J A N U A R Y 2 01 8
San Saba wins Women’s Open
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CONTENTS JA N UA R Y 201 8
VO L . 21 ,
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
26 Texas time
6
Team effort puts San Saba ahead in OT
30 Following the lines by Gwen Rizzo
NO. 5
Association News
USPA Bulletin Club Spotlight
12 Instructors Forum
Polo breeder continues generations of top horses
by Tom Goodspeed
36 Polo Circus
14 Black & White
Two-day event has something for everyone
by Dana Fortugno
16 Viewpoints
by Kathryn James
18 Equine Athlete J A N U A R Y 2 01 8
OUR COVER San Saba wins Women’s Open
San Saba’s Dawn Jones is on the move in the final of the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship Photo by: Kaylee Wroe
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20 22 24 40
by Gwen Rizzo
Polo Scene News, notes, trends & quotes Team USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Polo in the Pampas by Ernesto Rodriguez
42 Polo around the Globe 61 Calendar/Marketplace 62 Yesteryears 46 Polo Report
Anderson & Boutwell tops Women’s Charity Event
OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN SIGNED COLUMNS ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLISHERS OF THIS MAGAZINE.
2 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
THE
OFFICIAL MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE
UNITED STATES POLO ASSOCIATION
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GWEN D. RIZZO
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©Copyright 2018 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 ©2018 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. 21, No.5 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
USPA Umpires, LLC from 0 goal to 40 goal, we’ve gotcha covered! For information regarding a professional umpire at your club, please contact: Charlie Muldoon (240) 731-2248 cmuldoon@uspolo.org Maggie Mitchell (941) 928-4600 mmitchell@uspolo.org For information regarding umpire certification, online testing, umpire clinics or rule reviews, please contact: Steve Lane (352) 454-6611 slane@uspolo.org
USPA Polo Network This year marks the second year of the USPA’s partnership with ChukkerTV to provide fans of polo with live-streamed games via the USPA Polo Network on uspolo.org. In 2017, the association made efforts to widen the reach of the USPA Polo Network by streaming live games on the USPA’s YouTube and Facebook social media platforms. These efforts will continue in 2018, effectively delivering live polo games to thousands of viewers. Below is a list of tournaments that will be live-streamed this year, with more planned to be added to the schedule: • Joe Barry Cup • Ylvisaker Cup • C.V. Whitney Cup • Butler Handicap • USPA Gold Cup • U.S. Open Polo Championship • East Coast Open • Pacific Coast Open • U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship • U.S. Open Women’s Handicap • North America Cup • National Twenty Goal • International Cup • U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship • United States Arena Handicap • National Intercollegiate Championship (Men’s and Women’s) • National Youth Tournament Series Championship Tournament Applications Now is the time to plan for 2018 USPA tournaments at your club. The USPA encourages club managers to submit applications as soon as possible, and no less than one month prior to the event for processing, approval and to ensure timely delivery of awards. Download tournament applications at uspolo.org by going to the “Association” tab, then clicking on “Programs” and scrolling down to the “Forms and Documents” section. Applications may be 6 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
The Joe Barry Cup matches will once again be live-streamed on USPA Polo Network. The tournament is one of numerous events fans can watch this season.
emailed to tournaments@uspolo.org or faxed to (888) 391-7410. The USPA offers several benefits for hosting a USPA tournament: • Awards provided for circuit and national tournaments • Promotional assistance provided through electronic mail, web and social media • Umpire reimbursement through USPA Umpires, LLC. For more information, contact Maggie Mitchell, umpire manager at mmitchell@uspolo.org. • Published results in USPA Bluebook • Arena Incentive Program for select USPA arena events Any questions regarding the tournament process or the mission of the Tournament Committee may be directed to James Dodge, tournament coordinator at jdodge@uspolo.org. International Polo The USPA is proud of international efforts made by players in 2017. Through participation in the John R. Townsend International Challenge Cup, Interna-
tional Intercollegiate Challenge Cup, Thai Polo Club Ladies International Diamond Jubilee Trophy and the XI FIP World Polo Championship, just to name a few, American players have proven the USA can be competitive internationally. The last two months of 2017 did not disappoint, as American players made history, won tournaments and expanded the United States’ international reach through the sport of polo. Read more about these accomplishments below: American Women in Argentina In 2017, a barrier-breaking year for women in polo in the United States, we witnessed another successful U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, the creation of women’s arena handicaps and subsequent addition of the Women’s Arena Open and Handicap to the national schedule, as well as multiple international appearances. It is great to see women’s polo gaining traction nationwide. Not only an American phenomenon however, the success of women’s polo is being recognized globally, culminating in an extraordinary step by the Asociacíon Argentina de Polo with
SEBASTIAN LEZICA
the creation of the first Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo Femenino. The Argentine Open Women’s Championship, slated to begin on Tuesday, Nov. 21, was delayed due to rain and first round games began a day later. The history-making tournament featured six teams between 23 and 30 goals and ran simultaneously with the 124º Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo. One of the most important women’s tournaments in the world, the competition took place on the AAP fields in Pilar, outside Buenos Aires, with the final showcased at Palermo’s Field 2 before the Argentine Open final on Dec. 2. It was live-streamed on ESPN Play. An American invasion, the United States was well represented with six women participating on two teams. Highgoal polo staple Maureen Brennan teamed up with Team USPA member Julia Smith, representing half of the La Varzea Goose Creek team. Meanwhile, Santa Maria de Lobos—the only all-American team in the competition—featured 2017 U.S. Open Women’s Polo champion Dawn Jones, alongside Clarissa Echezarreta, Tiffany Busch and USPA Women’s Committee Chairman Erica Gandomcar-Sachs. Opening rounds of play showcased amazing polo from all teams. Santa Maria de Lobos fought its way to the semifinals, and while it suffered a disappointing loss to Ellerstina, the tournament was a fantastic experience for all involved. The USPA is proud to see American players represented internationally and the association congratulates these pioneers of the sport on their hard work and dedication to the advancement of women’s polo.
packed house, team USA’s Grant Ganzi, Carlitos Gracida, Julio Arellano and Mike Azzaro, led from start to finish to turn back the upset-minded Brazilian team of Flavio Castilho, Gustavo Toledo, Guilherme Lins and Calao Mello. Since 2012, the U.S. has defeated England, Chile, Mexico, South Africa and Uruguay in International Cup competition. Nicaraguan-born Julio Arellano, rated at 8 goals, has been a member of three winning lineups for Team USA including in 2016 against Uruguay and 2015 against South Africa. One of America’s top-rated polo players, Arellano won his third consecutive Most Valuable Player award and scored a gamehigh five goals. Poker Face, a 9-year-old mare ridden by Brasil’s Lins, and Girl Power, a 7year-old mare ridden by Team USA’s Ganzi, were named American Polo Horse Association Best Playing Ponies. Both horses are owned by Sant Rita Polo Farm.
International Cup Team USA remained undefeated with a hard-fought 9-7 victory over Brazil in the sixth annual USPA International Cup Saturday, Nov. 25, at Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida. In front of a
Manipur International Invitational The American International Polo Foundation sent an American team to Imphal, Manipur, India, Nov. 22-29 to compete in the 11th Manipur Polo International Invitational at Mapal Kangjei-
The All-American Santa Maria de Lobos’ Erica Gandomcar-Sachs, Clarissa Echezarreta, Dawn Jones and Tiffany Busch played in Argentina.
bung, the oldest living polo ground in the world. American players Jorge Vasquez, Nate Berube, Nick Johnson, Kegan Walsh and Brennan Wells started out strong in the competition, assimilating well to the hardy Manipuri ponies’ distinctive style of movement and training. USA defeated India in its first match in a hard-fought 3-2 victory. The U.S. team then went on to defeat defending champion England. In its third match, USA tied with Argentina 4-4, qualifying both teams for the semifinals. In a nail-biting finish, India B defeated USA 7-6 advancing to the final. Although disappointed about not reaching the final game of the competition, USA players undoubtedly had a once-in-a-lifetime experience meeting new people from all over the world.
Published by the United States Polo Association Offices at 9011 Lake Worth Rd. Lake Worth, Florida 33467 (800) 232-USPA Chairman: Chip Campbell President: Tony Coppola Secretary: Stuart Armstrong Treasurer: Sam Ramirez Chief Executive Officer: Robert Puetz
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 7
Team USPA Nine Team USPA members spent time this fall training in Argentina. From highgoal tournaments and the Argentine Women’s Open to backyard practices, these players are focused on improving their game before the winter season begins. This season, Team USPA will partner with Team USPA member Dr. Stephanie Massey Colburn and Palm Beach Equine to offer several equine nutrition and injury prevention lectures to local Team USPA players.
YPO Training The Young Player Outreach program will host a two-day clinic in Indio, California, in January. Young players will participate in Player Performance Analysis and coached chukkers as well as off-the-field chalk talks. The YPO program aims to bring high-level training to youth players across the country with pop-up clinics.
CPI Training Congratulations to our new Certified Polo Instructors: Alison Patricelli, Simsbury Polo Club Branden Alcott, The Alcott Academy Emily Dewey, USPA I/I Francesca Finato, South Bay Polo Club
8 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Frankie Questel, Atlanta Regional Polo Center Hilary Mroz-Blythe, Giant Valley Polo Jim DeAngelis, Yale Polo Club Juan Martinez-Baez, Brandywine Polo Juan Vidal, Alegria Polo School Juliette Powers, Powers Polo School Kit Collins, Cincinnati Polo Club Kylie Sheehan, Flying Cow Polo Club Laura Goddard, Mountain View Polo Liz Brayboy, Yale Polo Club Mark Tashjian, Middlesex Polo Club Martin Estrada, Cypress Polo Club Minnie Keating, Newport Polo Club Nadir Khan, Barrington Polo Club Parker Scott, Poway Polo Club Patrick Martinelli, Farmington Polo Tiger Kneece, Aiken Polo Club Ynyr Agon, Honolulu Polo Club
ship with Erik Wright; Money Making Ideas for Polo Clubs with Elizabeth Hedley; Importance of Community Outreach with Emmalyn Wheaton; Budgeting with David Brooks; and Club & Horse Problem Solving with Justin Powers. Everyone also thoroughly enjoyed the Swing Analysis utilizing Coaches Eye; Cindy Halle’s talk on Teaching vs Coaching; Houston Polo Club’s Tammy Beeson who spoke on Developing Relationships with Corporate Sponsors; and the daily Interactive Teaching. Thanks to the USPA board, volunteers and Houston Polo Club for their support of this marquee event. For more information contact Amanda Snow by email at asnow@uspolo.org.
Go USA! Instructors & Managers Forum Thanks again to all participants of the recent Instructors & Managers Forum held in Houston, Texas, and presented by USPA’s Polo Development. Each year, the value of this event is evident in the overwhelming positive feedback received on post-event surveys. Very popular this year were the breakout sessions that included: Transitioning Your Polo Students to Horse Owner-
The USA Intercollegiate Team is scheduled to travel February 7-11, 2018 to Rugby Polo Club in the United Kingdom to defend its 2017 win over SUPA Britain. Follow live updates on Facebook!
I/I Coaches, do you want to get CPI Certified? Contact Jess Downey (jdowney@uspolo.org) or visit poloskilz.com to get started.
Eldorado Polo Club Indio, California
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LACEY WINTERTON.COM
ituated in the heart of the California desert, Eldorado Polo Club combines the thrilling action of the sport of polo with an amazing spectator experience. Located in Indio, California, just a short drive from Palm Springs, the club boasts amenities for players and guests alike. With 10 fields, a stick and ball field, sand arena, mile-long exercise track, on-site stabling for over 500 horses, tack store, clubhouse and cantina restaurant, Eldorado Polo Club is the whole package. The club celebrated its 60th Diamond Anniversary in 2017. It all started in 1957, when the Palm Desert land that would become the first home of Eldorado Polo Club was purchased by an assembly of 11 polo players. This purchase was led by Willie Tevis, in partnership with Willis Allen, Erwin Anisz, Bill Gilmore, Bob Haney, Peter Hitchcock, Gayle Medicott,
Ted Pierce, L.C. Smith, Larry Tailor and Frank Yturria. The club eventually moved to Indio, California, where it now resides. Throughout the years, Palm Springs became a travel destination for many, leading to polo growth in the area. Host to the U.S. Open Polo Championship in 1987, 1992 and 1993, Eldorado Polo Club has had many successful players on its fields over the past 60 years. The club owners managed operations successfully for years, but when a unique opportunity came along to sell the land but allow the club to remain, it was a nobrainer. The property was purchased by concert and festival promotion powerhouse Goldenvoice in 2012 which allowed polo to continue for many years to come. As part of the sale, a lease back agreement was made to enable polo to be held at the club with a set of terms that remains in place until at least May 31,
2020, with the possibility to extend the agreement after that. Goldenvoice hosts the popular annual Stagecoach and Coachella music festivals in the club’s off season and many smaller events, such as the recent Desert Trip Music Festival, that draw in tourists from across the country. These popular events bring in revenue that helps to maintain the land and gives the club a unique appeal to both fans of music and polo. According to Marketing and Events Director James A’Court, “The partnership we have with Goldenvoice is great. They make it possible to preserve the fields and facilities and keep everything in wonderful condition. It is really a win-win for both sides.” When it comes to polo playing opportunities at EPC, there is no short supply. “The club’s 10 fields are all used,” said Polo Manager Graham Bray. “We can The Eldorado Polo Club boasts 10 fields, a stick-and-ball field, sand arena, exercise track and stabling for 500 horses.
LACEY WINTERTON.COM
The club offers competitive polo up to the 12-goal level. Here players compete in the 7-goal Bush League.
LACEY WINTERTON.COM
have as many as five to six fields going at one time on a Sunday.” Bray, with the help of Debbie Morrison and Rob Roenish, manages all 10 fields and a myriad of weekly activities. The club offers many different levels of polo ranging from peewee polo to 12 goal. A polo school, led by resident 3-goal professional Kyle Fargey, has taught numerous players the skills needed to become successful on the field. Offering specialized instruction, Fargey is able to
Spectators can enjoy food and drinks at the field-side Cantina.
10 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
teach players the skills of the game and horsemanship while keeping it fun. According to the EPC website, “No experience is required to take up riding, and we have a safe new sand arena in which beginners can learn and practice their new skills. The school ponies are safe and experienced and are great mounts for anyone aged 8 to 80 years old!” For those that have a bit more experience, the club offers a pro pool,
and tournament polo ranging from 4- to 12-goals. Competitive women’s, senior and youth polo round out the offerings at the club, making it a one-stop shop for any type of polo you may want to play. The youth polo program at EPC has grown over the years with as many as 35 participants playing every weekend. “They start at lead line polo and work their way up,” said Bray. “We are very organized, and the kids love coming out to play each weekend. When Team USPA
LACEY WINTERTON.COM
There is plenty of polo for even the youngest player. This Pee Wee competed in the Arty Cameron Jr. event.
Carlton Beal Cup. The season culminates each year in the 12-Goal Rossmore Cup Skins Tournament. Winners of the tournament go home with prize money and a commemorative bronze. With polo being the main focus at the club, and since so much is always going on, it is no surprise that people love to come out and watch. “We have so many people that enjoy coming out and seeing the games. You can spend the whole day watching polo if you want to,” said Bray. “Many people have a regular routine where they will come to the Sunday morning games at 10, watch and eat
LACEY WINTERTON.COM
members Jesse Bray and Remy Du Celliee Muller are in town, they run junior polo, and the kids love them.” The club also hosts an annual National Youth Tournament Series Qualifier, which showcases all of its talented youth, as well as a clinic hosted by honorary USPA Certified Polo Instructors Corky and Kathy Linfoot. Eldorado Polo Club offers competitive polo that attracts professional players and sponsors alike. Each year they host the USPA Pacific Coast Governor’s Cup, the Mack & Madelyn Jason Memorial, a USPA WCT Qualifier and the Keleen and
The club hosts an annual National Youth Tournament Series qualifier, youth clinics, youth tournaments, (like the Joe Barry Jr. Memorial, above) and weekly polo for its 35 young players.
breakfast, then catch the noon game while having lunch.” A great spectator experience keeps people coming back each week. A’Court said, “Polo is synonymous with the area, so we pride ourselves on providing authentic polo with a casual atmosphere. Our announcer, Tony Gregg, gets the crowd going each week and many people are now returning to have lunch and watch a game.” The club prints a yearly Eldorado Polo magazine that features all of its members and professional players, as well as many stunning pictures of the club. A’Court said, “The magazine is a great opportunity for sponsorship and gives visitors something that they can take home as a souvenir.” When asked about future goals for the club A’Court said, “We want to keep growing. Florida is not the only destination for winter polo. We have everything a player needs here. What is especially unique about our facilities is that you do not even need to own a trailer. Everything is on-site.” Bray added, “We are guaranteed to play. The polo hardly ever gets rained out, and the key to being here is the weather. Cool in the mornings, and then you have shorts on by the afternoon. With the mountains in the background, it is truly spectacular here.” The area is a great destination for the winter months as there are many furnished rentals available for housing, and with all the facilities and stabling located in one place, playing polo at Eldorado is enjoyable for sponsors, professionals, grooms and families. Eldorado Polo Club’s winter season is now in full swing. A great experience for players and spectators, the club is welcoming to all with a season that runs from December through April. To learn more about Eldorado Polo Club, visit its website at eldoradopoloclub.com, “Like” them on Facebook or follow them on Instagram and Twitter. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 11
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DOWN UNDER JOHN LOVE
Neck and belly shots are all about timing, balance and ability
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ften humorously referred to as someone else’s shots because of their difficulty, neck and belly shots can be a useful tool in your arsenal. Despite the name, belly shots have nothing to do with those wonderful bars in Mexico. I was actually practicing polo during spring breaks while in college, if you can believe that! I did get to three intercollegiate championships but obviously at the heavy cost of some great parties. And I was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, so hard liquor for me was all the Schlitz, Miller and Pabst you could get your hands on. The equestrian version of belly shots is shooting the ball under the belly of your horse. Some people don’t believe in taking belly shots or teaching others to take them. There are two very solid reasons why someone may feel that way: The possibility of hitting or hurting your horse is the best one. The shot has been referred to as the millionaire’s shot because you have to have plenty of money to replace the ones that become lame from you practicing the shot. Joking aside, these shots have a low percentage of success because of the leg movement taking place. However, you can be successful at getting the shot off and not harming your horse if you are careful. This is just about the only shot where you want to forget your follow-through and hit without much power. I would have had far fewer plays and goals if I had avoided belly shots through the decades. You can learn to successfully execute a belly shot when the right play situation calls for it. A belly shot is useful when you are perpendicular to goal and are unable to get off a neck or flip shot, or if you are trying to quickly drag the ball to your free side, 12 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Belly shots can help you get the ball to your free side, protected and away from an opponent. They are also useful when you are passing the goal but are unable to get off a neck shot.
