September 2020 Polo Players' Edition

SEPTEMBER 2020

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N

Casablanca defends Arena Handicap title

$5.00 US/$5.50 Canada

CONTENTS

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N

SEPTEMBER 2020

VOL. 24,

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

26 Balls to the Wall by Gwen Rizzo

6

Association News USPA Bulletin Breeder’s spotlight

Casablanca hangs on to Arena Handicap title

30 Finest on the field by Jewel Connelly

12 Instructors Forum

The sport’s talented four-legged athletes

by Tom Goodspeed

36 Need for Speed by C. Maybe Ortiz

14 Ask an Umpire 16 Equine Athlete

Horses remain big part of Octogenarian’s life

18 22 24 40

SEPTEMBER 2020

TION P L AY E R S’ E D I

Casablanca defends Arena Handicap title

NO. 1

OUR COVER

Polo Development Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Polo in the Pampas

by Lucas Noel

MVP Nic Roldan, shown on Best Playing Pony Molly, led Casablanca to an Arena Handicap victory.

Photo by ChukkerTV

by Heather Smith Thomas Polo Scene News, notes, trends & quotes

42 Polo around the Globe 60 Yesteryears

by J.M. Casper

64 Calendar 46 Polo Report STG Prevails in Governors Cup

$5.00 US/$5.50 Canada

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

New Carbon Fiber Polo the JRD Wellington

P L AY E R S’ E D I T I O N THE

OFFICIAL MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE

UNITED STATES POLO ASSOCIATION

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Editor & Publisher

GWEN D. RIZZO

Contributing Editors

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

Editorial Board BOB PUETZ, 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 2020 by United States Polo Association..

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@ U S P O L OAS S N 4 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

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U S PA B U L L E T I N

Fall Polo at New Bridge New Bridge Polo & Country Club, located in Aiken, South Carolina, will host a 12-Goal Trifecta this fall. Three national USPA tournaments will be held from September through November at the 12goal level. All interested teams are encouraged to sign up for this one-of-a-kind opportunity. All tournaments are USPA sanctioned. For more information, please email polo manager, Haley Bryan at hbryan2485@aol.com or general manager, Raza Kazmi at razanewbridge@gmail.com.

12 Goal Northrup Knox Cup: Sept. 10-27 National Copper Cup: Sept. 30-Oct. 18 (Closing Date: Sept. 15) Bronze Trophy: Oct. 21-Nov. 1 (Closing Date: Oct. 5) 8 Goal National President’s Cup: Sept. 16-Oct. 3 (Closing Date: Sept. 1) Association Cup: Oct. 7-25 (Closing Date: Sept. 21) Southeastern Circuit Masters Cup: Oct. 28-Nov. 1 (Closing Date: Oct. 14)

DAVID MURRELL

The National Arena Amateur Cup rankings are listed on uspolo.org. Below: Stephanie Massey comes in to challenge Wendy Stover.

Video Rulebook The United States Polo Association has launched a new “Ask A Question” section to the bottom of each Umpire Video Rules Library page on uspolo.org. This allows both USPA members and fans to submit questions and comments and get responses directly from USPA umpires. These questions will be visible to all site visitors.

Navigate to the umpires’ page on uspolo.org to browse through the Umpire Video Rulebook organized by outdoor and arena rules. Scroll to the

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

bottom of any rule’s page and click “Ask Question.”

Umpires will be notified of questions asked and will respond shortly, providing a more efficient way of communication.

National Arena Amateur Cup Rankings An initiative launched in 2019 by the Tournament and Arena Committees, the new format of the National Arena Amateur Cup has continued to be a success. This format has created an opportunity to showcase the accessibility of amateur polo and to incentivize amateur players to participate longer and more frequently in USPA tournaments at their home clubs, in their home circuits and nationally.

All amateur players rated -1 through 3 goals will be eligible. In accordance with National Arena Amateur Cup rules, no player may have a handicap higher than the upper limit of the event. If there is a question regarding whether a player falls into the amateur category, that decision will be made by the NAAC Tournament Committee, in consultation with the player’s home club manager as well as the club’s circuit governor.

Eligibility to play in the National Arena Amateur Cup will be based on a point system. Those who have competed in the Pacific Coast Arena League, Texas Arena League, horse shows, or other sports—like NASCAR, cycling or triathlons—should be familiar with the concept of a points system based on win-loss or ranking.

Points will be given to individuals playing in all USPA arena events—circuit, sanctioned and national.

Points will be based on the number of teams and team standing in each tournament. All points will be awarded to each team member, not the team as a whole. Points will be based on team members playing the entire tournament and all chukkers within each game. Players with the highest points will be eligible to play in the National Arena Amateur Cup. In addition to NAAC points, circuit and national arena events are eligible for: • Trophies and/or trophy reimbursement from USPA • Arena Incentive Program reimbursement funds • Pump 8 Umpire (maximum 8-goal tournament with four team minimum) • Exposure through USPA weekly e-blast “This Week In Polo” and Polo Players’ Edition magazine with submission of write-ups and photos To view 2020 rankings, visit the National Arena Amateur Cup page on uspolo.org. For more information, contact tournament coordinator, Kaila Dowd at kdowd@uspolo.org.

Tournament Results Clubs are encouraged to assemble and submit summer tournament results from all USPA events for inclusion in the Blue Book and on uspolo.org.

Tournament results may be submitted electronically through the tournament database. Please include the name of the host club, name of tournament and dates played.

Information must also include names of players on all teams that have competed in the event, list of games played with scores of each game and a captioned high-resolution photo of the winning team for each event, as well as Most Valuable Player and Best Playing Pony. If you have any questions about the tournament database, please contact tournament coordinator, Kaila Dowd at (561) 517-1652 or via email at Kdowd@uspolo.org.

USPA Club Awards The USPA offers awards for excellence in four fields to be presented annually at each USPA member club. All club delegates are encouraged to submit their choices for each award and clubs will be sent certificates to present to awardees. Recipients will also be recognized in the USPA Blue Book. Please see descriptions below for each award. Club Delegates will receive instructions via email to submit.

• Owen O’Hanlon Best Groom Award: Awarded to the best groom, based on dedication, ability and knowledge.

• Dr. Billy Linfoot Most Improved Player Award: Awarded to the most improved player for the year based on the following virtues: improved athletic ability, sportsmanship and integrity in all aspects of the game both on and off the field.

• Clint Nangle Equine Welfare Award: Awarded to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in the field of equine welfare.

• Club Pony of the Year: Awarded to an exceptional pony at your club (playing, lessons, etc.)

Gen. George S. Patton Jr. Award Remembered for his fierce determination and ability to lead soldiers, Gen. George S. Patton Jr. is considered to be one of the greatest military figures in history. Immortalized as one of the world’s most intriguing military men, he was known for carrying pistols with ivory handles, his intemperate manner and his love for polo.

Patton was an avid believer that polo was a useful tool in understanding how his fellow officers performed under pressure. Regarded as one of the most successful United States field commanders of

any war, he continuously drove his troops to the highest standard of excellence in training, and utilized his love for polo as a teaching aid. He traveled from post to post with a fine set of polo ponies and routinely established polo matches at his assigned military bases. Patton encouraged participation, and helped grow awareness and interest in the sport.

The Armed Forces Committee encourages nominations of members who have gone above the call of duty to create opportunities for military members and their families to be involved in the sport of polo. Include how the nominee best embodies the characteristics described with your nomination. Nominees are not required to have served in the military but must be current USPA members.

Please submit your Gen. George S. Patton Jr. Award nominations to Kaila Dowd at kdowd@uspolo.org by December 31.

KATIE ROTH

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Submit tournament results for inclusion in the Blue Book and on uspolo.org. Above: Jewel Gregoncza competes at New Bridge.

Club delegates are encouraged to submit their choices for club awards, including Club Pony of the Year.

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 Chief Executive Officer: Robert Puetz

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

South Bay Polo Club, near San Francisco, recently hosted a NYTS tournament.

Intercollegiate/Interscholastic I/I season kicks off Sept. 1. I/I Teams make sure to keep an eye out for start of the season information! You will be receiving emails on requirements and dates in the coming weeks. All information will also be posted on the I/I page at uspolo.org. If you are interested in starting an interscholastic or intercollegiate team, please contact Ali Davidge at adavidge@uspolo.org to get started.

I/I National Alumni tournament The Feldman Cup, the I/I program’s National Alumni Tournament will be held Sept. 18-20 at the Central Coast Polo Club in Los Osos, California. To qualify, individuals must have participated as a player on either an intercollegiate or interscholastic team. To find out more information, head over to the I/I page on uspolo.org or contact Amy Fraser at afraser@uspolo.org.

Intercollegiate Funding Program Attention intercollegiate teams! Make sure to be on the lookout for the opening of the Funding Enhancement application. Teams are able to apply for up to $2,000 worth of reimbursement on tack and other game items. For a more in-depth list of items and the application please visit the I/I page on uspolo.org.

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

Middle School Do you have a group of youth players in grades 58? If so, sign up now to host a middle school tournament at your club between September and November. Contact Emily Dewey at edewey@uspolo.org.

Players and parents, if you or your child are interested in participating in a Middle School League tournament, keep an eye out for the tournament schedule at uspolo.org!

NYTS The 2020 National Youth Tournament Series continues to provide junior players with the opportunity to compete against their peers. Several NYTS Qualifiers were played in all corners of the U.S., from Boston to Wyoming to the San Francisco area and Canada.

Big Horn All-Stars: Miki Astrada, Lance Stefanakis, Vance Miller, Cruz Bilbao Boston Polo Club All-Stars: Taylor Palacios, Vlad Tarashansky, Matteo Chaux, Landen Daniels, Caleb Kingsbury, Brynn Whitten, Rehan Kumble South Bay All-Stars: Taylor Olcott, Ajay Moturi, Elise Pardue, Lili Gonzales, Alyssa Garcia Buffalo Polo Club All-Stars: Hunter Van der Burgt, Broma Maybe, Kat Gaulin, Julia Northcott

U S PA B U L L E T I N

The Waiting Game Breeding for polo at Isinya HDC

BETH SKOLNIK

by Jewel Connelly/United States Polo Association

The broodmare paddock at Isinya HDC in Aiken, South Carolina.

young horses predisposed with a mind for the game.

Dedicating the past 28 years to managing the breeding side of Isinya, Skolnik has played an integral role along with the founders since day one, assuming the reins of the operation as the business evolved.

Raised in Los Angeles, California, Skolnik got her start exercising polo ponies and helping to work games at Will Rogers Polo Club. Especially interested in green horses, Skolnik dabbled in training and found herself on the other side of the world, working for Ellerston’s Kerry Packer in Australia.

“They were also doing breeding, which I was really interested in,” Skolnik said. “I started working for Jingle Bell (Dolfina Jordie x Merry Christmas).

PAMELA FLANAGAN

Which method of selecting horses has the best chance of producing a steady stream of high-quality polo ponies or even one horse whose legacy will leave a mark on the sport forever? It’s a question polo players, organizations and breeders have been trying to answer through trial and error since the inception of the game. There are many opinions surrounding the topic and with so many avenues to choose from, including breeding specific bloodlines, importing horses, repurposing off-the-track Thoroughbreds and even cloning, the exhaustive undertaking can be both time consuming and costly before ever yielding the desired results.

Seeking to prolong the gene pool of his retiring champion mares in the hopes of breeding more with their qualities, former American 10-goaler and Hall of Famer Owen Rinehart and his wife Georgie established Isinya HDC (Horse Development Corporation) in 1992, a Thoroughbred polo breeding and training facility in Aiken, South Carolina.

Named by Rinehart’s wife, a Kenyan native, “isinya” is a Maasai word meaning “a place of sand,” which refers to Aiken’s natural terrain. A vision made into reality through the initial team effort of Georgie and Beth Skolnik, who believe in the merits of breeding specifically for polo, a process, which, although requires a period of waiting, consistently results in

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

U S PA B U L L E T I N

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

Sapo Caset and Dolfina Popular race downfield in the 2018 Ylvisaker Cup at International Polo Club Palm Beach.

Owen after I left Australia, and Georgie was excited to breed so that’s when I really started to get into it.”

Frequented by many well-known polo playing families, such as the Busches and Orthweins, highgoal teams like Valiente and players, including 10goaler Sapo Caset, Matt Coppola and Rob Jornayvaz, Isinya has earned quite a reputation among the highest level in the sport.

Awarded ‘Best Breeder of the Year’ by the American Polo Horse Association in 2009, Isinya’s motto speaks for itself: breed to the best and expect the best.

“Our percentage of horses that make it is very high because they are all bred for polo from proven stallions and mares, which generally gives them the right conformation,” Rinehart said.

“I truly believe in breeding 100% for your sport,” Skolnik added. “The horses who have generations of polo behind them understand the concept. You can get lucky with an OTTB, but we have so much more

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

success breeding for polo. These horses play polo, it’s just at what level.”

Distinguishing themselves by their ability to follow the progression of the game, high-goal polo ponies reveal their potential through autonomous decision making.

“If I play with Owen regularly, some of the horses will start watching him and they’ll move down the field in response to what he’s doing, so they are grasping the idea and not just doing what you ask them,” Skolnik revealed. “The difference between a high-goal and a low-goal horse is when they are no longer just following the ball, but turning on their own and thinking to play the game.”

Breeding for a range of players, representing every skill level, Isinya is flexible to the needs of their individual clients, with options, including shipped semen, embryo transfer and breeding and foaling on site.

“Some clients leave their mares for up to 60 days to determine the sex of the developing foal and others leave them to foal out,” Skolnik said. “You can even leave your mare for the day and we’ll breed her so you can have her home that afternoon.”

A frequently used option is shipped semen.

Skolnik organizes with each client’s veterinarian to see when the mares are ready to breed. A schedule is then created for each stallion during the spring and fall seasons. For mares currently playing, many owners opt for embryo transfer, a method which does not interrupt their career in addition to freezing embryos for mares to be bred at a later time.

Chosen by a variety of high-goal players, both American and Argentine, Isinya is an operation known for the quality of its horses and the knowledge of its staff.

“We chose Isinya because we really liked Riverdance, but also Owen [Rinehart] has been in the industry for a very long time,” Matt Coppola said.

“He has a really good group of people who work for him especially Beth [Skolnik] and Cam [Davis] who have played a huge role in our success in breeding. I have two mares about to give birth there that we are very excited about and my stallion Sundance will be there soon as well.”

Aside from raising horses, which go on to perform well for their owners in high goal, Skolnik is equally pleased to present low-goal owners with a foal from their favorite mare. Encouraging owners to breed responsibly, Skolnik advises that only a player’s best playing or favorite mares be bred to pass on those traits to the next generation.

