton, Charles Todd), 9-8. The final was another close game as Oak Brook got the best of PFP by a single goal, 10-9. Pedro Manion was MVP and

The annual LeCompte Kalaway Cup, the largest polo event in Chicago, features two matches and attracts about 2,000 spectators.

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

Oak Brook’s Jose Blanco, Mariano Gutierrez, Horacio Onetto and Jim Drury won the Constitution Cup.

Horacio Onetto gets ahead of Matias Obregon in the Oak Brook Polo Open, one of several 8-goal tournaments.

Horacio Onetto’s Alpha was Best Playing Pony.

The largest single polo event in metropolitan Chicago was held Sept. 7 hosted by Barrington Hills Polo Club at Oakwood Farms. The 14th annual LeCompte Kalaway Cup drew about 2,000 spectators for two matches held under sunny skies. The event benefited the Barrington Hills Polo Club and the Riding Club of Barrington Hills to support various facilities and programs provided by the two organizations.

The opener featured a Battle of the Sexes, pitting Great Britian men against an all-female U.S. team.

The British team prevailed, led by MVP Adam Kaminski and his Best Playing Pony Martina.

The Trailer Owners Cup was next with Beaird Dermatology, Barrington Saddlery and The Mike

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

Harrington Family battling in a round robin. Beaird Dermatology won the title and Harrington Family’s Megan West was MVP. Joan-Carles Brugue’s Perla was Best Playing Pony.

The entire Barrington Hills equestrian community participated in the event. The Fox River Valley Pony Club did a demonstration, the Fox River Valley Hunt paraded with its pack of hounds and Timmerman’s Ranch Mounted Drill Team performed. In between games, spectators enjoyed hayrides.

Next up were two money tournaments that benefitted a longtime Chicago player. Tony Sekera, 69, was injured in a polo accident in Aiken, South Carolina in June 2017. He broke two vertebrae and was left paralyzed from the chest down. Since his accident the club has held a fundraiser for him each year to help with ongoing expenses.

This year, two events were held at Oak Brook Polo Club to benefit Sekera: the USPA Master’s Cup and the USPA Arena Master’s Cup. The club raised $25,000 for prize money for the two tournaments, which was matched by the USPA. Winners for both tournaments donated their prize money to Sekera.

The USPA 8-goal Master’s Cup was held Sept. 2029 with four teams competing in a single-elimination format. Oak Brook (Jim Drury, Tomas Obregon, Horacio Onetto, Tony Natale) advanced to the final over PFP (Frauke Lueders, Jan Lueders, Lindor Corvalan, Pedro Manion), 6-5, while G Squared (Larry Aschebrook, Juan Martin Gutierrez, Matias Obregon, Chris Vangel) advanced over Morgan Creek (Dean Kleronomos, Tod Rackley, Matt Sekera, Diego Miquel), 7-1. G Squared Forfeited, handing Oak

Brook the win. Tomas Obregon was named tournament MVP and Horacio Onetto’s Lily was tournament Best Playing Pony.

In the USPA 2- to 6-goal Arena Master’s Cup. Six teams competed for the top prize but it was Bump N’ Babes that came out on top, 7½-6, over Elk Grove in a competitive final. Tomas Obregon was MVP and Chris Vangel’s Patricia was Best Playing Pony.

In preliminary matches, BHPC (Roueen Rafeyan, Megan West, Juan Caset) could only manage one goal in each of its two matches, the first against Tower’s Warriors (Josie Abrogast, Alfredo Aubone, Matias Obregon), which scored six, and the second against Bump N’ Babes (Jennifer Leffingwell, Adrienne Purves, Tomas Obregon), which scored five. Bump N’ Babes then edged Tower’s Warriors, 4-3½ to advance to the final.

In the other division, Elk Grove (Courtney Rohs, Adam Kaminksi, Chris Vangel) edged Go Polo (Karl Jones, Cindy Apitz, Juan Martin Gutierrez), 3-2½. Go Polo shut out Beaver Creek (Jeff Boeh, Billy O’Leary, Jack Murphy), 2½-0 and Elk Grove stopped Beaver Creek, 6-1½.

In late September, Barrington Hills hosted the Rose Cup women’s tournament at the Sanfilippo Estate polo field. Five teams were divided into two brackets. Pinot won the B Flight with Kendra Panhausen taking MVP and Kelcey Roberts’ Galetta named Best Playing Pony. In A Flight, Sanfilippo took the win with Lauren Alderman taking MVP and Megan West’s Dixing taking Best Playing Pony honors.

Youth polo also is on the rise in Chicago and this year, six teams rounded out the NYTS qualifier, offered at two levels. Players were from 12 clubs in

seven states, plus one player from Winnipeg, Canada.

Ardum Farm (Sean Murphy, Will Mudra, Stuart Boland, Aiden Meeker) took the NYTS win. All-stars included Aiden Meeker, Maximo Font, Regan Smith, Jack Whitman, Angus Middleton, Will Mudra and Grace Mudra.

Despite the cooling temperatures, the action didn’t end. The Chicago Polo Association has a newly-formed interscholastic team that competed this fall. In addition, Barrington Hills held weekly arena polo, including two tournaments: The Les Baddeley Memorial and the club’s first ever women’s arena tournament. It also hosted a middle school tournament in late October.

Moving into its third year in 2020, Chicago polo will continue to build on its momentum and look to develop key components of its program, including starting new players, growing beginner and fourchukker polo, continuing to build upon its 8-goal league with local and out-of-state teams, establish a series of 12-goal tournaments and develop more arena polo with the goal of establishing a strong interscholastic presence and winter arena league.

The assocation also plans to host 12-goal and 8goal leagues, along with four-chukker 4-goal polo, beginner leagues, a busy lesson program and youth and women’s tournaments.

For more information about Chicago polo, please contact Mudra by email at pam@chicago-polo.com. If you are part of a polo community that would benefit from launching a regional, cooperative association and would like to continue the conversation, please contact director of club development, Justin Powers at (330) 692-0062.

•

Oak Brook’s Will Mudra, Grace Mudra, Horacio Onetto, Tomas Obregon and Jim Drury won the Officers Cup.

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

Living a dream Texas teen enjoyed competing in English season Words and photos by Alice Gipps

Uechtritz said having the ability to talk strategy and team tactics with Nina Clarkin made so many things click.

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

Though nothing compares to playing your own horses, Uechtritz was happy with the horses she played.

It’s not often an American is part of a British ladies’ polo team for the entire season. Olivia Uechtritz traveled from Texas to set up camp with Alicia Woods’ newly formed La Ruleta team and, together with No. 1 woman player Nina Clarkin and Lucy Taylor, they won almost every tournament they entered.

Ladies polo in the U.K. has always been competitive, however, more recently it has really taken off, and now all the top clubs around the country host events. Most run both 12- and 18-goal polo, and there was a good turnout of teams throughout the season in both levels. La Ruleta dominated the 18-goal level.

The main tournaments started with Black Bears at the end of June and ran all through the British summer to the end of August, finishing with Guards.

La Ruleta won five major trophies, starting off by beating Celine Lawrence’s Tarantula team at Black Bears and continued to take home the trophies from Cirencester and Beaufort, again against Tarantula.

Lila Pearson’s Cowdray Vikings managed to gain a rare win against La Ruleta in the semi-finals of the British Open at Cowdray with some clever tactics devised by Sarah Wiseman and Lottie Lamacraft, which shut down Clarkin from playing to her full potential. Cowdray Vikings also put up a good fight against UAE in the first chukker of the final, however, UAE’s team coach Lucas Monteverde counteracted their tactics and UAE went on to win.

Seven strong teams entered the ladies festival at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club. The final

Uechtritz said it was hard to have a bad day while playing in England.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 39

Uechtritz was MVP in the final of the ladies festival at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club.

saw La Ruleta come up against the sponsored team Inspire4design with Alice Gipps, Kirsty Ottamendi, Charlotte Sweeney and Bryony Taylor, playing as a team for the first time. The advantage of having played all season gave La Ruleta the edge and once again they took home yet another trophy. Uechtritz, who had a phenomenal game, deservedly won MVP. Lastly, at Guards, with an impressive entry of 10 competitive teams, La Ruleta came head to head in the final with H. H. Sheikha Maitha’s UAE team,

After the team’s win at Cirencester, Uechtritz dropped part of the trophy while being sprayed with champagne, then slipped trying to catch it.

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

which included Hazel Jackson-Gaona, Millie Hine and Catalina Lavinia.

