Polo Players' Edition- August 2021

AUGUST 2021

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N

Aiken tops Girls’ NIC

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L36" x W19" x H24 Detail of maquette for monumental sculpture "By the Banks of the Bow" (by Rich Roenisch and Bob Spaith).

Total of 15 horses in full maquette. Limited edition of 20

CONTENTS

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N

A U G U S T 2 0 21

VOL. 24,

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

34 Jamaican hero by Ava-Rose Hinkson

6

Lesley-Ann Masterton Fong-Yee’s polo life

NO. 12

Association News USPA Bulletin Club Management

40 Book It

14 Instructors Forum

Equine topics to add to your summer reading list

By Lt. Col. Faiz Siddiqui

16 Ask an Umpire 18 Viewpoints

By Rege Ludwig

20 Equine Athlete Courtesy Palm Beach Equine Clinic

22 Polo Scene News, notes, trends & quotes

OUR COVER Maryland and Aiken mark each other closely in the Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship.

Photo by Katie Roth

26 Polo Development 28 Intercollegiate/Interscholastic 44 Polo in the Pampas

by Lucas Noel

56 Calendar 58 Yesteryears 46 Polo Report Five String Farm/WTR Aces Women’s Arena Challenge

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

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

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N THE

OFFICIAL MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE

UNITED STATES POLO ASSOCIATION

Editor & Publisher

GWEN D. RIZZO

Contributing Editors

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS, ALICE GIPPS, LUCAS NOEL, C. MAYBE ORTIZ, SARAH EAKIN

Editorial Board

ROBIN SANCHEZ, TONY COPPOLA, TOM BIDDLE, DAWN WEBER, AMI SHINITZKY

Art Director DAVID BEVERAGE Prepress WALSWORTH Advertising & Editorial Offices USPA Member Subscription Inquiries (800) 232-8772 OR FAX (888) 341-7410 ldolan@uspolo.org

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©Copyright 2021 by United States Polo Association..

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: $45/one year, $78/two years. Other countries (air mail), $78 drawn on U.S. bank/one year, $144 drawn on U.S. bank/two years.

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VOL. 24, No.12 POLO Players’ Edition (ISSN #1096-2255) is published monthly by Rizzo Management Corp. 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, 9011 Lake Worth RD, Lake Worth, FL 33467.

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

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Circuit Governor Election Circuit governor elections will take place this summer. Please find an outline for the election process below.

• All candidates must be nominated, regardless if they currently hold a circuit governor position.

• Only delegates representing active member clubs are eligible to nominate or vote for a candidate.

• Any individual receiving two or more nominations will be considered a candidate for the office of circuit governor.

• All candidates must be registered players who are at least 18 years of age and registered with an active member club in the circuit as of June 1 of the election year.

• Each delegate will receive the number of ballots set forth below based on the number of registered player members in the active member club the delegate represents:

Circuit Governor Election Timeline Tuesday, June 1: Deadline for registered player count at active member clubs.

No later than Tuesday, June 8: the association will convey to delegates of each active member club in good standing as of June 1, with a copy to the incumbent circuit governor: • A list of the member club’s registered players who are at least 18 years of age and of record as of June 1 • A nominating form • A list of all active member clubs in the circuit as of June 1, including the name and address of each delegate Tuesday, July 13: Nominations due Tuesday, July 20: Ballots sent to the delegates Tuesday, August 10: Ballots due Before Monday, August 30: Results announced If you have any questions please reach out to Lindsey Ebersbach, lebersbach@uspolo.org.

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

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No project is too big or too small. With a range of prices perfect for any budget, shop online at both Prize Possessions (prizepossessions.com) and Sterling Cut Glass (sterlingcutglass.com) and choose from hundreds of items for any occasion. From a variety of trophy types and award bowls to wine carafes and jewelry boxes, create and engrave with the support of team members who provide convenient and reliable shopping experiences.

Best Playing Thoroughbreds The USPA is partnering with The Jockey Club to

PAT MICHAELS

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Remember to enter your tournament results on the member portal immediately following the completion of events.

check registration status, please log in at www.registry.jockeyclub.com.

In order to be eligible for a T.I.P. award, owners and riders must obtain a T.I.P. number. Apply for a T.I.P. number online at https://tjctip.com/APPLYTIPNUMBER. The T.I.P. number card should be provided to participating polo clubs as proof of eligibility.

To request this award, please email clubs@uspolo.org.

provide Best Playing Thoroughbred awards for USPA tournaments. Players will be required to register their horse for a Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) number in order to be eligible.

Clubs will apply, first come first serve, for 50 available awards. The winner information will be included in Bluebook tournament results and awards will be mailed to the club.

Eligibility: For purposes of eligibility for all T.I.P. awards, a Thoroughbred is defined as any horse that has been registered with The Jockey Club or a foreign Thoroughbred stud book recognized by The Jockey Club. An unregistered horse is not eligible for T.I.P. You must know your horse’s registered name to be eligible for T.I.P. (if registered but unnamed, must know YOB and dam’s name). For identification assistance and to

Tournament Results Member clubs that have hosted a USPA tournament this year and have not yet entered tournament results, please do so immediately following the completion of the event.

All tournament results can be submitted electronically through the new tournament database. Once logged into the member portal and viewing one’s profile, club delegates can access the database by clicking on the tab titled “Tournaments.” The option to select “Tournament Application Form” or “Roster/Results Entry” will be presented.

Currently, only club delegates have access to the tournament database and only they have permission to submit tournament applications. However, if you would like to grant another person access to the “Roster/Results Entry” page, please contact Kaila Dowd at Kdowd@uspolo.org for assistance.

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

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Heat Index Warning Courtesy of Joshua Hall, DVM Heatstroke is a potentially deadly condition that can come on suddenly with little warning.

Heatstroke occurs when heat production outpaces heat loss. A horse’s normal temperature is 100 to 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures beyond 103.5 challenge their metabolic processes. Beyond 105 degrees, horses may show signs of subtle incoordination or lack precision and regularity in their paces. The horse may be fretful and irritable, less attentive and sluggish in its work. If its temperature stays over 105 for longer than a few minutes, the horse’s sweating mechanism starts to shut down, and it loses interest in eating and drinking. All that internal heat dulls its brain’s cognitive functions, leading to disorientation. If the temperature is not brought down within five to 10 minutes, or if it rises to 108 or beyond, the horse likely will collapse, suffer convulsions and die. At temperatures over 111.2 degrees, tissues can literally break down.

Heat production even during gentle exercise can increase by 10 to 20 times over resting values.

Sprinting results in an increase of 40 to 50 times Published by the United States Polo Association Offices at 9011 Lake Worth Rd., Lake Worth, Florida 33467 • (800) 232-USPA Chairman: Stewart Armstrong President: Tony Coppola Secretary: Charles Smith Treasurer: Steven Rudolph

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

EQUINE WELFARE HOTLINE (866) 563-5534 Callers can remain anonymous but are asked to provide as much information as possible, including location of horses and their owner’s name, if known.

over resting values. At work levels of 150 heartbeats per minute, a horse’s temperature will go up 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit every three minutes.

Working your horses in a steamy climate significantly increases their susceptibility to heatstroke. High humidity compromises the evaporative process because up to two-thirds of the heat-releasing sweat will roll off of the horse’s body before it can evaporate and cool the horse. This means efficient sweating is not always synonymous with efficient cooling.

The following rule of thumb has been devised as a guide. If the sum of the temperature and humidity is: • Less than 130—no problem; • Greater than 150—use caution, especially if the humidity is greater than half of the total; • Greater than 180—use extreme caution, since normal cooling is almost ineffectual and horses may resort to panting.

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Gardnertown hosted three teams in its NYTS qualifier.

NYTS NYTS players across the country continue to impress, improving their skills and bringing a new level of excitement to summer junior polo. All-stars are named at each event based on horsemanship, sportsmanship, playing ability at current handicap and ability to play as a member of the team.

Tinicum Park: Abdullah Chaudhry, Daniel Arnold, Mosiah Gravesande, Samantha Iahn Giant Valley: Daniel Arnold, Samantha Iahn, Sophia DeAngelis, Elizabeth Leudesdorff, Malachi Light Midland: Lance Stefanakis, Francesca Felhaber, Trenton Werntz, Ulysses Escapite Gardnertown: Vlad Tarashansky, Taylor Palacios, Matteo Chaux, Saralyn Painter, Malachi Light Middle School League USPA’s I/I Middle School League is open for business! Middle School tournaments can now be hosted year round by USPA clubs. The Middle School League is open to all players grades 5-8. Parents of interested students can check out the Middle School page at uspolo.org or email Emily Dewey at edewey@uspolo.org for more information.

I/I Season Kicks Off Sept. 1 I/I teams, keep an eye out for start-of-the-season information! You will be receiving emails on require-

ments and dates in the coming weeks. All information will also be posted on the I/I page at uspolo.org.

New Interscholastic Teams Are you interested in starting an interscholastic team at your club? If you are, check out the “Starting an Interscholastic Polo Team” guide on the uspolo.org bookshelf!

The I/I staff is here to help and more than happy to walk you through the requirements and steps to becoming a full-fledged interscholastic team. For more information, please email Ali Davidge at adavidge@uspolo.org.

Varsity Letters Congratulations to the 74 players who received their Interscholastic Varsity Letter for the 2020-2021 season! Players worked towards receiving their varsity letters by competing in tournaments and games, practicing and riding.

Round Table Discussion I/I coaches, mark your calendars and join us in August for I/I round table discussions. We will be covering multiple topics coaches come across while running both interscholastic and intercollegiate programs. If you would like to sign-up, please keep an eye out for the online sign-up sheet or email Amy Fraser at afraser@uspolo.org.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 9

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Managing a polo club Tools and tips of the trade

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS

by United States Polo Association

Melanja Jones has been polo manager at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club since 2015.

Involved in anything and everything from organizing draws and schedules to collecting tournament results and supervising facility improvements, each day in the role of a club manager presents its own rewards and challenges. Tasked with an endless array of responsibilities, a club manager’s levelheadedness and keen attention to detail is the secret to keeping a club running efficiently, drawing both new and returning players and spectators season after season. Working tirelessly behind the scenes year round to ensure each season runs smoothly, Haley Bryan (International Polo Club Palm Beach polo coordinator and club manager of New Bridge Polo & Country Club) and Melanja Jones (polo manager at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club) manage the host sites of some of the USPA’s most publicized tournaments, including the Gauntlet of Polo in Florida and the Pacific Coast Open in California.

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

Sharing a common thread as Intercollegiate/ Interscholastic alumni from Colorado State University, their similarities extend to the same mentor, drawing upon the experience of working alongside legend Jimmy Newman to run other successful USPA member clubs across the country. Taking a summer opportunity to groom for Newman in college, Jones was eager to pursue polo after graduation, working for the famed women’s player Sunny Hale. Following a similar path, Bryan worked for the Upchurch family at Brushy Creek Polo Ranch in Texas for three years before diving into her first Florida high-goal season with former 10-goaler Adam Snow. Following a passion for the sport ignited in college, Jones’ and Bryan’s willingness to help wherever needed opened the door for their natural progression to club leadership.

Dedicated to creating a seamless onsite experience, Jones and Bryan have fine-tuned the routines, which allow their clubs to thrive. Working at IPC (Wellington, Florida) for over 10 years, Jones left Florida for a full-time position at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (Carpinteria, California) in 2015, where she now manages both outdoor and arena polo of varying levels. Dividing her time between Florida, South Carolina and Wyoming, Bryan’s years of experience range from high-goal all the way to youth polo. Delegating when necessary and leading with humility, both Jones and Bryan have taken the lessons learned in the early years of their career and adapted them into effective strategies, which have allowed their clubs to flourish.

How did you come to work for International Polo Club Palm Beach?

Melanja: Jimmy Newman got a new job at IPC when it was first started in 2002 and he called to ask if I could come help. Our office was a converted stall at Isla Carroll that first year. Flying H Polo Club had a lot of horses the next year, so I went back to Wyoming for a couple of years. Then one year Flying H didn’t have as many young

U S PA B U L L E T I N

ber of games they have to play to reach the final and others want as many games as they can get. Often, the teams are not on the same page so you have to come up with something that is fair to all participants, even though it may not be exactly what everyone wants.

INTERNATIONAL POLO CLUB PALM BEACH

horses and Haley Bryan couldn’t come to Florida, so we switched again in the office.

The first few years I would go back to Sheridan, Wyoming, in the summer and I worked for a couple of different people riding green horses. Then Santa Barbara called Jimmy needing someone who was familiar with high goal and draws. About 10 years ago I started going to Santa Barbara in the summers instead.

Haley: Jimmy Newman is definitely a mentor to me, and I previously worked with him in Aiken, South Carolina. He hired me to run Rose Spur Polo Club (Woody Creek, Colorado) and we also worked together in 2005 and 2006 when the USPA Gold Cup was hosted at New Bridge Polo & Country Club (Aiken, South Carolina). In 2005, I went to Florida and worked with him for one season at IPC. After that I took a few years off and returned to Florida in 2008 to run Flying Cow Polo Club’s 12- to 14-goal pro-am league. I did timing and scoring at IPC and Melanja was still Jimmy’s righthand person at that time. I started doing the medium goal for IPC and helping out with the club so when Melanja went to work full time at Santa Barbara I stepped into her role and Jimmy and I have been working together ever since.

What is your biggest professional challenge?

Melanja: I think one of the things that is a delight and a challenge in polo is the wide array of personalities. As a polo manager, you have the opportunity to get really close to some fascinating personalities and by that same token, since these are all people who are here to play a competitive sport, sometimes it gets a little competitive off the field. It can be tough being in the middle of all the alpha personalities.

Jimmy always used to say, you can make some of the people happy all the time, but you can’t make all the people happy all the time. It’s important sometimes just to step back and remember things are not always personal and it’s just part of the job.

Haley: There is no way to make everybody happy. We try hard to keep everything fair and we’re as transparent as we can possibly be. We try to do everything by draw and we never give any advantage or favoritism to any particular person or team that is not earned by draw. Their schedules and needs are different and not everyone’s priorities are the same. In high goal some teams want the least num-

Haley Bryan is polo coordinator for International Polo Club Palm Beach and club manager for New Bridge Polo and Country Club.

What qualities are vital to be an effective club manager?

Melanja: You have to really like polo to start with. That is actually one of the pleasures of my job because I get to see a lot of great polo and people learning to play and experiencing that enthusiasm for the first time. You also definitely have to be interested in engaging with people, and engaging with them as a salesperson. The challenge is switching back and forth between being a salesperson and enforcing the rules and good conduct, which are two very separate roles. You have to stay calm.

Sometimes you have to accept that things are going to be a little out of your control and still be able to deal with it.

Haley: Having someone who is diplomatic, organized and detail-oriented is key. It’s helpful to have the type of personality or attitude that is willing to listen. You should be open-minded when communiPOLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 11

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Melanja Jones suggests prospective managers learn everything they can, including communication and accounting.

cating with teams, and have good communication skills. A handful of the players and team managers have thoughts and ideas about ways of doing things and its really good to be open-minded and see if what they suggest is applicable and will work.

How do you recruit and what is your advice to help other clubs improve their efforts?

Melanja: During the winter season our fields are closed, but that’s when we make the magic happen and do all the prep for the next season. Polo people in general tend to thrive a little bit more on informality so I spend a lot of time talking to people during the off season. These past couple of years, I’ve spent a lot of time in the desert and Florida where I can just walk around a polo game and chat with people when they’re in a good mood and it’s not such a high-pressure situation.

Polo is a relationship-based business and it takes some time to build relationships. One of the things I’ve learned at Santa Barbara is that if you spend some time getting to know people and learning what they’re interested in, it’s a lot easier to suggest they come to play something specific at your club rather than just telling them about the season and dates.

It’s important to listen to what people want. We started a new spring pro-am league this year and a lot of that grew out of what I learned from people this winter. They were interested in it but we didn’t have it, so we ended up putting the league together and 12 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

brought in a couple of new clients. Now we are seeing the results of all the work we put in during the winter.

The number one thing is if a club wants recruiting to happen in the off season, they should pay someone to do it full time if possible. Of course everyone has their own budget constraints, but that is probably one of the gaps for a lot of clubs.

What advice would you give to someone considering a club management role?

Melanja: Learn how to do everything you can because when you’re a manager, no job is too big or too small. If you’re not doing a job yourself, you want to know that it’s being done right. You want to know the little things like the fields are being done correctly and the goal posts are being put up right. I would also say to learn as much as you can about communication and accounting, because those are two things that are maybe not very glamorous, but they are extremely useful. Nobody wants to make spreadsheets or deliver bad news, so if you can do those things, you’re always going to be employable.

Haley: Definitely work with somebody who has experience if you can. Every day I learn something new from many different polo managers, but I’ve learned the most from Jimmy. Diplomacy takes a while to figure out and Jimmy and I spend a lot of time talking about how things should be worded.

I would suggest picking somebody’s brain who has

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Haley Bryan says to keep an open mind communicating with teams and have good communication skills.

done it before, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Also, follow the USPA rulebook 100 percent; it’s a resource to back up your decisions when you find a rule that applies to the situation and of course utilize the USPA. Also schedule changes are a huge source of tension anywhere so plan ahead and always have a Tournament Committee.

What do you love most about your job?

