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Sunset Hale 1968-2017
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CONTENTS A P R I L 201 7
VOL. 20,
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
26 High praise
USPA BULLETIN
Polo greats honored at gala event
30 Making a difference
6 Association news 10 Instructors Forum
32 My Way by Gwen Rizzo
12 Wrist Shots
40-goal match benefits injured players and grooms
by Tom Goodspeed
Sunny Hale lived her life on her terms
by Dan Harvey Pedrick Equine Athlete by Heather Smith Thomas Polo Scene News, notes, trends & quotes
14 18 22 Team USPA 24 Intercollegiate/Interscholastic 40 Polo in the Pampas
36 It takes a Village by Kameron St. Clare Club looks beyond the horizon
A P R I L 2 01 7
OUR COVER Sunny Hale was an inspiration to many women and championed women’s polo Photo by: David Lominksa/Polographics Sunset Hale 1968-2017
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NO. 8
44 58 59 60
by Ernesto Rodriguez
Global Calendar Marketplace Yesteryears POLO REPORT
48 Tournament results
STG Triumphs in President’s Cup
OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN SIGNED COLUMNS ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLISHERS OF THIS MAGAZINE.
THE OFFICIAL MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE UNITED STATES POLO ASSOCIATION
Editor & Publisher GWEN D. RIZZO Deputy Editor STEVEN A. RIZZO Contributing Editors
HEATHER SMITH THOMAS, ERNESTO RODRIGUEZ, ALICE GIPPS, CHRIS ASHTON, TOM GOODSPEED
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©Copyright 2017 by USPA Global LLC. No part of this issue may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process without written permission of the publisher. Paul Brown illustrations are ©2016 and are reprinted by permission of Paul Brown Studios, Inc., P.O. Box 925, Hedgesville, WV 25427. Subscription rates: $48/one year, $82/two years. Other countries (air mail), $81 drawn on U.S. bank/one year, $148 drawn on U.S. bank/two years. (GST:134989508). Subscription problems call (561) 968-5208. VOL. 20, No.8 POLO Players’ Edition (ISSN #1096-2255) is published monthly by Rizzo Management Corp. 6008 Reynolds RD, Lake Worth, FL 33449 for U.S. Polo Association, 9011 Lake Worth RD, Lake Worth, FL 33467. Periodicals postage paid at West Palm Beach, FL and additional mailing offices. (USPS: 079-770). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Polo Players’ Edition, 6008 Reynolds RD, Lake Worth, FL 33449. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement No. 40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Imex Global, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.
4 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
From CEO Duncan Huyler The Wellington, Florida area experienced a diverse series of equine sports this winter. Polo bookended Friday night dressage and Saturday night show jumping with the traditional Sunday polo game at the International Polo Club and Gladiator Polo on Thursday nights. Thousands have enjoyed polo both in the arena and on the grass this year. Javier Tanoira’s All Pro Polo League showcased teams of young players with revised rules to provide for more flowing, fast and open polo that encourages team play. Spectators were treated to an incredible display of talent and sportsmanship from the next generation of polo athletes, and many from our own Team USPA program. The thoughtprovoking alternative has provided a different look to our traditional outdoor game. The USPA’s Certified Polo Instructor program continued with an Instructor Skilz Clinic at El Sur in Wellington to identify and educate equine professionals by requiring industry standards for teaching and managing the sport of polo. The CPI program will help equip polo instructors to coach the next generation of polo students with an emphasis on sportsmanship and safety. This will facilitate a lifelong love of the sport and raise the level of polo instruction for the continued sustainability and professionalism of the sport of polo. Team USPA tryouts were held at IPC with five new members joining the group: Juddy Carlton (1), Matt Coppola (4), Matias Gonzalez (2), Santi Torres (7) and Marissa Wells (1). Owen Rinehart, Adam Snow, Charles Smith and the team at Polo Development offered intensive training from media and leadership to equine body conditioning scoring and hitting analysis. It is encouraging to see the quality level of our young adults when looking toward the future of polo in this country. The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame
6 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
held their annual induction ceremony and gala in front of hundreds of supporters from our polo community on Friday, February 17. The museum inducted Mariano Aguerre, John “Jackie” Murphy, Leverett S. Miller, George Miller and two equine heroes of the sport: Chicken and Nebraska Sunset. George DuPont and Brenda Lynn created an incredible event celebrating the 20th year of the museum on Lake Worth Road in Lake Worth, Florida. Each attendee was treated to a spectacular book by Melinda Brewer featuring the polo ponies of the 2016 season. Founded in 2002 by Dave Offen, The Polo Players Support Group provides financial assistance to seriously injured or ill polo players and grooms. PPSG held its annual 40-Goal Polo Challenge and banquet on Saturday, February 18, at IPC. Rob Walton and Steve Orthwein appeared on the big screen giving inspirational anecdotes on the incredible value of PPSG to our polo family. The Polo Training Foundation held its annual youth tournaments in Wellington this spring. Scores of youth enjoyed the pristine fields of South Florida. The PTF Florida Junior Polo program encourages the growth of polo by supporting training programs for junior players at all levels and abilities. All of this took place while the Intercollegiate/Interscholastic regular season turned into the tournament season across the country. Clubs such as Sarasota Polo Club in Sarasota, Florida, and the two California desert clubs of Empire and Eldorado in Indio, played polo at an incredible pace. Polo here in South Florida and across the country continues to grow in both quality and quantity thanks to the efforts of our member clubs.
Save The Date The April Board of Governors meeting will take place on April 22 at the Embassy Suites in West Palm Beach, Florida. USPA members are invited to attend committee and LLC meetings on April 20 and 21. For more information and a complete schedule, please visit uspolo.org.
FIP World Championship The United States Polo Association is proud to report that the XI Federation of International Polo has awarded the World Championships Zone A Playoff qualifying tournament to the USPA. The tournament will be played April 22-30, 2017 in South Florida. The United States Polo Association in conjunction with Port Mayaca Polo Club and the International Polo Club Palm Beach will co-host the tournament. It is anticipated that four teams (USA, Canada, Mexico and Guatemala) will compete in the event. Tentative schedule: •Saturday, April 22: Players arrive and will draw horses for the tournament. •Sunday, April 23: Players will attend the U.S. Open Polo Championship® Final. •Monday, April 24: Teams will practice at Port Mayaca Polo Club in Okeechobee, Florida. •Wednesday, April 26: The first round
of tournament games will be played at Port Mayaca Polo Club. •Friday, April 28: The second round of tournament games will be played at Port Mayaca Polo Club. •Saturday, April 29: Light stick and ball practice for teams at Port Mayaca Polo Club. •Sunday, April 30: Final round of tournament play will take place at the International Polo Club Field 1 in Wellington, Florida.
The Federation of International Polo is the international federation representing the sport of polo, officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. FIP was created in 1982 to enhance the image and status of the game of polo internationally. Since 1987, the FIP World Championship takes place once every three years in a different location around the world. It is a competitive tournament from 10- to 14-goals. Horses are provided by the host and pooled among participating nations to give teams equal conditions. For more information, visit fippolo.com. The winner of the FIP Zone A Playoff will be one of the eight qualifying teams to compete in the 11th FIP World Championship. The USPA has hopes to send a qualifying team to represent the United States in the FIP World Championship at the Sydney Polo Club in Sydney, Australia, October 21-29, 2017.
EDMP Reminder
Team USPA members and their coach representing USPA: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Felipe Viana Patrick Uretz Jared Sheldon Remy Muller Jimmy Wright Herndon Radcliff Cacho Galindo Geronimo Obregon Jesse Bray Coach Joel Baker
In a continuing effort to ensure the welfare of mounts, the USPA Equine Drugs and Medications Program will be on the road to several USPA clubs to test at USPA events throughout the year. For players competing in USPA tournaments, all mounts may be subject to testing per the USPA Equine Drugs and Medications Program rules. Random testing will be conducted field side after games. The USPA asks for team and individual player cooperation with the testing veterinarians and technicians. Licensed veterinarians who are recognized by the United States Equestrian Federation will identify themselves to the players and have an official USPA testing badge. Upon discovering a positive test, the
Team USPA member Patrick Uretz is one of nine players to represent the U.S.
owner and/or player of the horse selected for testing (who may, or may not, be the same person) could be charged with a conduct violation according to the USPA rules and/or by-laws. The USPA Equine Drugs and Medications Program includes detailed information about permitted, restricted and prohibited drugs, medications and substances, as well as rules regarding enforcement and sanctions for EDMP rules violations. Complete, up-to-date information can be found on uspolo.org under the “Association” tab, then selecting “Programs,” then scrolling down to the “Forms and Documents” tab. Questions concerning the program can be emailed to equinewelfare@uspolo.org.
Published by the United States Polo Association Offices at 9011 Lake Worth Rd. Lake Worth, Florida 33467 (800) 232-USPA
Chairman: Joe Meyer President: Chip Campbell Secretary: Tom Gose Treasurer: Sam Ramirez Chief Executive Officer: Duncan Huyler
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 7
TEAM USPA Congratulations to the five newest members of Team USPA: Juddy Carlton, Matt Coppola, Matias Gonzalez, Santi Torres and Marissa Wells. The five young players traveled to Wellington, Florida for a two-and-a-half day clinic led by Team USPA program leaders, mentors and senior TUSPA players.
NYTS—West Coast Empire Polo Club and Eldorado Polo Club held NYTS tournaments on back-to-back weekends, giving many young local players the opportunity to participate. Molly Agee, Bayne Bossom, Tommy Costello, Jake Klentner and Athena Malin were named All-Stars at the Empire NYTS tournament, while Alonso Andrade Cruz, Bayne Bossom, Hope Kerley, Athena Malin and Grant Palmer were named AllStars at the Eldorado Polo Club. The NYTS program gives players under 19 the opportunity to play against their peers at outdoor clubs across the country. Upcoming NYTS: Eldorado April 1-2, Midland Polo Club April 1-2.
CPI—El Sur Hosted at El Sur Polo Club in Welling-
ton, Florida, 10 instructors from around the country gathered to work on their USPA Certified Polo Instructor certification with certifiers Cindy Halle (Garrison Forest) and Paul Kuhn (Haviland Hollow) during a two-day clinic. Attendees included: Brett Brown (Bluewater Creek), Mark Tashjian (Middlesex Polo Club), Juan Vidal and Juan Martinez-Baez (Brandywine Polo Club), Kelsey Miller (Colorado State alum), Morgan Bowman (Langdon Road Polo Club), Frankie Questel (Atlanta Regional Polo Center), Hilary Blythe (Stone Pony Farm), Nadir Khan (Barrington Hills Polo Club) and Tom Blake (Wellington). Questel said, “It was a great environment. Everyone there had the same goal in mind, which is to grow polo safely and with the best instruction possible.” A special thank you to El Sur Polo Club and Roberto Narvaja for excellent facilities and horses. For more information, contact Jess Downey at jdowney@uspolo.org.
PDI Awards Announced Drills during the CPI certification
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The Polo Development Initiative program recently awarded $750,000 in
Participants in the CPI certification
funding to over 100 polo clubs, polo schools and certified polo instructors, in a continued effort to help facilitate the growth of the sport of polo. For more information on PDI contact, Elizabeth Hedley ehedley@uspolo.org.
Varsity Letter Program Did you compete in this year’s interscholastic regular and tournament season? If so, make sure you check out the Interscholastic Varsity Letter program on uspolo.org. Contact Ali Davidge by email at adavidge@uspolo.org for more details. Applications are due May 15.
USPA Scholarship Program Are you a current intercollegiate or senior interscholastic player who is planning to play on an intercollegiate polo team in the 2017-18 season? Six $4,000 scholarships are available through the USPA Intercollegiate Scholarship program. Requirements can be found on uspolo.org. Contact Amy Fraser at afraser@uspolo.org with any questions. Application accepted April 1–May 31, 2017.
Without officials It’s just recess. USPA Umpires, LLC To date, our professional umpires have officiated over 1,800 ames, at over 80 clubs includ 9 international clubs. For more information r rdin professional umpir either Charles Muldoon: cmuldoon@uspolo.or or For information r
at your club. Please contact Mitchell: mmitchell@uspolo.or
ardin umpire clinics, please contact Steve Lane: slane@uspolo.or
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ARENA POSITIONS Indoor polo requires quickness, finesse and ball-handling
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osition responsibilities in arena polo are naturally very different than in its outdoor counterpart (grass or field polo). The most obvious reason is the size of the two playing fields. Arena polo can be played in a covered indoor arena or in an (uncovered) outdoor arena. Outdoor arenas are far less expensive to build than an indoor arena, but don’t have the all-weather advantage of a covered arena. Regulation size of both versions are similar to a football field: 300-feet long by 150-feet wide with rounded corners. Some indoor arenas are smaller than regulation due to the building expense. Comparatively, a regulation grass field is nine-times that size (300 x 150 yards). The much smaller playing size of an arena compared to an outdoor field promotes quicker play and far more contact. I have had the gift of playing in some over-sized outdoor arenas and play is always much faster, but it is also harder on the horses. Interscholastic and Intercollegiate polo is played mostly in indoor arenas. Arenas are far more economical and generally easier on the horses, which is a great thing for most I/I programs with strings that usually consist of older and more experienced horses. The outdoor game is much faster, but the arena game is far quicker. Outdoors the ponies tend to gallop easily due to the herd instincts and the open field environment. In the confined arena, a horse is not as easily encouraged to go forward because everywhere they go is either to the boards or a bump. They are always heading to their next stop, so it becomes increasingly difficult to get them to go forward. This is the very reason why 10 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
starting players is safer in the confines of the arena, however it also becomes the challenge of the arena as the player progresses. A good arena player has to have the ability to keep their horse engaged with their legs while making the play on the ball. It is not so easy to do and can become frustrating for less-skilled riders. Arena Positions The very nature of the arena presents a very different approach to positions. There are three positions in the arena vs. four in outdoor polo. Those familiar with arena polo will readily admit that three players on each team in the arena makes things feel a bit more crowded than grass polo. That is simply because they are. Most of us in the arena that have experienced two-on-two chukkers have a great deal more fun as it helps open up the play and generally speeds things up. However, three-on-three is regulation and allows for more participants, which is most always a good thing. Like grass polo, there are many variables to the responsibilities of each position. In higher-goal arena, and even balanced, experienced lower-goal teams, players will easily transition between all three positions during the game. Teammates will freely interchange responsibilities with each other. Theoretically, players could play each of the three positions, a third of each game. Those are always the most fun teams to be a part of in any level of arena. On a well-balanced team, players may have a number on their jerseys, but easily transition to any position based on the flow of the game. For example, the No. 3 may miss a back shot, but seeing the No.
2 teammate in position for the next shot, will turn up field for a pass, (putting the No. 3 in the No. 1 position) which may even set up a fast break. It is far more common for there to be a mix of ability levels on each team and that will impact individual player responsibilities. No. 1 Position No. 1 is an offensive attack position but defends the opposing No. 3. When choosing a No. 1, look for a player with a quick mallet, who is focused on creating offensive plays and is accurate with shots on goal. A less-skilled No. 1 may need to focus on marking the opponent and making an effort to stop the No. 3 from backing or turning the play. A good No. 1 is strong in the throw-in, capable of drawing the opponent toward the goal the No. 1 is attacking. Success in the throw-in comes more easily if you are a step forward and 10 degrees more angled than your opponent. Collect your horse and have it ready to go forward. The No. 1 is usually encouraged to go forward out of the throw-in and not turn back towards the other players. However, if the ball goes all the way through, there will be situations where the No. 1 will turn back to follow the flow of the play out of the back of the throw-in. A good No. 1 is capable of getting the ball in the throw-in or getting in a good position to receive a pass. The idea is to get an advantage on the opposing No. 3 when on attack and be able to hit accurately to goal from either side of the horse. When on defense, mark the opposing No. 3. Other times, the No. 1 may break for a pass or simply mark the closest opponent.