“Our hardest game was the final at Guards, having lost to UAE by half a goal in an earlier league game,” explained Woods. La Ruleta re-grouped and came back on fire in the final. It took place on the Queen’s ground in front of the royal pavilion and the team was phenomenal. Clarkin was everywhere while also keeping the team together. Taylor made some clever plays and Uechtritz did a fantastic job taking out opponents as well as having some super ball time while Woods, known for scoring impressive goals all season, once again put points on the scoreboard. The determined team effort gave them a 7½-6 win against UAE, which also secured them the Victor Ludorum series title for the 2019 season, having won four of the five tournaments.

The opportunity for Olivia to travel to the U.K. came about as she had been spotted by Clarkin in France at the ladies Open in Chantilly. Woods then invited her to join the team for 2019 and spend the whole summer in the U.K. Uechtritz grew up playing polocrosse and had occasionally watched her Australian-born father play polo. She played in her first official tournament in 2017 in Chicago and played in France last fall. At home on the family farm, they manage around 35

horses, 16 of which are made polo ponies. The rest are former polocrosse horses, broodmares, youngsters and a few homebreds.

“The ladies polo in the U.K. was very competitive and more open than what I was used to playing.

Throughout the whole season, I don’t think there was one team we played that was easy,” explained Uechtritz.

There was a noticeable difference in her performance from the first games at Black Bears to her final games at Guards. She had much more confidence and was more outgoing.

“There was so much that I learned this summer, but I think one of the most important things was that polo is such a mental game. You can have all the right ingredients to go and play a game, (a well prepared string, a strategy, the right mallets) but if you’re not focused and in the right head-space, then not only will you struggle but your team will struggle,” she said.

Uechtritz described playing with Nina as an absolute dream. “Having the ability to talk strategy, team tactics and just playing the game with her made so many things click and make sense,” she explained.

“Being held responsible and treated like a professional while still being encouraged and supported so much by her was an amazing feeling.

Having someone like Nina give you that much confidence really pushes you to do your best and keep working at it, and I am so incredibly grateful.”

Horse power is vital and sometimes not easy if you are abroad. Olivia said, “Nothing compares to playing

your own horses that you’re use to of course, but I was very lucky to play three super ponies from Leon Allen, two from Nina Clarkin and two from Alicia Woods, all of which I really enjoyed. It makes a huge difference to your game when you feel confident with what you are riding and I was lucky to have a string under me that gave me that confidence.”

When asked if she had missed home at all for such a long stint overseas Olivia replied, “I definitely missed my ponies and my friends that I played with in previous summers at home, but I was having such a great time with La Ruleta and the lovely new friends that I made that it was very hard to have a bad day. Now that I’m home, I find myself really missing my ponies and friends in the UK!” The summer had plenty of memorable moments, a lot of fun and lots of laughs as the team got along so well. Olivia said, “The [memory] that still has everybody laughing is when the champagne was popped open after our win at Cirencester. I was in the middle holding the two-piece trophy when I got splashed, dropped the bottom half of the trophy, and slipped and fell when I went to catch it! The video of it all going down was played on repeat for about a week after.”

Olivia has brought her ponies in from their summer holiday and is getting them in shape so she can continue riding and practicing in preparation for the Florida winter season. She is hoping to also visit and play in Argentina, New Zealand and Australia and anywhere else she can before heading off to college in the fall of 2020.

•

Uechtritz made a noticeable improvement from the beginning of the season until the end.

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

Flying the friendly skies Useful tips for flying horses from Argentina

By Alice Gipps

Former 3-goal player Barry Meyers shipped horses around the world for years before retiring.

Making a trek to Argentina to watch the Argentine Open is a real treat. Watching the best players mounted on endless supplies of the best horses in the most competitive polo in the world is awe-inspiring.

Many visitors take the opportunity to enjoy delicious steak dinners paired with a nice Malbec, shop for polo gear, play a few chukkers and for the lucky ones, purchase a horse or two to bring home.

polo has it played? Then there is the logistics of getting it home.

Alice Gipps sat down with Barry Meyers, a former 3-goal player and bloodstock shipping agent, to get some useful tips on flying horses from Argentina.

Meyers first started shipping horses in 1977, and a dozen years later, he and Japanese business partner Takashi Toriumi founded their horse shipping company, U.S. Equine.

At the height of his career, Meyers traveled the world for work and polo. He and Toriumi flew topclass racehorses and polo ponies worldwide.

This partnership led Meyers to setting up the protocol for Japanese airline Nippon Cargo Airlines to fly horses, something it had never done before.

“There are many vital factors that ensure horses fly safely, from temperature on the plane, to the number of grooms, time frames, space and where to locate the horses on the aircraft,” Meyers explained.

“The Japanese were wonderful about implementing my recommendations and protocols, which was brilliant as it worked really well.”

Consequently, due to smooth running of flights and horses continually delivered safely, NCA became one of the leading horse shipping companies of the time.

Now retired, Meyers took time out of his current hobby restoring classic cars to share his knowledge about flying horses.

Buying horses abroad can be a fun experience, but it can also be tricky. Its important to weigh the added cost of flying a horse home (about $7,500) vs. buying something locally. Further, if the horse doesn’t work out for you, it can be more difficult to exchange it.

Know what you are getting into before deciding to buy a horse abroad. Some horses are handled more than others. Does the horse flinch when you touch it or is it relaxed? Can you easily tack it up on your own? Is it wearing shoes on all four feet and can its feet easily be picked up? Is it easy to catch when turned out? Is it used to being in a stall? How much

What are the first things you should do when you purchase a horse abroad?

Once you decide to purchase a horse, be sure to take detailed photos of all sides and make note of any identifying characteristics. There have been incidents of the wrong horse being sent.

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

How do you choose a shipping company?

Before choosing a company, thoroughly do your research and find one you are confident with.

Is there anything you can do to prepare the horse before it flies?

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

For shipping to the U.S. there is no quarantine in Argentina before they leave, but they have to complete seven days quarantine when they arrive in the U.S. The quarantine is run by the Department of Agriculture.

Quarantine helps ensure horses with diseases are prevented from coming in the country. Diseases that can cause problems when shipping from Argentina include Coggins, EIA, Glanders (fatal to humans) and Equine Piroplasmosis. If a horse is found to have any of these diseases, the quarantine gets shut down and the horse will either be put down or sent back.

When that happens, it can be very costly.

To prevent a problem, have someone in Argentina test for diseases before the horse leaves and, if you know you are going to buy horses ahead of time, arrange for the shipping agent in the U.S. to get you a permit to bring blood back up (making sure it is from the horses you are buying) and have it tested at a U.S. lab. These tests, called courtesy tests, are not that difficult nor that expensive.

Be sure any vet you use in Argentina is reliable.

Years ago, it wasn’t uncommon to hear of a vet take all the samples from one horse to save himself from having to go to different farms. Or to save money, a vet would use the same needle and syringe on all the horses. If one horse was positive, the other horses would get infected but it may not show up for a few weeks. A good agent should have contacts with trustworthy vets.

Additionally, certain areas of the U.S. are seeing cases of things like Eastern and Western Encephalitis. If your new horse will be in an area that has seen cases of these types of diseases, make arrangements to have American vaccines sent to Argentina so the horse can be inoculated before it gets here. A tetanus shot is helpful too and is relatively inexpensive. Often, something that gets them sick intially weakens their immune system and opens the door for secondary infections.

Does the horse’s fitness level make a difference when it comes to traveling?

Horses that are too fit can be pretty wired. Ideally, it is best for the horses to have at least a week or two off since the last time they played before flying, just so they have time to let down. There is no rule, per se, but they will travel better on a full stomach and relaxed attitude.

How many horses travel together?

For the most part, crates are for three horses. Polo ponies typically come in a cattle-penning system that allows for four or five across.

There is no such thing as too much space, especially for a bad traveler. You can purchase additional space for your horse.

Do horses generally travel well?

Most of the time you can read a horse before you load it and after a time you know, but other times you cannot predict what will happen. For instance if the plane hits turbulence, the horse might get knocked down. Some just give up when that happens, while others will scramble in an enclosed space.

Scrambling usually happens when a horse feels something on their barrel or hip, but if a horses has enough space, it generally won’t happen.

When horses are bad travelers, most of the time it is due to a previous bad transport experience.

Horses don’t start that way, it is usually something that developes from a trigger. Many horse experts are not familiar with transport problems.

Do you recommend shipping boots?

Horses should not be bandaged for the plane, especially hind legs unless they have a wound requiring it. If a bandage falls down or gets wrapped around the legs, it is too dangerous for someone to fix it mid-flight. Also, if the bandages are too tight, you can run into problems, such as bowed tendons, when the pressure changes.