“If you breed the best bloodlines, you can produce

a horse that is even better than your best horse and that’s the goal,” Skolnik said.

Seeing some owners often make the mistake of waiting too long to consider their breeding options, Skolnik’s advice is to explore doing an embryo transfer at an earlier age. Planning ahead for the future well before a mare has reached retirement age is a proactive decision owners can make for the greatest success in having a foal.

While Isinya HDC offers an impressive selection of standing stallions such as Festival (Ventura x Cuartetera), Lord Easy and Sapo Caset’s Dolfina Popular (Durazno x Cuartetera), Skolnik emphasizes the importance of choosing a stallion for certain qualities.

“It’s always important to ask people who have bred to the stallion you are interested in and get their opinions first,” Skolnik advised.

Although stallions come and go from the farm over the course of the years, the ability to store frozen semen has allowed Isinya to continue to breed champions such as J5 Equestrian’s 2013 Willis L. Hartman trophy winner Open Medallón (Open Sunset x Ellerstina Medalla) and Dolfina El Boeing (Dolfina Millonario x Dolfina Lapa)—named “Best Argentine Polo Product” at the 2011 Jockey Club Open—even after their return to Argentina.

Offering a blend of Argentine and American bloodlines, current studs also include Rob Jornayvaz’s palomino stallion Dolfina Jordie (Durazno x Josie), Riverdance (River x Local Dancer) and Festival’s sire Ventura (Durazno x Buena Ventura) among others.

“I love the Riverdance line because they play polo,” Skolnik said. “His offspring are very balanced, fluid and they have great minds. They are also comfortable to ride, which he passes on to his babies.

I’ve bred to him a couple times and they are athletic and so willing.”

After 11 long months anticipating their arrival, handling foals and watching the combinations and traits come to life in promising young polo ponies is the highlight of Skolnik’s day. A fixture in their lives since birth, Skolnik finds early exposure to humans to be tremendously helpful in their later training.

“The foals have human contact right away, so I find that makes it a lot easier to tame them,” Skolnik said. Often testing their boundaries in humorous ways on a daily basis and learning from their mistakes, the foals are very comfortable around humans and even affectionate.

“I like to tame them at 2 or even a year and a half because at 3 they are more set in their ways,”

BETH SKOLNIK

U S PA B U L L E T I N

Skolnik said. “The younger they are the more open they are to learning and accepting what I am asking them to do.”

Currently caring for two frisky foals, a palomino filly named Jingle Bell (Dolfina Jordie x Merry Christmas) and Machitos Joshua (Durazno x Machitos Jazzita), Skolnik is preparing for several more as the busy foaling season approaches.

Resisting the urge to push a talented prospect too fast, the old adage, “good things come to those who wait,” certainly rings true on the journey to unlocking a polo pony’s full potential. Competing in the United States’ most prestigious tournaments, horses representing almost every high-goal team playing in Florida have benefitted from Isinya’s ideologies on breeding or training. All their years of effort culminating on the field, the entire team is invested in the success of their young horses, watching several compete this season that were trained at the farm.

“Here everyone is involved in the process at different stages so when a horse does really well it reflects on all of us,” Skolnik shared. “It’s incredibly rewarding but it takes a long time to get them to that level where they are mentally ready for a sponsor or a pro to go to the hammer on them. Many people don’t want to wait five years to play a horse [that] is still maturing but it’s worth it in the end.”

Developing quality polo ponies is truly a craft, but one Isinya approaches with a considerable amount of patience and expertise. Setting a standard recognized by the best in the business, Isinya’s consistency demonstrates why exercising patience often produces the best results.

•

Riverdance (River x Local Dancer)

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 11

INSTRUCTORS FORUM

Wild Ride What to do when a horse won’t stop

by Tom Goodspeed

Given that polo entails traveling atop horses at full speed, it’s not uncommon for players to find themselves in poor control to some degree. That degree, however, can range from the pony being a little tough to check to it being an all-out runaway hell-bent on returning to the barn or trailer, even it means running through substantial obstacles with or without you aboard.

In the worst-case scenario, here’s what to do; • Don’t panic or yell unless to warn others; you could spook the pony even more.

• Drop your mallet and whip.

• If you are unsure how to handle a runaway and have the chance, make an emergency dismount before the horse gets up more speed.

• If you opt against the dismount, separate your reins into two hands and try to turn the horse into a circle. If he turns, gradually keep making the circle smaller until the horse stops.

• If turning doesn’t work and you still have a death grip on the horse, loosen the reins a little and then jerk them backwards. Repeat if effective— pulling steadily on a runaway is almost always ineffective, but pulling and releasing the reins sharply often does the trick.

• If your reins are too long, shorten them and put your feet a little forward so you can brace against the stirrups while you pull. If you start falling back in the saddle, use the martingale’s neck strap to regain your balance.

• If all else has failed, look for a clear landing spot and get off the horse, if possible; staying aboard can be a problem if it runs close to any obstacles.

Dismounting at speed is also very dangerous, but if the situation ever presents itself only you will be in a position to decide what to do. If it is any consolation, I’ve been riding for over 50 years, have been run away with about 15 times and have never had to opt for the last-resort dismount.

To handle a runaway successfully it helps to know why a horse would behave this way—in fact, understanding its motives can help you prevent the horse from running away in the first place. The following are common causes of runaways or horses 12 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

tough to stop and some possible solutions to the problems: • Fatigue Equine fatigue can result from poor conditioning or an unusually fast chukker with few, if any, timeouts. The obvious preventive measure is better conditioning, which you can learn from an experienced trainer.

On the field, pace your pony as well as yourself—polo is a team sport, and you aren’t supposed to be in every play. If you are playing a horse two chukkers, choose your runs, don’t overdo warm-ups beforehand and let the horse rest during time-outs. If it seems to be tiring anyway, change to a fresh pony. If that is not possible, go to the back position and stay there; tell your teammates your horse is tired and let them take up the slack.

Always take advantage of time-outs for penalties, knock-ins, etc. by allowing your horse to stand still or walk to rest. Also, turn your horse’s nose into the wind to allow it maximum air flow.

• Improper Bitting An unsuitable, improperly fitted or broken bit can spell disastrous miscommunications between horse and rider, as well as any number of misbehaviors traceable to a mouth made sore by the bit.

Make sure you’re using the right bits and other tack before the chukker. Is the bit too tight, too low, too narrow? Is the curb chain right? Is the martingale too short or long? What type of noseband does your horse prefer? Does the horse go better in a curb bit, a snaffle or some type of gag? Does he get his tongue over the bit? What size port, if any, should it have? Should you use draw reins?

These questions and their answers will vary from horse to horse, and there are no simple answers. Some horses go great on a loose chain, some on a tight one. Get advice from experts and experiment—preferably in practice chukkers or stick and balling—until you find the best bitting combination for each horse. Some horses don’t adapt to change well, so take it slow. And bigger is not always better. Too much bit can sometimes

INSTRUCTORS FORUM

scare a horse so start with less and add more as necessary.

• Getting Startled Even the most bomb-proof old trail horse can run away for no reason perceptible to humans, so it is hardly surprising that high-strung polo ponies occasionally get spooked enough to trigger their flight-for-survival instincts; a bee stings, a sprinkler goes on, a truck backfires, a mallet or ball gets stuck under the pony’s tail, a drone flies too close above you, you are holding a drink and it spills on the horse, a wind gust picks up a tent, or a bus rolls through the wall of the arena you are playing in (don’t laugh—this actually happened to me).

What can you do in such unforseen circumstances?

Be prepared! Always be cautious on and around horses and never get too relaxed. Never talk on your phone while riding. Anticipate the worst and you will seldom be surprised. Gather your reins before you mount and never let them get too loose. Horses are more likely to spook when they are at a walk then when they are doing something. In the event your mallet or whip does get caught under the horse’s tail—which may sound funny, but only until it happens to you—push, don’t pull, and if you can’t get it out, make an emergency dismount.

• Poor Equitation If you are not a strong rider with a sturdy seat, you are a prime candidate for losing control of your horse. Never stop working on your riding. Some things to consider: are you gripping with your calf instead of your upper leg? Are you spurring the horse at the same time you are pulling back? Should you be using spurs at all? Are your reins too high or too tight? Be mindful—and honest—about your riding ability when choosing your horses and the level of polo you play.

• Shortfalls in Ability or Conformation Some horses just aren’t built or prepared for the checking and stopping maneuvers polo requires. In these cases, you have no choice but to accept nature or suffer the consequences.

• Mental Distress Some horses have fears or defense mechanisms that make them grab the bit to escape the rider’s control. Such mental blocks can result from poor training, abusive handing or even one bad experience, such as a collision between horses. While some horses will freak for a few weeks after such an

experience and then get over it, others won’t.

If you suspect your pony has a mental problem, find a qualified trainer. Whether the condition was caused by you or someone else before you, don’t mess with a problem horse if it is not worth ruining the pony, your health or your life.

If your horse is reluctant to stop, have it checked by a veterinarian and an equine dentist.

• Physical Distress When was the last time you had an equine dentist check your horses’ teeth? Horses’ teeth should be checked once or twice annually. A sharp or broken tooth or a bit that is pinching the cheek can cause mouth sores and irritation that is reason enough for a horse to run away.

Back soreness, leg pain—such as in the hocks— or foot soreness can be even more painful when the horse is asked to stop. In an effort to get away from the pain, the horse may run rather than stop.

Checkups from both a veterinarian and an equine dentist will help pinpoint the kinds of pain and irritation that can make horses run wild.

While any horse can take off with its rider for reasons no human can fathom, most runaway situations are explicable and thus preventable. In most cases, therefore, it is unfair to blame the pony if you find yourself on an unwanted high-speed ride; instead, take the time to learn how to keep it from pulling a fast one.

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 13

UMPIRES, LLC

Rules trinity Umpires, LLC staff is here for you

By Dana Fortugno

If Paul Simon says there are 50 ways to leave your lover, then I can say there are 50 ways to ask your umpire a question about the rules. If you don’t get that joke, good for you, you are young so enjoy it while you can.

This month, I want to take the opportunity to chat with you about how you can get answers to your rule’s questions when you most need them. Back in the old days (like 30 years ago) we asked each other rules questions and we gave wrong answers most of the time. Nobody cared because professional umpires did not exist, the players had to do the umpiring. When we umpired, we used our understanding of the rules and the plays (that’s all we had). In turn, every time you played a game, you had a unique experience (not in a good way either) with the umpiring. Every player called the game differently. There was a little consistency within a club, and none across clubs. We have come a long way to say the least.

Umpire directors’ phone numbers and emails can be found on uspolo.org under Association, then Umpires.

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

We can split this up into two types of questions.

First, emergency questions are questions that you need the answers to right away. For example, you are at the field and something happens, perhaps a little out of the ordinary, and the umpires can’t find the answer or there is some disagreement about what the answer should be. Second, non-emergency questions are when you want to know or clear up something that you harbor some confusion about. Perhaps you want an explanation on a rule or play that you just don’t get for some reason or you disagree with another player about. Guess what? We can help you!

Not only can we help you, we want to help you.

Emergency Questions: • First, take a couple minutes and try to find it in the current rulebook. If you find it you’re done. If you don’t, you likely learned something and move on to the next step.

UMPIRES, LLC

Message Dana with non-emergency questions on instagram.

• Second, pick up the phone and call. Start with Me (Dana) and/or Fergus Gould for outdoor issues and Bradley Biddle then me for arena Issues. For tournament issues you can also call Carlucho Arellano. All of us are on the website under “Association” then “Staff.” Our mobile numbers are there and they all work. We won’t stop until we have an answer for you.

• For Host Tournament Committee elections, contact your Host Tournament Committee because we won’t know what they chose but we can shed some light on what they can and cannot choose.

Non-emergency Questions: • First, take 20 minutes and try to find it in the current rulebook. You will be surprised what you learn along the way.

• Second, use the video rulebook and see if that helps. Most questions on rules changes can be answered with the short update videos that are available and free on the website under “Association,” “Umpires,” then “Video Rulebook.”

• Third, if you still need help, email me, Fergus or Bradley and we will respond in a day or so with your answer. Our emails are next to our phone numbers on the website.

• Fourth, you can message me on my umpire Instagram page @dana_fortugno_uspa_umpires_llc.

• Fifth, you can also ask your USPA attending umpire(s) when they are at your club (between games, of course).

• Sixth, if you would like to have a short feature article done on your club as well as having your question answered, please email me and I will dedicate a column to you, your club and your question. Some questions I want to write about because they will be asked again. I appreciate the opportunity to do that and your club gets a little promo as well—that can’t hurt.

• Fiftieth, you can request a rules review be done for your club before a tournament by the attending umpire or by one of us (the new rules trinity— Fergus, or me, or Bradley for arena). Send us an email request and we will schedule a Zoom meeting. We send you the log-in for your players and we do it. In fact, I just stopped writing a minute ago to set up a Zoom meeting for this very reason—it took me about 30 seconds.

Find the Video Rulebook on the USPA website (uspolo.org) under Association, then Umpires.

Umpires want the players to understand the rules because it makes our jobs easier. When players fully understand the rules, tensions, arguments and certain fouls are also reduced—everybody wins.

In today’s technology-based world we have the tools to educate the players and we use them but we need you to accept our invitation. There is an old proverb, ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.’ I think that was Paul Simon again (or not) so it stands to reason that you can lead players to the rulebook but you can’t make them read it.

If you get nothing out of this article, get this—we are here for you.

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 15

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

Body Work Skeletal imbalances cause discomfort and can affect the feet

By Heather Smith Thomas

Foals often put one leg forward and one back when they graze. Hoof growth can reflect that stance and pressure.

Each individual horse has a unique conformation— the way the skeleton is put together—but many factors impact skeletal structure as a young horse grows.

Sometimes things happen that create body imbalances before the horse goes into training and there are issues that put stress on various parts. Occasionally the feet, legs and joints are out of balance, which can affect the way that horse moves and performs, and whether he is comfortable or not in certain positions.

April Battles, Holistic Horseworks (located in Hawaii) is a holistic horse therapist who deals with these kinds of problems and helps horses get back to comfortable balance. “All too often these horses are getting reprimanded or punished for not wanting to stand on three legs when a farrier works on them, for instance,” she says.

She has seen many foals that already have body imbalances by the time they are weaning age. “If we can address these problems sooner, we won’t have hoof imbalance issues while the foal grows up.”

It’s important to monitor foals as they grow, and be proactive to correct a minor problem before it gets to be a major problem. “With a 6-month-old foal these are quick, easy fixes, and then the legs and hooves can grow straight. If the body is not loading the hoof correctly, however, which can cause the frog to eventually become off-center, it’s more difficult,” she explains.