A great No. 1 possesses a very strong skill set, yet it is common to see the least experienced member of the team placed in the No. 1 position. Sometimes you may be told to just stay with a single opponent and sometimes you may be told to just stay up on the offensive end of the field and allow your No. 2 and No. 3 to work harder to get the ball to you. Foul shot strategy is another article altogether. It is best to communicate with your teammates prior to the game to find out how you are going to line up for the various foul shots. There are format requirements as to where you are allowed to be based on what number foul is called, as well as various team strategies developed within the confines of the required format. No. 2 Position The No. 2 is a pivot position assigned to defend the opposing No. 2. The No. 2 freely transitions with both the No. 1 and No. 3 teammates, balancing both the offensive and defensive efforts as needed. This requires the No. 2 to possess the skills of all three positions. The No. 2 is often the more experienced player on the team and could even be compared to the quarterback position in football. The No. 2 has to be fully skilled in both ball handling and powerful passing shots. The No. 2 usually lines up right behind the No. 1 in the throw-in, but will also turn back with the ball if the No. 3 teammate is lining up out at an angle as is often done. No. 3 Position The No. 3 position is the back assigned to defend the opposing No. 1. The back is responsible for keeping the “back door” shut. A good No. 3 is quick to get advantage on the opposing No. 1 and is able to execute strong angled backshots to teammates, remembering that a well-placed pass to a teammate is generally more effective than just hitting a big ball. However, the ability to hit a big
shot when appropriate is certainly a plus. It is an added benefit for the No. 3 to be comfortable with turning the ball in the appropriate play situations. The No. 3 is normally very good at riding off and anticipating offensive drives being mounted by the opponents. Sometimes the most experienced player will take the No. 3 position, as he feels more comfortable having both teammates in front of him in the throw-in. If the No. 3 is not very experienced, the focus should be more on properly marking the opponent and trying to negate the efforts of the opposing No. 1. Some No. 3s line up outside of the throwin at a bit of an angle to either go forward or turn back if the ball goes through the bowl-in. If the opposing No. 3 moves in closer to the throw-in, you probably should as well. Sometimes people think defensive players need to be bigger framed. Regardless of size, a stronger rider who knows how to use the horse properly has the advantage. I had the gift of playing in a number of “Legend’s Cups” in the arena with all six players rated 9 goals. It was a whole different level of play to have that much talent in one arena. Balanced teams at whatever level are fun to be a part of as long as you are competitive with your opponents. A free rotating style where each player slips in and out of each of the three positions is a lot of fun. One second you may miss a back shot and the very next play you may be receiving a pass from a teammate who was covering you as you turned back up field. One second, you may be missing a back shot and just a few seconds later, you may be racing down field with the ball attacking the opponent’s goal. Arena is a little more like a pinball machine when you compare it to grass polo. There are numerous changes of directions and possession that all happen so quickly. You have to have cat-like reflexes to react to
the many changes of lines and angles caused by the ball rebounding off the boards. Placement and accuracy are so much more important in the arena. But quickness may be the single greatest component right after horsemanship. Great arena players can back the ball as well as turn the ball. They can make long passes as well as possess a high level of finesse and quickness in handling the ball in dribbling situations. They are as comfortable hitting the ball off the bounce or out of the air as they are from a teed-up spot hit. They can hit a well angled backshot as well as make accurate shots on goal. Great arena players are comfortable in any position and are aware of the field layout and positioning of teammates and opponents. They understand the flow of the arena, can anticipate the developing play and place themselves in a position of advantage while others are still responding to the previous play. To play a position well, understand all the positions. In the arena, it is imperative to easily interchange between all three positions with your teammates. Somebody is forward, someone is carrying the ball, and the back door is covered is the general rule. If all three players take on an awareness of all three of those roles and are quick to fill in the holes, the opponent is going to have a difficult time defeating that team. Riding in the arena is more about RPMs and a rider’s ability to keep a horse on the bit, collected, ready to change direction and accelerate in an instant. As always, I wish you all the best in any position, in any arena, as well as the grass. Tom Goodspeed is a renowned polo instructor, coach and horse trainer. He achieved a 5-goal handicap outdoors and 9 in the arena. He can be reached at polotom@usapolo.com.
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BAR BRAWL In the world of mules, there are no rules —Ogden Nash
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ash was correct, but anyone who knows mules can tell you that those genetically modified hybrid equines don’t need rules; unlike homo sapiens they are sensible enough to stay out of trouble for the most part. But poloists need rules. Oh yes, they do. Spanish traveler and writer Pero Tafur discovered this during his travels in Egypt in the 15th century when he was received by the Sultan in the city now known as Cairo: That day, the Sultan dined in the field, and afterwards they played a game which is customary there, in this manner: they place a ball in the center of the field, and some thousand horsemen, more or less, take up their position on one side. They draw lines on either side in front of them, and each one has a mallet in the hand, the handle of which is fixed into a staff. They all attack the ball at the same time, with intent, on the one side, to drive it across the line, while the others seek to do the same on their part. Those who succeed in driving the ball across the line are the victors. That day, one of the players tried to hinder the Sultan’s son, so he took out his sword and tried to kill his opponent. There was a great commotion until the Sultan came up and parted them. Tafur’s report seems to describe a version of the King of Games a good 400 years before British tea planters in India “discovered” (Columbus-like) the activities of the Manipuris, which they quickly adopted and adapted to the modern game. The Brits right away realized the game would benefit from more structure and discipline to prevent the excesses of hotheads like the son of Tafur’s royal host from turning the game into a bloodbath. The first set of formal British rules was 12 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
drawn up in 1874 by the then recently established Hurlingham Polo Association, still the game’s governing body in the United Kingdom currently and the model for other national and regional organizations intent on preserving the ideal of “good polo.” In the highest levels of polo today we are seeing the greatest feats yet in terms of sporting excellence--in the horses, the players, and in umpiring. Yes, I hear some groans. But, umpiring is arguably the most difficult and important of these three essential elements as its practitioners must be skilled riders, well mounted, and prepared to wrestle with the dark side of human nature--the Freudian Id, the Jungian Shadow, whatever you want to call it--right in the middle of the pressure cooker of battle. Tafur’s sultan knew that, and rose to the occasion. All polo players should do likewise because without the refinements of civility, sports-person-ship and common sense, the Game of Kings would be no better than a bar brawl. In those higher levels the job of policing the game is assured by highlytrained professionals. Players may grumble (very quietly!) but they must submit to the rule of law or face
banishment. In the lower levels of amateur polo umpiring is more problematic. Often lacking the resources to pay for professional services, smaller clubs must be more creative about providing umpires--especially during scrimmages and non-tournament games. The most obvious solution is to require all members to take their turn with the whistle. It is hard to do and far less fun than playing but it is absolutely necessary to prevent SSS (Sultan’s Son Syndrome, a serious affliction that can ruin a club). All poloists must do their best to understand and practice the rules of the game and studying the craft of the umpire is a very effective way to do so. Otherwise the hotheads--those who routinely break the fundamental rule of polo, i.e., never disrespect the umpire’s calls no matter how unfair they may seem--will take over. When this happens not even a sultan can help you. “Good polo” is a thrilling game with a certain undeniable element of danger. It is made measurably safer by the application of rules designed to control unbridled emotion while encouraging mature self control and rational strategic thought--a perfect metaphor for life if ever there was one.
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POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 13
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EHV-1 UPDATE Dangerous disease continues to be a problem across the country
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ecent EHV-1 outbreaks have again focused attention on this nasty disease. On November 3, 2016 a horse at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in California developed a fever, and the barn he was in was quarantined. On November 9, he tested positive for EHV-1. In the days that followed, there were 15 confirmed cases and one horse was euthanized. That quarantine was finally lifted on January 30, 2017, after two-and-a-half months. A 2-year-old filly at the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots in Louisiana was euthanized and three barns on that premises were quarantined in an outbreak that began December 26. Those horses were all tested, with temperatures monitored twice daily. Three more horses tested positive on January 10, after testing negative three days earlier. New cases start the mandatory two-week quarantine again; a quarantine is not lifted until affected horses are no longer shedding the virus and there are no new cases. On January 21, a horse tested positive at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, where two barns were quarantined and all of those horses were being tested and monitored. Kentucky placed restrictions on racehorses coming from Louisiana. That quarantine was lifted on February 10 after no new cases appeared. On February 10, a horse in Michigan came up positive for EHV-1. On February 14, a horse at a show in Thermal, California was diagnosed with signs of EHM (the most severe form of EHV-1) and on February 17, two more cases of EHM were diagnosed in Ontario, Canada. Early diagnosis and quarantine are the best defense against further outbreaks. 14 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Cause for concern? There are several types of equine herpesviruses and some are more damaging than others. EHV-1 can cause respiratory illness, abortion in pregnant mares, congenital infection (birth of weak foals) and sometimes a more severe (potentially fatal) illness involving the nervous system. This form is called EHM (equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy). Historically the neurologic form has been rare, but recent years have seen an increase in EHM cases and outbreaks in North America and other parts of the world, at race tracks and in horses attending other events—congregating from various areas. Gillian Perkins, Cornell University, says equine herpes virus is common in horses; most horses are carriers. “They are usually infected early in life; the virus becomes latent, hiding in the body, and undetectable. It may recrudesce and become active during periods of stress
Shedding horses may not show signs of the disease but can still infect other horses. Many polo clubs see horses shipping in from various areas, which can be problematic if a horse has the disease.
but we can’t always determine why it comes out of latency,” she says. Why a challenge to contain? Josie Traub-Dargatz, Colorado State University, says herpesviruses have many ways to avoid the immune system. They can hide in white blood cells/lymph nodes and remain untouched by the body’s usual response to infection. “We don’t currently have a vaccine or a biosecurity method to prevent initial infection of young horses. None of our vaccines can keep foals from getting infected in a herd environment. They may get it from their dam if she is shedding this virus out of her nose. Some shedders are perfectly healthy, normal-appearing horses and you
wouldn’t know they are carrying and shedding the virus,” she says. “None of our vaccines can prevent reactivation of the virus or completely prevent infection. Most horses are exposed and infected at a young age. The virus continues to live in the body, in a form the body does not recognize as foreign. If the virus becomes active again it can be shed through the nose—to expose other horses,” she says. “The shedding horse may develop signs of disease at that time, but may not. It is difficult to control this disease when we don’t have a vaccine or biosecurity method to prevent the initial infection, or to prevent reactivation and shedding. We need to work toward reducing the severity of clinical disease if it occurs, reduce the shedding, and try to reduce exposure of horses to a shedding horse,” says Traub-Dargatz. “We don’t have a good way to detect the silent shedder—the horse with no signs of illness—but many outbreaks begin with a clinical case. Recognizing the first horse that has signs of disease, and finding out it is shedding (diagnostic
Horses that contract EHM, the paralyzing form of EHV-1, will not be able to stand on their own. This form of the disease can be fatal.
testing), and then trying to reduce exposure of other horses to that horse is our best containment method at this time,” she says. Test results may take a
day or two, so we take actions before that, to prevent possible exposure of other horses while we wait for results. This virus can sometimes be spread in other ways and not just direct horse-to-horse contact. It could be carried from one horse to another by people handling the infected horse and then touching another horse. Dr. Nicola Pusterla at UC-Davis has sampled clothing, hands, tack, equipment, etc. after people have been caring for an EHV-1 case and detected DNA of the virus on those surfaces. The virus particles can be spread through the air, depending on humidity, air temperature and environment. “In a barn with fans blowing air from one end to the other, if the virus-shedding horse is on the intake end of the fan, this would blow the virus farther than it could go on still air,” Traub-Dargatz explains. What we learn from outbreaks “EHV-1 crops up every year,” says Perkins. “It is reported more often, possibly because it has become a reportable disease in many states, so
Genetic differences in the virus Numerous strains of EHV-1 exist in nature. A number of studies show that neurologic disease is more frequently associated with EHV-1 strains of a certain mutant genotype rather than the “wild” type of this virus, but one survey has shown that 14 percent of all neurologic cases of the disease were associated with the “wild” strains. Researchers are trying to learn more about the different genetic types. Udeni Balasuriya (Professor of Virology, Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky) is investigating genetic diversity among EHV-1 isolates from outbreaks of neurologic disease. With enough samples, he can identify and compare viruses.“I don’t believe that a single mutation is the sole determinant of neurologic disease in horses. Studies have shown that in outbreaks there can be both genetic types,” says Balasuriya. We know that a certain percentage of neurologic cases are associated with the “wild” type. The laboratory at Gluck has also isolated EHV-1 of the neuropathologic type (some of which contain additional mutations) from horses that did not develop neurologic signs. The goal of this study is to clarify the relationship between neurologic disease and genetically specific strains of EHV-1, and determine if additional mutations in the virus genes influence development of neurologic disease. His study aims to clarify the relationship between the genetic type of the virus and the frequency and severity of neurologic disease in horses, and identify additional mutations that could be involved. “This information is needed, to enable us to design improved diagnostic assays, vaccines, and medications (for treating horses with the neurologic form of the disease) in the future,” says Balasuriya.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 15
they can keep track of it and contain it by closing down barns/facilities, using quarantine to halt spread. If our diagnostic lab at Cornell gets a sample that tests positive for equine herpesvirus, the lab informs the state. In addition, media coverage is quick to report it; there are news items in equine publications, and e-mail alerts.” Today, horsemen quickly know where and when the disease shows up; there is more awareness among horse owners about EHV-1 than in earlier years. “When it cropped up in Ogden, Utah at the National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championship show in 2011, people didn’t know much about EHV-1. Some horses got sick towards the end of the show but everybody took their horses home (to multiple states), and some unknowingly took the disease with them. After this incident, many horseshow and racetrack facilities developed biosecurity measures and a plan to deal with this disease if something like this happens,” says Perkins. “In 2008, we interviewed veterinarians to create a report, focusing on lessons learned at that point,” says
Horses with the neurologic form of EHV-1 should be isolated away from other horses, and people going in and out of the area should be limited.
Traub-Dargatz. “We recommend that facilities have a place to move infected horses—away from the rest—as quickly as possible, and a plan for where they would put a neurologic horse to isolate it
The disease causes abortion in pregnant mares and congenital infection (birth of weak foals). No vaccine can keep foals from getting infected in a herd environment and foals can get it from their dam if she is shedding the virus from her nose.
16 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
and provide veterinary care and treatment. It’s also important to limit how many people are going in and out of the area, since every contact is a potential risk. Wellmeaning people may not do the right thing when they leave the stall or barn. Also make sure everyone on the containment team understands what needs to be done,” she explains. In the first day or two it is important to have enough people asking where these horses went, making phone calls, making sure they don’t come into contact with other horses, and getting quarantines in place as quickly as possible. Outbreaks have taught us more about how to help keep the virus from spreading. “Preventing outbreaks involves basic biosecurity,” says Pusterla. “Outbreaks like the one at Ogden, Utah cannot be prevented, because when you bring more than 400 horses under the same roof from all over the country, with minimal biosecurity protocols, it is just a matter of when and where this disease will strike. We are seeing more outbreaks because events are getting bigger; more people are bringing horses from various regions,” says Pusterla. “What we learned from earlier outbreaks includes what not to do— learning from our mistakes. We now have increased awareness about biosecurity and factors that could predispose horses to developing neurological disease. If we apply this information, it will help. The problem is that most people become complacent again—until the next outbreak happens,” he says. “The outbreaks in recent years have taught us that the vaccines currently available are not optimal. We need new technology and new vaccines. So far, there is no vaccine labeled for the prevention of neurological disease, and the vaccines
NANO’S POLO MALLETS
Some horses may show no signs while others may have an obvious nasal discharge.
for preventing EHV-1 respiratory disease or abortion are simply aids; they will not prevent these diseases 100 percent,” Pusterla says. Current research “Several groups are looking at antiviral medications,” says Perkins. “These medications are still not proven to make a difference once the horse is neurologic. Primary treatment for a horse with EHV-1 is supportive. This involves rest, keeping the horse hydrated, using Banamine to reduce pain, fever and inflammation. The research investigating various antiviral drugs may help guide future treatment,” she says. “A lot of the work we did on equine EHV-1 a few years ago looked at the neurologic form of the virus. There is a diagnostic test that can differentiate between the neurologic and the nonneurologic (wild) form, looking at genetic makeup of the virus. We know both forms of the virus can cause neurologic disease, however, so it is important to take biosecurity precautions no matter which virus is found. A lot of emphasis has been put on dangers of the neurologic strain, but people need to remember that the nonneurologic strain is also dangerous and can sometimes cause neurologic disease as well,” says Perkins. Pusterla says different genotypes have
different genetic makeup. “Researchers found a strain associated with neurological disease, causing EHM. They also sequenced the entire genome of an EHV-1 strain associated with respiratory disease and abortion. They found a small percentage of area of divergence within the genome of these two EHV-1 viruses relevant to the virulence of these viruses, but it’s not black and white,” he says. There is a grey area in which neurologic disease can be caused by either genotype. “EHV-1 can cause a variety of clinical diseases such as rhinopneumonitis, neonatal death, abortion, and EHM. The most common disease form is a selflimiting disease of the upper respiratory tract (rhinopneumonitis). The other disease forms are less frequent but have greater impact for the infected animals,” says Pusterla. People need to also understand that it’s not just about the virus when it comes to disease. There is variable susceptibility among the equine population. “In recent years there’s been an impression that we are dealing with a more powerful, mutant of EHV-1 with larger outbreaks. In reality, the less pathogenic one originated from the more pathogenic older virus,” he says. The less virulent one has a selective advantage and is widespread and dormant in the lymph nodes and certain nerves. “When we screen horses we find that the majority are infected with N752 (which is less damaging), and the minority are infected with D752. This is good news, and explains why most of the outbreaks are self-limiting and not associated with neurological disease. The disease form following infection with EHV-1 is difficult to predict, however, based on genotype only,” he says. Research goals are for development of a new vaccine for EHV-1 and evaluation of efficacy of current vaccines against EHM. Horsemen are hoping for a vaccine that would prevent latency of u EHV-1 and the neurologic form.
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POLO SCENE N E W S
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HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Polo event raises money for local Molly’s House
THE PORT MAYACA POLO CLUB in Okeechobee, Florida held the Molly’s House 7th Annual Polo and Paella on March 4.