Melanja: There’s a lot to love about this job. It’s different day-to-day. I love being around the horses every day and I also really enjoy the fact that it allows me to be really creative. You don’t have to run the same tournaments and programs every year. There’s an opportunity to try something new, like the spring pro-am league we started this year. When I came out to Santa Barbara the programs were really different than they are now, and when I said I wanted to start new programs they allowed me to. There’s a lot of room for innovation and to work with really interesting and fascinating people.

What is the best advice you’ve received from Jimmy Newman?

Haley: Jimmy showed me that it’s really good to listen, gather all the information and work with people to solve problems as opposed to jumping in with both feet and shooting from the hip. There’s a lot to consider so sometimes it takes a while to come to the best decision.

Melanja: First, I have to say Jimmy is an incredible mentor and a very humble person. I can’t say enough about all the years working for him and I can still to this day pick up the phone and call him when I have a question. I’ve learned many things from him but one of the most important is that you treat everyone the same. Everyone is as invested in their polo as they can be, whether they’re playing the coaching league or the 16 goal, and for a sport that has a lot of money, power and prestige, there’s still a lot of value in treating everyone equally from the players to the grooms, umpires and the field crew. I think that’s one reason why Jimmy has had such success for a long time. The other thing is you have to think a little bit about the things that could go wrong. Part of management is going through your checklist to see if you can come up with a Plan A, B and C. Also, its very important to surround yourself with good people because they are the ones you’re going to be with all day, every day. Even when I was at IPC, I really enjoyed going to the office every day because I liked the people I worked with. It was a very supportive staff and I’ve tried to create the same thing for my staff in Santa Barbara as we deal with all the things that come up together as a team. Look for someone who is flexible, has good communication, is a hard worker and will deal with the chaos with a smile and a good attitude.

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 13

INSTRUCTORS FORUM

Timing isn’t everything A strong riding seat allows you to swing slowly

SERGIO LLAMERA

By Lt. Col. Faiz Siddiqui

When a player is capable of remaining in the half seat, keeping the swing slow is not a problem.

‘Don’t use force, just let it drop’ is probably the first instruction a new polo player receives when picking up the polo mallet for the first time. For this new polo player, however, trying not to ‘kill’ the ball remains a distant dream for many years.

An interesting aspect of this entire ordeal is that while beginners are busy forcing the force out of the swing, they consider themselves victims of temptation. The only thing that stands between them and a slow and smooth swing is the desire to hit the ball hard and long. This belief is reinforced by several more experienced players when they say to just let the mallet drop. As if there is nothing more needed to accomplish this other than a plain intention.

As a result, the novice continues to see it as a mental roadblock without looking into the physical

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

and technical aspect of it. However, once you try and analyze the process in a bit of detail, you realize that is not the case. There is an important aspect of swing that plays a vital role in allowing a player to swing the mallet slow and smooth.

Timing is overrated A full polo swing has three main parts: the preswing, brace position and downswing. Brace position is when a player is in the half seat with a straight arm fully-stretched [back and behind the shoulder] with the body parallel to the line of the ball.

A lot of emphasis is put on the timing of a shot, which is not incorrect but is basically just a matter of execution provided that the prerequisite of the swing (i.e., brace position) is achieved in time and retained for the desired duration.

INSTRUCTORS FORUM

The brace position is adopted right before the downward swing begins. From this position, for a slow and smooth swing, it takes the head of the polo mallet approximately one-and-a-half seconds to complete the journey until it strikes the ball. Hence, a polo player needs to remain out of the saddle in the half seat for almost three seconds during the execution of the shot. Beginners, however, often lack this ability and just swing their weight forward to attain the brace position.

It is no wonder that even before the mallet has crossed the shoulder level, they realize they are falling back into their saddle. This is when they end up forcing (and also short circuiting) their swing in order to somehow connect before it is too late. Thus, we see the main problem with the element of force in a swing is not just the desire to hit hard and long as most beginners perceive but rather the inability to acquire [and maintain] the half seat for the required duration.

Once players reach a level of fitness where they can remain in the half seat and brace position at will, the problem of keeping the swing slow and timing it will cease to be an issue. Their ability to remain in optimum position for a long period gives them more than enough time to hit it right every single time.

And guess what? In case of a moving ball, for them it is almost like hitting it at a standstill. All they need to do is match the speed of ball with their horse’s speed and acquire the brace position. The ball remains right under them for [what seems like an] eternity, and they can choose the time to connect on their own free will.

They also have the added advantage of being able to make an attempt at it many times over in case they miss for any reason!

• Faiz Siddiqui is a Hurlingham Polo Association certified polo instructor and author of Keep Calm & Ride On: A beginner’s guide to elementary horse riding. He lives in Bhopal, India, and can be reached via his website: faizsiddiqui.com

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VIEWPOINTS

Feeding the Butt Rules intended to provide safety for horses and players

By Rege Ludwig

There is much talk today about speeding the game up and making it safer. Fifty years ago, those same topics were talked about, and with the same degree of fervor, as they are today. In fact, one of the greatest polo players of all time, Memo Gracida, was moved to the point of writing an article for Polo magazine on that very subject many years ago.

If my memory serves me correctly, in that article Memo refers to a defending player entering the ROW in front of another player to slow them down as feeding the butt, which is not so different then the modern term of blocking. Both are used to upset the flow of the offensive team to slow it down in hopes of it losing possession of the ball and give defensive teammates more time to mark their offensive opponents. Memo’s contention was because feeding the butt is so potentially dangerous, it should not be condoned.

Imagine in a soccer game an offensive player makes a quick maneuver to run down field to receive a pass, and just in time, a defensive player grabs the offensive player by the arm and holds him back. Foul? For sure.

Well, feeding the butt, or blocking, creates the exact same effect of slowing the offensive player down.

However, feeding the butt, or blocking in polo is so much more potentially dangerous to both the human and the equine players.

Again, if my memory serves me correctly, Memo effectively stated that the player with the right, or precedence, to hit the ball should know that when they look down field to the ball, and [make a move] to get there, they can close their eyes and not have to worry about a defending player entering their ROW (i.e., feeding the butt, or blocking, in front of them to slow them down).

Because speeding the game up and making it safer are still fervently talked about issues, one can only assume neither issue has been resolved. That has me wondering, why, after 50 years or more, the same problem still exists and to an even greater degree.

Could it be the rules are not written to where they are sufficiently clear and concise so as to be enforceable? Another possibility is that the authorities who have had the responsibility of enforcing the rules over the last 50 years, have not been sufficiently forceful in their efforts of enforcing the rules to create the effect for which they were written (i.e., create safety, 18 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

speed and fairness of play for all players involved in the game, both human and equine).

The problem of a lack of resolve probably falls somewhere between the two scenarios. If we are truly a concerned community of polo players, let’s stop talking about the problem, determine where the problem lies, address it and resolve the issue so a resolution is not forced upon us from outside our community of polo players, which is not outside the realm of possibility.

The problem of blocking, or feeding the butt, is not disappearing. As a matter of fact, I feel quite comfortable in saying most polo players who have been playing polo for 20, 30, or even 40 years will tell you the problem is greater today than it has ever been.

According to Memo, who is still an active player, that is just the way polo is played today. I truly understand 40 years ago is not today, and things and times change. However, when that statement is put into perspective, it truly is a sad commentary for the state of the modern-day game and sport of polo.

I seriously doubt the intention of the rules is to protect the highest-rated player and better horse in a game more than the lowest-rated player and the lesser horse. If common sense were to prevail, the opposite is true. However, the rules of the game are intended to be applied equally to all players in a game, and the over riding prerequisite should be the safety and fairness of play as applied from the lowest to the highest level of playing ability in a game.

When there is a 0-, a 1-, or even a 2-goal player in a game with high- or medium-goal players, a play that would have not been a foul in a 35-goal game could easily be considered a foul at the 10-, 15- or 20-goal levels of play.

Not allowing feeding of the butt does not suggest the defensive player is being denied a play on the offensive player. What it is suggesting is the defensive player must make the play earlier, and do it back alongside of the offensive player rather than in front of them to slow them down.

A truly unfortunate aspect of this whole ‘make the game faster and safer’ scenario is the rules that govern those situations have been in the rulebook for 50 years (or more), using basically the same words, every year.

From the way I understand Rules 24 & 25, once the

VIEWPOINTS

USPA RULE 24—RIGHT OF WAY c. No player shall enter or cross the Right of Way except at such speed and distance that creates not the slightest risk of a collision or danger to any player.

USPA RULE 25—STOPPING ON BALL b. A player who has safely entered the Right of Way of another player along the projected path that the ball has yet to travel, whether meeting or following the ball, may not slow down or stop in that other player’s Right of Way. offensive player has complied with the rules, and is safely established within the right to hit the ball, that offensive player must be given every benefit of doubt to proceed safely within the established ROW to the ball.

Any maneuver the defensive player makes that could be construed as creating the slightest risk of danger to any of the players (humane or equine) must be considered a foul, and as such, that maneuver must evoke the immediate response and retribution of the whistle.

I follow that statement with my favorite rule of all time: USPA rule 26 Dangerous Riding, Subparagraph e. Exhibiting a lack of consideration for the safety of one’s self, one’s mount, or for another player or mount.

I told my classes over the years, polo does not need any rules other than USPA Rule 26 e. With a clear grasp of that one rule, the umpires and the referee can control the safety, fairness and speed of play of any game. The problem with that rule is the umpires and the referee must be made stringently aware of what a lack of consideration for safety means relative to the level of the game being played.

When the rules are not enforced by way of the whistle, the players are effectively being told they can determine their own interpretation of slightest risk of danger. The problem with that situation is there will be a huge difference of opinion between the offensive and the defensive players as to how the slightest risk of danger should be applied to any particular play. Not only that, according to USPA Rules 30 and 33, players are forbidden to express their opinions on the field, verbally or by gesture, during the course of the game.

I was inspired to write this article by three separate USPA RULE 30–APPEALING A FOUL No player may appeal in any manner to the Umpire for a foul ... incidences. The first was an article on blocking in the July 2017 issue of the Polo Times magazine. Another

USPA RULE 33–UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT a. Unsportsmanlike conduct, including but not limited to the following, shall not be permitted: • Vulgar or abusive language • Disrespectful attitude toward any official, player, coach, or spectator • Arguing with Umpire(s) or other officials *Other examples are listed in the Blue Book incident was a play I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing. The play was so potentially dangerous, I still cannot believe I saw what I saw.

The scenario was as follows: A defensive player had fed the butt to the offensive player with the ball by being completely crossways of the two projected ROWs in front of the offensive player. The block was so successful the offensive player had to turn his horse and the ball right and away from the defensive player to maintain possession of the ball.

The play developed to where the defensive player’s horse was put into the position of having its chest perpendicular to and in contact with the left shoulder of the offensive player’s horse. At that point the defensive player started using the whip, and pushing more aggressively to where the offensive player’s horse was pushed side ways 5 to 7 feet, and at one point stumbled to the point of almost falling down. When USPA RULE 26—DANGEROUS RIDING On even terms, a player may ride off an opponent or may interpose the player’s mount between an opponent and the ball, but he or she may not ride dangerously. ... a. Riding off in a manner dangerous to a player or mount; i.e., with undue force. What is considered a dangerous ride off is left to the discretion of the Umpire. Whenever a mount is knocked off balance, whether it falls or not, a dangerous ride off has occurred, and the mere fact that some of the dangerous factors listed below were absent does not mean that a foul should not be called. ... that happened the defensive player backed off, however the offensive player had already lost the ball.

Fortunately, none of the players (human or horse) were obviously hurt, however, the potential of a truly disastrous incident was far beyond probable.

It is not like no one saw that play because, immediately after, three different people watching the game asked me, “Did you see that?” As well as, once (continued on page 64) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 19

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

No sweat Understanding Anhidrosis in horses Courtesy Palm Beach Equine Clinic

Top right: Dr. Bryan Dubynsky tests electrolyte levels by taking a blood sample.

Below: A lack of or light sweating during or after exercise in warm weather may be a sign of anhidrosis.

Summer heat is in full force and with the unrelenting temperatures and high humidity comes an increased risk of anhidrosis. Anhidrosis is the inability to produce an adequate amount of sweat. Horses suffering from this condition are often called “nonsweaters.” Sweating allows the horse to thermoregulate and maintain a consistent internal temperature.

Horses lose 65-70% of their body heat through sweating and the evaporation of sweat. When these regulatory mechanisms stop working, the horse may be at risk of hyperthermia (overheating) or heat stroke.

While there is no definitive cause of anhidrosis, it is believed to be triggered by overstimulated sweat glands. During hotter times of the year, the sweat glands can be put into overdrive and essentially start to shut down. Areas with humid climates also further reduce the amount of sweat that will evaporate and therefore pose an even bigger challenge for cooling down the horse. Signs of anhidrosis include: • A lack of sweating during and after exercise or in warm weather. Some horses may sweat very lightly or only in patches. Times when your horse should be lathered in sweat, such as during a summer

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afternoon ride when all other horses are sweating, they may only be a little damp under the saddle pad.

• Labored breathing with shallow, rapid breaths and flaring nostrils as the horse tries to release heat. An elevated respiratory rate for an extended period of time after exercise (typically longer than 30 minutes).

• Poor-performance as they are lethargic or become easily and quickly exhausted during exercise. If untreated, this can limit a horse’s career potential.

• A poor-quality coat, dry patches of skin or thinning of hair can be an early sign.

• Poor appetite and not consuming water as usual.

Any horse can develop anhidrosis and in varying degrees of severity. There are no proven correlations between breed, age, sex or color as to which horse is predisposed to anhidrosis, although its more reported in horses with darker colored coats. The condition may occur suddenly, often with a big change in environment, or it can develop gradually over time.

Horses raised in hotter climates have no advantage over the condition than those born in colder climates.

It is important to have a veterinarian diagnose non-sweating as they will be able to rule out any other conditions that may have similar signs. Your veterinarian will perform a full physical exam and can run diagnostic tests through injections of epinephrine or terbutaline to stimulate the sweat glands and measure the amount of sweat produced.

The veterinarian can also test the horse’s electrolyte levels through taking a blood sample.

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

A non-sweater may only be able to exercise during early hours or late in the evening when temperatures are cooler.

There are many options for treating anhidrosis, but it can be a challenge to completely cure the condition. Some treatments may be successful for one horse and ineffective on others, with little scientific evidence. Several treatment options veterinarians, owners and managers have seen success with include: • Acupuncture treatment programs • The Chinese herbal medicine New Xiang Ru San, which naturally promotes heat and fluid disbursement

Dr. Janet Greenfield Davis gives a horse an acupuncture treatment.

• Electrolyte, vitamin and salt supplements • Thyroid hormones • Giving the horse a dark beer Again, it is vital a veterinarian is consulted before beginning any treatment plan. Until a successful treatment plan is in place, the horse will need to be carefully managed. Some options for keeping them cool include: • Adjust the horse’s training schedule so they are only exercised during early hours or late in the evening when temperatures are cooler.

• Do not turn the horse out when the sun is strongest during the afternoon hours, and make sure they always have a shaded area when outside.

• Make sure they have stall fans or misters to provide some relief.

• As a last resort, the horse may need to be moved to an area with a cooler, less humid climate. This may allow their internal thermoregulatory mechanisms to restore and commence normal sweating.

If your horse isn’t sweating, be prepared to make changes in their management and adjust your expectations for that horse’s performance abilities and potential career. With early attention and careful management, you can keep your horse comfortable and prevent overheating.

If you are concerned your horse may be anhidrotic, call Palm Beach Equine Clinic at 561793-1599 or visit equineclinic.com to speak with a veterinarian.

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POLO SCENE

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

DEEPHEAD SORROW Young playerSubhead dies in car accident

JUSTO NOVILLO ASTRADA, polo player and son of former Argentine Polo Association president

From a prominent polo family, Justo Novillo Astrada had a passion for fishing.

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and former 9 goaler Eduardo Novillo Astrada Jr., died in the early hours of Sunday, June 27, at the age of 22.

The car accident that cost him his life took place at Kilometer 103 of Route 8, about 11 kilometers from San Antonio de Areco, in the province of Buenos Aires. Justo was driving a Volkswagen Gol when he collided with a bus. Both vehicles caught fire and he was the only fatality.

Born on April 28, 1999, he had 1-goal handicap and was a twin with 4-goal Cruz. Justo was also the grandson of Eduardo “Taio” Novillo Astrada, founder of La Aguada, and had two other brothers: Lucio and Tristán. Those who knew him define him as a free spirit who loved nature and the Argentine north. His posts on social networks were a travel catalog, a cult of friendship and a proud display of his other hobby: fishing.

With his friends, he traveled the Calchaquí Valleys, sleeping in abandoned and isolated ranchos (precarious country houses) characteristic of the area, with thatched roofs and adobe walls. Enjoying typical food such as locro, humita and empanadas in bonfires on full moon nights, he celebrated the 25th of May (Argentina’s national holiday commemorating its independence from Spain). On social media, Justo described his experience as being, “in the middle of the mountains, flying the flag, because the homeland was made on horseback! Travel people, go out, get to know this incredible country that we have, which makes me fall in love and has me more and more fascinated! It is an explosion of nature and the more we are connected with nature, the more we are connected with ourselves.”