Do vets and grooms travel with the horses?

It would be handy to have a vet travel with the horses but it is not always practical as they would have to be licensed in the U.S. When transporting horses to Japan, 90% of the flights had a Californiabased vet on board. It is obviously better but vets almost never travel with the polo ponies coming from Argentina, but grooms do and they are very wellequipped and prepared because they do it all the time.

Even with as few as one horse on board, two grooms go along. It only takes a little mishap, like a horse swinging its head into a groom for things to suddenly go terribly wrong. Often times, you don’t have room for more than two people to go along.

Are horses fed during the flight?

It is best to provide plenty of palatable hay, and no grain. If you remove hay for about two hours before boarding, the horse will be more interested in the hay when it gets on the plane than looking around at all the new things. There is a lot going on, with people hustling around and noise from the elevators. (continued on page 56) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 43

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

Slovakia Ganz KK topped Slovakia Ring Cup Photos courtesy Danube Polo Club

Gábor Rónai

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

Slovakia is known for fast cars and motorbike races, but on Sept. 27-29, spectators were excited to witness the third annual Slovakia Ring Cup at the Danube Polo Club in Hrubá Borša, just over 12 miles from Bratislava. Four teams competed in the tournament.

Polo came to the area in 2005 when the Slovak Association of Equestrian Polo and the Corporex Polo Club, also in Hrubá Borša, were established.

Both entities were founded by Ladislav Agárdi, Argentine polo coach Oscar Caron, Italian David Alemanni and club manager Ezio Cravesano.

Danube Polo Club was founded five years later as a successor to the Corporex Polo Club. Danube Club President Agárdi is an active player and in 2012, was

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

recognized by the Argentine Embassy as a “strong friend of Argentine polo” for developing polo in Slovakia.

Agárdi is hoping to develop a new generation of players and horse trainers while educating the public about the beautiful sport of polo.

The club has a full-size polo field, along with a smaller practice field. The club is home to about 16 polo horses, stabled on the club grounds. Agárdi offers riding and beginner polo lessons for youth and adults throughout the year, and for more experienced students, he can organize play with professional polo players. Players from Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic visit to play from time to time.

Club members have opportunities to play locally and internationally.

The Slovakia Ring Cup welcomed players from Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia.

Teams included Kukkonia (Walter Hiesberger, Gabor Szegedi, Balint Tombor, Levente Szegedi), Vetis (Veronikia Sandorová/Michael Mišik, Dušan Nagy, Adika Fülopová, Alexander Benčiková),

Phillip Zimmerman, Uwe Zimmerman, Gábor Rónai and Szabó Gergö

Ganz KK’s Szabó Gergö, Uwe Zimmerman, Gábor Rónai and Philipp Zimmerman led the parade and were the tournament winners.

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

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

Slovakia Ring (Jitka Šváchová Fuksová, Roman Endt, Clara Mahler, Achim Jähnke), and Ganz KK (Uwe Zimmerman, Phillip Zimmerman, Ronai Gabor, Szabó Gergö. In the end, it was the Ganz KK team with players from La Estancia Polo Club in Hungary. It included father and son Uwe and Phillip Zimmerman. Phillip Zimmerman was The club is home to about 16 horses.

The event drew a large crowd made up of the general public and invited guests.

Club members have opportunities to play locally and internationally.

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

named MVP of the tournament.

The event was held off club grounds, in the Slovakia Ring area. It drew a large crowd, adding to the wonderful atmosphere of the tournament.

Without a long history in the area, polo is still considered an unusual sport. The tournament is helping it form a solid base.

•

U S PA B U L L E T I N

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

(continued from page 13) certainly feels a lot worse if you lose. As I’ve gotten further in my polo career I’ve realized how much of a difference that makes, more and more. It really comes down to the chemistry between teammates because that is what makes playing the game special. To win with friends, people you are committed to and have camaraderie with, is so much more special than winning with a team that does not share mutual trust.

What impact did the Gauntlet of Polo have on the Florida Circuit this year?

Stevie Orthwein played with the Old Hickory Bourbon team in the inaugural Gauntlet of Polo.

showed players not competing that the tournament was accessible. I’m excited to see it elevate in 2020 and hopefully play again.

If you would like to contact Stevie about your club, reach him at sorthweinjr@gmail.com.

•

Pilot’s Matias Gonzalez comes in to challenge Stevie Orthwein in 2019 Gauntlet of Polo action.

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

The inaugural Gauntlet of Polo was a huge success! There were more polo players in Florida and more polo being played at all levels than in recent years. Many of the clubs in the South Florida area felt the impact of the increased number of players, which meant more stalls being rented, more horses being bought and more polo being played. In short, the Gauntlet had a huge trickle-down effect on the Florida polo economy.

Also, not only was the economic impact made by polo and the Gauntlet significant, but for the first time in a long time the players seemed excited for the season. Every team felt like they could beat any other team so every game was high stakes, making for some really exciting and competitive polo. The Gauntlet also brought many new, talented polo players to Florida, which brought life to the tournament and it

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

POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO EASTERN

FLAMING FLAMINGOS TAKES USPA KAREN CARRA MEMORIAL

Paigahs’ Tracy Godey leans on Flaming Flamingo’s Akemi Tinder in the WCT Karen Carra Memorial final at Mountain View Polo Club in Charles Town, West Virginia.

F

our fierce teams battled in the annual USPA Karen Carra Memorial Tournament at Mountain View Polo Club in Charles Town, West Virginia, Sept. 8.

In the end, Flaming Flamingos stood above the rest. Teams were encouraged to wear pink or decorate their horses in pink in honor of Karen Carra’s favorite color.

The semi-finals were played as two chukkers with the winners advancing to a two-chukker final, while the losers

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

played a two-chukker consolation.

Flaming Flamingos (Akemi Tinder, Willow Longerbeam, Sierra Goff) advanced over Brookemont (Karen Simons, Kate Dougherty, Liz Zeller), 4-2, while Paigahs (Shamsiya Shervani, Cate Godey, Tracy Godey) advanced over Red Flames (Robyn Nietert, Claudia Tobler, Nivedita Chauhan) after tying 2-2.

After a nail-biting round of intense chukkers, the Flaming Flamingos prevailed. Sierra Goff was MVP and Dolly,

owned by Mountain View and played

by Goff, was Best Playing Pony.

On Sept. 29, three teams played in the 2-goal arena USPA Paigahs Seahorse Cup. The annual tournament is sponsored by club member Shamsiya Shervani and her company, Paigahs Equestrian Gear. The tournament is named after Shervani’s grandfather, who played polo in India on the Seahorse team. Shamsiya is following in her grandfather’s footsteps as the first woman in her family to play polo.

P O L O

Flaming Flamingos’ Sierra Goff, Willow Longerbeam and Akemi Tinder won the Karen Carra Memorial.

R E P O R T

Brookemont’s Karen Simons, Juan Carlos Gonzalez and Willow Longerbeam won the Paigahs Seahorse Cup.

Participants in the 2nd Annual EPoNa Inter-Academy grass tournament at Congressional Polo Club

Old Farm Vet (Kija Wilson, Blake Truitt, Derek Wilson), Paigah’s Seahorse (Shamsiya Shervani/Sierra Goff, Kevin Yungk, Hugo Pasten) and Brookemont (Karen Simons, Willow Longerbeam, Juan Carlos Gonzalez) battled in a tight round robin.

In the first round, Brookemont downed Old Farm Vet, 6-2. The second round had Paigahs Seahorse double up Old Farm Vet, 6-3, while Brookemont came from behind to top Paigahs Seahorse, 4-2. Paigahs led by two after the first chukker but Brookemont fired back for the win. It was the second year the Brookemont team won the event.

Willow Longerbeam was MVP and Nera, owned by Juan Carlos Gonzalez, was Best Playing Pony.

The players were treated to a deli-

cious home-cooked Indian feast provided by Shamsiya after the match.

The club also participated in four joint club tournaments this season aimed to encourage participation of low-goal players from clubs in the surrounding area, including West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. and North Carolina. These lowgoal tournaments give newer players, timid players and seasoned low-goal players a chance to shine at their level of polo in a competitive but low-stress environment, as well as meet and collaborate with other players in the area.

Hugo Pasten umpired and played a coaching role in all but one event.

Tournaments were hosted by Seneca, Congressional and Mountain View polo clubs.

The clubs came up with their own

rating system for players rated -1 to 0 in order to make teams more equal and place players in the safest flights.