The event was sponsored by the Herold-Cadorette Family. The day featured a dressage presentation, a VIP party, Best Hat Contest, car show and the traditional halftime divot stomp. The polo match pitted Southern Eagle’s Tiffany Busch, Max Secunda, Frank Evans and Nick Cifuni against Horseware’s Hugo Lloret, Tom Mac Guinness, Tim Kyne and Segundo Merlos. The spirited match had Southern Eagle take a 9-8 edge for the win. Tom Mac Guinness was named MVP and Tiffany Busch’s Ruby was Best Playing Pony. The real winner, though, was Molly’s House, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since 1996, Molly’s house has provided a warm and caring environment for patients and families in medical crisis. For almost 20 years, Molly’s House has provided a home away from home for more than 17,000 people while they or a loved one were receiving Spectators enjoyed a dressage presentation, VIP party, hat contest, car show medical treatment. and of course, the traditional halftime divot stomp at Port Mayaca. The organization is named for Molly Sharkey, who was 12 years old when she was diagnosed with chronic myelocytic leukemia. While her family traveled the country trying to find treatment for her rare type of leukemia, they found it difficult to find places to stay convenient to the hospitals Grace Johnston enjoys where Molly was the family-friendly event. being treated. When Molly died in May 1992 at 18, she left behind a journal filled with her ideas for building Molly’s house. Her family and friends raised money to build the house to Molly’s specifications. The organization’s house is a three-story Victorian style in Stuart, Florida located just three blocks west of Martin Memorial Medical Center. It’s 11,000 square feet features two family suites, 12 bedrooms with private baths, two kitchens, a chapel, library, laundry room and lounge areas. Proceeds support the mission of Molly’s House to keep families together by providing short-term, affordable accommodations for the families of Southern Eagle’s Tiffany Busch, Frank Evans, Max Secunda and Nick Cifuni defeated Horsewares 9-8 in a spirited match. hospitalized loved ones and hospital outpatients.
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Snow polo event held in Canada
THE THIRD ANNUAL Snow Polo Tremblant International was held in the
Laurentian Mountains of southern Quebec, Canada on March 3-4. Four teams competed for the title, including Polo Blue by Ralph Lauren’s Nacho Figueras, Brendon Stenzel, Elisabeth Fogarty and Jeremy Monette; Holt Renfrew Ogilvy’s Paul Knapp, Sarah Knapp and Michael Husted; Mackenzie Investments’ Luis Duggan, Roger Girard and Justin Fogarty; and Four Season’s Olivier Girard, David Payne and Estelle Wagner. Polo Blue by Ralph Lauren took the title over Four Seasons in front of 2,000 spectators who braved freezing cold weather to enjoy the show. Nacho Figueras led the way for Polo Blue by Ralph Lauren.
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IN MEMORY
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DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS
Polo community mourns loss of young player HE POLO COMMUNITY was recently dealt a blow when it lost a beloved young polo player, Donovan William Stratemann, son of Chris and Sonia Stratemann, brother to Alexandra and Maya and friend to all. Donovan tragically passed away at the age of 17 on February 16 in Wellington, Florida, due to injuries sustained in a polo accident. A reflection of the best parts of each of his parents, Donovan was a quality kid, with an infectious smile and a quiet determination and perseverance. “Donovan wanted to live in Hawaii one day,” said Stratemann family friend Julio Arellano, “and everyone who met him, loved him. “Donovan was homeschooled in order to take care of his horses, play polo and spend time with his family. He rose before 6 a.m. every day to care for his string and accompanied his twin sister Maya on daily night checks. He loved animals and never complained when asked to help with chores. Mature for his age, he spent months in Aiken, South Carolina with his grandfather and namesake, Don Healy, learning the art of horse training.” In his honor, players competing in the 20-goal at International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida wore black armbands with Donovan’s initials during matches the weekend of February 18-19. Moments of silence were observed during the Hall of Fame induction and matches throughout the weekend. In addition, the Coca-Cola team dedicated its Ylvisaker Cup win on February 19 to Donovan. Donovan was best friends with Coca Cola’s Julio Arellano. Julio’s son Agustin said, “It meant so much to us! Gillian [Johnston] and my dad said before the game that this was for Donovan ...” Agustin’s sister Hope added, “We all knew he was helping us out.” The entire polo community extends its deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the Stratemann family and friends. It is hoped that solace can be found in the endless outpouring of support from the polo community during this difficult time. Its ability to come together in times of grief is a tribute to the incredible sport we all cherish. Donovan will forever be in our hearts. 20 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
BIG SCREEN Polo documentary released
THE NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL
Polo Series celebrated it 25th season with an independent documentary about the life behind the sport of polo and the polo series. The feature-length film, “Sacred Ground” premiered at the Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center in Newport, Rhode Island on February 25 in conjunction with the Newport Winter Festival, which also featured beach polo at Easton Beach earlier that day. . “This is a unique opportunity to present the world premiere of veteran film makers Kevin Friend and Jason Carter, and to bring quality art and entertainment to the Newport community,” said Kathy Staab, owner and curator of the Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center. “And we enjoy being supportive of RI Filmmakers.” The screening was the only opportunity to experience the film prior to a succession of mini-series TV broadcasts, International Film Festival premieres, national syndicated TV airings and web-based presentations, according to BCN Productions, that made the film. BCN Productions’ Kevin Friend directed and co-produced Sacred Ground with Jason Carter. Friend, owner of BCN Productions, has produced a number of full-length social and cultural documentaries for a wide variety of clients, created over 300 nationally distributed programs featuring sports, travel and leisure, and has directed over 1000 live sporting events. Carter, an award-winning cinematographer and filmmaker of documentary, educational, sports and broadcast television including 20 years of collaboration on BCN Productions projects, is also Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University. A preview of the film can be viewed on BCN’s YouTube channel at: youtube.com/watch?v=48BhHQq_QMk
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 21
Welcome! Five new players join Team USPA The United States Polo Association established Team USPA in 2009 to grow and sustain the sport of polo by identifying talented young American players and providing opportunities to grow their abilities. By Kylie Sheehan • Photos by David Lominska/Polographics
It has been said that in order to be the best, you have to learn from the best. Team USPA’s mission is to identify young, talented players and provide them with opportunities to learn from and train with the industry’s top professionals in an effort to grow and sustain polo in the U.S. This February, five players were invited to participate in the Team USPA tryouts in Wellington, Florida, hosted by the USPA Polo Development, LLC. Two-goal Matias Gonzalez and 4-goal Matt Coppola, both from Wellington; 7-goal Santi Torres from Santa Barbara, California; 1-goal Marissa Wells from Freeland, Maryland; and 1-goal Juddy Carlton from Florence, Alabama were selected from a pool of applicants. Not only did the players show their abilities on the field, they also participated in a range of activities to address the professional demands of polo off the field. The focus of the tryout was to challenge the participants to be wellrounded players and leaders of our sport. This year’s group of Team USPA candidates impressed many, not only with their current ability as players, but also with their potential for the future. “It was an amazing honor to be selected to play alongside such a great group of players,” said Juddy Carlton. “I couldn’t have been more excited and cannot wait to use the experiences I gained and the contacts I made from this tryout in my future polo endeavors.” The three-day immersive tryout clinic featured some of the sport’s icons, such as Charles Smith, Adam Snow and Owen Rinehart mentoring these talented young 22 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
players. Adam Snow has been a role model for Team USPA hopeful Marissa Wells for years. “I wrote a letter to him in fourth grade saying how much I admired him as a player. Getting the chance to finally train with him face-to-face was a dream come true and I’m so excited about the possibility of working with him more in the future through Team USPA.” The five players met on Sunday at the International Polo Club to watch the 20goal Ylvisaker Cup final. Two current Team USPA members were playing, including 3-goal Wesley Finlayson playing for Coca-Cola and 4 goal Costi Caset playing for Tonkawa. After the thrilling match, the players trying out sat down with former 10-goaler and Team USPA program leader Adam Snow to discuss his journey in achieving 10 goals and his experiences in life and the professional polo world. He talked about his outlook on the mental aspects of polo, sports psychology and various techniques he used that helped him achieve such great success. The discussion
Matt Coppola shows his stuff.
was certainly inspirational and the perfect start to the tryouts. The second day, Amanda Snow, the director of the USPA PDLLC’s Player Development, led a communication training workshop to help players identify their leadership style. Amanda demonstrated the importance of body language, communication and awareness of different personalities. Then current
Santi Torres
Team USPA members Jesse Bray (5 goals) and Felipe Viana (5 goals) discussed their experiences with managing their expenses as young professional players. They talked about the importance of a financial foundation and economically preparing for upcoming seasons. After a morning of reflecting on how to present oneself in the professional polo world, the players were able to show their skills on the field. The five players trying out played with current Team USPA members Geronimo Obregon (4 goals), Viana and Bray. Former 10-goaler Owen Rinehart and Team USPA veteran Mason Wroe coached the teams while Adam Snow umpired and gave individual pointers to the players. That evening the coaches met with the group to review the game tape. The players also had an opportunity to see how polo trainer Alejandro Moraes prepares professional players to compete at the top of their game. He led the players through exercises to improve their flexibility, reactivity, range of motion and strength. Moraes and his team of trainers at the International Polo Club emphasized the importance of nutrition and injury prevention in order to stay competitive throughout the season. Team USPA provides an extensive network for the young leaders in the polo industry. Several current Team USPA members explained how they have used the program and this network it provides to enhance their polo. They discussed how it has helped them achieve various goals, supported them during highs and lows in their careers and explained what is expected of each Team USPA player in the program. Caset shared his experience with the program saying, “Team USPA helped
Matt Coppola
Matias Gonzalez
Marissa Wells
Juddy Carlton
me meet people from different parts of the country that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. It’s like a family and everyone is there for each other to get you opportunities and make you better.” The next day, the players trying out met with the USPA’s CEO Duncan Huyler and Team USPA member Kylie Sheehan to learn about Body Condition Scoring to objectively assess the weight and condition of horses. Huyler explained the importance of equine welfare in our sport and that this starts with the care of our own horses. He challenged each of the players to spread this knowledge and uphold a superior standard of care for our equine athletes. The players then participated in the USPA Polo Development, LLC Player Performance Analytics. The players were filmed completing a riding pattern and taking penalty shots. Charles Smith, cochairman of Team USPA, as well as Owen Rinehart, Adam Snow, Mason Wroe and Steve Krueger worked with players individually to fine tune the mechanics of their swings and their riding. Later on in the day, Gus Whitelaw led a
media training session. The candidates learned how to conduct themselves in an interview on camera. He also presented the group with several interviews of other professional athletes to analyze. The day concluded with Carlucho Arellano speaking to the players about cultivating relationships in the sport. He talked about the importance of the different kinds of relationships in polo and how each affects the success of a player’s career. Congratulations to the five newest members of Team USPA. Team USPA and the USPA Polo Development, LLC would like to thank International Polo Club, Jimmy Newman, Charles Smith, Adam Snow, Owen Rinehart, Mason Wroe, Gus Whitelaw, Carlucho Arellano, Duncan Huyler, David Lominska Photography, Brittany Wayman, Alejandro Moraes, the senior Team USPA members, U.S. Polo Assn., the horse providers and governors who came to support these young players at tryouts. The future is bright for our young American players thanks to some of the best in the sport sharing their knowledge and reinvesting in the next generation. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 23
On parade Culver Academies students ride in Washington
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commenced in October, which happens to be an important month in the polo season. While students juggled school work and polo practice they also were managing inaugural practices lasting approximately two hours a day, Sunday through Thursday. To condition the horses, urban scenarios such as blowing trash, police sirens, and live marching bands were emulated in the riding hall. The riders also had three mock parades through the Culver community, which provided a semblance of what the horses would encounter in Washington. The week of the parade, horses and riders loaded up for the long trip to Washington D.C. where they would have the chance to put all of their hard work to the test. On parade day, the riders and their horses were awake for nearly 18
JEFF SCUDDER
here are not many things in this world cooler than the sport of polo, but representing your school on your favorite polo pony in front of the country may be one of them. The Culver Academy polo teams joined a long legacy of riders when they were asked to take part in this year’s Presidential Inaugural Parade on January 20 in Washington, D.C. When The Culver Academies’ Black Horse Troop and Equestriennes rode down Pennsylvania Avenue in the Presidential Inaugural Parade, every polo player and 20 of the school’s 24 polo ponies made the trip along with coaches Frank Stubblefield and Savannah Kranich. Preparation for the parade
Ashley Dillard, an I/I polo player, was one of the captains that led the Equestriennes in the parade.
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hours and walked approximately 12 miles. Polo team members Ashley Dillard (class of 2017) and Robson McCartney (class of 2017) explained what the day was like for the group. “We groomed and tacked the horses for the parade, and before undergoing a security check. We walked the horses on foot for a few hours before mounting and lining up for the parade. Crowds cheered as we passed, but it was unmistakable where the Culver alumni and parents were along the route,” said Dillard. McCartney added, “We were proud to continue this tradition; representing Culver and its ethos, not a single person or individual gratification. We also toured the national memorials and monuments, the Smithsonian museums, and visited the Arlington National Cemetery while in Washington.” Culver originally participated in the Inaugural Parade in 1913, when the Black Horse Troop and the Corps of Cadets served as the official escort for Woodrow Wilson’s vice president, Thomas Marshall, who was the former governor of Indiana. The school participated again in 1917 but did not return for 40 years for President Eisenhower’s second term in 1957. The school has been represented by mounted units at every parade since, except in 1993 when an invitation for President Clinton’s first inaugural parade was not extended. I/I staff member and Culver alumni, Ali Davidge (class of 2010), recounted her experience riding in the 2009 Inaugural Parade. “I was fortunate enough to be able to ride my favorite polo pony at the time, Cali, in the parade. She was a rockstar that entire day. It can be a very intimidating
JEFF SCUDDER
The Black Horse Troop represented Culver in their 17th parade this year. All members of the Culver open polo team participated.
in school parades and performances, jumping competitions and special events. Some recent public events have included the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky; the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago, Illinois; and the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Now that the inaugural has been marked off as a successful endeavor, the players will turn their sights to the next adventure—Regionals. Thank you to Jan Garrison, Ashley Dillard and Robson McCartney for their recap and history of the parade.
JAN GARRISON
situation for a horse and rider, so to see the students pull it off looking as professional as they did this year is impressive. It’s definitely a once-in-alifetime experience.” Culver’s horses are selected for the program because of their versatility. Along with polo, the horses participate
The Culver Polo teams practiced with their polo ponies before making the trip to the Presidential Inaugural Parade.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 25
High praise Polo greats honored at gala event
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ALEX PACHECO
he National Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame welcomed the latest inductees into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony held at the museum in Lake Worth, Florida on February 17.
Annabelle Gundlach, Leighton Jordan and Ashley and Mike Ramos
LLC, Brown Forman, Bacardi USA, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Korbel, and new sponsor 14 Hands Winery. Guests had a great time exploring the museum and its new exhibits, getting reacquainted with long-lost friends and making new ones. One of the highlights of the new exhibits was “Polo Art in America,” from the collection of Horace and Martha Laffaye, a montage of some of their vast collection of polo art that includes bronzes by Herbert Haseltine, works of Frederick B. Voss, Paul Brown and others. Sadly, Martha passed away last April. It was her wish that these works be shown at the museum. As the evening progressed, everyone
ALEX PACHECO
KRYSTAL ZASKEY PHOTOGRAPHY
The stars of polo gathered to welcome the latest inductees to the Hall of Fame: 10-goal living legend Mariano Aguerre; polo great of the 50s and 60s John “Jackie” Murphy, Museum of Polo visionary and founder Leverett S. Miller, wise old Texas horseman and mentor George Miller; and two gallant equine heroes of the sport—the courageous Army remount mare, Chicken; and Charles Smith’s multi-award winning mare, Nebraska Sunset. Guests arriving on the red carpet for the grand reception were greeted with flutes of bubbly from the Korbel Bubbles bar, an array of passed hors d’oeuvres and beverages provided by Lipman Brothers
Anja Eckbo, right, with sons Julian, Benjamin and Landen Daniels
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Margaret and Steve Orthwein Jr. and Nicole Watson
was invited into the pavilion to be seated for a sensational dinner sponsored by Marc and Melissa Ganzi and Grand Champions Polo Club and dessert sponsor Annabelle Gundlach and Postage Stamp Farm Foundation. The evening’s entertainment was sponsored by Wayne and Pamela Garrison. The museum also gave each attendee a very special gift, a book called “Polo Art” by Melinda Brewer and published by the museum that is a composite of her photos and artwork
celebrating the great ponies of our sport. A Coravin wine system was also given to each of the inductees or award recipients, dinner sponsors and those who purchased an entire table for the dinner. Dinner was followed by the awards ceremony during which four great men and two amazing horses were honored. Horses to Remember awards are presented to outstanding ponies with records of achievements on the field singled out by contemporary judges in
tournaments and shows as well as recipients of best playing pony awards in major tournaments or other notable awards. This year, Nominating Committee Chairman Horace Laffaye accepted the award for the courageous Army remount mare, Chicken, followed by Charles Smith for his great pony Nebraska Sunset. The next honorees were Philip Iglehart Award winners, recognized for their lifetime contributions to the sport
ALEX PACHECO
ALEX PACHECO
The Awards
Melissa Ganzi presents Mariano Aguerre with the Hall of Fame award, recognizing the outstanding career of this talented former 10 goaler.
ALEX PACHECO
KRYSTAL ZASKEY PHOTOGRAPHY
Melissa Ganzi presents Charles Smith with George Miller’s Philip Iglehart Award. Smith also accepted the Horses to Remember award for his horse Nebraska Sunset.
Brian and Jack Murphy accepted the Hall of Fame award for their father Jackie Murphy. Their words brought many to tears.