He was passionate about fishing. A few weeks before his death he published an extensive explanation that also defined him as a person. “Do you know why I like fishing so much? Because it is something that changed my life. Fishing transports me to a place where I don’t think about anything, I connect 100% with nature, it connects me with the deepest essence of my soul. It takes me away from the mambos (an issue that remains on your mind) of my life or daily quilombitos (little problems), from fears and insecurities. Doing it, you don’t screw anyone; it’s just you against the fish. Maybe if you hurt it, it suffers a little bit, but it is the adrenaline of fighting against a living being, of a jump out of the water, of getting rid of the hook and beats you, it is not something mathematical. You may only see a photo of a fish, but it is beyond a picture, it is thousands of hours planning, organizing, imagining, anticipating, hours of traveling, walking, sweating, tiredness, hunger, mosquito bites, sharing, laughing, learning. I fish because it takes you to the most remote places there are, in the middle of nowhere, places that are almost untouched by man, places that are an explosion of life and the wildest thing that exists, that change your head and the way you see things, to perceive, to understand, to value the simplest things in life, like making matés by heating a little pot with a small fire on the side of the river at the end of the day. I fish because it also brings back the most beautiful memories of my childhood, walking along a stream with a bamboo rod and being enthusiastic about the smallest thing, learning something new at each outing, even if the day’s catch was just a small mojarrita (a very tiny fish).”

Our hearts to go out to the Novillo Astrada family during this difficult time.

POLO SCENE

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STAND TOGETHER Club fundraiser benefits people of Haiti

GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB in Wellington, Florida, held the 4th annual Polo Charity Fundraiser for Stand Together for Haiti Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to raising awareness and the urgent funding needed to help impoverished children and people of Haiti. The charity’s sole purpose is to create a promising future for children, one free of famine and with access to education. The event was held on May 15.

The match saw Stand Together for Haiti (Tato Bollini, Matias Gonzalez, Nacho Figueras, Kris Kampsen) face Grand Champions (Justin Daniels, Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Horacio Heguy) in a fourchukker exhibition.

In addition to the match, attendees enjoyed a delicious array of authentic Haitian delicacies while listening to music from special guest iHeart Radio deejay Micheal London. The Stand Together for Haiti team took the win, 5-3.

After the awards ceremony, guests mingled with the players while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Aside from ticket sales and donations, funds were raised through a silent auction. An array of silent auction items were offered, including a polo mallet painted by artist Bradley Theodore.

Above: Horacio Heguy and Wisler Pierre Louis, founder and president of Stand Together for Haiti Left: Players received bottles of Haitian rum.

Far left: deejay Michael London Left: Artist Bradley Theodore paints a mallet to be auctioned off.

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

POLO SCENE

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BROADCAST PARTNERSHIP Global Polo Entertainment joins Horse & Country

HORSE & COUNTRY, the leading international equestrian sports broadcaster, has announced a new partnership with USPA Global Licensing, the official licensor for the United States Polo Association, that will see Horse & Country broadcast eight new programs worldwide in 2021, including in the organization’s domestic market, the USA. The agreement will see H&C broadcast the new “World of Polo Series” from July to December with each 26-minute episode consisting of top-class polo action from around the world. Fans of polo can gain access to thousands of hours of content such as ‘Inside the Boards’ and ‘Best of the Week’ programs, as well as extensive program archives in ‘The Vault’ shown all for free on Global Polo TV. Horse & Country is the leading international sports network for the passionate and active equestrian community. Headquartered in London, it is available globally via connected TVs, mobile and web and on leading digital and pay-TV platforms in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia. Horse & Country’s program line-up includes live coverage from leading sporting competitions in all equestrian disciplines, as well as training and learning shows, documentaries and entertainment.

J. Michael Prince, president and CEO of USPA Global Licensing said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Horse & Country to reach more polo fans globally and attract new audiences in our key markets. This is an outstanding partnership for Global Polo Entertainment as the core markets of H&C perfectly align with our global apparel footprint.

Horse & Country Director of Content Jonathan Rippon added, “We know just how passionate the polo audience is and we’re looking forward to bringing this great series to our viewers worldwide.

USPA Global Licensing also manages the U.S. Polo Assn. brand. It recently served as the official apparel partner of the Gold Cup for the British Open Polo Championship as well as the British Ladies Open Championship, both held at the historic Cowdray Park Polo Club in Britain in July. In collaboration with Brand Machine Group—the U.S. Polo Assn. brand partner in the U.K.—the tournament offered a sweepstakes to win tickets to attend the Gold Cup, as well as official sport-inspired apparel onsite. The sports brand also provided apparel for staff at both events and promoted the events globally.

In addition, U.S. Polo Assn. served as the official apparel and team sponsor for the Outsourcing, Inc. Royal Charity Polo Cup held at Guards Polo Club, July 9. Prince William competed in the annual event, which raised global awareness for and benefited a number of official royal charities supported by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, including Centrepoint, EACH, Family Action, Fields in Trust, Forward Trust, London Air Ambulance, Mountain Rescue & England & Wales and Tusk.

U.S. Polo Assn. created custom-designed performance jerseys for the players, umpires and flaggers as well as special event caps for attendees.

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POLO SCENE

LOCAL LOVE Match benefits charities in surrounding area

JIM AND LAURA MCDEVITT hosted the annual Hunterdon Polo Classic at their Fieldview Farm in Pittstown, New Jersey, June 12. The family-friendly event helps raise funds for local charities.

The 21st event was canceled last year due to the pandemic so organizers were happy for it to return this year. As a precaution, no general admission tickets were sold this year and tailgate spots were spaced out to ensure social distancing. Guests were required to wear masks in common areas. Tailgate and hat contests were not held, however guests were encouraged to don their best hats and get creative with their tailgates. Bagpipers strolled the field and played during the halftime break.

The event raised funds for the Hunterdon Art Museum, The Toshiko Takaezu Studio Project (art studio), Riding with Heart (Hunterdon equine assisted recreation and therapy), Team Velvet (equine facilitated mental health services for children), Rural Awareness (preserving Franklin Township’s rich history and rural character) and Crossroads4Hope (network of cancer support).

Members of the nearby Tinicum Park Polo Club competed in the event played under overcast skies.

Earlier rain had left the field a bright green carpet, however threatening weather in the area forced the game to be shortened from six to four chukkers.

Dennis Santana was named MVP and Juan Vidal’s pretty roan Sonrisa was Best Playing Pony.

Overcast skies led to a cool June day for the benefit match. Shari Lyn Vidal made good use of a polo bandage to keep her pup warm.

The rain helped turn the field a brilliant green, but ultimately shortened the game to four chukkers.

“A pony is a childhood dream.

A horse is an adulthood treasure.”

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

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

Let them play!

Kids are an important part of the future of clubs

By Tiger Kneece

Youth sports are a cornerstone of childhood memories and provide a foundation for many lifelong skills. According to Aspen Project Play, 61% of kids aged 6 to 12 played team sports on at least a casual basis in 2019. Equestrian sports—and polo in particular—allow the entire family to participate and compete in the same activity. Not many other team sports allow children to play on the same team as their parents. Sharing a passion for the sport keeps young players engaged and encourages time spent together as a family. Supporting youth players entering the sport and encouraging commitment early on is a beneficial long-term play for clubs. As Junior Committee chair, I am working towards developing and retaining a younger player base across the country.

Tips for Clubs: Help New Junior Players Feel Comfortable Polo can be an intimidating sport, between the horses and the immense size of an outdoor field, so it is important to make new players feel comfortable.

LAWRENCE JOHNSON

Polo is one of the only sports parents can compete along with their children. Tiger’s daughter Summer is an avid player.

Tiger Kneece

Shortening the field for younger players helps keep them involved in the game and creates a safer environment as they get started. For the youngest players, a red, hard plastic ball (can be found at Jackson Hole Horse Emporium) allows for proper swing development and is a good transition step before advancing to a real outdoor ball.

Get Parents and Families Excited Organized youth sports like baseball, soccer and basketball and competitive travel teams appeal to families. They provide a fun, energetic environment for all those involved. Families with kids participating in the tournament become friends and often do activities together outside of the field.

Mimic this proven system and get the whole family excited about polo and being at the club. It’s never too late to learn the sport!

Travel to New Clubs and Tournaments As much as we all love our home club, a change of scenery can be a positive experience for your young players. Meeting new kids at other clubs within the region injects a new energy into the season,

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

KERRI KERLEY

especially if there are not many young players at your club. These friendships often last a lifetime and motivate young players to continue traveling and playing throughout their childhood and life.

Host Events for Youth Players USPA programs are a great place to begin. The Middle School League runs through I/I, and the interscholastic program and NYTS provide a framework for youth involvement. Combining these events with other junior club tournaments, coaching chukkers with one professional on each side and offfield coaching enhance the experience. Horse shows can be a direct competitor for horse-loving kids participating in both disciplines. Creating a fun event environment similar to a horse show may help clubs keep youth players involved in polo.

Reimagine How Juniors Fit into Your Club Junior players are an important part of your club’s future, but do not necessarily fit the same mold as adult members. Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations said, “I don’t think kids drop out because they don’t want to play. I think the majority drop out either because of a lack of access to opportunity or it’s not fun. They burn out.” Fun is a crucial part in keeping kids engaged in youth sports.

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Eldorado Polo Club keeps its junior program fun for everyone.

The Middle School League and other USPA youth programs provide a framework for youth involvement.

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

The New Bridge facilities allowed matches to be played in the evenings under the lights.

Leading Ladies Aiken triumphs in national championship

By Emily Dewey

Six teams of young women faced off at the New Bridge Polo Club in Aiken, South Carolina, May 1822, for the chance to be crowned the Girls’ National Interscholastic Champion.

Poway Polo Club (Remi Glasgow, Marisa Carelli, Jasmine Lu, Sydney Morris) from Poway, California, coached by Sherry Sheldon Gibson, and Gardnertown Polo Club (Elizabeth Leudesdorff, Saralyn Painter, Mary Duncan, Sammi Iahn) from Newburgh, New York, coached by Bill Dencker, were the first teams to step into the beautiful outdoor arena. Saralyn Painter put Gardnertown on the board with two scores from the field. Morris traded goals with Duncan, finishing 28 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

off the first chukker’s scoring with Gardnertown sporting a three-goal lead. Gardnertown held Poway scoreless in the second and increased its lead to eight at the half with scores from Duncan and Painter. The shutout continued into the third chukker while Painter continued her barrage of goals, adding four points to Gardnertown’s tally, including a two-pointer.

Painter and Morris traded field goals in the fourth before Leudesdorff’s shot found the goal a final time for Gardnertown. Lu added a final goal for Poway before the horn sounded, but Gardnertown had sealed the win, 15-3. The win earned Gardnertown a spot in the semi-final round against top-seeded Aiken

LARRY JOHNSON

Polo Club (Summer Kneece, Sophia Grant, Robyn Leitner, Reagan Leitner), coached by Tiger Kneece.

The ladies from the Houston Polo Club (Bridget Price, Lily Lequerica, Abigail Benton, Isabel Artzer, Madison Burba, Quin van der Hoeven, Mila Cocco) in Houston, Texas, coached by Mark Prinsloo, came out swinging against the Sutter Buttes Polo Club (Simone Harper, Liliana Gonzalez, Caroline Mathews, Elise Pardue) in Yuba City, California, coached by Bonnie Magill, in the second game of the day. Lequerica was the lone scorer of the first chukker, putting her team ahead, 3-0. Gonzalez put Sutter Buttes on the board in the second chukker and teammate Pardue sunk an open goal penalty shot to bring their team back within a single score. Price found the goal for the first time to extend the Houston lead, but the ponies knocked one in for Sutter Buttes, leaving the difference one heading into halftime, 4-3.

Price scored again in the third chukker for the Texans, but Mathews and Pardue found pay dirt to even the score heading into the last chukker.

Gonzalez and Pardue gave their team an early twogoal lead in the fourth chukker, but the Houston team would not give up. The horses scored again to bring the teams within one and a last second foul put Benton on the line for Houston. Her ace shot sent the teams into a shoot-out. Mathews and Pardue found

Six tough teams competed in this year’s championship.

Billy Raab presents Kylie Beard with the Sportsmanship Award.

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

LARRY JOHNSON

LARRY JOHNSON

Sutter Buttes’ Elise Pardue necks the ball in her game against Houston.

Billy Raab presents a saddle to Horsemanship Award winner Summer Kneece.

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their marks in overtime and Sutter Buttes moved on to the semi-final round to face Maryland Polo Club (Kylie Beard, Sierra Blevins, Jordan Peterson) from Jarrettsville, Maryland, coached by Kelly Wells.

Aiken Polo Club stepped into the arena for the first time in Thursday’s semi-final game against Gardnertown. Aiken took an early lead with a six-goal barrage spread evenly between Kneece, Grant and Robyn Leitner. Leudesdorff added the single score for Gardnertown, ending the chukker, 6-1. Kneece was the lone scorer for Aiken in the second chukker, adding five points to their tally. Leudesdorff added her second and third goals for Gardnertown, ending the first half, 11-3, in favor of Aiken. Aiken held Gardnertown scoreless in the third chukker while adding three Grant goals. A final Leudesdorff score could not overcome four shared goals between Kneece, Grant and Reagan Leitner, capping off the Aiken win, 18-4, and sending the team to the national final for the first time in their program’s history.

Maryland Polo Club moved directly to the semifinal round against Sutter Buttes when the Maui Polo Club (Laura Coflin, Sunny Diller, Emily Coflin, Elizabeth Miranda, Nophia Pintor, Leah Melzer, Jayci Jay Magalianes) was unable to make the trip to the tournament. The California team came out strong behind two penalty scores from Pardue. Peterson

KELLY WELLS

LARRY JOHNSON

Maryland’s Jordan Peterson tries to get ahead of Aiken’s Reagan Leitner’s hook.

UVA’s aptly-named Chunky Monkey was Best Playing Pony.

answered with a Penalty 2 of her own and teammate Beard scored a field goal to finish the first chukker tied 2-2. Two goals each from Jordan and Beard gave Maryland its first lead of the game, while Harper kept Sutter Buttes in the game with a field goal. Maryland

held a three-goal difference, 6-3, heading into halftime. Beard opened the scoring in the third with a shot from the field. Peterson and Mathews traded tallies to keep the difference at four goals, but a persistent Maryland defense held Sutter Buttes POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 31

LARRY JOHNSON

Aiken’s Summer Kneece makes it look easy despite pressure from Kylie Beard.

scoreless for the rest of the chukker. Blevins put her name on the score sheet with a huge two-pointer to finish out the third, 10-4. In identical fashion, Maryland outscored Sutter Buttes, 4-1, in the final chukker, sealing a 14-5 victory and sending their program on its 19th trip to the Girls’ National Championship final.

Houston Polo Club and Poway Polo Club battled it out in a friendly consolation match on Friday night, with Houston coming away with the win under the lights.

The final took place on Saturday evening, May 22, as both teams competed for the most important trophy of their interscholastic careers. Claiming the first three goals of the game, Aiken commanded the scoreboard from the opening throw in as Maryland Polo Club’s Blevins added one to the tally. Holding Maryland scoreless throughout the second chukker, Aiken continued to gain offensive momentum with Kneece adding three consecutive goals for her team.

“Our strategy was to be aggressive, communicate and really take our time with the ball,” Kneece said.

Following an impressive display of team play and skill, Aiken Polo Club moved into halftime with a comfortable 8-1 lead.

Hammering in her sixth goal to open the second half, Kneece was met by strong resistance from

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Peterson, who fired back with four goals for Maryland, including a two-pointer. Contributing a series of goals to the scoreboard, Aiken remained solid and consistently strong throughout the remainder of the game.

“I think the order of our horses really helped,” Robyn Leitner commented. “I started in the second chukker on Miley, who is my favorite to play and a great mare to get me into the start of the game. I ended on Shorty in the fourth, who can be a little strong at times, but he played well for me having already played one chukker.”

Holding a seven-goal lead entering the final chukker, Aiken was relentless in its pursuit of its first national title with Kneece picking up three additional goals. Highly effective at Back, Grant closed out the final with a pair of goals to sweep another decisive victory, 17-5. Capping off a great evening of polo, the team extended the celebration to the New Bridge clubhouse where they enjoyed a team dinner.

“We wanted to keep the game as open as possible and play to the strength of each teammate,” Grant said about her team’s strategy. “Summer is very good offensively so we wanted to keep her up in front receiving passes and scoring goals. Robyn and Reagan are really good in the middle and work hard taking the man. I thought I could make the greatest

LARRY JOHNSON

contribution by playing Back. I planned to shut down Maryland’s offense and hit back shots and passes up to my teammates, trusting that they would score the goals.”

“Another strategy was our lineups for the throw ins,” Grant continued. “When we were on the good side of the throw in, I would line up next to the umpire. This positioning would let me jump on the ball and get the play going towards our goal.”

Splitting a position with her identical twin sister, Robyn Leitner was proud of what the girls had accomplished together. “This win was a huge compliment for my team and represented Aiken’s youth players,” she said. “Being a part of such a great team, [that] made Aiken’s first GNIS trophy happen, was an honor. I am going to miss playing with Sophie next year!”

Claiming her fourth Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship, Grant felt this win was particularly special as team captain. “I won the first three championships (2016, 2018, 2019) with my two older sisters, Abbie and Maddie, on Maryland,” Grant said. “But having the opportunity to come to Aiken and lead such a young team and the new Aiken Youth Polo organization to a national title is especially gratifying. I’m so thankful to have such a supportive coach, teammates and family to finish

this exciting journey of high school arena polo.”

“Winning the championship means so much because our team has been working for this moment for so long,” Summer Kneece said. “We prepared by having many practices with our coach—my dad—and we’ve also been playing grass polo, which helped us.”