New beginners, beginners and some seasoned beginners participated in the B flight, while other seasoned beginners, low-goal beginners and low-goal players played in A flight.

On July 6, Seneca Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland, hosted the Seneca low-goal classic. Fifteen players from Seneca and Mountain View mixed it up on five teams.

On July 27-28, Mountain View hosted the Mountain View Challenge, an arena tournament with Triangle Area Polo Club. The tournament was played as a round-robin over two days.

Los Defensores (Randy Duane, Tracey Godey and Cate Godey) won the tournament over 97.9 The Hill and Moun-

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

R E P O R T D. JEAN VERGARA

P O L O

Los Chileno USA’s Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Marisa Bianchi and Hugo Pasten won the Delegates Cup.

tain View. Molly Matthews was MVP and Cate Godey’s Zarra was Best Playing Pony.

The following month Congressional Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland, hosted the 2nd annual EPoNa InterAcademy grass tournament. New players and players from arena-only clubs had an opportunity to play on a shortened grass field. Eighteen players were divided into three teams for the event.

On Oct. 19, Seneca Polo Club hosted 18 players in an All-Star tournament. Teams were a mix of players from different clubs in either a straight game or round robin.

Hawkwood’s Martin Estrada, Leandro Berrios, Hesham El Gharby, Barclay Knapp and David Halliday won the Sportsmanship Cup.

LOS CHILENO USA WINS USPA DELEGATES CUP Seneca Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland, hosted the USPA 6- to 9-goal Delegates Cup on Oct. 13. Three teams competed in a round-robin format.

The first round pitted Aviators (Leroy Xiao, Sunny Khan, Nico Eurnekian) and Surface 678 (Tammy Havener, David Brooks, Justin Powers).

Eurnekian struck first and went on to tally four times in the first chukker.

Havener and Brooks each knocked in one added to a half-goal handicap to Hugo Pasten, who served in coaching and umpiring roles, bowls the ball in for the start of the All-Star tournament at Seneca Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland.

keep it close. A pair of goals by Brooks in the second, and then a pony goal put Surface 678 on top but Khan and Eurnekian scored again to give Aviators the 6-5 win.

In the second round, Los Chileno USA gave Surface 678 two handicap goals but it quickly overcame them and then some. Pasten banged in three goals added to a goal from Marisa Bianchi, while holding Surface 678 to a penalty conversion by Powers. The second chukker saw Los Chileno take control with the team combining for seven goals in a row. Powers scored for Surface as the chukker ended but it wasn’t enough and Los Chileno took the 11-4 win.

The final round had Aviators facing a strong Los Chileno team. Eurnekian scored twice for Aviators added to a Penalty 1 but Los Chileno’s Bianchi and Pasten combined for four to take the lead. Los Chileno only got stronger in the second chukker. The team combined for four goals while holding Aviators scoreless. Los Chileno had the win.

Sunny Khan was MVP and Juan Carlos Gonzalez’s Nera was Best Playing Pony.

HAWKWOOD TRIUMPHS IN SPORTSMANSHIP CUP Hawkwood Polo got the best of Wind-

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

CPC won the Last Chance tournament at Santa Barbara Polo Club.

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

R E P O R T

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

P O L O

Bensoleimani.com’s Santi Wulff, Jemma Contreras, Remy Muller and Ben Soleimani won the Wickenden Cup.

mill Duende, 13-5½, in the USPA Sportsmanship Cup played at Tinicum Park Polo Club in Erwinna, Pennsylvania, Oct. 1.

The 3½-goal Windmill Duende (Ann Oniskey, Laura Willson/Cullen Howe, Dennys Santana, Juan Martinez Baez) team fell to the 5-goal Hawkwood Polo (Barclay Knapp, David Halliday/Hesham El Gharby, Leandro Berrios, Martin Estrada).

Umpires Carlos Morales and Joaquin Arduello kept the peace. Dry, rough field conditions made scoring difficult, leading to several missed attempts by both teams in the first half. Santana managed to hit the target and sink two penalty conversions to add to the team’s handicap goals while Estrada scored twice and Knapp once for Hawkwood.

The first half ended with Windmill Duende leading 4½-3.

Hawkwood rallied in the second half, with Estrada, Berrios and El Gharby adding to the onslaught. Windmill Duende made a valiant effort but Hawkwood proved too strong to stop. Berrios was MVP and Estrada’s Sophia was Best Playing Pony.

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

Pony Tail Polo/Noble Warrior’s Susan Guggenheim, Dayelle Fargey, Mia Bray and Shannon McGraw won the women’s invitational at Santa Barbara.

PAC I F I C C OA S T

CPC DOMINATES LAST CHANCE CUP California Polo Club doubled up Barrossa, 4-2, to take the 1-goal Last Chance tournament at Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club in Carpinteria, California, Oct. 15.

Eight teams, made up of players from Santa Barbara and other area clubs, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Central Coast and South Bay as well as Canada, competed in the weekend single-elimination event.

Four four-chukker games were played on Saturday, with Tara Gray Jewelers, Barrossa, Remax/Sotheby’s and CPC advancing into the semis on Sunday. The semis were played as two-

chukker matches. The first saw Tara Grey Jewelers take a quick lead in the first chukker off of two penalty conversions and a field goal

by Claudia Uretz. In the second chukker, with only a few minutes remaining, Ernie Ezcura tied up the match, forcing a shootout. Barrossa moved on to the final. The next semi had CPC taking a two-goal lead after tallies from Alejandro Nordhiemer and Matt Schwartz. The team held the lead through the match to win by three.

The final pitted Barrossa against CPC. Schwartz stretched the field and ran to goal. Barrossa was unable to shut him down and CPC took the win.

Schwartz was named MVP and Ezcura’s Viva was Best Playing Pony.

The previous week, bensoleimani.com/ JC Polo came away the winner in the Jackson Hole Horse Emporium Wickenden Cup. Six teams battled for the title. After the first round, Klentner Ranch, bensoleimani.com/JC Polo and Sapa/ Gipsy Farms were left standing. They played off in a round-robin final.

The first round of the final had Klentner Ranch jump into the lead early but bensoleimani.com/JC Polo rallied to tie the match going into the last

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

DAVID MURRELL

R E P O R T

DAVID MURRELL

P O L O

Lockhart’s Tres de la Paz, Carter Heltzen, Javier Insua and Ariel Rodriguez won the regional Governor’s Cup qualifier.

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

In other action, Pony Tail Polo/Noble Warrior (Susan Guggenheim, Dayelle Fargey, Mia Bray, Shannon McGraw) won the USPA 12-goal WCT Invitational, Oct. 6. Devin Cox was MVP and Mia Bray’s Gossip was Best Playing Pony.

SOUTHWESTERN

CTPA LOCKHART ACES GOVERNORS QUALIFIER The Central Texas Polo Association

hosted the USPA Governors Cup at its Two Wishes Ranch facility in Lockhart, Texas, Oct. 12-13. The event was sponsored by South Padre Island Polo Club.

With temperatures dropping to 60 degrees and a cold wind blowing, spectators were bundled up in blankets when CTPA Austin (Gal Shweiki, Nacho Estrada, Jack Crea, Ron Horne) took on CTPA Lockhart (Tres de la Paz, Carter Heltzen, Javier Insua, Ariel Rodriguez). Lockhart began with a half-goal handicap and Insua and Rodriguez quickly added to it. Crea DAVID MURRELL

chukker. That is when Remy Muller kicked into gear, scoring three in a row to give bensoleimani.com the 7-4 win.

Klentner stayed up in the second round to face Sapa/Gipsy. Klentner again started out strong but was not able to hold on. Max Menini scored four goals to give Sapa/Gipsy the 4-2 win.

In the last round, bensoleimani.com/ JC Polo and Sapa/Gipsy faced off in a fast open game. Bensoleimani.com/JC Polo held a two-goal advantage going into the final chukker. Menini rallied his team once again to knot the score. With time running out, Sapa/Gipsy shot to goal but it went wide, giving bensoleimani.com/JC Polo a knock-in. Santi Von Wernich brought the ball in, making a long pass to Ben Soleimani, who outran his opponent and hit three shots before connecting with the goal at the five-second mark. Bensoleimani.com/JC Polo won the match, 6-5.

Remy Muller was MVP. “Ben, Santi and Jemma are great teammates. We won because we have a great team and a great organization. But, to win a tournament you need a little bit of luck,” Muller explained.

Santi Van Wernich’s Casanova was Best Playing Pony for the second time this season. Wernich counted on her in the last chukker of the first and third round.