John Hendrickson, Marylou Whitney, Lev Miller, Linda Miller, Maria Flora Miller Smoller, Whitney Miller Douglas, Penelope Miller and Robert Douglas
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ALEX PACHECO
ALEX PACHECO
Melinda Brewer, Gisele Panse, Horace Laffaye, Brenda Lynn and Maria Feola
KRYSTAL ZASKEY PHOTOGRAPHY
Melissa and Marc Ganzi
KRYSTAL ZASKEY PHOTOGRAPHY
of polo. Charles Smith accepted the award on behalf of the George Miller family. After, an eloquent and distinguished Leverett Miller was on hand to accept his award surrounded by his friends and family—a bevy of beautiful women that included his wife, three daughters and his aunt Marylou Whitney. The final honorees are those that have contributed to the game in an extraordinary and honorable manner whether by dedication to the sport or by ability and record as a player. The award for Jackie Murphy was accepted by his sons Jack and Brian, whose poignant words brought many in the audience to tears. Mariano Aguerre capped a brilliant night with a tremendous off-the-cuff
Peter von Gontard, Peter Orthwein, Paul von Gontard and Dave Offen with Steve Orthwein, center
Allison Webb, Tim Gannon, Meredith Webb and Debbie and Jim Webb
28 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
speech that was heartfelt, gracious, and entertaining. Peppered with humor and humility he gave kudos to the many who helped him along the way and lovingly credited his family for their support. It was a very special evening of memorable speeches and touching moments that will be long remembered. Video of this year’s gala, as well as others dating back to 2007, will soon be viewable on the polo museum’s website at polomuseum.com. The hall of fame dinner is the largest fundraiser for the museum each year and this year, close to $75,000 was raised. The museum thanks the polo community for its support and wishes to express its gratitude to all of the afore-mentioned sponsors as well as to Alex Pacheco for his photographic support for the exhibits and the dinner, Krystal Zaskey Photography for additional photographic support for the evening, Melinda Brewer for the portraits of the Horses to Remember, and to all the great volunteers who help make this wonderful event possible. Any individual can recommend a candidate for election to the Polo Hall of Fame by completing and submitting an application to the nominating committee. The nominating committee then studies and researches the relative merits of the persons recommended before selecting individuals for induction for a given year. Applications can be requested from the museum.
Making a difference 40-goal match benefits injured players and grooms Photos by Shelley Heatley
H
igh-goal players generously donated their time and jerseys to help raise money for the Polo Players Support Group, which aids injured or ill polo players and grooms.
Two 40-goal teams put on an incredible show in the Nespresso 40 Goal Polo Challenge, hosted by the Polo Players Support Group and held at International Polo Club Palm Beach on
30 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
February 18. The annual event began with a Future 10s match featuring children of some of today’s best players. The Brights Creek team included Mackenzie Weisz,
Mia Astrada, Lucas Criado and Santos Merlos, while Grand Champions featured Poroto Cambiaso, Lucas Escobar, Juanse Olivera and Kristos Magrini. Grand Champions came out
Brights Creek’s Mia Astrada, Lucas Criado, Santos Merlos and Mackenzie Weisz and Grand Champions’ Mia Cambiaso (standing in for brother Poroto), Juanse Olivera and Lucas Escobar. Kristos Magrini is not shown.
ahead, 2-0, thanks to goals by Poroto Cambiaso and Lucas Escobar. Immediately after, the big guns took to the field for the main event. Airstream, sponsored by Peter and Beverly Orthwein, included Adolfo Cambiaso, Polito Pieres, Hilario Ulloa and Miguel Novillo Astrada. It downed Curtis and Dawn Pilot’s Pilot Catastrophe Services with Rodrigo Andrade, Sapo Caset, Gonzalito Pieres and Sebastian Merlos, 16-9. Andrade was filling in for Facundo Pieres who was recovering from a fall a few days prior. During the match, Miguel Novillo Astrada was replaced by his younger brother Alejandro. Despite the lopsided score, the players put on an incredible show, including scoring five 2-point goals, three scored off the mallet of Adolfo Cambiaso. After the match, spectators made their way to the pavilion for a wonderful dinner thanks to title sponsor Nespresso. During the dinner, guests bid on many spectacular silent auction items such as a gift basked from Tito’s Handmade Vodka, as well as players’ jerseys, which were auctioned off in a live auction. To sweeten the deal, players offered practice games, lessons or special Argentinean polo packages with the jerseys. The event is made possible by the many players, sponsors and patrons and polo friends who lent horses for the match. The event raised $350,000, which will provide financial assistance to those in need. Since its inception in 2002, the Polo
Players Support Group has paid out over $2 million to 63 seriously injured or ill polo players and grooms. The money raised through this benefit will ensure the organization will be able to continue to
help members of the polo community. Polo Players Support Group founder Dave Offen was pleased with the turnout this year and indicated donations were up from the past few years.
Ten-goal Sapo Caset finesses the ball while being challenged by 9-goal Miguel Novillo Astrada and 10-goal Hilario Ulloa, right.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 31
My Way
Sunny Hale lived her life on her terms By Gwen Rizzo
S
unny Hale, 48, died suddenly due to complications from breast cancer at Norman Regional Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma on February 26. She leaves behind a legacy in the polo organizations she created and as an inspiration to women and young girls around the world. 32 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS
The fourth of five children of polo pioneer Sue Sally Hale and Alexander Hale, Sunny grew up around horses and polo in Carmel, California. She was riding before she could walk and by 3 or 4 years old was showing her pony Pistol Pete. Her parents divorced when she was young and she and her siblings helped run the family’s horse business. Aside from horse showing she tried eventing but polo soon became her passion. She played her first tournament, substituting for another player when she was just 10. A few years later she started giving riding lessons. She put in a lot of hard work and dedication even at a young age, including traveling, practicing and regularly competing as a teen. By 19, she began playing professionally. Her dream from an early age was to earn her way through her talent to play with the best players in the world. As she explained in numerous interviews, she did not come from a lot of money and had to work for everything. There was no template she could use for professional women players in the sport so she had to navigate her way through the male-dominated sport, negotiate her own deals and stand up for herself. She encountered a lot of naysayers along the way who questioned her and told her she was not going to fulfill her dreams. But, she didn’t listen to anyone who didn’t believe in her. She went on to play at all levels of the sport with and against the best male professionals in the world. She is one of only two women worldwide to reach a 5goal handicap. She once recalled a time when she was asked to try out for a spot on a high-goal team led by then 10-goal legend Carlos Gracida, who was organizing the team. The tryouts went great and she fit in well with the team, but she said she was asked to play for free. Feeling it would set a bad precedent, she respectfully declined the offer saying she was unable to play without being compensated. The team owner, eager to play with her and being pressured by Gracida, reconsidered and offered to pay her asking price. This paved the way for paid professional women players. When Gracida died in 2014, Hale
Sunny was one of only two women worldwide to ever reach a 5-goal handicap.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 33
34 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
STORMIE HALE COLLECTION
Sunny, at age 2, competing in a leadline class on Copper Penny in Carmel, California.
outdoor and arena championships, as well as junior events. The increased participation also helped increase the level of polo being played. Through the WCT, Hale provided more opportunities for paid professional women players. Never one to remain still, in 2006, Hale founded the American Polo Horse STORMIE HALE COLLECTION
remembered the opportunity and said she would be forever grateful to him. Playing in that tournament, she said, led to a lot of playing invitations, including the one from Tim Gannon’s Outback team, led by 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso, in the 2000 U.S. Open. The team ended up winning the tournament and Hale became the first female to win the tournament. She went on to amass victories in the 26-goal CV Whitney Cup with Lechuza Caracas; the 22-goal Hall of Fame Cup with Outback Steakhouse; the 22-goal Ylvisaker Cup with La Dolfina/New Bridge where she won MVP in the final; the 22-goal Sterling Cup with Calumet; the 20-goal Robert Skene tournament with Goshen, where she was voted MVP; the 20-goal Bondell Cup with Audi; the 20-goal Texas Open with Bob Moore Cadillac, where she earned MVP in the final; the 16-goal International Cup with Sympatico; and Palm Beach Polo’s 14-goal league. Her list of wins in women’s polo is even longer. She is seven-time winner of Polo magazine’s Woman Player of the Year; she won the U.S. Women’s Open three times; the WCT final six times; the First Royal Malaysian Ladies Championship in 2012; USA vs. Argentina in Argentina; ICWI International Ladies Tournament in Jamaica; the Argentine Women’s Open in 1999 and 2015; Thai Polo Queen’s Cup in 2012; the Dubai International Ladies tournament; and twice winner of the National Sporting Library Supermatch. Her MVP awards are too numerous to count. In 2005, she founded the Women’s Champion Tournament series to unite the best women’s polo and female players around the world with one mission: new friendships, good polo and shared passion. The WCT encourages clubs to hold qualifier events throughout the year. Participation in a qualifier automatically qualifies individuals to play in the WCT final held in Wellington, Florida each April. Participants are required to be USPA members, which helped increase female membership, now the fastest growing segment of the sport. Today, woman account for some 40 percent of USPA members. The WCT now includes both
Sunny, age 8, jumps polo pony Charro in Pre Training Cross Country in Fresno, California.
Association, a polo breed registry to track statistics, breeding records and awards. At the time, Hale said it was important to recognize the equine side of polo and have a place to find verifiable information on polo horses, one of the greatest animals ever created. For a long time, Hale bred and trained many of her own horses. She had an excellent eye for horses and surpassed most players—male and female—in her riding and training abilities. The APHA gave annual awards for Best Polo String in Wellington’s competitive high-goal season. Hale also went out of her way to recognize polo grooms who dedicated their time to caring for the sport’s equine athletes. In an effort to encourage events to showcase polo horses, Hale launched a National Polo Pony Show, held in Florida in 2010 and 2011. It offered a platform for polo pony owners and breeders to showcase their animals. Today, the American Polo Horse Association reaches over 11,000 Facebook fans, 1500 twitter followers and 600 instagram followers. In 2012, Hale was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame for her polo accomplishments. At the time, Adolfo Cambaiso said, “First of all, a great person and great friend. And she is the best woman that I ever see play. I pick her when she was 4 goals to play the U.S. Open instead of any other player around. And I won the U.S. Open with her.” Actor and player Tommy Lee Jones added, “Rides well. Thinks well on the polo field. That’s just about all high-goal players look for in a teammate. It has nothing to do with gender. She’s just a good polo player.” Hale has been featured in numerous mainstream media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, ESPNW, The National UAE, Sport360.com, The Horse Times Egypt, The Palm Beach Post, and Equitrekking.com. When reporters asked what were the best parts of her career, she said it was the relationships she built with great horses, the camaraderie with her teammates and seeing the world playing polo.
Sunny demonstrates the riding pattern during her National Polo Pony Show in 2010.
Over the past few years, Hale has been traveling to play women’s tournaments and promote women’s polo internationally. She has played polo in 11 countries throughout the world including, Argentina, Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Switzerland and Mexico. She has also been a motivational speaker for polo players as well as corporations. Additionally, she authored five books: a three-volume series with “Let’s Talk Polo,” “Let’s Talk About your Handicap,” and “Let’s Talk Polo Ponies;” “I Want To Be A Champion,” a book for mainstream kids to inspire them to follow their dreams; and “How to Gain Confidence as a Rider: A Champion’s guide to understanding and overcoming your fears.” This year, she was due to release her personal story of achieving the impossible in the Sport of Kings with “Conquering the Dream: one woman, one dream ... the impossible.” In 2012, as chairman of the USPA’s Women’s Polo Committee, Hale helped develop a separate women’s handicap system for use in women’s-only polo. The idea was to implement a women’s handicap, similar to what Argentina had done, giving recognition worldwide for the dominance and strength in its female players and the growth in popularity women’s polo was experiencing. She also assisted the polo association in France to
unveil a similar system for its women players. At the time, Hale explained, “Deciding to go ahead with [a women’s rating system] was due to the fact that I had the ability through the WCT to provide the opportunity for women, who may never otherwise move up in handicap their entire career because of a compression issue across the board, to be able to achieve a 0-10 rating among their female peers worldwide. What an opportunity to walk away from if I did nothing.” While playing in Dubai in 2014, Hale told The National writer Selina Denman, “The landscape of our sport has changed. The doors are now open for women to go and participate, especially if they are talented and willing to work at it. We need more tournaments like this—a congregation of international girls getting together and pooling that energy and passion, because that’s what really promotes the sport of polo.” Hale’s message to others has been that the greatest gifts come from within ... it is up to you to find them. Hale did just that, dismissing anyone who didn’t believe in her. She shared that message whenever possible throughout the polo community and with a wider audience through her books and speaking engagements. She truly changed polo for women worldwide, earning respect as an accomplished horseman and professional
player among males and females. She certainly realized her dream earning chances to play with the best players in the world based solely on her talent and professionalism. In numerous conversations with her, she never had a bad word to say about anyone. She never got involved in the politics of the sport and always wanted to talk about the next cool thing she had thought up. If someone was complaining about something, she would laugh and change the subject to something positive. Most players will tell you she was a pleasure to play with and against, and always showed good sportsmanship regardless if she won or lost. Her sister Stormie wrote, “She had a great appreciation for what each day could and did bring. She was determined not to be defined by anyone other than herself and she bravely followed her passion for the game.” Her website says: Passion lives in the pursuit. Do it. Mean it. Enjoy the journey. These were words she lived by. Hale lived her life on her terms, always with a smile on her face. She truly seemed to enjoy her journey. Hale is survived by her father Alexander Hale; sisters Stormie and Dawn; and brother Trails, all from California. She was predeceased by her mother Sue Sally Hale and brother Brook. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 35
It takes a Village Club looks beyond the horizon By Kameron St. Clare • Photos by Dave Boege
S
etting its sights on an ambitious vision, The Villages Polo Club is taking bold steps toward its future, with a new polo manager and polo school instructor
Beneath the bright Florida sun, behind the calm Southern charm, things are stirring at central Florida’s The Villages Polo Club. There, in the heart of the world’s largest retirement community, polo already takes center stage. And it’s about to become even bigger. With expansion on the horizon, The Villages Polo Club is aiming to cement its place as one of the globe’s leading polo clubs, while staying true to the sporting and community roots that have characterized the club’s meteoric rise in the world of polo. The plan is to build on what the club already offers to provide a truly world36 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Director of Polo Paige McCabe
class, turnkey polo experience, said Paige McCabe, director of polo at The Villages Polo Club. “We’re going to create a polo utopia where good people come to play competitive polo,” McCabe said. “No hassle or drama, just fun polo.” That’s a tall order when talking about a club that already boasts five fields, three barns, hundreds of acres of turnout, and a full rental string of ponies and which draws close to 2,000 spectators for Sunday matches. In addition to the construction of new barns and accommodations for grooms in time for summer, the club will debut a polo school this March-May season.
McCabe hopes to create a polo utopia where good people come to play competitive polo.
Joining McCabe’s staff this year are Lord Lyall, who will run the new polo school, and Francisco Bilbao, the new polo manager. The club already offers a ‘Polo 101’ class to cater to spectators, McCabe said. “We have a very active spectator base and they formed a Booster Club, and they were very curious about the rules so we started teaching classes and they loved it,” she said. “Now we do three to four classes a season on the rules, strategy, horsemanship, and we bring in guest lecturers like our local vet to talk about preventative medicine and training techniques, a farrier, and even the head umpire instructor for the USPA, Steve Lane.” After such a positive experience with Polo 101, the further development of polo education looked like a great opportunity to expand the club’s impact, she said. That’s where Lord Lyall comes in. The polo school will have a four-fold purpose, Lyall said. “First, the school will be an educational institution to recruit new polo players,” he said. “Second, it will work to improve the experience of our current players. The third aim is to educate spectators through classes,
clinics, and excursions. And fourth, in the future we will have a portion of the school dedicated to creating and training umpires—an aspect of the sport that’s often overlooked, yet essential for good polo.” For Lyall, who was around for the beginning of polo in The Villages and who even coached McCabe, the
The club offers a rental string of ponies for a turnkey experience.
opportunity to return to The Villages Polo Club was one he simply could not pass up. “To be asked back is really exciting, I feel like this is my baby,” Lyall said. “For a long time I was the only employee and to go back and work with Paige who was a student of mine is great because it fits in with The Villages family atmosphere.” Sharing a history like that also helps to ensure the sort of effective professional dynamic crucial to making McCabe’s vision for the club a success. “Now we’re older and working together and it’s neat—it’s a cool vibe,” he said. “Part of the strength of that is that we also know each other quite well and there’s relationships that we’ve built over 20-plus years.” For his part, Bilbao will be working to see that the proverbial trains run on time, ensuring that spectators and guests of the club enjoy an experience that meets only the highest standards of excellence. “Anybody who has played at The Villages Polo Club knows the quality of the service we offer here—from playing on world class fields to the convenience of the accommodations we provide. We like to maintain and even improve upon that excellent service to make it an even better experience,” Bilbao said. “I’ll be POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 37
The attentive crowd involvement is rare. The spectators cheer when a good play is made and moan when a goal is missed. The Booster Club takes Polo 101 classes that teach the rules of the game, and bring in guest speakers, such as vets and farriers.
working on making The Villages Polo Club the preferred destination for spring and fall medium-goal polo. It’s my goal to keep improving the quality, safety and level of polo, and to continue working with sponsors and pros to make that happen.” Considered alongside what the club already offers, the end result of the expansion will allow The Villages Polo Club to offer a holistic, turnkey experience to rival even the most elite polo clubs around the world. Indeed, it’s that complete package, resort-style polo experience that puts The Villages Polo Club in a class above. “In my experience, most clubs offer polo: a field, a place to park your trailer and a game,” McCabe said. “We’re doing things differently. We offer a fun, competitive low- to medium-goal polo experience that’s turnkey and family friendly for players and their horses.” According to Lyall, this ‘all you need to bring is your toothbrush’ approach is one of the premier strengths of The Villages Polo Club, allowing it to truly stand out as a global polo destination. 38 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
“One of the strongest offerings that The Villages Polo Club has is that we have made polo the most turnkey operation you could ask for,” Lyall said. “We have the ability to bring in players from anywhere and we have everything here organized from housing to barns and paddocks, to activities and local attractions. It’s all packaged up and allows people to come and have a good
experience, and to bring their family. We have made a polo experience to where you can come in and we can fill up your weekend.” In short, this means convenience, McCabe said. “People are blown away by how easy it is to play here,” she said. “Whether it’s cabanas, golf cars, barns, restaurants, feed and hay stores, we have anything
Lord Lyall will be running the polo school to recruit new players, improve current players, teach spectators and eventually create and train umpires.