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

She feels part of the problem today is that many broodmares are producing weaker foals because there’s inadequate nutrition and minerals in the feed.

“We see more skeletal issues in foals; many are born with weak pasterns and have trouble getting up,” says Battles.

Horses on a good mineral program don’t seem to have these problems. “The foals pop right up after they are born, and take off cantering around before the mare even gets up. This is how babies in the wild survived; they had to be able to get up and run with mama to get away from predators. Now most foals are living in stalls and breathing in ammonia and dust from the urine in the shavings.” It’s a very unnatural environment.

Sometimes a skeletal imbalance actually starts when the foal is being born—as the body is being forced through the birth canal. More frequently it may occur when the foal is running and playing and slips or falls down.

“When a foal has the first rib out of alignment/tweaked there is not enough gap for the shoulder to move correctly and the point of the shoulder starts to turn out. The elbow (at the armpit) then starts to turn in,” says Battles. When you start handling the foal’s feet to teach it to pick up its feet, or when the farrier does the first trimming and picks up the foal’s front leg, it might be noticed that the inside heel is becoming shorter.

“It will be 1⁄16th to ¼-inch shorter than the outside heel. This is not in height, but pushed forward,” she says. This is due to how the leg is loading, with a twist on it rather than being straight.

“Most farriers think they can change/correct that imbalance with trimming and shoeing, but the problem is farther up in the body, in how the muscle and bones dictate the way the horse lands on that hoof. Since it’s uncomfortable for the young horse to stand squarely, and that’s usually the hoof/leg that is back (rather than forward) when the young horse is grazing,” she says. Since the foal’s neck at this young age is shorter than his legs, he usually has one leg forward and one back, in order to reach short grass. If it’s always the same leg that is forward or back, the hoof growth starts to reflect that stance and pressure.

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

“When your horse’s head is up and he is standing still, he should always want to stand square,” says Battles. “If he doesn’t, this starts the problem of high/low heels (high on the foot that is back and the side with the first rib misaligned, and low on the foot that is more forward or bearing most of the weight, and this hoof will usually be bigger as well). The tweak that misaligns the first rib can happen when the young horse is running across wet ground or pasture when the hoof goes down into deep mud and the leg is pulled down when running at speed. This can tweak cervical 6 and 7, the vertebrae that tie into the first rib,” she explains.

“Could this kind of tweak also be the start of wobblers syndrome and kissing spines? All the horses that I’ve seen diagnosed with kissing spines have the first rib misaligned under both shoulders. This tweaks C-6 and C-7 in a way that the cord coming through them can get compressed--not allowing enough blood and oxygen to the hind end. This might compress the thoracic outlet, and impact the nerves, which affect the horse’s breathing. The first rib misaligned on both sides can also create a pigeon-toed stance,” says Battles.

“A barefoot trimmer came to my Arizona clinic, and brought her horse. She’d been trimming her horse’s hooves since it was a 3-week-old foal and hadn’t been able to correct some issues. After we released both of the first ribs (one each side) everything balanced out in the legs and seemed normal in the hooves within a few weeks. You have to change how the body wants to load the hoof,” she explains.

If hoof professionals can identify these issues early, it can help many horses. “When the first rib is misaligned, they won’t be able to ‘correct’ that horse’s imbalance until the rib is back in place.” Imbalances in the body can cause discomfort.

“When a well-trained horse doesn’t want to pick up a front hoof, it’s often because he doesn’t want to stand on the other leg/hoof. The same thing is true in the hind end. We can pick up a front leg and lift the shoulder and this releases the withers so that the horse can stand on one front leg comfortably,” Battles says.

“Hoof professionals can learn how to do a couple of moves and make the horse more comfortable. I teach a simple shoulder lift for the front end; the farrier just needs to determine which side to lift. For the back end, when the horse is uncomfortable standing on a hind leg, it’s because of how the pelvis is out of alignment and also usually a sore sacroiliac joint. If the first rib is misaligned, the pelvis is also misaligned; there will be one hip back and one ilium/ischium bone rotated. This bone is near the anus and tips down, which brings that hip back. When you stand

April Battles adjusts a horse. Adjustments can help a horse be more comfortable and stand better for the farrier.

behind the horse, you can see which side of the rump is higher,” she says.

“Farriers and trimmers can cut and trim and create a nice-looking hoof, but until we do the body work, within six weeks the foot will change back to where it was. We have to chase the problem up through the body to where it begins, and see how tight the pectoral muscles are, and how tight the groin is for mediallateral balance. Flares, underslung heels, etc. are often the result of muscles being too tight higher up the in the body, and not working correctly. The high-low heel problem comes from the first rib(s) being misaligned and the shoulder unable to move correctly,” says Battles.

The foal has long legs and a relatively short neck, compared with an adult horse, but this short neck can be accentuated when the first rib is tweaked and misaligned. “This tends to shorten the neck even more because the shoulder isn’t coming through correctly and the foal starts using neck muscles to bring the shoulder forward—and that tightens the neck muscles, which then shortens them, creating a short-necked long-backed horse ‘posture,’ which is not the same as ‘conformation.’ You’ll see some weanlings and yearlings that are already presenting with soreness in the lumbar-sacral area, or a really short neck. Some tend to have ewe-neck due to calcifications in C-5, 6 and 7. The muscles in the neck tightened, shortened and pulled the vertebrae too close together. This can result in a long-backed, short-necked horse even though that wasn’t the conformation he was born with,” says Battles.

This illustrates the difference between posture and conformation. “When we see horses with all four feet out of balance, this is not their true conformation,” she says. Things that happen to the skeleton after the horse is born can affect how it develops. (continued on page 21) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 17

POLO SCENE

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

POLO PHILANTHROPY HEAD Cancer survivor named Subhead LLS Man of the Year

POLO PLAYER WILLIAM ELLIS was recently named Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Greater Bay

William Ellis plays at Cerro Pampa Polo Club in California.

Club members helped him raise money for LLS.

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

Area Chapter 2020 Man of the Year. Ellis, of San Francisco, California, raised over $103,000 this year to support LLS’s mission to find cures for blood cancers and ensure patients have access to lifesaving treatments.

During a spirited 10-week fundraising period, candidates competed in honor of a local boy or girl who is in treatment, to raise the most funds. Candidates and their teams were judged solely on virtual fundraising success this campaign season, each dollar counting as one vote.

Ellis began fundraising and volunteering with LLS four years ago and ran for Man of the Year to culminate his philanthropic efforts.

He battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia in high school and has now been a survivor for over two decades. He has raised over $500,000 during his philanthropic journey through generous support from his friends, family and professional networks at Salesforce where he has worked and Google where he now works.

A member of the Cerro Pampa Polo Club in Sonoma County, California, where he has played for the last three seasons, Ellis says club members and teammates were pivotal in his campaign efforts, collectively helping him reach his goal.

“Congratulations to our winner, Will, and to our eight candidates and their team members who participated in this year’s Man & Woman of the Year campaign,” said Renée Croteau, LLS Greater Bay Area Chapter executive director. “It was not a traditional campaign pivoting to a virtual environment, but this is what makes their impact even greater. Cancer will not wait for COVID-19 to go away. And blood cancer patients can’t wait either. These exceptional volunteers are all relentless and determined leaders in our community. I am proud to announce that we are now over $400,000 closer to LLS’s goal of a world without blood cancer!”

Through programs like Man & Woman of the Year, LLS has invested nearly $1.3 billion in research to advance breakthrough therapies. The funds raised through LLS’s Man & Woman of the Year are used for research to advance targeted therapies and immunotherapies that save thousands of lives; blood cancer information, education and support for patients; and policies that ensure patients have access to blood cancer treatments.

This was LLS’ 30th year hosting Man & Woman of the Year, which started in San Francisco.

Earlier this year, polo player Grant Ganzi was named LLS Man of the Year Palm Beach.

POLO SCENE

NANO’S POLO MALLETS

NO FUN Pandemic cancels national tournaments

AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, the National Youth Tournament Series Championship, scheduled for Sept. 8-13 at Oak Brook Polo Club in Oak Brook, Illinois, has been postponed until further notice. Complications due to the global pandemic forced the USPA to make the difficult decision to reschedule the event.

“After careful consideration, there are simply too many factors impeding the USPA’s ability to host a safe and memorable National Youth Tournament Series Championship event for youth players at this time,” a press release stated. “The Association understands that many USPA Member Clubs have faced challenged with hosting qualifiers this season, so the qualifier deadline has been extended beyond August 1, 2020. The NYTS subcommittee is working diligently to facilitate a 2020 Championship to be played at a later date. More information will be announced to the membership as soon as it becomes available.”

Further, the National Host Tournament Committee has made the difficult decision to cancel both the 2020 National Intercollegiate and National Interscholastic Championships. Organizers had hoped the National Interscholastic Championships, originally scheduled for March, and the National Intercollegiate Championships, originally scheduled for April, could be rescheduled for the fall, but unfortunately, that was not to be.

“It is the best decision for the safety of players, coaches, families and event staff,” a press release read. “The USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Program is diligently working on a plan for the 2020-2021 season and remain optimistic and hopeful for a successful and safe 2021 tournament season.”

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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

SUPPORTING THE ARTS Illinois club holds polo fundraiser

THE BLACKBERRY POLO CLUB in Batavia, Illinois, held a fundraiser on Aug. 8, supporting the

The Batavia Bulldog Plumbing team won.

MVP Tracey Riff is center.

Batavia Arts Council and Shakespeare on Clark at the Centre.

The event, held since 2012, is generally held in July, however, due to the global pandemic, the event was postponed a month until Phase 4 guidelines were announced. Batavia Arts Council Julane Sullivan said $1,500 was raised this year, about half the amount usually raised, with just 70 attendees rather than the usual 150-200.

This year, cars were spaced farther apart to allow for social distancing. A tailgate competition was held with participants decorating based on the annual theme: Sweets to the Sweets. Tailgate winners were Joyce and Craig Sprau, showcasing candy decorations and treats. The Spraus have been attending the benefit for 20 years and have won the tailgate competition numerous times. The Batavia Arts Council website encouraged guests to be creative with their tailgate decorating. “Candy is sweet, and so is Shakespeare’s language. You can go full on Candyland or Willy Wonka, Candy Crush or Shakespeare in Love,” it stated. Attendees were very creative, and one guest even dressed as a Candy Man, handing out lollipops to the kids.

Admission was $10 per person or $40 per car, with funds going to the charities. Additional funds were raised through raffling gift baskets and passing around a donation basket.

Sponsors Jamie and Doug Samms cheered on their Batavia Bulldog Plumbing team (Clifton Yandell, Bill O’Leary, Douglas Giegel, Tracy Riff) to a 7-4 victory over A Mirror’s Image (Len Monson, Adam Kaminsi, Shannon Eldredge, Jeff Boeh). Each person on the field scored one goal each with MVP Tracy Riff knocking in four tallies for the win.

The club is owned by George and Barbara Alexander, who brought out their team of Clydesdales for rides during the halftime break. A traditional halftime divot stomp was also held.

Tailgaters dressed and decorated for the ‘Sweets to the Sweets’ theme.

The trophy table included polo-themed homemade masks.

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

E Q U I N E AT H L E T E (continued from page 17) “In the front end, for the horse to be happy, all we have to do is lift one shoulder to release the withers, and for the hind end there is a spot we can push on to help bring the hip (that’s back) more forward. You don’t have to pick up the leg or yank on it. I share those two moves with hoof professionals to make their job easier,” she says.

The horse’s posture can tell you a lot about whether there are any pain issues. “When you pick up a front leg, the hind legs should open (spread a bit) and square, so the horse is standing on a tripod, for good balance. If the horse isn’t standing square behind— and has one hind foot ahead of the other—the pelvis is not in alignment. It’s like the horse is only standing on two and a half legs instead of three, and he can’t balance very well. He tries to lean on the farrier or tries to pull the leg away,” she says.

“I show hoof professionals how to see if the sacroiliac joint (deep in the hind end) is sore. If that joint is sore, they should not pick up the leg and pull it out to the side. They should pick up that rear hoof only a couple inches off the ground and keep it directly under the hip and cross the leg behind the other one to put it on the stand. If they do that, the

horse won’t resist and try to pull the leg away,” she says. People need to realize these resistant horses are in pain and not just trying to naughty. If you can find a way to make them more comfortable, they are happy to let you work on their feet.

Battles has created self-help videos on her you-tube channel Holistic Horseworks, for horsemen who are interested in learning these things. “One shows how to identify where the pain is coming from. Several videos look at the hoof balance from the rear, showing how to tell if the groin is tight, or if the pectoral muscles are too tight. Another addresses how to test for a sore sacroiliac joint,” she says.

“There are some easy, short moves that can be easily learned, to help these horses. You can also find someone who knows how to do the body work and realign the first rib. Most equine chiropractors and massage people working on horses are not releasing that first rib. When massaging a horse, they are not asking why a certain muscle is in spasm every time.

They are just addressing the symptom, not the cause.

I unwind horses from the inside, to get to the cause of the muscle spasm. That spasm controls how the hoof lands on the ground,” says Battles.

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POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 21

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

Award winners Meet two national interscholastic polo champions

By Hayley Heatley

Vance Miller III Vance Miller III made a trek across the country this summer, playing in NYTS Qualifier events in Houston, Nashville, Chicago and Sheridan. With professional players like Steve Krueger, Steve Orthwein and Horacio Onetto on the sidelines at the tournaments, Miller took advantage of the opportunity to learn from each player along the way. As an accomplished high school quarterback, Miller easily translated his ability to read the field and player positioning to the polo field. After graduating high school, he joined his brother, Vaughn Jr., at the University of North Texas to continue playing arena polo in the USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic program. Miller has his sights set on joining a top real estate firm in Dallas.

Vance Miller at his family’s Prestonwood Polo Club

“Polo has created a family bond that, for us, is unbreakable.”

— Vance Miller

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

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

Sophie Grant powers past Athena Malin in the 2019 Girls’ NYTS National Championship.

Sophie Grant Sophie Grant’s love of the sport of polo is evident.

As the third sister in her family to take up polo, Grant acknowledges the impact it has made on her family. Most recently, she played in the NYTS Qualifier tournaments at Maryland and Aiken Polo

Clubs. Homeschooling her final two years of high school has allowed Grant the opportunity to spend more time in Aiken, South Carolina, immersed in polo. Playing outdoor tournament polo consistently has opened her eyes to a new facet of the sport.

She said, “There are many new strategies to learn, and professionals who are able teach you as you play.” Aside from polo, Grant enjoys skiing, scuba diving and fishing.

•

“I love getting to see friends I have made across the country at NYTS tournaments!”