protected and away from an opponent. The most important aspect is to always hit the ground as you hit the ball so you don’t follow through with your mallet into your horse’s legs. Try to angle the ball slightly forward so it has a better chance to pass through the legs of the horse. To get that angle, I usually angle the ‘toe’ of the mallet slightly away from the horse when taking a belly shot from either the offside or nearside. Neck shots Neck shots might be more appropriately called under-the-head shots since the best place to make contact with the ball is actually under your horse’s head. If you don’t hit until the ball is under the neck, you will likely be swinging into your horse’s front legs. An under-the-neck shot is taken at angle of up to 90 degrees off to the side of your horse. Better players can hit at an even greater angle by putting their hand even further forward to start the swing and actu-
ally hitting the ball back towards the rear of the horse on the opposite side of where they are hitting from, if the play calls for it. It is a very difficult shot, but effective if you are shooting at a goal you have passed or if you are passing to a teammate turning back to offense on the other side of you. I am not sure why neck shots are not also referred to as a millionaire’s shot as they can be difficult to successfully execute if you are not careful. You have to be particularly careful when executing neck shots if someone is riding alongside of you. Mallets have a great deal of flexibility and with enough force, your follow through can come up and hit the other horse or player. You can also hit your own horse’s legs if you are not getting far enough forward. Like any difficult shot, plenty of practice is necessary for you to become comfortable making them. A wooden horse is a great place to practice belly and neck shots. Get trained supervision when you are ready to try these shots from the back
Shorten your reins and move them further up the horse’s neck; stand taller in your stirrups over the horse’s neck; and start your swing with your fist by the horse’s jaw when making neck shots.
of a horse. Protect your horse with boots over polo wraps and bell boots. It is a good idea to allot the first half of stick-and-ball sessions to practicing the difficult shots (after your horse has been warmed up) and finish with the easier shots. When executing the neck shot, shorten your reins and get further up on the horse’s neck. I don’t mean leaning up the neck like some of the incredible displays of athleticism you see in the Argentine Open; I mean put your hand a little further up the horse’s neck while standing a bit taller in your stirrups over the horse’s neck. This can put you at a little more risk, especially if your horse is a bit fresh or is capable of ducking out from underneath you once you are up on the neck. Be ready to push back into your heels if your horse decides to drop its head for any reason. Start at a walk and begin your swing early. Ideally, the ball should be a bit to the right of your horse’s head when taking an offside or a bit to the left of your horse’s head when taking a nearside. Some may argue that the ball should be directly under your horse’s head, but it can put you on top of the line of the ball, which could draw a whistle. If opponents are around you, be sure you are on the correct side of
the ball to avoid the whistle. If you are alone, you can pretty much travel on the line of the ball and make contact when it is almost directly under your pony’s head. Start your swing by putting your fist perpendicular to the jaw of the horse or minimally, to the side of the top of the horse’s neck. Many players incorrectly start their swing from their hip, almost like a forehander, and then arc the mallet underneath the neck. This does not work. If you start the swing correctly and early, your percentage of success will increase significantly. It is best to start with very easy swings until you have the correct position figured out. But, once you know where to begin the motion, swinging fairly quickly at speed is necessary to execute the shot. That said, if you swing too hard, you risk hitting yourself in the head with the follow through of your own swing. I can say from first-hand experience, it hurts both physically and emotionally! While the offside neck shot is difficult to master, the nearside under-the-neck shot is even more so. Taking a big under the neck shot on a fresh horse can be considered the big red ‘eject’ button you don’t want to push so make sure your horse is warmed up before attempting the shot. Shorten your reins just a bit, lean your rein hand on the horse’s neck and practice standing in your stirrups to get the feel of being balanced. Always keep some weight in your lower leg. If you feel your horse resist the weight of your hand on its neck by trying to drop its head, push off your hand back into your lower leg. Some horses can get a bit charged up when you are hitting so steady this type of horse with a strong lateral leg grip. Practice taking the shots with multiple balls at slower speeds to begin with. 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.
Ten-goal Adolfo Cambiaso has been winning in the Texas Polo Luxe Edition Saddle for seven seasons everywhere he plays: Florida, England and Argentina
What are you waiting for?
DALLAS www.Texaspolo.com 214 - 720 - 0233 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 13
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POLO JUSTICE The rules of the game are enforced like any democracy
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ost players would greatly benefit from understanding how the umpires do their job and how the system really operates. Similar to all areas of life, we humans are very quick to judge but not so quick to understand. So, here you go: The majority of the USPA umpires are former 4-, 5- and 6-goal players who have been in polo for decades either playing, managing or coaching. They have a great deal of knowledge of the game and a great depth of experience with the game. It would be easy to argue they are experts. These folks umpire between 200 and 300 games per year at a variety of levels. They also watch countless hours of video and meet to discuss rules and calls in detail. This is who the players are arguing with, just so you know. It is not likely that your umpires are making random, baseless calls in your game, just to mess you up. Do they make mistakes? Yes, of course. Can inconsistencies arise? Yes, of course. They are human doing a job that is highly judgment-based and very dependent on angle of perception with very little time to think. In general, how often are umpires wrong? Six percent of the time, according to the most recent statistics presented at the National Sports Umpires Association convention (this includes polo). If a game has 20 calls, that means they may be wrong on one or two; that’s huge but remains true for all sports across the board. If one call is missed in a game, the umpires are judged as bad, plain and simple. That is not going to change, but it does explain a few things. Now that we know who they are, and how they are judged by the players, let’s take a look at understanding the whole process and see if it seems fair. 14 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Dana Fortugno In our daily life outside the polo field (aka the real world), we are all subject to the laws of the land. We have city ordinances, state laws, and federal laws. We have basically two justice systems– the civil system and the criminal system. In our civil system, a private citizen must file a lawsuit in order to invoke the system and enforce a law or exercise a right. The criminal system is state generated, so an agent of the state (state attorney or law enforcement officer) invokes the system by filing a charge against you (same as a lawsuit) to enforce a law or help a citizen exercise a right. These systems have unique procedures but are very similar in many ways. Each system runs independently of the other even though both systems can be invoked from the same act. You may remember the O.J. Simpson trial. O.J. was charged with the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, by the state, so he was in the criminal system. Over the same act (the murder), he was sued by the victim’s family for wrongful death in the civil system. He won the criminal trial and was acquitted (found innocent by trial) of the charge of murder. He lost the civil case
and was subject to a judgment of millions of dollars in favor of the victim’s family. That seems to make no sense to many of us—he either did it or he didn’t do it, right? Not so fast. Let’s say your business partner cheated you out of $1 million. Do you want him to go to jail or do you want your money back? Let’s say you want both. First you call the police, who investigate and find enough evidence to charge him with fraud and grand theft. They arrest him and charge him with the crimes. You must then file a lawsuit in civil court to get your money back. (For any lawyers reading this, I am trying to explain this in simple terms–just forget for now about issues like which case should be started first; different collection methods for a judgment; and potential criminal restitution). Now you have a civil case open against your partner and the state has a criminal case open against him. For the civil case, the burden is on you to show the court (judge or jury) that it is more likely than not your partner stole the money from you (the evidence must weigh in your favor by 51 percent). In the criminal case, the state has the burden of showing the court (judge or jury) beyond a reasonable doubt that your partner stole the money from you (the evidence must weigh in the state’s favor by 99 percent). Back to O.J., if the evidence weighed in favor of him committing the crime by 75 percent, he would be not guilty in criminal court and still lose in civil court. In other words, O.J. did not kill his ex-wife beyond a reasonable doubt but he did kill her more likely than not. Get it ? If you’re wondering why, the theory is that we need to be very certain somebody committed a crime before we send them to
NANO’S POLO MALLETS jail, but not as certain if we are just righting a wrong between two citizens. That’s all I got for that. Welcome to democracy, yes it is flawed but it’s better than dictatorships. What does this have to do with polo umpiring ? It has quite a bit to do with it, if you want to understand the umpiring process. Most games include two umpires and a referee. The umpires are mounted on the field and the referee is on the sidelines. The umpires have the ability to blow whistles and stop the play, while the referee does not. The referee is asked for a decision only if the two umpires disagree. If an umpire sees a rules violation, he blows the whistle and stops play. A player is being charged with a violation at this point. In order for the charge to become a conviction requiring a penalty, either the other umpire or the referee must agree. The umpires and referee each hold about 33 percent of the vote. For play to be stopped, only 33 percent is needed. If the second umpire or the referee agrees, then 66 percent of the umpires think a violation has occurred and the penalty is imposed. More than 66 percent is not needed. This is a condensed and very quick operating version of our justice system. It also means there can be a 33 percent disagreement and still have a penalty imposed. When a player is angry and thinks a bad call has happened, remember, it is possible that 33 percent may be on his side and he could be right. That is a huge margin of doubt, right? Not so fast. Remember, it only takes 51 percent of the evidence to get your million dollar judgment, which leaves a 49 percent doubt margin. This is the civil standard for all amounts—$1 million, $1 billion or $100 trillion. The big money cases are treated the same as the small money cases, it is our system. Welcome to America, where we are all equal under the law, regardless of how much you spend playing polo or how much your civil case is worth. The same holds true for our mini polo justice system. Is 66 percent enough to impose a penalty?
Well, if 51 percent is enough to get a $1 billion judgment, then yes 66 percent sounds great–I’ll take it. What about the 99 percent needed in the criminal system to get a conviction? The theory there is that when a person’s freedom is at stake, we need to be certain he is guilty, that is why the standard is so high. Why can’t we have that in polo? It is simple—time and cost. You see, when a criminal act is committed, that single act is reviewed, investigated, and scrutinized endlessly. Then, if the charge survives all the pretrial challenges, a trial takes place. At trial, both sides are given a very open opportunity to present their story to an unbiased (we hope so anyway) jury of peers, usually 12 people who don’t know anyone involved. They decide if there is guilt or not. That takes anywhere from one to five years excluding appeals. If we could examine a single foul (rules violation) for years to come, we could do better than 66 percent. But, we have about 15 seconds to determine guilt, so have to accept a lower standard. The USPA has been using technology, like the drone, to help reduce the margin of doubt, and it has been very effective but it comes at a cost. Since polo already costs too much for many, we must be sensitive to keeping the game affordable. So, on the rare occasion when players get angry, they may very well be right. They also may be wrong. Either way, it is our system and the umpires cannot change a call no matter how angry a player becomes, even if one of the umpires agrees with the player. At the end of the day, remember it is only a game. Everyone wants to win and it is serious and frustrating if a bad call happens, but it is better than a bad jury verdict that sends you to prison for life. I hope this viewpoint expands your polo knowledge a little bit and helps you cope with the many frustrations you may encounter in your future games. Good u Luck out there! Dana Fortugno, Esq., LLM is a USPA umpire. He is a former 5-goal player and a former trial lawyer.
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LIVING IT UP First season of polo is full of new friends, fun and more fun
It is never too late to try something new as Kathryn James found out this summer. Kathy had a horse as a child, but had to sell it when she left for college. Years later she took up dressage, but after a while was looking for a change. While on vacation in Maui, she and her husband saw a sign for a polo tailgate party for $10 per carload. They stopped in and loved it. When she got back home, she looked for a local club. She began taking lessons but her job didn’t allow her the time to continue. Three years later, after retiring, she came back to polo. Here’s her story: This summer, I had the privilege of learning the basics of polo at George Dill’s farm in La Conner, Washington. Even though I got a late start, everyone at the La Conner Polo Club welcomed me as if I had been part of their team for years. George’s horses are amazing! The horses are so well trained, I could focus on learning how to hit on my first ride. In
Kathryn James on Tormenta and Jolene Summerville on Gotit a few weeks, I progressed to being on the field learning to play. Participating in this year’s La Conner Pretty Women’s Polo Tournament as a minus-1 in the beginner flight was a wonderful experience. My [partners] Kenya and Tormenta took care of me on the field. Kenya, a lovely
palomino Quarter Horse, taught me from Day 1 how to be a good team player. If you use soft hands, don’t pull, she will teach you how to line up so you can hit the ball. Tormenta, which George told me means storm in spanish, is a beautiful 16hand bay Argentine Thoroughbred. Tormenta taught me how to keep an eye on the ball. The experience took me back to my childhood when I would canter through alfalfa fields on my horse. When I wasn’t playing, I took some photos at the George Dill La Conner Polo Tournament on July 22, as well as the Pretty Women’s tournament on Sept. 9. Both tournaments were exciting to watch, and the polo parties are a lot of fun. Jolene and Earl Summerville provided a drone view of the first tournament while everyone ate a lovely dinner and drank fine wines and exotic beers. Susan Adams and Todd Gregory kicked off the Pretty Women’s
George Dill, center, put on a great women’s tournament with plenty of social events and beautiful trophies. 16 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Kathryn James, far left, played her first tournament this summer. tournament with a picturesque Friday night cocktail and dinner party at their farmhouse in Silvana, Washington. On Saturday night there was a
beautifully catered barn-style Greek dinner with fine wines and beer, which led to breaking open expensive bottles of champagne!
George Dill supplied all the trophies at the Pretty Women’s tournament that were filled with exquisite flowers and my favorite Irish Cream Liquor. And Tractor Supply donated other gifts for the players. Special thanks to George Dill for being such a gracious club owner and for providing a polo club with a friendly atmosphere that allows everyone to learn at their own pace. Also, thank you to the exceptional human trainers, Carlos Zamora and Tomas Flaminio, who had the patience to teach me this season; the grooms Carlitos Zamora and his younger brothers for making sure our horses were ready to go, and La Conner club players that had my back at my first polo tournament. You can start polo at any age. I am proof as I am over 50. I hope to see everyone next year at La Conner Polo Club in Washington! u
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uying a horse can be an exciting adventure; going to different barns, speaking with horse sellers, and meeting and riding your next potential best horse. Finding the right horse can be a dream, but, all that excitement can turn into a headache or even a nightmare if the horse you purchase has medical issues you were unaware of. The only way to avoid this type of scenario is to have a veterinarian perform a prepurchase exam. It doesn’t really matter if you are purchasing a horse in another country or from your neighbor, it is best to have a veterinarian determine if the horse has medical issues. It is not necessarily about whether you trust the seller or not because the seller may not even know if the horse has an underlying issue. If the seller tries to dissuade you from getting a prepurchase exam, whether or not your consider him a friend, be suspicious. The prepurchase exam will only protect you by providing you information. Just like the saying ‘good fences make good neighbors,’ prepurchase exams make good horse deals! Dr. Mike Manno, who is chairman of the USPA’s Equine Welfare Committee, suggests people treat a horse purchase without expectations from anybody. “Just do it as if you don’t know the [seller], you don’t know the horse at all and just have the horse evaluated, at least at the basic level so you get some baseline information and you are informed when you buy a horse.” He says the only time you might consider saving the money on a prepurchase exam is if you have had the horse in your care prior to purchasing it. “I can understand if you’ve seen the 18 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
COURTESY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
Prepurchase exams are a must when buying a horse
A basic physical exam with flexion by a licensed veterinarian is recommended with any horse purchase. If problems are found, you can do further exploration to determine how serious it is.
horse and you’ve had it in your care and custody the whole time. You know what it is getting and not getting, it fits your needs and you have never had an unsound day with it,” said Manno. “I could see how you might just say, ‘Oh, I like this horse, I’ve had it, I’ve trained it for two months, I’m going to buy it.’ I couldn’t argue with you, but you still don’t know if there isn’t something there.” If you are taking lessons on a horse for a period of time, or leasing it, but it is being kept on someone else’s property, it is still a good idea to have a prepurchase exam done. You may be familiar with the horse, in terms of riding it, but you won’t know if the horse is being medicated. “If you don’t have control of the horse all the way, you’ve been playing it on the weekends or renting it, you should still at least do the basic pre-purchase exam,” explained Manno. “That is where you get most of your information.”
Prepurchase exams can be anywhere from a basic physical exam, including a flexion test, listening to the heart and lungs and looking at the eyes, for a few hundred dollars all the way to the works, including X-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs, blood work and/or drug screens, for up to a few thousand dollars. “A good thorough pre-purchase exam with a report and discussion about the findings with the owner and buyer is an essential step,” said Manno. “Whatever they want to do past that is up to the buyer.” There are several considerations when determining how detailed an exam you want to have done. Price of the horse, age and what the horse will be used for should be considered. It is unlikely you are going to spend $2,000 for a prepurchase exam on a horse costing $5,000, one that is aged or one that will be lightly used, such as for trail rides. In those scenarios, a basic exam will still give you useful information about the general health
of the horse. If you see things that bother you on a basic exam, you can decide whether or not to move on to the next horse. “The basic exam, no matter what you are paying for the horse, is good insurance. Does it makes sense if you are spending a lot of money for a horse to do a complete exam with X-rays? I would think so,” said Manno. “You want to know as much as you can about the horse. If you are spending $25-$50,000 on a horse, I would get a [blood] screen. That is a couple hundred dollars of insurance right there to make sure you know what you are seeing on that day.” It is important to note, prepurchase exams are not a guarantee of soundness into the foreseeable future. Your new horse could bang its leg in the stall after the vet leaves, or might colic that night. And its is not unusual for X-rays or other diagnostic tools to identify imperfections.