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Paige McCabe is not just director of polo, she regularly competes too.
the players need.” And they really are blown away. Just ask W. Hutch Radcliff, who has played at The Villages Polo Club many times over the past decade, usually at the 6- to 8-goal level. “It is definitely one of my most favorite places to play,” Radcliff said. “Paige and club management always make it very easy—it’s extremely convenient.” For players like Radcliff, The Villages Polo Club’s resort-style experience and prime location also makes polo trips fun for the whole family. “I have three girls–not so young anymore, but when they were younger we
A fan favorite, Francisco Bilbao will be the new polo manager.
always planned a trip to Disney around a long polo weekend,” he said. But the highlight for Radcliff has actually proved to be the local community’s enthusiasm for polo. “The best part is probably the crowd,” he said. “It’s the only place I have ever played where the crowd is closely watching every play. You can hear the cheers from the field when a goal is scored and the crowd moan’s when a goal is missed. The crowd involvement in lowgoal polo is really rare and makes The Villages Polo Club one of the most fun places to play in the country.” Earning rave reviews like that are all in a day’s work for McCabe and her team because that’s the standard they’ve set for themselves. “It’s the way we do everything in The Villages,” McCabe said. “It’s in our core values: hospitality, stewardship, creativity and innovation, and hard work.” All these changes and the pursuit of such ambitious goals would make many a hardy polo club manager nervous, but not at The Villages Polo Club. McCabe isn’t just confident about the club’s potential for improvement, she views it as inevitable. Serving as the club’s director for three years, McCabe has been working toward these changes since she took the reins, and she sees what’s happening now as the natural next step for polo in The Villages. “It’s been three—actually 20—years in the making,” she said. “But I had to wait on the right people and the right time in the polo world. That time is now.”
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POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 39
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BY ERNESTO RODRIGUEZ
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SNOW KINGS Argentina wins FIP Snow Polo World Cup for first time.
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rgentina, the most dominant country in the world of polo, had a pending debt. Two gold medals in Olympic games, a high-handicap world title in 1949, absolute supremacy in the last Americas Cup and victories in four of the 10 FIP World Championships put the country in the top among national teams. But one trophy was lacking in the trophy case of the Argentine Polo Association: The FIP Snow Polo World Cup held at the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club. Argentina had sent delegations to the
event held in Tianjin, China each year since its inception in 2012, and had never won the maximum prize. The best result so far was the final loss to a Hong Kong China team in 2013. The polo association’s plan for this season was to form a competitive threesome, guided by a snow expert. For the role of coach and alternate, Diego Braun, with vast experience in European winter tournaments, was chosen. And the three players selected (Francisco Menéndez, Santiago Cernadas and Dylan Rossiter) have run enough on snow. As Braun explained to Polo Players’
Edition, “Cernadas was the one who knew the most because he had gone twice to Tianjin, once to play in the snow and another on the grass. When we got together he made it clear how the place was, the facilities and what we could expect. We shared the flight there with Gastón Moore, who played for Hong Kong in his fourth experience in China. So, we had a fairly complete picture. Even I could tell you many things but going to China is something absolutely new at every step, incredible,” he said about the tournament disputed between January 17-22 in the port city in northeastern China.
The balloon release during opening day ceremonies at the FIP Snow Polo World Cup got the horses’ attention. Diego Braun said the field reminded him of the polo fields at Palermo since it is surrounded by high-rise buildings.
40 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Argentina’s MVP Franki Menéndez, Dylan Rossiter, Santiago Cernadas and Diego Braun brought home the FIP Snow Polo World Cup for the first time.
PPE: How was the organization of the tournament? DB: Impeccable. They try to do everything in a big way. The Metropolitan Polo Club is very good, located in an area surrounded by buildings, that is a bit like Palermo. In addition, it is a tournament of snow polo without snow, because at this time of year, although it is very cold, it does not snow. But there are cannons to make enough artificial snow for the event to play like in a mountain environment. PPE: Was if difficult to communicate with locals? DB: We handled ourselves with a group of Argentine grooms who have spent some time working there and learned some Chinese and the thing went on. That is the main problem, the lack of communication, because the vast majority of Chinese do not speak another language. That’s why you have to teach with gestures, rather than with words. But the predisposition was excellent. They are not a country on horseback, they do not have that culture, and grooms have to teach things to a person who
might have seen a horse for the first time when entering that job. But they have guts and try to learn. PPE: What can you say about the horses, something that always generates controversy in this kind of tournament? DB: I was positively surprised at the level of the horses, a fairly balanced lot, good quality. Horses were acclimated to the snow, they were not frightened with the ball nor the style of game in the snow, which is of more friction than in an open field. It was a very good surprise. The Argentine grooms put everything as if it were a club in Buenos Aires, which was not surprising. They are teaching the trade to local people so they know the secrets. They are working for the polo to grow in China. From what I was told there are four active clubs across the country. PPE: What were your expectations? DB: We arrived with much hope. This tournament is very difficult for Argentina because we do not have polo in the snow or indoor tournaments as do the Americans, British or the European
Argentina: Dylan Rossiter Francisco Menéndez Santiago Cernadas Replacement: Diego Braun 4
16 4 6 6
Hong Kong: Matías Vial Gastón Moore John Fischer
16 6 6 4
South Africa: Tom de Bruin Chris Mackenzie Jan Steenkamp Replacement: Gareth Evans 6
16 7 6 3
England: James Harper Jack Richardson Alastair Patterson Replacement: David Allen 4
16 6 6 4
Australia: Jack Archibald Dirk Gould Matt Grimes Replacement: Jake Daniels 4
16 5 5 6
USA: Thomas Biddle Shane Rice Jesús ‘Pelon’ Escapite Replacement: Patrick Uretz 4
15 5 4 6
League A England 6, Argentina 5 England 3, Australia 1 Argentina 6, Australia 4 League B Hong Kong China 3, South Africa 2 South Africa 5, USA 2 Hong Kong China 8, USA 7 Semi-finals Argentina 6, South Africa 5 Hong Kong China 8, England 7 Final Argentina 6, Hong Kong China 5 Subsidiary final South Africa 5, England 3
countries, which allows you to be fine in certain types of games. The results prove it: from six tournaments that were made, this is the second time we have reached a final. And we won it. PPE: Tell us about the tournament. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 41
DB: We went from low to high. Before the first game, we could not try the field because they had made little snow. It’s no excuse, because it was the same for everyone. But we were more concerned by the lack of practice in snow. In the first match of the tournament, the English grabbed us and gave us a good slap. We had lost four goals, so we made a change of tactics, we adjusted some things and we lost just by one (6-5). The match was not bad, but it helped us all to realize how we had to play. We went against Australia, changing positions as Santi Cernadas, who was No. 2, moved back to the place that Frankie had occupied. And the change was fantastic because we won well by 6-4. With that same scheme, in the semifinals we had South Africa as a rival, which for me was the best team of the tournament. It was a tough match because there was also a very strong wind, so you attacked a chukker with a wind in your favor and in the next you had it against
Argentina’s Dylan Rossiter moves in to defend countryman Gastón Moore, who played for Hong Kong China, in the final of FIP Snow Polo World Cup.
you in a very perceptible way. I think it was our best game of the tournament and we ended up winning by 6-5. That day I realized that we could be champions even when we had to play against defending champion Hong Kong China.
It wasn’t all work and no play. The Argentine team visited The Great Wall during some down time.
42 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
PPE: How was the final? DB: Hong Kong China came from winning in 2016 and was champion in two other years. It is the local threesome and it is very difficult because it is actually an All-Star trio from around the world. It is organized by Englishman John Fisher, who is the manager of the Metropolitan Polo Club and he chooses his players. This time he played with [Argentine] Gastón Moore and the Chilean Matías
Vial. He also knows the horses perfectly. Although the lots were evenly divided, he knows what he is riding and what you are riding, which is an advantage. That day we did not start well, losing 2-0—in fact we got behind in the beginning of all of our games—but we knew how to turn it around and we were with the victory by another 6-5 score, playing the last two chukkers in an impressive way. Frankie Menéndez was chosen the Best Player of the tournament. PPE: Overall, what is your evaluation of the trip? DB: It is very good that Argentina goes and supports these kind of tournaments, although sometimes the results are not the best and is criticized for that. This type of event opens up markets—there are Argentine boys working, there are Argentine horses. The Argentine pride is to have Palermo, the Triple Crown, a bunch of 10-goalers. That’s not going to be taken away from us. But it also has to support this class of lower handicap tournaments, even though sometimes the desired results are not given.
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Lesson 3 DEFENSIVE SKILLS
Lesson 4 OUTDOOR STRATEGY
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COACHING POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 43
Barefoot and perfectly elegant, guests inside the opulent oceanview Pol Roger VIP Marquee could have been somewhere in the South of France, Ibiza or Miami, as they sipped champagne while games of polo unfolded before them upon the pristine white sands of Glenelg Beach, against an Adelaide Beach polo a galloping success azure backdrop of the St WORDS BY ANDREW BENKE Vincent Gulf. A perfect summer day graced all guests with cerulean skies, while a gentle breeze ensured the heat of the sun was tempered into what constituted ideal conditions for Adelaide’s inaugural Pol Roger Beach Polo. Guests attended from far and wide, including most Australian states, as well as USA and Canada, for what was a
DESTINATION: AUSTRALIA
Lucas Rogers and Janek Gazecki arrive by boat.
44 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
picture-perfect launch of this exciting international event. Beach Polo is another fast developing variant of the multi-faceted ancient sport, alongside snow polo and Urban Polo, with its genesis credited to Dubai’s Rashid Al Habtoor and Sam Katiela, who first pioneered the initiative in 2004. The following year the game expanded to the beaches of Miami and continued to grow in popularity, eventually showing up in Belgium, England, Wales, Chile, Ireland, Uruguay, Greece, Croatia and a host of other countries. The growing number of worldwide beach polo events have aided in exposing the sport of polo to a new audience in a fun and exciting context. Beach polo made its Australian debut in 2010 when it was introduced by Janek Gazecki to Broome, a remote tourist destination in the far northwestern
Lucas Rogers taps the ball toward goal for Team Nova.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
Adelaide’s Jock McLachlan, Ed Bowden and Ric McCarthy won the National Polo League interstate match on the snow-white sands of Glenelg Beach.
corner of the country, where it was staged for two years, before the crash of the mining boom pushed the event
farther south, into Adelaide, the location of its acclaimed revival this year. Whereas polo in general is considered
S P O T L I G H T
a premium marketing and entertainment platform, beach polo has carved out a niche, which is particularly aspirational and glamorous, as exemplified by the flourishing Sandbanks event in the U.K., as well as USA’s own spectacle in Miami, which have set the global bar for this unique equine discipline. By virtue of its requisite playing surface, the sport lends itself to some of the world’s most visually stunning locations, invariably set against an oceanic backdrop, in a coastal resort style hospitality setting. Additionally, a seaside summer sojourn generates a vibrant disposition for polo revellers, ensuring a relaxed and festive experience. Adelaide’s Glenelg Beach was no exception, playing host to fashionistas and Australia’s well-heeled socialites who eagerly descended upon South
The attentive crowd gets a close encounter as James Thomas taps the ball away from the boards for Team Nova.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 45
Australia’s favorite beach to witness polo history. The first game saw a clash between Champagne Pol Roger and local radio station Nova. Pol Roger’s efforts were spearheaded by Luke Rowley, Janek Gazecki and Marty Ingham, who were overwhelmed by the agility and prowess of their opponents on Team Nova, comprised of Lucas Rogers, Jonathan Bayes and Tom Collie, who surged ahead to a commanding lead of 5-0 in the first two chukkers. Pol Roger was clearly struggling with the novelty of beach conditions and it was not until the third chukker that its fortunes shifted, following a secretive team meeting at halftime. Marty Ingham came out with all cylinders firing, threading the ball with profound dexterity through the legs of his opponents’ horses, inching towards the goals each time, and executing with a fine finish on most occasions. Incredibly, Champagne Pol Roger fought its way back to a 5-all draw from the sticks of Ingham and Rowley, yet the final chukker witnessed Jonathan Bayes make an unprecedented run for goal, which sealed victory for Team Nova in the final minutes, resulting in a 6-4 win for the latter. At half time it was the crowd’s turn to demonstrate their sporting prowess, during the ‘Dash’, which entails male and female competitors racing each other, in separate divisions for fabulous prizes. Fleet-footed women dressed in floral summer dresses and designer sarongs elegantly bounded across the sand, lured by the promise of shopping coupons for ‘Jetty Road,’ the local retail complex, held aloft by a selection of strapping polo players at the finish line. Men too, not to be outdone, crumpled their Tom Ford casual summer shirts in the pursuit of glory and more shopping coupons, displaying feats of athleticism that can only be evoked by an afternoon 46 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
of drinking in the hot Australian sun. No sooner had the winners of the Dash been reabsorbed by the cheering crowd, than the next spectacle unfolded. Players from competing teams in the upcoming game formed a uniform line to create the background for a fashion
parade. Male and female models strutted their stuff along the wall of horses, adorned with outfits from David Lawrence and Oxford among other brands, while fashion judges mingled among the guests handing out the last of the ‘Fashion on the Beach’ finalist
Jonathan Bayes (red) and Janek Gazecki (blue) hustle for possession of the ball.
Ric McCarthy from Team Adelaide winds up for one of his thundering forehands, which helped his team clinch victory over Team Melbourne.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
badges to those who best encapsulated the distinct ‘beachside chic’ look. Upon the conclusion of the parade, Fashion on the Beach finalists were invited to line up upon a portable podium to be judged by Natalie Decorte, editor of The Polo Project, alongside a selection of fashion designers and local celebrities, with the winners again walking away with plenty of prizes. As the podium was dismantled, the National Polo League teams trotted onto the field to warm up for the feature
game. Local identity and established pastoralist, Jock McLachlan, led Team Adelaide, sponsored by Fox Real Estate, against Team Melbourne. McLachlan’s efforts were supported by teammates Ric McCarthy and Ed Bowden, the latter of whom was last year’s recipient of the Urban Polo Association $5,000 junior scholarship. Their opposing team, sponsored by Stella Artois, had been pulled together by Melbourne businessman Sacha Caller and consisted of Peter Handbury and James Thomas.
Sam and Sarsi Temme and their daughter
Tilly Langston, Aleesha Robertson, Nicole Erfurth, Monique Hazledine, John Doyle and Braeden Kelly
S P O T L I G H T
Unlike the first game, this one was a consecutive exchange of goals between the teams, with most chukkers locked at even scores or marginal leads. It was clear, however, that Team Adelaide was in no mood to be defeated in their home town before eagerly cheering spectators. Despite valiant efforts from Team Melbourne, with notable performances from Caller and Handbury, Adelaide rode their lap of honor as victors, having prevailed with a 4-3 finish. Small additional touches that made the event something extra special included an ingenious shoe concierge, allowing guests to enjoy the sensation of sand beneath their feet, as well as the luxuriant and verdant marquees replete with palms, archways, resort furniture and even a swing, complimented by ultrapremium food and beverage. Champagne Pol Roger and Stella Artois beer, not to mention freshly shucked local oysters, which were imperative at such a splendid seaside location, graced the trays of attentive service staff. Adding to the glamour, it did not escape the crowd’s attention that some of the players arrived to the event via a multi-million dollar Riviera luxury vessel, disembarking straight onto the beach directly in front of the field. Geoff Gourley, a founding director of the Australian Beach Polo Association declared, “This has been by far the most amazing beach polo event I have been involved with and we look forward to the producers extending their successful model to other locations around Australia to promote this exciting and glamorous variation of polo.” Overall, the event was thrilling. The weather was perfect and the location, with its pristine white sands and astounding ocean views, could not have been a more dramatic setting for beach polo. It is a valuable addition to the growing Australian polo circuit, and it’s already rumored the return of Pol Roger Beach Polo next year will feature a clash between an Australian and international team, which will further grow the event’s profile within the dynamic global beach polo circuit. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 47
POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO PAC I F I C C OA S T
JIM BREMNER/POLOZONE.COM
STG TRIUMPHS IN PRESIDENTS CUP
STG’s John Ziegler, John Bickford, Ignacio Deltour and Max Menini won the 8-goal Presidents Cup trophy at Empire Polo Club in February.
