July 2021 Polo Players' Edition

J U LY 2 0 2 1

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N

Summer Polo In Full Swing $5.00 US/$5.50 Canada

CONTENTS

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N

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VOL. 24,

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

32 Come Indoors by Abi Abel

6

Interest in less-expensive arena polo growing

N O . 11

Association News USPA Bulletin Horse feature

36 Beach ball by Gwen Rizzo

14 Instructors Forum

Seminole Casino hits jackpot on the sand

By Tom Goodspeed

16 Ask an Umpire 18 Viewpoints

By Rege Ludwig

20 Equine Athlete

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By Heather Smith Thomas

22 Polo Scene

TION P L AY E R S’ E D I

News, notes, trends & quotes

OUR COVER Joaquin Arguello gets a neck shot past Jack Crea in the USPA SW Circuit Amateur Cup.

ing Summer Polo In Full Sw $5.00 US/$5.50 Canada

Photo by Murrell Photography

24 Polo Development 26 Intercollegiate/Interscholastic 42 Polo in the Pampas

by Lucas Noel

52 Calendar 56 Yesteryears 46 Polo Report

Peach Tree Prevails in Presidents Cup

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 THE OVID BELL PRESS 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..

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VOL. 24, No.11 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).

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U S PA B U L L E T I N

Helmets Stay On Members of the Rules Committee, Safety Committee and USPA Umpires, LLC all agree that players who are mounted should keep their helmets on during the National Anthem and any other pregame or post-game ceremonies.

The helmet rules (Outdoor Rule 4a and Arena Rule 3.a) apply before, during and after any Event.

Armed Forces Committee Chair Mark Gillespie has also confirmed that the Defense Authorization Act of 2009 authorizes veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel to render hand salutes during the National Anthem without removing headgear.

Players should not remove their helmets for the National Anthem and clubs should make sure their announcers reinforce this rule.

Rule Variances Outdoor Rule 33 For the reasons explained below, the USPA chairman and Executive Committee have approved a variance to Outdoor Rule 33 requested by the USPA Rules Committee and USPA Umpires, LLC. The variance, which allows the umpires to issue three yellow cards for post-game misconduct, will apply as of Wednesday, May 19, in all polo played under the USPA Outdoor Rules.

Background USPA Outdoor Rule 33 as currently written provides the umpires with two options for penalizing a player who demonstrates 6 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

unsportsmanlike conduct after the game ends: (1) issue the player two yellow cards, which requires the player to sit out for the first two minutes of play in his or her next game of equal or higher handicap for the same team with no substitute allowed for those two minutes of play in that game; or (2) issue the player a red card, which suspends the player for the entirety of his or her next game of equal or higher handicap for the same team with no substitute allowed for the first two minutes of play in that game.

USPA umpires have found there are instances of post-game unsportsmanlike conduct which warrant a more severe punishment than two yellow cards but a less severe punishment than a red card. The variance adds the option of three yellow cards which, when issued, require the player to sit out for the first four minutes of play in his or her next game of equal or higher handicap for the same team with no substitute allowed for those four minutes of play in that game.

Outdoor Rules 36 and 37 For the reasons explained below, the USPA chairman and Executive Committee have approved a variance to Outdoor Rules 36 and 37 requested by the USPA Rules Committee. The variance, which allows a player who is off the field during the execution of a defended penalty to return to his or her proper position before or after play is called, will apply as of Wednesday, May 19, in all polo played under the USPA Outdoor Rules.

Background Players sometimes leave the field to change horses, adjust tack or for some other reason when a penalty shot is being taken. This often requires that player (or players) go to the end of the playing field that is behind the hitter. If any such player on the fouling team steps back on the playing field in a location that is not sufficiently in front of the hitter before the Umpire calls play and the ball is hit or hit at, a procedural violation of current Rules 36 and 37 has occurred and (if they see it) the umpires award the fouled team an increased penalty under Rules 36 and 37. This increased penalty is awarded even though (1) the returning player or players may be as many as 240 yards away from the penalty hitter and the ball, (2) the ball is dead at the time of the violation and (3) the returning player or players have not violated USPA Outdoor Rule 36.d (the “offside” rule). Policing this particular procedural violation is difficult for the umpires because it requires them to divert their attention from the upcoming penalty shot, which should demand substantially all of their focus.

The outcome discussed above, that results from the way Rules 36 and 37 currently fit together, has divided into two categories those players who return to the playing field from behind the other team before and during the execution of defended penalties: (1) there are those players who are unaware of the way the rules fit together and therefore commit the procedural violation to their surprise; and (2) there are those players who have learned the hard way how the two rules fit together and who therefore avoid the procedural violation by galloping down the sideline in the safety zone before stepping back on the field in the proper position with the rest of his or her teammates.

After a thorough discussion of this situation, the Rules Committee has determined the outcome discussed above, that results from the way Rules 36 and 37 currently fit together, is not desirable.

There is no compelling reason to penalize a player for a procedural violation that has no impact on the game itself, especially where the umpires have at their disposal USPA Outdoor Rule 36.d (the “offside” rule) to penalize a player for an actual offside violation. And there is also no good reason for the rules to promote the potentially dangerous situation caused by players galloping fresh horses down the sidelines outside the field in the safety zone in front of the spectators. For that reason, the Rules Committee has requested, and the chairman and Executive Committee have approved, a

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variance allowing a player who is off the field during the execution of a defended penalty to return to his or her proper position before or after play is called, as long as that player returns unobtrusively by a route that is on the field and no closer than 30 yards from the spot where the ball is placed for the penalty shot. When the ball is hit or hit at, any such player who has not reached his or her proper position may not make a play until he or she has passed a teammate who was properly positioned at that time.

New High School Awards USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, presented by U.S. Polo Assn., is expanding to announce the nation’s top athletes in 25 sports in a first-of-its-kind national awards show at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 5.

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards program operates as a multi-month high school student athlete recognition program in 53 regions and all 50 states. Top athletes in each area are recognized in most state-sanctioned sports, as well 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

as honors for coach of the year, team of the year, and male and female athletes of the year. The regional honorees and winners will be revealed the last week of June and state winners will be announced Thursday, July 15.

The athlete designated as the statewide winner in the sports recognized nationally will go on to receive recognition in the inaugural USA TODAY High School Sports Awards show, which recently partnered with the U.S. Polo Assn., in an effort to honor thousands of students across the country.

U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association.

“It’s an honor for U.S. Polo Assn. to be the presenting sponsor for this outstanding event that supports and highlights high school sports throughout the U.S.,” said J. Michael Prince, president and CEO of USPA Global Licensing, the worldwide licensor of the U.S. Polo Assn. brand.

“U.S. Polo Assn. is an authentic, sport-inspired, global brand, so it is the perfect match to partner with USA TODAY to give back to these exceptional student athletes. We are also thrilled to introduce the amazing sport of polo to this year’s roster of awards and expose the sport to a new audience through our partnership.”

As part of the partnership, the show will unveil a 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

new award for the country’s top male and female athletes in the sport of polo.

“We love the connection of the brand and the sport and welcome the opportunity to support philanthropic causes such as the High School Sports Awards,” Prince said.

Viewers also will see elite high school athletes, coaches and teams that were named the state winners in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, track and field, tennis, volleyball and wrestling. Honorees have the opportunity to be selected as the nation’s top male and female athletes in each sport. The national broadcast will showcase stories and highlights of their stellar performances from the past year.

The USA TODAY High School Sports awards show features top professional athletes who will share their own stories, words of advice and recognition, all in celebration of young adults who have shown dedication and excellence in their athletic pursuits.

Athletes who are selected as winners for each state, announced by Thursday, July 15 on each state’s sports awards website, will be invited to register for the national show. The on-demand awards show will debut 8 p.m. ET on Friday, August 5, at USA TODAY, USA TODAY News and USA TODAY Sportswire channels, available on Amazon Fire TV, the Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus and most Smart TVs. It will also be available on Amazon Prime Video Direct and at SportsAwards.USATODAY.com.

U S PA B U L L E T I N

National Interscholastic Champions Congratulations to Gardnertown Polo Club (Open) and Aiken Youth Polo (Girls) for National Interscholastic Championship wins. Gardnertown took on a strong Houston team in the final before pulling away, while Aiken showed its skill against a talented young Maryland team. Thank you to championship hosts Virginia Polo Center and New Bridge Polo Club.

Championship games are available on Global Polo.

Alumni Event A big thank you to Seneca Polo Club (Potomac, Maryland) for hosting the pilot I/I networking event.

We loved seeing alumni of all ages in the Washington D.C. area come together for a night of polo and mingling. If your club is interested in reaching out to I/I alumni in your area please contact Ali Davidge at adavidge@uspolo.org to learn more.

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.

Polo Alumni Network Are you interested in connecting with teammates and mentors from your past collegiate polo days?

Maybe you are looking to donate a pony to a collegiate team? Or perhaps you are graduating and looking for internship opportunities at clubs across the country? You can do all that and so much more by connecting with polo alumni near you!

The USPA I/I Program’s Club & Sustainability Alumni Engagement Committee has been working on several projects to help polo alumni connect with members and clubs across the country. The first initiative is the Polo Alumni Network, a LinkedIn page for polo alum and current players to network and

build their connections in the industry.

Join the page and invite teammates and friends to join! Go to LinkedIn.com and search Polo Alumni Network.

Fundraising It is never too early to get a head start on planning for your back-to-school fundraisers. The I/I Funding & Awards Committee has been building out the fundraising program to help teams receive more bang for their buck! Moving forward, there will be a twotier system allowing you to apply for up to $2000 in fundraising reimbursement. The updated program offers staff and committee support during the planning process and opportunities to increase revenue.

To learn more check out the new guidelines and evolving ideas document at uspolo.org.

Please note: the fundraising deadline is rolling and open to both interscholastic and intercollegiate teams. If you have any questions about the program please contact Ali Davidge at adavidge@uspolo.org.

I/I Photos The I/I program is collecting both past and present I/I photos. If you have any photos you would like to share, email Ali Davidge at adavidge@uspolo.org.

Photos may be used on social media and must portray safe riding and horse handling practices.

NYTS The NYTS Qualifier season continues through August 1. Recent qualifiers at Prestonwood Polo Club (Little Elm, Texas) and Cerro Pampa Polo Club (Petaluma, California) marked the beginning of a busy month of June. NYTS tournament all-stars are selected based on horsemanship, sportsmanship, playing ability at current handicap and ability to play as a member of the team. Prestonwood all-stars included James JB long, Winnie Branscum, Trenton Werntz and Francesca Felhaber. Cerro Pampa recognized Morgan Manos, Ajay Moturi, Ruby Decker, Marco Esposto and Helena Bache.

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

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A gem of a polo pony Journey to the most exclusive string

UNITED STATES POLO ASSOCIATION

by United States Polo Association

Ruby was a star playing in NYTS, the women’s U.S. Open and the U.S. Open.

Capping off a diverse winter season as a late addition to Adolfo Cambiaso’s string and contributing to Scone’s U.S. Open Polo Championship victory, 11-year-old Ruby (Sorcerer’s Stone x Ineluctable) has been shaped by many talented American hands on her rise to the top. Sold to Cambiaso by Kylie Sheehan (facilitated by partner Gabriel Crespo) just after BTA/The Villages won the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, Ruby immediately jumped into the 22-goal and effortlessly switched high-goal gears.

Seamlessly transitioning between three players and styles of polo in one season, Ruby is the embodiment of versatility, competing in the 2020 National Youth Tournament Series Championship with Crespo’s 15-year-old daughter Alea; two U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championships with Sheehan and the Gauntlet of Polo with Cambiaso. A rare find 10 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

with qualities including extreme sensitivity, willingness and speed, Ruby has repeatedly dazzled in every string.

Purchased off the track by Rodolfo Irigoyen, the bay American Thoroughbred (registered as Junes Ruby) was briefly played by Sheehan in Florida while on consignment with Crespo. Mounting himself for the inaugural Gauntlet of Polo, USPA Chairman Stewart Armstrong (then USPA Secretary) added Ruby to his Aspen string, the pair earning a Best Playing Pony blanket that summer.

Gaining a strong foundation with an experienced horseman in tournaments including the 2020 Butler Handicap, Ruby became part of Sheehan’s string through a trade with Armstrong in early 2021. Naturally easy and lending herself well to women’s polo, Ruby pivoted from youth polo and carried Sheehan to consecutive U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship finals, playing nearly two full chukkers in the winning game.

Her second mare sold to Cambiaso after only three years of running her own business buying and selling horses, Sheehan is particularly proud to have prepared Ruby for her debut in the iconic 10goaler’s string. Hitting her prime and showcasing her exceptional quality during the Florida season, Ruby’s high-goal career has accelerated quickly with plans to compete in the English high-goal season. Molding to every level with resilience, Ruby’s natural ability is without question, each experience offering her the growth necessary to excel at the highest levels of the sport.

How did Ruby come to your string?

Kylie Sheehan: I first met Ruby when she was 7 years old and I played her in a couple of 6-goal tournaments. When Stewart [Armstrong] decided to compete in the 2019 Gauntlet of Polo, Gabriel was helping him find horses to add to his string. He ended up buying Ruby and playing her that season with Aspen and then he took her to Colorado for the summer. Stewart didn’t play a lot of competitive polo in 2020 so Ruby ended up going

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Ruby helped BTA/The Villages’ Kylie Sheehan (far left and below) earn MVP honors in the final of the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship.

How did you sell Ruby to Cambiaso?

KS: After winning the 2021 U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, Gabriel suggested I show Ruby to Adolfo because he knew what [his] organization would be looking for in a horse. Since I had played against Hawaii Polo Life’s Mia [Cambiaso] in both U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championships, Cambiaso had seen Ruby before. We weren’t sure if she would be used as a team horse or for one of Adolfo’s sponsors, but it was a pleasant surprise to see that he was the one who chose to play her. I give Gabriel a lot of credit for making the sale happen. He’s really good at matching horses and knowing which ones will work for which organization.

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with Gabriel to Aiken, South Carolina, but he didn’t sell her because of COVID-19.

Stewart was putting together the Aspen/Dutta Corp team for the Gauntlet this year and since I had another special mare that had the Argentine bloodlines he was interested in we traded in Florida a couple weeks before the 2020 NYTS Championship. Ruby had played two seasons with Stewart and was obviously more of a made horse than when I played her previously. Stewart works really hard on his horses so Ruby was well schooled and had come a long way with him.

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DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

U S PA B U L L E T I N

When Stewart Armstrong played Ruby in 2019, he said she had a lot of lateral movement, speed and was quick across the neck.

What are her best qualities?

KS: Ruby has speed, handle and power but she’s also so easy and quiet. If you have her as a spare she will stand on the sidelines like a statue and watch the game. It’s actually a little misleading because at the trailer and in the barn she moves around a lot and is not very patient.

She’s extremely sensitive to everything, which is good but almost to a fault. If her brow band is too high on her ear she starts shaking her head or if her girth is too tight she’ll let you know. Ruby is one of the quickest horses I’ve ever been on in terms of her turn and she’s very versatile. Particularly in women’s polo, the ability to turn is so important because there are a lot of quick, short plays. Ruby turns inside out, which is amazing especially for how big she is. She has the speed but she’s comfortable and smooth to ride. Even when you are going fast it doesn’t feel like it and she always wins bumps.

Stewart Armstrong: Ruby has a lot of lateral movement, speed and she’s very light, which makes for a good combination. She’s also very sensitive and quick across the neck, and I’m sure that’s what Adolfo likes the most about her. She’s not your typical 12 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

polo pony type because she’s on the taller side and narrow through the shoulders. Although you don’t feel like you’ve got a stout horse underneath you, she’s very strong on the bump because she’s collected and can do everything you ask.

Was there a moment when you knew she would be one of your best polo ponies?

KS: In the 2021 U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship semifinal, Ruby made an amazing play where she was able to get back to the ball, which would be difficult for most horses to do. I hit the neck shot, which went over to goal and Ruby was at a full gallop going towards the corner. She followed the ball, laid into the turn and got herself back over to it. At that moment I realized she was a really special horse. She was winning almost every play I put her into and I almost felt like she was waiting for me a little bit because she had so much ability. She was very capable of making spectacular plays as long as I could execute them.

Why did you decide to sell Ruby?

KS: Winning the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship with BTA/The Villages was a dream in and

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Adolfo Cambiaso thought enough of Ruby to play her in the U.S. Open.

of itself and I also had a great season selling horses.

I wasn’t planning on selling Ruby because she ended up being such a useful horse in my string but selling her to Adolfo was a bonus. I viewed it as a privilege to see one of my horses playing with the best player in the world. It’s an incredible opportunity and huge accomplishment for me to say I owned a horse who Adolfo Cambiaso played in the U.S. Open Polo Championship. Selling a polo horse to the best in the world is every horse seller’s dream.

How did it feel to see a horse you owned and played competing with Cambiaso?

KS: Ruby did well with me and gained some confidence but then to see her with the best player in the world who is able to execute all the plays that I know she is capable of making was incredible. Adolfo brings out the best in every horse and he is also capable of asking them things that I never asked of her.

That’s what makes her a special horse; she keeps saying yes and stepping up. She went from playing with me to playing in the U.S. Open within a week, which is pretty amazing.

In 2019, I sold a mare named Rana to Adolfo that was an embryo out of one of the clones of Sage.

Pelon Stirling ended up playing her in the Argentine Open. Personally, Ruby feels like more of an accomplishment because I was the only one playing her throughout the season. The only preparation she had was playing in the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, which is not a common method for getting a horse ready for high-goal polo.