Not to mention, veterinarians cannot see into the future so there is no telling what ailments a horse might develop. “If you do a prepurchase exam with Xrays, you almost always come up with things to discuss. That is the case more often than not with polo horses,” explained Manno. “It has this, is that really going to effect it longterm? Probably not. There is always a little discussion about that and the buyer may roll the dice on certain things. And of course, there are other things you can never predict, depending on how long the horse is owned by the new buyer. It could develop navicular. If you buy a horse that is 7 years old and you own if for three, four or five years and it develops navicular but was perfectly fine when you bought it, it happens. ... A lot of polo ponies aren’t perfect. They don’t necessarily pass a prepurchase exam with flying colors but that
doesn’t mean they are not a useful horse.” So what happens if an issue is identified during a prepurchase exam? If you are beginning with a basic exam, the vet will likely suggest further exploration of the area. If a horse doesn’t pass a flexion test, the vet may suggest blocking different areas of the leg to try to pinpoint where the issue is. The vet may also recommend X-raying or ultrasounding the area. Once the vet makes a determination about how serious an issue is, he will likely make a recommendation as to whether you should go ahead with the purchase. “Sometimes you just got to do some calculations. If you find some things and you think they are manageable at the level you are playing for a few years, then maybe the horse isn’t a bad investment. If (continued on page 56)
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FALL FANDANGO
Weekend includes 15 tournaments, training and workshops
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O SAY THE FALL FANDANGO was well-attended would be an understatement. Five colleges, 16 teams, six interscholastic teams and regular USPA members competed in 15 USPA arena tournaments played in 17 games over the course of the weekend. The play in the arena wasn’t the only activity going on either. USPA Umpires, LLC. conducted an arena umpire training with Bradley Biddle at the helm. The clinic focused on the new tournament conditions being used this season but also offered “tune-ups” and improvements for previously certified umpires. Some at the clinic also gained new certifications. Bradley also did a Rules Review for all of the teams and coaches with plenty of Q&A. In addition to the umpire and rules training, Robin Sanchez gave two workshops for the teams, umpires and coaches. First was a tack safety workshop where safety checks were demonstrated and proper use of overgirths was demonstrated. Second was an Equine Welfare workshop where players participated in body condition scoring and nutrition and horse health care were discussed. As it was Veteran’s Day weekend, the event also played three Military tournaments where each team in the tournament had family members in the Armed Forces. There was also a special Veteran’s “salute” with flags from four branches of the U.S. military and, of course, our nation’s flag. The players and participants thank all who have served. When the CSU Women’s JV team was asked about the weekend, Kelsey Naftel replied, “This weekend has been a blast.
Fall Fandango participants attend a session on equine welfare.
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It’s been exciting and we just love the whole polo experience.” Sarah Condio added, “Seeing all the other teams has been my favorite part. Everybody has been so friendly and we’ve all been rooting each other on.” Jasmine Gallegos chimed in, “And the horses, the horses have been great. Pedro is the best horse.” Two Wishes Ranch, part of the Central Texas Polo Association, was the host site for the event. The Reeves Family, who owns the ranch just southeast of Austin, Texas, recently built the new arena. Add to that plenty of stabling and a central location and it proved to be a good location for the Fall Fandango. Texas A&M Polo Club president Omar Polio wrote in after the event, “Over the last few years, our members’ polo skills have improved greatly, and this event was perfect for them to showcase their newly learned skills. Many of our participants, including me, had never before participated in a legitimate USPA tournament, but thanks to you all, it was finally made possible. Our members were excited to gain membership to USPA and play against other schools for the first time ever. “With events like these, I can see the sport of polo gaining more ground and becoming even more accessible to everyone. If it wasn’t for you all, USPA, and Robin Sanchez, I would never be playing polo, let alone in a tournament.” Omar played in the Sportsmanship Cup pitting CSU vs. The Central Region. He represented A&M with additional players from Oklahoma State and Texas Tech filling out the region. Incredibly helpful participation from the teams and umpires
ANGEL BABY
Polo family expands Congratulations to Sarah and Richard Weidel, members at Tinicum Park Polo Club in Erwinna, Pennsylvania, on the birth of their second child, Eversman John Weidel. Born Oct. 8 and weighing in at 8 pounds, 14 ounces, Eversman joined older brother, 2year-old Rex, who is receiving an early introduction to polo with two polo-playing parents.
FIRE!
California evacuations expand
AS WE WERE going to press, the wildfires in Southern
California were expanding across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Earlier in December, near Los Angeles, Rodney Fragodt reported that the California Polo Club had to evacuate all the horses. They were able to bring them back a few days later, on Dec. 8. The club was lucky, but several ranches in the area lost horses and buildings. Santa Barbara Polo Club in Carpinteria, which initially took in hundreds of horses and even a few cows, goats, donkeys, alpacas and bunnies escaping the fire, had to be evacuated days later as the fire closed in on the hills surrounding the club. All the horses and livestock were moved to Earl Warren Show Grounds. USPA Equine Welfare Committee chair Dr. Mike Manno went around road barriers to help with the nearly 500 horses stranded at San Diego’s San Luis Rey Training Center, where at least 46 horses had died or were humanely euthanized as of press time. We will have complete coverage in next month’s issue.
and all of their volunteer Tournaments had Being efforts made the event run the Change top San Antonio smoothly. Special mention in and CTPA interscholastic the “Above and Beyond” teams in the Texas Military category goes to Sarah Nimitz Cup; CSU JV Women Coleman, Karl Hilberg, Ariel top Texas A&M JV Women Rodriguez, Dan Coleman, in the SPI Women’s Arena Javier Insua, Doug Brunet, Challenge; Texas Tech Gretchen Morris, Devan Women top UT Women in Groves, Tess Sabatini and so the Heart of Texas Women’s many of the teams and Challenge; Retama IS top university club members. Willow Bend IS in the SW “This is the 10 year Circuit Congressional Cup; anniversary of Fall CSU JV Men top OSU Men Fandango,” says organizer in the East Texas Arena Steve Lane does umpire training from the sidelines. Robin Sanchez. “It started as Challenge; Being the an idea of Will Tankard. When I started running PTF’s Brushy Change IS top County Line Girls IS in the Heart of Texas Arena Creek facility, he said we should have a fall tournament and all Challenge; OSU Women top A&M JV Women in the Heart of the teams can come, hang out together and get their seeding Texas Nimitz Cup; Willow Bend IS top San Antonio IS in the SPI games done in one weekend. It was a great idea. With PTF, Steve Arena Challenge; Texas Tech Men top OSU Men in the East Lane and the coaches help, we grew it into an umpire training Texas Nimitz; CSU JV Women top UT Women in the Texas and player clinic. After the unfortunate closing of Brushy Creek, Military Women’s Arena Challenge; CSU JV Men top The we moved Fall Fandango to Houston, Midland and now Austin. Central Region in the SW Circuit Sportsmanship Cup; Forty It has been an event close to my heart and has always built so Flowers top Texas Tech Men in the SW Circuit Sherman much camaraderie for the Central Region and it’s teams. It’s Memorial Cup; Retama IS top Being the Change IS in the Texas also been very beneficial in an educational sense, giving these Military Arena Challenge; OSU Women top Texas Tech Women players, coaches and club members access to information and in the East Texas Women’s Arena Challenge; and CTPA Girls IS people who can help them.” top County Line Girls IS in the ATX Arena Challenge. u
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 21
Team effort Committee members are instrumental to program 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 Hayley Heatley
Owen Rinehart
Wellington, Florida, and spends time in Sheridan, Wyoming, during the summer. With many years of managing polo clubs under his belt, Jimmy has an inside perspective on the inner workings of clubs across the country. He has created countless opportunities at Flying H and IPC for Team USPA members. He will be inducted into the National Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in 2018, receiving the Philip Iglehart Award for lifetime contributions to the sport of polo.
With the 2018 season beginning, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the volunteers that make the Team USPA program a success. The Team USPA program is run as a committee, with Jimmy Newman serving as its chair. There are now a total of 15 committee members who meet regularly to discuss opportunities for players and ideas to continue to grow and improve the program. The following is a brief introduction to several of the Team USPA Committee members. I thank them for their commitment to supporting Team USPA and young American players.
Owen Rinehart is a former 10-goal player who has served as a mentor for Team USPA since its inception. Starting at an early age, Owen made a commitment to become one of polo’s best players. His playing experience and knowledge of the sport make him an invaluable resource for Team USPA members climbing the ranks as professional players. Owen has spent countless hours in the saddle at Team USPA tryouts, and in Aiken, South Carolina, and Sheridan, Wyoming, playing alongside Team USPA members, offering advice and giving pointers along the way. He generously invites Team USPA members to call him to stick and ball and has mentored multiple Team USPA members including Jorge Estrada, Connor Deal and Julia Smith.
Jimmy Newman was named chair of the Team USPA Committee last year. He is currently the polo director at International Polo Club Palm Beach in
Adam Snow has been an integral member of the Team USPA Committee and has served as a mentor for numerous Team USPA members over
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Adam Snow, bottom left
the years. His sense of discipline and hunger to learn has kept Adam Snow at the forefront of American polo for nearly three decades and helped him achieve a 10-goal handicap. Adam works diligently with each Team USPA member under his tutelage including Jim Wright, Costi Caset and Matt Coppola. Each year at Team USPA tryouts, Adam gives a presentation on the mental side of the game and tells his personal journey to 10 goals. Steve Armour is an active committee member and supporter of Team USPA. He coached an all-female Team USPA team for the Women’s India Polo Tour and is an avid proponent of women’s polo and training. Steve is well known throughout the polo industry for his breeding operation. He understands the
knowledge of the sport, balanced with his easy-going demeanor, makes him easily relatable for younger members of Team USPA.
Steve Armour, center, with a Team USPA women’s team
importance of being well mounted to succeed in the sport and works with Team USPA members to finance horse purchases. Steve has also employed several Team USPA members in his green horse operation. His success in breeding and training is evident as he has horses playing up through the 20-goal level under Team USPA players. Tom Gose serves the USPA as a member of the Executive Committee, USPA Umpire, LLC board and the Team USPA Committee, among others. Along with Armour, Gose is supportive of Team USPA members investing in horses and has helped provide financing for players looking to improve their string. Gose’s involvement in the umpire program allows the Team USPA program to require umpire certification of its members. Aside from being a force in the highgoal circuit, Gillian Johnston has been an asset to the Team USPA program. She has loyally supported Team USPA professionals playing in the 20-goal, including Mason Wroe, Nick Morrison, Steve Krueger and Wes Finlayson. Gillian has also provided green horse training opportunities for Team USPA members with her G-String Polo operation in Sheridan, Wyoming.
Charles Smith
Mason Wroe was an active member of Team USPA and has transitioned into the role as a mentor the past two years. He was part of the 2015 FIP World Championship team, assisting coach Joel Baker in Santiago, Chile. This fall Mason coached the Team USPA Women’s Open team in Houston, Texas, spending hours practicing penalties, watching game tapes and helping the team prepare for the tournament. Mason’s
Charles Smith is a Governor at Large, chairman of the USPA Polo Development, LLC and former chair of the Team USPA Committee. He was instrumental in the creation and development of the Team USPA program. He consistently supports the efforts of players seeking high-level training and playing opportunities. Charles also worked with Justin Powers to create the Team USPA riding pattern for the Player Performance Analysis program. Jesse Weaver is a Team USPA alumni and has stepped into a leadership role helping to develop the Team USPA Executive Training program. He has matched several current Team USPA members with internships and is continually looking to position Team USPA members to succeed in the business world while remaining connected to polo. “I see too many 2- to 4-goal players leave the sport to pursue other careers and too many clubs and sponsors who could learn from those players,” said Weaver. “The goal of the Team USPA Executive Training program is twofold; to help Team USPA members make the transition out of being a fulltime pro and to benefit local clubs.
Mason Wroe
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 23
Polo nomads Middle school participant travels to six tournaments BY EMILY DEWEY
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fall, playing in six tournaments up and down the East Coast; almost half of the 14 middle school tournaments offered in 2017. “Going to as many tournaments as possible this year was definitely Jack’s idea,” said Keith Whitman, Jack’s dad. “We have a philosophy in our house about improving yourself and say that ‘steel sharpens steel.’ Jack really wanted to play against the best middle school polo players in the country and make friends and meet as many kids as he could who were his age and loved the sport. “Like all sports, passion and love of the game start at a young age. It’s one of the reasons why I think the middle school tournaments are so important for the future of polo. It allows players at a young age to be part of the game, make mistakes and learn, and feel the excitement of hitting the ball and being one with your horse in a tournament setting.” Familiar faces in youth sports go a long way in helping players perform their best. Jumping into clubs where you don’t know a soul can be intimidating for an adult, let alone a middle schooler.
“I was nervous at first,” said Jack. “Meeting new people isn’t always easy, especially when you need to play with and against them during a tournament. It was really cool that I made so many great friends at each of the tournaments. We all had so much in common, especially polo, which we found out within five minutes of meeting each other. I’ve kept in touch with everyone and really feel like I have a big group of polo friends now.” While coaches at middle school games may have players scattered from team to team, most kids usually have someone familiar to ask questions or get advice from. Marlan Farm’s Kelly Wells had an idea to include her high school players in her middle school tournament this year as coaches. High schoolers were assigned a team for the two days and each coached their team for both of their games. The idea was so successful, it was repeated at three other tournaments when I/I staff suggested the addition. Other tournaments had the fortune of having professional players available to coach the kids.
JOHN PAINTER
o the adult player it is obvious polo and traveling go hand in hand. If you want to play more polo, you are more than likely going to have to travel away from your home club to compete in multiple tournaments in a season. A single club can only host so many tournaments while juggling the needs of members who aren’t interested or ready for tournament play. While the concept of travel is common for intercollegiate and interscholastic play, the Middle School League has seen consistent participation from players local to the hosting clubs. Players are able to ride horses they know and play against familiar faces to ease the pressure of a tournament situation. In 2016, six participants played in more than one tournament, doubling the number from the previous two years combined. This fall proved to be the breakout season for 13 middle school travelers, who played from two to six different tournaments. Gardnertown Polo Club’s Jack Whitman was the nomad of the
Gardnertown Polo Club proves it takes a village to develop young players and put on a tournament.
24 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Jack Whitman receives a sportsmanship award at Bloomfield Polo Club in Saratoga, New York.
and a half which made it even more nerveracking. However, one thing we learned early on is how safely the USPA runs the tournaments and how the middle school coaches use incredible horses for the kids. It was almost like each of the coaches read our minds and made sure Jack was always on great and safe horses. From my perspective, to hear Jack describe his favorite horses, it sounded to me like he got to ride Secretariat, American Pharaoh and Seattle Slew.” Jack’s final stop on his seventournament tour was his home club, Gardnertown Polo Club. “Ending the tournaments in Gardnertown was special. Coaches Bill Dencker and Danny Scott are family. We would text before and after each tournament. Playing at home for the last one, with all of the older players from the club cheering me and our teams on was cool and something I’ll always remember. Now that the middle school tournaments LARRY JOHNSON
“I was really excited to meet Tab and Will Orthwein, as I’ve heard how nice they are and how much they love polo. After that, I couldn’t wait for each one,” said Jack. “Aiken was another one that I will never forget. Being coached by Tiger Kneece was insane. He really spent a lot of time explaining certain plays or how to take smarter shots. His father, Gene, was also amazing. After each chukker they would both help me understand what we were doing well and how we could improve. I felt like I learned a lot from them both.” “When Emily called and asked if we wanted to play at the Aiken tournament we really felt like someone had just called and invited us to the Oscars,” laughed Keith. “You have to remember that I’m new to horses and polo. My wife is a hunter/jumper, but I’ve just learned the difference between a bridle and a girth. But after a year of immersing myself with Jack into the sport, even I know the importance of Aiken to polo. “What amazed me was Jack’s reaction when I asked if he wanted to go: ‘Dad, it’s Aiken Polo Club. It’s Tiger Kneece. The Tiger Kneece. Dad, come on, polo legend. He coaches the middle school team at Aiken Polo. We have to go.’ I soon learned that like all professional sports, there are heroes to 13-year-old polo fans as well and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity for Jack to meet his. It’s another reason the middle school tournaments are so important: they give the future of polo an opportunity to be inspired by the present. We couldn’t pack quick enough.” ‘Home is where the horses are’ could be many a polo player’s theory, but when you are on the road for only a few days, leasing horses becomes the best option for our middle school travelers. “All of the horses I rode were amazing, especially ‘Titanic’ at Bloomfield, ‘Bon Bon’ at Aiken, ‘Playboy’ at Garrison Forest and ‘Palermo’ at Powers Polo,” said Jack. “Each had their own personalities and strengths but it made me realize how important amazing horses are.” “I’ll admit, at first we were nervous about Jack playing on so many different horses at the various tournaments,” said Keith. “He’s only been riding for a year
Garrison Forest School’s Madison Jordan evades a hook at the Middle School Tournament in Aiken, South Carolina.
are over, I’m a smaller and younger fish in a big ocean, but I feel like I can play in chukkers with some of the amazing older high school players at my club, like Joe Post and John Dencker,” said Jack. “I feel like I improved 100 percent throughout the tournaments. Playing with so many incredible players from around the country pushed me in ways I wouldn’t have been able to without those experiences. Coach Jenny Schwartz at Garrison Forest really gave me great advice on playing in tournaments. I’m on the Open 2 team at Gardnertown and we just finished playing Boston Polo and Yale Polo, and her advice has really made a difference.” The games might be great, but the best tournament memories typically occur outside of the arena. Keith Whitman summed it up perfectly. “Our favorite memory of all the tournaments, isn’t the trophies or awards,” said Keith. “It’s on my son’s nightstand where you might think a 13year-old would place an All-Star or winning team trophy. Instead, what Jack values the most from the tournaments, and what he looks at for encouragement every day, is a personal hand-written note from polo legend Tab Orthwein that she sent after the Saratoga tournament at Bloomfield encouraging him on his polo journey. Our village is strong indeed.” If you have a player that will be in 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade in the 2018-2019 school year, consider joining the Middle School League fun! Tournaments are spread throughout the country to allow shorter travel for participants. If your club is interested in hosting a 2018 Middle School Tournament, contact Emily Dewey at edewey@uspolo.org. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 25
Texas time
Team effort puts San Saba ahead in OT Photos by Kaylee Wroe
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ope Arellano, the youngest player in the history of the tournament, scored the winning goal to give San Saba a thrilling 6-5 victory over Lockton/ Rocking P in the final of the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship at Houston Polo Club in Houston, Texas on Nov. 12.
San Saba’s Hope Arellano, Dawn Jones, Lia Salvo and Sarah Wiseman
The tournament, with three teams on the roster, was held from Nov. 7-12 and was played in conjunction with the U.S. Open Women’s handicap, which had eight teams competing. In the Open, play got underway on Nov. 7 with eventual finalists facing each 26 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
other: Lockton/Rocking P and San Saba. Lockton took the 8-5 victory. Two days later, Lockton downed Team USPA 9-3. Team USPA was eliminated the next day after falling to San Saba 6-3. The win gave San Saba a second chance with Lockton/Rocking P, this time for the title.