Governor’s Cup qualifier Best Playing Pony Carly with Best Sportsman Pud Nieto, rider Mark Osburn and owner Brady Williams.

Jack Crea scored Austin’s first and last goals in the consolation match, the latter for the win.

P O L O

The Villages Insurance’s Paige Beard, Lupe Castro, Miguel LisPlanells and Frankie Bilboa won The Villages 6 goal.

put Austin on the board with a Penalty 4 conversion. Insua responded with back-to-back goals, putting Lockhart ahead 4½-1 at the half.

Crea sunk another penalty and followed up with one from the field but Heltzen responded. Shweiki hit the mark to bring Austin within a goal and a half going into the final chukker. Insua scored a pair of goals in the last chukker while holding Austin scoreless for the win.

The next game had Kanthaka (Sylvia Kampshoff, Andrew Richardson, Phillipp Kampshoff, Agustin Arrayago) taking on South Padre Island (Mark Osburn, Chris Ballard, Pud Nieto, Brady Williams). As the underdogs, SPI started with two goals and both teams were slow to gel.

Numerous fouls led to the first three goals of the game for Kanthaka.

Phillip Kampshoff added the first field goal to give Kanthaka a 4-2 lead.

Osburn responded with a penalty conversion to bring SPI within one, 4-3, but Sylvia Kampshoff scored to end the chukker, 5-3. The second chukker was much closer with the teams trading goals to end the half, 6-4. Kanthaka outscored SPI 2-1 in the third and 4-0 in the fourth to advance to the final.

SPI met Austin in the consolation.

Both teams battled it out, preventing

R E P O R T

Fross & Fross’ Stuart Campbell, Charly Quincoces, Pippa Campbell, Lynn Misner and Sheri McQuown won in The Villages.

the other from scoring in the first chukker. Crea scored the first goal in the second chukker to begin to chip away at the two-goal handicap Austin gave SPI. But Nieto and Ballard connected with the goal to take a 4-1 lead.

Osburn extended the lead off a pass from Nieto but Shweiki shot back with a hat trick to bring Austin within one, 5-4. In the last chukker, Estrada knotted the score. The teams battled for control until, with just a minute on the clock, SPI was caught by the umpire’s whistle. Crea capitalized on the mistake to win the match.

The final seemed to be much faster than the other matches and the shots on goal, more exciting. Rodriguez struck first for Lockhart, added to a half-goal handicap, but Arrayago responded with one of his own. The chukker ended with Rodriguez sinking a beautiful neck shot. Phillip Kampshoff and Arrayago both connected in the second chukker while Lockhart was held scoreless, giving Kanthaka a first-time lead, 3-2½, at the half.

Rodriguez got Lockhart rolling in the third with a pair of goals shot at speed, that went unanswered. With Lockhart now ahead, 4½-3, neither team scored in the first three minutes of the last chukker. The teams traded penalty conversions before Heltzen

took off with the ball, running threequarters the length of the field to score an assurance goal, 6½-4.

Phillipp Kampshoff was named MVP; Carly, ridden by Mark Osburn and owned by Brady Williams, was Best Playing Pony; and Pud Nieto took the Sportsmanship Award.

FLORIDA

VILLAGES INSURANCE TOPS 6-GOAL CUP The Villages Insurance topped a threeteam round robin to win the title in The Villages Polo Club 6-goal at The Villages Polo Club in The Villages, Florida, Oct. 13.

The teams battled over two days.

On the first day, The Villages Insurance (Miguel Lis-Planells, Lord Lyall, Paige McCabe, Frankie Bilbao) edged Galaxy Home Solutions (Megan Okerlund, Roberto Narvaja, Sergio Arias, Charly Quincoces), 4-3, and Fross & Fross (Larry Nelson, Theresa Mull, Nick Johnson, Francisco Llosa), 4-2.

Fross & Fross tied Galaxy, 3-3, in the final round.

The scores carried over from the previous day when The Villages Insurance got the best of Fross & Fross, 8-5.

Llosa, Johnson and Christian Gomez,

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

CHUKKERTV FOR GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB

POLO REPORT

Citizens First’s Nick Johnston, Sheri McQuown, Lynn Misner, Paige McCabe and Frankie Bilbao won The Villages 8 goal.

filing in for Nelson, tallied for Fross & Fross. Lis-Planells, McCabe and Lupe Castro, filling in for Lord Lyall, accounted for Insurance’s goals.

In the next round, Insurance downed Galaxy Home Solutions, 9-7.

The teams each scored twice in the first and once in the second. Down 7-6 going into the final chukker, Galaxy worked hard to catch up. It knotted the score early in the chukker, but Insurance scored twice in the last two minutes for the win.

The last round went to Fross & Fross, which outscored Galaxy 6-2, thanks to Johnson and Llosa. Okerlund scored both of Galaxy’s goals.

The next week, Charly Quincoces led Fross & Fross to victory in the 6goal The Villages Healthcare tournament, 9-8. The final pitted Fross & Fross (Sheri McQuown/Lynn Misner, Pippa Campbell, Charly Quincoces, Stuart Campbell) against Citizen’s First (Miguel Lis-Planells, Meghan Okerlund, Paige McCabe, Nick Johnson). The teams started level, and Johnson put Citizens on the board first, but Quincoces responded with back-to-back goals for a narrow lead.

Quincoces traded goals with Okerlund in the second and third and Pippa Campbell added another to keep Fross & Fross ahead, 5-4, at the half.

Fross & Fross kept one step ahead

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

Casablanca’s Jason Crowder, Brandon Phillips, Grant Ganzi and Juancito Bollini won the U.S. Trust Cup.

until the fifth chukker when goals by Lis-Planells and Okerlund knotted the score at 7-7. Johnson tipped the scales in Citizen’s favor early in the sixth but Quincoces tied it up with three minutes left. Time ran out with the teams still tied, so overtime was need to determine a winner. Just two-and-ahalf minutes into overtime, Quincoces scored his eighth goal for the win.

In the consolation, Jimmy Wetter registered six goals to push Ardens Jewelers to a 9-6 win over United Healthcare.

In the Property of The Villages 8goal Cup, Citizens First Bank (Sheri McQuown, Paige McCabe, Nick Johnson, Frankie Bilbao, Lynn Misner) came from behind to defeat Galaxy Home Solutions (Kelly Beck, Winship Rees, Juan Valerdi, Stuart Campbell), 11-10, in a foul-riddled match.

Galaxy began with a handicap goal and Valerdi added to it with a hat trick in the first chukker. Bilbao sunk a penalty at the end of the chukker to put Citizen’s on the board. Bilbao added another penalty conversion in the second added to a goal from Johnson while holding Valerdi to a goal.

Two more penalty conversions by Bilbao in the third and a penalty conversion from Valerdi knotted the score at 6-all at the half.

The teams traded penalty conver-

sions in the fourth and fifth but a field goal by Rees in the fifth tipped the scales in Galaxy’s favor. Bilbao’s penalty conversion in the sixth leveled the score. He then traded penalty conversions with Valerdi before breaking the tie with a field goal with 1:22 left.

Galaxy was unable to respond and Citizen’s held on for the win.

In the consolation, Arden’s Fine Jewelers topped United Healthcare, 11-8.

CASABLANCA CAPTURES U.S. TRUST CUP IN FL Casablanca won Grand Champions Polo Club’s fall season opener, Oct. 20. The club is located in Wellington, Florida. The season was set to open the previous week, however rain postponed the action.

Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Brandon Phillips, Jason Crowder) defeated Audi (Santos Bollini, Marc Ganzi, Sterling Giannico, Nic Roldan), 5-0, and FlexJet (Melissa Ganzi, Pablo Spinacci, Kris Kampsen, Juan Bollini), 5-4, in round-robin play.

Crowder, who scored four goals in six chukkers, was MVP. Flashdance, a 12-year-old Chestnut mare, played and owned by Grant Ganzi, was Best Playing Pony.

CHUKKERTV FOR GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB

R E P O R T

CHUKKERTV FOR GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB

P O L O

Sebucan’s Santos Bollini, Kris Kampsen, Nic Roldan and Pablo Pulido won the Fall Classic.

Casablanca, buoyed by talent and great chemistry, got balanced play from all four of its players. In the opening three-chukker game, Casablanca jumped on Audi for a 2-0 lead after the opening chukker and was relentless in the final two chukkers, not allowing Audi to mount any kind of offensive attack. Audi had its scoring opportunities but could not capitalize.

“We didn’t think it was going to be easy after that, it’s a whole new second half,” Crowder said. “We had to keep going. We couldn’t let up just because the first three went our way. FlexJet was a completely different team.”