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TG’s John Bickford, John Ziegler, Ignacio Deltour and Max Menini powered through the 8-goal USPA Presidents Cup final against Tentnology’s Cameron Smith, Mariano Gutierrez, Nicolas Maciel and Gery Warner to win the prestigious title at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California on February 26. The action got underway with Menini putting two goals on the board for STG in the first chukker. Tentnology
48 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
struggled to reach the goal until the second chukker when Gutierrez tapped in a Penalty 2. John Bickford responded for STG, but Gutierrez struck again, this time from the field. Deltour tallied for STG but Gutierrez scored once again. A Penalty 4 conversion from Maciel knotted the score at 4-all to end the chukker. While Tentnology was on fire in the second chukker, it was silenced in the next two periods. Meanwhile, STG kept
up the pressure with a pair of goals by Bickford, three from Menini including a Penalty 3 and one from Deltour for a 104 advantage. Deltour and Maciel traded goals in the fifth, for a six-goal difference going into the final chukker. Tentnology again struggled to reach the goal while Deltour and Menini struck again to give STG the 13-5 win. Deltour was named MVP and Menini’s Araquiti was Best Playing Pony.
R E P O R T
JIM BREMNER/POLOZONE.COM
JIM BREMNER/POLOZONE.COM
P O L O
STG’s Francisco Guinazu, John Ziegler, John Bickford and Max Menini took the 8-goal Emerald Cup final at Empire.
It was the second win for STG after it topped Tentnology 9-7 in the final of the 8-goal Emerald Cup on February 12. In that final, Maciel put Tentnology on the board early in the first with a Penalty 4 conversion. Menini responded with a run to goal for STG. Bickford added another for STG in the second but Gutierrez found the goal for Tentnology and Maciel added his second Penalty 4 conversion. Francisco Guinazu tied the scored, then gave STG the 4-3 lead at the half. Tentnology took control in the fourth with Maciel sinking his third Penalty 4, before Gutierrez scored from the field for the 5-4 lead. A Penalty 2 conversion and a field goal from Gutierrez put Tentnology ahead 7-4 until Menini broke loose, scoring a field goal then a Penalty 2 to bring STG within one going into the last period. Guinazu tied the score early in the sixth, then Menini hit Tentnology with a one-two punch to give STG a 9-7 lead. Tentnology tried to reach the goal but STG held off any offensive drives to hang on for the win. Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi, Rhandy Heredia, Alvaro Tadeo, Ashton Wolf) was successful in the final of both February 4-goals: the USPA Circuit Players Cup and the Rose Cup. In the Rose Cup final played on February 12, Hanalei Bay cruised to a 12-7½ victory over Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Noah Sprung, Juan Jo
Hanalei Bay’s Ashton Wolf, Alvaro Tadeo, Rhandy Heredia and Krista Bonaguidi won the USPA Circuit Players and Rose Cups.
Gonzalez, Carlos Galindo), which started with a half-goal handicap. Goals by Tadeo, Heredia and Wolf in the first chukker put Hanalei Bay ahead 3-½. Another strong chukker saw Bonaguidi, Tadeo and Wolf adding goals for Hanalei Bay, while Evergreen got on the board with a Penalty 1. Heredia scored a pair in the third added to a goal by Wolf, while Galindo scored a lone goal for Evergreen, ending the half with Evergreen trailing 9-2½. After the break, Tadeo scored, but Evergreen rebounded. Gonzalez scored followed by two in a row from Galindo to cut the deficit to 10-5½. Tadeo widened the spread in the fifth with a field goal and a Penalty 6 conversion but Gonzalez scored one more to keep Evergreen in the game. Evergreen had a deep hole to get out of in seven minutes, but that didn’t keep it from trying. Galindo hit the mark, then Sprung scored but time ran out and Hanalei Bay took the 12-7½ victory. In the Players Cup played on February 26, Hanalei Bay easily defeated Empire (Oliver Jin, Gaby Saccullo, Ernie Ezcurra, Erik Wright) in a lackluster game. Hanalei Bay struck early with goals by Alvaro Tadeo and Ashton Wolf to take a quick 2-0 lead. A defensive battle ensued in the second, with neither team able to reach the goal. Tadeo and Wolf finally broke through Empire’s defense to combine for three goals in the third,
giving Hanalei Bay the 5-0 advantage at the half. Even after the halftime break, Empire was unable to find its stride. Tadeo scored in the fourth and fifth, added to a Penalty 4 conversion from Wolf. Gaby Saccullo found the goal in the last period to put Empire on the board. Tadeo answered by sinking a Penalty 6. Erik Wright got the last word but it wasn’t enough and Hanalei Bay took the 9-2 victory. Wolf took MVP honors while Tadeo’s Princess was Best Playing Pony. The previous week, Canadian Sweet Tarts came out on top in the Debii Dollar Conant Ladies round robin after topping Mother Chukkers and Deer Creek Dames in the two-day event. The first round on the final day had Mother Chukkers (Sukey Forbes, Georgia Sperling, Caitlin Dix, Jana Conkwright) taking on Canadian Sweet Tarts (Steph Davidson, Becky Schaller, Abby Riggs, Tania Paneno). Mother Chukkers had one and a half goals carried over from the previous day, while Canadian Sweet Tarts had three. Mother Chukkers needed to double its score while keeping Canadian Sweet Tarts from reaching the goal to tie. It successfully held off Sweet Tarts, but scored just a goal, falling short by a half goal. The next round had Mother Chukkers carrying over three goals, while Deer Creek Dames (Carol Farnsworth, Julie Fernandez, Caroline
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 49
R E P O R T LACEY WINTERTON.COM
JIM BREMNER/POLOZONE.COM
P O L O
Canadian Sweet Tarts’ Abby Riggs, Tania Paneno, Becky Schaller and Stephanie Davidson won the Debbi Dollar event.
Anier, Lynni Hutton) carried over four. Mother Chukkers’ Caitlin Dix and Deer Creek Dames’ Carol Farnsworth traded goals in the first and Farnsworth scored a Penalty 2 in the second. The Dames had the 6-4 win. The last round had Sweet Tarts carrying over a goal and a half, while the Dames carried over one goal. Tania Paneno scored the only goal in the two periods to give Sweet Tarts the 2½-1 win. The win also gave Canadian Sweet Tarts the title, while Deer Creek Dames settled for runner-up. Mother Chukkers was third. Deer Creek’s Lynni Hutton won the Dorrie Forstmann Sportsmanship Award presented by Annie Russell.
ANTELOPE LEAPS AHEAD IN JASON MEMORIAL
The rain delayed final game of the Mack and Madelyn Jason Memorial was played at the Eldorado Polo Club in Indio, California on a rather cool and damp January 22. In spite of the inhospitable conditions, Geoff Palmer’s Antelope group (Grant Palmer, B; Santiago Trotz, 5; Jared Sheldon, 4; Rhandy Heredia-sub for Geoff Palmer) didn’t let the weather cool them as they rode to victory by a count of 12-9 over Jenny Luttrell Benardoni and her Cotterel Farms foursome (Jenny Luttrell Benardoni, A.5; Francisco
50 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Antelope’s Santiago Trotz, Grant Palmer, Jared Sheldon and Rhandy Heredia (subbing for Geoff Palmer) won the Jason Memorial.
Benardoni, 1; Ruben Cossia, 5; Matthew Fonseca, 2). It was obvious at the start that longtime Antelope quarterback Trotz didn’t let the below-normal temperature and threatening rain affect his team as it kept its powder dry and took an immediate four-goal lead after period No. 1—a lead that was never to be surrendered. Cotterel was able to close the gap to three in the second at 6-3, but remained behind that margin going to the half at 7-4. The fourth chukker was, once again, played even with the three-goal gap enduring to read 8-5. Cotterel jumped out in the fifth and narrowed the count to just one early on at 8-7, but Antelope responded with three of its own to just one for the Idahoans and the differential was once again three (11-8) going to the final frame. With the temperature falling, the sixth period was—for the third time—played even with each team scoring once. When it was over, Antelope had won the first tournament of the 2017 season. For the winners, Sheldon, in his MVP role, scored six times (four foul conversions), Trotz counted four times and the aggressive Eldorado Junior Polo graduates Palmer and Heredia scored once each. The runners-up replies came from
Fonseca with four, Cossia notched three and Benardoni scored once. A Penalty No. 1 award filled out their card. Along with Sheldon receiving his well earned accolade, Centasia, played by Trotz in the fifth, was selected as the Best Playing Pony. In other action, Jennifer Alexy’s Luna Polo (Jennifer Alexy, .5; Roisin Obrien/Dave Carlson, B; Diego Larregli, 2; Ernesto Ezcurra, 2) went through the qualifying round of the Eldorado Polo Club’s 4-goal Carlton and Keleen Beal Cup rather easily without a loss. The January 22 final turned out to be the same as it easily triumphed over Shore Thing/M1 Financial (Lamar Rutherford, B; Malia McCoy, 1; Abby Riggs, A; Rodrigo Salinas, 3) by a score of 6-4½. Having to give up a half-goal handicap at the start didn’t affect Luna in the slightest as it took control at the outset and controlled almost every aspect of the game. A first period lead of one and a half (2-½) and an equal advantage at the half (3-1½) became insurmountable after three chukkers at 6-1½. Shore Thing/M1 Financial scored three goals in the final period but it wasn’t nearly enough as Luna Polo grabbed the Beal Cup without trouble. In the win, Ezcurra scored four times (two fouls) and Alexy and Larregli counted one each.
R E P O R T
LACEY WINTERTON.COM
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS
P O L O
Luna Polo’s Jennifer Alexy, Roisin Obrien, Diego Larregli and Ernie Ezcurra won the 4-goal Carlton and Keleen Beal Cup at Eldorado.
In reply, McCoy had two while Salinas and Riggs scored one apiece. Ezcurra was deemed to be the MVP and Marley, Alexy’s third chukker horse, was chosen as the Best Playing Pony. —Tony Gregg FLORIDA
EQUINE LIQUID BIOCELL TAKES IGLEHART CUP
Ten-goal Hilario Ulloa led Equine Liquid Biocell to victory in the fiveteam 20-goal Iglehart Cup at International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida on March 12. Equine Liquid Biocell (Duilio Diaz, Agustin Obregon, Hilario Ulloa, Jared Zenni) and Mt. Brilliant (Bo Goodman, Jason Crowder, Santiago Chavanne, Julian Daniels) were the only teams to go undefeated in preliminary play, earning spots in the semi-finals. Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Costi Caset, Facundo Obregon, Sapo Caset) and La Indiana (Michael Bickford, Ruki Bailleiu, Jeff Hall, Mike Azzaro) took the other spots, while Goose Creek (Maureen Brennan, Peke Gonzalez, Tomas Garcia Del Rio, Mariano Gonzalez) was eliminated. Equine Liquid Biocell continued its momentum after defeating Mt. Brilliant 10-8 in the first semi-final. In
Equine Liquid Biocell’s Jared Zenni, Hilario Ulloa, Duilio Diaz and Agustin Obregon won the 20-goal Iglehart Cup at International Polo.
that game, Equine Liquid Biocell took a 6-4 advantage in the second chukker and never relinquished the lead, winning 10-8. The next semi-final had La Indiana come from behind with five goals in the last two chukkers to take the 11-8 win. The final would be a rematch of the preliminary game between La Indiana and Equine Liquid Biocell, which the latter won 12-5. Mike Azzaro struck first for La Indiana in the final, but Agustin Obregon responded for Biocell. A Penalty 4 conversion by Jeff Hall left La Indiana on top 2-1 after the first seven minutes. Obregon tied it up early in the second, but two goals by Azzaro, including a Penalty 4 conversion, put La Indiana in the lead 4-2. Jared Zenni, a member of Team USPA, said, “We knew they were a really good team, with a great organization behind them and we would have to play really well in order to win. Going into the third chukker, we started playing with more attitude and began winning plays.” Equine Liquid Biocell played the third chukker as if it were for all the marbles. Zenni scored, followed by Obregon. Ulloa knocked in two in a row and Zenni followed with another. When the dust had settled, Biocell held a 7-4 lead. Not much changed after the half, as Obregon scored his fourth and Ulloa added another pair to take a 10-
4 advantage while La Indiana came up empty. Ulloa scored the only goal of the fifth to enter the final chukker 11-4. La Indiana had its work cut out for it but it was up for the challenge. Ruki Baillieu came out on fire, scoring three in a row. Azzaro wrapped goals around one from Hall and in less than seven minutes the team trailed by only one goal. But, as the team scrambled for another goal, the horn dashed its hopes and Equine Liquid Biocell had hung on for the 11-10 win. Ulloa said, “We had a tough start to the game, the first two chukkers we didn’t play well. We were a bit asleep and slow on the turns and they played great. Luckily, we woke up quickly and had an amazing third, fourth and fifth chukker.” Zenni was named MVP and Michael Bickford’s 7-year-old mare, Aran, played by Ruki Baillieu was named Best Playing Pony. Earlier, Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Wes Finlayson, Julio Arellano, Julian de Lusarreta) came away the winner in the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup, topping a field of 14 tough teams. It battled Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Costi Caset, Facundo Obregon, Sapo Caset) for the title on on February 19. Sapo Caset sunk the first goal to put Tonkawa on the board. Wes Finlayson, filling in for an injured Del
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 51
R E P O R T DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS
P O L O
Coca-Cola’s Del Walton, Gillian Johnston, Julian de Lusarreta, Julio Arellano, Wes Finlayson and Sugar Erskine celebrate their victory.
Walton, responded for Coca-Cola for a 1-1 score at the end of the first. A Penalty 2 and a Penalty 1 in favor of Tonkawa gave it the edge. Arellano scored for Coca-Cola to keep within a goal, 3-2. Caset sunk a Penalty 3 but Arellano matched it with a Penalty 2 conversion. Goals by Costi Caset and cousin Sapo gave Tonkawa a 6-3 advantage at the halfway mark. Arellano talked to his teammates at the halftime break. “I said, ‘Look, those guys are hitting us before we hit them, they are setting the tempo, they are setting the rhythm. We need to come out there and be aggressive.’” The team was inspired by the pep talk, coming out in the fourth with four goals, including two by de Lusarreta, a Penalty 2 from Arellano and a field goal from Finlayson, to take the 7-6 lead. A stunned Tonkawa went scoreless that chukker, but Sapo Caset scored a lone goal in the fifth to knot the score at 7-7. Sapo Caset scored in the opening minutes of the sixth to put Tonkawa ahead, but with time running down, Johnston split the uprights to force overtime. A Penalty 2 in favor of Coca-Cola ended the match after Arellano tapped it through. The Coca-Cola win was dedicated to 17-year-old Donovan Stratemann, who died in a polo accident days earlier. Stratemann was best friends with
52 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Valiente’s Adolfo Cambiaso, Diego Cavanagh, Bob Jornayvaz and Matias Torres Zavaleta won the C.V. Whitney Cup.
Arellano’s children. Agustin Arellano said, “It meant so much to us! Gillian and my dad said before the game that this was for Donovan and they did it for Donovan.” Julian de Lusarreta was named MVP and Sapo Caset’s 11-year-old mare Annie Negra was Best Playing Pony. The 26-goal season got underway on February 23 with the C.V. Whitney Cup. Three strong teams battled for bragging rights including defending champion Orchard Hill (Steve Van Andel, Polito Pieres, Facundo Pieres, Felipe Vercellino), Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Adolfo Cambiaso, Diego Cavanagh) and Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Julian de Lusarreta, Julio Arellano, Miguel Novillo Astrada). Orchard Hill and Valiente met in the final after both teams defeated Coca-Cola. Orchard Hill was the first to get on the scoreboard after being awarded a Penalty 1 in the opening minutes of the game. Facundo Pieres added two more while Valiente was held to one from Adolfo Cambiaso, for a 3-1 Orchard Hill lead. Polito Pieres increased Orchard Hill’s lead early in the second, but Valiente had enough, knocking in three in a row to tie the score. Polito Pieres added another to put Orchard Hill back on top 5-4. Valiente came
back in the third with a pair of unanswered goals to take a 6-5 halftime lead. Valiente carried the one-goal advantage into the fifth period after Facundo Pieres traded goals with Torres Zavaleta. Torres Zavaleta scored three in the fifth added to goals from Cambiaso and Diego Cavanagh while Orchard Hill was held to a pair of penalty conversions for a 12-8 advantage going into the last chukker. Cambiaso scored out of the opening line up to cushion Valiente’s lead, but Facundo Pieres responded with a penalty conversion. Polito Pieres split the uprights on a run to goal but the team lost some momentum when it was unable to convert two chances from the penalty line. Facundo Pieres found the mark on a Penalty 2 but Cambiaso answered with a field goal just before the final horn. Valiente took the 14-11 win. Matias Torres Zavaleta was MVP and Sugar, owned by Valiente and played by Cambiaso, was Best Playing Pony.
NEWPORT VICTORIOUS IN LIVE OAK CHALLENGE Newport defeated High Ground 10-8 to win the 12-goal Live Oak Challenge at Port Mayaca Polo Club in Okeechobee, Florida on March 3.
P O L O
Newport’s Matt Coppola, Gene Goldstein, Mariano Gracida and Tommy Alberdi won the 12-goal Live Oak Challenge.