The final chukker was wide open with both teams making breakaways to goal. A beautiful angled backshot from Hazel Jackson put Lockton/Rocking P on the board. San Saba fired back when Lia Salvo converted a penalty shot. The teams traded goals before the first chukker ran
Women’s Open San Saba:
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Hope Arellano Dawn Jones Sarah Wiseman Lia Salvo
Lockton/Rocking P:
3 6 8 8
24/25
Courtney Price (3) Athena Malin Lottie Lamacraft Hazel Jackson Kristy Outhier
4 5T 8 8
Team USPA:
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Julia Smith Tiamo Hudspeth Marissa Wells Courtney Asdourian
5 5 5 6
Women’s Handicap Bearsden:
Lockton/Rocking P’s Hazel Jackson tries to stop San Saba’s Lia Salvo’s drive. After the game Jackson said she is still trying to get to the top since she isn’t able to beat top players like Salvo in every tournament. out, with the teams tied 2-2. Fouling slowed down the action in the second chukker. Jackson converted a Penalty 4, sending it over the heads of the opponents and through the uprights for Lockton. San Saba was awarded a Penalty 1 after a dangerous use of the mallet call that left Sarah Wiseman with a shiner. A final goal by Dawn Jones gave San Saba the 4-3 edge at the half. After the half, the teams continued to battled back and forth, with each sinking a Penalty 3 to leave San Saba with the one-goal advantage, 5-4, going into the fourth chukker. Lockton/Rocking P started the fourth by winning the opening throw-in, with Jackson running straight to goal and leveling the score at 5-all. The teams both tried to gain control but neither team could reach the goal. Both teams missed Penalty 4 opportunities and a near miss by Arellano ended regulation time, sending the game into overtime. San Saba breathed a sigh of relief after Lottie Lamacraft passed to Jackson but the ball was kicked out of bounds. The ensuing knock-in was San Saba’s opportunity and it seized it with the definition of team play. Wiseman knocked in to Salvo, who bolted towards goal. Thwarted by a hook at the last second, Lockton/Rocking P backed the ball toward center but Jones was there to back
it to Arellano, who positioned herself in line with the goal. Arellano pick up the ball and sent it through the uprights for the win. “I was so lucky to be able to score that winning goal, it meant a lot,” said Arellano. “Having my parents here has been amazing. My mom held a spare and my dad helped coach. It was awesome to have them both here. It was such a great opportunity and I had so much fun.” Wiseman, who got the winning play started, was at a loss for words, “This team is amazing. We worked so hard today. Rocking P is a great team and they made it really hard work, but I don’t know what to say, it’s unbelievable!” Team owner Dawn Jones was pleased after the hard-fought win. “It is a real honor to have the win under the San Saba name,” said Jones. “It is a tiny little town under the ‘X’ in Texas and I know our neighbors are going to be pretty excited about it. “Tommy [Lee Jones] and I are really honored to be here; we love the game of polo. I was happy to be here with Maureen Brennan and Goose Creek a few years ago, but it means so much more under the San Saba name. I have to say again, we all loved Sunny Hale and she was with us last year and would have been on this team today. We all did this for
13
Carol Farnsworth Tiamo Hudspeth Erica Gandomcar-Sachs Ashlie Manno
EnVen:
2 5 6 A
12
Elle Seybold Lauren Biddle Catlin Dix Alexis Ellison
1 4 4 3
Icon Global:
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Emma Tooth Sarah Wiseman Malicia Von Fallkenhausen Olivia Uechtritz
La Herradura: Meghan Gracida Courtney Asdourian Sheila Lequerica Mia Bray
Listo Polo/Sullivan Group: Joanie Jackson Grace Burgert Marissa Wells Julia Smith
Overture Tanglewood: Sarah Prinsloo Caroline Anier Cara Kennedy Kendall Plank
2 8 1 A
11 1 6 4 A
10 A A 5 5
13 3 6 A 4
Texas Monthly:
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Grace Mudra Carolyn Stimmel Lia Salvo Bridget Price
2 4 8 A
Woody’s Furs:
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Catherine Keen Jenny Vargas Kristy Outhier P. Vargas/ M. Outhier
1 5 8 A
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 27
Texas Monthly’s Carolyn Stimmel, right, gets pushy in the handicap final against La Herradura’s Sheila Lequerica. Sunny and it means a lot for San Saba and for Sunny Hale.” Most Valuable Player was awarded to Lia Salvo for her unparalleled play, leaving everything on the field. It was her first title in the six years she has competed in the tournament, including appearances in three finals. “I am so excited, I have played this tournament for six years and never won it. I am really happy, this is a big day for me. I love coming to Houston. This is the first time I have worn the San Saba shirt and I am really happy with how the team functioned. I think we went from minus to plus. We didn’t start as well as we wanted, but today all of us did our jobs really well,” said Salvo. Best Playing Pony Amateur was presented to 9-year-old chestnut mare, Chispita, owned and ridden by Dawn Jones in the second chukker. Best Playing Pony Professional honors were given to 928 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Texas Monthly’s Lia Salvo, Grace Mudra, Bridget Price and Carolyn Stimmel won the U.S. Handicap final.
year-old black mare, Picasita, ridden by Lia Salvo in the second chukker and owned by Dawn Jones. For the second consecutive year, the high-goal AQHA Top American Quarter Horse was awarded to Law Man’s Reata played and owned by Rocking P Lockton’s Kristy Outhier in the first chukker and presented by vice president of the American Quarter Horse Association, Dr. Jim Heird. Jackson reflected on the near miss, “To me, I don’t feel like I am on the top of my game just yet. I’ve got so much more to learn and I really appreciated Roberto’s [Gonzalez] help, and everybody’s help from this week. “I come to Houston every year and I always learn so much in the week that I am here. For all of those girls that are aspiring to go higher and higher, I am still there too. I am still trying to get to the top, and still cannot beat Lia [Salvo], and Wisey [Sarah Wiseman] and Nina
[Clarkin] in every tournament, so I am still going to keep working hard.” It was Lamacraft’s first tournament in the U.S. “I absolutely love it here in the U.S. It has been amazing. For me personally, all we have in England is 18goal for ladies and a few international tournaments, so to be able to play at a higher level of ladies’ polo was fantastic.” When asked why others should come play polo in Houston, she answered simply, “The pitches are great, the horses are amazing and [Texas has] great ribs, so if that doesn’t swing you then I don’t really know what else to say!” In the U.S. Women’s Handicap, Texas Monthly narrowly defeated La Herradura 6-5. Texas Monthly was led by Lia Salvo with Carolyn Stimmel, Grace Mudra and Bridget Price (largely the same team that won last year) while La Herradura included Courtney Asdourian, Sheila Lequerica, Meghan Gracida and Mia
Hope Arellano scored the winning goal, jumping on a pass from Jones.
Bray. Salvo was named MVP in this section as well and Dooley, played by Salvo and owned by Mudra, was Best Playing Pony Pro. Best Playing Pony Amateur was Gracida’s Patito Feo. AQHA Best Playing Pony was Lequerica’s Mike. The eight teams were divided into two brackets and played in a knock-out format with a subsidiary bracket. The preliminary matches got underway with La Herradura downing EnVen 7½-2; Overture Tanglewood edging Bearsden 5-4; Texas Monthly crushing Woodys’ Fur 6-1 and Listo Polo/Sullivan Group slipping past Icon Global 4½-4. In the semifinals La Herradura edged Overture Tanglewood 3½-3 while Texas Monthly got the best of Listo Polo/Sullivan Group 6-4½. In the semifinals for the subsidiary, Bearsden slipped EnVen 3-2½ while Icon Global downed Woody’s Fur 6-2. The consolation final had Listo Polo/Sullivan Group edging Overture Tanglewood 5-4, while Bearsden slipped Icon Global 5-4½.
Polo Players and Global Brand Ambassadors, Ashley Busch (@mrsashleybusch) and Juan Bollini (@juan_bollini)
USPOLOASSNGLOBAL.COM POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 29
Following the lines Polo breeder continues generations of top horses
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By Gwen Rizzo or Del Walton, horses are a passion passed down from both sides of his family. He and his wife, a horsewoman, are continuing the tradition with their three sons and a stable of well-bred horses.
Polo and horses are firmly ensconced in Del Walton’s blood. Walton is a third generation polo player on both sides of his family. His father, Rob Walton, is a former 8-goal player and was also heavily involved in Thoroughbred racing during his career. His maternal grandfather, Delmer Carroll, was an 8-goal player outdoors and 9 goals in the arena. He also owned and trained Thoroughbred racehorses. Carroll’s colt Bee Bee Bee won the 1972 Preakness Stakes, he won four training titles and was one of the top 30 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
trainers at Arlington Park in Chicago during his career. Del, currently 3 goals outdoors and 4 in the arena, has had an impressive polo career himself with Gold Cup and U.S. Open victories under his belt. Those victories came while he was playing with the White Birch polo team. Having grown up around horses and competing alongside top players who have breeding programs peeked Del’s interest in breeding. “With Mariano [Aguerre], White Birch
An embryo filly with her recipient mare. The embryos come from some of Walton’s proven polo mares.
A broodmare closing in on her foaling date. The foals are born in the pastures.
and Peter Brant, they all had breeding programs, so I kind of got the bug from that,” said Walton. “My passion comes from my grandfather. He loved to breed horses, polo ponies and racehorses so I think it is just instilled in me. It is something I really like to do.” Walton began breeding about 10 years ago, starting small. “I wasn’t really set up, so I’d only breed one or two, here and there, every year,” he said. Today, with a 65-acre farm 40 minutes outside Aiken, South Carolina, in Blackville, he has about 80 horses with about eight to 12 new foals each year. Since having the facility, the oldest from his breeding are now 5 and 6 years old, from a group of only four that year. He says of those, three of them are pretty nice. The next group includes six babies and though still young, they are all playing nicely. “Then I have groups of 3and 2-year-olds. I started off small and then each year the groups got a little bit bigger,” said Walton. Much of the breeding is done with
embryos, although he does some live cover. This year he bred three or four mares, while he has eight recipient mares in foal with embryos for next spring. All the foaling is done out in the pasture. He has about proven polo broodmares, however some of those are a little older, and rather than putting a lot of wear and tear on them carrying babies, he gets embryos from them instead. “I take embryos out of them and it saves them and I can get a couple [of embryos] out of them each year,” he explained. Walton also works with other polo breeders. “Gillian [Johnston] has used my stallion a couple of times, and I have a stallion from Mariano [Aguerre] and I’ve gotten a couple of mares from him. I have a deal with him so I do a little bit of business with him,” said Walton. “The couple of stallions I am using all have polo-related blood. I have a Valid Expectations stallion with numerous sisters Cambiaso and Carlos Gracida had that were really good,” he said. “Joel Baker gave me his stud, Morningstar, a POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 31
A group of weanlings enjoy some hay. The foals are weaned at about 6 months old. They are handled but won’t begin training for about a year.
couple of years ago, which is a sire to Chocolate and I’ve been using him a lot the last couple of years. And the stallion Mariano and Nick [Manifold] sent me, that they own, is a stallion out of one of their top mare, Jazz. He is out of a stallion called Open Especial, which is out of Gonzalo Pieres’ famous mare, Luna.” Finding a good combination of stallion and mare is satisfying, but Walton says you have to always try to improve it. “You are always looking for something better than what you did. You might do a couple of the same breeding from the same combination, but it is rare that a full sister or brother are equally good,” explained Walton. “Full siblings can all play well and be nice horses, but there is always going to be that one that stands out. I would take the best, and breed it with something else to try to get something better.” Walton points to what Gonzalo Pieres explained when asked why he didn’t clone his famous mare, Luna: Because Luna’s daughter was better than her, her granddaughter was better than her and 32 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Walton’s trainer works with Sonoma, a 2-year-old filly, in the round pen. This is the stage when the horses are saddle broke. They are ridden for a few weeks before being turned out again.
her great granddaughter was better than her. “So, breeding the same combination is standing still. The goal is for each generation to be better than the one before,” explained Walton. Walton has done his homework when it comes to the bloodlines and feels his best chance for success is by only breeding horses with polo somewhere in their genes. “Many people say breeding is a rich man’s sport and it is. I’m obviously not a rich man. It’s very expensive and I put a lot into it. If I don’t use the best, it’s almost like you are just wasting time. Otherwise, it is a lot of sacrifice,” he said. Walton has some progeny from his maternal grandfather’s famous stallion, Magazin. The liver chestnut was sired in Argentina before being bought by Michael Phipps, who raced him until the age of 5. Carroll trained the horse for polo and played him for some 13 years. The horse won the 1972 Willis Hartman Award for the best horse in the U.S. Open. He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2004 as a Horses to Remember. “Charlie Bostwick had purchased a mare from Charlie Armstrong, which was a daughter of Magazin. I had the privilege of getting a couple of babies out of her. One of my top mares, one of my first babies, is out of her. So, I have that line. I took an embryo out of [the granddaughter] and have a 4-year-old colt by her, which is going to be nice. And I took two embryos out of her this year,” said Walton. “I have another mare, a sister, that I am taking Embryos out of,” Walton continued. “I found out during my research that Mariano Aguerre had some daughters to Magazin that he took to Argentina and put in his breeding program. “And from my father’s horses, there was a really good mare, Chusma, that he sold to Ellerstina, that is one of their founder broodmares that I’ve been trying to get some blood from.” Walton also has two broodmares he got from Charlie Armstrong’s breeding. One is from his good stallion Ecliptical, out of the famous mare Sage, who was cloned in 2007. “When you look at the good mares, they are all smaller and a little thicker-
Mariano Aguerre and Nick Manifold’s Diez Los Machitos is at stud at Walton Farm.
Carolina is a granddaughter to Walton’s grandfather’s famous stallion, Magazin.
Walton played a 5-year-old homebred filly at Oak Brook Polo Club this summer.
boned Thoroughbreds. That is the type you are looking for when you are breeding,” said Walton. Walton’s trainer knows what he is looking for so if they have a young horse that seems unsuitable for polo, they will try to find another discipline it will excel in. “It is better to [move them] early if you are not in love with something. I try to find other disciplines or somebody else that would want them,” said Walton.
Walton generally keeps between 15-20 horses in his playing string. He used to purchase horses from the track to train for polo, however he has enough horses from his breeding program that he doesn’t have time to do that anymore. And he likes his chances with his homebreds. “I feel like for every 20 horses I’ve gotten off the track, I’ve gotten two special ones and four or five that are OK. And a lot of times they are fried or you find they have issues so you just don’t know what you are getting from the track. It’s a gamble,” explained Walton. “With homebreds, their minds are better set. It’s a lot easier to have more success at the end. It may be longer waiting for them [to see what you’ve got], but if you do it right, you’ll have more [that make it].” In the early days of his breeding operation, Walton did all the breaking and training. Now he has help from one guy who mainly looks after the horses and handles them, while another guy helps with chores on the ground. A third guy helps with training and works on the farm when Walton is home and travels with him when he and the horses are on the road. The extra hands are needed with the amount of horses in the program. The foals are handled almost immediately. “We handle them and put halters on them. We try to [work] with them from Day 1. The more you handle them, the easier it is to do everything,” said Walton. The foals are handled off and on while they are with their mothers and are weaned at about 6 months. They continue to be handled for the next year or so and when they are between a year and a year and a half, they begin work in a round pen. They don’t get ridden until they are 2 to 2 and a half, and only if they are big enough. They are ridden a few times, turned out for about five months and then brought back in to be ridden again. At 3, they are introduced to the mallet and begin to stick and ball. After six months or a year, they start playing in keep-away games. “I try to do it in cycles where whatever we do with them, we do (continued on page 55) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 33
Polo Circus
Two-day event has something for everyone
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he 7th Annual Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships: Horses & Horsepower took place Nov. 11-12 at WestWorld of Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. The event broke records and featured an array of entertainment
Dubbed the Next Greatest Show on Grass, the event, which rolls in to Scottsdale each year, lived up to its name as it included several new activities including a chance to arm wrestle with the world’s reigning arm wrestling champion, Travis Bagent; an appearance from Red Bull skydivers; performances by 36 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Southwest Shakespeare Company, Phoenix Opera and hip-hop artist Ali Tomineek; and a National Anthem performed by aspiring artist London Odom. Bagent was a new fan favorite as he took on all comers in one competition, hosted some of Arizona’s best in another and concluded the day arm wrestling a bevy of local and national elected officials, business leaders and celebrities, including Dayton 500 Champion Kurt Busch. Returning this year were the World’s “Longest” Fashion Show, a Canine Couture dog fashion show and previews
of Barrett-Jackson’s exquisite car collection. Guests savored some of Arizona’s best food including Steak 44; pop-up restaurant Fried & Fizzy, featuring fried chicken and champagne; Kona Grill; and M Culinary. The event also included a range of polo matches, beginning on Saturday morning, Nov. 11. The games kicked off with Team Santa Barbara taking on Polo Azteca, followed by Seattle Polo Club battling Arizona Polo Club. The feature match of the day had defending champion Aspen Valley Polo Club facing
Monte-Carlo Polo Team for the Molina Cup. Meanwhile, seven DJs or bands were playing simultaneously throughout the venue. Aspen Valley’s Melissa Ganzi, Mike Azzaro and Ashley Busch defeated Monte Carlo 11-8 to take the Molina Cup title for the third year in a row. USPA Florida Circuit Governor Melissa Ganzi was named MVP. Ganzi scored four field goals and three penalty shots on the day.
