Worker bee by C. Maybe Ortiz

Worker bee

The importance of having a good groom

By C. Maybe Ortiz

Hiring a groom can be almost as important as choosing a bride (or groom). She or he must be knowledgeable, competent, willing, able and, dare we say, obedient. It’s helpful if he’s not encumbered by too many children and animals that would restrict his ability to travel. Also, his/her personal attractiveness should be within certain boundaries to avoid unnecessary real or imagined threats to spouses.

Some ridiculously lucky advanced players have received preparation assistance from one or more of their parents for extended periods of time. Recently a powerful 5-goaler had decided it was time to mount up and was heard to cry out pleasantly but firmly, “Mama!” Within seconds a perfectly tacked and wrapped high-goal pony appeared at his side.

Polo used to be a two-person game—one to hit the ball and the other to dress and undress the horse. Now, it’s not just the pros who want to change steeds in the middle of a chukker. It’s not unusual to see the worker bee groom continuing his duties at the trailer while another human or two holds a mallet and the spare horse as close to the action as possible. Often a relative is conscripted into this position.

Charlie Muldoon, executive director of USPA Umpires, LLC and a former 5-goal player, noted, “To me, grooms are equivalent to the pit crew in Formula One racing. They can make or break you in a game. Most pros have a lead groom that implements the game plan from the ground and if they (or the support staff) mess up, it can be costly to the player and his/her team.”

“The Importance of Proper Grooming” was inspired by a recent news story. Things were going pretty well for golfer Segundo Oliva Pinto at the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes in Oregon over the week of Aug. 10-16, 2020. Then on the 18th hole in the round of 16, Segundo’s second shot went into a bunker. His caddy “tested the texture” of the sand, according to Jack Baer of sports.yahoo.com. The USGA Rule 12.2, Restrictions on Touching Sand in Bunker, simply states, “YOU MUST NOT [my caps] … with hand, club, or rake.” Segundo lost the match. The caddy remains unnamed.

Linda Martinez epitomizes all the finer qualities of a polo groom. She has been pleasantly assisting her husband Eddy and son Alan throughout their decades as professionals up and down the East Coast.

Getting back to Muldoon’s thoughts, he emphasized, “One rule that grooms sometimes forget is the helmet rule. All grooms must wear a helmet at all USPA events when mounted. The team will receive a yellow card if a groom is seen without a helmet, which will result in a penalty for the other team. This can be costly in a close game.”

Indeed, the 2020 Blue Book (available online) allows umpires to award a Penalty 2 through 5, or even a 10 (look it up) if a “member of a team organization” is seen without a protective helmet with a chin strap “worn in the appropriate manner.” Seems fair, considering the groom is often riding the horse with the expressed purpose of getting the buck out.

Another situation punishable by the same choice of penalties falls under Rule 33, Unsportsmanlike Conduct— “inappropriate behavior by any member of a team organization.” Evidently groups of grooms have been known to express their opinions simultaneously concerning the veracity of the current call. Now that many umpires have a working vocabulary in Spanish swear words and phrases, it has become more dangerous to heckle the officials in any language.

Then there’s good old Rule 32— “A player requiring a mallet, a change of mount, or assistance from an outside person during a game shall ride beyond the end-lines or side-boards or side-lines to procure it. No person shall come onto the playing field to assist except when the ball is dead and when permission is granted by the Umpire.” Obviously the

The Onetto boys have been slinging saddles since their father was a 6-goal pro in Chicago. Four-goal Marcos (right) has been on a winning streak in Aiken for the past few years but cheerfully lent a hand to older brother Horacio Jr.

If possible, try to employ a groom with a degree in veterinary science. Josh Escapite is fortunate to have his mother, Dr. Sarah Thompson of Estrella Equine, hold his spares.

Sooner or later you’re going to lose a saddle pad or a wrap, but just like the nail that lost the battle, a missing blanket can result in a nasty fall or an insecure back shot. Her secure seat indicates that this gal may have had some equitation training.

“ball is dead” part is paramount.

The administration of drugs to polo ponies has been given a great deal of thought by the USPA. Reading the section “Equine Drug and Medication Rules” starting on page 189 of the 2020 Rulebook is recommended. The concept is to avoid “mood and/or behavior altering substances” that affect the performance of the horse.

Back before recorded history, my unnamed, wellmeaning, temporary groom/husband decided he would try to take the leap out of my only pony at the

time, a reject from the Valley Forge Military Academy. I was reasonably overbooked, having organized an eight-team women’s tournament at Palm Beach Polo while publishing “The Polo Posts” bi-weekly newspaper. This horse never trotted. I was suspicious during the chukker but livid when I discovered that a bit of relaxant had been administered. This medication now appears on the banned substances list.

Also interesting in this section is the caution against the use of herbal/natural products that appears on page 193. In bold it states: “Specifically, this applies to cannabinoids such as CBD. Currently these products are known to effect mentation and behavior in horses and are thus prohibited.” It seems

Polo Baez met Harry and Charlie, the Caldwell twins, at Bluewater Creek Polo Club before they had driver’s licenses. Charlie jumped at the chance to spend a short summer season with Polo at Bliss Polo Club in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Heading into his junior year playing for the University of South Carolina Aiken, Charlie does his best to assist his mentor at New Bridge games.

Zeferino Gallegos brought years of high-goal training and grooming experience to his position with Dennis Freeland in Florida and Aiken.

It’s a team effort when the Leitner twins take to the field. While both girls tack their own horses, father Larry and Jesus Ontiveros, coach and occasional teammate, pitch in at the trailer.

Whenever Juan Carlos Gadea comes up from Argentina to visit his son James, he brings along decades of polo experience. He couldn’t help but lend a hand at a practice at Southeastern Circuit Governor Billy Raab’s Broken Arrow polo field. One of the original four professional umpires, Raab adds that he has seen a groom’s actions affect the outcome of a game.

At the advanced age of 17, Hope Arellano is still able to hop from one pony to the next even if they’re not shoulder-to-shoulder. Her mother Meghan and friend Horacio Onetto kept Hope on a fresh horse last year in Aiken. Her brothers Agustin and Lucas are always holding a mallet when they’re in town, and father Julio is on the sidelines coaching.

that drugs can occasionally be used by grooms to substitute for exercise, training and general schooling of horse and player.

Moving on from the quality of a groom’s knowledge of the rules, we can package “competent, willing and able” together. Like balancing speed and temperament when choosing between a Thoroughbred or Appendix prospect, you can’t always get the maximum in each category. Veteran grooms can be superb but often your only choice is to train a local teenager. Hopefully the days of transferring a player’s frustration to his groom are long gone and the instruction process is patient and specific.

And lastly, it seems that “obedient” does apply to the player/groom agreement. Often, if grooms come from another discipline they can be accustomed to different procedures, especially in the area of calorie consumption. It can take some gentle reminders that polo ponies can not run at their maximum potential if they’re as fat as hunter hackers.

Eastern Regional Umpiring Director Dana Fortugno, a lawyer and former 5-goal player, remembers a situation from his youth that is easy to imagine. A well-meaning female groom was organized and competent but soon became controlling and bossy to the point where more than one of the four formidable Fortugnos found themselves not wanting to hang around their own stables. “It was hard to find grooms—very hard,” Dana noted, but a replacement was installed and the barn, “was a happy place again.”

Most players, including Matthew Fonseca who is certain that he lost a game when a gag was applied incorrectly, agree that the hiring process is difficult but crucial.

Fortugno emphasizes, “A good groom can provide a positive atmosphere and encourage the player to spend more time with the horses.” •