SA: I love my horses a lot and I really enjoy understanding and trying to improve them so it made me feel good that a horse, which I felt good about, he [Cambiaso] was also very interested in. I noticed Cambiaso played her a fair number of minutes in each game, which is even more of a testament to the fact that he felt comfortable on her and could do what he wanted on her. It gave me confidence that I bet I could pick another horse for him!

Where do you want to see her in five years?

KS: I would love to see Ruby continue to be successful whether that is with Adolfo or with someone else in his organization. I hope she keeps playing well for them and I have no doubt that she will continue stepping up.

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INSTRUCTORS FORUM

Arena positions Indoor polo requires quickness, finesse and ball-handling

By Tom Goodspeed

Position responsibilities in arena polo are naturally very different than in its outdoor counterpart (grass or field polo). The most obvious reason is the size of the two playing fields.

Arena polo can be played in a covered indoor arena or in an (uncovered) outdoor arena. Outdoor arenas are far less expensive to build than an indoor arena, but don’t have the all-weather advantage of a covered arena. Regulation size of both versions are similar to a football field: 300-feet long by 150-feet wide with rounded corners. Some indoor arenas are smaller than regulation due to the building expense.

Comparatively, a regulation grass field is nine-times that size (300 x 150 yards).

The much smaller playing size of an arena compared to an outdoor field promotes quicker play and far more contact. I have had the gift of playing in some over-sized outdoor arenas and play is always much faster, but it is also harder on the horses.

Interscholastic and Intercollegiate polo is played mostly in indoor arenas. Arenas are far more economical and generally easier on the horses, which is a great thing for most I/I programs with strings that usually consist of older and more experienced horses.

The outdoor game is much faster, but the arena game is far quicker. Outdoors the ponies tend to gallop easily due to the herd instincts and the open field environment. In the confined arena, a horse is not as easily encouraged to go forward because everywhere they go is either to the boards or a bump.

They are always heading to their next stop, so it becomes increasingly difficult to get them to go forward. This is the very reason why starting players is safer in the confines of the arena, however it also becomes the challenge of the arena as the player progresses. A good arena player has to have the ability to keep their horse engaged with their legs while making the play on the ball. It is not so easy to do and can become frustrating for less-skilled riders.

Arena Positions The very nature of the arena presents a very different approach to positions. There are three positions in the arena vs. four in outdoor polo.

Those familiar with arena polo will readily admit 14 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

that three players on each team in the arena makes things feel a bit more crowded than grass polo. That is simply because they are. Most of us in the arena that have experienced two-on-two chukkers have a great deal more fun as it helps open up the play and generally speeds things up. However, three-on-three is regulation and allows for more participants, which is most always a good thing.

Like grass polo, there are many variables to the responsibilities of each position. In higher-goal arena, and even balanced, experienced lower-goal teams, players will easily transition between all three positions during the game. Teammates will freely interchange responsibilities with each other.

Theoretically, players could play each of the three positions, a third of each game. Those are always the most fun teams to be a part of in any level of arena.

On a well-balanced team, players may have a number on their jerseys, but easily transition to any position based on the flow of the game. For example, the No. 3 may miss a back shot, but seeing the No. 2 teammate in position for the next shot, will turn up field for a pass, (putting the No. 3 in the No. 1 position) which may even set up a fast break.

It is far more common for there to be a mix of ability levels on each team and that will impact individual player responsibilities.

No. 1 Position No. 1 is an offensive attack position but defends the opposing No. 3.

When choosing a No. 1, look for a player with a quick mallet, who is focused on creating offensive plays and is accurate with shots on goal. A less-skilled No. 1 may need to focus on marking the opponent and making an effort to stop the No. 3 from backing or turning the play.

A good No. 1 is strong in the throw-in, capable of drawing the opponent toward the goal the No. 1 is attacking. Success in the throw-in comes more easily if you are a step forward and 10 degrees more angled than your opponent. Collect your horse and have it ready to go forward.

The No. 1 is usually encouraged to go forward out of the throw-in and not turn back towards the other

INSTRUCTORS FORUM

players. However, if the ball goes all the way through, there will be situations where the No. 1 will turn back to follow the flow of the play out of the back of the throw-in.

A good No. 1 is capable of getting the ball in the throw-in or getting in a good position to receive a pass. The idea is to get an advantage on the opposing No. 3 when on attack and be able to hit accurately to goal from either side of the horse. When on defense, mark the opposing No. 3. Other times, the No. 1 may break for a pass or simply mark the closest opponent.

A great No. 1 possesses a very strong skill set, yet it is common to see the least experienced member of the team placed in the No. 1 position. Sometimes you may be told to just stay with a single opponent and sometimes you may be told to just stay up on the offensive end of the field and allow your No. 2 and No. 3 to work harder to get the ball to you.

Foul shot strategy is another article altogether. It is best to communicate with your teammates prior to the game to find out how you are going to line up for the various foul shots. There are format requirements as to where you are allowed to be based on what number foul is called, as well as various team strategies developed within the confines of the required format.

No. 2 Position The No. 2 is a pivot position assigned to defend the opposing No. 2.

The No. 2 freely transitions with both the No. 1 and No. 3 teammates, balancing both the offensive and defensive efforts as needed. This requires the No. 2 to possess the skills of all three positions. The No. 2 is often the more experienced player on the team and could even be compared to the quarterback position in football.

The No. 2 has to be fully skilled in both ball handling and powerful passing shots. The No. 2 usually lines up right behind the No. 1 in the throw-in, but will also turn back with the ball if the No. 3 teammate is lining up out at an angle as is often done.

No. 3 Position The No. 3 position is the back assigned to defend the opposing No. 1.

The back is responsible for keeping the “back door” shut. A good No. 3 is quick to get advantage on the opposing No. 1 and is able to execute strong angled back shots to teammates, remembering that a well-placed pass to a teammate is generally more effective than just hitting a big ball. However, the ability to hit a big shot when appropriate is certainly a plus. It is an added benefit for the No. 3 to be comfortable with turning the ball in the appropriate play situations.

The No. 3 is normally very good at riding off and anticipating offensive drives being mounted by the opponents. Sometimes the most experienced player will take the No. 3 position, as he feels more comfortable having both teammates in front of him in the throw-in.

If the No. 3 is not very experienced, the focus should be more on properly marking the opponent and trying to negate the efforts of the opposing No. 1. Some No. 3s line up outside of the throw-in at a bit of an angle to either go forward or turn back if the ball goes through the bowl-in. If the opposing No. 3 moves in closer to the throw-in, you probably should as well.

Sometimes people think defensive players need to be bigger framed. Regardless of size, a stronger rider who knows how to use the horse properly has the advantage.

I had the gift of playing in a number of “Legend’s Cups” in the arena with all six players rated 9 goals. It was a whole different level of play to have that much talent in one arena. Balanced teams at whatever level are fun to be a part of as long as you are competitive with your opponents. A free rotating style where each player slips in and (continued on page 54) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 15

ASK AN UMPIRE

Rule 22 How to re-enter the field on dead-ball plays

By Dana Fortugno

This month the famous Leitner twins have a question. If you don’t know who they are, get ready for a fun surprise. They are 17-year-old twins who not only play polo, they are really good at it. Robyn and Reagan live in Lexington, South Carolina, but they train and play in Aiken, South Carolina. I umpired a NYTS tournament a few years ago in Alabama and met both of them. It was a little confusing at first, then as I got to know them better, it was still confusing.

These two had an interesting introduction to polo. I asked them how they got started and they explained that they had participated in the Extreme Mustang Makeover when it first came to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2016. Katherine Thomas, a

Reagan Leitner on Mia

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

Reagan

new friend, asked if they could trailer a horse she bought at the Makeover to Aiken, which was not far from their home. After trailering the horse for Katherine, she invited them to watch a Sunday polo game. They soon began helping at Whitney Field on Sundays by giving out wristbands and seating people.

Soon after, they began playing polo and taking lessons with the Aiken Youth kids, and the rest is history!

Yes, the rest is history. These two have been steadily improving since then. They have a nice classic style of play; they hit and run and use back shots to pass to their teammates. It’s a treat to see.

Although they enjoy playing at New Bridge Polo Club in Aiken (newbridgepolo.com), they claim Aiken Polo Club as their home club. Aiken’s Whitney Field is renown for its rich history as the oldest continuously played field in North America (aikenpolo.org). Both clubs have spring and fall seasons and play up to 12-goal polo.

As if their appearance as twins isn’t enough, they have the exact same ratings. They are rated 0 in outdoor polo, 2 in women’s outdoor polo, 1 in the arena and 4 in women’s arena. Before taking up polo

ASK AN UMPIRE

Rule 22—How Play is Resumed … If a member of the defending team is off the field when the Umpire calls “Play” and the ball is hit or hit at, he or she may enter the field behind the hitter but may not make a play until he or she passes a teammate who was properly positioned when the ball was hit or hit at. A violation of this procedure will result in a penalty against the defending team. If all four players on the defending team are off the field when the Umpire calls “Play”, and the ball is hit or hit at they may each enter the field behind the hitter but no player on that team may make a play until play is interrupted and resumed. If any such player makes a play, a Penalty 2 shall be awarded to the other team. *Only a portion of Rule 22 is listed. To read the entire rule, go to uspolo.org*

Robyn

as their sole sport, they used to barrel race. They plan to stay in polo for the long term, playing and training horses. Their favorite part of polo is working hard with their teammates and getting better. There is no doubt these two will be around to inspire the rest of us for many years to come.

The twin’s question: “We get the concept of offsides but how exactly does it work in polo?”

Offsides in polo is explained in Outdoor Rule 22—How Play is Resumed. As you know, the concept is simple: it is unfair to the properly lined-up team on a dead ball play (hit or throw-in) for an opponent to be in a place where they are not allowed to be when the hit or throw-in happens, or enter the field in a place where they are not allowed to have been when the dead ball play happened. The remedy is also simple: that opponent must pass a teammate that was lined up properly on the dead ball play before they can make a play.

Let’s talk about that. Offsides is only on dead ball plays, meaning when the ball is not already in play, for example, on a free hit, a penalty shot or a throw-

in. Once the ball goes dead again (play stops for any reason) then the previous offsides is erased if it wasn’t already erased by the offender passing one of his or her teammates during live play. Of course, that teammate must have been lined up properly on the dead ball play.

Another way to say it would be that if you can’t be in a certain spot when the ball is hit or the throw-in happens then you can’t enter the field in that spot after the ball is hit or the throw-in happens. You can fix that by passing one of your players who was properly positioned when the ball was hit or the throw-in happened.

The most common practical examples are leaving the field when the other team is taking a knock-in or when a throw-in happens. Let’s talk about each one (continued on page 55)

Robyn Leitner on Kachina

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

VIEWPOINTS

ROW vs. LOB Rules intended to provide safety for horses and players

By Rege Ludwig

When reading the rulebook, I find myself sometimes confused by what I read. A large portion of that confusion is related to understanding the meaning of the words—rule, enter, and cross—and phrases: line of ball and right of way. When I am confused, I resort to the dictionary in an effort to develop a clearer understanding of the message the rulebook is espousing.

My understanding of teaching polo comes from a commonsense understanding of what safety and fairness for all players (human and equine) means. I derive my understanding from what I read in the rulebook, and the words I look up in the dictionary.

I do not present my understanding as representing a legal or binding interpretation of any rules put forth by any group espousing an interpretation of the rules. My intention is to express what I understand about the rules from having read and studied the rulebook on many occasions.

The place to begin my discussion of confusion is by defining the word rule, which according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is: 1. “… a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct or procedure within a particular area of activity. ….” or 2. ” a law or principle that operates within a particular sphere of knowledge, describing or prescribing what is possible or allowable.” I start with the word rule because the book of rules describes and/or prescribes what is possible and allowable; or more to the point, what is not possible or not allowable.

Keep those definitions of rule in the forefront of your mind as you read on. They will prove to be critical in understanding what is allowed, or not allowed, when playing polo.

The next definition is for the phrase line of ball.

There is no definition in the dictionary for that phrase; therefore, I use a definition I perceive as being generally accepted throughout the world of polo. The LOB is an imaginary line projected onto the ground by the ball. The LOB follows the direction the ball is traveling either on or above the ground. The LOB is not necessarily a straight line; as it curves to the degree that the ball curves within the process of traveling.

To take that definition a step further; the portion of the line ahead of the ball in the direction the ball is 18 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

traveling is referred to as the extended, or projected, line, while the line behind the ball, from the direction in which the ball has already traveled, is referred to as the established line.

Those two terms (projected and established) will prove to be significant to the purpose of determining how the LOB effects the playing of the game.

The primary purpose served by the imaginary LOB is that it serves as a dividing line between two imaginary right of ways, or lanes, one on either side of the LOB; with each ROW being approximately six feet in width, extending the length of the LOB, and running parallel to it.

The next definition is that of right of way. The term ROW is often equated to the LOB and that is truly unfortunate as the two are entirely separate entities serving their own unique function to the safe and fair playing of the game.

With that point having been established, I refer to the Oxford English Dictionary to develop a more accurate understanding as to what a ROW is, and how it can be and should be used to play the game of polo safely and fairly.

The definition of right of way has two distinct definitions as applied to polo: 1. “The legal right …. to pass along a specific route … A path or thoroughfare … .”

2. “The legal right … to proceed with precedence over others in a particular situation or place.”

Relative to the game of polo, the ROW is first and foremost, a lane or path on either side of the LOB that runs contiguous with the length of the LOB, is parallel to it and leads directly to the ball.

Secondly, the ROW is a precedence allowing the player who is safely positioned within the physical established ROW the precedence to continue forward to the ball in that ROW without encountering the slightest risk of danger from an opposing player.

Once safely positioned within the established ROW, that player has the right to continue within that lane, over other players who have yet to safely enter within the established ROW in front of the player already positioned there.

A difficulty in recognizing the ROW and correctly applying its function to the game of polo is that each

VIEWPOINTS

ROW is an imaginary lane defined partially by an imaginary LOB. Those two imaginary factors combined can make the physical aspect of the ROW difficult to realize; thereby, making the precedence aspect even more difficult to discern.

With my having grown up in the world of polo under the rules of the United States Polo Association, my understanding of the ROW is greatly influenced by USPA RULE 24, RIGHT OF WAY, which states, in part: a. At each moment of the game there shall exist as between any two or more players in the proximity of the ball a Right of Way, which shall be considered to extend ahead of the player(s) entitled to it, and in the direction in which that player is or those players are riding. b. The Right of Way … is not to be confused with the line of the ball, nor does it depend on who last hit the ball. 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.

The problem I have with USPA Rule 24 is that it does not describe what a right of way is.

In 2009, the Hurlingham Polo Association defined

The imaginary LOB is a dividing line between imaginary ROWs on either side.

(continued on page 62)

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

Belly buster Leaky Gut Syndrome in Horses

By Heather Smith Thomas

The horse’s gastro-intestinal tract is a complex and amazing organ. It performs many functions which include processing and absorbing all the fluids and nutrients that feed and sustain the body, as well as playing a huge role in the body’s immune system. One of the most important functions of the GI tract is to act as a barrier between the external and internal environment—keeping the “good” stuff inside the body and the “bad bugs” out. Even though feed and water ingested by the horse may contain harmful pathogens, the barrier provided by the GI tract is usually sufficient.

Dr. Michael Lindinger, president of the Nutraceutical Alliance (since 2012), and former professor at the University of Guelph for 25 years, has been involved in animal health research for a long time, looking at problems like leaky gut syndrome. He is currently working on nutraceutical product development.

“Leaky gut is merely a syndrome, which means there can be a lot of different causes that can contribute to making the gut leaky,” he explains.

“To put this in a human context, when we look at Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome or even just acute or chronic diarrhea, these are all examples of leaky gut syndrome. This just means the intestinal wall becomes leaky; fluids are not adequately absorbed into the body from the intestine, and fluids from the body can leak into the intestine—and toxins within the intestine can enter the body and cause many problems. Those leaks can be ulcers (such as gastric ulcers in the stomach, or duodenal ulcers, or colonic ulcers) but often if it’s something like diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome, it’s actually due to a spreading apart of the cells that make up the intestinal walls,” he says.

The intestinal wall is a very thin, single-cell layer held together very tightly by tight junctions between the cells and other protein elements. The wall is thin because this makes it easier for the body to absorb fluid and nutrients; they only have to pass through that one-cell layer, being transported through and between the cells by very specialized systems.

When that thin wall becomes leaky, pathogens can go from the gut into the body, cause local 20 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

inflammation and immune responses, and be picked up by the bloodstream where they can act on many tissues. “This is why we humans feel very sick and experience a very bad immune response when that happens. A horse is eating from the natural environment (uncooked food, unlike what we humans are eating) and always exposed to pathogens.

These are usually contained within the gut however and don’t get into the body. The healthy gut has mechanisms for detoxifying most of the pathogens.

The stomach, for instance, is very acidic and this kills many pathogens,” says Lindinger.

There are also beneficial microbes in the intestine that attack and kill many of the pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi that are taken in with the feed.

“A healthy GI tract helps maintain the gut in a non-leaky state and also helps fight off the pathogens that are taken in on a regular basis,” he says.

Pathogenic bacteria and yeast may proliferate within the GI tract under certain conditions, however, and produce toxins that can damage the cells, compromising the tight junctions between those cells. These toxins also cause inflammation of the intestinal wall and increased permeability, and then they can leak through the wall.

“Stress and poor water quality are probably the two biggest factors that can produce ulcers and leaky gut syndrome,” he says.