Former 10-goaler Azzaro and U.S. Polo Assn. brand ambassador Busch (wife of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch) score two apiece. On Sunday, in a battle of the sexes, the ladies of Talking Stick Resort & Casino edged the Scottsdale Maserati men 6-5. Later, in the featured game, Ganzi took her second victory, this time with Stella Artois St. Moritz’s Tito Gaudenzi and Juan Bollini, which
defeated Bentley Scottsdale Clogau Wales’ Marc Ganzi, Ricky Cooper and Pete Webb, 7-6. In other weekend games, Evans Furs Polo Azteca defeated Northwestern Mutual’s Santa Barbara, 8-5; Talking Stick Resort & Casino’s Arizona Polo Club defeated Molina Fine Jewelers Seattle Polo Club, 7-3; and Soho
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 37
Scottsdale defeated Stick and Ball in a women’s sunset match. The action attracted over 13,000 spectators over two days with tents and tickets sold out including the Molina Fine Jewelers VIP tent, the BarrettJackson Champagne & Jazz Lounge and all sideline parking. There were a record number of vendors and the new sponsor Bottled Blonde expanded the Bottled Blonde Polo Lounge: Presented by Stella Artois by 50 percent. It was a party tent like no other in the world of polo as it hosted drinking, dancing and DJs for 1,000 people with lines waiting to get in. “Whether it’s the next Phoenix Open, 38 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
as one of our guests called it this weekend, or ‘the best polo event in the world,’ as the captain of the Wales Polo Team does, there’s no doubt that this year was a record one for the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, and the moment that saw the event truly become a spectacle like few others,” The Polo Party’s Co-Founder Jason Rose said. In its fourth year as title sponsor, Bentley Scottsdale is pleased with the partnership and platform as the event has grown in size and ambition. “Bentley and polo go together and we see so many of our clients coming here year after year. We also like to show the
audience the latest and greatest Bentley models available like the Bentley Bentayga, the fastest SUV on the market that hit this year. The Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships is growing every year and is getting better as well. It’s fun for sure and many clients are already asking us to send them invitations for next year’s event,” Bentley Scottsdale General Manager Beli Merdovic said. The event will be returning on the same weekend in 2018 and the goal, according to Rose, is to become the biggest polo event in the world, one day surpassing the crowds even in Buenos Aires.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 39
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THE HEART OF THE SEASON Cambiaso-led La Dolfina goes two for three leading up to the Open PHOTOS BY SERGIO LLAMERA
A Tortugas player stops La Dolfina Valiente’s Pablo Mac Donough’s swing in the final of the Jockey Club Open.
T
he Jockey Club Open went to La Dolfina Valiente, as Adolfo Cambiaso fulfilled the dream of Colorado-based patron Bob Jornayvaz to play a tournament of more than 30 goals. Cambiaso is a rarity in the sports’ world. Not only he is a talent on the playing field but, like his admired tennis star Roger Federer, he is a global strategist who understands all aspects of polo: the game, the business and the spirit of the fans. From his home in Cañuelas, Cambiaso is continually thinking of ways to generate empathy: his team used the colors of a First Division football team (New Chicago) in 2002; he got sponsorship from the most viewed TV 40 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
show in Argentina (ShowMatch) in 2006; and always tries to give a little extra to attract bigger audiences beyond what happens in the matches. Proof of this was the attempt he put into practice last year when he invited Lía Salvo to be part of the team that won the Jockey Club Open in Buenos Aires, making the young lady the first woman to lift the traditional trophy after 52 editions. This year, Cambiaso made another interesting promotional move. Given that the rules in the Triple Crown forbid any player of less than a 6-goal handicap to participate, he proposed to Bob Jornayvaz, his American patron, to play for the first time in his life the next best thing—a tournament of more than 30
goals. Together, they formed the team La Dolfina Valiente along with 10 goalers Pablo Mac Donough and Juan Martin Nero, in order to dispute the fourth best (behind the triple crown) tournament of Argentina. “After a very good year together in USA and UK, I wanted to give a little treat for Bob, offering him the opportunity to play the best possible tournaments in Argentina. Luckily we did not miss them and had a lot of fun,” Cambiaso explained. Days earlier, the Cambiaso-Jornayvaz duo first came to be crowned in the Military Equestrian Club San Jorge’s Open, the tournament that kicks off the Argentine season, competing on a team
Adolfo Cambiaso scored a game-high seven goals in the Tortugas Open final, the goal difference between his team and Ellerstina, which fell 12-5.
with Uruguayan David Stirling (another 10 goaler) and Diego Cavanagh. The triumph brought Adolfito the Duke of Edinburgh Trophy, one of the few high handicap awards missing in his collection. For the Jockey Club tournament, Stirling led another La Dolfina team, La Dolfina Oriental, while Cavanagh played for La Dolfina Brava. Cambiaso’s new lineup required a change of positions: Cambiaso left the back position, which he occupied in the San Jorge tournament, to Nero and moved up to No. 2, Pablo Mac Donough maintained his classic No. 3 and Jornayvaz stayed as No. 1. In total, four teams of between 25 and 31 goals were registered to celebrate the tournament for the club founded in 1882.
The fields, framed in the racetrack located in San Isidro (16 miles north of Buenos Aires), received the first day of activity, on Sunday, Sept. 8, with the two semifinal clashes. The first match pitted La Dolfina Oriental (Pablo Spinacci, Gastón Laulhé, David Stirling and Gastón Urturi) against a young Tortugas team (Facundo Fernández Llorente instead of the inscribed Juan Ruiz Guiñazú, Isidro Strada, Juan Martín Zubía and Jerónimo del Carril). In the first two chukkers (sixand-a-half minutes instead of the exact six tested in San Jorge), Tortugas drew a twogoal lead (3-1) that would be vital for the rest of the game. La Dolfina Oriental fought but could never recover the lost
ground. As the match advanced (and Strada’s goals came—he was top scorer with five), Tortugas went on to claim a 107 win. Later, La Dolfina Valiente faced La Dolfina Brava (Bautista Arrastúa, Guillermo Terrera, Diego Cavanagh and Tomás Lalor). The game began to justify the six-goal difference in the handicap, as La Dolfina Valiente closed in the first part 4-0 with goals from Mac Donough and Nero. But LD Brava reacted and in the following two chukkers recovered to stay just a goal down (5-4) by the hand of Cavanagh. After a fourth period without big news, in the fifth, LD Valiente, doubling its best horses, was a blaze of fire and escaped 9-5 with Nero as an unusual scorer (top of the afternoon with five). The trend was confirmed in the last chukker to close with victory for LD Valiente by 10-6. The final match, held on Monday, Sept. 16, had a very good audience despite being held during working hours. La Dolfina Valiente began attacking Tortugas in great form using, as in the semifinal, Nero as the main weapon. Thus it completed the first three chukkers with a broad 10-2 difference, including five conversions coming from the back. After a scoreless fourth chukker, in the last three segments the Tortugas’ squad came alive, outscoring its opponent 6-2 (four coming from Strada) so when the final bell sounded, La Dolfina had the 12-8 win. At the time of the awards, Nero (best scorer of the game with seven) monopolized the individual prizes as he was recognized as Most Value Player of the game and his mare Richard Trampa, played by him and bred by Ricardo Dutroc, was honored with the blanket of Best Playing Pony. It was then time for Jornayvaz to receive the champion’s cup as La Dolfina Valiente’s captain. “I’m living a dream. These weeks in Argentina allowed me to enjoy a different polo than I usually play. Very fun, very (continued on page 58) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 41
Take a long step back into ancient history heading due east. Where current day India ends, past Assam (renowned for Assam and Darjeeling tea) and Burma (land of rubies and teak), now known as Mynmaar, lies the ancient kingdom of Manipur. Abutting the Shan peoples and hills of Burma 11th Manipur International Polo Tournament and possessing substantial BY BENADADA RABII commonalities with them, Manipur converted to Hinduism in the 1600s by royal decree. Today, while it is 44 percent Christian and 2 percent Mohammedan, the remaining 52 percent of the population are of the Hindu faith. In Hindu mythology it was Indra, god of the heavens who gifted the winged horse to man by slashing its wings to remain below. An offshoot of this legend is that of
DESTINATION: INDIA
the Manipuri diety Marjing, the horse god who in turn was the inspiration behind the ruler of Manipur creating the sport for his troops. A temple dedicated to Marjing is located in Manipur, where devotees place horse statues, sticks, balls and other offerings, light candles and come to worship. The traditional Lai Haraoba Festival of Manipur has a sequence dealing with the search of a bride (Lai Nupi Thiba) on the part of Maibi (priestess) with a polo stick in hand. There are several mythological books in Manipur, such as “Thangmeirol” and “Kangjeirol” (Art of Polo), which points to the great antiquity of the game emanating from the area. According to “Kangjeirol,” a historical treatise on Manipuri polo, King Kangba, who ruled manipur long
The winning Manipur team parades around the field after defeating an Argentine team.
42 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
KELLY WELLS
before the birth of Christ, introduced Sagol Kangjei, the game of polo. While many believe ancient Persia and Mongolia show evidence in even more ancient history of the sport being played, it certainly died out there to be played in the North West Frontier in Chitral (now with Pakistan), then across the border in India’s Kargil, Drass and Leh districts of Ladakh (in the state of Jammu & Kashmir). But it was in Manipur that the British tea planters found the most sophisticated version of the sport played, and it continues today. From Nov. 22-29, the 11th Manipur International Polo Tournament took place. Besides the Indian Polo Association team (known as India A), the local team of the Manipur Horse Riding & Polo Association (known as India B), Morocco, England, USA and Argentina were all represented. Modern day polo rules have taken root in Manipur, however one aspect of the sport that has not changed is the Manipur pony. These small, hardy and tough-as-nails ponies have the capacity to play repeat chukkers. The MHRPA has been promoting the sport and working hard to preserve these ponies, which are now under threat. Certainly the local team was the favorite even though it had lost the final in the previous two years, last year’s winner being Australia. Ed Armstrong, who has long supported the event, brought a young, talented U.S. team and served as its manager. The team included the justturned-18 Brennan Wells (2 goals and whose mother, Kelly Wells, runs a polo school in Maryland), along with captain Jorge Vasquez (2), Nate Berube (2), Nick Johnson (3) and Kegan Walsh (3). England fielded a team including captain George Shelton (1), Ben Eeley (2), Phil Seller (2) and Robin Ormerod (2). Team Morocco featured 1-goalers Bady Kebir, Hicham Zine, Rachid Haddouche and 0-goal Phillippe Darroux. The lowest handicapped at just
S P O T L I G H T
USA’s Brennan Wells races to the ball against Manipur in the semifinals. Manipur narrowly advanced 7-6.
KELLY WELLS
MOMO IRENGBAM
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
Demonstrations included martial arts on horseback and dart throwing, highlighting the hardy Manipur ponies. The MHRPA is working hard to preserve this breed, which is now threatened.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 43
MOMO IRENGBAM
India A’s alternate IJ Singh, center, with the Argentine team after the final.
3 goals, the Moroccan team was allowed entry into the 10-goal-plus tournament as an exception. India A included an Indian Army team comprising Maj. Narendra Singh (0), Cpls. Ram Singh (1) and Vijay Singh (2), and Col. T. Waraich (2) with IJ Singh (0) as alternate and who played in the exhibition for India A. The home team from Manipur (India B) was captained by Pradeeep Kumar, with Jogendra Meitei, L. Atangba, P. Ojit and S. Dill. The team went on to win the title over Argentina in the final. Former USPA governor George Dill, who was present throughout, said the India B players looked to be at least 3 to
India-B (Manipur): L Atangba P Ojit Pradeep Kumar S. Dill Jogendra Meitei
Martin Scortichini Juan Cruz Gramajo Juan Pablo Saravia Miguel Uriburu
USA:
Jorge VĂĄsquez Nate Berube Nick Johnson Kegan Walsh Brennan Wells
England:
George Shelton Ben Eeley Phil Seller Robin Ormerod
Morocco:
Bady Kebir Hicham Zine Rachid Haddouche Philippe Darroux
India A (IPA):
Maj Narendra Singh Cpl. Ram Singh Col. T. Waraich Cpl. Vijay Singh
(2) (3) (2) (3) (2) (2) (3) (3) (2) (1) (2) (2) (2)
MOMO IRENGBAM
Argentina:
4 goals each! Post tournament, Nicolas Scortichini said that since the home team had beaten a 10-goal Argentine team, they were at least 10-goals-plus in total handicap. The league matches between the stalwarts, namely India B (Manipur), USA, Argentina and England were fascinating to watch. For Morocco, the minnows of the tournament followed by India A, their sheer fighting spirit was amazing to watch. The American team, which played brilliantly throughout, lost by a goal despite leveling the score late in the semifinal game against eventual winner Manipur. Emotions ran high in the final match between Argentina and Manipur B. When Manipur scored the winning goal just at the last chukker was ending, the team captain leading the victory lap took off at full gallop and dropping his reins, twisted his body sideways to the crowd, bowed his head in homage and folded his hands in the Indian Namaskar to the cheering crowd. The No. 1 shouted out to the crowd, pointing to the Indian flag on his chest in a highly emotional moment for a partisan crowd. That evening, at an awards presentation, Argentine captain Martin Schortichini stood to cheer for the
(0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (1) (2) (2) The final match between Manipur and Argentina was filled with emotion.
44 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
MOMO IRENGBAM KELLY WELLS
Manipur B’s Pradeep Kumar’s pony stumbles as it races to the ball against Argentina’s Martin Scortichini in the final.
Nick Johnston lets his manipur pony run in the semifinals.
MOMO IRENGBAM
opposing team captain, Pradeep Kumar, as he returned from the podium. Kumar bowed and shook Scortichini’s hand in a display of good sportsmanship and a sign the true spirit of the sport lives on. The entire event was punctuated by amazing opening ceremonies, displaying ancient culture, skill at mounted games on horseback, drumming, dancers, music, music festivals and of course the native polo and equestrian martial arts displays, which included women riders as well. During the course of the tournament, players visited local festivals, native bazaars, rock music and fashion shows, which were of an international class, and banquets hosted by the MHRPA. The president of the association, H. Deleep Singh and the rest of the MHRPA team, did a stellar job organizing all aspects of the tournament.The arrangements for guests and the hospitality offered did not fall short at any stage of the eight-dayplus duration. This included excursions to the beautiful Lohktak Lake. The 12th Manipur International Polo Tournament is planned for Nov. 21-29 and Armstrong again plans to bring a U.S. team.
The polo tournament is held in conjunction with several displays of ancient culture, music, festivals and shows.
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 45
POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO SOUTHEAST
ANDERSON & BOUTWELL TOPS WOMEN’S CHARITY EVENT
MVP Sarah Wiseman leads Anderson & Boutwell in the Women’s Charity in New Orleans.
T
he New Orleans Polo Club in New Orleans, Louisiana, held its inaugural Women’s Charity event on Nov. 5. Rain forced the tournament to be moved to a different location and played as a one-day round robin between the three teams. Teams were made up of local club members as well as those from Alabama, Lexington, Dallas and as far away as Puerto Rico and England. The club chose a local non-profit
46 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Thoroughbred rescue as its charity and was able to raise $14,000 for the Thoroughbred Retirement Network of Louisiana. TRNL rescues Thoroughbred horses from racetracks and slaughter houses to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome. The charity brought some of the horses they have rescued to perform a Level 1 Dressage test at halftime, demonstrating the breed’s diversity. In the polo action, Anderson &
Boutwell (Sara Regis-Torres, Lacey Conway, Lori Summers, Sarah Wiseman) took first place after Wiseman, who was visiting from West Sussex, England, scored the final goal in the last chukker. Honahlee (Lilly Martinere, Mikhal Newberry, Cathy Alba, Bonnie Corner) took second and TRNL Team (Olivia Uechtritz, Kim McGrath, Jackie Jolie, Courtney Asdourian) took third. Sarah Wiseman was named MVP and Best Playing Pony
P O L O
R E P O R T
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Anderson & Boutwell’s Sarah Wiseman, Lacey Conway, Lori Summers and Sara Regis-Torres won the Women’s Charity tournament in Louisiana.
honors went to Lilly Martinere’s Rose and Olivia Uechtritz’s Flor. “Playing in the New Orleans Polo Club USPA Women’s Charity Challenge was an absolute blast, said Asdourian, who flew in from Lexington, Kentucky. “Being that it was my first time in New Orleans, the club representatives could not have been more accommodating and welcoming. The tournament was professional, competitive but most importantly, fun for all involved.” After the tournament, club members and guests enjoyed a dinner at a local New Orleans favorite, Galatoires, followed by live music at several venues in the French Quarter and Fauborg Marigny. Sara Regis-Torres from Puerto Rico said, “This was so much fun and I cannot wait to come back and play again in the Big Easy.”
MORGAN STANLEY ACES SPORTSMANSHIP CUP
Morgan Stanley came from behind in the 6-goal Sportsmanship Cup final at Point Clear Polo Club in Point Clear, Alabama, Oct. 22 to take the title. Morgan Stanley (Mikhal Newberry, Herndon Radcliff, Hutch Radcliff, Jake Stimmel) narrowly defeated Clearwater (Lilly Martinere, Cathy Alba/Vicente Ortiz, Chip Campbell, Gonzalo Teves) 10-9½ in the opening match, Oct. 21, to
advance to the final. In the second match, Memphis (Midge Ellison, Jimmy Wetter, Oscar Atkinson, Alfredo Guerreno) led from start to finish to advance over Arcola Ranch (Ericka Fuchsloch, Bill Mackey, Polo Baez, Juan Martinez-Baez) 7½-6. In the final, Memphis began with a two-goal handicap, but a Penalty 3 conversion by Hutch Radcliff and a goal by Stimmel overcame the advantage. Stimmel and Herndon Radcliff struck in the second but Guerreno sunk a Penalty 4 and Atkinson scored a pair of goals to put Memphis ahead 5-4. Herndon Radcliff swapped goals with Atkinson in the third to keep the one-goal difference at the half. Guerreno scored a lone goal in the fourth but Morgan Stanley retaliated in the fifth with unanswered goals by Herndon Radcliff and Stimmel to knot the score at 7-7. The last period was an all-out battle for control. Stimmel gave Morgan Stanley the lead, but a Penalty 3 by Atkinson leveled it once again. And with time winding down, Memphis was whistled on a play, giving Morgan Stanley a Penalty 2. Hutch Radcliff easily shot it through the post to give Morgan Stanley the 9-8 win. Hutch Radcliff was honored as MVP and Atkinson’s Black Cat earned the Best Playing Pony blanket.
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POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 47
P O L O
R E P O R T
Morgan Stanley’s Jake Stimmel, Herndon Radcliff, Hutch Radcliff and Mikhal Newberry won the Sportsmanship Cup.