Summer’s father was proud of the team, especially his daughter. “It was a great feeling to coach my daughter in this championship tournament,” he said.

“We started this journey together four years ago and it’s a dream come true.”

The tournament participants selected Aiken’s Summer Kneece and Sophie Grant, Gardnertown’s Saralyn Painter and Maryland’s Jordan Peterson as tournament all-stars, each receiving watches provided

by USPA Global Licensing. Maryland’s Kylie Beard was selected as the Sportsmanship Award winner and Summer Kneece took home the horsemanship award.

Best Playing Pony honors went to Chunky Monkey, owned by UVA, and the UVA-1 string was awarded Best Playing String.

Thank you to the wonderful hosts at New Bridge Polo Club, Raza Kazmi, Aiken Youth Polo and Tiger Kneece. The incredible horses were provided by Aiken Youth Polo, DI Polo, Berube Polo and UVA. Umpires included Tom Wisehart, John Bianco, Ronnie Hayes, Brent Mirikitani and Bradley Biddle.

•

Billy Raab presents all-star awards to Jordan Peterson, Saralyn Painter, Summer Kneece and Sophie Grant.

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

ROBERT CHIN

Jamaican hero Lesley-Ann Masterton Fong-Yee’s polo life

By Ava-Rose Hinkson

Lesley-Ann Masterton Fong-Yee Born: May 3, 1960 in Kingston,

Jamaica Top Handicap: 3 goals (A local handicap, which was eventually discarded, was 7 or 8 goals) Current Handicap: 1

Writing about the living legend Lesley-Ann Masterton Fong-Yee and her illustrious legacy is a daunting enterprise. Her tall and erudite stature is reflected in both her accomplishments and her physique. There are few well-established polo clubs around the world that have not hosted the Godmother of Women’s Polo. From the genteel formality of a royal ball to the dark and precarious streets of Kingston, Jamaica, Lesley-Ann is always well-equipped to handle any conversation or plight.

To know Lesley-Ann is to understand the total respect she demands from her horses. Although seldom, the endowment to perform upon the back of her most prized possessions is willingly entrusted to the few that are approved. My family and Lesley-Ann have been close friends for many years, so naturally my infatuation with her philosophies, charisma and abilities started at a young age.

When Lesley-Ann speaks even the horses stop chewing. Her advice on and off the field is passionate, intense and accurate. When in doubt, falling back

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

upon her guidance is always a strong course of action.

In the world of athletes, to say she is achieved in her field fails to truly credit all her astounding feats. How many sportsmen or women have a photograph on a postage stamp? How many equestrians are skilled enough to ride on an international level in several different disciplines? Who else runs a family business while traveling the world playing, coaching and teaching all ages of the polo-playing community?

In this interview, Lesley- Ann gives a detailed look inside her incredible life journey. Her no-nonsense upbringing along with the love of horses and polo have produced an Olympic-level athlete. Her story begins early on in the movement for women’s polo.

She is one of the distinct few women who helped hold down the gates for other women. Lesley-Ann can make it all look easy, but her story has moments of trial and hardship that made her grow as a person and as a horsewoman.

While Lesley-Ann has worn many hats in her lifetime, she has spent most of her professional life

What is your equestrian background? I was introduced to horses shortly after birth. The groom was my babysitter. I started competing when I was about 6 or 7 years old in gymnastics and jumping.

I progressed quickly through the Pony Club tests and always had my own pony or horse at home. I also rode and helped school my dad’s polo ponies that I also taught to jump and took to shows.

Most of my horses I got could not play polo and needed mental or physical rehab, which I helped my father, a legendary vet, to do. I rode at all the riding centers in Jamaica and showed and competed with green or “difficult” horses, as well as some exceptionally good horses.

I completed my BHSAI (British Horse Society Assistant Instructor) and trained up to level II in England in 1978, competing in local shows while I was training. I represented Jamaica in dressage, show jumping and eventing at home and abroad. I qualified for the 1994 Pan American Games on my young 6-year-old homebred. Unfortunately, I was not able to compete as the horse had Piroplasmosis antibodies, which disqualified me from competing.

When did your start playing polo? I started playing polo quite by accident, circa 1980, due to a

shortage of players. First, I was schooling the polo ponies while dad played, and before I knew it, I was roped in. With no helmet nor boots, I began my polo journey. Few women [in Jamaica] had played up to that point, and the ones that had only played in practice chukkers, never an actual tournament. When I started, I didn’t even try to hit the ball for a long time. Dennis Lalor gave me my first helmet and first polo pony. With Dennis and my dad’s help I started playing competitively, which led to me entering the national and club tournaments and getting picked up on Jamaican international teams. This was unheard of for a woman. Starting at minus-2, my handicap went up a by a goal each year until I was rated 2 goals, and then I was raised to 3 goals a couple years later.

Was your family involved in polo? My mother rode a bit, but my dad was the top polo player and captain of polo in Jamaica for a long time. He was also a top equestrian while at vet school in Canada before he took up polo.

What was polo like when you first started? When I started—1980ish—there was a chronic shortage of players and horses as it was a relatively unstable time in Jamaica. We were not allowed to import goods, so tack and polo equipment was extremely hard to come by. I played for three years before getting knee pads. I used to make my own ROBERT CHIN

behind a desk doing the bookkeeping and accounts for the family business, Masterton Limited.

Lesley-Ann, far left, representing her home club, St. Ann Polo Club.

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

ROBERT CHIN

Favorites: Player, famous or not: Obviously, my Dad! Club: St. Ann is now my home club but am fond of all the Jamaican clubs.

I started in Kingston so naturally I am very sentimental of that club. We also had our own club, Shady Tree, for a spell which was fun while it lasted.

Hotel: I used to stay in some fabulous ones in Singapore and The May Fair hotel in England.

Airlines: Singapore Airlines.

Vacation spot: Wherever a polo field is involved. [I] could probably count on one hand the non-polo vacations I have taken.

Horse: Several over the decades! My first pony, Point Star, went to England and came back with me. He also did equestrian lessons to earn his keep.

One of the best horses I ever sat on (anywhere in the world) was my homebred Totem Pole. Another was a 14.2 hand, tough, yellow machine named Buttercup, [and] my homebred 20-year-old “green horse” Dancing Dervish, whom I could write a book about. These are the horses that immediately jump to mind.

Groom: Internationally, James Rice, a truly knowledgeable and amusing character. I have had some excellent grooms who have worked for me. Some became decent players and horse trainers, while others could hardly ride but still produced the horses well. Of course, there have been some bad ones as well. Not going to call names at this point.

Food: Hmm … No shortage of appetite here!

Music: Pop & reggae

Lesley-Ann is a lifelong horse lover.

Position to play: Majority of my polo life I played Position 2. In women’s polo, I prefer playing Back. When I am playing mixed low-goal polo, I play Position 3. Nowadays I play Position 1 so I can stay out of trouble!

Country to play in: I love traveling

polo boots for the horses from felt and Velcro strips, made rope halters and learned to crudely repair the tack. Breast plates and martingales were only used on horses that needed them. Helmets lasted generations and often didn’t have much lining. The polo was fast, open and rough and tumble with the umpires vaguely paying attention to the game. Going abroad to play was a true eye-opener, but it did allow me to stock up on gear!

What is your best school memory? Most of mine involve rushing out as quickly as possible to play some sport or hang out with my horses.

Who taught you the most? Obviously, my dad—a known strategist and horseman—had the most influence over my polo. However, I watched and learned from many excellent coaches and players over the years. The following come to mind as these players were in the right place at the right time to strongly influence or change my game: Antonio 36 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

but there is also something relaxing and comforting about playing at home.

Every club has its own unique people, atmosphere, facilities and horses that I enjoy

Other hobbies: Before polo took up all my spare time, I played most sports—tennis, swimming, squash, netball, hockey, lacrosse, track & field at school, water skiing, even went snow skiing. I am sure I have left out some other sports. I had a go-cart and motorcycle into my teens. I used to go camping with the family up to my late teenage years when my parents had to leave Jamaica for a short while.

Nowadays I always have a rather boring book nearby.

Dancing or karaoke: Dancing!

Dogs or cats? Cat, my Puddy!

Herrera was the first to really help me with a polo seat and my swing. I was not trying to hit the ball when I started, and then mixing it up with some top English players in Jamaica—i.e. James and Will Lucas—taught me to be able to mark out and ride off players with a much higher handicap than mine. As a 0-goal player, watching Memo Gracida in England taught me the importance of paying attention to details and team strategy. Witnessing the Heguys in their early days of playing high goal justified my slightly crazy streak.

Watching Carlos Gracida and using a couple of articles he wrote for Polo magazine made me quicker and more accurate as a 1- or 2-goaler in higher-goal polo. Between my dad sorting out my backhands, combined with watching Ernesto Trotz move efficiently around the field, was probably the key to me becoming a Back in women’s polo. I damaged my shoulder badly in my mid-30s and have never been able to swing correctly since. Rege Ludwig taught me to swing from my wrist, elbow or use a shallower swing, which allowed me to compensate.

What advice were you given in polo or life that changed you and your game? One of the most important bits of advice I ever got mid-game was funny but effective. In the tournament we were playing, at halftime we were losing the game badly.

Thanks to a mid-game adjustment I made, we won. I went to Troy Brennan and asked him what we needed to do to turn the game around. He paused then said, “You see that little white ball?’ I solemnly nodded and leaned forward for the instructions. He continued, “Hit it!”

What is the biggest life inspiration in or out of polo? Many have inspired me in vastly different ways on and off the polo field, and life in general. I mostly find inspiration just observing something unusual or seeing someone cope with something I am struggling with as well. Again, not just on the polo field.

What is the biggest surprise you’ve had in a game, match or trip? I generally roll with the punches and deal with whatever issues I may be faced with, but these two stories have stuck with me.

Let me start with the first time I played decent women’s polo. I found the game very strange and was always in the wrong place. [It] took a while to realize there were no long passes, so I could not anticipate and intercept them. The next surprise was when I first went to California. I think I was 3 goals and had gotten used to women (even the top ladies) not hitting a particularly big shot. Driving into the club, I stopped to watch this tiny girl knocking 60-yard penalties way up in the air like any professional man.

It was a 17-year-old Sunny Hale!

Where is women’s polo going? For me, there is a big difference between women’s polo and women in polo. It really is exciting to see how women’s polo has taken off. It is now at never-beforeseen levels and is still improving rapidly. Women in polo still lag behind in many areas though, although they form over 40% of the registered players of the USPA. Not many women can—or get the opportunity to—play as pros in medium- or high-goal mixed polo.

The real numbers have ebbed and flowed little over the decades. Their presence leading USPA committees, as umpires, and executives/high-level managers in the sport also lag behind that membership ratio. The good thing is they are no longer an oddity and are closing that gap.

development of the women’s tournaments around the world, and the women’s handicaps (although I was a bit skeptical when it was first suggested).

What changes do you like? I love the formal

What advice would you offer young

Top: Lesley-Ann coaching students.

Middle: Lesley-Ann with the first women’s team to visit Jamaica.

Above: Lesley-Ann, left, in Guatemala.

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

players? First, prepare and try your hardest on the field. Others will tell you if you make mistakes. Listen to them and ask what play to make instead or how to fix the issue. Doing nothing is seldom productive.

Second, win or lose always congratulate your teammates and the other team at the end of the game even if you really don’t want to.

Third, emotionally leave the game on the field.

Give yourself a chance to decompress and let the adrenaline subside before discussing anything. I determinately clean my boots and other equipment, if necessary.

know what plays you won’t be able to make. At the end of the chukker, observe how it comes off. Is it hot, tired or possibly injured? Make a note to ask about the horse after the game and make sure it has been taken care of. Thank the owner or provider profusely, even if it is a rental. The polo world is small.

What are your best grooming tips? Horses thrive on consistency and routine. Attention to detail is imperative. Even a slight shift in attitude or condition can affect performance or signal a problem developing. An injury caught early is often quickly fixed.

The more often you do the dirty work—cleaning stables, tack and the horses, etc.—the quicker it takes.

What riding or training tips can you give? The player should be able to maintain balance and be over the center of gravity as much as possible so as to allow the horse to maintain its balance for maximum mobility.

What is the best way to keep horses fit?

The stage of the horse’s training, level of polo required and facilities available, etc. are involved in the appropriate fitness level necessary. It is always important to remember basic principles: young horses take longer to muscle-up and older horses do better turned out in larger spaces with less pounding needed for legging up.

Footing is important; younger horses need confidence and older horses need cushion on their joints. As good as sand is, it can also be hard on joints—fetlocks in particular, as the hoof strikes on an inconsistent surface.

Lesley-Ann has ridden at an international level in several equestrian disciplines.

What advice would you give for playing strange horses? Arrive early. Ask questions about each horse from the owner, groom, trainer and pro, as they will all have different information. Even if you only have a few moments to sit on a horse, ask it some questions. For example, move it around, and hit a couple balls. If you do not feel safe, which is different than if you just don’t like it, suggest that it is “too much horse” for you and you’d rather not play it. In the game, if it gives you a hard time, and you don’t have a suitable spare, do not fight it! Do not ask it questions it cannot answer. Instead, find another way to do what you need and discretely let your teammates 38 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

What advice do you have for bringing horses back after leg injuries: Patience!

Anything else will depend on the injury, the stage of the horse’s training, level of polo and a myriad of other factors.

What are the best training tips for players and horses. For horses, muscle development and then fitness. For players, aerobic fitness, suppleness and then strength. Muscle-bound players often pull something when fatigued.

Do you prefer a leather or suede saddle?

I never fussed about saddles, type, size, etc. I used to play polo in my jumping saddle and used a Stubben polo saddle for cross country. The most important thing is that the saddle fits the horse correctly.

Do you prefer a gag or a pelham?

Some horses will only go in “their” bridle but for the rest it depends on my position and the polo. I would play the same horse in a gag at position No. 1 in a fast, higher-goal game, but in a pelham if playing Back in lower-goal.

What is the most overused unnecessary tack or training implement? Bits. Obviously [they are] needed to play, and fine tuning them for each horse can make a big difference in a game. However, for training, my dad always said, “Metal never stopped a horse.”

I train with a bosal (bitless bridle) until the horse is mature and strong enough to carry itself and me. They usually perform all the basic maneuvers and stick and ball happily in a bosal.

Do you prefer women’s or mixed polo? Any and all polo is good for me. Now that I am arthritic, I’m not fond of arena polo.

What advice would you give for traveling for polo? Be pro-active and organized. Research logistics: flights, accommodation, transportation, horses, whether they are borrowed or hired, if you have a choice or not, the club, the tournament organizers, and the people involved. Polo is a small world and that makes gathering important information easier to do than it sounds. Have a Plan B if you are not 100% sure about any of it! [Bring] thank-you gifts and tips.

What is your greatest polo memory?

Being picked to play on good teams, and the patience and kindness shown to me after a major injury and loss of nerve. Being supported by my team so much that I was able to score seven or eight goals a game and win several important cups while I was still fragile on the field.

We once took a 7-goal team that included two older players and beat a 14-goal team that had the top players available in a significant open-goal game.

We also took a 7-goal team in an official handicapped match and beat a 12-goal team after they wiped out our handicap in two chukkers and proceeded to beat us down at halftime.

I have won and lost important games with 30 seconds on the clock and a two-goal difference on the board!

Do you prefer Hurlingham or USPA rules? [They both] started with a little booklet that basically said stay straight and ride a sound horse.

Traveling so much, I learned to not care what rules or interpretation were used. Ask beforehand what the format for set plays and penalties are. On the field, work out as quickly as possible what the umpires allow. This mostly boils down to what distance and speed the umpires allow plays to happen.

Lesley-Ann Masterton Fong-Yee is commemorated on a postage stamp.

What is the worst advice you’ve ever gotten: I am sure I have doled out plenty in my time! A top lady player once asked me what she needed to do to step her game up. I suggested heavier sticks so she could hit a bigger ball. It was an epic fail as it made her elbow sore. I pretty much listen to what everyone says, think it through, and try it momentarily. If it does not work, I drop it quickly, but never really think of it as bad advice.

What is your wish for polo? My wish for polo is that it continues to grow and evolve in order to survive and keep up with the times, but not forget its history and how it got to where it is. As one of the oldest formal sports in the world, that history is one of its greatest strengths that is so often overlooked.

What would you say to inspire readers?

In polo the ball is round—never give up!

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 39

Book It Equine topics to add to your summer reading list

If you are planning a vacation, but won’t be able to keep your mind from thinking about horses, here are a few fun horse-related book selections to satisfy your senses while you relax.

“One of the greatest horse races of all time was held at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore at a time when the nation officially ended the Era of Reconstruction. The story of that race—billed as East against West but clearly pitting North against South— and its historical context is beautifully told in Mark Shrager’s The Great Sweepstakes of 1877.”

–Robert K. Sutton, Chief Historian of the National Park Service In 1877, members of the United States Senate postponed all business for the day so they might attend a horse race—the iconic, polarizing post-Civil War event at the center of this story. The nation, still recovering from the depredations of the Civil War and the reconstruction that followed, recognized it as a north vs. south encounter, pitting New York’s powerful Thoroughbred Tom Ochiltree and New Jersey’s Parole—owned by the ostentatious Northern tycoons Pierre and George Lorrilard—against the already legendary “Kentucky crack,” Ten Broeck—owned by the teetotaling, plain-living Frank Harper and ridden by black jockey and former slave William Walker—representing a former slave state and its Southern values. The race and the colorful cast of characters involved reflected the still-seething America during one of the nation’s most difficult and divisive periods. Shrager presents a fascinating and heart-pounding piece of history exposing the racial and economic tensions following the Civil War that culminated in one final race to the end.