Abrupt changes in diet, especially sudden increases in grain or fat, can also negatively disrupt the GI tract microbiome (the normal population of beneficial microbes). Changes in diet should always be gradual over a period of at least a week.

Stress can compromise the gut There are a number of stressors that can damage the GI tract barrier. Leaky gut syndrome is often the result of two or more stressors acting together, according to Lindinger. For example, performance horses in training and competing in strenuous athletic careers, like polo, consume high starch diets (which can disrupt the normal digestive process) and also experience stresses of rigorous exercise, training and handling. This, compounded with the stress of stall confinement—a very unnatural environment for

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

horses--can negatively impact the GI tract barrier.

Transport is also a stress for horses.

“Excessive stress, even for short periods, can result in a loss of homeostasis and subsequent damage to the gut lining. Stress impacts hundreds of different signaling molecules and hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. In turn, these molecules effect numerous tissues and organs including the GI tract and brain. Some stressors lead to increased stomach acid secretion which can alter nutrient composition and the intestinal microbiome of beneficial bacteria. Ultimately, stress results in lowgrade inflammation that is often associated with increased intestinal permeability and leaky gut,” he says.

“Most competitive horses get minimal turnout time and that alone is highly stressful. Many trainers also withhold feed (especially hay) before a performance, race or competition and some even withhold water, and this is also very stressful and detrimental to the gut, and the horse’s health and behavior,” he says.

Signs of Leaky Gut Syndrome The most common sign of this problem is diarrhea or loose stools. “If this lasts more than half a day, it should be cause for concern and you should probably call your vet, but you can also start giving the horse some probiotics and prebiotics if you have some on hand,” says Lindinger.

Sometimes a horse with leaky gut will be constipated rather than have diarrhea, and show signs of impaction colic. “This is one of the odd things; leaky gut can cause diarrhea or constipation.

The latter may be even more difficult to notice, especially if the horse is out on pasture,” he says. If the horse is stabled regularly, or in a small pen where you can readily see the manure, then you would notice. If there are no bowel movements for half a day, this would be cause for concern.

The horse’s attitude may also change. Anyone who knows the horse can readily tell when that horse is off. “The affected horse may lose appetite and is not interested in food, and may become irritable. Other signs may include reduced performance, fatigue, or even laminitis or skin allergies, due to disruption of the immune system,” he says.

Prevention and treatment The best prevention is simply keeping the horse healthy, providing clean feed and water, avoiding excessive stress, etc. Things that can be done to reduce stress and promote a healthy gut include

keeping the horse in as natural environment as possible, and providing good hay and high quality, clean water. “The water should be free of chlorine; it shouldn’t be chlorinated tap water. Uncontaminated ground water or something from a running stream is better because chlorine can disrupt the healthy bacteria in the gut,” he says.

Changes in feed should always be gradual and it helps to make these changes in association with dietary sources of butyrate and an effective probiotic.

“Many horsemen now are also using probiotics and other products that are helpful in maintaining or restoring intestinal integrity when it has been compromised,” says Lindinger. lumen

If antibiotics must be given to a horse, people need to realize that even though the horse may need these drugs to combat a disease or infection, there are also some negative effects, especially with prolonged use. Antimicrobials do what they are intended to do—kill microbes systemically or in the targeted local tissues—but they also impact the microbiome of the GI tract, resulting in death of both beneficial and pathogenic microbes, altering the microbial population.

“When systemic antimicrobials are used, it is important to supplement the diet with butyrate, to (continued on page 64) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 21

POLO SCENE

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

ON HEAD THE LINE Young player createsSubhead polo-inspired street fashion

A YOUNG POLO PLAYER recently launched a clothing line based on the sport he loves. Named

Aleem Siddiqui, 13, plays on Battlefield Park’s interscholastic polo team.

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

Chukker, the brand provides modern street wear that not only aims to help introduce people to the sport of polo but also to help improve society.

Aleem Rahman Siddiqui started playing polo four years ago at Battlefield Park Polo Club in Gainesville, Virginia, after several years of riding lessons.

“My mom went to a boarding school that had a polo program and she introduced me to horses and riding when I was 7,” he explained. “She took me to Battlefield Park Polo where I met Ms. Dori Burner. After lessons I would watch the polo team scrimmage in the outdoor arena. I kept working on my riding skills and decided that I would also like to play.”

When he was 10 he played his first game against a Work to Ride team.

Unfamiliar with the Work to Ride program, he started reading about it and talking to the kids on the team.

Siddiqui, now 13, participates on an interscholastic team in the fall and winter. In the summer he plays at the Great Meadow Polo Club in The Plains, Virginia.

Last year, Siddiqui decided to create the brand. “I started Chukker in 2020 to provide modern apparel and bring more awareness to the sport,” he said.

“I like to make designs that appeal to polo players and enthusiasts as well as those who haven’t been introduced to the sport.”

Siddiqui’s first design was the He came up with a few design conanatomy of polo (above). More recently, he has added some cepts that would help people underwhimsical designs (below). stand polo better. “My first design was the anatomy of polo. In this design, I created a diagram of the horse, player and equipment,” he said. “It wasn’t as whimsical as some of my recent designs but I thought it was important for people to understand the basics.”

Not only does he want to attract more people to the sport, Siddiqui wants to improve access to polo for all players. After learning about the Work to Ride program, he decided to support it. “I soon realized what an amazing program Ms. Lezlie [Hiner] has started and how many children she had impacted.

When I started Chukker, I felt compelled to help support the program in any way possible,” he said. With that in mind, he has pledged to donate 10% of annual profits to Work to Ride.

For more information or to purchase, go to chukkerofficial.com, and follow on Instagram and Twitter.

POLO SCENE

N E W S

•

NO T E S

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T R E N D S

•

Q U O T E S

VIRTUAL REALITY Oklahoma State wins intercollegiate tournament

WHILE the global pandemic prevented the National Intercollegiate Championship from being played for the second year in a row, organizers didn’t let that stop them from providing some fun competition for the teams. Many of the college programs had restrictions on competitions and travel so a virtual Tournament of Champions was created to keep teams engaged and connected throughout the season.

Each region competed in a series of three tasks. Points were earned in each category from first through fifth place. At the completion of each of the regional tasks, a regional champion was crowned. The four regional winners, along with two wild card teams, advanced to the national championship round. Advancing were Montana, Oklahoma and Oregon State Universities, Skidmore College, University of South Carolina Aiken and University of Virginia.

The national round consisted of an additional three tasks, each with point values first through fifth place. The team with the most points at the end of the three rounds was crowd winner of the virtual Tournament of Champions and received the grand prize saddle, complete with leathers and irons. Second and third place winners took home a box of arena balls.

Utilizing their equine backgrounds to their advantage, Montana State University (Bozeman, Montana) took a commanding lead in the first task, the Quiz Bowl. The win earned the team a $500 FarmVet gift card. In the second task, one player from each team shot penalties live via Zoom. Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Oklahoma) showed off its penalty shooting skills, taking home 12 custom-made saddle pads. There was a four-way tie between Oklahoma and Montana State Universities, Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, New York) and University of South Carolina Aiken (Aiken, South Carolina) heading into the third round. The third task had a player from each team performing a mounted riding pattern, which was videoed and posted to social media.

A panel of experts reviewed the videos and selected Oklahoma State the winner. The team received a grooming package, including a set of cordless clippers, valued at $500.

Oklahoma State, with first-place finishes in two tasks, was crowned overall champion. Skidmore College was runner-up and Montana State finished third.

Other awards included Rookie of the Year, won by Morehouse College (Tyrone, Georgia) that received a box of arena balls; Hermoine Most Studious Award, won by Montana State that received a set of stirrup leathers; Most Valuable Player of the Tiki Tiki Challenge, won by University of Virginia’s Jack McLean who received an Indo balance board; and Golden Snitch Team Spirit Award, won Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan) that received custom polo belts. All national participants won a grooming towel, courtesy of FarmVet. Congratulations to all the winners!

An Oklahoma State University pony models one of the new saddle pads and the new saddle the team won.

The team also took home a grooming package worth $500 to pamper its string.

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

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

The best You! Improve your skills over the summer

By Hayley Heatley

The long days of summer sun provide many hours of polo and horse fun for young players across the country. Take advantage of the extra time while school is out to improve your game through practices, drills, clinics and tournaments, and meet new players along the way. Rain can be a factor during the summer months, but there are plenty of ways to stay active and improve your game when the field is not available.

For players looking to mix-up their usual summer polo routine, read on for fun activities for the summer season.

Participate in the National Youth Tournament Series Program. Qualifier tournaments are held across the United States and Canada throughout the summer, providing young players an opportunity to compete with and against their peers in a USPA Circuit event. The NYTS National Championship will be held September 8-12 in Chicago, Illinois. To participate in a qualifier tournament, reach out to your local club or visit uspolo.org for a schedule of events and eligibility requirements.

Host a skills challenge at your club.

Whether on foot or mounted, a skills challenge is a fun way to spend a day with fellow polo players. Foot mallet dribbling, long ball or penalty shooting accuracy competitions; a good, old fashioned foot race with a mallet; or foot mallet games are sure to provide a few laughs. Create a hashtag and challenge a rival team!

Download the PoloSkilz’ Drills, Drills, Drills book from the uspolo.org website. Filled with ball handling and riding exercises from the country’s top coaches, the book illustrates practical ways to improve your practice time.

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

Reach out to a local professional player or Team USPA alumni or current player and ask them to review a recent game tape with you.

Having a new set of eyes on a game you are familiar with can offer a different perspective on your play and strategy.

Research arena leagues or tournaments. Regional arena leagues offer highpoint awards, social events and camaraderie among local players.

Join the I/I Polo Alumni Network LinkedIn Page.

Designed for recent graduates, the LinkedIn page is a hub for informal meetups, job skill development posts and mentoring opportunities Organize a weekend meet-up with players from two clubs in the area. If you have access to a field or arena, organize a scrimmage or friendly white pants match. While playing for trophies is always a blast, a lot can be learned from practice games! Try practicing three set plays with your teammates and work on improving their execution on the field.

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Try a new workout routine. Pilates, functional training and other core-focused exercises compliment the muscles used in polo. Connect with a local fitness trainer, friends or use the PreGame Warm-Up book found on the uspolo.org website.

Host a Global Polo TV game and pizza night. All USPA members receive complimentary access to live-streamed and ondemand games as well as player interviews, I/I Ask the Expert, Horse Highlights and more.

Vo l u n teer with a local therapeutic riding program. Requirements vary by program and by state, but your valuable horse skills can be put to good use in a rewarding environment.

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Underdog to top dog Gardnertown takes national championship

By Emily Dewey • Photos by Oana Moore

GFS-Ruda’s Josie Dorsey clears the ball from along the wall in the game against Lakeside.

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

Gardnertown Polo came away the winner in the Open National Interscholastic Championship hosted

by Virginia Polo Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, May 12-16.

Distinguishing themselves from a competitive field of seven teams, Gardnertown Polo Club met topseeded Houston Polo Club in the final on Sunday, May 16, to determine who would engrave their names on the George C. Sherman Open National Interscholastic Championship trophy.

Both finalists seeking redemption after HPC lost the 2019 ONIS final, and Gardnertown experiencing the same result in 2018, the final remained tight throughout the first three chukkers. Playing especially strong in the second half, Gardnertown exploded offensively in the final period to seal their first ever championship win, 21-10.

Six teams competed on opening day with the winners of each match advancing to the semifinals, along with Houston Polo Club, on Friday.

The first game pitted the second-seeded Gardnertown Polo Club (Winston Painter, Vlad Tarashansky, Jonathan Wallace), coached by Bill Dencker and Dan Scott, against the seventh-seed Lancaster-Work to Ride (Esteban Penados, Mosiah

GFS-Ruda’s Josie Dorsey, Gardnertown’s Winston Painter, Houston’s Lance Stefanakis and Gardnertown’s Vlad Tarashansky were all-stars.

Houston’s Lance Stefanakis and Gardnertown’s Winston Painter

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

Seven teams competed in the Open National Interscholastic Championship at Virginia Polo Center.

Joe Muldoon congratulates Sportsmanship Award winner Esteban Penados (above) and Horsemanship Award winner Oliver Wheatley (above, right).

Gravesande, Marisol Jimenez), coached by Lezlie Hiner.

The teams started the week off hot with Tarashansky putting the first goal on the board for Gardnertown. Penados answered back with goals of his own for Lancaster-Work To Ride and the battle raged on. At halftime, the teams were tied at 7-all.

Gardnertown turned it on in the third chukker and scored seven goals to Work to Ride’s two, with Tarashansky tallying four. In the final chukker, Painter would find the goal three times, sealing Gardnertown’s win, 17-11.

No. 3 seed Myopia Polo Club (Landen Eckbo Daniels, Shane Metternick, Augustus Grotnik, Rehan Kumble), coached by Yaz Grotnik, took on the No. 6

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

seeded Central Coast Polo Club (Morgan Manos, Ajay Moturi, Taylor Olcott, Ruby Decker), coached by Megan Judge, in the second game of the day. Myopia quickly jumped out to the lead, scoring six unanswered goals in the first chukker. In chukker No. 2, Metternick sunk a two-pointer to add to Myopia’s tally, but Central Coast found its groove and Moturi scored on a penalty shot to put CCPC on the board. Each team added four to the scoreboard, ending the half with Myopia ahead, 10-4. Decker kept the teams close with a two-pointer in the third chukker, but Kumble answered back with a twopointer of his own. Myopia added two field goals to cap the final score at 19-7.

Fourth seeded all-girls GFS-Ruda team (Lindsey

Morris, Gabriella Chiasera, Josephine Dorsey, Victoria Picha), coached by Posey Obrecht, squared off against the five-seed Lakeside Polo Club, coached

by Nicole Bankhead, in the last game of the day. A pony goal put Lakeside on the board first, but Dorsey answered quickly with a field goal and Morris added two goals to end the first chukker, 3-1, in favor of GFS-Ruda. Lakeside came back strong in the second, outscoring Ruda, 4-3, and ending the half with GFSRuda up by a single goal.

Back on its own ponies for the third chukker, GFS-Ruda racked up five goals to Lakeside’s one heading into the last chukker. The fourth chukker had the fans on their feet as Lakeside chipped away at the gap. A first goal out of the throw-in from Bankhead was quickly answered by a Penalty 2 from Chiasera. A field goal from Dorsey would be the last goal for Ruda. Meanwhile, Bankhead continued on his quest and sunk a field goal followed by twopointer, which put Lakeside within three. As the clock wound down, Bankhead scored the last of his five goals in the chukker, leaving Lakeside just shy of the win. GFS-Ruda held on for the 13-11 win.

Houston Polo Club (Lance Stefanakis, Ashvath Bhatia, Will Mudra, Joe Bob Lequerica), coached by Mark Prinsloo, made its debut in the semifinal against the GFS-Ruda team. Dorsey put GFS-Ruda on

the board first when she drilled a Penalty 4 halfway up the goal. Stefanakis scored four goals, but Dorsey had two more goals to her name, with Chiasera and Morris adding single tallies to close out the first chukker with GFS-Ruda up 5-4. GFS-Ruda grew its

UVA’s Mini was Best Playing Pony.

Myopia’s Landen Daniels reaches to hook Gardnertown’s Winston Painter.

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

Work to Ride’s Esteban Penados leans in to stop Gardnertown’s Winston Painter.

lead with a field goal from Morris and a pony goal, widening the gap to 7-4. A pony goal for Houston and a quick goal from Stefanakis brought the team within a single score. Lequerica scored two and was followed up by a Mudra tally to put Houston on top, 9-7, at the half.

Lequerica added three points while holding GFSRuda to one point in the third, to lead 13-8. In the final chukker, Morris came out strong, scoring two field goals to bring GFS-Ruda back within three.

Dorsey fired one in to close the gap even further.

Lequerica found the goal, growing the lead to three, but was answered by Morris for GFS-Ruda’s final goal. Stefanakis put the icing on the cake to end the game, 15-13, in favor of Houston.

“The girls had a huge improvement from their first game Wednesday against Lakeside going into the semifinals on Friday,” Obrecht commented. “I think the nerves got them a bit but they were ready to rock and roll the second time out with Houston. It was a fast an open game which was fantastic to watch. I

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

could not be more proud of them for how well they represented themselves as an all-girls team in the open tournament.”

The second semi-final pitted the two Northeastern teams, Gardnertown and Myopia, against each other.

Painter scored first but was answered by Grotnik.

Daniels followed with a score for Myopia and Gardnertown would finish the chukker with six more points to the board. Matternick scored in the second chukker, with Daniels adding two more, but the duo of Tarashansky and Painter added two a piece going into the half, 11-5, in their favor. Gardnertown repeated its first chukker with seven goals to Myopia’s two and wrapped up the fourth chukker with six more tallies, winning 24-9, and advancing to the final against Houston.

“In Myopia’s first trip to nationals, we were lucky enough to bring our own string,” explained coach Grotnik. “The boys felt good about their horses and played [their] string in the first round. The semifinal against Gardnertown was a rematch of our regional

rivalry. Their teamwork was unstoppable. We were fortunate to be here and hope to return next year.”

The consolation final was a round robin between Lakeside, Work to Ride and Central Coast. In a friendly match, Lakeside came out the victors.

The morning of the championship final dawned cool. HPC opened the game with three consecutive goals to take the early lead, but Painter singlehandedly matched the tally to tie in the first chukker.

“Our strategy going into the final was to take advantage of our throw-ins and our fast pace of play,” Painter said. “Even though we had never faced this Houston team before we were confident that we wouldn’t have to change our strategy or style of play in order to contend for the victory.”