The consolation between Arcola Ranch and Clearwater ended in a 5-5 tie after rain halted play after the fourth chukker. Clearwater lead 1-0 after the first and the teams matched goals in the second. Arcola jumped ahead 4-3 in the third but Clearwater outscored it 2-1 in the fourth to even the score. Action continued with the 0- to 4goal USPA Challenge Cup. Three teams competed in a round-robin format played over two days. The first day had Honahlee (Hutch Radcliff, Cathy Alba, Eden Gonzalez, Mario Maldonado) edge Green Branch (Mikhal Newberry, Stewart Bridgfort, Pedro Has, Herndon Radcliff) 2-1 in the first round. Maldonado got Honahlee going with two in a row in the first chukker. Herndon Radcliff put Green Branch on the board in the second, but Honahlee held on for the narrow victory. Point Clear (Lilly Martinere, Bonnie Corner, Luis Ansola, Jim Horne) faced Green Branch in round two. Herndon Radcliff and Horne traded goals in the first chukker, but Ansola was the only player to reach the goal in the second, putting Point Clear just ahead, 2-1. In the last round, Maldonado quickly put Honahlee on the board and Hutch Radcliff followed with one of his own. Meanwhile, Point Clear struggled to find the goal. Maldonado tallied in the second, while Point Clear was shut out
48 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Honahlee’s Eden Gonzalez, Cathy Alba, Hutch Radcliff and Mario Maldonado won the USPA Challenge Cup.
once again for a 3-0 Honahlee finish. The scores were carried over from the first day to Day 2. Honahlee’s Hutch Radcliff scored the only goal in the first round giving Honahlee its second victory over Green Branch. In the second round, Herndon Radcliff and Mikhal Newberry got the ball rolling for Green Branch while Point Clear was scoreless. Has and Radcliff added goals in the second before Martinere struck for Point Clear. Green Branch took the victory. Point Clear jumped out front in the last round against Honahlee, but Hutch Radcliff scored a pair in the second to ensure Honahlee’s win. Honahlee took first place, while Green Branch was second and Point Clear third. Lilly Martinere was named MVP and Cathy Alba’s Ruby proudly wore the Best Playing Pony blanket home. In the SE Intra Circuit 12 Goal in early October, four teams lined out the roster ready for action, but heavy rains, a visit from Hurricane Nate and a heat wave cut the tournament short, allowing only half of the eight scheduled games to be played. Clearwater (Chip Campbell, Jake Stimmel, Juan Valerdi, Gonzalo Teves) topped the tournament after going undefeated in its two games, while Parrot Heads (Roni Duke, Tom Gose, Carlucho Arellano, Jeff Blake) and Bobkat (Bob Edmundson, Steve
Tipler, Marco Llambias, Martin Ravina) were 1-1. A penalty shoot-out put Parrot Heads in the final against Clearwater after Arellano sunk both his shots, while Llambias scored just one. Carson Hill (Wood Bramlett, Herndon Radcliff, Facundo Retamer, Juan Martinez Baez) was 0-2. A consolation between Bobkat and Carson Hill was cancelled after the skies opened up as the players walked out on the field. Bobkat was named winner based on previous results. White, owned by Hutch Radcliff and played by Herndon Radcliff, was Best Playing Pony. The tournament started with Clearwater drowning Carson Hill 15-6. After being knotted at 3-3 to end the first, Clearwater kept increasing its lead each chukker until the final bell sounded. Juan Valerdi led the team with six goals. In the next game, Bobkat started with a two-goal handicap from Parrot Heads and carried a 10-6 lead into the fifth. But, Blake and Arellano scored a combined five goals in almost as many minutes, while a stunned Bobkat saw its lead disappear. Parrot Heads methodically worked to get in the lead and held it until the end. A week later, Bobkat got its first win when it met up with Carson Hill. Bobkat carried a 7-3 advantage into the half, and increased its lead to 10-4 in the fifth. Carson shot back with
R E P O R T
CAROLINE BRAMLETT, LCB STYLE
KAYLEE WROE
P O L O
Clearwater’s Gonzalo Teves, Juan Valerdi and Chip Campbell won the Intra Circuit Cup. Teammate Jake Stimmel is not pictured.
four goals and scored another in the sixth but ran out of time. The last game had Clearwater facing Parrot Heads and after the first seven minutes, with the teams tied 2-2, it looked like it was going to be a real battle. But Clearwater changed all that in the second when it reached the goal seven times in the next 14 minutes while Parrot Heads was silenced, ending the half with Clearwater ahead 9-2. Parrot Heads played better in the second half, Clearwater only getting a 54 advantage, but Parrot Heads was unable to dig out of the first half deficit. The final, schedule for the next day, was canceled due to the heavy rain. Since Clearwater was again slated to face Parrot Heads, which it had defeated, Clearwater was named the winner. Juan Valerdi was named MVP and Krafty, owned by Chip Campbell and played by Gonzalo Teves, was Best Playing Pony based on the last game played. SOUTHWESTERN
12G USPA BEAL CUP GOES TO TONKAWA
The final of the USPA Keleen & Carlton Beal Cup was held on Oct. 1 between BTA (Kelly Beal, Shane Rice, Steve Krueger, Mason Wroe) and Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Cody Ellis,
Tonkawa’s Jeff Hildebrand, Cody Ellis, Matt Coppola and Tommy Biddle won the USPA Keleen & Carlton Beal Cup.
Matt Coppola, Tommy Biddle). Five teams competed in the tournament. In the final, Steve Krueger scored the first goal of the match from the penalty line for BTA but was quickly followed up by Tommy Biddle for Tonkawa. In the second chukker, Tonkawa surged a head with two goals from Matt Coppola and one goal from Cody Ellis. Coppola and Ellis took the lead farther for their team with one more goal a piece. BTA answered with one goal from Krueger to end the first half, 6-2 Tonkawa. Members and guests took to the field during halftime to sip complementary champagne and stomp divots while the players hopped on fresh horses. Rice and Biddle traded goals for their respective teams followed by a second goal for BTA by Krueger. Again in the fifth it was Krueger who converted two more goals from the penalty line for BTA but Tonkawa answered with goals from Biddle and Coppola. To end the match Krueger put in his fourth goal from the penalty line and Coppola scored once more in the last minute, ending the game 10-7 Tonkawa. Matt Coppola earned MVP honors, Kelly Beal’s Honey was Best Playing Pony Amateur and Tommy Biddle’s Blackjack was Best Playing Pony Pro. Two weeks later, six teams divided into two brackets played for the USPA H. Ben Taub Memorial. After two weeks of playoffs, BTA (Kelly Beal, Shane
Rice, Steve Krueger, Mason Wroe) faced ERG (Scott Wood, Marcos Alberdi, Tomy Alberdi Michel Dorignac) in the final. Marcos Alberdi scored the first point for ERG but it was answered by a penalty conversion from Steve Krueger for BTA. Michel Dorignac and Tomy Alberdi quickly extended the lead in the second but BTA rallied back in the third with one goal a piece from Mason Wroe and Shane Rice, ending the half in a 3-3 tie. The Sunday crowd took to the field for a champagne divot stomp while the players swapped onto fresh ponies. Anson Moore subbed in for Scott Wood of ERG for the second half of play. BTA led by two at the end of the fourth with goals from Krueger and Rice. Dorignac scored early in the fifth but was followed up by Rice to keep the two-point lead for BTA. Wroe and Rice extended the lead to eight goals in the final chukker and ERG snuck in one more goal to end the match, with an 85 win for BTA. Shane Rice was MVP, Kelly Beal’s Joan was Best Playing Pony Amateur and Princessa, played by Mason Wroe and owned by BTA Polo, was Best Playing Pony Pro. In the season’s last 12-goal, the final of the Open, BTA (Steve Krueger, Mason Wroe, Shane Rice, Kelly Beal) took on defending champions Eureka (Rene Campos, Geronimo Obregon, Jorge Cernadas, Alvaro Ara) in a battle
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 49
KAYLEE WROE
R E P O R T
KAYLEE WROE
P O L O
BTA’s Steve Krueger, Mason Wroe, Shane Rice and Kelly Beal won the USPA H. Ben Taub Memorial.
for the coveted Texas Open Spurs on Nov. 5. Eureka capitalized on BTA’s slow start in the first chukker with two goals from Jorge Cernadas and Geronimo Obregon. In the second chukker, there where three goals a piece from each team; Shane Rice, Steve Krueger and Mason Wroe for BTA, two goals from Cernadas and one from Obregon for Eureka. Obregon and Alvaro Ara extended their lead to 7-3 to end the third. While the players took a break and changed horses for halftime, spectators took to the field to stomp divots and sip complementary champagne. BTA got an early start in the fourth with a penalty conversion from Steve Krueger, but Eureka countered with two goals from Obregon and Ara. In the last two chukkers BTA held off Eureka and scored a combined four goals from Krueger, Rice, and Wroe but time ran out and the match ended 9-8 with Eureka taking a repeat win. Cernadas was named MVP and Kelly Beal’s Honey took Best Playing Pony Amateur while Geronimo Obregon’s Cambalache was Best Playing Pony Pro. In 8-goal action, Jaguar Houston Central presented the Red Oak Cup final on Sept. 17 when Listo Polo/Rocking P (Carl Price/Grayson Price, Kelly Plato, Francisco Mera, Marcos Villanueva) fell to Pegasus/Propaganda (David Andras, Nick Cifuni, Mason Wroe, Paul Hobby).
50 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Eureka, with Rene Campos, Geronimo Obregon, Jorge Cernadas and Alvaro Ada, won the Texas Open for the second year.
David Andras put in the first goal of the match for Pegasus/Propaganda and was followed up by Francisco Mera who scored one for Listo Polo/Rocking P to end the first chukker 1-1. Pegasus/Propaganda led in the second with Nick Cifuni and Mason Wroe scoring a goal a piece and Carl Price put a second goal in for Listo Polo/Rocking P. Collectively, Cifuni and Wroe scored four more for Pegasus/Propaganda while Mera scored his second goal for Listo Polo/Rocking P. At halftime the score was 7- 3 Pegasus/Propaganda. The crowd took to the field to stomp divots and sip complementary champagne while the players changed horses. Cifuni put up two more goals for his team that went unanswered until Mera scored two for his team in the fifth chukker. Filling in for his dad, Carl, in the second half, Grayson Price scored his first goal on a penalty hit for Listo Polo/Rocking P and Cifuni ended the match with a final goal for Pegasus/Propaganda. Match score was 11-6 for Pegasus/Propaganda. MVP was awarded to Nick Cifuni and Best Playing Pony was awarded, for the second week in a row, to Guerrero, owned and played by Francisco Mera. Pegasus/Propaganda (Sheila Lequierica, Nick Cifuni, Mason Wroe, Paul Hobby) gave BTA (Chrys Beal, Drew Luplow, Alejandro Gonzalez, Steve Krueger) the slip in the USPA Officer’s Cup final on Oct. 5
Steve Krueger and Drew Luplow scored two goals for BTA to counter Nick Cifuni’s three goals in the first half for Pegasus/Propaganda. In the second half it was Cifuni with two more goals for Pegasus/Propaganda answered by Chrys Beal and Krueger who put in a combined four goals to tie things up, but Pegasus/Propaganda’s Mason Wroe scored the winning goal in the last minute of the sixth to end the match. Final score was 7-6 for Pegasus/ Propaganda. Mason Wroe was honored as MVP, while Steve Krueger’s Sapphire was Best Playing Pony. The USPA National 8 Goal on Oct. 19, paired BTA (Chrys Beal, Alejandro Gonzalez, Steve Krueger, Drew Luplow) against Rocking P / Listo Polo (Grayson Price/Carl Price, Ignacio Saenz, Kelly Plato, Marcos Villanueva) for the final match. Rocking P / Listo Polo took charge in the first with two unanswered goals from Grayson Price and Ignacio Saenz and a goal on handicap to close the chukker 0-3. BTA’s Alejandro Gonzalez came out firing with back-to-back goals followed by a goal from Price to bring the score to 4-2 at the end of two chukkers. Villanueva was injured during the second and was replaced by Shane Rice. BTA tied things up in the third with a goal each from Chrys Beal, Drew Luplow and Gonzalez with just one goal for Rocking P / Listo Polo from Price.
P O L O
R E P O R T
Prestonwood’s David Werntz, Johann Felhaber, Vance Miller and Niklaus Felhaber won the Border Circuit Governors Cup.
and bright September, was one of the most exciting games of the 2017 season. The rivalry between Barefield and Wind Mill brewed throughout the season of hard-played, closely-won games, climaxing on September 9 in a mesmerizing match displaying low-goal polo at its finest. Barefield’s familiar line-up of Mark Mulligan, Leandro Berrios, Nick Wayland and Rich Weidel had the advantage of experienced team play. Rhea Lowenthal and Ann Oniskey’s mix of heavy hitters for Windmill—3-goalers Fernando Maciel Talavera and Juan Martinez-Baez with the agility of 17-year-old Brennan Wells—further spiced up the game. The game opened with a goal by Wells. Berrios returned a goal in chukker two. Despite the solitary goals, the play on the field mimicked an action-packed movie full of so many adrenalin-inducing scenes that the plot becomes lost. Except the plot of this game, to end up in the winner’s circle, was not lost by anyone on the field. Team play was exhibited by every position, and clean play represented only one called foul on each. The next four chukkers featured first a goal from one team, timely answered by a retaliation goal by the other team. A tied score in chukker six was finally mashed by a powerful shot by Martinez-Baez and secured by a clever goal by Wells. When the game ended, Wind Mill was on top, 8-6.
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Dan Coleman, right, with VIP Oklahoma’s Kelli Coldiron, Cinderella Von Faulkenhausen and Malicia Von Faulkenhausen.
Wells was named MVP and a horse owned by Mulligan and ridden by Berrios was awarded the Best Playing Pony. Dennis Santana and Dave Halliday umpired and the referee was Mike Simpson. --Victoria Halliday BORDER
PRESTONWOOD WINS AZ GOVERNORS CUP Pie Town Polo Club in Pie Town, New Mexico finished its 2017 season with the Governors Cup and WCT tournament in its new facility in Socorro. The season highlights include seven weekends of tournament polo, plenty of stick and ball, a week-long USPA clinic attended by 12 youth, a weekend clinic attended by three teams, three new certified umpires and many new members. In the Governors Cup, Prestonwood (Vance Miller, David Werntz, Johann Felhaber, Niklaus Felhaber) triumphed over Pathlight (Dan Coleman, Theo Wakefield, Thomas Phelps) 15-10. In the final, Vance Miller scored a pair of penalties to open the scoring for Prestonwood. Coleman and Wakefield responded with goals, but Johann Felhaber and Werntz retaliated to end the first with Prestonwood ahead 4-2. Wakefield and
Niklaus Felhaber each scored a twopointer and a goal to keep the two-goal spread. Coleman caught fire in the third with four goals, but Werntz and Miller combined for three to maintain a slim advantage. If Pathlight had any hopes of coming back, Prestonwood let it be known they weren’t going to let it happen. Miller scored, followed by Johann Felhaber. Coleman converted a penalty for Pathlight but Prestonwood wasn’t done. The Felhabers combined for three more tallies to put an exclamation point on the win. John Nance was named MVP and Dan Coleman’s Flaco was Best Playing Pony. To get to the final, Pathlight ousted 2XS (Adren Nance, Pedro Chavez, Dan Faherty) 14-12, while Prestonwood sent NM Polo (John Nance, MacKenzie/John Watson, Erin Brittan) packing 21-5. In the consolation, 2XS sunk NM Polo 19-7. The same weekend, VIP Oklahoma (Malicia Von Falkenhausen, Cinderella Von Falkenhausen, Kelli Coldiron) got the best of Lady 2XS (Kim Nance, Sarah Coleman, Anna Nance) in a twogame series for the USPA Border Circuit WCT Women’s Challenge. In the first match, VIP jumped out of the gate with three goals from Cinderella Von Falkenhausen and another from Coldiron while Lady 2XS was finding its stride. Kim Nance came alive in the second with four goals, but they were matched by Cinderella Von Falkenhausen and
P O L O
2XS’s Kim Nance, Adren Nance, Dan Coleman and Sarah Coleman won the Constitution Cup.
Coldiron added her second. Cinderella and Kim traded goals in the third to enter the final chukker with VIP ahead 11-6. Malicia Von Falkenhausen stole the show, shooting in five in a row for the 16-6 victory. The second match had Kim Nance striking first, but Coldiron answered. Then the Von Falkenhausen sisters combined for three goals to give VIP an early 4-1 lead. Anna Nance hit the mark early in the second, but the Von Falkenhausens each scored to increase the lead to 6-2 at the half. Lady 2XS outscored VIP 3-2 in the third but VIP pushed back in the final chukker with three quick goals before Kim Nance struck twice. VIP added three more to double 2XS’s score, 147, at the bell. Cinderella Von Falkenhausen, who scored 17 goals in two days, was named MVP honors, while Dan Faherty’s Precious, played by one of the girls, was Best Playing Pony. Earlier in the season, 2XS’s Kim Nance, Adren Nance, Dan Coleman and Sarah Coleman won the Constitution Cup on June 24. The team defeated BTC White’s Zak Coleman, Thomas Phelps and Bryan Birby 15-10 for the title. In a first match, 2XS got the 12-10 edge. Kim Nance was MVP and her horse, Keystone, was Best Playing Pony. A month later, Pie Town Javelinas’ Zak Coleman, Kim Nance and Sarah
R E P O R T
Pie Town Javelinas’ Zak Coleman, Kim Nance and Sarah Coleman won the USPA Kem Rogers Memorial.
Pathlight’s MVP Allison Freeman, Dan Coleman and Vinay Bangalore won Flight A of the Orlando Garrido Memorial.
Coleman came away the winners in the USPA Kem Rogers Memorial tournament. Pie Town edged Pathlight Financial (Dan Coleman, Trent Wakefield, Rae Ann Bruton) 11-10 in the first match. Pathlight took its first win, 14-10, over 2XS (Adren Nance, Troy Wakefield, Ruby Jacobs) in round two. Pie Town got the best of 2XS 1411 in the final round. Zak Coleman was MVP and Cooper Jacobs’ Pee Wee was Best Playing Pony.