Newport (Gene Goldstein, Tommy Alberdi, Matt Coppola, Mariano Gracida) dominated the first half, leading 7-2. High Ground (Joe Meyer, Matias Magrini, Santino Magrini, Henry Porter) came back in the next two periods with five penalty conversions in a row to knot the score at 7-all. Mariano Gracida broke the tie in Newport’s favor to end the fifth. Gracida hammered in two more goals to give Newport a comfortable 10-7 lead. High Ground made a last goal with under a minute left but it wasn’t enough and Newport won 10-8. Mariano Gracida was named MVP and Matt Coppola’s Traviesa was Best Playing Pony. Six teams played off over two weeks. In preliminary games Newport defeated CrossFit El Cid 15-7; High Ground defeated Skaneateles 11-9; The Villages defeated CrossFit El Cid 9-7; High Ground defeated Banbury Cross 10-9; Skaneateles defeated The Villages 11-10; Newport defeated Banbury Cross 11-9; High Ground defeated CrossFit El Cid 9-5; Banbury Cross defeated The Villages 11-9; and Newport defeated Skaneateles 15-9. In the Tabebuia Cup, CrossFit El Cid (Hope Arellano, Meghan Gracida, Cecelia Cochran, Tiffany Busch) defeated San Saba (Dawn Jones, Clarissa Echezarreta, Alyson Poor, Ashely Emerson) 5-3½ to take the title. San Saba came out strong in the first
R E P O R T
CrossFit El Cid’s Tiffany Busch, Cecelia Cochran, Hope Arellano and Meghan Gracida (with Steve Orthwein) won the Tabebuia Cup.
half, leading 2½-1, but CrossFit El Cid came alive in the third with a pair of goals by Hope Arellano and two by Tiffany Busch to double San Saba’s score 5-2½. San Saba scored a lone goal in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough and CrossFit El Cid held on to the 5-3½ lead. Tiffany Busch was named MVP and Alyson Poor’s Picacita took Best Playing Pony honors. In the consolation, Ace Sportswear (Demitra Hajimilhalis, Belinda Brody, Courtney Asdourian, Julia Smith) defeated Clifton Exploration (Nicole Offen, Tiffany Orthwein, Annie Ahern, Laura Willson) 8-1½. To get to the final, San Saba defeated Clifton Exploration 9-1½ and CrossFit El Cid topped Ace Sportswear 4-3½. In the 8-goal Cypress Challenge final on January 28, Starfish (Cecelia Cochran, Kristos Magrini, Jason Wates, Matt Coppola) defeated High Ground (Stevie Orthwein, Toro Ruiz, JP Meyer, Joe Meyer) 10-9. Kristos Magrini was named MVP and Stevie Orthwein’s Shoshanna was Best Playing Pony. Six teams began the tournament with preliminary matches starting on January 13. Playoff games had High Ground defeat Aliano’s 12-10; Herradura (Gene Goldstein, Tommy Alberdi, Augusto Sola, Mariano Gracida) defeat Taylor Hill (Sarah Runnells, Marcos Onetto, Whistle Uys, Lucas Escobar) 11-8; Aliano’s (Nick Aliano, Hugo Lloret, Max Secunda, Frank
Evans) defeat Banbury Cross (Breanna Gunnell, Marcos Bignoli, Robert Orthwein, Nelson Gunnell) 10-7; Starfish defeat High Ground 9-8; Herradura defeat Banbury Cross 12-10; Starfish defeat Taylor Hill 8-7; High Ground defeat Herradura 9-6; Taylor Hill defeat Aliano’s 14-7; and Starfish defeat Banbury Cross 8-6. Mount Airy/Banbury Cross was the winner in the Fakahatchee 6-goal Invitational, while Horseware (Nick Aliano, Tom Mac Guinness, Hugo Lloret, Santo Magrini) took the 6-goal Cupid Cup over Good Thunder (Bill Patterson, Max Secunda, Frank Evans, Marcos Onetto) 9-7. Hugo Lloret was MVP and Best Playing Pony was Max Secunda’s Trinity. The Winners team (Laura Willson, Noco Tognini, Robert Orthwein and Will Johnston) were eliminated after falling to Good Thunder 9-5 and Horseware 8-7.
GSA CAPTURES SIEBER MEMORIAL
GSA, the youngest and one of the most talented teams at Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida, won the 12-goal Sieber Memorial final on February 25. Four teenagers, 1-goal Henry Porter, 17; 2-goal Santino Magrini, 15; 6-goal Juan Martin Zubia, 17; and 3goal Torito Ruiz, 18, made their
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MVP Henry Porter, Santino Magrini, Torito Ruiz and Juan Martin Zubia won the 12-goal Sieber Memorial over Patagones.
impressive 11-4 victory over Patagones look effortless. It was GSA’s second tournament win of the 2017 season at Grand Champions. GSA also won the Limited Edition 12-goal Series Handicap title last month with a 12-6 win over Beverly Equestrian. British player Henry Porter was MVP and Juan Martin Zubia’s 10-yearold black mare Chamaco was Best Playing Pony. GSA had balanced scoring. Ruiz led with four goals followed by Magrini with three. Porter and Zubia each had two goals. Global Student Accommodation (GSA), which created the student accommodation sector, is sponsoring its first polo team. The global communities give students the space to grow in the direction that matters most to them when they are away from their homes. Patagones (Joaquin Avendano, Tavi Usandizaga, Benjamin Avendano, Santi Wulff, Santi Avendano) could not find its rhythm throughout the game and was unable to put together any serious challenge. Alternatively, GSA played with confidence, chemistry and great anticipation, turning away several Patagones scoring attempts near the goal line. After a close first chukker with GSA and Patagones tied at 1-1 in the first four minutes, GSA reeled off five unanswered goals to take a 6-1 lead after the second chukker.
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Equuleus’ Juanse Olivera, MVP Hugo Tagliaferro, Martin Pepa and Joe DiMenna won the Halo Polo 6-Goal final.
GSA shut out Patagones in the second and third chukkers for an 8-1 lead at the half. GSA continued its dominance in the second half for leads of 9-2 and 10-3. In the Margaret Sieber Memorial Handicap final, Cria Yatay (Bill Ballhaus, Hilario Figueras, Inaki Laprida, Marcos Garcia Del Rio) held on for a thrilling 12-10 victory over Audi (Teo Calle, Pablo Pulido, Tomas Pieres, Stewart Armstrong). Laprida, who scored a game-high seven goals, was named MVP. Pieres had five for Audi. The tournament is named in honor of polo player Rob Sieber, who died in a polo-related accident 31 years ago at Oak Brook, Illinois. Members of the Sieber family were on hand for the final, handicap final and awards presentation. Also on February 25, Equuleus captured the Halo Polo 6-Goal final, winning its first tournament of the winter season. The Equuleus foursome of Juanse Olivera, Hugo Tagliaferro, Martin Pepa and Joe DiMenna jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the second chukker and went on to defeat Horseware/ Aliano Realty, 12-6, at its home field. After playing together for five years, the chemistry was evident between DiMenna, Tagliaferro and Pepa. The addition of 14-year-old Juanse Olivera only added to the team’s success.
Horseware/Aliano Realty (Tom Mac Guinness, Nick Aliano, Hugo Lloret, Segundo Merlos) trailed by only one, 54, late in the second chukker but could not reel in Equuleus. Tagliaferro, a 25-year veteran of the game, played well on both ends of the field and was named Most Valuable Player. Barbie, an 8-year-old mare ridden by Hugo Lloret and owned by Tom Mac Guinness was selected Best Playing Pony. DiMenna was pleased with his team’s first victory of the season. Equuleus scored six unanswered points to pull away in the second half. “Martin and Hugo put the four of us together,” DiMenna said. “The three of us have been a core of a team for a long time and they decided to bring in Juanse, who is an up-andcoming star. I’m very happy with the win. Everyone is safe, nobody’s hurt, no horses are hurt and it was a good game. Winning was nice, too.” Pepa scored a game-high six goals for Equuleus. Tagliaferro scored three goals, all on penalty conversions. Olivera also scored three goals, all from the field. In the 6-Goal Handicap final held Sunday at Grand Champions Polo Club, Hawk Hill defeated Pony Express, 7-5. Hawk Hill (Poroto Cambiaso, Nico Diaz Alberdi, Gringo Colombres, Phillip Mactaggart) was led by
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Scribble Horse’s Kylie Sheehan, Kathy Iverson, Ashley Emerson and Courtney Asdourian, and Farmington’s Erika Lipton, Breanna Gunnell, Jennifer Williams and Clarissa Echezarreta played the final of the inaugural Women’s Polo League.
Colombres with five goals. Cambiaso and Alberdi, the youngsters of the team, each scored one. It was a great way for Mactaggart to celebrate his birthday. For Pony Express (Landen Daniels, Benji Daniels, Justin Daniels, JJ Celis), Justin Daniels and Celis each had two goals and Landen Daniels added one. In the Santa Rita 6-Goal final held at Santa Rita Polo Farm, Grand Champions (Will Jacobs, Grant Ganzi, Jesse Bray, Santos Bollini) defeated The Polo School (Lucas Lalor, Jeff Desich, Rick Desich, Juancito Bollini), 8-5. Jacobs, a product of The Polo School at Grand Champions, was named Most Valuable Player. In other action, Scribble Horse (Kathy Iverson, Ashley Emerson, Kylie Sheehan and Courtney Asdourian) won the Inaugural Women’s Polo League tournament with a 3½-3 victory over Farmington Polo Club (Erika Lipton, Breanna Gunnell, Jennifer Williams, Clarissa Echezarreta). Masai of Palm Beach (Mia Cambiaso, Hope Arellano, Alina Carta, Belinda Brody) won the consolation game with a 9-4 victory over the foursome of Cecelia Cochran, Slaney O’Hanlon, Annabel Begg and Amy Husan. The brainchild of Carta, a polo pioneer and one of the highest-ranked women in the U.S. in the 1980s, is the first-of-its-kind monthly women’s polo
league in the world. Carta pitched the idea last May to Melissa Ganzi, Florida Circuit Governor and Grand Champions Polo Club president. “Melissa was really supportive and gung-ho the first time we spoke,” Carta said. “We had a second meeting in September and after that I started calling all the girls individually which led to other girls being interested.” Held every Wednesday during the winter polo season, the Women’s Polo League tournament for January featured four teams. Six teams have already expressed interest for February. “It’s going to keep growing,” Carta said. “Bring two horses and play one day a week. It still allows the girls to play their tournament polo on the weekend. To think, when I started playing in 1979, we were only two girls. To see this is amazing.” Asdourain, one of the nation’s top women players, was named Most Valuable Player. Vera, owned and ridden by Clarissa Echezarreta of Farmington Polo Club, took Best Playing Pony honors. Scribble Horse (Kathy Iverson, Katherine Roze, Courtney Asdourain, Kirstie Allen) was runner-up in last year’s Womens Championship Tournament final, dropping a 5-4 decision to Palm City Polo. At 63, Iverson, a talented artist who
Masai’s Hope Arellano chases down Scribble Horse’s Kylie Sheehan.
designed her team’s jerseys, is the oldest player in the league. After a 40year hiatus from horseback riding, Iverson took up the sport two years ago after her husband died. “Other women think they are getting too old to play polo and I just started two years ago when I was 61,” said Iverson, the team’s patron who moved up to a 1-goal rating this season. “I couldn’t be happier with this team. I went back to what makes me happy and that’s horses,” said Iverson, who took her first polo lessons with topranked instructor David Brooks of Triangle Area Polo in Raleigh, North Carolina. “And yes, I win because I am with these young girls who just go get ‘em and know how to play. “If I found polo 50 years ago I’d be good by now,” Iverson said with a smile. Sharon Robb BORDER
RANCHO NARANJO WINS CIRCUIT GOVERNORS CUP Rancho Santa Maria Polo Club, in the corner of Texas and New Mexico, hosted the Border Circuit Governors Cup. The tournament was made up of four teams, including Pie Town Polo’s USPA Circuit Governor Dan Coleman, Zachary Coleman, Team USPA alumni
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Corralitos’ Jonathon Gracida, Rancho Naranjo’s Jose Zamudio, Corralitos’ Roberto Delgado and Ranch Naranjo’s Jared Muncy
Raphael “JuJu’ Estrada and former Circuit Governor Adren Nance; Rancho Naranjo’s Niklaus Felhaber, Johann Felhaber, Jose Luciano Zamudio and Jared Muncy; Corralitos’ Juan Carlos Orrentia, Jonathan Gracida, Antonio Bermudez Jr. and Roberto Delgado; and El Conquistador Polo’s Franz Felhaber, Ricky Evers, Bryan Duncan and Laurencia Duncan. The first match had Corralitos taking on Rancho Naranjo. In a fast, clean game, the teams traded goals to stay tied for most of the match. Rancho Naranjo jumped ahead with a three-goal lead late in the game to send it to the final. Later that afternoon, El Conquistador took on Pie Town Polo. The slower-paced match favored El Conquistador in the beginning but Pie Town quickly adjusted and came back with a vengeance to defeat El Conquistador by three goals to advance to the final. With thunderstorms threatening, Corralitos easily handled El Conquistador in the consolation match. Later, Pie Town and Rancho Naranjo went head-to-head for the title. The championship match was hard fought and had its share of tense moments including a couple of spills. Niklaus Felhaber’s horse slipped and fell to the ground. Both horse and rider were OK, however the fall seemed
56 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Magness I/ Cabinet Connection’s Chris Falk, Katie Falk, Gary Magness (filling in for Sarah Magness) and Nico Milan
to stoke Nik, who played the rest of the match on fire, earning him MVP honors. Another tense moment came late in the fourth chukker when Dan Coleman came off his horse. After shaking it off, Coleman remounted and finished the game with less than a minute left. Rancho Naranjo led most of the game by the slimmest of margins when Pie Town fought back to tie the game in the last period. But Rancho Naranjo tallied two more and when the dust had settled, Rancho Naranjo was on top 7-5. INTERNATIONAL
POLO CELEBRATIONS IN COSTA CAREYES, MEXICO As the U.S. celebrated Presidents’ Day weekend on February 18-19, so did Costa Careyes Polo Club in Careyes, Mexico. At the same time, two guests celebrated birthdays: Ben Kennedy and Scott Lean, announcer extraordinaire. Four teams gathered for the long three-day weekend to play at the Mexican resort located three hours south of Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Ocean. Players from Texas, Colorado, Virginia and California in the U.S. as well as Italy, Portugal and Mexico
played for the Copa de Presidente. The format had each of the four teams playing each other and the team with the best won-loss record declared the winner. Some teams were made up by the management while players organized some of the others. Team Magness I/ Cabinet Connection, made up of Sarah Magness, Nico Milan, Chris Falk and Katie Falk, ended up with the best record of 3-0, and won the event. It wasn’t easy though. The last game they played against Lafayette 67/ Careyes, with first-time players to Careyes Robert Hinaman and Eugenio Clark, club and resort founder Giorgio Brignone and Luis Perez, was tense. If Careyes had won, there would have been a three-way tie and a shoot out would have been needed to determine the winner. A win guaranteed Magness the trophies. The other two teams in contention were Austin Polo/Agua Alta’s Ben Kennedy, first timers to Careyes Cuatro Tolson and Matt Wiechert and Alberico Ardissone, and Magness II with Gary Magness, Raul Ramirez, Ernesto Ramirez and George Sandu. Before the last game, these teams all were tied with 2-1 win-loss records and were separated by only half a net goal. Lafayette 67/Careyes had plus half a goal, Austin Polo had zero goals and Magness II had minus half a goal.
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Lechuza Caracas’ Juan Martin Nero, David Stirling, Victor Vargas and Alfredo Vargas won the 22-goal Copa de Plata and Bronze Cup.
Magness I got the win, dashing the other teams’ hopes for a chance. All were presented with a toast of Tequila and beautiful silver Mexican spurs—a perfect way to end the day.
LECHUZA DOMINATES IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Victor Vargas’ Lechuza Caracas team won its sixth consecutive title over four other teams in the Dominican Republic since the 22-goal Polo Challenge started last year. It captured the Copa de Plata on February 25. The final stage of the Copa de Plata began with Sebucan HPA taking on La Potranca at the Los Establos field. After a great campaign in the Bronze Cup, Sebucan HPA, the team of the Mannix brothers, unfortunately didn’t do so well in this tournament, but finally managed to obtain a triumph against La Potranca 12-11. Meanwhile, at Casa de Campo, Cinque Terre and Casa de Campo battled for the chance to play the final against Lechuza Caracas. Casa de Campo, a team that experienced a great improvement after the Bronze Cup, won the match. Cinque Terre dominated the first three chukkers, but Casa de Campo managed to tie the match in the fourth chukker and kept it tied through regulation time, forcing extra time.
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Casa de Campo’s Bete Donovan and Lechuza Caracas’ Juan Martin Nero race to the ball in the semifinal of the Bronze Cup.