In the second game, Audi found its offense behind Santos Bollini, celebrating his 20th birthday, who scored two goals, but could only manage a 44 tie with FlexJet, led by Kampsen with three goals.

In the third and final game, FlexJet dominated the first two chukkers behind goals by Juan Bollini and one

by Melissa Ganzi for leads of 2-1 and 3-2. A brief rainshower early in the second chukker passed through, which seemed to sway the momentum.

Crowder scored back-to-back goals, the first one to cut FlexJet’s lead to one late in the second chukker and the second to tie the game, 3-3, early

in the third chukker.

Juancito BolliNewport’s Jason Crowder and Sebucan’s Kris ni’s goal with 1:35 Kampsen race for the ball in the Fall Classic. gave Casablanca a 4-3 lead and Grant Ganzi scored for a 5-3 lead. FlexJet Spinacci’s 6-year-old Silver was Best scored again before time ran out.

Playing Pony.

Two days earlier, the same three In the opening game, Sebucan teams played off in the Tackeria Inviopened with its Friday 9-5 lead and tational. Flexjet took the title. quickly jumped out again for leads of In early November, Sebucan (San11-6 and 12-8 after two chukkers. tos Bollini, Pablo Pulido, Nic Roldan, Grand Champions could not dig itself Kris Kampsen) dominated the field to out of a hole. win the Fall Classic for the second year In the second game, Newport in a row. It topped Newport (Gene opened with its 6-4 Friday lead over Goldstein, Jason Crowder, Pablo Grand Champions and never relinSpinacci, Juan Bollini) and Grand quished it. Newport led 8-4 and 10-6 Champions (Sugar Erskine, Sterling after two chukkers behind Spinacci and Giannico, Brandon Phillips, Tito GauGoldstein. In the second chukker, Golddenzi) in round robin play. stein’s goal gave Newport a 9-4 lead.

With the scores carried over from Grand Champions had its share of scorFriday’s three round robin games, ing opportunities but came up short.

Sebucan defeated Grand Champions, In the third and final game, Sebu15-10, in the opening game and Newcan opened with a 6-4 lead and led by port, 9-8, in the final game. In the sectwo goals for most of the game. Newond game, Newport defeated Grand port missed scoring opportunities Champions, 10-7. again, which Sebucan took advantage Sebucan finished with 24 total of. A steady rain in the third chukker goals, Newport had 18 and Grand made it interesting. Newport Champions had 17 on Sunday. Over outscored Sebucan, 2-1, with goals two days, Sebucan’s potent offense had from Crowder and Bollini but could 39 goals, Newport 28 and Grand get no closer with Sebucan clinching Champions 26. the win.

Nic Roldan was MVP and Pablo —Sharon Robb •

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

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

(continued from page 43) The odd horse won’t eat at all on a plane when its moving but when it stops, it will eat like its never eaten before. Most horses have a one-track mind and will eat everything during the flight.

I sent remnants of the Colonel Suarez string back to Argentina out of Houston in 1980. They brought 60 ponies to play in the Copa Americas, then had a sale before leaving, taking the rest of the ponies back with an Argentine carrier.

The federal vet wouldn’t sign the papers and let the plane take off until hay and water was loaded on the plane. Even so, they would taxi down the runway, then stop, unload the hay and water and take off!

Luckily, such practices are no longer allowed nor are the use of muzzles. Horses need to be hydrated. The heart of my game was always the horses. I wouldn’t have had any game if I didn’t have horses so they got fed before I did.

How is plane temperature important?

Ideally, horses are most comfortable with the temperature at about 40 degrees but that’s a little cool for most people so it is usually set at 50 degrees.

The horses produce heat inside the stalls, so higher temperatures leave the horses irritable, causing unnecessary problems.

The jet vibration usually has a tranquilizing effect and many horses are quiet and just go to sleep if they are comfortable. It is not uncommon to see all the horses nodding off. We don’t wake them to feed or water them but if they are awake, we always offer water.

Do horses lose weight traveling?

Some horses do lose weight, but they do better if they don’t have to be tranquilized. I prefer not tranquilizing on a flight, but for some horses it is safer for the horse and the grooms.

The tranquilizer Ace is a vasodilator and its very dry in the aircraft since there is no humidity. Ace makes the horse urinate more and less likely to drink so these horses tend to lose more water and thus more weight.

Is there a better time of year to fly horses from South America?

The ideal time to bring horses from Argentina to the U.S. is the end of March or April. The transition for weather is good then because its about the same length of daylight and the temperatures are similar.

They might be starting to get a winter coat, but will usually shed it in a few weeks. If not, clipping 56 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

will speed up the process.

If a horse arrives during the summer in Florida with a winter coat, for example, you can make arrangements to have someone (known to the quarantine facility) clip them while they are in quarantine.

Where do most horses fly into when coming from Argentina?

It varies but most come through Miami and will complete their quarantine there. Owners will have to make ground transportation arrangements from there.

What should owners expect during quarantine?

If the USDA is convinced horses are free of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, they may shorten quarantine time to three days. Currently, the required quarantine from Argentina is seven days.

In quarantine, horses’ temperatures will be taken twice a day, at the same times each day. Horses will have to have three normal temperatures in a row before they will be permitted to leave.

What should owners look out for after they leave quarantine?

If your new horse has a long way to travel from quarantine to your farm, be sure the person driving the rig will look after it and take it off the trailer rather than driving straight through.

It is good to keep an eye on them for a couple of weeks. Sometimes horses get shipping fever. It is not contagious but they will run a fever for anywhere from a day to a week. Most come out of it but it can become severe.

Any tips for once they arrive at your farm?

Give the horse electrolytes in a warm mash and offer plenty of protein. Horses in Argentina are generally used to getting fed alfalfa so it is good to feed them what they are used to.

It is best for horses to eat hay off the floor for better airflow and to reduce the chance of respiratory problems.

Also, initially keep them separate from the rest of the horses on your farm just in case they have a mild illness brewing. The best thing you can do is monitor them for several weeks.

Give the horse a month off to get acclimated and start back in light work before getting it playing fit.

Flying is not fun for a horse and the more time off you give it after, the better chance you have of getting the horse you tried back in Argentina rather than one that is stressed.

•

POLO SCENE

(continued from page 22)

The event was part of the State Department’s People to People trip for the 2500th anniversary of Persia, hosted by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran.

More recent polo scenes include Myopia’s East Coast Open, key local tournaments and the nearby Harvard Polo Team.

A plethora of period pieces–notable bits, bridles, saddles (including side saddles)–with full explanations abound. The noted Ledyard and Groton House horse trials, including Princess Anne and top U.S. Jumper Bruce Davidson are featured. Given the museum’s longtime motto “Celebrating Childhood, Connecting Generations, Honoring Heritage,” the display includes a small “pasture” full of interactive horse activities to engage youngsters.

The museum exhibit also includes a side-trip to a nearby family farm where all the papers and memorabilia, including cavalry riding and polo, of the late Gen. George S. Patton, a one-time local resident, are on display. For more information go to wenhammusuem.org.

—Crocker Snow

The exhibit features Myopia’s East Coast Open, local tournaments and the Harvard Polo Team.

A five-minute scene in “The Thomas Crown Affair” was filmed at Myopia’s Gibney field.

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

(continued from page 19)

powder in a plastic baggie, then wonder how much to give. If they no longer have the label, there is no way to know the concentration of that powder, without laboratory analysis,” says Freckleton. Save the original package, and always read the label. It may say to give one scoop. So don’t lose the scoop!

If you own a horse that has trouble with bute, avoid this drug. “This is easier to do now, since we have Equioxx, which acts a little differently. It’s a COX2 inhibitor, and does not produce a lot of the side effects that bute may cause. It’s a little more expensive than bute, about the same price as Banamine paste, and cheaper than giving a horse

Don’t give bute prior to calling the vet to diagnose lameness. The vet must see the lameness to pinpoint the problem.

bute and Gastrogard,” she says. Not every horse needs this instead of bute, but for the ones that can’t handle bute, this is a good alternative.

Side effects that can occur with bute are the reason this is a prescription product, to be given to a certain horse in a certain dosage, as recommended by your veterinarian. “This is why you should not hand it to your neighbor to give, without a veterinarian saying that horse should receive it,” she says.