— Sophie Grant

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

I N T E R C O L L E G I AT E / I N T E R S C H O L A S T I C

Coming back I/I alumnus returns to the sport

By Emily Dewey

MIKE RYAN

The final ride. The last hurrah. The victory lap.

Seniors in college have a plethora of labels to name their last year in college, but what about what comes after? Some face uncertainty in their job situation, while others are secure with employment.

Still others push on to graduate school to continue their education in a number of fields.

For the USPA’s I/I staff, watching the progression of players through college and high school is a highlight of the job. In some cases, we are given the opportunity to see players begin their tournament career in middle school, and in a few short years, we will watch the first groups of middle school players

Reggie’s All Stars’ Molly Muedeking, Lauren Connors and Liv Berube won the B Flight of the 2017 Feldman Cup.

graduate from college. The journey is incredible, but the end of every year is bittersweet. Will we see the seniors again? Will they succeed on the path they are about to embark on? Will they continue in the sport we share in some way, shape or form?

If you frequented the barns of Garrison Forest School in the early 2000s or the grounds of Virginia Polo until 2007, you may have heard Molly Muedeking’s name echoing from the announcer’s microphone. A first-generation polo player from Maryland, Molly notched two Girls’ National Interscholastic Championships under Kelly Wells and was in contention for the women’s title with Lou

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

Lopez at UVa. Like many alumni, the end of her college years brought an abrupt stop to her polo career.

“Both Garrison and UVa afforded me the opportunity to play polo at a high level and when graduation day came it was the end of playing for my foreseeable future. Although I was able to take the numerous lessons I/I polo taught me on my next adventures, I was unsure whether I would be playing again,” Molly explained. “After eight years of being totally immersed in polo (and occasionally class) it was a sharp departure from normal.”

By looking at membership metrics, we can get snapshots of what our association membership looks like from year to year. Staff can focus on certain age groups, geographic locations and membership retention. While looking at the 2019 data, we found 24% of members are current or former I/I players, while in the 23-29 age range I/I alums account for 30% of members. One of the most sobering of these statistics is who is leaving the association from year to year—65% of non-renewals of 23- to 29-year-olds come from I/I alums. As staff and polo enthusiasts, we hope all I/I college graduates can stay in polo after college. As people who have walked similar paths, we understand sports take a backseat to new responsibilities and careers.

Molly’s post-graduation journey literally took her around the world, from Asia to Africa, back to the states in-between and then off to Europe for vet school at the Royal Veterinary College in London.

She had a whirlwind of years traversing the globe, only to land at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains where her polo journey had ended.

“Charlottesville and Virginia Polo are places I consider home and returning was a welcome reprieve from traveling. As a new vet, the Virginia polo ponies were once again willing teachers; teaching me both practical skills and patience that molded my formative first year of practice,” Muedeking explained. “And just as I had left it my fourth year, it was the oasis I constantly sought to relieve the stressors of being a new vet. At the end of a long day my truck always seemed to end up at the barn where there was always a pony willing to

PAT MICHAELS

I N T E R C O L L E G I AT E / I N T E R S C H O L A S T I C

Molly Muedeking, far right, competed at Seneca Polo Club this season.

Molly Muedeking, left, is helping Posey Obrecht, right, coach the West Shore team.

Team member Sarah Lynch is center.

go for a trail ride or stick and ball.�

Many young alumni like Molly are looking for ways to get back into the game without having to jump into the deep end of polo expenses, including a multiple-horse string, rig and the needs that come along with the full polo package. In recent years, arena tournament series, like the Pacific Coast Arena League and Texas Arena League, have been able to draw I/I alumni back into the fold with tournament locations that allow players the option to stay close to home or travel, depending on the level of engagement and play they prefer.

With tournament games ranging from beginner to 3-6 goal with horse rentals available, there is a level for everyone that wants to be involved. Tying into league play, the USPA’s National Arena Amateur Cup targets members with handicaps from -1 to 3 goals, (continued on page 59) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 25

Balls to the Wall Casablanca hangs on to Arena Handicap title

By Gwen Rizzo Photos by ChukkerTV

McClure River Ranch’s Tom Barrack comes in to block Casablanca’s Nic Roldan in the final.

Defending champion Casablanca downed McClure River Ranch, 12-10, in the final of the U.S. Arena Handicap Polo Championship at Aspen Valley Polo Club in Carbondale, Colorado, July 29.

It was the fourth time the Casablanca team has played together and they played like a well-oiled machine.

Four teams played off in the event. In the first semifinal match, Casablanca faced Seminole Casino, pitting father and son, Juan and Juancito Bollini and mother and son, Melissa and Grant Ganzi against each other.

Casablanca jumped right out with Grant Ganzi getting on the board with a two-point shot. He followed with another goal then sunk a Penalty 2 within the first three minutes. Roldan hit the goal before Seminole was awarded a penalty, but Melissa’s shot hit a divot and went wide by inches.

Roldan scored again and Grant sent the ball to goal but was whistled on the call so it didn’t count. With less than a minute on the clock, Melissa carried a Penalty 5 through traffic to put Seminole Casino on the board, ending the first period, 6-1.

Seminole Casino fought back in the second with Melissa hopping on a pass from Bollini out of the line-up, walking it along the wall for her second

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

goal. Negro Novillo Astrada, working in the middle, turned back a sure goal from Casablanca, then took a back shot pass from Juan to score. A minute later, Juan shot from the far wall to find the goal mouth for a two-pointer, bringing Seminole Casino within one, 6-5. Casablanca was caught off guard by Seminole’s comeback but Roldan managed to score two more to increase the Casablanca lead to 8-5 at the half.

Both teams came out firing in the third period.

Novillo Astrada backed a ball out of the opening line-up to Melissa along the wall, who pushed it into the goal. She followed with another goal then converted a Penalty 2 and just like that, with a little over a minute into the chukker the teams were tied, 8-8. Casablanca was awarded a Penalty 2 but it went wide. Shortly after, Roldan flicked the ball from his nearside into the goal to take back the lead.

Juancito added to it with a goal at the three-minute mark. Over zealous, Alejandro Novillo Astrada sent the ball over the wall several times before he found the goal. Juan followed with a goal of his own to level the score at 10-all. Juancito broke the tie after walking the ball along the wall into goal then scoring another with under a minute left.

It was anyone’s game as the teams came back for

the final chukker with Casablanca leading 12-10.

Roldan got into a dual with Juan early in the chukker, pushing the ball into the goal and losing his mallet in the process. The teams then traded Penalty 1s before Melissa’s Penalty 2 conversion brought the team back within two. Grant added another goal at the halfway mark and Roldan followed with one of his own. Seminole Casino wouldn’t back down with Juan narrowly missing a two-pointer on a Penalty 5. With just a minute on the board Melissa Ganzi added another goal.

Juancito came through with one more and Novillo Astrada hit the target just before the final buzzer.

Despite the effort, Casablanca held onto the lead, 17-14, to advance to the final.

The other semifinal was a battle between the ranches as McClure River Ranch took on Sopris Mountain Ranch. Sopris began with a handicap goal and Nacho Novillo Astrada quickly neutralized it with a goal from the side wall. Jared Zenni stole the ball from Pablo Spinacci, then sunk a neck shot for another for McClure. Tincho Merlos scored on a two-pointer from the back wall, then followed with another a minute later to give Sopris the 5-2 lead.

Marc Ganzi converted a Penalty 2 with an easy half swing. Zenni hit the target and a Penalty 1 for

McClure knotted the score at 5-all at the end of the first. Ganzi tallied to start off the second chukker and Nacho Novillo Astrada shot from 80 yards for a two-pointer. Merlos matched it and Anthony Devrient covered a lot of ground with two precise hits to goal to tie it up at 8-8. Ganzi converted a Penalty 2 to break the tie, but Spinacci answered to level it at the half, 9-9.

McClure was reenergized after the half and within a minute and a half had racked up four more points with goals by each team member, including a two-pointer off a back shot from Novillo Astrada.

Merlos shot in his fourth two-pointer in response and Spinacci scored through traffic to keep it close.

With 1:40 on the clock, McClure received a Penalty 1, ending the third with McClure ahead, 14-12.

The last chukker was all McClure. Novillo Astrada scored a two-pointer, then followed with another three minutes later. Zenni hit the target and Novillo Astrada followed with a goal. Sopris was shooting but wasn’t having luck finding the mark.

On the other hand, McClure couldn’t miss. Ganzi added another as did Zenni. With less than a minute on the clock, Devrient ended the drought with his second goal. With time ticking away, Spinacci and Merlos both scrambled to put one in

Casablanca’s Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Nic Roldan took the Arena Handicap title for the second straight year.

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

the goal, but they were having no luck. McClure advanced with the 22-13 win.

The final was held a few days later with McClure facing Casablanca. Marc Ganzi was replaced by Tom Barrack on McClure. Just 20 seconds into the first period, Zenni got caught in front of Juancito Bollini by the goal, resulting in Casablanca: .................................. 15 Casablanca being awarded a Grant Ganzi........................................ 3 Juancito Bollini ................................. 4 Penalty 1. Thirty seconds Nic Roldan ......................................... 8 later Roldan walked the ball along the wall and into the McClure River Ranch: .............. 16 goal. Casablanca kept the Marc Ganzi/Tom Barrack ................. 2 ball on its end of the field Nacho Novillo Astrada....................... 8 Jared Zenni ........................................ 6 but couldn’t reach the goal.

McClure moved the ball to its Sopris Mountain Ranch: .......... 15 end and Roldan was caught Anthony Devrient .............................. 0 in the way after the ball Pablo Spinacci ................................... 6 bounced off the wall, Tincho Merlos.................................... 9 resulting in a Penalty 3 for Seminole Casino......................... 15 McClure. Zenni sunk it to Melissa Ganzi ..................................... 1 put the team on the board.

Alejandro Novillo Astrada ................. 8 Casablanca was playing Juan Bollini ....................................... 6 well as a team and showed

Casablanca’s Grant Ganzi directs the ball in the final. He did a great job using half swings to keep control of the ball.

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

their experience in the arena. With Ganzi defending, Bollini and Roldan volleyed the ball back and forth until it found the mark. The chukker ended with Casablanca sporting a 3-1 lead.

In the second chukker, Nic was fighting to get the ball into the goal but it got away from him. His pony helped him out, kicking it into the goal.

Nacho Novillo Astrada hit the ball out of the air on his nearside, getting the right angle and spin to send it into the goal. Roldan answered back with a goal. McClure couldn’t capitalize on a Penalty 2, but Casablanca did when Grant Ganzi opted for a half swing to finesse the ball into the goal. Zenni shot the ball three-quarters the length of the field, but Bollini put his mallet in the way. The ball still made it to the goal, but didn’t count as two points.

Roldan put on a show, bouncing the ball on the end of his mallet while galloping downfield like it was no big thing but the umpire’s whistle stopped the action. Zenni converted the Penalty 2 but Roldan added another goal to end the first half with Casablanca doubling up McClure, 8-4.

Casablanca kept up the pressure in the second half, starting the third with Roldan shooting from

Casablanca’s Nic Roldan was MVP after scoring a total of 14 points in two games.

the back wall. Bollini escorted it to goal, protecting it without touching it to ensure the two points.

Barrack knocked in his first, sticking with it after his first approach bounced wide. Roldan answered with another tally and Ganzi added one more.

Novillo Astrada wouldn’t let up, sinking a Penalty 2, then adding a field goal with just nine seconds left in the chukker. McClure trailed 12-7 going into the last period.

Zenni successfully protected the goal, turning back all of Casablanca’s drives. McClure needed some two-pointers to get them back in the game, but were not connecting. Zenni found the target at the 4:48 mark. Roldan had another carry, bouncing the ball at the end of his stick but was eventually whistled after coming across the line. Novillo Astrada chisled away at the deficit, sinking back-toback Penalty 2s to come within two, 12-10, with a minute remaining. Desperate for a two-pointer to force overtime, McClure didn’t get the opportunity and Casablanca rode off the winner.

Roldan was named MVP and his grey mare, Molly, was Best Playing Pony. In the subsidiary, Sopris Mountain edged Seminole Casino, 8-7. •

Sopris Mountain Ranch’s Anthony Devrient shoots while under pressure from Seminole Casino’s Alejandro Novillo Astrada.

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

Finest on the Field The sport’s talented four-legged athletes Photos by David Lominska/Polographics.com

Most players will tell you how important their horses are to them, and even the best players in the sport can name one or two horses that stand out or helped them move up the handicap ladder. Some count on a particular horse for its bursts of speed and athleticism, while others may admire one that may not be the fastest but is the most consistent.

USPA Communications Coordinator Jewel Connelly spoke with several players to ask them about some of their top ponies. Over the next few issues, we will highlight some of the sport’s top equine athletes.

Jasmine

Owned by Luis Escobar Seeing Luis Escobar through both countless victories and a serious polo injury in 2015, 17-yearold Jasmine’s (King’s Gent x Julia) unwavering consistency on the field has created an unbreakable bond unrivaled by any other horse in Escobar’s string. After his top mare Julia sustained an injury and entered retirement, Escobar decided to continue her legacy as a broodmare, resulting in Jasmine and her full sister Julieta.

Born at C-Spear Ranch in Sheridan, Wyoming, Jasmine was trained by former player and renowned American breeder and trainer Julie Boyle, after she had some slow chukkers she returned to Escobar as a 3-year-old to start her budding polo career. Escobar finished her off and she has proven to be a champion. Just like her mother, Jasmine’s longevity in the sport has earned Escobar’s unconditional trust, the pair playing together in tournaments across the United States for over a decade.

Receiving many Best Playing Pony blankets throughout her career in high, medium and low 30 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

goal, Jasmine’s enduring achievements at the highest level and quick recovery rate were most recently recognized as the 2019 Wembley Award recipient.

The award honors horses that have shown greatness and longevity throughout a career in high-goal polo.

Jasmine’s full sister Julieta was sold to 10-goaler Facundo Pieres. Escobar says she is now with Valiente and in 2018 won Best Playing Pony with Adolfo Cambiaso’s young son, Poroto Cambiaso.

Did you always know Jasmine was going to be a champion?

Even when she was really young, she was always easy, gentle and noble. Her mother and sister were the same. I knew she was good and she would be a strong addition to my string, but I think you never really know if you’re sitting on a champion until you’re playing tournaments and until they start winning. As soon as I started competing her I realized just how talented she was and I never wanted to get off her!

What are her strengths on the field?

She has everything; she’s a winner. She has an incredible mouth, good balance and she’s easy and comfortable. She never gets tired and always gives you more than any other horse in the chukker. Also, she always recovers quicker than all the other horses even despite her age. You can feel that maybe she doesn’t have quite the same power as she did when she was younger and in her prime, but she still has that fantastic recovery rate and she’s got an insane work ethic. If you ask her for a little more, she always gives it to you.