The locals eventually won 10-9 in sudden death overtime. Finals day kicked off at 2 p.m. with the subsidiary final between Sebucan HPA and Cinque Terre. The first half of the match was favorable for the Canadian team, but during the fourth chukker, Cinque Terre turned the game around and dominated the rest of the match. The final score was 13-11 in favor of the Italians. Finally, at 4 p.m., the grand final commenced. Lechuza, thanks to its two stars David Stirling Jr. and Juan Martín Nero, was able to take the lead from the very first second. By half time, the difference was already quite wide, 6-2 in favor of the Venezuelans. Finally the game ended 10-5 and Victor Vargas’ team was crowned champion. Juan Martin Nero was the MVP of the match, and his mare Tana was the Best Playing Pony. The day closed, as usual, with a fun after-polo party for all the guests. Lechuza also took the title in the Bronze Cup held the previous month. After Lechuza secured its spot in the semi-final with the only undefeated record, Casa de Campo, Power Infrastructure and Alegría-El Milagro were tied on win-loss records so a penalty shootout was needed to determine who the teams would play in the semifinal. In the end, Power Infrastructure would be pitted against
Alegría-El Milagro, while Casa de Campo would take on the mighty Lechuza Caracas. In the first semi-final, Power Infrastructure dominated the first period but Alegría-El Milagro overcame the difficulties and took the lead in the second period. Power Infrastructure took back the lead, carrying it into the sixth when AlegríaEl Milagro tied the score and forced overtime. Alegría-El Milagro’s Fred Mannix scored the defining goal to secure a spot in the final. The second semi-final had Lechuza Caracas overpower Casa de Campo from the start, eventually winning 12-8 to advance to the final. Lechuza Caracas met Alegría-El Milagro for the final showdown. Unlike earlier games, Lechuza’s opponent gave it a run for its money and, thanks to the efforts of Julian Mannix and Cubi Toccalino, kept the game tied through the first half. Lechuza brought in some of its top horses in the second half, and with an incredible performance by Juan Martin Nero, took control to win the match 9-6 and the title. On February 11, Lechuza met Casa de Campo for a 29-goal charity match to benefit Fundación MIR and Hogar del Niño, two local childrens charities. The friendly game ended in a 6-6 tie as players showed off their skills.
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Shady Lady: pairs (8-12) Port Mayaca, Okeechobee, FL
A P R I L 1 - 15 $100,000 World Cup (0-26) Grand Champions, Wellington, FL
MARCH 26- APRIL 2 Butler Handicap (26) International, Wellington, FL
APRIL 1-25 Las Acacias (4-8) Grand Champions, Wellington, FL
MARCH 29- APRIL 9 USPA Ringling Cup (6) Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, FL
US OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP
2017 NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS APRIL 3-9
Men’s and Women’s Championships Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA
MARCH 29- APRIL 23
International Polo Club Palm Beach Wellington, FL The 26-goal U.S. Open Polo Championship showcases the world’s best polo athletes—both human and horse— as they compete for the United State’s most prestigious tournament. The event dates back to 1904 when it was first played at Meadow Brook Polo Club in Old Westbury, NY. Ten-goal greats such as Facundo Pieres, Adolfo Cambiaso and Polito Pieres are expected to compete.
APRIL 5-8 WCT final & Women’s Polo Week Grand Champions, Wellington, FL APRIL 7-9 National Youth Tournament Aiken, Aiken, SC Tournament (8) The Villages, The Villages, FL APRIL 8-9 New Heights Cup New Orleans, Folsom, LA
MARCH 30- APRIL 1 JPA Junior Cup (11) St. Ann, Jamaica, WI
A P R I L 8 - 15 XVIII Annual Agua Alta Cup (8-10) IV Annual Agua Baja Cup (4-6) Costa Careyes, Careyes, Mexico
M A RC H 3 0 - A P R I L 15 Caribbean Open (12 & 26) Polo Challenge, Dominican Republic
APRIL 8-24 National President’s Cup (6) Grand Champions, Wellington, FL
APRIL 1 Pacers and Polo Aiken, Aiken, SC
APRIL 9 San Antonio vs Dallas Prestonwood, Dallas, TX
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8TH ANNUAL GAY POLO TOURNAMENT APRIL 7-9
International Polo Club Palm Beach Wellington, FL The event kicks off on Friday, April 7 with a GPL Polotini Party, poolside at the Wanderers Club in Wellington. Tournament is played on Saturday, April 8 with a VIP area including gourmet food, beverages and a parking pass, as well as tailgate spots and general admission. Brunch is offered Sunday, April 9 at the Mallet Grille. Go to gaypolo.com for tickets and information.
A P R I L 9 - 16 USPA Congressional Cup (6) BG Polo, Vero Beach, FL APRIL 12-23 Polo Museum Cup (2) Aiken, Aiken, SC A P R I L 13 - 15 Densham Cup (0) St. Ann, Jamaica, WI A P R I L 14 - 16 Uncle Sam’s Cup (4-6) Port Mayaca, Okeechobee, FL NE Circuit Arena Masters Cup Yale, Bethany, CT Tournament (8) The Villages, The Villages, FL A P R I L 15 2nd Scott Frederick Memorial (0) Flying Cow, Wellington, FL Border Circuit NYTS WestWorld, Scottsdale, AZ 19th Annual Spring Fling Cup Dallas, Dallas, TX A P R I L 1 5 - 16 Border Circuit Amateur Cup (0-2) Being The Change, Phoenix, AZ
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A P R I L 1 5 - 16 Easter Chukkers New Orleans, Folsom, LA A P R I L 16 USPA Amateur Cup (0-2) WestWorld, Scottsdale, AZ Easter on the Lawn Prestonwood, Dallas, TX A P R I L 18 - 2 0 Careyes Juniors and Amateurs week Costa Careyes, Careyes, Mexico A P R I L 18 - 3 0 USPA Congressional Cup (4) Aiken, Aiken, SC A P R I L 19 - 2 2 Copa de Oro (14-16) Costa Careyes, Careyes, Mexico A P R I L 19 - M A Y 7 USPA Sportsmanship Cup (6) Eldorado, Indio, CA APRIL 20-22 JPA Senior Cup (11) St. Ann, Jamaica, WI
2017 GIRLS’ NATIONAL INTERSCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS A P R I L 21 - 2 3 Virginia Polo Center Charlottesville, VA
2017 OPEN NATIONAL INTERSCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS APRIL 24-30 Cornell University Equestrian Center Ithaca, NY The best teams in interscholastic polo from across the country will be vying for the national title. Last year, six top teams competed with Prestonwood’s Vance Miller III, Vaughn Miller Jr. and Ronnie Puente taking the title over West Shore’s Jackson Bennett, Tommy Huber, Will Green, Pelham Hardie and Jack Magruder in a spirited rematch from 2015 when West Shore was successful. Competition horses are shared between the teams in a split-string format.
APRIL 25-MAY 20 Delegates Cup (4-8) Houston, Houston, TX APRIL 26-MAY 7 Southwestern Regional Classic (10-14) Houston, Houston, TX APRIL 27 FIP 93rd Ambassador Cup Bagatelle, France APRIL 28-30 Tournament (8) The Villages, The Villages, FL
A P R I L 21 - 2 3 Tournament (8) The Villages, The Villages, FL
A P R I L 2 8 - M A Y 14 Members Classic (8) New Bridge, Aiken, SC
APRIL 22-23 Four Pines Spring Classic New Orleans, Folsom, LA
APRIL 29 FIP Zone C Playoff Chantilly, France
FIP ZONE A PLAYOFFS APRIL 22-30
International Polo Club Palm Beach Wellington, FL
APRIL 23 Earth Day Polo & Marriage Celebration Prestonwood, Dallas, TX
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APRIL 29-30 Southern Hotel Cup New Orleans, Folsom, LA APRIL 30 All the Marbles Tournament BG Polo, Vero Beach, FL
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Note: All dates are subject to change. “USPA” refers to tournaments sponsored or sanctioned by the United States Polo Association.
(561) 793-6422 or 793-2012 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 59
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BY DEVEREUX MILBURN AND J.C. COOLEY
MAN AND MOUNT It takes two to make a polo player
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oubtless in prehistoric days man had very little time for play, and woman never dared to think of it at all. If she had given a thought to anything except roasting a slice from the last dinosaurus she would have
been knocked unconscious and left to lie in her gore. There was not time for much play in an existence where wild and gruesome animals prowling around the backyard were an everyday occurrence, and where any minute you were liable to be knocked on the head with a stone hatchet. But civilization grew apace and man made all sorts of instruments, and then one day someone had the idea of making a round object of wood, which rolled along the ground. And once it began to roll, the idea was so intriguing that they kept on rolling it. And then the development came of striking this round object with some sort of implement instead of stooping down to pick it up and roll it with the hand. And so was born the eternal principle of almost all out-ofdoor games—of striking a round object that will move swiftly along the ground or through the air propelled by some sort of implement held in the hand. In the course of the centuries that basic idea has been expanded to a bewildering extent. There are balls of all kinds and all shapes, With the cigar-shaped mallet head almost universal, the only difference in polo sticks is in weight and length. there are myriad of
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instruments. All games have to do with a ball—you could hardly call fencing a game—and in virtually all games the player has an instrument given him with which to strike at the ball, even if, as is so often the case, he doesn’t hit it. About the only game one can think of where the player is given no instrument to carry is football. Heaven knows what would happen if there were. The seats of learning in this country would be seats of learning no more, but would become hospitals and morgues entirely surrounded by desolated parents. The balls that have been invented in all these centuries are of infinite variety. There is football made of leather, egg shaped, which comparatively seldom touches the ground except when grasped by a player during a day’s play, and which, naturally enough, considering its shape, bounces along in the crookedest kind of way. But the rest of the balls are round. The polo ball is made of wood and the baseball of leather, and though the cricket ball is covered with leather it has a core of some unholy material which makes it harder than a rock and a menace to catch. The smallest of all is the golf ball, and probably there are more golf balls in existence than all other balls put together. After all, golf balls cannot pass out of existence entirely. They cannot melt up and disintegrate. Sick and tired of public life, they may disappear from view amidst a fury of curses, but somewhere in long grasses and amidst rocks and in the bottom of ponds millions of them must be lying. For all these balls, different sorts of implements are used by the hitter or would-be hitter. All tennis bats are more
or less alike, and there is comparatively little difference in the outward appearance of baseball bats and cricket bats. There is little difference in polo sticks, as the use of the cigar-shaped head is now almost universal, and the difference in polo sticks is one only of weight and length. Of the variety of golf sticks there is no limit. They are made as everyone else knows, of all materials, of all shapes and weights and sizes, and no matter in what coy and secluded position a golf ball my hide itself, somewhere in the golfer’s bag is some curious distorted weapon which, if handled rightly, will dislodge the ball from its temporary home and send it on its way. And for all games except polo, the player relies on strength and quickness and agility of his own legs and his own arms and wrists. In tennis he must of necessity be quick, in golf he can be as slow and sedate as he wishes. But with polo all the quickness and strength and agility in the world is of little consequence unless the instrument on which the player is seated is also quick, strong, fast and agile. Yes, quickness and strength and agility on the part of the player can avail him little if his pony lacks these attributes. And this of course is so when the player is greatly out-mounted by other players on the field. It does not mean these qualities are unneeded in a polo player, because there is no game in the world where they are so essential. And with players all mounted on equally bad ponies, the player who imparts something of his own keenness and hustle into his mount will of course be conspicuous. But the quality of the ponies that are playing now is so high, there is so much Thoroughbred blood in the best of them, for the highest class games so much courage and stamina and speed are necessary, that a player on an inferior pony has very few chances of getting to the ball, and when he does get to it, the chances are that he is so hurried that he cannot do himself justice. Some readers of this article have seen the grounds of the Point Judith Polo Club
Co-author J.C. Cooley
at Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island. The polo fields stretch out on both sides of the club, with the woods at the back, and in front in the distance are the waters of the Atlantic. From time to time pictures have been given for the decoration of the little office at the club. Among them is a cartoon of a very tall, thin man mounted on such a very diminutive short-backed, docked tail pony that the rider’s feet are only a few inches from the ground. At the bottom of the picture appears the name
of James Gordon Bennett. It is appropriate to mention this picture in connection with this article, because Mr. Bennett, the famous proprietor of the New York Herald and one of the most widely traveled men of his time, was chiefly responsible for the introduction of polo into this country. And it is equally appropriate to describe the picture in an article on polo and ponies in this country, because the ponies that were played a generation ago were so small that
James Gordon Bennett’s polo string included ponies that were so small that alongside the Thoroughbreds of the 1920s, lent themselves to the imagination of cartoonist.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 61
alongside the Thoroughbred and nearly Thoroughbred animals of today, ranging in height up to 15.2 and 15.3, they seem like travesties and lend themselves very freely to the riotous imagination of the cartoonist. Mr. Bennett, who lived abroad quite as much as he lived in this country, had seen polo in England and on the continent, and because he knew that his countrymen loved horses, and loved games, and because he was a most progressive individual, he decided to introduce the game into this country. The game was first played in the city of New York at what is now the home grounds of the New York Giants, but which is still known to everyone as the Polo Grounds. Mr. Bennett and his friends later played at the Jerome Park Race Track, a short distance farther north. Those were halcyon days of sport at Jerome Park, the track that has been founded by Leonard Jerome, where so many great horses appeared.
Sportsmen of New York would drive their coaches up from the city, park around the infield of Jerome Park Race Track and watch racing then polo in the afternoon.
The Meadow Brook Polo Club, located on Long Island, New York was one of seven clubs, which made up the Polo Association when it started. At one time the club had five fields and a golf course.
62 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
W.A. Hazard, left, succeeded H.L. Herbert, right, as chairman of the Polo Association.
Mr. Vosburgh in his book on racing in this country has told in a vivid way of those delightful days of ease and comfort, when the sportsmen of New York drove their coaches up from the city and parked around in the infield and watched the racing and the polo afterward. A few years later, Samuel S. Sands gave a dinner for all those interested in polo at the Riding Club, and at that dinner the Polo Association was formed. H.L. Herbert, one of the leading sportsmen of the country, was elected chairman, and Douglas Robinson, an active player at Orange in New Jersey, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Herbert held the position of chairman of this Association until his death. The Polo Association, when it started, was composed of seven clubs. There were two Long Island clubs, Rockaway and Meadow Brook; there was the Country Club of Westchester up on the shores of the Sound, there was the Essex Country
Club of New Jersey, the Buffalo Club from the north of the state, and the two Boston Clubs at Myopia and Dedham. Since that day, the growth of the game has been overwhelming in this country. There are many civilian clubs, and new ones are starting all the time. In the early days all polo was confined to the Eastern part of the country. At the present time, the Middle West is taking it up with terrific enthusiasm and the game on the Pacific Coast has prospered for years. From that part of the country there have come many notable players, their most particular achievement being the winning of the Open Championship in 1924 with a team from the Midwick Club composed of Messrs. Miller, Pedley, Perkins and Burke. Mr. Herbert was succeeded as head of the Polo Association by W.A. Hazard, one of the most enthusiastic and beloved sportsmen this country has produced. On Mr. Hazard’s death Mr. L.E. Stoddard, a
player of international reputation and a member of two international teams, was made chairman. Since Mr. Stoddard’s occupancy of the office, the name of the association has been changed from the Polo Association to the United States Polo Association. The association is now a national institution, in fact, as well as name. At the beginning, there was no army polo at all. By degrees the officers, with slight encouragement from the War Department, took up the game. Of late years they have taken a most active part in it, and at the present time, seem to be supreme in junior polo, which title is something of a misnomer. For it is not polo for juniors as to age, but for a class of players just below the very top. The 20goal teams which are eligible for the junior championship and which the Army turns out, are teams that have to be taken very seriously in any company except in competition with the picked four of the country. In the last five years, the army teams have won the junior title four times, and their teams in competition with civilian teams very clearly show what discipline and practice and organization will do in building up a team. In the cartoon that referred to Mr. Bennett, he is mounted on a farcical pony, but there is a good deal of truth in the idea as there is in all good cartoons. Take the case of T.A. Havemeyer Jr. at the old Country Club of Westchester. Mr. Havemeyer is a very tall man. It is a regret that he has given up polo, for he was a fine performer, and one has a very vivid recollection of the way in which he used to play with his feet out of the stirrup irons dangling alongside his pony. Lawrence Waterbury used to play a little bay pony called Stumpy. When he twisted Stumpy around on a space not much larger than the proverbial dime, it is quite likely that his stirrup iron touched the ground, Stumpy being so small and careening over at such an angle. The method of the divisions of the game has been changed since those early days. At the beginning, there used to be POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 63
In polo’s early days, the ball used to be put in the middle of the field and a selected player from each team would charge for it.
the public most. It would take an infinite amount of space to write of all the heroines of the polo grounds. There would be more heroines than heroes, because on the list of the greatest the ladies predominate. The part that all fine ponies play in the game cannot be estimated. It is easy enough for anyone to make the casual remark that ponies are at least 50 percent of the game. They are more than that, because if you can’t get to the ball you can’t hit it, and if you are fighting a pony you have little left for the work in hand. There have been many ponies who were almost perfection. Perhaps the greatest of them all was Harry Whitney’s Cottontail. Then there is Mr. Sanford’s mare Beatrice, one of the greatest ponies ever to play the game. She is a great big rangy mare of the most placid disposition. And her story very rightly belongs on the pages of an American Legion magazine. For she went through the war as an officer’s charger and after the war she has been going on her high way, a most perfect animal, ready at all times to give her best, to take bumps—and never does her great heart falter. Adapted from an article in “The American Legion Monthly,” October 1926. 15 periods of 15 minutes each, with players changing their ponies as often as they liked between goals. Now they play eight periods, or chukkers as they are called, each of seven and one-half minutes and if the player changes his pony during the playing period he does it at his own risk. In the very beginning the ball used to be put in the middle of the field and two selected players from either team used to charge for it. This has been changed and now the ball is thrown in by the umpire from the center of the field between the two teams lined up. The layout of the grounds and the method of play have changed not at all so far as the elemental things are concerned, and these are the things which interest 64 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Mr. Sanford’s Beatrice was one of the greatest ponies of her time. She was an officer’s charger in the war and later played polo with heart.
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