Stefanakis and Painter initiated a steady stream of goals, trading tallies twice to start the second as Wallace and Lequerica added their first goals of the game. A final goal from Painter before the buzzer gave Gardnertown a slim 7-6 edge at halftime.

Spectacular two-pointers from Painter and Mudra highlighted the third chukker as the teams battled to create a sizable lead. Holding onto their one-goal advantage moving into the final chukker, Gardnertown soon took control of the game with an impressive offensive display.

“We have always been a second-half team, and I think that our ability to capitalize on throw-ins and maintain offensive pressure is what led to the success of our fourth chukker,” Painter revealed.

Holding HPC scoreless, Gardnertown catapulted into the lead as their selfless play resulted in 10 goals between all three players, including a two-pointer from Tarashansky to end the game, 21-10.

“It was a great final game against a strong Houston team,” Dencker said. “Our boys played with composure and as a team, finishing as they have done all season.”

“It feels really good to finally win nationals especially since it was canceled last year due to the pandemic,” said high-school senior Tarashansky.

“Finishing off with such a commanding chukker was better than anything I could have imagined to end my high-school career. It’s also great to win alongside Winston our senior year. I’ve been playing with and against him since I started about nine years ago.”

Responsible for 13 of Gardnertown’s 21 goals, high-school senior Painter will be a strong addition to the UCONN polo team this upcoming season, taking the invaluable experience gained during his interscholastic years.

“This win not only means a lot to Jonathan, Vlad and I, but more importantly, this win means a lot to

the Gardnertown polo program,” Painter shared. “I strongly believe that our coach Bill Dencker has one of the best youth polo programs in the country and it’s really nice to take home the national championship as a token of appreciation for Bill and everyone involved. It’s nice to have something to show for all the hard work, time and dedication that coaches like Bill and Dan Scott have put into this year’s team and previous teams.

“This win also means a lot to the Gardnertown interscholastic alumni, namely John Dencker, Joe Post, Matteo Chaux, Pierre Chaux and Matt Forbes,” Painter continued. “We as a team would not be where we are today if it were not for them and I cannot overemphasize their contribution to this win.

The entire Gardnertown polo community has played such a monumental role in helping us achieve the national championship win this year, so the victory is just as much theirs as it is ours.”

Tournament participants elected Josephine Dorsey, Winston Painter, Lance Stefanakis, and Vlad Tarashansky to the All-Star team, each receiving a watch from USPA Global Licensing. Esteban Penados (WTR) was selected as the Sportsmanship Award recipient. Recognized for his horsemanship both inside and outside the arena, Oliver Wheatley (Lakeside) was presented with the Horsemanship Award and flew home with a brand new saddle. Mini, owned by Virginia Polo, was the highest scoring horse of the tournament for her spectacular play and UVA 2 was awarded Best Playing String.

The Open National Interscholastic Championship is the crowning achievement of an interscholastic player’s career.

“It was a very exciting week for high school polo teams around the country to be able to compete in this tournament and the Virginia Polo Center is the perfect venue for such an event,” said UVA coach Lou Lopez. “I had the opportunity to observe Vlad Tarashansky who is one of my recruits. He will make an excellent addition to our UVA squad and I’m looking forward to a fantastic collegiate season.”

The Intercollegiate/Interscholastic staff would like to thank Virginia Polo, Garrison Forest School, Triangle Polo Club and David Brooks, Myopia Polo Club and Work to Ride for providing fantastic horses for the teams to play in the tournament. They would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the umpiring crew of John Bianco, Stan Feldman, Mike VanDerwerken and Bradley Biddle. Last, but certainly not least, the tournament would have not been possible without the Virginia Polo facilities and the tireless work of Lou Lopez and Grace Burgert.• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 31

The cost of land in Los Angeles makes owning a grass field prohibitive. The California Polo Club has five instructors for its thriving polo school and offers polo all year long.

Come Indoors Interest in less-expensive arena polo growing

By Abi Abel

Arena polo is finally (and deservedly) no longer looked at as merely a stepping stone for outdoor grass polo. Many clubs are looking to their arenas to attract players and the success is rivaling that of some of the top grass clubs. All this means great things for polo clubs and polo players across America.

Arena polo hits on all cylinders by providing opportunities for players to enjoy higher levels of polo more often and more affordably than on the grass. It also offers accessible polo at a lower cost for beginners with the added safety of the enclosed arena. Plus, it packs an extra punch by bringing unparalleled excitement to spectators that can safely 32 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

cheer on the action only a few feet from the thundering hooves and quick-precision mallets.

Considering the often-daunting financial obligations grass polo can carry—including the cost of transportation, number of horses needed, grooms, club fees and pro fees—it is not difficult to see how the proposition of paying an arena entry fee and leasing or buying and boarding a few horses while still enjoying opportunities to play higher-level polo with higher-rated players is fast growing in popularity.

For clubs, arenas require a third of the space a grass field needs and the cost to maintain an arena is significantly less than a grass field. Further, good

arena footing can easily handle chukker after chukker, accommodating numerous players even when its wet.

The OC Polo Club in Silverado, California, is strong in the arena polo development game. A top arena club and polo school, OC Polo has two polo arenas, stabling for over 60 horses and a newly renovated event and clubhouse space impeccably designed by Lithe Sebesta.

OC Polo’s father-daughter team of Danny and Shelly Geiler have created a polo oasis capitalizing on all the wonderful things arena polo has to offer.

“Arena polo is a perfect way to get new players into the sport because the controlled space is safer and makes it easier to teach the rules,” said Heather Perkins, club manager for OC Polo. “The competitive and exciting games in the Pacific Coast Arena League are easy to watch and understand because the fans are so close to the action.”

Legends Polo Club in Kaufman, Texas, is also finding great success through its arena polo programs. With 140 stalls, a polo field, an exercise track, an outdoor arena and a covered indoor arena, Legends fast became a unique hub of polo in Texas.

About eight to 10 polo school students take lessons each night in the Legend’s arena and the club hosts arena tournaments year round.

Legends, voted Texas Arena League Best Host Arena the past two years, hosted two TAL weekends this year with 30 teams playing each weekend.

Ignacio “Nacho” Estrada founded the club in 2016 with the aim of keeping the sport alive through making teaching and training affordable and accessible to students, and the plan is working.

Offering arena polo lessons and arena tournaments is a key element in the club’s success as the arena means

accessibility for new players through lower costs and with lights, the convenience of playing after work.

Great Meadow Polo Club in The Plains, Virginia, has a long-standing tradition of arena polo with Twilight Polo every Saturday night from June to September. Not only has Great Meadow been phenomenally successful with its arena program, polo school and bringing along new players, but Twilight Polo is a spectator favorite with cheers of team loyalty and excitement for the up-close arena game.

Opportunities for players and spectators to be involved in arena polo mean great things not only for the future of the sport but also for the future of polo clubs. Arenas provide more opportunity for new or lower-rated players to play with higher-rated players on a regular basis while also providing a venue for the higher-goal pros.

Professional Tommy Biddle points out that arena can sharpen a player’s skills. “Arena polo helps people with their riding. As you play more and more arena polo, your anticipation skills improve,” he explained. “Players learn how to get quicker.”

USPA certified polo instructor at Triangle Area Polo in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina, David Brooks says the cost of maintaining its two arenas is far less than the upkeep on one field. Brooks also says their spectators enjoy (and some prefer) watching arena games.

“In the past, we have moved spectator events to the arena from the grass because the field was too wet and spectators generally preferred the arena game and being able to see up close,” he explained.

Brooks offers a traditional model to get new players into the sport by first offering lessons, then encouraging a club membership with the goal being

Legends Polo Club has become a polo hub in Texas. Students take lessons each night and the club hosts arena tournaments year round.

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

Tommy Biddle is one of only four players to reach a 10-goal arena handicap. He would like to see regular high-goal arena leagues.

to play in tournaments. Triangle Polo also has youth and interscholastic teams.

“Having a covered arena and a full-size outdoor arena we can start new players, grow them into club members and maintain them as members. The arena allows more people to play, and to play at a higher level than they can play on grass because of the affordability,” said Brooks.

A former 9-goal player and renowned coach, Tom Goodspeed is championing the importance and the value of arena polo, especially as it pertains to mentoring and training young players here in the United States, as is the goal of the Team USPA program.

“Team USPA strategies for developing talent have shifted from time to time,” said Goodspeed.

“Sometimes Team USPA focused on developing highgoal talent, other times it was to make our young business professionals better at polo and to bring their abilities into the clubs. There is a place where we can realistically do both: high-goal arena polo.

Arena polo is a destination for those with limitations that do not lend well to the financial expectations of high goal outdoors. It is also a safer option for developing amateurs.”

Goodspeed also notes that when an arena facility can be built on just a few acres it creates the possibility of being closer to larger metropolitan areas resulting in a larger crowd base.

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

Doug Barnes, owner of Destination Polo and cofounder of Polo in the Park at Morven Park, said, “The arena is the absolute hands down best way to grow polo across the country. I could probably design and tell someone how they could take 12 horses and start an arena program with a built-in polo school that would be a success right from the start. We have been able to do this year after year and it works.”

Barnes is a big fan of arena polo for many reasons—a player can enjoy the game on fewer horses (sometimes only two); arena polo can be played at night under lights, meaning increased opportunities for play; polo can still be played in a covered arena when it rains; and spectators are engaged and always close to the action.

With more and more clubs looking to develop their arena polo programs, it is of some interest to look back on a bit of the history of arena polo in this country.

The first polo game ever played in America was an arena match in Dickels Riding Academy in New York City in 1876. Arena polo became very active in the late 1920s with numerous armories in cities around the country holding matches. The Squadron A Armory in New York was one of the largest, with 100 stalls and seating for thousands of fans at its high-goal Saturday night matches. It was home to national championships and was where the first arena league, the Metropolitan Polo League, was introduced in

1930. Back then, many matches were played using a split-string format. Winston Guests was the first 10goal arena player ever, reaching the milestone in 1929. It took World War II to stop the momentum.

In 1984, the National Polo League was formed by Dr. Robert Walton, Bil Walton, promoter Paul Lippman and Los Angeles Equestrian Center board chairman Al Garcia. The league hosted teams from around the country ranging from 18 to 25 goals.

Soon after, the partnership divided and the Waltons moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, forming the Dallas Dragoons and the Fort Worth Argonauts. Games were played in publicly-owned facilities: Fair Park in Dallas and the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth.

Biddle cut his teeth in arena polo in Dallas. “One of the first times I ever played in the arena was in Dallas, in the professional league there. ... We played that game in front of 4,000 people and it was awesome,” he recalled. “I broke a mallet and ... chucked [it] into the stands and the crowd thought it was awesome. During the trophy presentation, a kid came up with the broken mallet for me to sign.”

Biddle went on to become one of only four players to ever reach a 10-goal arena rating.

Al Garcia brought in Tom Goodspeed to develop the American Polo League at the LAEC, attracting celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Doug Sheehan, Juice Newton, Mickey Dolenz, Dorrie

Forstmann and Jameson Parker.

Goodspeed formed the LA Colts, a team with Joe Henderson and Dan Healy. Healy was later replaced

by Herman Louis-Decoite. Henderson, the third player in the history of the sport to reach a 10-goal arena handicap, enjoyed arena polo (perhaps even more than the grass) because of the high levels of play in such a fast and challenging game. They competed against the country’s top players, who were flown in, picked up in limousines and treated like stars.

Playing spring and fall seasons, both the Texas league and APL had their own horses and used splitstring formats. Texas played eight four-minute chukkers while LAEC played six five-minute chukkers.

The APL, which required players to be 5 goals or higher, followed the script of most professional sporting events with music, food, merchandising, sponsorships and announcing. A color guard presentation, the National Anthem, team introductions and a celebrity throw-in preceded each game. The APL also kept the capacity crowds, 3,500strong, involved by having halftime shows, post-game player interviews and meet-and-greets. It created a fan base of 20,000 and the polo school associated with it taught more than 600 people how to play.

Charles Smith, who played in the NPL in Texas, explained, “The high-goal arena league games in California were a real magnet. That got a lot of people

Arena polo is more affordable because fewer horses are needed.

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

OC Polo Club’s arena in California is spectator and player friendly. Fans get an up-close experience and players enjoy excellent facilities, including a fast, smooth surface.

started in polo the same way we did here with the NPL.” In the 1990s, promoter Randy Russell established arena polo in Scottsdale, Arizona. Six arena games were played, but scheduling difficulties stood in the way of really establishing league play. Chuck Rogers took over the program, and tried to create more interest and bring along new players. Rogers put together a league team called the Scottsdale Thunder and followed the APL format with exhibitions and theme nights. Rogers said that after a couple of building years they were hosting sell-out games.

Sadly, none of the professional leagues lasted very long. Financial woes ultimately put an end to them.

Rodney Fragodt was involved with polo at the LAEC, and when it shut down, he and a handful of others split off to be able to continue playing polo.

Fragodt, along with Ralph Rosato and Carlos Figueroa, opened California Polo Club, an arena club in Los Angeles, in 1995, with a polo program that has proven to be more sustainable.

“In an area like Los Angeles, as far as the cost of land goes, it is almost prohibitive to have grass polo or many fields,” Fragodt said. “Arena is by far the best place to learn polo. It is a controlled environment and if anything does go wrong, there is not too far the horse can get away.”

Fragodt said the emphasis at the club is to promote the beauty of the game to spectators and turn out players. The club has five instructors and offers polo 12 months of the year. Club members also compete at area grass clubs, such as Santa Barbara and Will Rogers, and the club has an agreement with Empire Polo, offering 1-goal grass polo in the winter.

“We are a feeder club for many grass players and it is purposefully structured that way. If I lose some players to grass polo, I still have new players coming

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

in,” explained Fragodt.

“They get exposure at Empire and it is a way to introduce them to the grass if they have progressed enough. It is like people watching their kids go off to college, going off on their own. By going out to the desert, I can watch over them and protect them a little bit. ... It is a way I can give them a taste of both sides of polo.”

Biddle said his current sponsor came through Sam Ramirez’s arena program at New York Polo Club, another club offering year-round polo. Players can play on the club’s outdoor field in the summer and its arena when it is too wet or too cold to play outdoors.

Offering a year-round lesson program keeps the interest of participants as well as spectators, leading to new memberships and interest in club involvement, league games and tournament play.

Arena leagues can be played concurrently with grass seasons, or can be stand-alone.

Smith, USPA secretary, five-time winner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship and a Polo Hall of Famer, said sustaining interest is key to growth in polo, and a program that includes high-goal arena polo and attracts spectators is the start of getting people interested in playing the game. When someone watches a high-goal arena game with stands full of cheering spectators, it gives them something to aspire to. They might take a lesson, then move on to a coaching league and progress to tournaments.

“It is important to have a target,” Smith explained. “Arena polo can do that now just as the APL and NPL worked to attract people who said, ‘Wow, I want to do that! How do I get there?’”

Biddle believes that getting polo to the masses requires a discussion about piggybacking on bull riding events, rodeo arenas and getting into big cities. “[With] outdoor polo, sometimes the play happens on the other side of the field, but playing indoors with 3,000 people is amazing to play and watch,” he said. “People can see up close the aggressiveness of the play and the skill of the players and really see the horses.”

After the pro leagues faded, there have been a few high-goal events over the years, like the Townsend Cup, and the U.S. Arena Open, but unfortunately,

high-goal arena polo isn’t currently available on a regular basis.

“TAL is great and is offering 3 to 6 goal and 6 to 9 goal, but there aren’t really any opportunities to play higher than that,” Biddle said.

Currently, 60% of the polo clubs in America have arenas, and these are consistently developing and growing. Many other clubs have arena facilities in the plans.

For clubs looking to build new facilities or improve existing arenas, incentives are available.

Smith said the USPA, through its Polo Development Initiative program, is helping the current infrastructure by improving existing arenas and adding things like lights, scoreboards and grandstands to make a better experience for players and spectators.

On the ground, the USPA Arena Committee, led

by Chairman Robin Sanchez, is developing and promoting existing arena programs and establishing and growing new ones across the nation.

“What Robin is doing is the foundation for growing polo and making new players. What she is doing with the Arena Committee is greatly valued; she is making a huge difference,” said Smith.

Sanchez, a USPA certified polo instructor, umpire and governor-at-large, said arena polo has proven itself. “From the professional leagues of the 1980s and 1990s to today’s ‘Friday Nights’ and ‘Polo Under the Lights’ events, spectators are flocking to arena

polo. And for clubs with polo instruction programs or polo schools, the arena is key. It is safer for new players and they are immersed in play,” she said.

Arena leagues provide the opportunity for fun, competitive action between clubs and players in a state or region, as we are seeing in the Pacific Coast, Texas and now Chicago. These inter-club competitions are serving to steadily raise the level of play and number of players while continuing to be accessible and affordable.

Sanchez said, “An arena club with on-site stabling makes it easier for new players to transition from polo school to horse-owning player. No need to invest in a huge string, truck, trailer, etc. It makes polo very accessible for people with a lower level of discretionary income.”

Clubs with arenas can also capitalize on the great opportunity found in offering an intercollegiate and/or interscholastic program.

“Arena polo through colleges and interscholastic programs is how a multitude of new players are introduced to the sport,” said Sanchez. “If I/I isn’t the backbone of polo, it is at least several vertebrae.”

The many success stories serve as testimony to the value of having an arena polo program. With a history of consistently viable programs, an increase in opportunities of play, a dramatic increase in team entries for the current leagues, the accessibility and affordability for beginners, the rise of arena polo is here.