She’s consistent and you can always count on her to play well. She’s been there with me and played in

Luis Escobar on Jasmine. Always consistent, she’s been Luis’ best horse for the past dozen or so years.

everything I’ve played for the last 12 years. She’s been my best horse ever since she was a 4-year-old and started playing green horse chukkers.

How do you feel when you are riding her?

When I’m on her, I feel like I could conquer the world. When you ride her, the chukker is yours, the game is yours! She gives me the momentum to keep going and she always gives me confidence because I know she will be playing her heart out and will never let me down.

What are some of the most memorable moments with her?

I have so many amazing memories of playing her

and then one unfortunate one. It was with her that I had an accident four years ago that left me with a brain injury. I was riding her in the 20-goal when we had a crash. Luckily she was fine, got up like nothing had happened and stood by me. I started playing polo a year after and I played her again. This is only my second year back playing high goal and she’s been with me every step of the way.

She was fantastic during the 2019 winter highgoal season in Florida. In the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Polo Championship she entered the field four times and she played amazing and exactly the same in every chukker.

What chukkers do you normally play her?

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 31

Magoo Laprida on Nike.

Powerful and handy, Magoo says Nike is the most complete horse he owns.

She is definitely a second-half horse and I normally bring her out in the fifth or sixth chukker, although sometimes ... she will play a few minutes in three or four different chukkers.

Depending on the game or the importance of the game, sometimes I start her in the first or second chukker and then I bring her out again in the second half.

Have you tried to breed her?

I have tried a few times to breed from her, but she couldn’t get pregnant, so we are sending her to a specialist. They’ve actually offered for me to clone her so I’m looking into that at the moment. She is an incredible mare and she’s never had a day off 32 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

due to injury so I’ve always wanted to breed from her, especially since we lost her mother. She’s the perfect horse to breed from and I think will make a great cloning candidate.

Does she travel the polo circuit with you?

Everywhere I play, she plays, and she has since 2008! She travels all over the U.S. with me, especially in California. I play in Florida in the winter and then in the summer I’m in California.

Then I turn her out in South Carolina September through November to rest before I start the circuit again. Last August, I played her in Santa Barbara with Santa Clara in the second two tournaments of the 16-goal season, the America Cup and Pacific

Coast Open. When the season ended she went out for a rest and then came back to play with me in the Gauntlet. She is 17 now so I like to look after her.

She has been playing a lot though and she is still going amazing.

Nike

Owned by Magoo Laprida Selecting a name synonymous with many of the greatest and globally-recognized athletes in the world, Christian “Magoo” Laprida’s choice is especially fitting for Nike, a mare who displays many of the same defining attributes of a professional.

The epitome of athleticism with a sleek yet muscular build, Nike was unleashed on the racetrack as a 3-year-old, raking in over $50,000 in earnings and qualifying for the prestigious Breeder’s Cup. Discovering the dark bay mare’s potential in the heart of Lexington, Kentucky, polo horse trainer Juan Valerdi’s expertise and intuition guided her seamless transition into Laprida’s string, Her natural-born talent hinted at the polo horse she would become.

Sired by Kafwain and out of Western Rush, the now 11-year-old Nike (registered as Lemon Drop Blondes) has only continued to elevate her game with Laprida, as they compete together in high-goal tournaments over the last three years. Trusting Valerdi’s instincts has paid off for the 8-goaler, who debuted Nike at the height of the 2018 English season as a green horse in the Gold and Queen’s Cups with Valiente. Her dedication to the game validated with two Best Playing Pony blankets in the states, Nike’s unwavering ability infuses Laprida with the confidence to ‘just do it.’ Executing many of his best plays for Equuleus, Nike is an undisputed princess in Laprida’s eyes.

How did you acquire Nike?

She was owned by Mike Galvan who previously worked for Crab Orchard, but Juan Valerdi found her in Lexington, Kentucky. Mike [Galvan] always buys Thoroughbreds over the phone just by looking at a picture and that’s how he bought Nike. Juan [Valerdi] was making horses for Mike and told me there was a really nice mare I should see, so he sent me a couple of videos. I was out of the country so I didn’t fly to Kentucky to see her first. Instead I talked to Mike for two or three days because he did not want to sell her. We agreed on a price and I decided to buy her over the phone never having seen her because I trusted Juan. I knew that he was

really excited about her and when he’s excited that means he’s found a good mare. Juan deserves a lot of credit because he’s really good at spotting green horses and working with them.

Has she improved since training with Juan?

He’s had her since she was 5 years old and he made her. I started playing Nike a year and a half after Juan started her. She was already made at 8 years old when I started playing her so he did all the work to get her there. She’s always been the same horse, I think it’s a matter of just waiting until she’s ready and not rushing her.

What are her best qualities on the field?

She’s really powerful and handy, but at the same time she’s calm so I think anyone can ride her. What I really like about her is that she’s a complete horse.

A horse like that gives me confidence because if you need to run she is fast and if you need to stop she is really handy. She also has a lot of stamina and she can do anything I ask. She’s the most complete horse I own, so she is the best in my string.

Which chukkers do you typically play her?

I usually play her in the second or third chukker and then try to bring her back again at the end of the game because she is really good.

Has she won any awards?

So far she has won two Best Playing Pony awards, the first in the 16-goal Two Trees Cup final in the Hamptons, New York, and the other a Sunday featured game against Coca-Cola in the 2020 USPA Gold Cup. During the Gold Cup game I played her in [parts of] the third, fifth and sixth so she had a lot of game time. My grooms Hernan, Giovanni and Carlos really know her well and they are a large part of why she performs really well because they take care of her every day.

What is your favorite playing memory on Nike?

I always knew she was a really good horse, but last summer I played her in the Hamptons and when I ran on the field I was amazed how quickly we traveled from one side to the other. I always thought she was really special, but after playing her last summer I really started to realize how powerful she is and how fast she can run.

Describe her personality?

When you first put the saddle on you have to walk POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 33

Felipe Marquez’s Malcriada. Quicker than any horse on the field, she gives Marquez time to make the right plays.

her because she doesn’t really like when you put on the tack. Afterwards she’s really calm and around other horses she is really quiet. The only thing you have to be careful of is when you saddle her up and when the chukker finishes you have to walk her around again before you take the saddle off.

Do you have future plans for her?

I plan to breed her in the future and hopefully get some foals from her, and I would also like to do embryos from Western Rush and my stallion.

Malcriada

Owned by Felipe Marquez Anticipating Felipe “Pipe” Marquez’s every move 34 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

with quick and surefooted steps, Malcriada holds a special place in the 7-goaler’s heart as the budding daughter of his prized Colombian mare. Along with the decision to shift careers and pursue his lifelong passion to become a professional polo player like his father at the age of 26, Marquez funded and established his own embryo program, producing Malcriada as one of his first foals.

Arriving in the states in April 2019, Malcriada made her American high-goal debut with FMB Too! at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Carpinteria, California, before heading to Florida for Cessna’s 2020 winter season.

Standing her ground when it comes to other horses, the 7-year-old bay’s handiness and

responsiveness on the field propel her to each play, allowing Marquez crucial seconds to stay one step ahead of his opponents.

Trained by Marquez’s childhood friend, Ricardo Nuñez, Malcriada’s progression to this stage in her career is due in large part to her groom’s consistent involvement and investment since birth.

What is Malcriada’s breeding?

Malcriada is out of Santana Martina by Open Chaleco (Ellerstina Pícaro x Ellerstina Chalina). I purchased Santana Martina in 2012 and she was one of the top mares I played in Colombia so I knew her daughter was going to be a special horse. I brought Santana Martina to Santa Ana, which is one of the largest breeding facilities in Colombia.

They had Open Chaleco, an Ellerstina bred-stallion, and he was one of the best bloodlines we had available at the time. I wanted to aim for the best bloodline in the country so I decided to breed that combination and it worked.

What are Malcriada’s strengths on the field?

I can typically get anywhere quicker than anybody else on the field, especially checking and turning, which are her strongest qualities. Maybe she’s not the fastest or the strongest horse, but usually when you get to the ball quickly you have enough time to make a decision and make the right play. I know if I’m checking and turning on her I’m going to be first to the play and that is important for me.

I also feel like I make a difference on the field when I play her because she is really handy and she has a nice mouth. I feel I can get to the ball quickly when the game is tough and everybody is tapping the ball, stopping, checking and turning. I can move easily and comfortably on the field and she goes where I think I should be. Those are the moments I can get 100% out of her.

Do you have a favorite memory with her?

Every time I ride her it is a complete joy for me.

I saw her being born, we taught her to play polo and she played in the Gauntlet of Polo, the most competitive tournament in the United States. It is a big accomplishment for me because she is one of the first embryos I ever bred. It is a different feeling when I get on other horses that I don’t have as much of a history with, but for me it is special every time I get on Malcriada. Every time I got on her last year while playing at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet

Club I felt I could disrupt the other team because she was one of my top horses.

What chukkers do you normally play her?

Usually our team gets together to make the horse list and depending on which horses my teammates are using I will change the order I bring her out. I prefer to use her as a spare because I can use her two or three times per game. She is really calm on the sidelines and makes it easy for me to jump on from another horse.

Describe her personality?

Usually with people she is really calm and friendly, but with other horses she is territorial and tries to be the alpha. When you stick and ball she is really calm and easy, but once you get in a game she knows that it is important. Her neck gets larger and she starts looking around and moving her ears. She gets tougher on the field and I like that because it’s the same as us players when we get into a game and our adrenaline increases. She works the same way as well.

What would you like to see Malcriada achieve during her career?

I would like to see her win some Best Playing Pony awards that give her recognition because those prizes are important for a breeder and a player. I would also really like for her to go back to Colombia when she has finished playing so I can breed her and hopefully get more sons or daughters. I have a couple of foals in Colombia now, but she is here in the states now so I can’t do any embryos.

What does it mean to you to know Colombia is supporting and watching you compete?

I want to thank everyone back home in Colombia because they are watching us play through Globalpolo.com and cheering for [us]. I know Nico [Saenz] and I have a lot of support back home so we want to make them proud and encourage the little kids who are coming up to take a chance if they feel this is something they want to do Marquez and Malcriada are back at Santa Barbara Polo Club this summer, competing in its high-goal season with FMB Too! “At this moment I can’t ask for anything better.

I’m living the dream and I guess it is because I had the guts to make the decision to follow my dream when I did,” Marquez said.

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 35

Need for Speed Horses remain big part of Octogenarian’s life

By C. Maybe Ortiz

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

Opposite page: Leo Benjamin attended the horse trials at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina.

Far Left: Nancy and Leo dressed up for Aiken’s Hoofbeats Christmas Parade in 2019.

Left: Leo always has a hi-howdy for all. He zipped around the Aiken Training Track in February.

You never know who you’re riding next to. He or she may look like an overweight geezer who should have stayed back at the barn, but upon further investigation you might find the person behind the faceguard is wearing a safety vest and is a fabulous horseman with credentials to choke a pony.

Leo Benjamin is one of those polo players who could ride anything. He’s still quite fit at the age of 80 and plays regularly with the Wagener Polo Club and at his own field just east of Aiken, South Carolina. He’s come back from a serious fox hunting crash a decade ago and has become a vocal proponent of the inflatable safety vest.

Born in New York City in 1940, Leo developed his equestrian skills in a hurry when he began riding hundreds of strange and questionable horses in the sales ring. He was the captain of his school’s riding team and knocked out a degree from the Thompson School of Agriculture, a division of the University of New Hampshire.

At college he met and soon married his likeminded wife Nancy who was also born in the city and always wanted a horse. Nancy coached the Green Mountain Valley School ski racing team and had a number of skiers who took riding lessons from her. Sixty years later she notes that life with Leo has been “one adventure after another.”

Leo had become involved in the open jumping world and rode for trainers including “Brooklyn” Benny O’Meara. In an April 1966 New York Times obituary O’Meara was described as an

“internationally known horse dealer, showman and rider [who] was killed today when his refurbished World War II fighter plane crashed into a creek near here [Leesburg, VA].” Though he died before the age of 30, O’Meara was a dashing horseman who won tons of titles, especially with Jacks Or Better. A classic photo shows them clearing a 6’9” wall at Madison Square Garden with a flapping right stirrup leather.

So it was difficult for Leo Benjamin to evolve from working horses into getting a “real job” to support his oncoming family of three children.

However, Leo is a natural at sales and has established himself over the last 60 years as an ultimate idea man.

Sugarbush Polo’s instructor extraordinaire Holly Ward entered Leo’s life in the mid-1970s.

Sugarbush also had a field in downtown Waitsfield, Vermont, where gents like Dick Kellogg, Michael Hertzberg, Dick King and New York restauranteur Vincent Sardi would enjoy cooler summer weekends. Arthur Williams played until he was 80 and Leo feels he has achieved his dream of the privileges extended to Arthur—undefended sort-offast breaks to goal.

“Holly and I were always trying to buy cheap horses,” Leo remembers. The Chambers brothers—Mike, Dale and John—played a part in their plans in the Northeast. Even after Holly finally traded the Vermont winters for Ocala, he would receive regular visits from Leo and they POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 37

Right: Leo welcomed Michelle Raab to his polo field for a potluck lunch to view the eclipse in August 2017.

Far Right: Still quite lithe at 65, Leo mounted without a block for the Relay for Life polo benefit at Richland Creek Polo Club at Lake Oconee, Georgia in 2005.

A ball is waiting on the end line just for Leo to warm up at the Broken Arrow field.

would check out horse deals in the Florida neighborhoods. They observed the Palm Beach scene as 1980 approached and Bill Ylvisaker’s dream of international polo was being realized.

Leo also had business that took him to Haiti and he would occasionally hop over to the Dominican Republic to play at Casa de Campo.

Sugarbush players would often make the four-

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

hour haul to play in Canada. In the early 1980s, Leo won the Rolex tournament in Montreal, an approximately 8-goal event, with Carlos and Eddy Martinez.

By the turn of the century, winters in the Far North were getting harder to justify. Gene Gass invited Leo and Nancy to check out Aiken, South Carolina, and they settled on a section of nearly 100

Fox hunters were invited to Clint Nangle and Barbara Parker’s top-of-the-hill Overbrook Polo Club in 2012 for the fun but competitive Tallyho Cup. Leo is far right.

acres with entrances on Bethcar Church and Bluffwood roads. Dr. Dave Smith from Chicago had set up a two-field club just down the road and it soon took the name of Edisto Polo Club. Leo and Nancy’s Bluffwood Farm offered turn-out and housing set-ups for four additional players or trainers, along with a large stick-and-ball field.