Great American Cowboy Stories: The Great Sweepstakes of 1877 A True Story of Southern Grit, Gilded Age Tycoons, and a Race That Galvanized the Nation

By Mark Shrager Paperback • 352 pages • Lyons Press 40 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Lyons Press Classics Edited by Michael McCoy Paperback •296 pages • Lyons Press Roping a buffalo, running off cattle rustlers,

sitting out a winter storm in a cave—adventures like these were all part of everyday life for the cowboy.

They’re depicted here in stories that have stood the test of time, by writers whose words are just as funny and wise today as they were 100 years ago.

Covering all corners of the great Western expanse—from Montana to Mexico, California to the Mississippi—the stories in this collection represent not just the Anglo male perspective but also that of the blacks, Mexicans and women who made their lives on the range. It features works by Owen Wister, Theodore Roosevelt, Frederic Remington, Isabella L. Bird, Nat Love, Bill Nye, Charlie Siringo, Zane Grey, Andy Adams, Mark Twain, E. Mulford, O. Henry (creator of the Cisco Kid) and many others, including some surprises by little-known authors.

Believe A Horseman’s Journey, revised edition

By Buck Brannaman and William Reynolds Paperback •224 pages • Lyons Press “Others have falsely claimed to be the inspiration for Tom Booker in The Horse Whisperer. The one who truly inspired me was Buck Brannaman. His skill, understanding and his gentle, loving heart have parted the clouds for countless troubled creatures.

Buck is the Zen master of the horse world.”

–Nicholas Evans, author of The Horse Whisperer

Master horseman Buck Brannaman, the real-life Horse Whisperer, continues the chronicle of his life as trainer and mentor in Believe, where we meet 13 remarkable people whose lives he has affected.

Through their accounts of help and healing and through Brannaman’s own introductions, the reader is inspired by the hope and confidence that he instilled in these individuals. This updated edition includes a new foreword, introduction and account by one of Brannaman’s longtime observers.

If improving your riding is of more interest to you, there are other good options:

Ride Big The Ultimate Guide to Building Equestrian Confidence

By John Haime Paperback • 216 pages • Trafalgar Square Books/HorseandRiderBooks.com Haime, a former tournament professional golfer, left his life as a professional athlete to first produce workplace learning programs for Fortune 500 organizations and eventually blend his areas of experience and knowledge into an innovative system of performance coaching. His company, New Edge Performance, has generated breakthrough results for clients in major professional sports leagues, including POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 41

the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLS, and Haime has counseled athletes in a variety of other sports—golf, tennis and equestrian.

In Ride Big, the focus is on building equestrian confidence. Several top professional athletes from an array of equestrian disciplines are featured, including Gold Medalist jumpers Beezie Madden and McLain Ward, Olympic Gold Medalist eventer Michael Jung, Gold Medalist dressage rider Laura Tomlinson, professional reiner Casey Deary and professional polo players Fred Mannix and Jared Zenni.

Haime offers an easy-to-implement system proven to grow rider confidence and unlock your performance potential.

What follows is an excerpt from Ride Big: Prep Up! I wish I could tell you there is a magic system to help you be as prepared as you need to be to maximize all of your abilities, but the truth is, there really isn’t. Preparation is the state of being ready for something that will happen or the actions you take to become ready. Having the privilege of assisting the world’s best athletes and helping them prepare to be their best, I have come to one conclusion: There are so many different ways and approaches to get ready. You must develop the one that works best for you.

Each equestrian prepares in his or her own unique way.

For example, some equestrian athletes love to get to the barn early before a competition and take in 42 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

all of the atmosphere. They might sip on a beverage, talk to the grooms, get their tack ready, and just generally spend time around the barn.

Other equestrian athletes get to the barn just in time to get their tasks done to get ready for the day.

Some like to talk a lot; others like to quietly listen to music. Some like to spend time around the competitive environment and take it all in, watching others and taking lots of time to warm up. Some want to arrive shortly before the competition and don’t spend a lot of time warming up.

So, what is the lesson for you in all of this?

Preparation is highly personal.

You may have thought there might be one way that is better than the others—something a worldclass rider might do that others should do. But all equestrians are different and need to pay careful attention to what helps them perform their best.

I have seen lots of great equestrians take completely different approaches to preparation.

The right approach for the right rider will contribute to knowing you’re ready. Confidence and Riding Big are the result. This is again where you turn things back to Self-Discovery. Know exactly what works for you and own it.

Jared Knows What Works for Him Jared Zenni is a top, developing high-goal professional polo and Team USPA player. He is a great example of an equestrian athlete with a very personal preparation routine who understands what works for him. Each time Jared plays, he works his way through the same routine to give himself the best opportunity to be ready.

“For me, if we are playing earlier in the day, I start about four hours before,” he says. “I have a very specific routine that I have modified over time, and I know it works for me.”

Jared says he follows specific steps over the same time period each time: • A light workout—some activation to wake up the body.

• Meditation practice for about 30 minutes to get his mind ready and center himself.

• Have a meal and relax.

• Arrive at the field about 90 minutes early.

• Go to the trailer to see his teammates and horses.

• Finalize his list of horses and the way he wants to play them that day.

• Get to the tent about 70 minutes before game time.

• A light jog or stretch about 10 minutes before he jumps on a horse.

• Once on the horse, a stick-and-ball routine, walking the full length of the field and focusing on making good contact with the ball.

• Start picking up a canter, picking up the pace and working on some shots.

• Finally, just before he plays, he puts on his helmet, and takes a few deep breaths.

Jared summarizes his thoughts on his routine: “I am always trying to find what works best and what will help me play my best. For example, I’ve added some meditation practice this year, and I’m getting to the field a little earlier than previous years to relax and get centered before I play.”

How Do You Prepare?

Your job now is to think about what routine works best for you. Remember that a routine is your particular sequence of actions that you follow regularly. Here are a few general questions about your own preparation routine: 1. What is the preparation approach that gets you most excited to show your skills in competition?

2. What do you need to do before a competition to help you perform your best?

3. What recent routine (if you remember) allowed you to perform at a high level?

4. What puts you in a joyful mood and fosters the right level of focus to help you compete well?

5. What could distract you in your preparation from performing your best in competition?

As a part of thinking about your preparation, I would like you to write down exactly the steps you might take from the time you leave your residence to arrival at the barn, until the competition starts.

What is your optimal sequence of events for you to go into competition with a confident mindset?

Overcoming The Fear of Riding

By Theresa J. Jordan and Peter E. De Michele Hard cover • 200 pages • Breakthrough Publications In order to fully enjoy the sport of polo, you must ride with ability and confidence. While riding skills can be mastered over time, one of the most important aspects of mounting up is overcoming the fear of riding. However, fear is not just for beginners. Almost all of the top professional riders in any equestrian discipline will admit they’ve dealt with fear at some point. Fear can take many forms such as fear of failure, poor performance or injury from falling.

While fear can be related to a rider’s skill level, it can

also come after a riding accident or scary experience.

In Overcoming the Fear of Riding, sports psychologists Jordan and De Michele interviewed over a dozen successful Olympian and world champion equestrians, including Bruce Davidson, Robert Dover, Martha Josey, Greg Best, Carol Lavell and Rodney Jenkins about overcoming fear, stress and anxiety. These interviews reveal insights to help deal effectively with many different symptoms of fear relating to riding horses, especially in highperformance, high-stress situations.

Chapters are interspersed with thoughts, guidance and observations from the equestrians, covering topics such as understanding nervous energy of both horse and rider; the nature of the challenge and risk of riding; sizing up good risk versus bad risk; rational versus irrational thinking; ways to defeat irrational thinking; determining your motivation to ride and be around horses; establishing self-goals and expectations; cultivating trust; understanding the horse-rider relationship; tips for safer rides and taking personal responsibility for your experiences.

A key point is that fear and stress are learned behavior and can be unlearned if the rider is willing to put in the time and effort. The last line reminds the reader, “fear and excitement are two horns of the same bull.”

The book includes 18 personal case studies of riders who have experienced fear. Each case gives an example of what the rider was fearful of and ways to overcome that fear.

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 43

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

At the top Delfín Uranga takes reins as AAP President

By Lucas Noel • Photos by Sergio Llamera

The new president of the AAP succeeds Eduardo Novillo Astrada and is committed to two management pillars: internationalize the game and professionalize the digitization of the polo experience in Argentina.

Little by little, Delfín Uranga is getting used to the most important desk at the headquarters of the Argentine Polo Association in Palermo. That same chair was occupied by his father Marcos and his father-in-law Gonzalo Tanoira. Feeling comfortable in this room comes naturally to him. Speaking with him on his 48th birthday, he knows he has a challenge ahead of him that he always longed for: to continue his family legacy.

Like his father, Delfín Uranga assumed the AAP presidency at 47 years old.

“Both, my father and my mother have been involved with the polo management. In my house that air was always breathed. I, for my part, led the Christian Polo Family Movement and the Polo Horse Breeders Association. It was logical then to come to the polo association and contribute time and skills to a sport that I love. It is a sport, but it is also an industry. It is very gratifying to be able to generate employment in a country with such a complicated situation of poverty as Argentina is going through.

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

That altruism transcends the sport. And that this service is demanded by the world, to be able to export knowledge and talent, is a huge opportunity,” enthuses the new president of the AAP. Bearing in mind that you were vice president of the last administration, which items do you want to deepen and which do you want to innovate?

With Eduardo [Novillo Astrada] we agreed on something very important: that more people play, watch and sponsor polo. We shared that vision and perhaps we were a little different in the ways. But it is also good to be a multidisciplinary team with different ways of approaching issues. This sum of different points of view enriches the final product.

We still had some things to do, many of them related to the internationalization of sport.

Today, the pandemic slowed us down a bit, but there is a very great opportunity to work with all the countries together, especially with the United States.

We have a very natural link between Argentina and the United States, being on the same continent, on the same axis. I lived in the United States for three years, played there, studied there and we developed the polo team at the University of Santa Barbara.

I believe in that opportunity, in the possibility that projects, such as the AAP’s Polo University, offer, where we create a teaching methodology, a language to unify and simplify the way in which we explain the sport. Sometimes, a player does things by inertia that he cannot explain. And for this you have to create a simple language so that people who do not know about the sport can understand it. The digitization of our proposal and the international projection are the two items on which I want to work and deepen my management.

How do you unify the needs and realities of the different associations around the world?

I think that all the associations on the planet agree that we want more people to watch it, play it and sponsor it. What we lack is a global agenda for sharing practices in order to achieve that goal.

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

Today, I am not telling the United States what I am doing, they are not telling me what they are doing and I am sure they are doing a lot, and England, France, Spain, the other countries either. We have to see the FIP as a workbench to complement calendars, work with youth, etc.

That is what we need: a common agenda, coordination and sharing good and bad experiences.

We are going through a situation [with the pandemic] that changes from month to month, so how do you imagine the Argentina Triple Crown and the Palermo Open today?

We have to be very respectful of what the government defines regarding the sanitary protocol.

The season begins the first weekend of October and the vaccination plan will already be more advanced.

We are lucky to be a sport that is practiced outdoors, with large and open spaces, therefore I am optimistic. [We will] surely not [be] with a full capacity, but with more possibilities than last year.

How will [you plan] the preparation work for Palermo’s Field No. 1, which has been questioned a lot because of its poor condition?

Field 1 has a problem of origin that at some point we have to solve with a definitive solution. For this year, we are going to carry out palliative work to improve it. It has a grass with little strength, it is contaminated by other grasses and its recovery is slower. We have to look for a design of the Open that does not demand so much from the field. It is not a matter related to the performance of live shows when there is no polo, but to the periodicity of the game.

As AAP president, Delfín Uranga will have to deal with several challenges, including the pandemic and the poor condition of Palermo’s Field No. 1.

Last year, it was played practically every day. It was played on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

It was impossible. We are going to have to make the decision to slow down a bit. We cannot fail again.

There was a mistake, recognized by the engineer, when it was originally seeded. It was not the right grass. On Field 2 we do not have that problem, it is much stronger. Each field is a living being.

There is an idea that you have had in mind for a long time: a World Champions League. Now that you are president of the AAP, how do you imagine it and when do you think it could take place?

All the conditions are in place to do it as soon as possible. In Argentina we have a competition where in each region a league of tournaments is played and those who score the most points in the different categories come to face each other in Pilar and Palermo. And it is a celebration of federal polo. I think the same can be done at an international level.

There are many 12- to 16-goal tournaments that, as Steve Jobs used to say, ‘is a matter of connections.’

They could all come to compete here in April, when the American season has ended and the English season hasn’t started yet. It is a very good time to give it space. If Palermo is an allure and people want to come, we can do it here. If there is another idea to do it in another country, there is no problem. (continued on page 57) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 45

POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO

EAST

PAT MICHAELS

FIVE STRING FARM/WTR ACES WOMEN’S ARENA CHALLENGE

Garrison Forest’s Jenny Schwartz battles with Five String Farm/WTR’s Cindy Halle in the final of the Women’s Arena Challenge at Seneca Polo Club.

F

IVE String Farm/Work to Ride captured the USPA Women’s Arena Challenge at Seneca Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland, June 20.

Six teams competed in the 5- to 8goal tournament. Playoffs included two round robins, with the winners of each advancing to the final.

In the first round robin on June 18, Destination Imagination (Kelly Xiao, Ava Nunes, Marisa Bianchi) fell to Five String Farm/Work to Ride (Gigi Velasquez, Marisol Jimenez,

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

Cindy Halle), 7½-5. Destination then doubled up Seneca (Tracy Godey, Leila Chang, Monica Soucy), 4-2.

Seneca rebounded in the last round to narrowly edge Five String Farm/Work to Ride, 5-4½. Seneca advanced with the highest net goals.

Later that day, Garrison Forest (Sophia Chaisera, Gabby Chaisera, Jenny Schwartz) defeated Ruda (Lucy Steele, Rory Knox, Sarah Lynch), 9-5.

Ruda turned around to crush Mountain View (Sierra Goff, Akemi Tinder,

Laura Goddard), 10-1. Mountain View found its groove, matching Garrison Forest goal-for-goal in the last round, but the half-goal handicap it gave Garrison to begin the match was the difference. Garrison Forest prevailed, 5½-5, and earned a spot in the final.

The following day, Ruda, Seneca and Destination Imagination played a consolation round robin. Ruda downed Seneca, 8½-2, then edged Destination Imagination, 6½-6. Destination got the best of Seneca, 6-3.

R E P O R T

D. JEAN VERGARA

PAT MICHAELS

P O L O

Five String Farm/ Work to Ride’s Cindy Halle, Gigi Velasquez and Marisol Jimenez won the Women’s Arena Challenge.

19 last season, gathered at the Tinicum Park Polo Club adjacent to the Delaware River in Erwinna, Pennsylvania, May 15, to kick off the season and remember founding member Joe Stahl, who passed away in 2009. His widow Carol Stahl is the club’s longtime announcer.

The 28-year-old club is the largest in the region with 22 playing members and a field’s length of social members.

The club is a real family club with parents and children, sisters and brothers and husbands and wives sharing the D. JEAN VERGARA

The final was played on Sunday morning. Jimenez got the scoring started with a goal for Five String Farm/WTR added to the two-goal handicap the team began with.

Schwartz answered back with two in a row for Garrison Forest to keep it close, 3-2. Schwartz kept up the pressure, scoring back-to-back goals early in the second to take a 4-3 lead, but a pair of Penalty 1s for Five String put it back in the lead. Jimenez shot through another goal to put the team ahead, 6-4, at the half.

Gabby Chaisera tallied for Garrison, but Halle responded with three in a row, including a Penalty 3 conversion, to increase the lead. Jimenez struck again, allowing Five String to double up Garrison Forest, 10-5, heading into the last seven minutes.

Gabby Chaisera found the goal early in the fourth but Jimenez shot back with one of her own. Halle got in the last word to give Five String Farm/Work to Ride the 12-7 victory.

Cindy Halle was MVP and Billete, owned by Garrison Forest and played

by Gabby Chaisera in the fourth, was Best Playing Pony.

Hesham El-Gharby congratulates Stahl winners: Talha Chaudhry, Abdullah Chaudhry, Richard Weidel and Tim Cheromcka.

field. The club’s new interscholastic team, organized by Cheryl Arnold and coached by Hesham El-Gharby, made it to regionals in its first season. Its members, Daniel Arnold (14), Abdullah Chaudhry (16) and Owen Halliday (18), played in the opening game with or against a parent.

In the opening round of a round robin, Arby Dobb (Anders Hedberg, Daniel Arnold, Affan Iftikhar, Juan Vidal) faced Hawkwood (Barclay Knapp, Owen Halliday, Cheryl Arnold, David Halliday). Arby Dobb shut out Hawk-

Hawkwood’s Leandro Berrios takes off in the Max Berger Cup final with Weidel’s Val Washington in hot pursuit.

TINICUM TAKES JOE STAHL MEMORIAL Three teams, anxious to get back to playing after a hiatus created by COVID

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

R E P O R T D. JEAN VERGARA

D. JEAN VERGARA

P O L O

Thomas winners: Cheryl Arnold, Nadina Delirippa, Juan Vidal, Ann Oniskey, Johanna Pederson, Anders Hedberg and Sue Spencer.

wood, 3-0, thanks to goals by Iftikhar and Arnold.