•

Fairfield Polo Club in Haysville, Kansas, is taking advantage of PDI matching funds to upgrade its irrigation and give the arena walls a facelift.

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

CANDACE FERREIRA/CHUKKER TV

World Polo League’s Juan Bollini tries to avoid the hook from Seminole Casino’s Alejandro Novillo Astrada.

Beach ball Seminole Casino hits Jackpot on the sand

By Gwen Rizzo

World Polo League Beach Polo was held April 23-25 on Miami Beach’s tony South Beach. It was a great way to cap off a competitive season and kick start the summer. Seminole Casino Coconut Creek edged Land Rover, 9-6, to capture the trophy. Six teams competed over the three days.

The action kicked off on Friday with Seminole Casino (Melissa Ganzi, Nacho Figueras, Alejandro Novillo Astrada) edging World Polo League (Vinny Sangaline, Jeta Castagnola, Juan Bollini), 8-7.

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

The second match pitted cousin against cousin when Poroto Cambiaso took on Barto Castagnola.

Italkraft (Poroto Cambiaso, Juan Martin Zubia, Govinda Quish) narrowly fell to Land Rover (Philip de Groot, Barto Castagnola, Tito Gaudenzi), 6-5. Italkraft ran out of time trying to overcome the three-goal handicap given to Land Rover.

The Setai (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Torito Ruiz) ended the day’s action with a 7-6 win over The Villa Collection/GFI Development Company

CANDACE FERREIRA/CHUKKER TV

Cousins Poroto Cambiaso and Barto Castagnola had fun competing in beach polo.

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

(Marc Ganzi, Horacio Heguy, Nic Roldan).

The teams came back the next day with The Setai picking up its second victory, this time over World Polo League, 6-5. Land Rover also celebrated a win, getting the best of The Villa Collection/GFI Development Company, 9-7. The last match of the day saw Seminole Creek sink Italkraft, 9-5.

After the matches, the players and guests gathered at The Setai for a cocktail party.

The last day began with Seminole Creek taking on Land Rover for the first place trophy. Beach-goers lined the temporary fences surrounding the action, while boaters floated in for a closer look at the unusual site of two- and four-legged athletes on the sand. Spectators also filled the VIP section in a tent lining one side of the field. Celebrity spectators included actor Cuba Gooding Jr. and girlfriend Claudine De Niro; developer Alan Faena; journalist Jackie Guerrido; architect Kobi Karp; politicians Michael Góngora and Mark Samuelian; and former football star Jeremy Shockey.

Land Rover began with a two-goal handicap but it didn’t take long for Seminole Creek to overcome it.

Figueras took the ball to goal from the opening throwin. Ganzi’s Penalty 2 conversion tied the score, and a

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

PHILIP TALLEYRAND

MIKE LEANDRE

Cuba Gooding Jr., Melissa Ganzi, Nacho Figueras and Delfina Blaquier

Barbara Boller enjoyed the up-close beach polo action from the VIP tent.

PHILIP TALLEYRAND WILLY DADE

goal by Novillo Astrada put Seminole Casino on top, 32. Barto Castagnola’s penalty conversion in the second tied the score but Ganzi and Novillo Astrada responded to end the half ahead, 5-3. Figueras and Novillo Astrada widened the gap to 7-3. Castagnola found the mark, but Figueras shot back to keep the Marlon Humphrey and Gussie Busch played in the celebrity match.

four-goal spread, 8-4. Castagnola scored early in the fourth but Ganzi had the answer. A Penalty 2 conversion by Castagnola cut the difference to three but Land Rover ran out of steam and Seminole Casino had the 9-6 victory.

In the consolation Casablanca Trophy, The Setai edged World Polo League, 4-3.

The action continued in the Celebrity Charity Cup to benefit Give Back for Special Equestrians, a Miamibased nonprofit that provides therapeutic horseback riding scholarships for disabled children and veterans throughout Florida. Baltimore Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey joined Gussie Busch and Marc Ganzi on the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame team. They took on the Polo Training Foundation team consisting of artist Romero Britto, actor Sterling Jones and Nacho Figueras. Britto scored for Museum of Polo, but Ganzi answered back with two for PTF for the win.

PTF stayed on the sand and were joined by the Give Back for Special Equestrians team made up of ESPN commentator Tucan Pereya, Miami news anchor Louis Aguirre and Beach Polo organizer Tito Gaudenzi.

Humphrey, who began riding only a month prior, scored for PTF, but Pereya and Aguirre, who hit the ball out of the air and into the goal, gave Give Back for Special Equestrians the win. The celebrity jerseys were signed and auctioned, raising an additional $23,000 divided between the three team charities.

In the final match of the day, The Villa Collection/GFI Development Company edged Italkraft, 4-3, for The Villa Collection Cup. The day was capped off with an awards presentation.

•

The beach polo event was held between 21st and 22nd Streets in South Beach.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 41

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

Upset!

Los Sauces captures Women’s Masters

By Lucas Noel • Photos by Sergio Llamera

Los Sauces handed Pilará, led by 10 goalers Lia Salvo and Hazel Jackson, a big blow in the final of the inaugural Women’s Masters at Palmero’s La Catedral. Los Sauces ended up winning the title by a half goal, part of the handicap it began with.

The tournament is open to teams from 0 to 40 goals. It saw seven teams rated from 14 to 26 goals.

The teams were divided into two divisions, with teams playing each of the other teams in its division.

The matches were played as eight four-and-a-half minute chukkers. The top team in each division played the Gold Cup final, while the second and third place teams played the Silver and Bronze Cups, respectively.

“It was the first time that I faced players with 10 handicaps. They are the best in the world and it was a great challenge to be on the field against those

stars. You have to anticipate certain plays because it is another level. You have to use your head a lot and be patient,” explained Agustina Imaz, whose joy was still apparent days later.

Los Sauces really wrote a great page in Palermo’s history by beating the favored Pilará, 12½-12.

Milagros Sánchez (7), Fátima Balzamo (6), the aforementioned Agustina Imaz (3) and Francisca Moretti (3) defeated the main favorites to win the title: the consecrated Lía Salvo (10) and Hazel Jackson (10), accompanied by Hana Grill (5) and Martina Díaz (1). Pilará had to give up 5½ goals for its higher valuation and after the first two chukkers of the decisive match it had already overcome it, taking a 6-5½ lead. But the team from the province of San Luis, which won all four games it played in the tournament, was able to recover in

Los Sauces’ Francesca Moretti is flanked by Pilará’s Martina Diaz and Hazel Jackson in the Women’s Masters final.

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

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

ZONE 1 Pilará-Why Not Martina Díaz Hana Grill Hazel Jackson Lía Salvo

26 1 5 10 10

Cuatro Vientos-Legíon Extranjera Elina Braun Esperanza Uranga Azucena Urganga Jazmín Dupont

18 4 4 5 5

LD Polo Ranch-Amanara Olivia Zucchi Juan Deramo Verónica Magnasco Paola Martínez

14 2 1 4 7

ZONE 2 Los Sauces’ Fátima Balzano, Milagros Sánchez, Agustina Imaz and Francesca Moretti won the first Women’s Masters.

a magnificent way. Its comeback was based as much on their technical ability as on their mental strength.

The two teams reached the final match on field No. 1 in Palermo after having shown a high quality of play in previous games in their respective groups.

“We did not start well. We began with five and a half goals in our favor and they turned everything around in two chukkers. The truth is that at that moment we did not see the story with a good ending.

But then we settled down chukker by chukker. We got into rhythm and then it was hit by hit. The outcome was very even and we only won by half a goal,” confessed Imaz.

At the venue the Argentine Polo Association owns in Pilar, Los Sauces started its campaign by beating La Varzea, 9-6½, then defeated El Metejón by a tight 11-10½. It earned its ticket to the main stage at the corner of Avenida Libertador and Dorrego thanks to an 11½-6 victory over Thai Polo.

Against Pilará, the Los Sauces foursome experienced a very complex first few minutes, perhaps overwhelmed by the circumstance and the magnitude of their opponents. Salvo and Jackson dominated the action and took advantage of several mistakes from its rival to begin to tilt the balance. It was only in the fifth chukker that Los Sauces began to tighten its defense and attack more decisively.

Thai Polo-Nearside Camila Rossi Maitena Marré Sol López Llames Sofia Lorenzo

23 5 6 7 5

Los Sauces-Brubank GMO

19 3 3 7 6

Francesca Moretti Sánchez took the reins and Agustina Imaz with her greater experience Milagros Sánchez led the response. Balzano Fátima Balzano joined in automatically, El Metejón-303 Polo Ranch and Moretti and Imaz, the Clara Martínez Ferrario rookies of the team, Luisa del Carril contributed to keep their Mercedes Prario aspirations alive.

Ginevra D’Orazio “It was hard for us at La Varzea-Amadeus the beginning. They have a Celina Fernández Ocampo great team and made the Kostanze Kofler experience and the quality Alexia Laprida of their two 10-goal players Catalina Ayerza prevail, but as the minutes went by we settled and got more comfortable and we were able to get into the game,” explained Sánchez. By halftime, the duel was again in the hands of Los Sauces by a very tight, 8½-8.

The second half was literally an exchange of attacks, coordinated moves and goals that left no room for any certainty. The winner was a real unknown. The development of the meeting was exciting. Goals of great skill were scored with highflying plays from both sides. The final chapter of the game was a tightly-contested affair. However, the decisive advantage was on Mili Sánchez’s mallet and the celebration was for Los Sauces.

14 3 3 4 4 14 3 3 4 4

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

The San Luis club is having an unforgettable season: it won the Río Cuarto Open and the Vendimia in Mendoza; got a ticket to play the Argentine Interior Championship with Handicap;

and the girls became the first Women’s Masters.

Overa Z7 Tía Claret, played by Hazel Jackson and bred by Lucas Monteverde, was named best Argentine bred horse of the final.

•

New era begins A preview of the upcoming Argentine high-goal season The Triple Crown season has already confirmed its main actors. There are no 40-goal teams this year; Ellerstina and La Natividad are the only lineups that remain unchanged; a renewed La Dolfina makes its debut; and Murus Sanctus threatens to be the sensation of the season.

Last season, La Dolfina was the main character. It was a tough season for the team after all its members suffered several physical problems, but it was able to overcome them, showing up in Palermo and keeping the crown on its head.

This year will be radically different. After a decade, the foursome that dominated the polo elite has split up and divided their paths. That decision not only created new teams, but also increased the perspectives of other players in this competition, decidedly raised everyone’s expectations and delivered—at least in the preliminary stage—the topfavorite status to Ellerstina.

Each team is going through a different reality and pursuing goals tailored to the extent of their possibilities. But while various questions are being asked, at least one certainty seems to emerge: Ellerstina, the team from General Rodríguez, will have to be beaten in order for another team to celebrate a title this season.

Ellerstina: Facundo Pieres, 10; Hilario Ulloa, 10; Gonzalo Pieres Jr., 9; and Nicolás Pieres, 10.

Total: 39 Undoubtedly, the candidate. Last year’s inclusion of Hilario Ulloa substantially optimized the collective performance of the Pieres brothers.

Facundo was able to dedicate himself to moving as No. 1 without worrying about other roles; Gonzalo regained his fluidity at midfield; and Nicolás improved at the Back position. That performance 44 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

allowed it to be champion last year in Tortugas and Hurlingham.

It will be imperative to learn from past mistakes and recover from the tough defeat it suffered against La Dolfina in the Argentine Open in Palermo. It entered the last chukker ahead by a goal yet ended up losing the match, 10-8, and saw its Triple Crown aspirations frustrated.

RS Murus Santus: Facundo Sola, 9; Guillermo Caset Jr., 10; Pablo Mac Donough, 10; and Juan Martín Nero, 10. Total: 39 This team will get a lot of attention. Knowing that it was the last season of the La Dolfina dream team, it secured Juan Martín Nero and Pablo Mac Donough. It is complemented by Sapo Caset and Facu Sola, who not only remain on the team, but also played together on Alegría and Las Monjitas.

Although they don’t have a natural No. 2, its 39goal handicap matches Ellerstina.

La Dolfina: Adolfo Cambiaso, 10; Francisco Elizalde, 9; David Stirling Jr., 10; and Diego Cavanagh, 9. Total: 38 Nine titles in 10 years at the Argentine Open and three consecutive Triple Crowns are in the past. The best lineup in the history of modern polo is no longer. It is time for Adolfo Cambiaso’s organization to renew itself.

In order to rearm the squad, two men of proven experience and quality have joined: Fran Elizalde and Diego Cavanagh, outgoing captain of La Dolfina Polo Ranch and multi champion playing with Cambiaso in Palm Beach and England.

La Natividad: Camilo Castagnola, 9; Polito Pieres, 9; Bartolomé Castagnola Jr., 9; and

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

The Qualifying Tournament Two historical polo names will try to earn a place alongside today’s biggest names in Argentine polo.

La Aguada (with Miguel Novillo Astrada) and Chapaleufú will start this year from the qualifier, both hoping to obtain one of the two coveted places left in this year’s Argentine Open lineup.

The qualifier will also have a second lineup for Alegría and another one for La Irenita. Additionally, Mariano Aguerre will compete on Los Machitos alongside his nephew Martincito, while Pascual Sainz de Vicuña, the only Spanish player to participate in Palermo, will return with his team La Esquina.

The top two teams in the qualifier will earn their places in the Open lineup.

La Aguada Peke González Manuel Elizalde Miguel Novillo Astrada Tomás Beresford

29 7 7 8 7

Alegría Fish Creek Juan Ruiz Guiñazú Clemente Zavaleta Joaquín Pittaluga Bautista Bayugar

30 8 7 7 8

La Fija Raúl Colombres Ezequiel Martínez Ferrario Ignacio Negri Felipe Vercellino

28 7 7 7 7

La Esquina Pascual Sáinz de Vicuña Cristian Laprida Jr. Lucas James Ignacio Laprida

29 6 8 7 8

La Irenita II Martín Podestá Juan A García Grossi Facundo Fernández Llorente Tomás Fernández Llorente

28 7 7 7 7

Chapaleufú Rufino Bensadón Juan M. Zavaleta Julián de Lusarreta Felipe Dabas

29 7 8 7 7

Los Machitos Victorino Ruiz Jorba Lucas Díaz Alberdi Mariano Aguerre Martin Aguerre

28 7 7 7 7

Ignatius du Plessis, 9. Total: 36 As explosive as it is irregular, its cast remains unchanged from last season. Its handicap did not change either, since Polito dropped to 9 and Jeta was raised by a goal.

A very energetic opponent, the team is well mounted and one nobody will want to face them. A good afternoon from the Castagnola boys and Polito’s precision can be lethal to any defense.

La Ensendada: Juan Britos Jr., 9; Alfredo Bigatti, 8; Juan M. Zubía, 8; and Jerónimo del Carril 8. Total: 33 This team is returning to its roots by repatriating Juan Martín Zubía and Juano Britos, who will join Alfredo Bigatti and Jero del Carril. The idea is to continue adding experience for these four representatives of the new breed of Argentine polo.

LD Brava: Poroto Cambiaso, 8; Guillermo Terrera Jr., 9; Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade, 8; and Alejo Taranco, 8. Total: 33 The champion of the Cámara de Diputados Cup and winner of the playoff with last year’s lowestranked team is the second team of La Dolfina. Its main attraction will be the presentation of Poroto Cambiaso, who had a great season abroad playing with his father, Adolfo, and who will be premiering with his new 8-goal handicap. The team is completed

by two former La Dolfina Polo Ranch players, Guillermo Terrera and Jejo Taranco, and the best player in Brazil: Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade.

La Irenita: Santiago Loza, 8; Segundo Bocchino, 7; Ignacio Toccalino, 8; and Isidro Strada, 8. Total: 31 Thanks to a 75% change in its composition, this team stays on the main stage despite having been relegated last season. Santiago Loza is the only piece that remains in this structure (he had played for La Irenita II).

Alegría: Agustín Merlos, 7; Pedro Zacharías, 7; Tomás García del Río, 7; and Frederick Mannix Jr., 7.

Total: 28 The other big news is the return of Canadian Fred Mannix’s organization. This foursome includes Merlos, with whom Mannix shared a team in 2012, and the Brazilian Zacharias, who had earned a place by winning the playoff but was left out of the LD Brava reassembly.

Will there be logic or surprise? Ellerstina needs to win Palermo to consolidate itself; La Dolfina seeks the path of its reconstruction; Murus Sanctus bets very hard; and La Natividad can complicate anyone when it does not complicate itself. No matter which team comes out the big winner of the Triple Crown 2021, a new era will be born.

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 45

POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO SOUTHEAST

KATIE ROTH

PEACH TREE PREVAILS IN PRESIDENTS CUP

SIG’s Matt Coppola tries to handle the bouncing ball with support from Andrew Scott, who rides off Peach Tree’s Hope Arellano. SIG’s Willie Hartnett follows behind.

P

each Tree defeated SIG, 9-6, to take the regional Presidents Cup at New Bridge Polo & Country Club in Aiken, South Carolina, May 16. Five teams competed in the event.

Peach Tree (Randy Rizor, Hope Arellano, Lucas Arellano, Marcos Onetto) started off on the right foot, downing Foxdale Equine (Hugh Worsham, Charlie Caldwell, Julian Daniels, Tommy Huber), 12-7. It fell to Upatoi Green (Alea Crespo, Jake Flournoy, Alan Martinez, Trevor

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

Reeves), 14-10, in its next game but was still able to advance to the semis, where it edged Foxdale Equine, 15-14 to earn a spot in the final.