When using bute or any other NSAID, take your horse’s temperature before you give the drug. Any anti-inflammatory drug will lower a fever, and may make the horse feel better and mask the pain of lameness. “If you misdiagnosed something and then call the veterinarian, and the horse’s temperature is taken after you’ve given the bute, it won’t

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

give a true picture. If your horse has a minor lameness, don’t give him bute before you call the vet to come diagnose the lameness. The veterinarian must be able to see the lameness to pinpoint the problem,” explains Freckleton.

Bute study A study at Louisiana State University about 10 years ago looked at the pathological effects of bute on the right dorsal colon in horses. The researchers administered bute orally (at a rate of 8.8 mg/kg of body weight, which is a typical daily dose) once a day for two weeks, to one group of horses, and a placebo to another group. The purpose of the study was to assess the systemic effects of routine doses of bute on healthy horses.

Some of the horses receiving bute showed lower than normal levels of albumin and white blood cells during the first three days of treatment, along with increased arterial blood flow to the right dorsal colon, and decreased volatile fatty acid production in the colon. Two of the horses receiving bute developed colitis (inflammation of the colon) during the 21-day study period. These results demonstrate the extreme variability in how horses tolerate bute.

“The low albumin would probably be the result of gut inflammation. The bute may be causing some low-grade inflammation that we don’t realize just by looking at the horse. I wouldn’t necessarily be alarmed by this, in the average healthy horse that needs the medication,” says Freckleton. “But reminds us that with prescription drugs, we should not just give it to a horse unless the horse really needs it.”

One advantage with bute is that it has been around a long time and we’ve had a chance to study it more than some of the newer drugs or alternative therapies. “We’ve studied it a lot more than the herbal treatments some people like to give as an alternative. There are a number of herbal products that may or may not help the horse, and we don’t know what the side effects might be. We don’t know if these herbal products are effective and we don’t know if they have adverse side effect,” she said. Just because something is “natural” does not mean it is better, or safer. There are many “natural” poisons.

“We can get the same compound that is in aspirin from willow bark, but you don’t know how much of that compound is in any given batch, and it also has side effects,” says Freckleton. Just because something is natural does not mean it is any safer than a prescription drug.

•

Y E S T E RY E A R S

Polo in India Good fields and ponies welcome players

The 1930 Bangalore Gymkhana Club’s Open and Junior Handicap tournaments were well-filled, though it was hoped that there would have been entries from Jodhpur and Bobbili from Ooty.

Entries were made from Secunderabad, but the political situation prevented these teams from leaving their station. The Open Handicap, for a challenge cup presented by H.H. The Maharaja of Mysore, produced some very high standard polo. The holders, the 8th K.G.O. Light Cavalry, were unable to get leave from Secunderabad, and the final resulted in a very hard fight between the Royals and Indore. The Royals, giving Indore 1½ goals, were just able to beat them by scoring 2 goals. Indore had come a thousand miles for the tournament. H.H. The Maharaja of Travancore presented small cups for the winners.

The Junior Handicap tournament was for a challenge cup, presented by the Raja of Bobbili. The holders, the Q.V.O. Madras Sappers and Miners, were beaten in the first round by Indore and the final was between Mysore Gymkhana and Mysore Lancers. The former played extraordinarily well, Jemadar Dasarat Rao being an outstanding player; they won by 5 goals to 1 after starting all square.

H.H. The Maharaja of Venkatagiri presented small cups for the winners. The tournaments were played on the palace ground of H.H. The Maharaja of

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

Mysore, who very kindly allowed the Gymkhana Club to use this ground for their tournaments. This was a lovely ground, kept in perfect order and only used on these occasions, His Highness being too busy to play, though he was a keen player in his day. It was in beautiful surroundings within the palace grounds, with a grandstand and a banked side for spectators.

Large crowds attended every day. The teams in the finals were as follows: The Open Handicap The Royals (Mr. Peake, Mr. Scott, Maj. Fitzgerald, Capt. Wilson). Team handicap 10.

Indore (Jemdr. Shabaz Khan, Capt. Mohd. Shafi, Maj. Hirasingh, Gen. Bhawani Singh). Team handicap 7.

Junior Handicap Mysore Gymkhana (R.S. Nanjara Urs., Jemdr.

Karim Beg, Jemdr. Sayed Hussein, Jemdr. Dasarat Rae). Team Handicap 5.

Mysore Lancers (Jemdr. Abdul Rajack, Daff. Maj. Krishna Rae, Mr. Basavaraj Usa, Jemdr. Khader Khan). Team handicap 5.

Quetta Unlimited Handicap The semifinals of the Quetta Unlimited Handicap

Y E S T E RY E A R S

polo tournament were decided on Aug. 1. Despite bad weather, the attendance was large. The first match was between the 15th Lancers (Mr. J.H. Fell, Mr. C. Ridley, Capt. R.N. Lovett, Capt. G.G. Collyns) and the Scinde Horse “A” (Mr. R.J. Benwell, Capt. G.M. Stroud, Capt. F.W.S. Watkins, Capt. I.F. Hossack), who conceded 2½ goals on the handicap and won by 7-2½.

The second match had Staff College A (Capt. K. Hatch, Lt. Col. T.W. Corbett, Capt. G.F. Bunbury, Capt. C.E.L. Harris) defeat Royal Artillery (Mr. A.T. Edgington, Mr. R.G. Chevis, Mr. J.M.L. Crawford, Maj. C.W. Bayne Jardine), 11-7, after Royal Artillery received six goals.

In the final, the Scinde Horse A defeated the Staff College, 4½-3. Receiving 1½ goals on handicap, the winners led by 4½-0 to end the second chukker, but after this the Staff College settled down to play a determined game. They were, however, a little too late in clinching the match.

The final of the Quetta Extra Unlimited polo tournament was played on Aug. 27 between the 15th Lancers and the Hopefuls. It was a hard-fought match in which the Lancers were victorious, 5-4, in an extra chukker with widened goals being played.

Considering that the Lancers were a much superior side the Hopefuls put up a credible display in spite of having started plus-3 goals on handicap.

The Scinde Horse (Mr. R.J. Benwell, Capt. G.M. Stroud, Capt. G.W.S. Watkins, Capt. I.F. Hossack) met the 15th Lancers (Mr. C. Ridley, Capt. R.N. Lovett, Capt. J.A. Greenway, Lt. Col. J. St. C.D. Stewart) in the six chukker match and beat them 9-4. A large gathering turned out to witness the only six chukker match of the season, and splendid polo was seen.

Mysore Gymkhana, winners of the Bangalore Junior Handicap Tournament

Abbottabad The last two chukkers in the Abbottabad Summer American polo tournament were played on Aug. 9.

Unfortunately an interesting day was marred by an accident to Col. Campion, who in a collision in the first match sustained a broken collarbone and slight concussion. The class of polo varied somewhat in both games, but at times the spectators witnessed an exhibition of clean hitting and good team work. The competition was won by the Wild Birds, who were successful in all three matches that they played, the Hazara Mountain Battery being second with two wins and one defeat.

Secunderabad Good polo was witnessed at the Bowenpilly ground on Aug. 22 when Nawab Salar Jung’s A team, represented by Mr. Armstrong, Nawab Shah Nawaz Jung, Mr. Towfeek Ali and Mr. Omar Daraz Khan, POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 61

Y E S T E RY E A R S

H.H. the Maharaja of Kashmir’s string had close to 70 quality playing ponies.

beat the 8th King George’s Own Light Cavalry, comprising Risaldar Syed Amir-ud-Din, Mr. J.W. C. Platt, Mr. J.M.W. Martin and Maj. F.H. Worlledge, in the final of the Secunderabad Low Handicap tournament by 5-2. The Cavalry received one goal on the handicap. Four silver trophies were presented to the winners by Nawab Salar Jung Bahadur.

Poona The final of the Poona Midsummer polo tournament was played on Sept. 1 between the local D (Capt. Battiscombe, Lt. Shillington, Maj. Watkis, Risaldar Sant Singh) and A (Lt. Howard, Lt. Pets, Capt. Picken, Capt. Brunter) teams. It was a bad game, but scrappy in places, D winning 4-2. The first chukker saw D open the scoring through Watkis, with Picken equalizing with a penalty. Battiscombe gave D the lead again as the bugle went. The second chukker proved goal-less There were frequent misses. Picken again equalized for A as the bugle sounded at the end of the third chukker. D scored twice in the last chukker through Battiscombe and Watkis.

Notes from Kashmir I have been up here, writes a correspondent from Srinagar, Kashmir, about a fortnight, having spent the hot weather down in the Plains at Meerut, and it is a great relief to once more get cool. I arrived here in the middle of a polo tournament, the Srinager High Handicap, for a challenge cup presented by Her Highness Shree Maharani Sisodhaniji and four miniature cups presented by Mr. W. Nedoou.