Arby Dobb faced Tinicum (Richard Weidel, Abdullah Chaudhry, Tim Cheromcka, Talha Chaudhry) in the second round. Abdullah Chaudhry and Cheromcka split the posts for Tinicum while Arby Dobb was held to one from Iftikhar, for the 2-1, win.

Tinicum kept up the pressure in the third round. Goals by David Halliday in the first and second chukkers were matched by Weidel, Abdullah Chaudhry and Talha Chaudhry, giving Tinicum the win.

Play continued the following week with the Bill Thomas Memorial. The popularity of founding member Billy Thomas, who passed away last year, was reflected in the number of old friends and supporters on hand and even a family member who vied to participate in the match. Thomas gave his heart, soul and a lot of equipment to the club and beloved fellow players in the sport he played for the pure fun of it.

Splitting positions, 13 members of the club appeared in the game, including Billy’s granddaughter Nadina Delirippa, a former intercollegiate player from University of Connecticut. The evenly matched teams—Arby Dobb (Sue Spencer, Anders Hedberg, Juan Vidal, Cheryl Arnold, Delirippa, Ann Oniskey, Johanna Pederson) and Tinicum (Mark Mulligan, Daniel Arnold, Carol Hails,

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

Tinicum’s Mark Mulligan, Elini Lampers, David Halliday, Owen Halliday, Mohamed Hassan and Meg Mullen won the Maroons Cup.

Val Washington, Rhea Lowenthal, George Daniello) played an exciting game where the winner wasn’t determined until Arby Dobb put the goahead goal through the posts in the last few seconds.

Thomas’ widow Ellen Thomas attended the event, along with Greg and Diane Krug, their sons and Mike Brady, sponsors of the Arby Dobb team.

Friends of Thomas since the club’s beginning, the group set up their famous tailgate spread and provided trophies for the game. Thomas was known as “The Hammer” for his slugging offside shot so players were awarded hammers embossed with “Billy the Hammer.”

On June 26, the club celebrated the Maroons Cup, inspired by the 1920s pro football team from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. It was sponsored by David Russek, a native of Pottsville, as a way to bring attention to the fascinating history of the city to support its rehabilitation.

Russek watched the game from the sidelines rather than the back of a horse after cracking five ribs, the result of falling off one of his horses when it was spooked by a parade of bagpipers in a game weeks earlier.

Maroons (Richard Weidel, Sarah Weidel, Barclay Knapp, Tim Cheromcka, Jose Cervantes, Carol Hails) took on Tinicum (Mohamed Hassan, Meg Mullen, David Halliday, Owen Halliday,

Elini Lampers, Mark Mulligan).

Tinicum got the 9-2 edge, taking home the prize footballs. Meg Mullen was named MVP, earning herself a Maroons football jersey.

In July, Weidel (Val Washington, Gabriel Maldonado, Rich Weidel, Joaquin Arguello) fell to Hawkwood (Barclay Knapp, Kathleen Fowser, Leandro Berrios, Francisco Llosa), 9-6, in the Max Berger Cup final.

Maldonado struck first but he was answered by Llosa. Arguello hammered in two in a row and a Penalty 1 gave Weidel an early 4-1 lead. Llosa nailed a Penalty 3 and Berrios followed with a goal to bring Hawkwood within one, 43, before Maldonado scored, ending the half 5-3 in favor of Weidel.

Hawkwood rallied in the third with Llosa adding four goals, including two open-goal penalties, while Weidel was shut down, giving Hawkwood a 7-5 lead going into the last seven minutes. Maldonado cut the difference to one early in the fourth, but Berrios turned up the heat, scoring two in a row to secure the Hawkwood victory, 9-6.

Gabriel Maldonado was MVP, while Barclay Knapp’s Shorty, played by Leandro Berrios, was Best Playing Pony.

To get to the final, Hawkwood topped Windmill, 8-6, and Weidel crushed Azra, 10-2.

In the consolation match, Windmill (Rhea Lowenthal, Nate Berube, Tim

R E P O R T

D. JEAN VERGARA

P O L O

Hawkwood’s Barclay Knapp, Kathy Fowser, Leandro Berrios and Francisco LLosa won the Max Berger Cup. Peter Rizzo, far right, presented trophies.

Cheromcka, Trevor Reeves) edged Azra (Affan Iftikhar, Abdullah Chaudhry, Jose Cervantes, Juan Martinez Baez), 85. Windmill led 3-1 after the first, and 53 at the half. Azra was unable to reach the goal in the third while Windmill added three more. Azra cut the deficit to three in the last chukker but was unable to get any closer.

LANDHOPE TOPS IN PATTON CUP Landhope slipped past West Shore in the final of the 2- to 4-goal USPA Patton Cup at Maryland Polo Club in Jarrettsville, Maryland, June 27.

West Shore (Liv Stringer Berube, Max Hempt, Nate Berube, Trevor Reeves) was the first to get on the board thanks to a well-placed shot by Liv Berube. Landhope (Michael Bucklin, Kathy Fowser, Martin Eddy, Francisco Llosa, Miguel Boly) answered back with Llosa sinking a Penalty 4 and Eddy shooting in a field goal. Nate Berube nailed a Penalty 3 to tie the score, 2-2. Boly swapped goals with Liv Berube, then Llosa added a Penalty 4 conversion and a field goal to put Landhope ahead, 5-3, at the half.

Bucklin scored early in the third, but Nate Berube converted a Penalty 3 and Liv Berube followed with a field goal to bring West Shore within one, 65. Llosa sunk a Penalty 4 early in the

Landhope’s Michael Bucklin, Francisco Llosa, Kathy Fowser and Miguel Boly won the Patton Cup at Maryland Polo.

fourth to stretch the lead to two, but West Shore would not give up. Liv Berube scored and Nate Berube sunk a Penalty 2 to level the score, 7-7, and force overtime.

In extra time, it was a West Shore error that allowed Landhope a Penalty 2. Llosa easily slipped the ball between the posts to give Landhope the 8-7 win, earning it $1,500 in prize money.

To get to the final, West Shore downed Dovecote (Zoey Bivlacqua, Laura Brown, Tom Huber, Jake Brown), while Landhope got the best of Quiet Creek Farm (Josie Dorsey, Olivia Reynolds, Hannah Reynolds, Joaquin Arguello).

Liv Berube was MVP and Francisco Llosa’s Junior was Best Playing Pony.

SOUTHEAST

EAGLES SOAR IN CONSTITUTION CUP Four teams competed in the Southeast Circuit Arena Constitution Cup at Triangle Area Polo Club in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina, July 1-4. In the end, it was Eagles that rose above the rest.

In the first match, Freedom downed Liberty, 11-4. The teams exchanged goals in the first but the handicap goal and another tally in the second put Freedom ahead, 5-2, at the

half. Tammy Havener scored three for Freedom in the third and the team never looked back.

In the next match, Eagles (David Brooks, Maud Eno, Nicole Romach) trounced Independence, 17-7. David Brooks led Eagles to a strong 9-5 first half. Independence hung tough in the third, preventing Eagles from pulling away any further, but Eagles fought back in the fourth for the win.

In the consolation between Liberty and Independence, Maeren Honacher led Liberty for five first-half goals to go up by one. Liberty moved farther ahead in a strong third, then held off Independence in the fourth for the win.

In the final, a back-and-forth first period ended with the teams knotted 2-2. David Brooks scored two in a row in the second, but Molly Matthews answered. Every goal scored by Eagles was answered by Freedom. The half ended with Eagles holding a slight, 65, advantage.

Eagles adjusted their game at the half. Brooks powered ahead with four tallies in the third followed by Matthews sandwiching goals around one from Maud Eno, giving Eagles an 11-7 advantage going into the final chukker. Twice Matthews scored to cut the Eagle lead to three, only to be answered by Brooks. Meanwhile, Eagles defense turned back numerous Freedom drives to goal to hang on to

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

P O L O

R E P O R T

Eagles’ Katy Hayward, Maud Eno and David Brooks won the Constitution Cup at Triangle Area Polo Club in North Carolina.

the win, 13-9.

Molly Matthews was named MVP and Tammy Havener’s Blondi was Best Playing Pony.

Earlier in the season, Triangle Area Polo Club Black edged Carolina, 12-7, in the Sportsmanship Cup. Four teams competed in the event, played May 1-2.

In Game 1, TAPC Orange faced TAPC Black (David Brooks, Molly Matthews, Nicole Romach). Leslie Brooks gave Orange an early 3-0 lead but husband David Brooks shot back with four to put Black up, 4-3. The teams traded goals back and forth in the second before Black turned up the heat in the third with five unanswered goals on the way to a 17-9 victory.

The next game saw Carolina take on Liberty Hall. Dan Coleman and Carson Tucker exchanged goals in the first. Dan Coleman added a couple extra goals in the second to give Liberty a 5-3 halftime lead. Carolina outscored Liberty, 2-1, in the third to come within one, 6-5. Dan Coleman increased the lead to two early in the fourth, before Tucker lit up the scoreboard, sandwiching pairs of goals around one from Liberty while Maeren Honacher added four more for the 13-8 win.

TAPC Black was pitted against Carolina in the final. Tucker put Carolina on the board with three goals, includ-

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

TAPC Black’s Molly Matthews, David Brooks and Nicole Romach won the Sportsmanship Cup at Triangle Area Polo Club.

ing a two-pointer. Black responded with each player hitting the mark, including three from Brooks. Black continued to pull away, taking a 9-4 halftime lead. The teams matched each other’s goals in the second half, however Carolina was unable to make up any ground and TAPC took the 127 win.

In the consolation, Liberty Hall edged TAPC Orange, 8-6. It was a case of half hot, half cold for Orange. The team scored three in the first and third but couldn’t scratch in the second and fourth, while Liberty Hall kept the pressure up. Liberty started the fourth down by one, but little Danny Coleman scored twice and set up his dad for a third goal, helping Liberty take the win.

Carson Tucker was MVP and Molly Matthews’ Jody was Best Playing Pony.

PAC I F I C C OA S T

LA FORTUNA CAPTURES OFFICER’S CUP TOURNEY Four teams lined up for the Pacific Coast Officer’s Cup, July 10-11, at the Wine Country Polo Club’s Trione Field in Sonoma County, California.

As with much of polo, it was a family affair, with teams comprising three

Saraccos (Luis, Coqui and Micaela), two Rivkins (Vladimir and Katerina), and two Gonzalezes (Heriberto and Liliana).

The first game pitted La Fortuna (Luis Saracco, Elise Bigelo, Carlos Rivas, Micaela Saracco, Danielle Lyons) against POLOSF (Toto Socas, Vladimir Rivkin, Jennifer Putnam, Rebecca Jane Clark). While POLOSF cracked and sizzled throughout the four chukkers, it was no match for a strong Fortuna team, captained by 4goaler Saracco.

Fortuna was up by two goals in the first chukker, both scored by Saracco.

POLOSF then tied it up with goals by Putnam and Clark in the second chukker, but La Fortuna came roaring back to lead again, with scores by Bigelow and another by Saracco. Rivas carried the day in Chukker 3, adding two more goals to La Fortuna’s tally.

Rivkin and Socas then parried La Fortuna vigorously, eventually breaking through to score one goal each in Chukker 4. However, despite its efforts, it was unable to break La Fortuna’s lead. When the final horn sounded, La Fortuna had won 6-4.

The second game pitted Black Horse (Coqui Saracco, Katerina Rivkin, Micaela Saracco, Ajay Moturi) against an evenly-rated Trione Winery (Leandro Floccari, Heriberto Gonza-

P O L O

Elise Bigelo, Luis Saracco (with Felipe Saracco), Miceala Saracco and Carlos Rivas (with Camilla Rivas) won the Officer’s Cup.

lez, Liliana Gonzalez, Jani Friedman).

As one might expect with same-rating teams, the final score after four chukkers was 4-4, although a last-second Chukker 4 attempt at goal by Rivkin missed by inches, much to the chagrin of Trione Winery supporters on the sidelines. USPA umpire Cristian Vásquez called for a shootout.

Black Horse missed its second shot at goal, but Trione Winery’s Lili Gonzalez did not, securing the win.

Sunday morning brought POLOSF face to face with Black Horse in the consolation match. Working well together, Black Horse and the family duo of Micaela and Coqui Saracco were able to overcome almost every challenge from Socas and his players.

While POLOSF started strong and was able to even the score midway through Chukker 2 at 2-2, it was all Black Horse from that point on, with Micaela and Coqui racking up two goals apiece. Black Horse’s final tally came from a last-second dash to goal by promising teenager Ajay Moturi.

The final score was 7-2.

By winning their matches the day before, it would be La Fortuna versus Trione Winery for the Officer’s Cup final. In the first chukker, Luis Saracco, Rivas and Bigelow shot three through the uprights in quick succession. By the end of Chukker 3, Rivas

R E P O R T

Baum Squad’s Erik Wright, Marco Esposto, Michael LaBlanc, Lucas Esposto and Steve Baumhoff won the Master’s Cup.

and Saracco had increased their team’s tally to five. However, their game was not without fault, resulting in Penalty 2s in the second and third chukkers, both of which were scored

by Liliana Gonzalez. Early in the fourth, Lili’s dad Heriberto Gonzalez put two more goals on the board for Trione Winery. The Trione team gave it their all, but despite several runs downfield set up by their No. 4 Floccari, neither of the Gonzalez duo could find their way around La Fortuna for shots between the posts. The game went to La Fortuna, 6-4.

Bigelow’s La Manchita was Best Playing Pony.

—Paul Griffin and Jennifer Putnam

BAUM SQUAD WINS MASTERS CUP The Masters Cup at Cerro Pampa Polo Club in Petaluma, California, July 4, came down to who was master of the penalty line.

Four teams competed in the event over two days. Baum Squad (Lucas Esposto, Marco Esposto, Steve Baumhoff, Erik Wright, Michael LaBlanc) earned a spot in the final with a 6-3 defeat of Tevis Ranch (Michael Dawson, Elizabeth Mansfield, Katy Mckegney, Richard Mansfield). Wright led the team with four

goals, ably assisted by single goals from Lucas Espoto and LaBlanc. On the other side, Casa Socas/KWH (Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, Ian Beed, Jesse Eller, Marcial Socas) and Wrightway (Hassaan Khan, Aquiles Ramirez, Elizabeth Holson, Gregory LaBlanc) battled in the semifinal. Holson scored the only two goals in the first seven minutes. Socas put his team on the board in the second with a lone goal, then followed with two more in the third to take a brief lead. Ramirez knotted the score to end the third, 3-3.

Socas took back the lead in the last chukker but Khan responded to knot the score and force a penalty shootout.

Kaykas-Wolff and LaBlanc represented their teams at the penalty line. After three attempts, LaBlanc split the posts to put Wrightway in the final.

Tevis Ranch doubled up Casa Socas/KWH, 4-2, in the consolation.

Immediately after, Baum Squad and Wrightway met in the final. Ramirez wasted no time putting Wrightway on the board but Marco Esposto and Wright had the answer to take the lead, 2-1. Greg LaBlance tied the score early in the second and Holson followed with back-to-back goals. Wright finished out the half with a goal to keep it close, 4-3. Khan and Ramirez turned up the pressure in the third, each adding a goal to double up Baum

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

R E P O R T MURRELL PHOTOGRAPHY

P O L O

Sparkle Unicorns’ Tommy Ussher, Joel Torres, Emi Sears, Rachel Faierman, Tracy Dawson and Eileen Duffy won the Róse Cup.

Squad, 6-3. Michael LaBlanc scored to cut the deficit to two, 6-4, going into the final seven minutes. Baum Squad shut Wrightway out in the fourth, leaving Wright room to score two in a row, tying up the game and forcing a shootout to determine a winner.

Michael LaBlanc lined up on the penalty line for Baum, while Wrightway once again relied on Michael’s uncle, Greg LaBlanc. This time, Greg was unable to connect on two attempts, but Michael found the target on his second try to give Baum Squad the 7-6 win.

Brothers Marco and Lucas Esposto, who split a spot on the winning Baum Sqaud, are the youngest players to play in the event, making their mother very proud!

The same weekend, Wrightway (Rebecca Kaykas-Wolff, Jena Watson/Nicole Hai, Will Ellis/Joel Torres, Erik Wright) and Sparkle Unicorns (Rachel Faierman/Nigel Quinn, Tracy Dawson/Eileen Duffy, Emi Sears, Tommy Ussher) competed for the Róse Cup, played over two days with the scores carrying forward from one day to the next.

On the first day, the teams took some time to get rolling, with neither team able to find the goal in the first chukker. Dawson got the scoring started in the second while Wrightway’s

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

Villa Ecleto’s Lalo Ramirez, MVP Morgan Tennant and Juan Campos won the Allied Service Cup in Texas.

scoring drought continued. Quinn added three goals in the third to give Sparkle Unicorns a 4-1 lead before Hai put Wrightway on the board. Duffy and Torres traded goals in the fourth, leaving Sparkle Unicorns ahead, 5-2.

On the second day, Matt Crosser took over for Joel Torres on Wrightway, while Torres moved over to Sparkle Unicorns, splitting a position with Quinn and Duffy. Faierman scored first but the goal was answered

by Crosser. Faierman and Sears added goals in the second, while Wrightway was silenced. Sears traded goals with Watson in the third and Dawson and Watson swapped goals in the fourth, keeping Sparkle Unicorns comfortably ahead, 10-5, at the horn. Sparkle Unicorns has won each of the four years the tournament has been held.