On the other side, SIG (Deep Singh, Andrew Scott, Matt Coppola, Willie Hartnett) topped Hardscrabble (Mason Lampton, Ian Schnoebelen, Pelon Escapite, Polo Baez), 10-7. SIG fell hard to Foxdale Equine but advanced to the semis where it slipped Upatoi Green, 11-10.

In the final, Peach Tree began

with a one-goal handicap and quickly added to it with Onetto and Hope Arellano picking up goals. A Penalty 2 conversion by Onetto in the second pushed Peach Tree’s lead to 4-0. Hartnett sunk a Penalty 3 to put SIG on the board and Coppola followed with a goal, ending the chukker with Peach Tree on top, 4-2.

A scoreless third for SIG allowed Peach Tree to increase its lead to four, 6-2, on a Penalty 2 from Onetto and a goal from Lucas Arellano.

R E P O R T

KATIE ROTH

KATIE ROTH

P O L O

SIG tightened its defense in the fourth, but was unable to reach the goal. Coppola converted a Penalty 2 and Hartnett scored in the fifth, but a Penalty 4 by Lucas Arellano kept Peach Tree on top, 7-4. Onetto scored back-to-back goals in the sixth, essentially putting the game out of reach for SIG. Coppola kept pushing and was able to match the goals, but the team couldn’t get any closer and Peach Tree had the 9-6 win.

Lucas Arellano was MVP and took home an asado grill made by Will Donahey. Coppola’s fast Mischievous, an 8-year-old OTTB, was Best Playing Pony.

“Randy did very well blocking the other team’s No. 2 and 4 which freed up Lucas and gave all of us time to control the ball without pressure,” explained Onetto.

Action continued in the Pete Bostwick Memorial, beginning on May 20.

Six teams were divided into two brackets. SIG (Deep Singh, Malia Bryan, Matt Coppola, Willie Hartnett) and LBL (Alison Patricelli, Winston Painter, Trevor Reeves, Alan Martinez) topped their brackets, earning spots in the final on June 7 after rain delayed the action by a day.

Martinez struck first for LBL after being awarded a Penalty 2. Reeves scored the first field goal, but was answered by Bryan. Coppola tied the

LBL’s Alison Patricelli, Winston Painter, Alan Martinez and Trevor Reeves won the Pete Bostwick Memorial at New Bridge.

game early in the second, but another Penalty 2 conversion gave LBL the advantage. Martinez scored a lone goal in the third to give LBL the 4-2 lead at the half.

SIG was unable to break through the LBL defense in the fourth, while Patricelli, Painter and Martinez racked up goals, giving LBL a 7-2 lead.

SIG stopped the bleeding in the fifth and Coppola capitalized on a pair of open goal penalties to cut the

difference to three, 7-4. He kept the momentum going into the final chukker, scoring his third goal in a row. Hartnett followed with a goal, bringing the team to within one, 7-6, with time winding down. Painter found the goal for LBL but Hartnett answered with a Penalty 4 through the posts. Time ran out on SIG and LBL held on for the narrow 8-7 win.

Malia Bryan was MVP and Willie Hartnett’s M&M was Best Playing Pony.

LBL’s Alan Martinez makes it look easy while under pressure from Mid State Roofing’s Reagan Leitner in the Hitchcock final.

KATIE ROTH

Peach Tree’s Randy Rizor, Hope Arellano, Marcos Onetto and Lucas Arellano won the regional Presidents Cup at New Bridge.

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

R E P O R T DAVID LOMINSKA

KATIE ROTH

P O L O

LBL’s Alison Patricelli, Winston Painter, Alan Martinez and Trevor Reeves celebrate their Hitchcock win, their second title.

Four of the Bostwick teams, along with Mid State Roofing, continued on in the Tommy Hitchcock Memorial, played as a single elimination. Mid State (Reagan Leitner, Robyn Leitner, Hope Arellano, Facundo Obregon) eliminated SIG in the first match, and Tipler Law/Cooper Home & Stable (JD Cooper, Adam Snow, Ruben Coscia, Steve Tipler) in the second match to reach the final. LBL had only one match, where it downed Un-Sta-Ble (Stacie Simpkins, Chase Butler, Del Walton, Pelon Escapite), before reaching the final.

Just like the previous final, Martinez put LBL on the board with a Penalty 2. Arellano scored for Mid State but Painter responded for LBL. Martinez found the goal twice in the second, and teammate Painter sunk a Penalty 2 while Mid State was silenced. Neither team reached the goal in the third, leaving LBL ahead, 5-1, at the half.

Arellano converted a Penalty 2 in the fourth, but Painter shot back with a field goal. Arellano kept up the pressure, adding a pair of goals in the fifth to cut the difference to two, 6-4.

The teams activated their defenses in the final period, preventing any more scoring and LBL hung on for the win.

Alan Martinez was MVP and Hope Arellano’s pretty bay mare, Cinco de Mayo was Best Playing Pony.

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

Quite on Z’s Lucitas Criado, Pipe Vercellino, substitute Jazmin Trotz, Alecia Seidler and Lucas Escobar won the Pope Challenge.

PAC I F I C C OA S T

QUITE ON Z CAPTURES POPE CHALLENGE The Santa Barbara Polo Club in Carpiteria, California, kicked off its 12-goal season with the Folded Hills Pope Challenge, April 30-May 9.

Eight teams filled the 12-goal roster. The final came down to Quite on Z (Alecia Seidler, Lucitas Criado, Pipe Vercellino, Lucas Escobar) and Klentner Ranch (Jake Klentner, Justin Klentner, Patrick Uretz, Jesse Bray).

Quite on Z began with a handicap goal, but Uretz negated it to open the first chukker. Bray added another goal only to be matched by one from Criado, ending the chukker, 2-2.

The teams had multiple misses in the second until Bray sunk a neck shot. Uretz and Vercellino swapped penalty conversions to keep the game close. Klenter opened the third with a penalty shot. Vercellino responded, dodging three Klentner players then leaving the ball for Escobar to finish off the goal, tying the score, 5-5. Bray took the ball coast-to-coast to end the half with the narrow, 6-5, edge.

Jazmin Trotz took over for Quite on Z’s Seidler in the second half.

Klentner pulled ahead with a Penalty 1, then converted a Penalty 2. A Penal-

ty 4 conversion and a field goal from Trotz brought the score back within one. The teams continued to battle in the fifth, trading goals and ending the chukker, 9-8, in favor of Klentner.

Escobar capitalized on a miss hit to tie the score before Vercellino gave Quite on Z the lead. Moments later, Vercellino knocked in and passed to Criado, who took the ball straight to goal for a two-goal lead. Klentner found the goal on a Penalty 4 but ran out of time and Quite on Z was the winner, 11-10.

Klentner’s Patrick Uretz was MVP and Jesse Bray’s Disney was Best Playing Pony.

Two different teams settled at the top of the Lisle Nixon Memorial two weeks later. BSI (Ben Soleimani, Bayne Bossom, Iñaki Laprida, Remy Du Celliee Muller) faced Dundas II (Cable Magness, Jason Crowder, Geronimo Obregon, Luke Klentner) in the final.

Laprida put BSI on the board early in the first and Muller followed with another goal but those were matched

by Magness and Crowder. Obregon picked up a pass from Crowder in the second but a Penalty 4 from Laprida kept it level, 3-3. Bossom made a big run to goal, but Crowder and Klentner teamed up to put Dundas ahead, 5-4.

The third chukker was scoreless until the final minute when Laprida con-

R E P O R T

DAVID LOMINSKA

DAVID LOMINSKA

P O L O

verted a Penalty 2 and Muller scored from the field to give BSI the narrow lead, 6-5, at the half.

Laprida and Muller struck again in the fourth to increase the lead to four.

Crowder kept Dundas in the game with a Penalty 2 conversion. A tail shot to goal by Klentner and another goal

by Crowder brought Dundas within one, 9-8. Laprida stretched the lead after sinking a Penalty 2, but Dundas drew a Penalty 1 to end the chukker, 10-9.

Magness tied the game up early in the sixth with a big run and a Penalty 2 off Crowder’s mallet put Dundas briefly ahead but Laprida scored a Penalty 6 to force overtime. Laprida scored the golden goal within a minute to give BSI the win.

The heroics earned Laprida MVP honors and Soleimani’s Valencia, played by Laprida, was Best Playing Pony.

The action continued with the Vic Graber and Harry East Memorial, dividing the teams between the two.

Four teams competed for the Vic Graber, while three faced off in the Harry East.

Dundas II made it to its second final, this time against Farmers Merchants Bank (Daniel Walker, Ryan Kerley, Matt Walker, Lucas Criado) in the Harry East Memorial. Dundas scored four goals and two penalties in

Dundas II’s Jason Crowder, Geronimo Obregon, Luke Klentner and Cable Magness won the Harry East Memorial.

DAVID LOMINSKA

SBI’s Remy Muller, Bayne Bossom, Iñaki Laprida and Ben Soleimani won the Lisle Nixon Memorial over Dundas II.

jumped right out, taking a commanding 8-3 lead in the first half. Klentner Ranch rallied in the second half, scoring six goals, but FH/FMB added five more to take the 13-9 victory.

Criado earned MVP honors and Von Wernich’s LAC Que Ramona, played by Criado, was Best Playing Pony.

FLORIDA Folded Hills/FMB Too!’s Will Busch, Lucitas Criado, an injured Santiago Von Wernich, Santi Wulff and Henry Walker celebrate the Vic Graber Memorial win.

the first half while holding FMB to one penalty conversion and three field goals. The teams battled into the second half, starting the last seven minutes level 10-10. The teams struggled for control until the last two minutes when Crowder broke through the FMB defense to win the game.

Crowder was crowned MVP and Danny Walker’s Cachamay was Best Playing Pony.

Later that day, Klentner Ranch met Folded Hills/FMB Too! (Henry Walker, Will Busch, Santi Von Wernich, Santi Wulff) in the Vic Graber.

Lucitas Criado substituted for Von Wernich, allowing FH/FMB to begin with a half-goal handicap. FH/FMB

SEBUCAN SHINES IN SUN CUP ACTION Sebucan defeated Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, 8-7, to win the Sun Cup at Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida, May 11. Marc Ganzi and Nic Roldan proved to be an unbeatable dynamic duo this season.

It was husband against wife and father against son in the final between Sebucan (Pablo Pulido, Marc Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Juancito Bollini) and Seminole Casino Coconut Creek (Melissa Ganzi, Horacio Heguy, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Juan Bollini).

Juancito Bollini struck first with a cut shot to goal two minutes into the first chukker but that would be the end of the scoring for the chukker. Marc Ganzi traded goals with his wife Melissa in the second, keeping Sebucan on top, 2-1. Juancito’s father, Juan Bollini knot-

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

R E P O R T CHUKKER TV

CHUKKER TV

P O L O

Catamount’s Nic Roldan, Marc Ganzi, Grant Ganzi and Scott Devon won the Spring Challenge Cup.

CHUKKER TV

Sebucan’s Juancito Bollini, Nic Roldan, MVP Pablo Pulido and Marc Ganzi shined in the Sun Cup at Grand Champions.

ted the score in the third.

Marc Ganzi traded penalty conversions with Astrada, ending the half level, 3-3.

Astrada began the fourth with a tally. Juancito Bollini added his second to keep it tied, but Melissa Ganzi scored again to give Seminole Creek a first-time lead, 5-4. Pulido pulled the game level once again. Heguy took back the lead, only to be matched by Roldan, ending the fifth, 6-all. The back and forth continued in the last seven minutes with Marc and Melissa Ganzi both scoring, but Pulido put through the game winner before Seminole could respond, giving Sebucan the 8-7 victory.

Pulido was MVP and his pretty bay mare, Fogoza was Best Playing Pony.

In the subsidiary, Newport (Gene Goldstein, Grant Ganzi, Nacho Figueras, Tomas Pieres) beat Orea (Petra Sobotova, Sugar Erskine, Justin Daniels, Pablo Spinacci), 12-11.

The following week Melissa and Marc Ganzi met again, this time in the final of the Spring Challenge. Melissa’s Seminole Casino Coconut Creek team remained unchanged as it faced Catamount (Marc Ganzi, Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Scott Devon). Catamount began with a three-goal handicap and Marc Ganzi added to it early with a

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

Sorrento’s Nic Roldan, Federico Parker, Tito Gaudenzi and Marc Ganzi won the Pedro Morrison Memorial.

Penalty 2 conversion. Melissa Ganzi began chipping away at the deficit with a goal, but her son Grant found the goal for Catamount to lead, 5-1. Astrada’s second period goal was answered by Roldan to keep the difference four goals. Roldan and Grant Ganzi struck again in the third, but Melissa Ganzi matched both goals, ending the half with Seminole trailing, 8-4.

Seminole Casino made the most of the halftime break. It regrouped and got back into the game with Melissa scoring a hat trick and Heguy splitting the posts while holding Catamount scoreless in the fourth and fifth. Tied at 8-8 going into the final seven minutes, Roldan gave Catamount the lead, while the team silenced Seminole Casino.

Roldan struck again, tallying an insurance goal for the 10-8 Catamount win.

Roldan was name MVP for his efforts, while his chestnut mare Pepa was Best Playing Pony.

In the Just for the Love of It subsidiary, Newport (Gene Goldstein, Sugar Erskine, Justin Daniels, Pablo Spinacci) edged Sebucan (Leo Mandelbaum, Pablo Pulido, Tomas Pieres, Nacho Figueras), 9-8.

Marc Ganzi and Nic Roldan teamed up with Federico Parker and Tito Gaudenzi for the Sorrento team in the Pedro Morrison Memorial final a week later. They faced Seminole Casino Coconut Creek with a new line up: Fran Spinacci, Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Alejandro Novillo Astrada.

Sorrento began with a three-goal advantage and Juancito got right to work chipping away at the deficit but a Penalty 5b conversion from Roldan negated his efforts. Undeterred, Bollini scored two more before Roldan scored another. A costly mistake from Seminole gave Sorrento a Penalty 3, which Marc Ganzi easily converted, ending the chukker with Sorrento continuing to enjoy a three-goal lead, 6-3. Bollini kept pushing and managed to put another through the posts. Astrada followed

P O L O

R E P O R T

Arden’s Fine Jewelers’ Liv Berube, Miguel Lis-Planells, Paige Boone and Francisco Bilboa won The Villages Polo Club Cup.

The Villages Insurance’s Horacio Lizaso, Larry Nelson, Sue Doyle, MVP Loryn Butterworth and Paige Boone won the Theatre Cup.

Galaxy’s Jamie Deméricas, Sue Doyle, Midge Ellison, Alfredo Guerreno and Charly Quincoces topped a round robin at The Villages.

Fross & Fross’ Alfredo Guerreno, Nate Berube, Midge Ellison and Thom Fross ended the season with a 6-4 win over Ardens.

with a goal to bring the team within one, but Roldan put it back to a twogoal difference. Grant Ganzi got the team back within one, 7-6, at the half.

Roldan sandwiched goals around one from Astrada to increase the lead to two, 9-7. Bollini found the mark early in the fifth, but Gaudenzi and Roldan responded. Goals by Astrada and Grant Ganzi late in the chukker kept it close, 11-10, going into the last seven minutes.

Bollini leveled the score early in the sixth, but the team was whistled on a play. Sorrento was awarded a Penalty 2, which Marc Ganzi converted to win the match, 12-11.

Roldan was named MVP for the second week in a row and Santa Rita’s grey mare Cortina, played by Tito Gaudenzi, was Best Playing Pony.

FROSS & FROSS TAKES FLORIDA SEASON ENDER The Villages Polo Club in The Villages, Florida, finished off the last month of the season with four 6-goal events.

Arden’s (Liv Berube, Miguel LisPlanells, Paige Boone, Francisco Bilbao) edged Galaxy (Larry Nelson, Midge Ellison, Alfredo Guerreno, Horacio Lizaso, Roberto Narvaja), 7-6½, in The Villages Polo Club Cup, April 30.

Midge Ellison was MVP and Miguel LisPlanell’s Latina was Best Playing Pony.

The following week, The Villages Insurance (Larry Nelson, Loryn Butterworth, Paige Boone, Horacio Lizaso, Sue Doyle) edged Citizen’s First (Jamie Deméricas, Miguel Lis-Planells, Chavelo Briones, Charly Quincoces,

Irene Lis-Planells), 6-5½. Loryn Butterworth was MVP and Quincoces’ 5-yearold Sugar was Best Playing Pony.

Next, Galaxy (Jamie Deméricas, Midge Ellison, Alfredo Guerreno, Sue Doyle, Charly Quincoces) topped Citizens (Ava Hinkson, Kim Smith, Paige Boone, Francisco Bilbao, Holly Chamberlain) and Fross & Fross (Thom Fross, Larry Nelson, Nate Berube, Horacio Lizaso) in a round robin for the win.

The season ended with Fross & Fross (Thom Fross, Midge Ellison, Nate Berube, Alfredo Guerreno) besting Ardens (Sue Doyle, Larry Nelson, Franciso Bilbao, Cruz Bilboa, Roberto Narvaja), 6-4, in the Polo Club Cup. Fross and Ellison led the scoring with three goals apiece.