PATHLIGHT TAKES GARRIDO MEMORIAL Pathlight Financial (Dan Coleman, Vinay Bangalore, Allison Freeman) took the A Flight over VIP Mortgage (Thomas Phelps, Zak Coleman, Bryan Birby) and Jlevine/Cutco (George
Estrada Jr., Dan Faherty, Kristofer Laughlin, Carol Hobson) in a round robin match to win the Orlando Garrido Memorial at Polo Azteca Polo Club in Phoenix, Arizona, on Nov. 22. In the first round, Pathlight Financial edged VIP Mortgage 5-4. VIP Mortgage slipped Jlevine/Cutco 6-5 in round two. The final round saw Pathlight Financial defeat Jlevine/Cutco 7-5 for all the marbles. Pathlight’s Allison Freeman was MVP and her mare, Luna, was honored as Best Playing Pony. Flight B went to Blue (Soleil Dolce, Troy Wakefield, Benji Faherty). It was a fun and fast tournament with 16 players participating and honoring their good friend Orlando, who is missed. FLORIDA
CITIZENS FIRST ACES SHARON STUDIO 8 G Citizens First defeated Fross & Fross 11-8 to take the final of The Sharon Studio 8-Goal Tournament at The Villages Polo Club in The Villages, Florida on a soggy Nov. 5. Citizen First’s Meghan Burggraaf, Paige McCabe, Nick Johnson and Francisco Bilbao took on Fross &
POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 53
P O L O
R E P O R T
Citizen First’s Meghan Burggraaf, Paige McCabe, Nick Johnson and Francisco Bilbao won The Sharon Studio 8-goal.
Fross’ Joe Watkins, Derek Berg, Alfredo Guerreno and Horacio Onetto. Johnson kicked off the scoring but Berg wasted no time in responding. Bilbao got in a goal to end the chukker ahead 2-1. Bilbao traded goals with Watkins and Onetto in the second and with Berg in the third to keep Citizens with a narrow 5-4 lead after the first half. Two minutes into the fourth, Bilbao added two more. Watkins scored to keep Fross & Fross in the game. Onetto got his second goal early in the fifth, but Burggraaf had the answer. Johnson followed her with a pair of goals to take a four-goal lead. Onetto fought back scoring two goals, but McCabe added an assurance goal and Citizens First took the win. A new Fross & Fross line-up of Trevor Baldwin, Facundo Iglesias, Toto Obregon and Alan Martinez captured the Fross & Fross 8-goal the following week by downing United HealthCares’ Stacie Simpkins, Casey Hoskins, Del Walton and Pelon Escapite. Escapite struck first, but Martinez and Obregon combined for the next three goals. Escapite converted a penalty and a field goal and Walton added another to give United HealthCare the 4-3 advantage. It was
54 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Fross & Fross’ Trevor Baldwin, Alan Martinez, Facundo Iglesias and Toto Obregon won the Fross & Fross 8-goal.
Bendabout’s Malia Bryan, Gillian Johnston, Anna Coscia and Hope Arellano won the Arden’s Fine Jewelers Ladies Tournament.
short-lived as Obregon tied the match five seconds into the third chukker, then scored the go-ahead goal. Martinez added another to take a 6-4 lead into the half. Escapite scored in the fourth to come within one goal, but Iglesias and Obregon split the uprights to increase the lead. The next two chukkers was all Fross & Fross as each player scored one and Martinez twice while shutting out United HealthCare for the 13-5 victory. The week of Nov. 19 was reserved for the ladies as The Villages’ Teresa Connelly, Meghan Burggraaf, Lauren Biddle and Paige McCabe took on a tough Bendabout team of Malia Bryan, Anna Coscia, Hope Arellano and Gillian Johnston in the
Arden’s Fine Jewelers Ladies Tournament. The Villages proved to be no match for the feisty Bendabout team. Arellano shot out with two goals in the first three minutes. She scored her third 25 seconds into the second chukker. Biddle put The Villages on the board ending the first half with Bendabout leading 3-1. Arellano added two more in the third and Coscia added a goal while The Villages failed to reach the goal. In the final chukker, Coscia split the uprights, followed by Johnston for the 8-1 victory. The season ended with The Properties of the Villages Family Feud. Fross & Fross’ Ava Hinkson, Greg Hinkson, Sue Doyle and Mike Harris narrowly edged McLin Burnsed’s Jennifer, Janis, Vinnie and Jason Pascarella, 5-4. The first chukker had Harris trading goals with Jason Pascarella. Ava and Greg Hinkson both added goals in the second, along with one from Doyle while Jason added another for a 5-3 Fross lead. Neither team was able to score in the third. Vinnie Pascarella scored a lone goal in the fourth to cut the deficit to one, but the team couldn’t reach the goal again u and Fross & Fross had the win.
(continued from page 33) it for a month, six weeks and then they get turned out. We bring them back up and do something new for a month,” said Walton. “Every now and then we have one that gives us a little trouble. We like to end on a good note so if he needs to stay up just a little bit longer then the rest, we’ll work with him a little more. “Even when I’m playing them ... I start playing them in polo tournaments by the time they are 5 or 6. ... I don’t like to put a lot of pressure on them until then so they don’t break down. Some are more fragile then others, it depends on the horse. I play them for three to four months. If one is going so-so, I will try to play it until it is going good. As soon as he gives me that one game, or a couple games where he is playing good, then he gets turned out. If you end on a good note, it stays with them and they always come back better. They come back refreshed. I find its good to kick them out as much as you can because they learn more that way.” Once ready for polo, Walton plays the horses that come through his breeding program to finish them but ultimately they will be sold for others to enjoy. “I’m trying to keep myself well-mounted but I also need to sell some to support my operation,” Walton explained. “Everything is for sale and the idea is to sell them.” While most horse trainers are hoping to make that top 26-goal horse that all the pros want, Walton is more realistic. “I’m looking to get sound, quiet, easy horses that anybody can play. My main market is selling to the amateur player or sponsor, so my goal is to breed and make horses for that,” he said. “If out of a group of eight horses there is a diamond in the rough that goes to high goal, great. It would be awesome. Between $25,000 and $40,000 is the market I’m shooting for. If I get a great horse that goes above that market, I’ll be ecstatic.” Marty Cregg has an 11-year-old mare out of Walton’s breeding that he has had for five years and he sings her praises. “Rodriga is an extremely consistent mare to play and always gives her all. ... She stands out on our pony line. She is a
A pair of foals play in the field. Walton’s wife, Tessa, said the operation is a lot of work but she is beginning to enjoy it a lot more. Having foals every spring is her favorite part.
prototype polo mare with great conformation, plays like a robot and is a pretty bay. I play her every game. She is reliable, durable and has a great mouth. I am a better player when I am on her back,” said Cregg. “Every time I see her it’s a great feeling,” said Walton. “Would it be great to see a horse of mine play the Open? Yes, but I don’t need that. I’m happy to see my horses playing under whomever, and playing well is good enough for me.” Though still in the early years of his breeding program, he is happy with the success so far. “I have a couple proven that are really good and the ones I have now are playing well. It’s all positive but I wouldn’t say its 100 percent proven yet.” When asked if running a breeding operation is stressful, Walton explained that it is not because it is something he loves. “It is a passion. Sometimes money is tight when you are trying to run an operation like this. My polo career’s been paying for most of it for the last five years, which can be a little stressful. I’m hoping, now that I have a group old enough and going well, I sell a couple so the operation is supporting itself and not just my polo career supporting most of it. “At the same time, I have four or five in my string that I play that came from
the breeding. If I had to go and buy those horses, they’d be pretty expensive to purchase. There are different ways to look at it.” The breeding operation is a family passion. Del’s wife, Tessa, and their three boys, ages 8, 6 and 4 all enjoy being around the horses. Tessa’s mother was an avid horsewoman who taught Tessa hunt seat equitation. When Tessa was 17, her mother introduced her to Liz Kuhn, one of the owners of the Naperville Polo Club in Illinois. Her first summer in polo Tessa groomed for Liz’s brother-in-law, Richard Kuhn. Five years later, she met Del. Del said their oldest son is pretty much riding on his own and the younger ones are getting into it, asking to ride more and more. “They love animals. We have dogs and cats so they are outdoors all the time,” he said. Tessa explained, “I am enjoying it a lot more than I did in the beginning. There was a lot of work and sacrifice in the beginning years but now we are at a really good place and have a good team helping us. Of course, having foals every spring is such an amazing experience and probably my favorite part.” Follow the Waltons on Facebook: Walton Farm Polo or Instagram. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 55
(continued from page 19) the horse has problems you can’t deal with, then [purchasing it] might be a waste of money,” said Manno. “There are certain situations where I will see certain physical issues and I will recommend they don’t buy the horse. That could be because I know how they play and say, well this tendon isn’t going to last for you. I make my determination based on my knowledge of the injury, the person buying the horse and what I’ve been told they want to do with the horse. “You can get into gray areas because you never know. Certain horses just hold up [better than others] and we don’t have crystal balls. You base a lot of things on experience, not only with the injury you are looking at but the level and type of play the person wants to have with that horse. Someone that just wants to canter around and never really gets running that much, the horse might last a long time for them. The person that barrels down the field all the time, plays Mach 1, it’s probably not going to last very long.” The information the vet provides is to help you make an informed choice. If something is found you may decide to negotiate a better price for the horse, you may decide it is something you can manage and buy the horse at the original price or you may walk away from the deal altogether. When looking for a vet to do the prepurchase exam, use someone you trust and whose opinion you respect. You can use an independent vet, or one that the seller suggests as long as you consider that they do business with the seller. “Legally and professionally, [the vet] is working for the person buying the horse. They are paying for your services, they are asking for your valuation, so you are most responsible to them. At the same time, you have a responsibility to explain to the seller the findings that you are coming up with. Even though they are not paying you, they are part of the transaction,” explained Manno. “They should 56 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Trying to save money on prepurchase exams can lead to more expensive treatments later, such as stem cell therapy (above).
be allowed to know the reasons behind someone not buying the horse or the issues about the horse that need to be discussed, because if price negotiation comes into play, they should be able to know what that is based on.” Manno said he often asks the seller to fill out a standardized form to get the horse’s basic history. It includes information such as what and how much they are feeding the horse, its vaccination history, when the last time a horse was seen by a vet and if it is on any medications. “Some sellers aren’t happy about that and some sellers just fill it out. We have no idea if they are being truthful or not, but at least you have it as a record,” said Manno. Even if you hire the vet who regularly treats the horse, because of privacy laws, the vet is not allowed to disclose any previous history on the horse unless the seller allows it. The vet is limited to what you are hiring him to do. For instance, if he has previously X-rayed the horse and found an issue, but you only pay for a basic exam, he cannot disclose what was previously found on the X-rays unless the person who paid for the X-rays allows him to share them. “[The X-rays] are legally part of the medical record for the person who paid for them,” explained Manno. “You’ve got to get permission to
[share this information.]” If the horse has had a previous prepurchase exam where X-rays were taken, and the first buyer decided not to buy the horse, the vet may ask the first buyer if he would share the X-rays with the second buyer, if the second buyer pays for half the cost of the X-rays. “If people aren’t willing to at least meet them halfway and share the costs, then they really shouldn’t be privy to the information,” said Manno. I recently spoke with a buyer who had an unfortunate experience with his first horse purchase. He shared his story: The player had been playing polo for 20 years, however he had never owned a horse, instead he leased them. A few years ago, he grew attached to a horse he was playing, which was being lent to a business. He asked the business owner if he could buy the horse, but was told the owner would never sell it. It was the favorite lease pony in the barn. A non-polo injury forced the player to take a year off. The next year he received a text message from the business saying the horse was now for sale. Without sitting on the horse for over a year, he still jumped at the chance to own the horse based on his previous experience with it. The business owner acted as broker for the deal. The buyer said he questioned why the owner was now willing to sell the horse. He was told the owner had grown out of it and it was too much for the owner’s husband so the horse started crow-hopping and was acting differently. The buyer had never had a problem with him so he thought it was worth the chance. Fortunately, he decided to have a vet do a prepurchase exam. When the horse arrived for the exam, the buyer and vet were told the horse wouldn’t pass a flexion test on the right front, which should have been the first red flag. Sure enough, the horse did not pass the flexion test. The vet also found something on the left front while palpating the horse, and suggested doing an ultrasound on that leg. The ultrasound revealed a small tear in
One buyer purchased a horse with an injury and was never able to play the horse a chukker. After two years of injections, stem cell therapy and shoeing, the horse is now in a retirement pasture.
the upper suspensory, which was concerning, but the vet wanted to explore the right leg more to determine what the issue there was. She suggested nerve blocking to help pinpoint the issue. The broker, who the buyer trusted and asked for help in buying the horse, was present for the exam and convinced the buyer not to spend the extra money doing further testing. The buyer admits he trusted this person’s judgement so he didn’t do the additional testing and bought the horse anyway. With conflicting advice from different people and after five weeks with the horse still lame, he decided to have the vet come back. According to the buyer, the broker was still dissuading him from paying for X-rays and other diagnostics. “Five minutes later, the horse was diagnosed with navicular. It took one $35 nerve block to figure out he was off on
both [legs],” explained the buyer. It started a long journey with the buyer trying everything he could to help the horse get better, only to have people criticize the process. “What I’ve learned about horses is that for every article you find that says you should do one thing, there is 100 more that say you should do something else. Even the experts can’t agree.” The horse was first treated with Tildren (tiludronate disodium), given through intravenous infusion and was then turned out for the winter. Four months later the horse was brought in and fitted with corrective shoeing. It was then given coffin joint and navicular bursa injections before getting turned out for another month. The horse was still lame so further diagnostics were needed to look for soft tissue damage. An MRI revealed lesions in both lobes of the deep digital flexor ten-
dons in both front feet. The vets treating him recommended stall rest with hand walking along with aggressive therapy using stem cells to prevent enlargement of the lesions. Eight months of rest, stem cells and corrective shoeing showed only minimal improvement on a follow-up MRI. The horse was given a third perfusion of stem cells, followed by treatment with Pentoxyfilline and aspirin to help increase blood flow, and given more stall rest and hand walking but still did not improve much. Two years after purchasing the horse, unable to play him a chukker after buying him, the buyer threw in the towel. The horse is now living in a 220-acre retirement pasture with 33 other horses. His owner stops in to visit when he can. “At the end of the day, nobody held a gun to my head and made me buy the horse. I accept that it is my mistake, but I trusted [the broker’s] judgement. My mistake was I thought this person was a horse expert and knew what they were doing and clearly I was wrong. I have to live with that,” said the buyer. The buyer hasn’t completely given up. He pulled the horse’s shoes, stopped the medications and is giving the horse a year to rest, rehabilitate and just be a horse at the retirement facility, which costs a few hundred dollars per month. If the horse isn’t sound enough to play polo after a year, the buyer hopes to find a home for him as a trail horse or at a therapeutic riding center. The buyer says it has taught him a lot about horse buying. Remarkably, the experience hasn’t completely soured him on polo and he plans to get another horse someday. What would he do differently? “The pre-purchase exam needs to be done between the purchaser and the vet. And the broker needs to stay out of it. ... Trust the veterinarian is not just trying to sell their services. So, my advice is do a thorough exam. Even if the horse is sound, take a couple of X-rays so you know what you are dealing with. And trust your own judgement. If it doesn’t feel right, it u really isn’t,” said the buyer. POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 57
(continued from page 41) fast and with referees that let us play. It’s a very different style than we play in the USA. I enjoyed watching three great players like Adolfito, Pablo and Juanma from the inside. I tried to contribute my own. I hope to be able to play more tournaments in 2018,” said Jornayvaz. Tortugas Open To start the Triple Crown, La Dolfina Sancor Seguros beat Ellerstina Johor 125 (the widest difference between both teams in the tournament’s history) to win its fifth consecutive title in the Tortugas Country Club Open. La Dolfina showed its power on the field like never before. In the four previous finals against Ellerstina, the margins had been anywhere from a pair of goals (2013, 2015) to a half dozen (2014, 2016). But the fifth conquest of the team from Cañuelas for the Emilio de Anchorena Cup exhibited a dominance never seen between these two rivals. This rivalry is comparable to the memorable clashes of Venado Tuerto and El Trébol in the 1940s, Coronel Suárez and Santa Ana in the 1960s and ‘70s and Espadaña and Chapaleufú in the 1990s. The initial phase began on Sept. 19 with bad news for La Aguada-Las Monjitas: Eduardo Novillo Astrada, recently elected president of the Argentine Polo Association, tore his groin muscle in a practice and would be replaced by Alfredo Bigatti for the remainder of the season. The unexpected change didn’t seem to cause too many problems for his three brothers who defeated La Irenita 17-8, despite the teams having equal handicaps (31 goals per side). The second match of the day was much more balanced as Alegría Land Rover took on Cría Yatay. The match started on Tortuga’s Field 6, but at the start of the second chukker the team captains asked for a drier field. The match was moved to Field 4, which was used for the earlier 58 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
La Dolfina Valiente’s Juan Martin Nero, Pablo Mac Donough, Adolfo Cambiaso and Bob Jornayvaz celebrate the team’s Jockey Club Open victory.
match. After a delay of more than 30 minutes, the game was back underway and Alegría went on to win 16-13. This would be the last match played at the Tortugas Country Club, located 25 miles north of the capital. Unlike in previous years, the Remonta and Veterinary Cup qualifying tournament, played in parallel with the Tortugas Open, did not determine the two teams to round out the Hurlingham and Open line-ups. The AAP had already decided that, after 49 years, 10 teams would contest the two most coveted trophies instead of the usual eight. In the qualifying tournament, four teams played six games on three dates before La Dolfina Polo Ranch (Diego Cavanagh, Guillermo Terrera, Alejo Taranco, Ignatius du Plessis, Matías Torres Zavaleta) was awarded the trophy. Joined by Albertina Abu Dhabi, La Esquina-La Mariana and Chapaleufú, each team finished with at least one victory, which helped distribute the teams in the remaining steps of the triple crown. Heavy rain delayed the second round of Tortugas Open games until Sept. 25 when they were moved to the complex the AAP has in Pilar on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The favorites were introduced in an overwhelming way as La Dolfina Sancor Seguros beat La Irenita
20-6 with a remarkable distribution of goals (Adolfo Cambiaso converted six, Pablo Mac Donough and Juan Martin Nero had five and David Stirling, four), and Ellerstina Johor beat Cría Yatay 15-3 with authority. Facundo Pieres led the day with eight goals. Controversy broke out the following week, exposing the resentments provoked by the electoral campaign in the AAP. When rain continued, Francisco Dorignac, former AAP president now in charge of the Tortugas tournament, confirmed that the country club facilities were too wet to be used. The players suggested playing two virtual semifinals in Palermo, however, Dorignac declined, pointing to obligations with the sponsors. In open rebellion, the teams appeared at Palermo on Sept. 30, with free entry, and played the matches, not knowing if they would be officially counted. La Dolfina showed its strength by disposing La Aguada-Los Monjitas by a wide 16-9 with Pelón Stirling as best scorer with five goals. In the other match, Ellerstina led Alegría 8-0 in the third chukker, only to have Alegría level the score at 10-10 in the final chukker. Finally, Ellerstina scored the last goal to close 11-10. The tight schedule meant if the games did not count and had to be replayed, the final of the Tortugas would be played
La Dolfina Sancor Seguros’ Juan Martin Nero, Pablo Mac Donough, Pelon Stirling and Adolfo Cambiaso won the Tortugas Open. The win extended the team’s undefeated streak to 14.