Emi Sears was named MVP. SOUTHWEST

VILLA ECLETO PREVAILS IN ALLIED SERVICES CUP Lalo Ramirez powered Villa Ecleto to victory in the inaugural 3-goal USPA National Allied Services Cup at Legends Polo Club in Kaufman, Texas, June 6. When over six inches of rain forced the tournament to be moved

from Texas Military Polo Club, Nacho Estrada graciously offered his covered arena.

Five teams lined up in the weekend tournament, all hoping for the chance to hold up the trophies. A round robin between Texas Military (Rob Phipps, Karl Hilberg, Chris Jones), Polo InterActive (Jose Velez, Joss Leufrancois, Javier Insua) and Villa Ecleto (Juan Campos, Morgan Tennant, Lalo Ramirez) saw Texas Military fall to Polo InterActive, 7-3, and Villa Ecleto, 9-3.

The last round was for a spot in the final with Villa Ecleto getting the 9-7 edge. The next match had Legends Polo (Marcus Murphy, Nacho Estrada, Don English) earning a spot in the final with a 15-13 win over Leaseplan (Brady Williams, Megan Flynn, Lisa Yanskey).

The next day, Texas Military, Leaseplan and Polo InterActive played a consolation round robin prior to the main event.

In the final, Ramirez put Villa Ecleto out front with back-to-back goals.

Estrada answered with a goal for Legends, but Ramirez responded, slamming the ball into the goal. Murphy kept it close with a goal for Legends late in the chukker. Villa Ecleto turned up the heat in the second chukker, shutting Legends down while Tennant and Ramirez combined for five goals. Villa Ecleto went to the half

R E P O R T

KAYLEE WROE

KAYLEE WROE

P O L O

BTA’s KC Krueger, Nachi Viana, Steve Krueger and Kelly Beal won the USPA Officer’s Cup at Houston Polo Club.

MURRELL PHOTOGRAPHY

with a comfortable, 8-2, lead.

Legends fought back in the second half, with Estrada matching the only Villa Ecleto goal, this one off the mallet of Campos, keeping the difference six goals. English cut the difference to four early in the fourth. Ramirez struck again but Estrada matched the goal. Ramirez kept pushing and struck three more times, ensuring the 14-6 victory.

Morgan Tennant was MVP and her 8-year-old buckskin mare Layana, played by Lalo Ramirez, was Best Playing Pony. Ramirez scored seven goals

Lalo Ramirez, aboard Best Playing Pony Layana, turns the ball back in the final of the Allied Services Cup.

Horsegate’s Lily Lequerica, Lance Stefanakis, Marcos Villanueva and Toto Collardin won the 8-goal Cowboy Cup in Houston.

off the mare, who Tennant calls an absolute machine, in the two chukkers he played her. Ramirez and Tennant were mounted on horses owned by Villa Ecleto, all hand-selected by Ramirez.

Marcus Murphy was awarded the Sportsmanship Award. A junior player, Murphy competed in his first tournament earlier this year. He made significant improvements in his riding and playing abilities leading up to the Allied Services Cup. He scored five goals in the qualifying match to help his team reach the final.

BTA TRIUMPHS IN USPA OFFICERS CUP BTA crushed Horsegate, 16-9, in the USPA Officers Cup, May 10, at Houston Polo Club in Houston, Texas.

Four teams battled it out over two weeks, with several cancellations due to persistent rain.

BTA (Kelly Beal, KC Krueger, Nachi Viana, Steve Krueger) and Horsegate (Bobby Gerry, Lance Stefanakis, Marcos Villanueva, Toto Collardin) both had 2-0 records going into the final. Collardin opened the scoring with a beautiful run to goal.

Viana converted an open-goal penalty to bring it level. Horsegate added two more goals and Viana responded with one more to end the chukker, 3-2, in favor of Horsegate.

BTA turned the tables in the second, jumping out front with five goals while holding Horsegate to a single tally and taking a 7-4 lead. Collardin went to work to make up lost ground and brought Horsegate within one, 76, in the third before Krueger scored to keep the difference two, 8-6.

BTA kept the momentum in the second half, outscoring Horsegate, 31, in both the fourth and fifth chukkers, to lead 14-8 going into the last chukker. Collardin tried to chip away at the deficit, but after scoring

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

R E P O R T TEQUILA SUNSET’S PHOTOGRAPHY

TEQUILA SUNSET’S PHOTOGRAPHY

P O L O

Raeann Magill’s Tuco was Best Playing Pony in the Tulsa Women’s Challenge.

Tulsa Polo’s Megan Flynn, Sarah Morelli, Karen Summers and Tori Summers won the Women’s Challenge in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

once, the team was shut down. Meanwhile Steve Krueger scored two more to seal the 16-9 win.

KC Krueger was named MVP and Chrys Beal’s Zumi, played by KC Krueger, was Best Playing Pony.

Earlier in the season, Horsegate (Lily Lequerica, Lance Stefanakis, Marcos Villanueva, Toto Collardin) took on W-S (Wesley Sinor, Chino Payan, Juan Jo Gonzalez, Nicolai Galindo) in the final of the 8-goal Cowboy Cup. Payan scored early in the first but Collardin and Stefanakis answered to put Horsegate ahead, 2-1, at the end of the first chukker. A Penalty 2 conversion from Gonzalez knotted the score at 2. W-S was silenced in the third, while Collardin added two to put Horsegate ahead, 4-2, at the half.

Horsegate benefited from the halftime break, adding a pair of goals in the fourth. W-S fought back with Galindo and Sinor cutting the deficit to two, 6-4, going into the fifth.

Horsegate buckled down, keeping W-S away from the goal, while regaining a four-goal lead. W-S stopped the bleeding in the last chukker, while adding two goals, but it was unable to get any closer and Horsegate took the win.

Toto Collardin was MVP, and his Regia was named Best Playing Pony.

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

The club also hosted a junior tournament with polo, pizza, ponies, capri suns and a waterslide. Players from 2 to 19 played in one of four levels: advanced, intermediate, walk/trot and leadline.

Vintage Polo’s Joe Bob Lequerica, Joanie Jackson and Clare Bogart won the advanced level. All-stars included Lance Stefanakis, Joe Bob Lequerica, Grace Parker, Lily Lequerica and Joanie Jackson. Lance Stefanakis’ Dominga was named Best Playing Pony.

Tonkawa’s Ripley Middleton, Tate Seward and Trent Florey prevailed in the intermediate group. Trent Florey was MVP and Uma Villanueva’s Rosita was Best Playing Pony.

St. Regis Houston’s Abby Agrons, Danny Fulkerson and Charlotte Cifuni won the walk/trot group. Danny Fulkerson was MVP and Bradie Kimbrough’s Betty White was Best Playing Pony.

In the leadline group, BTA (Gael Munoz, Carty Krueger, Shirley Krueger) HPC (Clementine Barry, Santos Villanueva, Violet Ellison) and Traveller’s Rest (Luisito Mancebo, Evelyn Wroe, August Orthwein) ended in a tie.

GREAT PLAINS

TULSA SQUEAKS OUT WIN IN WOMEN’S CHALLENGE Six teams competed in the Tulsa Women’s Challenge played at Mohawk Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June. In the end, it was the home team that took the trophies.

The event is part of the mid-continent Women’s Polo Series, an annual collection of women’s polo tournaments in multiple states. Rain canceled some of the spring events.

Teams played off on Saturday, with Freddy’s (Karson Bizzel, Dani Gibson, Raeann Magill, Matille Drury) and Tulsa (Megan Flynn, Karen Funk Summers, Tori Summers, Sarah Morelli) settling at the top and advancing to the final.

In a hard-fought match with very little fouling and a lot of defense, Tulsa edged out Freddy’s by a half-goal.

Megan Flynn was MVP while Dan Gibson won the Sportsmanship Award.

Best Playing Pony honors went to Raeann Magill’s Tuco.

P O L O OBITUARY

HORACE LAFFAYE Horace Albert Laffaye, 86, passed away of natural causes due to complications of late-stage Alzheimer’s Disease on May 31 in Durango, Colorado.

He was a long-time resident of Weston, Westport, and Fairfield, Connecticut; and of Wellington, Florida.

After joining a private practice at The Willows in Westport, Dr. Laffaye served as Chief of Surgery at Norwalk Hospital for 22 years until his retirement in 2005. He was a member of several professional organizations, including serving as past president of the New England Surgical Society and the Surgeons’ Travel Club. For several years, he mentored PAs as a professor with the Yale University Physician Assistant Program. Through his practice of medicine, Dr. Laffaye touched many, from setting broken bones and stitching up lacerations, to saving lives with his competent surgical skills.

Lifelong learning was essential to him, and he continuously sought to improve his knowledge. As chief, Laffaye organized annual symposia for his colleagues at Norwalk Hospital, where surgeons shared their professional expertise, as well as spent time socializing for long weekends. Because of the many Type A personalities involved, these weekends always included hard-fought competitions for golf and tennis awards, some of which he named after his grand kids: the Martina Cup, Derek’s Jug, Grace’s Tassie and last, but not least, the Gemini Cup, for the twin boys, Mark and Todd.

Serendipitously, it was during his practice of medicine that Laffaye encountered a patient who sought treatment for an injury sustained while playing polo. Thus began the reignition of a passion within Laffaye for one of his youthful endeavors back in

Horace Laffaye

his native Argentina. For two decades, Laffaye played polo at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, the Ox Ridge Hunt Club in Darien, and at the White Birch Polo Club in Greenwich, as well as matches throughout the Northeast.

After his playing days ended, he combined his love of history and passion for polo by reinventing himself as a scholar and author. Known for his steel-trap memory for the minutiae of tournaments long-past, eventually he authored or edited nine books and innumerable articles on polo in both Spanish and English, adding significantly to the historical record of the sport. In 2010, Laffaye served as a Daniels Fellow at the National Sporting Museum and Library in Middleburg, Virginia, research which led to the publication of his work, Polo in the United States: A History. Whether on the sidelines of a practice or in the grandstands of a major final, Horace loved to share engaging stories of players and horses from the earliest days of polo to the more recent past.

Upon his retirement Laffaye gave his time and talents to assist the Polo Museum and Hall of Fame in myriad ways, from helping the organization add to their collections of books, art and memorabilia, to serving on the board of directors and as chair of the Nominating Committee for the Hall of Fame. Throughout his life, Laffaye appreciated the friends he made

R E P O R T worldwide from the game of polo. He was as comfortable conversing with CEOs and ambassadors as he was with grooms and other staff. He bonded with people through their shared love of the game.

In addition to his enthusiasm for polo, Laffaye pursued various outlets for his competitive nature. Some of his fondest memories came from the golf course, the unique challenges of the game and the opportunities for socializing with friends. In his youth, he both played and refereed rugby, and he met his future wife after a match at a rugby club. Also, he was honored with a lifetime membership to the Sports Car Club of America, having competed in rallies for decades when he first arrived in the United States.

During his final years, his caregivers chuckled with great fondness at his exclamations from the passenger seat, “You drive like Fangio,” one of his Argentine car-racing idols.

Laffaye was predeceased by members of his beloved family: his wife Martha; sister María Teresa and brother Roberto; and his parents, all of whom he recalled strongly in his final years. He is survived by his daughter Gisèle Laffaye Pansze (Trent) of Durango, Colorado, and their children; his former daughter-in-law Ann Kovarik Laffaye of Phoenix and son Patrick of Norwalk and their sons; his loving companion in his later years, Mary Boykin of Palm Beach; and numerous nieces and nephews and their families in Argentina.

After Martha’s passing, when Horace gathered his family for an Alaskan cruise, he remarked, “After I die, my grand kids won’t remember that I was a surgeon or an author. But they will remember that I took them to Alaska.” He was that kind of gentleman: generous, thoughtful, gracious.

And even toward the end, his wicked sense of humor and his contagious laughter would emerge at unexpected moments.

•

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

CALENDAR

August J U LY 7 - AU G U S T 1 USPA Eduardo Moore Invitational (8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY J U LY 7 - AU G U S T 4 Hampton’s League (6) Southampton, Watermill, NY J U LY 8 - AU G U S T 2 8 Rincon League Pro-Am (8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA J U LY 13 - AU G U S T 12 New York Cup (8) Southampton, Watermill, NY J U LY 2 2 - AU G U S T 1 George S. Patton Jr. (12) Las Brisas, Elgin, IL J U LY 2 3 - AU G U S T 8 USPA Silver Cup (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA J U LY 2 5 - AU G U S T 8 USPA Governor’s Cup Denver, Sedonia, CO J U LY 2 8 - AU G U S T 1 East Coast Women’s Handicap (12) Westchester, Portsmouth, RI Players Cup (4) Lexington, Lexington, KY J U LY 2 8 - S E P T E M B E R 8 Fall League (4) Southampton, Watermill, NY J U LY 2 9 - AU G U S T 1 Players Cup (4) Simsbury, Simsbury, CT Amateur Cup (1) Congressional Cup (2) Central New York, Ithaca, NY J U LY 3 0 - AU G U S T 1 Constitution Cup (4) Fairfield, Haysville, KS AU G U S T 1 NYTS Women’s East Coast Open final Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Capital City Aviation Cup Columbus, Frazeyburg, OH Paul Nicholson Memorial

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

NYTS Big Horn, Big Horn, WY

Arena Masters Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD

AU G U S T 1 - 15 Eastern Challenge (12) Beverly, The Plains, VA

AU G U S T 7 - 8 Arena Amateur Cup (3) Poway, Poway, CA

AU G U S T 1 - 2 8 USPA Crossman Cup (2) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

AU G U S T 8 USPA America Cup (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

A U G U S T 3 - S E P T E M B E R 16 Southampton Cup (8) Southampton, Watermill, NY AU G U S T 4 - 7 Moncrieff Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY AU G U S T 4 - 15 USPA Constitution Cup (4) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY AU G U S T 5 - 8 Sportsmanship Cup (4) Skaneateles, Skaneateles, NY A U G U S T 5 - 14 Governors Cup (6) Morgan Creek, Yorkville, IL AU G U S T 6 23rd Ronny Maher Memorial Maryland, Fallston, MD AU G U S T 6 - 8 Landhope Challenge Cup (6) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA Women’s Challenge Peoria/Bettendorf, Peoria, IL Governors Cup (6) Seattle, Enumclaw, WA Polo Canada Invitational Greater Niagra, Wainfleet, Ontario

San Pedro Ranch Cup Big Horn, Big Horn, WY Archie MacCarty Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY AU G U S T 8 - 15 USPA W. Cameron Forbes Cup (6) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Chicago Polo Open Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL A U G U S T 11 - 14 Bradford Brinton Memorial Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY AU G U S T 12 Congressional Cup (6) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD A U G U S T 1 2 - 14 Lamborghini Las Vegas Polo Classic South Point Casino Equestrian Center Las Vegas, Nevada AU G U S T 13 - 2 9 Pacific Coast Open (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA A U G U S T 14 President’s Cup (8) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA The Seattle Polo Party Seattle, Enumclaw, WA

AU G U S T 6 - 15 Masters Cup (12) Arranmore, Oswego, IL

A U G U S T 14 - 1 5 10th Dog Iron Polo Cup (1) Will Rogers, Pacific Palisades, CA

AU G U S T 6 - 2 0 President’s Cup (8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA

AU G U S T 15 WC Title Cup Columbus, Frazeyburg, OH

AU G U S T 7 UK vs USA Challenge Farmington, Farmington, CT

Kurt Luplow Memorial Women’s Big Horn, Big Horn, WY

CALENDAR

A U G U S T 1 8 - 21 Bozeman Trail Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY

AU G U S T 2 2 - 2 9 USPA Governors Cup (6) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

AU G U S T 18 - S E P T E M B E R 5 USPA Tracey Mactaggart Challenge (8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY

AU G U S T 2 3 - 2 9 Governors Cup (6) Lexington, Lexington, KY

A U G U S T 19 - 2 2 Sportsmanship Cup (2) Play Polo, Westerville, OH

AU G U S T 2 5 - 2 8 Flying H Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY

AU G U S T 2 0 International Cup Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD

AU G U S T 2 6 - 2 9 Arena Amateur Cup (3) Triangle, Hurdle Mills, NC

A U G U S T 2 0 - 21 Women’s Challenge Cup (6) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA Club Classic Seneca, Poolesville, MD A U G U S T 21 - 2 2 Amateur Cup (0) Blackberry, Batavia, IL USPA Sportsmanship Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH

USPA Gerald Balding Cup (8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA Mile High Women’s Invitational Denver, Sedonia, CO AU G U S T 27 - 2 9 Polo Ponies Memorial (8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA AU G U S T 2 8 Tailgate Trophy Farmington, Farmington, CT

AU G U S T 2 9 Sophisticated Living Cup Columbus, Granville, OH Spark Plug Intermediate Tourney Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD Drake Challenge Cup Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL AU G U S T 2 9 - S E P T E M B E R 5 Sportsmanship Cup (2) Roseland, Crozet, VA AU G U S T 2 9 - S E P T E M B E R 6 Don King Days Big Horn, Big Horn, WY AU G U S T 2 9 - S E P T E M B E R 12 East Coast Open (20) Greenwich, Greenwich, CT Note: All dates are subject to change.

“USPA” refers to tournaments sponsored or sanctioned by the United States Polo Association.

Signifies prize money available.