•

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

CALENDAR

July J U N E 2 - J U L Y 14 Summer League (4) Southampton, Watermill, NY

Freedom Pony Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH

J U N E 8 - J U LY 2 2 Independence Cup (8) Southampton, Watermill, NY

J U L Y 3 - 31 Tuckerman Cup (4) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

J U N E 16 - J U L Y 5 USPA Officers Cup (8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY

J U LY 4 Fireworks Challenge Cup (6) Prestonwood, Oak Point, TX

J U N E 2 3 - J U LY 4 Silver Cup (16) Greenwich, Greenwich, CT

J U L Y 4 - 11 USPA Cyril Harrison Cup (4) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

J U N E 2 4 - J U LY 3 Congressional Cup (6) Chicago Int’l, Oswego, IL

J U LY 7 - 2 5 American Cup (16) Greenwich, Greenwich, CT

J U N E 2 5 - J U LY 4 Intra-Circuit Cup (12) Arranmore, Oswego, IL

J U LY 7 - AU G U S T 1 USPA Eduardo Moore Invitational (8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY

J U N E 2 7 - J U LY 3 Lt. Governor’s Cup Denver, Sedonia, CO

J U LY 7 - AU G U S T 4 Hampton’s League (6) Southampton, Watermill, NY

J U N E 2 7 - J U L Y 11 Oak Brook Polo Open Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL

J U L Y 8 - 11 Congressional Cup (2) Play Polo, Westerville, OH

J U N E 3 0 - J U LY 3 Arena Constitution Cup (3) Triangle, Hurdle Mills, NC

Players Cup (4) Giant Valley, Hamden, CT

J U L Y 1 - 11 Harrison Cup (8) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA J U LY 1 - 15 Presidents Cup (8) National Eight Goal (8) Intra-Circuit Cup (12) Governors Cup (6) Beverly, The Plains, VA J U LY 2 - 4 Players Cup (4) Fairfield, Haysville, KS Independence Cup (4) Willow Bend, Little Elm, TX USPA President’s Cup (8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA J U LY 3 Independence Cup Farmington, Farmington, CT

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

Women’s Challenge Cup WCT Maryland, Jarrettsville, TX J U L Y 8 - 17 Officers Cup (8) Chicago Int’l, Oswego, IL J U LY 8 - AU G U S T 2 8 Rincon League Pro-Am (8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA J U L Y 9 - 11 NYTS Roseland, Crozet, VA Summer Sizzle Cup (4) Willow Bend, Little Elm, TX J U LY 9 - 18 Robert Skene Trophy (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA J U LY 9 - 2 4 USPA Masters Cup (4) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY

J U LY 10 SOCT Dream Ride Cup Farmington, Farmington, CT Max Berger (4) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA Oliver Wallop Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY J U L Y 1 0 - 11 Sportsmanship Cup (6) Seattle, Enumclaw, WA USPA Constitution Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH J U L Y 1 0 - 17 Arena Masters Cup (12) Denver, Sedonia, CO J U LY 12 - 2 6 Chairmans Cup (12) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA J U LY 13 - AU G U S T 12 New York Cup (8) Southampton, Watermill, NY J U L Y 1 5 - 17 Arena Challenge Cup (8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA J U L Y 16 Sand Cup (4) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD J U L Y 16 - 1 8 Congressional Cup (4) Fairfield, Haysville, KS Heat Wave Cup (4) Willow Bend, Little Elm, TX J U L Y 17 Cowboy Cup Farmington, Farmington, CT Independence Polo Cup (4) Dallas, Red Oak, TX USPA Women’s Tournament Greater Niagra, Wainfleet, Ontario Cloud Peak Cup Flying H, Big Horn, WY J U L Y 17 - 1 8 HYT Polo Challenge (1) Will Rogers, Pacific Palisades, CA

CALENDAR

August NYTS Franklin, Franklin, TN USPA/PTF Seniors Tournament (4) Blackberry, Batavia, IL Centennial Cup (0) Sugarbush, North Ferrisburg, VT J U LY 18 Butler Challenge Cup Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL Easton’s Ranch Cup Sheridan WYO Rodeo Final Big Horn, Big Horn, WY J U LY 18 - 2 5 USPA National Chairman’s Cup (12) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA J U LY 2 0 - 2 5 Shane Winkler Tournament Big Horn, Big Horn, WY J U LY 2 2 Constitution Cup (6) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD

J U LY 2 4 - 2 5 Arena Amateur Cup (3) Barrington Hills, Wacounda, IL Stan Ackley Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH WRPC Women’s Tournament Will Rogers, Pacific Palisades, CA J U LY 2 5 - AU G U S T 8 USPA Governor’s Cup Denver, Sedonia, CO J U L Y 2 7 - 31 East Coast Open Women’s Champ. (20) Westchester, Portsmouth, RI J U L Y 2 8 - 31 New England Pro-Am Farmington, Farmington, CT 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 2 - 2 5 Sunny Hale Legacy WCT (16) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA

J U LY 2 8 - S E P T E M B E R 8 Fall League (4) Southampton, Watermill, NY

J U L Y 2 2 - 31 Gen. George S. Patton Jr. (6) Morgan Creek, Yorkville, IL

J U LY 2 9 - AU G U S T 1 Players Cup (4) Simsbury, Simsbury, CT

J U LY 2 2 - AU G U S T 1 George S. Patton Jr. (12) Las Brisas, Elgin, IL

Amateur Cup (1) Congressional Cup (2) Central New York, Ithaca, NY

AU G U S T 1 - 2 8 USPA Crossman Cup (2) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA 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 - 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, Monkton, 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 AU G U S T 6 - 15 Masters Cup (12) Arranmore, Oswego, IL

J U LY 2 3 - 2 5 WCT Sunny Hale Legacy Cup (8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA

J U LY 3 0 - AU G U S T 1 Constitution Cup (4) Fairfield, Haysville, KS

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

J U LY 2 3 - AU G U S T 8 USPA Silver Cup (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

AU G U S T 1 NYTS Women’s East Coast Open final Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

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

J U LY 2 4 Bronco Challenge Farmington, Farmington, CT Arby Dobb (4) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA Skeeter Johnston Memorial Flying H, Big Horn, WY

Capital City Aviation Cup Columbus, Frazeyburg, OH Paul Nicholson Memorial NYTS Big Horn, Big Horn, WY AU G U S T 1 - 15 Eastern Challenge (12) Beverly, The Plains, VA

Arena Masters Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD AU G U S T 7 - 8 Arena Amateur Cup (3) Poway, Poway, CA USPA Governor’s Cup Seattle, Enumclaw, WA

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

CALENDAR

INSTRUCTORS FORUM

(continued from page 15) AU G U S T 8 USPA America Cup (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

A U G U S T 21 - 2 2 Amateur Cup (0) Blackberry, Batavia, IL

San Pedro Ranch Cup Big Horn, Big Horn, WY

USPA Sportsmanship Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH

Archie MacCarty 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 8 - 15 USPA W. Cameron Forbes Cup (6) Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Chicago Polo Open Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL AU G U S T 12 Congressional Cup (6) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD 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 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 15 WC Title Cup Columbus, Frazeyburg, OH Kurt Luplow Memorials Women’s Big Horn, Big Horn, WY

AU G U S T 2 3 - 2 9 Governors Cup (6) Lexington, Lexington, KY AU G U S T 2 6 - 2 9 Arena Amateur Cup (3) Triangle, Hurdle Mills, NC 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 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 9 - S E P T E M B E R 5 Sportsmanship Cup (2) Roseland, Crozet, VA

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

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

USPA Polo Ponies Memorial (8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA AU G U S T 2 0 International Cup Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD A U G U S T 21 Women’s Challenge Cup (6) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA

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

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.

out of each of the three positions is a lot of fun.

Arena is a little more like a pinball machine when you compare it to grass polo. There are numerous changes of directions and possession that all happen so quickly. You have to have cat-like reflexes to react to the many changes of lines and angles caused by the ball rebounding off the boards. Placement and accuracy are so much more important in the arena. But quickness may be the single greatest component right after horsemanship.

Great arena players can back the ball as well as turn the ball. They can make long passes as well as possess a high level of finesse and quickness in handling the ball in dribbling situations. They are as comfortable hitting the ball off the bounce or out of the air as they are from a teed-up spot hit. They can hit a well angled back shot as well as make accurate shots on goal.

Great arena players are comfortable in any position and are aware of the field layout and positioning of teammates and opponents. They understand the flow of the arena, can anticipate the developing play and place themselves in a position of advantage while others are still responding to the previous play.

To play a position well, understand all the positions. In the arena, it is imperative to easily interchange between all three positions with your teammates.

Somebody is forward, someone is carrying the ball, and the back door is covered is the general rule. If all three players take on an awareness of all three of those roles and are quick to fill in the holes, the opponent is going to have a difficult time defeating that team.

Riding in the arena is more about RPMs and a rider’s ability to keep a horse on the bit, collected, ready to change direction and accelerate in an instant. • Tom Goodspeed achieved a 9-goal arena handicap. He can be reached at polotom@usapolo.com.

ASK AN UMPIRE

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

(continued from page 17) of those. First, you leave the field and the other team is knocking in. You return to the field following the hitter. Well, you are not allowed to line up behind the hitter on the knock-in, right? You must line up behind the 30-yard line in front of the hitter. If you are closer than 30 yards, that is a foul and the other team gets a center hit but, if you come on the field after they hit, there is no foul unless you make a play (any play) before passing your teammate who was properly behind the 30-yard line when the other team took the knock in.

In Diagram 1, the yellow player off the field will be offsides if he enters the field behind the red hitter after the red hits. It is no big deal unless yellow makes a play before passing a teammate who was behind the 30-yard line when the red team hit. If your team is hitting a knock-in, you can be anywhere when they hit, so no offsides for you wherever you enter the field. I may have lost you. If so, no worries.

Let me discuss a throw-in and I may get you back.

Let’s say we have a throw-in at the center of the field. After scoring on the south end of the field, the yellow team lines up on the south side of the line-up

and the red team lines up on the north side. All yellow players must be lined up or positioned on the south half of the field for the throw-on (north for the red team). As long as any yellow player is on or enters the field on the south half of the field, they are fine because they could have done that at and during the throw-in but they cannot enter or be on the north half of the field at or during the throw-in because they would not be on the correct side of the throw-in and thus lined up improperly (see Diagram 2). If a member of the yellow team leaves the field to change horses or grab a new mallet, for instance, they just need to pass a teammate who was on the south side of the field when the ball was thrown-in and before they can make a play, otherwise they are offsides.

What happens when a player is offsides and makes a play while they are still offsides? It is a foul, just like any other foul. The ball placement will still depend on the same factors surrounding the foul that are taken into consideration for any foul.

If you still can’t grasp it and all else fails, just pass a teammate when you enter the field and you will always be fine. Alternatively, just roll the dice and hope you are on sides (that’s seems to be what most players do anyway).

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 55

Y E S T E RY E A R S

The Argentine team 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. Part I recounts the California leg of their famous visit and in Part II in the upcoming August issue, the story of their fascinating but largely forgotten New York stopover will be told.

The Argentine ponies arriving in California in December 1930, after a harrowing 42day voyage from Buenos Aires. Of the 47 horses transported, 44 survived.

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

Part I–The California Visit During the 1920s and ‘30s, several Argentine teams made a number of historic visits to the United States. The first one was a relatively impromptu affair. An Argentine brigade of six players had gone off to England in 1922 to compete in a variety of events during the so-called “London Season,” which revolved around individual games and several tournaments at the Hurlingham, Ranalagh and Roehampton Clubs. As word quickly

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spread across the pond of this unheralded group’s outstanding exploits, the American Polo Association—as the USPA was then called—invited them to travel on to the United States upon the completion of their British tour.

As Newell Bent in American Polo put it: “… and on they came, players and ponies arriving here in mid-summer for a series of international tournaments at the Rumson, Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr and Meadow Brook Clubs.”

The die was cast and the Argentines returned again in 1926 for a season of tournament play at Rumson, Philadelphia, Meadow Brook and Narragansett Pier. Two years later, they found themselves again in Westbury, this time for the inauguration of the Cup of the Americas competition. In 1931, the Santa Paula Polo Club team competed in the Open Championship, which occurred a year after their phenomenal American presence—the focus of the story below.

Another visit to Meadow Brook transpired in 1936 when an Argentine quartet took the Gold at the Berlin Olympics and was invited to sail to our shores for an improvised Cup of the Americas contest (pitted against the winner of the U.S. Open Championship, Greentree, rather than against a high-goal team picked by a defense committee). The final invasion before the war came in 1937 when a team from the San José Polo Club entered the Open tournament.

The 1930 California Visit Among the Argentines most noteworthy excursions beyond the Eastern seaboard was the aforementioned 1930 Santa Paula visit, which turned out to be one of their most successful and certainly their longest (a two-month stay in California followed by a short side trip to New York).

The logistics alone for an undertaking of such length and breadth read like the preparations for a major military campaign. There were not only the players and their polo colleagues to be transported to America but also their ponies and grooms, an enormous amount of equipment for both the players and their ponies (mostly supplied by Lacey & Sons of Buenos Aires according to the many advertisements that were published) and probably steamer trunks and luggage galore packed with all the personal apparel for the entire entourage. In terms of the latter, the amount of clothing must have been fairly monumental as the players alone had not only to bring multiple polo outfits but also

attire for casual, more dressy and most likely, even formal occasions. Complicating matters further, members of the Argentine armada were required to have wardrobes to contend with three different seasons of dress: summer during their voyage north from the Southern Hemisphere; winter, albeit mild, in Southern California; and early spring—where it can be chilly—for their unplanned New York stopover.

Andrada with one of his ponies along with one of the grooms

The California press dubbed the Santa Paula team as “The Four Horsemen of the Pampas.” In this casual photo are clockwise Harrington, Juan and Jose Reynal and Andrada.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 57

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Alfredo Harrington and Carlton Burke engaged in some fast play in the final.

The Argentine caravan headed to North America in two distinct groups. The first to depart were the ponies, which left Buenos Aires by boat in early November 1929. So monumental and harrowing was this voyage that it merited lengthy stand-alone write-ups and multiple photographs in such magazines as Polo in the United States and Polo y Equitacion in Argentina.

Under the ever watchful eye of Thomas Nelson, a well-known breeder and a cousin of the great polo player Jack Nelson, 47 ponies were loaded on board a freighter into improvised stalls. According to an article by Peter Vischer in Polo magazine (January 1930), Tom Nelson considered these horses to be the “cream of the Argentine lists,” an opinion his cousin Jack fully shared.

In a very clever innovation, the horses were outfitted with specially designed felt soles which allowed them to promenade on the decks, 12 at a time for exercise. Caring for the petizos were 12 grooms, 11 of whom got sick during the extremely rough voyage north. As a result, for 25 of the 42-day trip, there was not a full complement of gauchos to look after the ponies, a problem further compounded by a loss of feedstock.

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

On the Atlantic side, the weather was incredibly atrocious so that during one 25-hour period, still far from the Panama Canal, as the ship heaved in heavy waters Nelson apparently stood and watched—and wondered who would be the first to plunge overboard! In his own words, he described the ordeal: “We were rolling and pitching to such an extent that at times I was in despair of getting the ponies to California.”

When this advance group finally reached the Panama Canal, they faced yet another setback: blistering heat instead of icy gales, which turned the vessel into a steam bath as waves came cascading over the decks. After this grueling 8,000 mile saga, the ship at long last arrived in the Harbor of San Pedro near Los Angeles on Dec. 20, 1930. The ponies were then loaded into cold vans and transported to the Midwick Country Club, arriving at 10:30 that night. Of the 47 horses that Nelson started out with, one died at sea and two shortly after their arrival. According to one knowledgeable source, the estimated value of the surviving 44 ponies was $250,000 (about $4,000,000 in today’s dollars).

In dramatic contrast to the ponies, the players and their polo companions had a much easier and a much more enjoyable journey north described as a leisurely trip, although they took a rather circuitous route. The playing group from the Santa Paula Polo Club of Manuel Andrada, Alfredo Harrington, Juan Reynal and Carlos Uranga were joined by Carlos Echeverrigaray, a club official and Tomas Moore. Accompanying the delegation were also many family participants. The group left Buenos Aires by train on Dec. 22, 1929, for Chile where they met up with José Reynal who was already in the country.

From Chile, they all continued by rail north to Peru. During this short layover in the land of the Incas, officials of the Lima Polo Club entertained them as well as arranged a friendly polo match. (As a footnote, several American press reports mentioned the Argentines had also stopped in Brazil where they played polo but there is no evidence that this ever took place.)

From the port near Lima, Callao, they embarked upon the passenger liner Esequibo, which took them out to the Pacific Ocean, then through the Panama Canal and on to Cuba where they docked on Jan. 10, 1930. While in Havana, the South Americans once again enjoyed a friendly game with a local team, most likely an army quartet. The next leg was from Havana to New Orleans where the

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travelers disembarked from their ship and then boarded a train for the long ride to Los Angeles where they arrived on Jan. 20, 1930.

On the following day, the Argentines headed over to Alhambra for a practice game against a Midwick Country Club team. The Argentine team of Alfredo Harrington, Juan Reynal, José Reynal and Manuel Andrada were rated at 24 goals, while the host team of Neil McCarthy, Gordon Cronkite, Elmer Boeseke Jr., and Carlton Burke had a handicap total of 21 goals. Despite the long trip from their homeland, the visitors were said to be “fit as a fiddle,” although the same could not be said for their ponies, which were still recovering from their debilitating ocean voyage. Nevertheless, the Argentines won easily, 13-5.

In preparation for the California season in general and the crown-jewel Pacific Coast Open Championship in particular, arrangements were made to supplement the cadre of West Coast highgoal players with a number of top players from elsewhere. Among the illustrious names brought in were Laddie Sanford, Aidan Roark, Gerald Balding, Capt. Hugh Walford and Capt. Wesley White, the latter as both a player and an umpire. As a result, the organizers were able to assemble five strong teams: Midwick at 26 goals, Santa Paula at 24 goals as noted above, Rancho San Carlos at 24 goals, Cypress Point at 23 goals and the Hurricanes at 22 goals, all of whom played in the PCO. In addition, the tournament included the San Mateo team, which was somewhat of an outlier at only 12 goals.