The Bluffwood polo field was the site of a hearty gathering of horse folks for the eclipse on August 21, 2017. A couple generations of Benjamins shared a late potluck lunch with more than 50 friends and were dazzled by the few minutes of eerie neardarkness in mid-afternoon. Leo has been mowing through the summer of 2020 and holds informal practices when a quorum gathers.

Fox hunting has always been on Leo’s equestrian schedule, including the earn-your-stripes trip to hunt in Ireland. However, Leo had a major spill in Blackville, South Carolina, that took more than a year of recuperation. He was 70 years old at that point and was rendered unconscious for a month.

The Whiskey Road Fox Hounds regulars were working some less-traveled country when Leo’s 17.2 Thoroughbred/Clydesdale Jake was one of two horses to misjudge a ditch in tall grass. It took a while for medical attention to arrive.

But Leo was determined to return to action. He and Nancy have participated in any number of Aiken equestrian events in the past 15 years. He took her along on one of the open trail rides offered

by Aiken Hounds through the Hitchcock Woods in 2018. They rode in the last two Hoofbeats Christmas parades through downtown Aiken and enthusiastically searched for bunny droppings at

their friend and former Sugarbush teammate Samantha Spitler’s mounted Easter Egg Hunt.

Just before COVID-19 changed the rules of engagement, Leo showed up with bells on and a striking grey Thoroughbred for the “Ride The Rails” benefit event at the Aiken Training Track on February 23. Assisted by track volunteer and polo instructor Ken Cresswell, riders were allowed to ease once around the 5/8 of a mile track and then drop down to the rail to go as fast as they desired on the second lap. Leo, decked in his trusty safety vest, showed few signs of slowing down.

•

Leo and his trademark paint mare Splenda carried the ball in a practice at Billy Raab’s Broken Arrow field.

She was purchased at the Aiken Polo Pony sale in 2007. Splenda currently plays for Abby Grant at Maryland Polo Club.

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

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

Polo Zoom Polo4Pro clinics adapted in times of COVID-19

By Lucas Noel

Matias Maiquez with a student

Martin Orozco

Nine coaches formed a group, developing a unique proposal. Polo4Pro brought together the first instructors certified by the Argentine Polo Association to provide clinics on various topics of the game and give life to a solid and broad base for teaching polo.

But the social, preventive and mandatory isolation in the face of the pandemic that plagues the world led them to have to reform their methodology. Now, every Friday through the Zoom platform, the instructors present a new way of offering their knowledge about horse riding, breeding, training, the best way of taking penalties and various general concepts.

Agustín ‘Tino’ and Miguel Bourdieu, Justo Del Carril, Raúl Laplacette, Matías Maiquez, Santiago Marambio, Santiago Novillo Astrada, Martín Orozco and Eduardo Amaya reveal the success of these virtual meetings that have almost become a live TV show.

How does a polo clinic adapt to a Zoom class?

Although clinics are face-to-face, technology helped us transform it into a zoom class. The eight of us who are in Argentina and Negro (Eduardo) Amaya, who is in Houston, got together and talked about it with the aim that the class serves the listener and can incorporate knowledge. It grew so much we are convinced it will not die when everything returns to normal. These classes are really useful and will continue after the pandemic. They will not be weekly, maybe they will be monthly. But there is going to be an entertaining program

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

coming from the stables aimed at amateur polo.

These zoom sessions have given us the opportunity to talk about technique, tactics and the game itself.

Polo4Pro is a group of players with different handicaps who have different views and who want to share that diversity. There is no pride among the nine of us. The group is heterogeneous and the challenge is that the new player can receive at least one of the nine opinions and positions that we offer.

Was the growth and adherence expected?

Eduardo Amaya: We have had a very good impact. We are very happy with what is happening.

People now have more time to sit and listen. Pay more attention to our recommendations on how to make a horse walk better, how to care for it, etc.

There is the guy who lives abroad, who can send us a video for analysis and feedback. Technology gives us that possibility and we are taking advantage of it.

Will you be able to offer clinics again by the end of the year when polo can be played in Argentina?

Raúl Laplacette: We estimate Polo4Pro face-toface clinics will return at the end of September, when the Argentine Polo Association enables tournaments to be held, according to the government’s directives from the Ministry of Health. At this moment, there are locations where polo training is allowed according to sanitation protocols.

What would the protocol be like to carry out clinics with all the health precautions?

Raúl Laplacette: Since the Covid-19 pandemic, classes will be held according to a protocol to avoid contagion. The use of a face coverings, maintaining a social distance of [over 6 feet], frequent handwashing and surface disinfection will be required. We count in our favor that classes are held outdoors and in open spaces with few students.

Tell me about the instructor certification course that gave life to Polo4Pro? Santiago Novillo Astrada: The course for instructors was an initiative of the president of the Argentine Polo Association, Eduardo Novillo Astrada, who realized our country lacked an

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

organization in this area. In countries like England and the United States, they implemented it years ago with very good results, but Argentina, the country with the best polo players in the world, needed to set up an instructional structure.

Many people who were already dedicated to teaching were summoned and the idea was to give us tools to improve the forms. Within this group of 70 applicants, eight were selected, all with more than 20 years of experience teaching polo and playing as professionals around the world with a minimum of 5goal handicaps. We realized together we could build something bigger and empower each other. We held several meetings with the AAP to further strengthen the project and from there emerged the first eight instructors certified and approved by the AAP. How did you develop the idea?

Martín Orozco: While we were still in the certification course, they commissioned us to do some practical work. With Raúl Laplacette, Santi Novillo Astrada and Justo Del Carril we started to work and realized that, due to the different characteristics we had, an interesting dynamic was formed. Justo specializes in the grip, Santi and Raúl are more dedicated to the swing and I to horsemanship. we realized we complemented and empowered each other. Justo proposed breaking with what has been the historical way of teaching polo.

Polo students were always handled individually, there were no companies or work groups. That is why we made that decision. Last year, we worked very well, and we realized there was room to expand and invite more people. So, we went in search of the experience of Miguel and Tino Bourdieu, and we were interested in two young people who are in full activity like Matías Maiquez and Santi Marambio.

They open the doors to the whole technological and communication world. When we decided to open up to the world, we turned to Negro Amaya, a reference for us abroad who could give us a different and broader approach. He is not only a vet, professional polo player and instructor for many years, but also has clarity of concepts and ease of exploration from which we learn every day.

Who are the clinics for?

Miguel and Tino Bourdieu: Polo4Pro tries to reach all polo players and future polo players. The main objective is to improve the polo level of the players. The low handicap has been the most neglected level in teaching and, therefore, we proposee to channel all the effort in a first stage. A low-handicap player has a much better chance of improvement than an elite player. You just need

people with experience who have played a lot of polo around the world and pass on the knowledge to them. That is the basis of our clinics: our experience at the service of the Miguel player.

Bourdieu What do you need to get started?

Martín Orozco: Basically, and essentially, the desire to learn or improve, depending on the level of the player. We give classes to professionals who want to improve something in particular the same as amateur players and even people who have never ridden a horse. We do make one thing clear to them: they embark on something that there is no return. Once you start playing there is no return. You just need enthusiasm and respect for the horse.

How do you reach your clients and students?

Santiago Marambio and Matías Maiquez: Nowadays, social networks are a very effective way to communicate. Both Facebook and Instagram are mainly part of the Polo4Pro base, which was joined by several sponsors looking for something new Santiago Novillo Astrada to teach polo and thus increase the number of followers and participants in the talks.

Polo4Pro created a totally innovative base in which the participants feel protagonists and identified with a way of learning with freshness, versatility, brotherhood, charisma, fun and this is also educational. The brand has an identity, something necessary for the success and development of a product, and which is also launching its website soon.

Polo4Pro is still a developing concept. However, its growth has allowed it to devise a truly ambitious initiative: to create a high-level education and training center with several locations in Argentina and the main countries where the sport is played.

• POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 41

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

Africa U.S. team plays in Zambian boys’ school tournament

By Ava Rose Hinkson

BRIAN MATTHEWS

Two years ago, after getting back from my first official international junior tour to Jamaica, I started receiving dozens of proposals to play at different clubs around the world. One of my most exciting and exotic opportunities was given to me when I was contacted by the president of the Zambian Polo Association. He invited me to bring an American junior team to play in the Zambian Boys School International Tournament against Kenya and two teams from Zambia in late summer of 2019. Of course, I accepted this invitation without a heartbeat of hesitation.

The tournament is an historic part of Zambia polo that is only hosted by the Zambian Polo Association every few years. We would be going to play with juniors whose grandparents competed in this very event decades ago. With the roots of tradition running deep in the Zambian polo families, everyone on the team

A leopard lounges in a fig tree.

Ava Hinkson reaches out to hook Oliver Snart.

The U.S. team enjoyed the competition and meeting new polo friends.

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

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

knew the competition was going to be fierce.

One of the best parts of traveling for polo abroad is meeting the people. This trip was no exception. After landing and getting settled with our Lusaka hosts, the Americans were off to meet the African teams over dinner. The first dinner was a complete success, with a night filled with laughs, some lighthearted but

USA’s Cipi Echezarreta carries the ball while under pressure from an opponent.

Ava with Victoria Coventry’s Port Liz, the tournament’s Best Playing Pony.

Elephants come to drink from the Zambezi River.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 43

LEON EMANUEL

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

The Royal Zambezi Lodge offered views of the river and wildlife.

The U.S. team enjoyed a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat, including this pride of lions.

SHAUN MCMINN

Hippos swim in the river in front of the Zambezi lodge.

competitive chatter, and some incredible food. The next day we traveled to the Lumbombo Polo Club in Mazabuka by bus and had the opportunity to see the vast expanse of complete wild and unforgiving terrain that is Africa. By the way, road trip drive-through food in Zambia is a cob of maze that is roasted over an open fire by villagers and it’s delicious.

After finally arriving in Mazabuka, the junior teams had pony trials and each player met their pony master—a person who oversees the mounting of a player and assisting in pony line ups. It was an exciting day of riding between 17 to 20 horses, all absolute machines. These were the kind of horses you remember by name for years to come. I never thought it was possible, but at the end of the day we had too many good horses. When the time came, the sight of the sun setting behind the cane fires was beautiful and was a relief to all of us who had such an exhausting day.

The next day, we awoke to the smell of fresh coffee, crepes, and muesli. After finishing breakfast, our host family gave us a tour of their farm and a glimpse at

the turning gears behind their massive operation.

The family’s 17-acre sugarcane plantation was a little oasis in the vast African landscape.

After an informative morning of touring, it was time to head to the polo club for our six-chukker match against the Kenyans. It was our first taste of just how competitive the rest of the tournament would roll out to be. It was a hard-fought, fast-paced game. As the Americans were trying to click as a team and find our The team prepares to board a flight to Lower Zambezi.

pace, the Kenyans incredibly talented players came out as the winners at the end of the game.

The second day of the tournament, USA faced off against Zambia Team A. From the second the ball hit the ground in the first throw-in, the Zambians didn’t give us an inch to breathe. It was quickly determined to be an open, hit-and-run game, with the defensive players on each team consistently sending the ball 80100 yards. Even with the American team having a better feel of their horses and their teammates abilities, the Zambians got a three-goal lead in the last chukker and pulled off the win.

On the day of final tournament, we arrived at the 44 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

POLO AROUND THE GLOBE

Ava with her host family, Lilo and Nick Patterson, in Zambia.

field feeling more middle-aged than teenagers. We all had a good laugh as the battered yet determined American team limped past the stands. The last two days of extremely intense games had finally begun to catch up with us, as more than half our team was literally being held together by sports tape and ibuprofen. Our last game was against the talented Zambia Team B. After some good-humored joking with the Zambians and Kenyans as we stretched our sore and aching muscles, we hopped on our ponies to begin the final match.

That evening, in the after-party of our lives, the Zambian parents went the extra mile to ensure that all the juniors would really have the opportunity to bond.

This tour gained friendships that will last a lifetime. We could not have asked for a more competitive yet clean tournament. We all walked away having learned to be better horsemen, players, and people thanks to the great players that call the wild continent of Africa home. We had been pushed to our physical and mental limits as athletes and horsemen and we loved every second of it.

After traveling to play polo for two years, I have realized that even though we are playing polo, it is a different game everywhere you go. The techniques and training are so different in Jamaica than in Zambia or Barbados than America.

The animals, scenery, people and experiences were beyond anything any one of us could have imagined.

From a small farm town in Central Florida, to playing at a legendary polo club with some of the most passionate junior players I’ve met, I still can’t believe I was blessed enough to travel to such an awe-inspiring place.

Following our unforgettable and exhilarating three-

day tournament, the Zambians sent us on a chartered flight for a photographic safari in the Lower Zambezi.

The Royal Zambezi was an elegant safari camp that was meant to impress and astound. From the pure African views, to the peaceful river and fishing tours, to the wild and exciting safaris, the experiences at the Royal Zambezi left their fantastic impression on everyone.

Nothing shakes your very soul like looking dead into the eyes of an inquisitive male lion who lounges scarcely 10 feet away. Turning to gaze straight up into the snoozing face of a leopard who sprawls out in a branch directly overhead is one of the most imposing and terrifying sights. When fishing leads to reeling in an elusive, air breathing Vundu catfish or netting a fearsome, fang bearing Tigerfish, it is the most triumphant and thrilling moment for any avid angler.

On our flight back to the Lusaka airport on our charter flight, I found myself reflecting back onto the days on the safari in the African bush. We saw everything from tiny wood doves, to some of Africa’s apex predators, to the critically endangered pangolin, unfortunately the most trafficked mammal in the world. I savored the fresh memories of fishing in the great Zambezi, scanning the banks and cliffs for any flicker of movement that might behold some approaching creature. I glanced over to Cipriano Echezarreta who had thoughtfully been looking down upon the multitude of small scattered villages. As we shared a knowing grin, I could tell we thought the same thing—we actually did Africa!

I would like to give my immense thanks to the USPA for the YPO Grant and all they contribute towards youth polo, as well as the Tackeria, Casablanca, and PTF for continuously supporting my endeavors.

•

USA’s Ava Hinkson, Cipi Echezarreta, Oliver Wieser and Augie Grotnik

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 45

POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO PAC I F I C C OA S T

WILLIAM T. STACEY

STG PREVAILS IN GOVERNORS CUP

Ignacio Deltour does a stand-up job, along with teammate Carlos Rivas, in trying to block a penalty shot in the final of the Governors Cup.

S

TG Polo topped a four-team roster to win the Governors Cup at Wine Country Polo Club in Santa Rosa, California in July.