The entries were H.H. the Maharaja of Kashmir’s team (Maj. Rajkumar Jaichand, 1; Jamadar 62 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Gandharbsingh, 3; Col. Nawab Khusru Jung, 5; H.H. the Maharaja of Kashmir, 4), Hopefuls (Jamadar Sirdar Ali, 0; Capt. Krishensingh, 0; Daffadar Waryamsingh, 0; Risaldar Daleepsingh, 1), Pilgrims (Lt. Nasibsingh, 0; Capt. M.W. Reed, 3; Capt. P.B. Sanger, 5; Co. R. Anderson, 4), Raiders (Thakur Ramsingh, 0; Capt. Faqirsingh, 1; Maj. W.a.

Broadfoot, 5; Brig. H. Bethell, 3) and Palace Team (Rajkumar Padamdevsingh, 0; Capt. Mohd. Yasin Khan,4; Capt. M. Anoopsingh, 4; Maj. Devisingh, 1).

I motored up through Lahore, Rawalpindi and Murree, some 800 miles, and through most delightful scenery, although in places the road was rather narrow, with perhaps a drop of a hundred feet between oneself and “the great majority.”

His Highness the Maharaja of Kashmir, a great sportsman, is one of the very keenest of supporters of polo, and has a stud consisting of close to 70 playing ponies, all of which have been most carefully selected.

He pays the best price for any pony that he thinks will suit either himself or one of his team, and will give as much as 14,000 rupees (over a thousand pounds) for any pony that he likes. And what is also appreciated is the promptness of the check as soon as the pony has been vetted sound.

These prompt and business-like transactions go a tremendous long way in the cause of polo in this country, and have naturally helped man a promising young player into a prominent position in the polo world. Thus the Maharaja of Kashmir has collected one of the finest studs of polo ponies in this country, consisting of Thoroughbred, English, Australian and the Indian Country-bred. Several of the lastmentioned come from the famous Vanrenen Stud. If

Y E S T E RY E A R S

Action in the Srinagar High Handicap Tournament between Kashmir and the Pilgrims.

these ponies went to America and were auctioned there, I am sure they would show a goodly profit on the original outlay.

Polo is played three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) throughout the season, which commences in June and ends in September. Three challenge cups are played for during this time. These cups are graciously presented by Her Highness Maharani Sesodhaniji, Her Highness Maharani Katochiji and His Highness himself.

His Highness has two of the most attractive polo grounds one can wish to play on, both full-size, with the most excellent turf imaginable. The richness of the soil of these keeps three motor-mowers in constant use. There are also riding schools and schooling grounds nearby. New elaborate stables are being built, also some excellent paddocks and grass and forage farms laid out.

Owing to the political situation and the activities on the Frontier, polo this season was not at its best, as, at the invitation of His Highness, the 15th/19th Hussars at Risalpur and the 9th Lancers of Sialkot were coming to play here, bringing some 60 or 70 ponies with them, as well as many other players from other parts of India, but were unable to avail themselves of this kind of invitation. Any keen polo player who brings a pony or two to Kashmir is always given every encouragement and more than a kindly welcome by the Maharaja. Anyone wishing to play was encouraged to write to His Highness’ personal secretary, Srinagar. There were plenty of stables to be had at Nedou’s Hotel, which is opposite the polo grounds, where there were some 50 boxes, at 8 rupees per month a box. Forage could be bought at moderate

rates.

In addition to these polo grounds at Srinagar, there was another polo ground at Gulmarg, some 10,000 feet up in the hills, and 29 miles away from the city of Srinagar. Gulmarg later become a famous golfing resort. This polo ground was not being played on, and was allowed to become a golf practice ground, while His Highness’ residence at Gulmarg was generously given as an emergency hospital.

His Highness was a strong hitter, had a marvelous eye and was a sure shot at goal, even from the 60-yard line, so he was thoroughly well worth his 4-goal handicap. He and Col. Khusru Jung, his popular personal secretary, formed a powerful defense of their team, which won many tournaments in the 1930 season.

The Maharaja and Col. Khusru Jung were occasionally seen playing in England, providing the dates of the Round Table Conference allowed time.

However, some half a dozen ponies were purchased in England, with a view to playing there if possible, and then proceeding to Cannes on their way back to India. Srinagar was situated on the River Jhellum, which runs through the heart of the city, with the famous Dal Lake in close proximity. On non-polo days, it had wonderful fishing, shooting and golf. On the lake, there were bathing and picnic parties galore. There was a proposition to build an enormous boulevard around this lake, which would be about six to seven miles, and attractive villas looking over it.

• Adapted from the October 1930 article in The Polo Monthly.

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

CALENDAR

December / January

NOV E M B E R 3 0 - D E C E M B E R 1 Arena Women’s Challenge (0-12) East Texas, Kaufman, Tx National Arena Delegates Cup (6-9) Empire, Indio, CA DECEMBER 1 Congressional Cup Mauna Kea, Kamuela, HI D E C E M B E R 3 - 14 Women’s Argentine Open Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina DECEMBER 6-7 Masters Cup Arizona, Casa Grande, AZ DECEMBER 6-22 La Dalilia and Tato’s Mallets Cup (4-6) Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL DECEMBER 7 Clinic and Seminar Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL Annual Christmas Polo Cup Dallas, Red Oak, TX DECEMBER 7-8 Coyote Cup Arena Empire, Indio, CA DECEMBER 8 Sportsmanship Cup Mauna Kea, Kamuela, HI D E C E M B E R 14 - 1 5 Linfoot Polo Clinic Eldorado, Indio, CA Jackalope Cup (4) Empire, Indio, CA D E C E M B E R 15 Players Cup (0-4) Mauna Kea, Kamuela, HI D E C E M B E R 19 - 2 0 World Snow Polo Championship Rio Grande Park, Aspen, CO DECEMBER 20-28 Governors Cup Sarasota, Sarasota, FL

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

D E C E M B E R 21 Holiday Party Poway, Poway, CA Clinic and Seminar Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL D E C E M B E R 21 - 2 2 Holiday Cup (4) Empire, Indio, CA Admiral Chester Nimitz Arena 101, Scottsdale, AZ DECEMBER 27-29 Women’s Challenge (8-12, 14-18) Eldorado, Indio, CA D E C E M B E R 2 7 - 31 SAO Memorial Family Cup (4-6) Port Mayaca, Port Mayaca, FL D E C E M B E R 27 - JA N UA RY 4 Congressional Cup (6-8) Costa Careyes, Jalisco, Mexico DECEMBER 28 Victory Cup US-290, Fredericksburg, TX D E C E M B E R 2 8 - JA N UA RY 5 Stagecoach Challenge (4) Coachella Cup (8) Empire, Indio, CA DECEMBER 29 Herbie Pennell Cup (18) IPC, Wellington, FL

JA N UA RY 10 - 2 6 USPA Sportsmanship Cup (8) Empire, Indio, CA J A N U A R Y 11 - 2 6 USPA Sportsmanship Cup (4) Empire, Indio, CA J A N U A R Y 11 - F E B R U A R Y 2 Ylvisaker Cup (18) IPC, Wellington, FL JA N UA RY 15 - 2 9 USPA Governors Cup (6) Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL J A N U A R Y 16 - 19 18th Bendura Bank Snow Polo Münichauer Wiese, Reith bei Kitzbühel

J A N U A R Y 16 - F E B R U A R Y 1 Shady Lady (6) Port Mayaca, Port Mayaca, FL JA N UA RY 18 - 2 6 Coachella Valley Officers Cup (4, 8) Eldorado, Indio, CA J A N U A R Y 1 8 - 31 USPA Constitution Cup (6) Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL

JA N UA RY 2 4 - 2 6 Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, Switzerland IMAGES OF POLO

N O V E M B E R 16 - D E C E M B E R 14 Argentine Open Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

JA N UA RY 1 - 12 Joe Barry Cup (18) IPC, Wellington, FL J A N U A R Y 1 - 14 Congressional Cup (0-6) Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL JA N UA RY 2 - 10 U.S. Arena Open (12-20) IPC, Wellington, FL JA N UA RY 4 - 12 USPA Mack & Madely Jason Memorial World Gym Tournament Eldorado, Indio, CA J A N U A R Y 4 - 17 USPA George S. Patton (0-4) Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL

J A N U A R Y 31 - F E B R U A R Y 9 Carlton & Keleen Beal Cup (4) Eldorado, Indio, CA USPA Reg. President’s Cup (8) Empire, Indio, CA