Besides augmenting the player pool, the tournament planners in anticipation of significant public interest in the games decided to increase the seating capacity at the picturesque Midwick stadium by expanding its length and by adding stands along one end of the field behind the goal posts.

Initially, the Argentines were to play San Mateo but the latter squad forfeited outright as they most likely did not care to play in a match in which they could easily be overwhelmed, according to Horace Laffaye in his book Polo in Argentina.

Consequently, the first game was between Midwick and Cypress Point with the home team winning, 107. In the second game, Santa Paula bested Rancho San Carlos, 10-5. The third game saw Midwick squeak by the Hurricanes, 11-10. Thus, the stage was set for the final match between Santa Paula and Midwick.

And what a final game it was! The Santa Paula foursome of Alfredo Harrington, Juan Reynal, José

Reynal and Manuel Andrada took on a powerful Midwick team comprised of Neil McCarthy, Elmer Boeseke Jr., Eric Pedley and Carlton Burke.

Rounding out the well-known players on the field was a complement of equally well-known officials: White and Balding as umpires, assisted by none other than Louis E. Stoddard, the chairman of the USPA as the referee!

The match was tightly contested and according to White, writing in The Sportsman (May 1930): “The game was finally won by the Argentine team 8 to 7, but it was not decided until the final bell rang.”

Indeed that was the case. Santa Paula had a commanding lead during most of the game. At the end of the sixth chukker, they were ahead 7-3.

Midwick though bounced back scoring two goals in each of the final two periods, while the Argentines were only able to put one more point on the scoreboard in the final chukker. Thus, in the closing moments of the game, the score stood at 8-7.

As The New York Times reported, “[The Argentines] frustrated every [Midwick] attempt to

Carlos Echeverrigaray, Manuel Andrada, Jim Spalding and Neil McCarthy visited the Paramount studio.

With them is actress Mary Brian.

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

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Argentine gauchos are shown giving a tango demonstration and lessons to a bevy of UCLA “flappers,” while their polo patrons and compatriots cheer them on!

score but in their anxiety to defend the goal, fouled Boeseke. Boeseke’s free shot went six inches wide of the goal and the game ended.” Ironically, had there been an MVP award, it might well have gone to the vanquished team’s Elmer Boeseke who racked up an impressive six goals.

White attributed around 65% of the visitors’ victory to their superior ponies and around 35% to

Manuel Andrada with his son, Manuel Hector “Bebe,” who served as the team’s mascot and attended all the games. When his father would get close to the ball, Bebe would shout from the stands: “Get to it, papa, get to it!” Bebe would go on to become an accomplished player in his own right but never was able to quite equal the successes of his father.

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

the players’ individual skills and their collective teamwork. In the March issue of Polo, the magazine’s publisher, Martin J. Quigley elaborated on this last point: “The outstanding feature of this Argentine aggregation’s game is the adroit and dependable team play it has achieved. Time after time, they came down the field in perfect combination with two players, and frequently three players, in position to have a shot at the ball. With almost magical certainty an Argentine player appeared when and where he was wanted.”

One unusual incident in the game occurred that is well worth highlighting as it was such an extraordinary demonstration of skill and courage as well as an amazing acrobatic act! Quigley explained, “In this play, the Argentine [Andrada], riding at top speed, overtook an opponent who was carrying the ball straight in a line for the Argentine goal.

Apparently with no other stroke possible, Andrada took a savage under-belly shot, knocking the ball safely towards the boards but at the same time upsetting his pony. The rider catapulted a great distance beyond the fallen mount, rolled head over heels many times, and finally taking one grand leap into the air, landed on his feet. This seemingly imperishable player, after obtaining a fresh mount, was back in the game in a few minutes.”

Excitement for the Pacific Coast Open series was so tremendous that the matches brought out record crowds to Midwick. For the final match alone, 15,000 spectators attended. London’s The Polo Monthly (March 1930) also noted that at this game,

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hundreds had to stand and many hundreds more were turned away. The gate was said to be almost double than any previous day in the history of the club. Commentators universally concurred that these were the largest gatherings for a series of polo matches in the United States other than the Internationals held at Meadow Brook on Long Island. The terrific turnout at Midwick was quite a testimony to the games’ drawing power.

The championship competition did not mark the end of the Argentines’ West Coast visit but rather only the beginning of it. Over the next several weeks, the Santa Paula team went on to play a series of high-goal exhibition matches against a variety of competitors at Midwick, Santa Barbara, Del Monte and San Mateo. In total, the Argentines played 13 games over the course of their entire California stay and won all of them.

Interestingly, the “fifth man” of the Argentine team, Carlos Uranga, actually played a fair amount of polo during the California tour. In total, he participated in five exhibition matches: three times as a member of other teams and twice as a member of the Argentine team. However, only once did he play directly against his compatriots.

The press’ assessment of the games was glowing with such comments as: “The whole series has been acclaimed as one of California’s outstanding seasons of high-goal polo” and “[It] produced some of the finest polo ever seen in California.”

As a result of their stellar performance in California, the Argentines were invited by Stoddard to play at Meadow Brook in the fall after the Westchester Cup tournament in September.

Initially, the visitors accepted but indicated they would return home in the interim to relax and to recuperate. Later on, they wisely decided to defer the trip until 1931 when they could compete in the U.S. Open Championship.

Shortly after leaving Los Angeles for the brief stopover in New York, half of the Argentine ponies were sold at auction of which seven were purchased by the USPA as part of their defense preparation for the upcoming Westchester Cup matches. The rest of the string remained at a ranch in the area under the oversight of Thomas Nelson with the intention to bring them east the following year to play in the Open. The plan did in fact materialize in 1931. Given the long transcontinental trip, the Argentines agreed to pause along the way and play some exhibition matches in Chicago and Detroit before reaching their final destination of Westbury, New York.

Finally, it should be noted, that since the

Argentines were the toast of the town in greater LA and elsewhere in California that winter of 1930, their activities extended far beyond the polo fields.

They were feted at a number of lunches and dinners, including it is believed at least one or more formal black-tie affairs. Hollywood opened its gates to welcome them and memorialized their visit for posterity with several wonderful and carefully staged photographs. Tout le monde, it seemed wanted to meet “The Four Horsemen of the Pampas,” as the local press dubbed them. Among the constellation of celebrities, movie studio moguls and cinema stars were Lady Edwina Mountbatten, Charles Lindbergh, Douglas Fairbanks, Will Rogers and Charlie Chaplin, not to mention fellow poloists Lindsey Howard and Hal Roach.

Even the gauchos got caught up in the frenzy by giving a tango demonstration and lessons to a bevy of UCLA “flappers,” while their polo player patrons and fellow countrymen cheered them on.

•

So great was the fame of the Argentine players that even such notables as Charles Lindbergh came out to see them play.

Lindbergh is pictured at one of the exhibition matches in Del Monte along with Cheever Cowdin.

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VIEWPOINTS

(continued from page 19) the width of the ROW in their rulebook: HPA Rule 32 c. Possession of the Ball. A player may not block the progress of an opponent in possession by positioning himself in such a way that his opponent cannot move forward. A player in possession should be allowed approximately 5 feet wide measured from the ball to the player’s near side leg to continue down the LOB. Preventing the player from moving forward (shading) is done at all speeds and should be blown straight away and any penalty must be moved up the field.

(The reference to the width of the ROW is no longer included in the rulebook.)

The way I read HPA Rule 32 c. and USPA Rule 24, if an offensive player is safely positioned within the established ROW, is parallel to the LOB and has the ball on their offside, he or she has the precedence to hit the ball.

Consider that if there is a defensive player on the nearside of the offensive player who has the right, or precedence, to hit the ball, and, if the last layer of chrome added to the defensive player’s stirrup enters into the ROW, either established or projected, in front of the offensive player, that defensive player is running the risk of fouling. And, the closer to the offensive player that defensive entry occurs, the greater becomes the risk that the defensive player is fouling. The operative word is enter, not cross, and the operative phrase is ROW, not LOB. For my purpose of teaching polo, I make a distinction between being in the ROW (path or lane)

If the last layer of chrome added to the defensive player’s stirrup enters the ROW, that player is running the risk of fouling even if he does not cross the LOB.

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

and having the right to hit the ball. I do that because, you can be in the ROW and near the LOB, however not completely within the ROW, and/or you are at an angle to the LOB (not parallel); under both conditions, you could be fouling, thereby negating your right to hit the ball.

HPA Rule 27. Line of Ball. d. When no player is on the exact LOB and two or more players ride in the same general direction, whether following or meeting, the player riding at the lesser angle to the LOB has precedence. If the players are at equal angles, the player that has the LOB on his offside has precedence.

The physical aspect of the ROW gets you safely to the ball. While the precedence of being in the ROW gives you the right to hit the ball upon arriving at it.

Two other words that confuse me are “enter” and “cross”. Unfortunately, those two words are often times used interchangeably, and should not be because each has its own meaning and serves its own function to the process of playing polo.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “enter” is defined as “Come or go into (a place) … penetrate.”

In other words, pierce or penetrate either of the two borders of the physical lane or path (ROW).

Whereas the word cross is defined as denoting movement across something; passing from side to side.

V. [with obj.] 2. Go or extend across or to the other side of (... an area).

By way of those two definitions, it should be obvious that entering the ROW and crossing the LOB are entirely different sets of circumstances. As a matter of fact, on either side of the ball, you will have entered the ROW before you cross the LOB. Relative to developing the right to hit the ball, that right revolves around satisfying the stipulations associated with both the ROW and the LOB. Consequently, you must first safely enter the established ROW, then position your horse to be at the least angle to the LOB as possible, i.e. parallel, then stay within the confines of the ROW up to point of contact with the ball.

There are three distinct sets of circumstances under which a ROW can be occupied: 1. Having the absolute right to hit the ball 2. Having the primary right to hit the ball 3. Having the secondary right to hit the ball Having the absolute right necessitates satisfying four criteria: A. Enter the established ROW without having created the slightest risk of danger to any player (human or horse).

B. Be positioned completely within the established

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ROW and parallel to the LOB. C. Have the ball on your offside.

D. Be the first player to arrive at the ball having satisfied the first three criteria.

When you have satisfied all four criteria of having the absolute right to hit the ball, no other player on the field can have as great of a right to hit the ball as you.

HPA Rule 27. b. A player on the exact LOB with the ball on his offside, whether following or meeting, has precedence over any other players, except when meeting two players ... .

Having the primary right to hit the ball comes with a limited right access, and can be executed under the conditions that you: A. have entered the established ROW safely.

B. have the ball on your offside.

C. have your horse positioned within the ROW; however, at an angle to the LOB. Under such conditions, you could be fouling, thereby, negating your right to hit the ball.

D. are much closer to the ball than the opposing player positioned within the established ROW behind you.

Having the secondary right to hit the ball comes with even greater restrictions than the primary right.

The secondary right falls under the conditions of: A. having safely entered the established right of way on the right side of the ball.

B. having the ball on your nearside.

C. being as parallel to the LOB as possible.

D. being the player closest to the ball under the above three conditions, with no opposing player coming from the opposite direction with the ball on his or her offside Caution: Utilize extreme care when hitting the ball on the nearside because, if an opposing player is riding to the ball from the opposite direction at any angle to the LOB with the ball of their offside, that player has a greater right to hit the ball than you. That holds true even if you are positioned completely within the established ROW, you are parallel to the LOB, while the opposing player is at an acute angle to the LOB, coming against the direction of travel of the ball, and is completely outside the ROW. USPA Rule, 24 e. No player may have the ball directly in front or on the near side if by doing so an opponent is endangered who could have safely attempted to hook the player or to hit the ball had the original player been placed with the ball on the off side. ...

Compare that to your traveling in a car on a two-lane highway, and wanting to pass a slow-moving car from the right lane. Just as you decide to pass, you realize

that a car from a side street has entered the same lane that you are in, but is traveling in the opposite direction as you. At that point, your passing without the slightest risk of danger has been severely comprised.

Over the years, the rule I have found to be the easiest for me to understand is 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.

That rule is straightforward and is stating that anything a player does that could be construed as presenting the slightest risk of danger to any player, (human or equine) is a foul!

A similar rule in the 2009 HPA rulebook is from Part 2: HPA Supplementary Rules and Regulations, Rule 15—Blowing to Stop the Clock, subparagraph c.

For Players or Ponies: The umpires have a responsibility to do all that they can to prevent accident or injury to players or ponies and to protect the image of the sport.

Relative to the image of the sport, as a consequence of modern-day perceptions of polo within the horse industry, I strongly urge that protecting the image of the sport of polo should become a much greater concern then it appears to have become.

The essence of the rule situation is, a rule is a law or a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles prescribed to govern the conduct or procedure of play for the purpose of ensuring the safety and fairness of play for all players (human and equine). The acceptance of that understanding does not seem to have resonated throughout the polo world the way it should.

From my perspective, the ROW should be 7-feet wide to make it harder for a defending player to fudge entering the ROW in front of an opposing player to slow them down (blocking). Without the width of the ROW being defined and adhered to, feeding the butt or blocking is an easier play to execute. With the width of the ROW defined, the umpire is given a tool that is more clear and understandable as to how to apply it to combat feeding the butt or blocking. The real problem comes down to the national associations not enforcing the rules that have been in the rule book for years.

Following the intention of the rules as they are written provides safety for all players (human and equine).

If you have not been confused by what you have read up to this point, you should be pleased to know this information lays a foundation for next month’s article dealing with making the game of polo a faster and safer game to play.

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

(continued from page 21) maintain barrier function, and with probiotics to replace the loss of beneficial GI tract microbes,” Lindinger says.

“Probably the most important probiotics that are known to be safe are the yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae or boulardii); there is a lot of research on these. There are many different strains and some are better than others, though all of them seem to be beneficial,” he says.

“There are also a number of beneficial Lactobacillus and Bacillus bacteria for which there is some evidence-based research supporting their effects. The proven probiotic yeasts (which are fungi) and bacteria have beneficial effects on the horse’s microbiome, which is the entire living community inside the intestinal system. We are trying to maintain a high proportion of beneficial resident microbes compared to the number of pathogenic microbes,” he explains.

There are always some nasty pathogens in the GI tract, and they are necessary—to keep stimulating the body to maintain a highly-functioning immune system—but everything needs to be in balance.

“Studies on disease-free mice (raised in an environment with no pathogens) show that when animals are completely pathogen-free they don’t thrive as well as a normal animal that has everything in healthy balance,” he says. Without some “bad” bacteria to stimulate immune response, the animal has reduced intestinal function and immunity and may become more vulnerable to infection or disease.

Providing probiotics is a very natural way to finetune and restore the balance between the beneficial and detrimental microbiome throughout the GI tract. “We see the start of a significant microbiome in the ilium and definitely through the cecum and large intestine. All the way through the cecum and large intestine there is a lot of microbial activity,” says Lindinger. These beneficial “gut bugs” are crucial to digestion of forages as well as to the health of the gut.

“In horses and ruminants these microbes break down the otherwise non-digestible starches and fiber that come in through the diet. These microbes use non-digestible starches as substrate and do the actual digestion, producing a lot of beneficial molecules in that process,” he says.

“The beneficial bacteria and yeasts can also provide substrate for other beneficial bacteria (playing a prebiotic role) and some can actually produce butyrate, which is a very important 64 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

molecule involved in maintaining the tight junctions between each of the intestinal epithelial cells.

Studies in many species of animals (but not yet in horses because they are more difficult to study) have shown that when we provide something like butyrate, we see an almost immediate tightening of these junctions and the gut becomes less leaky,” he says.

In the hindgut, the “good” bacteria also produce volatile fatty acids that serve as nutrients that are taken in through the intestinal wall and utilized by all the cells in the body. “Throughout the intestinal system some bacteria also help the intestine’s epithelial cells produce and maintain a mucus layer which serves as the first line of defense inside the intestine itself.” The mucus lies over the top of the epithelial cells and acts as a protective shield and buffer against irritants and harmful substances and pathogens.

“The mucus also possesses bactericides to kill the pathogens but not the beneficial bacteria. Thus it provides both a physical and chemical barrier against pathogens, yet allows the diffusion of nutrient molecules to get into and go through the epithelial cells,” he says. Anything that disrupts and disturbs that mucus layer can put the horse at risk for leaky gut syndrome.

“While some pathogens are able to directly disturb the mucus layer; mainly it is mechanical disturbances from ingested foreign materials such as sand, wood fragments or splinters, straw, etc. that erodes the mucous barrier. Abrasive feeds or foreign material in the gut can actually pierce the intestinal wall occasionally but this wall is capable of very rapid healing and repair. There is always an ongoing cycle of breaking down and repairing,” says Lindinger.

Even gastric ulcers can rapidly come and go as the stomach wall heals itself.

“In the intestinal system this healing is even faster, with replacement of damaged cells and repair of leaks within 3 to 6 hours, with turnover of cells in a matter of 2 to 3 hours. It is a very dynamic system, but energetically expensive to maintain. It is only one cell layer thick, so it is easy to patch and repair as well as damage,” he says.

Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications should be minimized. He says, “All of the NSAIDs are known to have detrimental effects on horses, causing pockets or areas of insufficient blood flow within the GI tract, creating dead zones. Then we get an area of inflammation and leaky gut, colic and possibly ulcers. There is a very strong association between use of NSAIDs (when used for longer than 3 days) and the incidence of colonic ulcers.”

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