during the Hurlingham competition. In the days that followed, Novillo Astrada and Dorignac met and finally agreed not to recognize the matches and instead advance the finalists (La Dolfina and Ellerstina) based on the fact that were the two highest-rated teams among the semifinalists. The final of the 77th Tortugas Open was Saturday, Oct. 7, at Palermo. It was a complete display of power by Cambiaso & Co. that shut down Ellerstina’s drives and hit its rival’s goal at the right times. There was only parity in the first chukker (1-1) before Nero’s suffocating defense kicked in and Uruguayan Stirling opened up the game, taking advantage of the new rules that punish the passive game to the extreme. Cambiaso was best scorer with seven goals and Mac Donough displayed superior strategy. After seven chukkers, La Dolfina finalized the match at 12-5, comparable to the 2012 Hurlingham final when La Dolfina won 18-11. The superiority surprised even members of the La Dolfina team. “I never expected to win by so much,” said Nero on the trophy stand. MVP Mac Donough exhibited the spirit of his team. “I am surprised by my personal prize and I am proud, but live it as a recognition to the whole team. We do not have selfishness and prioritize the game as a whole.” If Cambiaso had ever considered it
unnecessary to send his best team to Tortugas, the event he used for many seasons simply to prepare for Palermo, his mind radically changed this season as he extended his undefeated streak in the tournament to 14. “Luckily, we played well as a team and we have Milo (Fernández Araujo) out there orienting us, like a fifth player. Inside the field, we didn’t notice so much the difference the score showed but I think both teams’ effectiveness in shooting was fundamental,” said Cambiaso after his clone Dolfina Cuartetera B 05 received the Best Playing Pony blanket. Hurlingham Open While La Dolfina dominated the Tortugas Open, it didn’t make the Hurlingham Open final after 21 tournaments and seven years of an uninterrupted presence. It was eliminated by Alegría Land Rover, which took on Ellerstina in the final. The tournament, one of the oldest in the world, had many novelties beginning on opening day, Oct. 6. Not only was it the first time in almost half a century that 10 teams competed, but the opening date had to be disputed in four venues. On the initial day, some unexpected scores began with the lower-rated La Irenita defeating La Albertina Abu Dhabi 10-9 at the La Dolfina fields in Cañuelas,
with 8 goals by Matías Mac Donough. In the other Group B match at the Hurlingham fields, Alegría Land Rover left behind Chapaleufú Cardón with authority, 15-9, in a match that paid tribute to brothers Alberto and Eduardo Heguy for their three-decade presence in the Hurlingham tournament. For Group A, La Aguada-Las Monjitas defeated La Esquina-La Mariana Navarro Correas 12-7 at the San Isidro Jockey Club fields, while Cría Yatay Colony beat La Dolfina Polo Ranch by a close 11-10 in La Ensenada de Luján. The second round, held on Oct. 10, was played at the AAP complex in Pilar. Defending champion Ellerstina Johor, debuted in Group A with a convincing 197 defeat of La Dolfina Polo Ranch, while La Aguada-Las Monjitas had to reach an extra chukker to overcome Cría Yatay Colony 11-10 with a golden goal from Alejandro Novillo Astrada thanks to a 30yard penalty. For Group B, La Dolfina Sancor Seguros easily scored its first victory against La Albertina Abu Dhabi 10-6, while Alegría Land Rover took notable advantages against La Irenita (more than doubling the handicap difference), leading by a wide 18-5. The third step, on Oct. 14, again had to be played in different venues. On its fields in General Rodriguez, Ellerstina Johor scored a second tournament victory, this time against La Esquina-La Mariana Navarro Correas by 15-8, with six goals by Facundo Pieres. La Dolfina Polo Ranch fell to La Aguada-Las Monjitas (which featured Juan Britos for the injured Alfredo Bigatti) 14-10. In Cañuelas, La Dolfina Sancor Seguros did not suffer much against Chapaleufú Cardón to seal a 12-5 victory, and in Hurlingham’s Field No. 1, Alegría Land Rover struggled to beat La Albertina Abu Dhabi 8-7, in an extra chukker, with a goal by Guillermo Caset. All the activity returned to Pilar for the fourth act, on Oct. 17. Ellerstina Johor maintained its relentless step after disposing Cría Yatay Colony 17-6 with POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 59
An elated Ellerstina team of Polito Pieres, Gonzalo Pieres, Lucas James (filling in for Facundo Pieres after he was injured and transported to a hospital) and Nico Pieres after their Hurlingham Open victory over Alegría, which had knocked La Dolfina out of the tournament.
nine goals coming from Polito Pieres. For the same Group A, La Dolfina Polo Ranch downed La Esquina-La Mariana Navarro Correas 14-6. For Group B, La Dolfina Sancor Seguros did not suffer against La Irenita to win 17-4, with 11 goals from Adolfo Cambiaso, while La Albertina Abu Dhabi struggled against Chapaleufú Cardón, which nearly scored its first win but was a goal short: 11-10 for the Emirati quartet. On the fifth day, divided between Friday, Oct. 20 and Saturday, Oct. 21, the bomb exploded. On Friday, in Group A, Ellerstina Johor advanced to the final for the 10th year in row, although it wasn’t easy. La Aguada-Las Monjitas took control of the match in the fourth chukker and led 9-8 to close the fifth. In the sixth Facu Pieres appeared with three consecutive goals. But Alejandro, the youngest of the Novillo Astradas, converted a pair to enter the last period matched. In a partial played on pure nerve, Polito Pieres stole a ball from Nacho NA and escaped to give La Zeta the 12-11 victory. In the other Group A match, Cria Yatay Colony beat La Esquina-La Mariana Navarro Correas with ease 11-7. In Group B, La Irenita overcame Chapaleufú Cardón 15-13. The big surprise came the next day, on Hurlingham’s Field No. 1. From the start, Alegría Land Rover took command of La Dolfina and led 2-1 after the first period. It never lost its dominance, even though Cambiaso & Co. tried to prevail with their 60 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
hierarchy. When the last bell sounded and the score was 9-9, few thought Alegría had a chance in extra time. The bet was on La Dolfina Sancor Seguros, an expert in these circumstances. But, Guillermo Caset (illuminated throughout the match) stole the ball from Pablo Mac Donough and forced a 40-yard penalty. El Sapo did not miss the shot and with his fifth goal of the afternoon destroyed all the logic. “I came here to win, not to participate. I am very happy to play my first big final,” explained the match MVP. The team of Canadian patron Fred Mannix got his second ticket to a Triple Crown final, after having played in Palermo in 2013. La Dolfina had to settle for watching a final from the outside for the first time since 2010, cutting a series of 21 consecutive finals. The loss also scrapped any chance of another Triple Crown. The final of the 124th Hurlingham Open, played on Oct. 28 on Hurlingham’s Field No. 1, Alegría Land Rover came out at full speed and took a 6-2 advantage after the initial 13 minutes (as a test, the chukkers were cut by :30). Little by little, with Polito Pieres as a guide, Ellerstina Johor recovered and managed to equalize the score in the fifth (9-9). In a traumatic episode, Facu Pieres suffered a hard fall, which knocked him out of the game. With Lucas James replacing him, La Zeta did not lose its cool and faced the last three periods with a new scheme. Polito
remained unstoppable and put his team in front of the score (10-9) for the first time. From there, as if they were two heavyweights exchanging punches in the middle of the ring, the quartets scored alternately. But in the seventh it would be Polito who made a two-goal difference (15-13). And he stretched the figures at the beginning of the final chukker. Sapo Caset gave the last cry of the clash, but it was not enough to twist fate. The 16-14 score allowed Ellerstina Johor to lift the Ayrshire Cup for the ninth time (1994, 1995, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2016), while Alegría Land Rover received as consolation the John Ravenscroft Cup for runner-up. “It was my best game playing for Ellerstina. I am very happy for the result, but my joy is even greater after seeing that Facundo was able to get up after the thump that he suffered. When we saw that he was recovered from the fall, we went out to win for him,” said Polito Pieres after receiving the Javier Novillo Astrada trophy as the best player of the match. His cousin Gonzalo received the Fair Play trophy, awarded by the Players Association, while the AAP Prize for the Polo Gentleman went to Fred Mannix. In the horse category, Open Guillermina, played by Nicolás Pieres, received three prizes in dispute: the Daniel Kearney Cup instituted by the club, the AAP award and the Argentine Association of Polo Horse Breeders’ blanket .
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D E C E M B E R 3 0 - JA N UA RY 7 Stagecoach Challenge (4) Empire, Indio, CA
J A N U A R Y 1 2 - 14 Inauguration Cup (6) Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL
J A N U A R Y 3 - 14 USPA Governor’s Cup (6) Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, FL
JA N UA RY 12 - 2 8 Intermediate League Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL
J A N U A R Y 3 - 21 Joe Barry Cup (20) International, Wellington, FL
J A N U A R Y 14 - 2 8 Mayaca Challenge (8) Port Mayaca, Okeechobee, FL
JA N UA RY 3 - 2 8 Metropolitan Cup (6) Aspen Valley Cup (8) Grand Champions, Wellington, FL
JA N UA RY 15 Polo for a Purpose International, Wellington, FL J A N U A R Y 17 - 2 8 USPA Sportsmanship Cup (6) Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, FL
JA N UA RY 4 - 7 Beach Polo World Cup Miami Beach, FL
Beach Polo World Cup, the world’s largest Beach Polo tournament, is making its official return to the sands of South Beach. The four-day event is poised to be bigger and better than ever, with a brand new layout, some of the best polo players in the sport and unprecedented daily activities. Six teams comprised of some of the world’s top players will be the throughout competing weekend. For info: miamipolocup.com
Mahogany Cup (12) Port Mayaca, Okeechobee, FL J A N U A R Y 19 - 21 4 Goal Tournament Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL
JA N UA RY 5 - 27 The Limited Edition Series (12) Grand Champions, Wellington, FL 4 Goal League Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, FL J A N U A R Y 6 - 14 USPA Mack & Madelyn Jason Mem. (8) World Gym Tournament (4) Eldorado, Indio, CA
USPA Sportsmanship Cup (4) Empire, Indio, CA JA N UA RY 2 4 - F E B RUA RY 4 USPA Constitution Cup (6) Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, FL JA N UA RY 2 4 - F E B RUA RY 18 Ylvisaker Cup (20) International, Wellington, FL JA N UA RY 2 6 - 2 8 Cypress 6 Goal Port Mayaca, Okeechobee, FL 6 Goal Tournament Hobe Sound, Hobe Sound, FL JA N UA RY 27 Everglades Foundation Benefit Port Mayaca, Okeechobee, FL
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POLO BUDDY Clarence Combs is one of only four arena players ever rated 10-goals
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r. Clarence C. ‘Buddy’ Combs Jr. was once described as the Ty Cobb of indoor polo. His father, who operated a riding academy, introduced him to the sport of polo. He went on to play at the Pennsylvania Military Academy as well as Cornell University, where he earned a degree in veterinary medicine. While he held an impressive 8-goal rating outdoors, he reached the pinnacle of the sport indoors in 1951 at 34 years old as only the second player in history to do so (Winston Guest was the first). To date, only two other players, Joe Henderson and Tommy Biddle, have achieved 10-goal status in the arena. Combs literally toddled from the cradle to “grow up” in the flashing sport of mallets and mounts. Polo was second nature to Combs’, whose father, Clarence Sr., placed him on the saddle of a pony when he was only 22 months old. From that day on, his dad, a player himself, realized Buddy would become a star at the sport in the years that followed. According to his obituary in the New York Times, Buddy’s first tournament polo came by chance when he was just 10 years old. “In what became a family legend, he and his father were watching a game in Pennsylvania one day in 1924 when a player was injured and had to leave the game. There was no substitute available, at least until a player who had seen him ride and had marveled at his horsemanship spotted the 10-year-old on the sideline and recruited him on the spot.” By the time he was in college, Combs had a 6-goal arena rating. During that time, he led the New York Athletic Club to 62 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
Clarence ‘Buddy’ Combs
an eastern championship title. While in vet school, he led Cornell to the 1937 Intercollegiate Championship title. Over the course of his polo career he played in all the major polo centers in the United States as well as Argentina and Bogota, Columbia. He went on to win the Senior Championship seven times and the Twelve Goal (also the Junior Tournament) three times. Outdoor wins included the U.S. Open Championship in 1947 and ‘56, two Monty Waterbury titles and a Twelve Goal title. In the 1956 Open Championship, Combs scored the winning goal in double
overtime, after taking a spill in the first overtime chukker. After graduating from vet school, he and his wife, whom he met at Cornell, opened a veterinary practice together. Focused on his budding career and with few outdoor fields left in New Jersey, he shifted to the indoor game. In thundering to the top of the game, Dr. Combs established himself as one of the roughest players around, one of the sport’s finest horse handlers, and, paradoxically, one of the sport’s most modest men. Hall of Famer George C. Sherman Jr., a ranking polo star himself, once said of Combs, “I think it would be agreed by all that Buddy is not only an excellent horseman, but one of the most competitive players the game has ever known.” He was known to be a mild-mannered fellow when he wasn’t astride a polo pony. When a reporter once asked about his roughness, he said with a smile, “They say people don’t like to play against me but there are some players I don’t like to meet either.” One in particular was a young fellow by the name of Del Carroll, who happened to be one of his prize pupils. Combs’ once said his philosophy was to play as hard as he could all the time, hell bent for leather all the time, never pull up, [instead] let the other fellow get out of your way. He once made the point in a match at New York City’s Squadron A Armory when another player got in his right of way. Combs, running flat out, pressed the line, running into the opponent’s pony, knocking it out cold and stunning his own mount. Even as a veterinarian, Combs believed a pony had to be able to take a bone-crunching collision without a com-
plaining whinny. That’s all part of the game, he would say. His style of play led to numerous injuries to himself, including broken ribs, a dislocated knee, many concussions and a dislocated neck. It also led to him being reprimanded by the USPA. He explained the incident to a reporter, who later said Combs had conveniently forgotten a few details. As Combs described it, he was with Red Bank at the time and it was a very rough and exciting game. “Somebody on the other side got a goal, and I just didn’t think the referee acted fairly. It shouldn’t have been a goal, but the ref wouldn’t let me argue. So, I just rode off the floor and told the other guys to play without me. Finally, though, they managed to coax me back.” The sportswriter described the incident a little differently, calling it a fiveminute horse-mallet-fist fight. By the time he was 40, he finally began to settle down. “I never used to worry about the falls, but not I do,” he told a reporter. “They even say I’m not as reckless as I used to be. But, I don’t think I’m any less effective as a player. Now I’m just using my head a little bit more.” In his day, Combs regularly scored in the double digits and for a long time held the record for 14 individual goals scored in a single game. Another Hall of Famer, George Haas was once quoted as saying, “When Buddy is on, no one can stop him. I’ve seen him score 20 goals in a game … never saw anything like it.” Still, anytime he was approached about his individual accomplishments, he reminded everyone that polo was a team game. And that team included horses. In the eyes of Combs, polo players were only as good as the horses they rode. In fact, he said the horse is the most important part of the game, assuming, of course, the player has a certain amount of ability. A great horse is the difference between a good and a great player. He thought highly of his ponies, especially Scobey, who was one of his favorites for many years. When he talked to one reported, he had six ponies in all, includ-
Elston Combs, Buddy Combs and Billy Foales at the Red Bank Armory in Red Bank, New Jersey. The armory was built in 1914 for Troop B of the National Guards Red Bank Cavalry and featured a 100 x 144-foot equestrian riding hall. By the 1950s, it was used to store old tanks, and in 1998, it was converted to an ice rink.
ing Meal Ticket, Buzz Buzz and Little Al. He played his horses both indoors and out. “Horses are just like people. Scobey knows when he’s going to play polo and seems to actually enjoy it, as far as I can determine,” he said. “You have to have a lot of confidence in your pony, because polo is very rugged and risky and you can’t be afraid to go out and take chances. Even before you start to train a pony for polo, he has to be able to run, stop and turn. And maybe it’s even a good thing if he can turn inside out,” he explained. Despite what he thought of them, his obituary indicated that his string was never the cream of the crop, and in fact, didn’t match his own skills due to his limited polo budget. His mounts improved later in his career when he began using off-the-track Thoroughbreds. By the time he retired from the sport and sold his string in the 1960s, his wife indicated he was one of the best-mounted players in the country.
A powerful hitter, Combs was routinely described as a one-man team and one who was often vocal when he played. In a famous game against Argentina, Combs hit the willow ball so hard the head of his mallet flew off, leaving him with a useless stick. What surely would have been the game-winning goal for the Americans dribbled slowly downfield. Without missing a beat, Combs reversed his grip and galloped ahead, whacking the ball with the mallet’s thick handle and sending the ball straight toward the goal. Unfortunately, it was not fast enough to prevent an Argentine defender from intercepting it and winning it for the Argentine team. At 40, with gray beginning to streak his wavy brown hair, Combs looked the part of a successful professional man who packed as much tennis into weekends as possible. Glasses worn even while playing made him look mild and even gentle. All of 170 pounds, his finely-tuned 6-foot, 2inch frame had a tendency to slouch on a POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 63
Mrs. A. D. Beverage presents trophies to Brandywine’s William A. Mayer, Clarence Combs, Ray Harrington Jr. and Dr. Raworth Williams after they won the National Open Championship.
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horse but that didn’t effect his lightning fast reflexes. By then, he figured he had only one body and it had already taken all it should have to. He wanted to settle down to the quiet of his animal hospital in Red Bank, New Jersey but it is hard to slow down when you are considered a supreme horseman who rides with the fury of a keyed-up Pepper Martin. Many times Combs tried to quit the game, and every tournament he swore would be his last, but each new season found him on the field with a fine string of Thoroughbreds, ready to spring into action and give no quarter to any foe. His reason for sticking at the game of polo was simple: “I just get too much of a thrill out of every game.” Debbie Beauman, a cousin of Combs, keeps his memory alive by continuing the family tradition of polo at the Millwood Polo Club, in Citra, Florida. The club named its arena after Combs in tribute.
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