Having won their games the day before, STG Polo (Ignacio Deltour, Jack Ziegler, Carlos Rivas, Cipriano Echezarreta) and Alumine Polo (Bautista Bello, Daniel Fernandez, Robert O’Donnell, Caroline Vissers) faced each other for the Governors Cup final. Once USPA umpire Dan Healy had bowled in to begin the

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

game, it was all on. A fast game ensued, as the Trione Field, looking almost perfect in the California sunshine, had been cut extra short, almost to the roots. STG Polo established a clear lead early in the final game, scoring three goals in quick succession in chukker one and three more early in chukker two. Despite Alumine showcasing two well-known professionals– Bello and Fernandez–only late in chukker two did teamwork pay off when they were able to add two to the

scoreboard. Alumine was not to be discouraged, however, and at the start of chukker three, it was clear it had reorganized. With the help of strong manto-man coverage, it began to dominate, winning the third chukker, 2-1, and outscoring its opponent in the fourth chukker, 3-2.

By scoring six of his teams nine goals early, Deltour and his teammates basically set the tone for the rest of the match. It may have simply been too late for Alumine to turn the momen-

P O L O

STG Polo’s Jack Ziegler, Cipriano Echezarreta, Carlos Rivas and Ignacio Deltour won the Governors Cup at Wine Country Polo.

tum in its favor, with the final score totaling 9-7 in favor of STG. It could have been closer or even gone the other way. While there were not many penalties in the game overall, Alumine was simply unable to capitalize sufficiently on those scoring opportunities: penalty shots in its favor never made it through the uprights, and in the last chukker, it also gave up an easy Penalty 1 to STG right in front of the goal.

The 4-goal Deltour was the player of the match. Riding fast, and with fancy moves more typical of players with higher ratings, he was able to repeatedly ward off defensive attacks

by Bello and Fernandez, who were unable to prevent the scoring.

In the consolation game played earlier that day, Polo SF ( Leandro Floccari, Vladimir Rivkin, Guillermo Brian McFall, Waqaas Al-Saddiq) defeated Mother Chukker Polo (Francisco Guinazu, Collin White, John Ziegler, Suzannah “Sukey” Forbes), 5-4. Floccari demonstrated his talents perhaps more than any other player on the field. He was not only able to score on several occasions from his Number 4 position (and set up his Number 1 and 2 for the same) but was also very effective in closing down drives to goal by Mother Chukker’s No. 3 and 4 players, Collin White and Francisco Guinazu, both experienced veterans of the game. With few penalties on either

R E P O R T

Tevis Ranch’s Elizabeth Mansfield, Fabian Lezcano, Richard Mansfield and Rafael Hernandez won the Constitution Cup.

side, the game was fast and flowing.

In Saturday’s playoff games, Alumine Polo edged out Polo SF, 5-4, and STG Polo handily outscored Mother Chukker, 6-3.

This year’s Governor’s Cup tournament was supported by the USPA’s COVID-19 Stimulus Relief Program.

--Paul Griffin

TEVIS RANCH WINS CONSTITUTION CUP Tevis Ranch ousted Cerro Pampa, 73, in the final of the Constitution Cup held at Cerro Pampa Polo Club in Petaluma, California, on July 26.

The teams played off over two days.

Tevis Ranch (Elizabeth Mansfield, Fabian Lezcano, Richard Mansfield, Rafael Hernandez) got off to a strong start with balanced team play and goals by Richard Mansfield, Elizabeth Mansfield and Lezcano. Cerro Pampa (Jascha Kaykas-Wolf, Hassan Khan, Kathryn McKegney, Toto Socas) answered with a pair of goals by Socas. Elizabeth Mansfield and Socas traded goals in the second to keep it close, 4-3. Neither team could reach the goal in the third. Cerro Pampa was shut out again in the fourth, while Lezcano and Hernandez hit the mark to ensure the win, 6-3.

The teams came back the next day but the results were the same. Again,

Richard Mansfield scored first, followed by his wife, Elizabeth. Khan put Cerro Pampa on the board to stay in the game. Lezcano scored early in the second. Mansfield added another before Socas split the uprights, ending the half with Tevis Ranch doubling up Cerro Pampa, 4-2.

The second half belonged to Tevis as Lezcano scored twice and Elizabeth Mansfield once while Cerro Pampa came up empty. Cerro Pampa effectively shut Tevis down in the final period, but was unable to make up any ground and Tevis held on for a 7-3 victory.

QUITE ON Z TAKES JAMES COLT CLASSIC Quite on Z settled at the top of a sixteam lineup to win the James Colt Classic, part of the 8-goal Rincon League at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Carpinteria, California on July 18.

An undefeated Klentner Ranch (Dominique Mielle, Luke Klentner, Jake Klentner, Jesse Bray) met Quite on Z (Alecia Seidler/P. Rodriguez) Paquito de Narvaez, Paco de Narvaez, Kristos Magrini) in the final. Cable Magness was brought in to play for an injured Seidler, while Radhika May played for Mielle.

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

Quite on Z’s Paco de Narvaez, Kristos Magrini, MVP Paquitos de Narvaez and Cable Magness won the James Colt Classic.

Both teams came out strong, trading goals back and forth from the penalty line. Paquito de Narvaez scored all of his team’s open-goal penalties while Jake Klentner and Bray kept up a volley of answering goals. The first half ended with Klentner Ranch leading, 6-4.

Magrini came out strong in the fourth, scoring two of his team’s three goals that chukker. Klentner had one of its own, knotting the score at 7-7. Bray scored back-to-back goals in the fifth only to be answered with a pair of opengoal penalties from Paquito Narvaez to keep the score level, 9-9. A quick goal by Paco de Narvaez put Quite on Z in the lead early in the sixth. Magrini jumped on Best Playing Pony Terca and scored two in a row while Klentner was held scoreless for the 12-9 win. Paquito de Narvaez was MVP. In the consolation rounds, BFBST Law (Leigh Brecheen, Cory Williams, Lucitas Monteverde, Juan Monteverde) took on Whitehall Ranch (Igor Seyrenov, Juan Curbelo, Ale Gonzalez, Bill Lane), while Barrossa/DP (Jef Graham, Jim Wright, Maco Llambias, Matt Yonally) faced Mayer Ranch (Kenny Mayer, Clark Mayer, Brendon Stenzel, Agustin Molinas).

Quite on Z kept up the momentum into the Summerland Cup. The same teams competed in the tournament, but this time, Quite on Z met Barrossa/Del Padre in the final. Father and son, Paco

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

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

R E P O R T DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

P O L O

Quite on Z’s Kristos Magrini, Ryan Kerley, MVP Paquitos de Narvaez and Paco de Narvaez won the Summerland Cup.

and Paquito de Narvaez scored unanswered goals in the first chukker.

Wright kept Barrossa in the game, scoring three penalties for his team in the first half but his efforts were met goal for goal by Quite on Z, to end the first half, 6-3.

Quite on Z increased its lead to 8-3 early in the fourth. Wright and Llambias scored two unanswered goals in the fifth to cut the difference to three, 8-5, heading into the last seven minutes.

Paquito de Narvaez scored his third open-goal penalty. Llambias scored for Barrossa but Magrini responded with one more to end the match with Quite on Z taking its second victory, 10-6.

Paquito de Narvaez was named MVP for the second time this season and Jim Wright’s Chava was Best Playing Pony.

In the historic Robert Skene Memorial Trophy, eight teams filled the lineup but in the end, defending champion FMB Too! and Klentner Ranch earned spots in the final.

The match boasted clean polo with minimal fouls. Both teams played classic polo by running to goal and making use of their teammates with big passes up field. FMB Too! (Joaquin Avendano, Felipe Marquez, Santi Wulff, Henry Walker) capitalized on this style of play, first with a quick goal by Marquez straight out of the line up. Wulff followed up in a similar manner with another goal. Klentner (Marcitos Alber-

di, Geronimo Obregon, Jesse Bray, Justin Klentner) got on the board with a goal by Bray late in the chukker. FMB Too! widened the gap, outscoring Klentner, 3-1. Klentner shifted to defense, turning back all of FMB Too!’s drives but was unable to put any goals on the board, ending the first half trailing, 5-2.

Marquez began the second half with a coast-to-coast run, playing both sides of his horse and even tapping it out of the air at times. Obregon shot in a penalty conversion to keep Klentner in the game. The teams kept battling with FMB Too! ending the chukker ahead, 94. Klentner rallied in the fifth chukker, closing the gap to just one after four unanswered goals, 9-8, but FMB Too! retaliated in the sixth with four of its own, while holding Klentner to a single tally from Alberdi, for the 13-9 win.

Felipe Marquez was named MVP and his fifth chukker mare, Gala, was Best Playing Pony. “She is an Argentine thoroughbred that ran nine races. She is something different; one of the most comfortable horses I have ever had. She is always handy and runs really hard for me,” he said.

Henry Walker was thrilled with the victory. “Klentner Ranch is always a tough team to compete against. This final was no exception,” he said. “Both teams played with a lot of heart and it was an honor to win the Robert Skene Memorial Trophy. Furthermore, having

R E P O R T

DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

P O L O

FMB Too!’s Henry Walker, Santi Wulff, Felipe Marquez and Joaquin Avendano won the Robert Skene Memorial.

the trophy presentation done by [Robert Skene’s son] Curtis Skene made it additionally meaningful.”

EASTERN

MIDLANTIC SUCCEEDS IN PATTON CUP IN MD Midlantic took home the title in the 4-goal Gen. George Patton Cup at Maryland Polo Club in Jarrettsville, Maryland on June 28.

Four teams began the tournament with Midlantic (Demitra Hajimihalis, Maddie Grant, Parker Pearce, Nachi Viana) taking on Red Maple (Madison Jordan, Liv Berube, Nate Berube, PJ Orthwein/Jake Brown) in the final. Midlantic began with a half-goal handicap and Viana quickly added to it, shooting out front with a pair of goals to keep Midlantic in the lead. Nate Berube responded with a tally for Red Maple.

Viana kept up the pressure in the second with two more goals but Liv Berube and Brown matched them to keep the difference, 4½-3, at the half.

Viana and Grant scored in the third, while Nate Berube tallied again for Red Maple. Trailing, 6½-4, going into the final chukker, Brown struck for Red Maple but Pearce and Viana shot back with goals of their own for the 7½-5 win.

Midlantic’s MVP Nachi Viana, Parker Pearce, Maddie Grant and Demitra Hajimihalis won the Patton Cup.

Viana was MVP and Jake Brown’s Flurry was Best Playing Pony.

“I offered to sponsor a polo team for [my son] Parker by my company Midlantic LTD. We have never had a polo team, but Midlantic LTD does have six equestrian youth brand ambassadors so a polo team fits our company make-up,” Holly Pearce explained. “All on their own, Parker and Maddie put together a team of all intercollegiate UVa varsity polo players. They came into the 4-goal tournament at Maryland Polo Club as the youngest team, rated only 3½ goals.

They won by 3½ goals in the final! They entered the final on Sunday totally unaware there was a USPA purse of $1,500 to the winners.”

In the consolation, Dovecote (Louisa Huber, Sophie Grant, Tommy Huber, Tom Huber) crushed West Shore (Cindy Halle, Roberto Corrigan, George Hempt, Max Hempt), 8-2.

Brother and sister Tommy and Louisa Huber jumped out front in the first with goals. Tommy and Sophie Grant added goals in the second before George Hempt converted a penalty shot to put West Shore on the board, 4-1.

Grant added back-to-back goals in the third and another in the fourth. Tommy Huber had one more, giving Dovecote the 8-1 lead. Halle got one in for West Shore to end the match with Dovecote comfortably ahead.

In the semifinals, Midlantic defeated

West Shore, 10-2, while Red Maple edged Dovecote.

The club also hosted the WCT Eastern Women’s Challenge, July 8-12. In the A-Flight, Quite Creek Farm overcame Bad Ass Polo and Colonial Downs in a round-robin final for the win, and a check for $1,500.

Quite Creek Farm (Sophie Grant, Liv Stringer Berube, Hannah Reynolds, Olivia Reynolds) faced Colonial Downs (Sarah Martin, Ashley McKenzie, Malicia Von Falkenhausen, Mary Collins) in the first round of the final. Quiet Creek was anything but quiet as Olivia Reynolds struck first, followed by Hannah Reynolds. Olivia added another while Colonial Downs was unable to respond. It only got worse in the second as Grant went on a shooting spree, hammering in four goals before Collins put Colonial Downs on the board. Grant added another and Hannah Reynolds tallied her second to put Quite Creek ahead, 9-1.

Colonial Downs sat down while Quite Creek faced Bad Ass Polo (Lindsey Morris, Kathy Fowser, Bridget Gibson, Posey Obrecht). Morris got on the board first, but Grant let loose with three in a row. Morris began the scoring in the second chukker, but Olivia Reynolds and Grant answered, ending the round with Quiet Creek ahead, 5-2.

Bad Ass Polo took on Colonial Downs in the last round. Obrecht put

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

P O L O

R E P O R T

Quite Creek Farm’s MVP Sophie Grant, Liv Stringer Berube, Hannah Reynolds and Olivia Reynolds won the Women’s Challenge.

Bad Ass on the board and Fowser and Morris followed with goals of their own while Colonial Downs was silenced. The teams battled in the second with Collins scoring for Colonial Downs. Gibson answered for Bad Ass, ensuring the win.

Quiet Creek Farm was named the winner while Bad Ass was runner-up.

Grant was named MVP and Reynolds’ Onyx was Best Playing Pony.

In preliminary matches, Quiet Creek Farm narrowly edged Melinda’s Prospect Farm (Cindy Halle, Louisa Huber, Anna Palacios, Shariah Harris), 7-6, to advance to the final. Two days later, a round-robin saw Melinda’s

Jake Brown’s Flurry was Best Playing Pony in Maryland’s 4-goal Patton Cup.

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

Marlan Farm’s Kylie Beard, Hanna Noyes, Josie Dorsey and Madelyn Blum won B Flight in the WCT Arena in Maryland.

Prospect Farm top Bad Ass, 5-3½, and Colonial Downs, 8-1½. Bad Ass topped Colonial Downs, 1½-1.

In the WCT Arena, held on June 20, Dovecote (Maddie Grant, Grace Burgert, Louisa Huber) edged USPA (Madison Jordan, Anna Palacios and Live Berube) in Flight A. Louisa Huber’s Roo was Best Playing Pony and Maddie Grant was MVP. In B Flight, Marlan Farm Dark (Kylie Beard, Hannah Noyes, Josie Dorsey, Madelyn Blum) defeated GFS (Gabbie Chiasera, Sarah Lynch, Josie Smith). Sarah Lynch was MVP and Catie Stueck’s Infinity, played

by Kylie Beard, was Best Playing Pony.