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

(continued from page 45) What would the horse logistics of such an international tournament be like?

Argentina has the possibility that whoever plays polo anywhere has links with players and organizations here. It is easier when you represent a club. If you play representing a country it is more complex. You have to set up a horse pool system. In this case, each one would organize on their own with local clubs and it would be much lower in cost to do so in Argentina. We have Pilar, Palermo, a gastronomic walk already established, the weather in April is very good and you can even move it to places like Mendoza, Córdoba, Salta, San Luis. It is perfectly possible to organize a proposal so that whoever wants to come, can play in a high-level handicap and move to other provinces or go to classic clubs where polo was born in Argentina.

Your father, a polo pioneer in Argentina and the world, passed away very recently.

What advice from him will you keep in mind for this position?

I was very influenced by how he built ties of friendship through sports. I traveled around the world with a little notebook that my father gave me, where for each country there was a name and a phone number. I practically never slept in a hotel room having been to Australia, New Zealand and several countries in Europe. There is a passport to build this kind of relationships of friendship, business and polo network. There are many things that politics cannot solve and sport can.

When my father put together the World Cup in Germany it seemed that he was crazy. He united Argentines with Englishmen after the Malvinas War. They wanted to boycott the tournament and they were in a Germany where the wall had not fallen yet.

That legacy of building a global bond is the one that remains with me the most. And today, which is my birthday, my wife made me realize that my father also assumed the AAP presidency when he was 47 years old.

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 57

Y E S T E RY E A R S

The Argentine team, part 2 California winners outdoors & N.Y. beginner indoors, 1930

By Dennis J. Amato

In 1930, an Argentine team made a memorable trip to the United States to play in a series of matches in California, including the Pacific Coast Open Championship. However, they also made a short, last-minute courtesy trip to New York where they even tried their hand at indoor polo. Last month, I recounted the California leg of their famous visit and in this Part II, the story of their fascinating but largely forgotten New York stopover is told.

While an actual photograph has yet to surface of the Argentine trio of Manual Andrada, José Reynal and Alfredo Harrington at Squadron A, this photoshop image probably accurately depicts how they would have appeared during their 1930 indoor match.

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

Part II–The New York Visit With the passage of time, one of the fascinating but largely overlooked segments of the Argentines’ 1930 American trip was that their memorable extended visit to California was followed by a now largely forgotten short stay in New York. The contingent from the Pampas that came east was apparently limited to the players, Manuel Andrada, Alfredo Harrington, Juan Reynal, José Reynal and Carlos Uranga, along with their families.

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This photo was likely taken at a Manhattan hotel in early April during the Argentine team’s New York stopover. This picture includes Alfredo Harrington, Juan, José and Martin Reynal, Mrs. Harrington, Mrs. Reynal, three señioritas Reynal and an unidentified individual, far right.

The team made the long cross-country trek by train and arrived in the Big Apple in early April.

Undoubtedly, they came east at the express invitation of the USPA. According to Polo magazine in its May 1930 issue, the Santa Paula team “saw all there was to see of New York polo with the exception of Thomas Hitchcock Jr., the International Captain. ‘And we had heard so much about him’ said the English-speaking member of the group when asked to imagine a twelve-goal player ‘that we almost know what he is like.’”

Unfortunately, the American super star was still in Aiken competing in a tournament.

At the renowned Meadow Brook Club in Westbury, Long Island, the Argentines were given the red-carpet treatment in a tour led by none other than Devereux Milburn who was joined by other polo stalwarts. As the official polo season was still some time off, the visitors were not able to either practice or to engage in any games at the Club at this juncture but reiterated their promise to return the following year to compete in the U.S. Open Championship.

The USPA also hosted a gala dinner in New York for the out-of-towners. In addition to Louis Stoddard, USPA chairman, some of the other polo luminaries who attended were Milburn, Winston Guest, Stewart Iglehart, Earl Hopping and J.

Watson Webb.

Although outdoor polo was not possible, the Argentines were brought to Squadron A to witness, merely out of curiosity for the first time in their lives, indoor polo. Surprisingly, the visitors were so

The 1930-1931 Indoor Manual made reference to this historic international match between the Americans and the Argentines (see inset).

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 59

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intrigued by the contests that Saturday evening, April 5, that they then asked the Indoor Polo Association if they could try their hand at the game!

Needless to say, the IPA willingly obliged and did the Argentines one better by orchestrating a special informal exhibition match up before the Wednesday evening finals for the Association’s Class A and Class B Championships.

The Argentines would play at the 8 p.m. opening on April 9 prior to the official games. The special event generated so much excitement that the

game affords them that chance.”

Ironically, it was this exhibition game that generated the most excitement as the two official matches were pretty much foregone conclusions. As expected, Winston Guest’s Optimists demolished their opponent, Yale University, for the Class A trophy by a lopsided score of 13-6 despite conceding five goals on handicap (13-1 on the flat). Guest alone managed to score nine goals in what turned out to be a virtual teaching clinic. Moreover, his team achieved the astonishing distinction of an undefeated season.

The Argentine-American indoor match took place in Squadron A in early April 1930. Despite the enormity of the armory (190 feet by 300 feet), the Argentines found it difficult to adapt initially to the indoor format, particularly the placement of an inflated polo ball that often had to be played on the rebound off a wall.

They nevertheless turned in a “brilliant performance.”

Madison Avenue armory attracted some 3000 fans that night. As the famous sportswriter and polo aficionado Robert F. Kelley wrote in The New York Times “the largest crowd of the season jammed every corner of the armory.” He accurately anticipated the pent-up enthusiasm for the upcoming encounter in a column he wrote prior to the game itself: “The exhibition of the South Americans, despite the fact they are green at the indoor game and cannot be expected to turn in a really fast game, has aroused considerable interest. Polo followers here in the east have heard of the fine play of these players in winning the California open title, but there has been no opportunity to see them in action and tonight’s 60 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

In a later recap of indoor play in the 1929-30 cycle, Kelley in the May issue of The Sportsman, was to remark rather glibly: “In the outdoor game there is Mr. Thomas Hitchcock Jr., who sometimes plays at least twelve-goal polo, and indoors, there is exactly the same situation with Mr. Guest. The problem then seems to be what to do with the rest of the field.”

Similarly, in the second official game that evening, the Brooklyn Riding & Driving Club routed its opponent, the New York Athletic Club 11-6½ to retain the Class B championship for the third consecutive year.

Thus, in a case where the appetizer was perhaps better than the entrée, the warm-up game featuring

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Upon their return to Buenos Aires, a banquet was held for the triumphant Santa Paula team which was presided over by Miguel Alfredo Martínez de Hoz, a renowned landowner (Estancia Chapadmalal) as well as a one-time polo player and a former president of the Asociacíon Argentina de Polo (1923-1925). In this photo, he is asking Juan Reynal, center, if Douglas Fairbanks played polo, while Manuel Andrada, right, listens quietly.

the Argentine trio of Alfredo Harrington (1); José Reynal (2); Manuel Andrada (Back) proved to be the main attraction that Saturday night. Their opponent was the worthy Eastcott team comprised of Earle W. Hopping (1); his son, Earle A.S. Hopping (2); and A. Charles Schwartz (Back), who was also a member of the USPA’s defense committee.

There was likely no team less prepared to take to the tanbark that Saturday evening at Squadron A than the Argentine one. Without the benefit of practice, let alone any actual play and mounted on horses loaned to them as well as probably utilizing borrowed kit and gear (e.g. helmets, boots, pants, shirts, belts, whips, mallets, etc.), the threesome from BA had as much of a competitive disadvantage entering the cavernous New York arena (190 feet x 300 feet) as an unarmed Roman gladiator of old going into the Coliseum.

Although the contest was heavily promoted as a friendly exhibition game, it had all the hallmarks of a regular indoor contest and was fiercely fought. The match consisted of the standard four periods, although it seems that they were a bit shorter than the regulation ones of 7½ minutes. There was also a referee and fouls were actually called. Clearly, the tension and the adrenaline must have been as palpable as any major engagement ever held at Squadron A. Furthermore, the game had important historical significance as it was the first major international competition since an English team came to America in 1923 to do battle for the John R. Townsend Challenge Cup (see Polo, April 1994). As an aside, an

interesting tidbit was reported in the 1923 Indoor Polo Tournament program regarding at least two planned international matches that for one unexplained reason or another never materialized: “… the English have challenged for another try at the John R. Townsend International In-door Polo Challenge Cup for next spring [1924] … In-door polo has been played a great deal in France, and a challenge for the same cup from a French team has been accepted for the spring of 1925.”

Predictably, in the first period of the 1930 Argentine-Eastcott duel, the American squad got off to a strong start as the Hoppings managed to score two goals. Santa Paula seemed a bit disoriented and off-balance in this totally new polo environment and found itself in the unusual position of not being in control of the pace and the play of the game.

However, in the second period, the Argentines were able to adapt somewhat to the rhythm of the game so much so that Harrington, Reynal and Andrada all managed to put points on the board. As Kelley noted in The Times, “they [the Argentines] led the Americans at the end of the first half,” which was a remarkable achievement by any measurement.

In the second half though, Eastcott dominated with the Hoppings scoring four goals against none by their opponents. However, in the final period, both Schwartz and Reynal were penalized by fouls, which cost each side half a point. The final score was therefore 5½-2½. Notably, the Argentines proved to be more competitive than either Yale and the NYAC in their matches which followed.

Here was truly a case where experience and POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 61

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This rare Argentine magazine, Polo y Equitacion had exhaustive coverage of the Santa Paula team’s visit to the United States, including considerable detail about their first indoor polo attempt at Squadron A in New York.

familiarity with the indoor format prevailed over innate polo skills. Kelley aptly summarized the evening’s event in his column the next morning in The Times: “In strange surroundings and on borrowed ponies, the visitors did not turn in as fast an exhibition as the stars who played later, but they showed spots of fine hitting and riding and made it certain that, with practice, they would be able to ride with the best indoors as well as outdoors.”

In one of two substantial postmortem articles on the exhibition match in the May issue of Polo y Equitacion, their polo correspondent attempted to explain the seemingly odd peculiarities of the indoor game in general and the Squadron A contest in

The Argentine American indoor match was only the second major international arena polo game played in the interwar years after the first match in 1923 for the John R. Townsend Challenge Cup featured in this quite scarce program.

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

particular to the magazine’s curious readers back home through Argentine eyes—and with an evident level of frustration: “One needs to fully understand the strategy of ‘indoor polo’ which is played on a much smaller field with an inflated ball instead of a typical polo ball. These elements reduce the player’s visibility and therefore make it very difficult to attain good ball placement, thus undermining the accuracy of the hit. These various factors made the Argentines perform as if they were disorganized and weak, hitting therefore with great difficulty without being able to position themselves properly to coordinate their forward movement.”

In the second article on the game, this magazine published in Buenos Aires provided more details on the match as well as corroboration of Kelley’s analysis above with commentary from two other New York newspapers: The Sun and The World. In the former paper came the following: “From the outset one could see that they [the Argentines] found themselves out of the game and they were not able to acclimate themselves and rebound the inflated ball against the wall more or less during the entire match. It was quite painful to watch their outstanding back, Andrada, executing turns with supreme elegance and force, to err so sadly as a novice in the sport. However, it was evident during the short exhibition match that there were many opportunities to appreciate the unsurpassed form of the visiting team, their intuitive tactical skills and their superb teamwork which they had developed as they made clearly visible their championship traits under the most adverse circumstances they found themselves in.”

A few days later, The Sun further added: “The Argentines have achieved a justified worldwide fame as polo players but not in the indoor game since they

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only have played outdoors. Naturally, during the last match, they found it difficult to control the inflated ball in a small arena. There were also thousands of details that most spectators missed which obviously bothered the Argentine players and did not allow them to compete up to their capabilities. However, this being said, from the form they showed in their drive in the final chukker, they demonstrated that it would not take much to adapt themselves to this type of game. If they had the opportunities to play frequently, they would become champions of the indoor game as they are in the outdoor one.”

The World, in referring to the Argentine team, echoed very similar sentiments. While highlighting the various problems the players would need to overcome to become expert indoor contenders, the chronicler nevertheless concluded that despite their loss, they had turned in a “brilliant performance.”

From all the accounts that I have come across, Manuel Andrada stood out among his teammates as the player who dazzled the crowd the most at Squadron A with his showmanship and his skills.

Although he was not yet adept as an indoorsman, his marvelous polo panache and personal charisma were akin to a famous opera singer like Pavarotti attempting a new but related genre such as pop music.

Given the press coverage of the important April 9 series of games, certainly photographs of the Argentine-Eastcott competition must exist.

Regrettably though to date, none has been found but over time, such images are likely to surface.

Three days later, after this landmark encounter at Squadron A, the Argentines sailed back to Buenos Aires on the Southern Prince after a highly successful American tour filled with triumphs, tributes, trophies and tons of goodwill. They arrived back in Buenos Aires on April 29, 1930 after being away for over four months.

It was hoped that this first indoor competition with the visitors from South America might lead to the development of the indoor game at home as well as serve as a catalyst for further international competition. As Kelley wrote in The Times: “Soon after the war [World War I], the United States played and defeated England in an indoor international. For the past several years, correspondence has passed between this country and Argentina looking toward indoor as well as outdoor international matches.

Tomorrow night’s game [April 9, 1930] may serve as the forerunner for a regular series in future years.”

But alas, unfortunately, such an expectation never materialized.

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In the 1930s, the indoor polo championship games were either played at Squadron A in New York or at the 124th Field Artillery Armory in Chicago. The Argentines played at the 1930 games in New York. Featured here are period programs and tickets from Squadron A.

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

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(continued from page 19) the offensive player’s horse started being pushed sideways, the offensive player started screaming; “Hey, hey, hey!” as though to save his life.

The truly unfortunate aspect of that play is neither of the three fouls—feeding of the butt, an extremely dangerous ride off, or appealing for foul by the offensive player—drew the whistle.

I promise, with 60-plus years of polo experiences, I have never seen a play so blatantly dangerous as that one. If that play did not meet the qualifications of a slightest risk of danger to any player, than what in the world does it take to meet that qualification?

Another play I witnessed happened as follows: the defensive team gained control of the ball at about midfield to become the offensive team. A member of the team turned the ball to take it down field when an opponent made a quick and aggressive maneuver to mark the offensive player with the ball, at which point a teammate of the offensive player ran directly in front of the opponent to stop his maneuver on the offensive teammate. Man, oh man, did it ever work. Then the same teammate turned and went back across and in front of the opponent again to ensure he could not get to the offensive player with the ball. That maneuver also worked well, as the offensive team got the ball across the back line on the other end of the field.

Again, it was not like no one saw the play as it was happening. The defensive player was screaming very loudly to make sure everyone saw what was happening.

One more time, there was no whistle for creating an extremely high level of potential danger for two horses and two players by the offensive teammate crossing in front of the opponent, not once but twice. Neither was there a whistle for the opponent appealing for a foul.

If the rules are intended to accomplish maintaining the safety and fairness of play for all players, and to allow for the speed of the game, those two plays failed miserably at accommodating that objective.

My hope is that before too many more players (human or equine) become injured from an apparent acceptance of potentially dangerous playing tactics, someone with the wisdom to realize what must be done, with the willingness to do something about it and the power to get it done will come along and say, enough is enough, excessively dangerous playing tactics are being brought under control as of right now.

It is with great hope until the time that person arrives, polo will be capable of withstanding the heat that is inevitably coming its way if change is not forthcoming regarding safety and fairness for all players and horses in the game of polo.

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

Polo has been a sport and a game for approximately 3,000 years. If the enjoyment of another 3,000 years of the oldest team sport on earth is to endure, it is the responsibility of this generation to carry the torch of sport and game forward to future generations of polo players. Without rules players can and will adhere to, the possibility of chaos increases commensurate with the degree of lack of respect the players are willing to and allowed to display toward the rules. From what I have witnessed lately, that seems to be significant.

Rules and change are not bad things. As a matter of fact, the success of the future is quite often based on changes recently implemented. Either the current population of polo players must be made to comply with the rules as they are written, or the rules must be rewritten to comply with the current polo players’ desires to play the game the way they want to play it.

I close this article asking you to imagine yourself in the following scenario: your horse is running at approximately 30 mph, you are at midfield, you just hit the ball 80 yards straight to goal, you have an opposing player hot on your heels trying desperately to hook you and there is no one in front of you. How fast would you be willing to run to prevent the opposing player from catching up to you? Then, when you are approximately 20 yards from the ball another opposing player on your left traveling at about half the speed you are going enters a foot and a half into your 5-feet ROW approximately 10 yards in front of the ball (projected ROW). How do you think you are going to respond, and what do you imagine will be the outcome of that response with an opposing player within inches of hooking your mallet?

Next, consider if out of fear of a Penalty 2 being called or being kicked out of the game for continuous infraction of a rule, that defending player knew better than to feed you the butt.

If USPA Rule 24 c. was enforced consistent with the way it is written, feeding of the butt would be greatly diminished and the game of polo would have the chance of becoming that faster and safer game.

For the sake of the safety of the players of the game and the enjoyment of the sport, the LOB and the ROW on the polo field should accomplish for polo players what the lanes and the line of separation between the lanes on a two-lane highway accomplishes for drivers of cars—a lane in which to travel safely to your destination.

I can only hope at some time within the next 50 years, this message will have served the beneficial effect of helping to make the sporting game of polo faster, safer and more enjoyable for all players, both human and equine.

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