NORTHEASTERN

WHITE BIRCH TOPS THREE PRO-AM CUPS While COVID-19 cancelled much of the Greenwich Polo Club’s high-goal season, the club held a series of five Pro-Am Cups in July. The club is located in Greenwich, Connecticut.

In the first Pro-Am of the month, White Birch/IGEA (Chris Brant, Antonio Aguerre, Joaquin Panelo, Mariano Aguerre) took on Altaris/Reelay (Jamal Nusseibeh, Will Tomita, Valerio Zubiaurre and Santino Magrini). The teams played off over two games. In the first match, the teams ended knotted, 6-6. In the second match Altaris got the best of White Birch, narrowly taking the 6-5 win.

The second Pro-Am for July included four teams. Altaris (Jamal Nusseibeh, Antonio Aguerre, Valerio Zubiaurre, Joaquin Panelo) took on Ollie (Will Tomita, Brian Fairclough, Nick Manifold, Pedro Gutierrez) in the first game with Altaris coming out on top, 10-8, to advance to the final. In the second match, Van Lith/White Birch (Mark Van Lith, Tomas Franco, Mariano Aguerre, Chris Brant) edged Santa Cruz/Cooperline Farms (Ben Ketchum, Gaston Lisioli, Michael Klein, Kris

R E P O R T

Van Lith/White Birch’s Mark Van Lith, Chris Brant, Tomas Franco and Mariano Aguerre won the second Pro-Am.

Kampsen), 11-8, to advance to the final.

The final pitted Altaris against Van Lith/White Birch. It was a tight match, but this time Van Lith/White Birch took the win, 8-7. Antonio Aguerre was named MVP. Four teams competed in the third Pro-Am. After a rain delay, the final saw White Birch/Cooperline Farms (Ben Ketchum, Chris Brant, Mariano Aguerre, Gaston Lisioli) edge Ollie (Will Tomita, Antonio Aguerre, Joaquin Panelo, Pedro Gutierrez), 10-9. Ben Ketchum was MVP. In the consolation Lion Share final, Altaris/IGEA (Jamal Nusseibeh, Adam Lipson, Valerio Zubiaurre, Juan Redlich) defeated Santa Cruz (Michael Klein, Nick Manifold, Andy Fairclough, Kris Kampsen), 9-7.

The fourth Pro-Am saw White Birch (Antonio Aguerre, Chris Brant, Mari-

The fourth Pro-Am went to Altaris/Ollie’s Pedro Gutierrez, Lerin Zubiaurre, MVP Will Tomita and Jamal Nusseibeh.

PETER MICHAELIS FOR GREENWICH POLO CLUB

White Birch/Cooperline Farms’ Mariano Aguerre, Gaston Lisioli, Ben Ketchum and Chris Brant won the third Pro-Am.

PETER MICHAELIS FOR GREENWICH POLO CLUB

PETER MICHAELIS FOR GREENWICH POLO CLUB

Altaris’ Will Tomita, Jamal Nusseibeh, Santino Magrini and Valerio Zubiaurre won the Pro-Am in Greenwich.

PETER MICHAELIS FOR GREENWICH POLO CLUB

PETER MICHAELIS FOR GREENWICH POLO CLUB

P O L O

White Birch/Cooperline Farms’ Gaston Lisioli slaps a hook on Ollie’s Joaquin Panelo in the third Pro-Am final.

ano Aguerre, Nick Manifold) fall to Santa Cruz/Cooperline Farm (Michael

Klein, Ben Ketchum, Gaston Lisioli, Kris Kampsen), 11-10, in the first semi-

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

R E P O R T PETER MICHAELIS FOR GREENWICH POLO CLUB

P O L O

White Birch/Santa Cruz’s Mariano Aguerre, Kris Kampsen, Chris Brant and Michael Klein won the last Pro-Am.

final while Altaris/Ollie (Will Tomita, Jamal Nusseibeh, Lerin Zubiaurre, Pedro Gutierrez) edged IGEA (Brian Fairclough, Adam Lipson, Joaquin Panelo, Juan Redlich), 9-8, in the second semifinal. Moving on to the final, Altaris/Ollie edged Santa Cruz/Cooperline Farm, 10-9. Will Tomita was MVP. The last Pro-Am of the season had three teams playing off in a round-robin with a fourth team coming in just for the consolation round. Rain delayed the start a day, but the field was ready the following evening. In the first round, Ollie/Cooperline Farms (Ben Ketchum, Will Tomita, Gaston Lisioli, Pedro Gutierrez) beat IGEA/Altaris (Adam Lipson, Jamal Nusseibeh, Lerin Zubiaurre, Juan Redlich), 6-4, but fell to White Birch/Santa Cruz (Michael Klein, Chris Brant, Mariano Aguerre, Kris Kampsen), 6-5, in the second round.

White Birch/Santa Cruz also got the best of IGEA/Altaris, 6-5.

White Birch/Santa Cruz would move on to the final against Ollie/Cooperline Farms, while IGEA/Altaris would take on Los Machitos (Andy Fairclough, Brian Fairclough, Joaquin Panelo, Antonio Aguerre) in the consolation.

White Birch/Santa Cruz prevailed 1210 over Ollie/Cooperline Farms in the final, while IGEA/Altaris defeated Los Machitos, 10-8, in the consolation.

Chris Brant was MVP in the final.

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

G-Squared’s Matias Obregon, Juan Martin Obregon, Juan Martin Gutierrez and Larry Aschebrook won the McCormick Cup.

CENTRAL

G-SQUARED EARNS MCCORMICK CUP G-Squared slipped past PFP, 8-7, in the final of the McCormick Cup held at Oak Brook Polo Club in Oak Brook, Illinois on July 7.

After getting the best of Oak Brook (Jim Drury, Tomas ‘Toto’ Obregon, Horacio Onetto, Mariano Gutierrez), 10-9, in a close match, G-Squared (Larry Aschebrook, Juan Martin Gutierrez, Matias Obregon, Juan Martin Obregon)

Action at Oak Brook Polo Club in Chicago.

advanced to the final against PFP (Frauke Leuders, Jan-Dirk Leuders, Anthony Garcia, Mariano Obregon.

G-Squared got on the board first with a goal by Matias Obregon. Nino Obregon responded but Juan Martin Obregon got the last word, to end the first, 2-1, in favor of G-Squared. Anthony Garcia tied the score in the second but Juan Martin Obregon put GSquared back on top. Garcia leveled the score early in the third but back-to-back goals by Matias Obregon gave GSquared a 5-3 advantage to end the first half.

Juan Martin Obregon traded goals

R E P O R T CHUKKERTV

P O L O

with Nino Obregon in the fourth to maintain the difference. Nino Obregon sunk a Penalty 3 in the fifth, but Juan Martin Gutierrez responded with a field goal. Nino kept fighting and sandwiched penalty conversions around a goal from Gutierrez but it wasn’t enough and G-Squared took the win.

Two weeks later with the same lineups, Oak Brook retaliated, edging GSquared in the 12-goal Butler Challenge. Toto Obregon put Oak Brook on the board in the opening minutes of the first chukker. Onetto followed with a Penalty 2 conversion before Juan Martin Obregon put G-Squared on the board. Juan Martin Obregon’s lone field goal in the second tied the score, 2-2. Toto Obregon and Matias Obregon traded goals in the third to end the half knotted, 3-3.

Matias Obregon broke the tie early in the fourth, but Toto Obregon

Casablanca’s Juancito Bollini jumps on a pass in the Craig Sakin Memorial final over La Indiana.

quickly tied it back up and Onetto gave Oak Brook the lead. Juan Martin Obregon level the score in the fifth until Toto Obregon struck again. Toto gave Oak Brook a two-goal lead early in the sixth but Juan Martin Gutierrez scored to bring G-Squared within one. However, the team could get no closer before time ran out and Oak Brook had the win.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN

CASABLANCA TRIUMPHS IN CRAIG SAKIN MEM. For the second time in three tournaments, Casablanca and La Indiana met in a final at Aspen Valley Polo Club in Carbondale, Colorado, both eager to take the title. In the ChukkerTV Challenge, Casablanca prevailed. This time it was the Craig Sakin Memorial, but

the results were the same.

Casablanca (Lauren Sherry, Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Juan Martin Nero) bested La Indiana (Michael Bickford, Michael Payne, Nic Roldan, Nacho Badiola), 9-7.

After scoring all of his team’s nine goals against Spindrift in the semis, Roldan was hot off the mark starting the final. Within the first minute of play, he hooked Ganzi and put the ball through the posts. Casablanca went on offense and Nero took his team into an early lead with two goals, including one at the horn.

In the second chukker, Roldan roared back with two goals of his won, while Bickford scored a third to put La Indiana into the lead for the only time in the game.

Casablanca played a strong defense in the third, and kept its opponent off the goal, while Ganzi scored on a penalCHUKKERTV

Oak Brook’s Jim Drury, Horacio Onetto, Toto Obregon and Mariano Gutierrez won the Butler Challenge.

Casablanca’s Juan Martin Nero, Juancito Bollini, Grant Ganzi and Lauren Sherry won the Sakin Memorial.

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

R E P O R T

Seminole Casino’s Melissa Ganzi, MVP Lauren Sherry, Alejandro Novillo Astrada and Juan Bollini won the Basalt Handicap.

ty to end the half knotted, 4-4.

Casablanca took the lead in the fourth after a goal by Juancito Bollini, and after a right-of-way violation by Roldan, Ganzi scored on the penalty shot to put Casablanca ahead by two.

The fifth chukker saw Casablanca take a decisive lead, with its powerful defense again keeping La Indiana from scoring.

At the 3:22 mark, Roldan’s stirrup leather broke, nearly unseating him, but after a brief time out he was back in action. Nero and Ganzi scored, and nearing the end of the chukker, Bollini had a breakaway to goal, ending the period, 9-5, in Casablanca’s favor.

La Indiana played an intense last chukker, effectively defending against Casablanca and scoring three goals, including an impressive 150-yard center field penalty shot by Roldan, but couldn’t make up the margin, falling 9-7.

Nero was named MVP, while Bickford’s 8-year-old mare Pontiac was Best Playing Pony.

The tournament is played in memory of Craig Sakin who passed away Feb. 11, 2014, at 52. The former president of the Sopris Mountain Ranch homeowner’s association, he was instrumental in helping Marc and Melissa Ganzi secure their first polo field. In 2015, some of Sakin’s ashes were release over the polo field.

In the Just for the Fun of It Cup,

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

Spindrift (Marc Ganzi, John Bickford, Polito Pieres, Stewart Armstrong) slipped past Island House (Alex Gooding, Peter Holowesko, Toro Ruiz, Jared Zenni), 10-9.

After a slow start, Island House finally got on the board in the third chukker and caught up to tie the match at 5-5 in the second half. Spindrift got out front again, but Island House managed to level the score at 9-9 in the final minutes.

Alas, a penalty conversion by Ganzi put it in the bag for Spindrift.

In the Just for the Love of It Cup, La Elina (Melissa Ganzi, Bobby Gerry, Pablo Mac Donough, Juan Bollini) took down Los Amigos Red (Alejandra Foster, Larry Austin, Horacio Heguy, Nacho Novillo Astrada), 9-7.

In the Just for the Joy of It Cup, La Karina (Brian Boyd, Carlitos Gracida, Tincho Merlos, Jimmy Seward) topped Los Amigos Blue (Paul Foster, Gussie Busch, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Pablo Spinacci), 9-8.

On July 27, Seminole Casino won the Basalt Handicap after downing La Elina, 6-4, and White Claw, 6-3, in a round robin.

White Claw (Vinny Sangaline, Larry Austin, Pablo Spinacci, Nic Roldan) got off to a quick start in the first round with Sangaline scoring a breakaway goal and Austin following up with another. La Elina (Collen Clark, Bobby

CHUKKERTV

CHUKKERTV

P O L O

The Island House’s Pablo Mac Donough was MVP in the Aspen Cup.

Gerry, Pablo Mac Donough, Horacio Heguy) saw Gerry score twice and tie the game at the end of the chukker. In a decisive second chukker, Spinacci was on fire, scoring three goals to give White Claw the lead. La Elina couldn’t manage to get on the board and despite two more goals by Clark, La Elina went down, 6-4.

La Elina didn’t fare any better in the second round, falling to Seminole Casino (Melissa Ganzi, Lauren Sherry, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Juan Bollini), 6-4. Seminole Casino turned back all of La Elina’s drives in the first chukker before Gerry tied the match in the second with three goals. Sherry broke away from the pack to put her team in the lead. Mac Donough scored La Elina’s final goal but Seminole Casino wasn’t finished. Novillo Astrada and Ganzi tallied to give Seminole Casino the win.

In the final round, White Claw kept pace with Seminole Casino in the first seven minutes, ending the chukker tied, 3-3. The teams battled to take control, but Seminole Casino’s defense kept White Claw off the board, while Seminole’s offense hammered in three more goals to take the 6-3 win. Seminole Casino took first place, while White Claw took second and La Elina was third.

Sherry was MVP amateur while Roldan was MVP pro. Irenita Creyenete,

CHUKKERTV

R E P O R T CHUKKERTV

P O L O

The Island House’s Peter Holowesko, Michael Payne, Toro Ruiz and Pablo Spinnaci won the Emma Challenge Cup at Aspen Valley Polo Club in Carbondale, Colorado.

owned by Santa Rita Polo Farm and played by Mac Donough, was Best Playing Pony.

In the Just for the Love of It Cup round robin, McClure River Ranch (Alejandra Foster, Carlitos Gracida, Gussie Busch, Nacho Novillo Astrada) defeated Los Amigos (Paul Foster, Alejandro Poma, Stewart Armstrong, Polito Pieres), 5-3, and Mountain Chevrolet (Michael Payne, Nacho Badiola, Tincho Merlos, Brian Boyd), 6-5.

In the Aspen Cup round robin played over two days, La Indiana (Michael Bickford, John Bickford, Jared Zenni, Polito Pieres) met The Island House (Peter Holowesko, Pablo Mac Donough, Toro Ruiz, Marc Ganzi) in Round One. Scores carried over from Friday with La Indiana ahead, 4-3. Ruiz quickly tied the score but Pieres put La Indiana back in the lead. The teams swapped goals in the second chukker before The Island House got ahead, 8-7.

La Indiana stayed up for Round 2 to face Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Juan Martin Nero). La Indiana shut Tonkawa down in the first chukker. Tonkawa made a comeback in the second, but La Indiana hung on for the 7-5 win.

The final round had The Island House up against Tonkawa. The Island House carried over its 7-4 lead.

Tonkawa poured it on in the first, stop-

ping all of The Island House’s drives.

The tables turned in the second with Mac Donough and Ruiz putting The Island House ahead by three. Tonkawa held The Island House scoreless in the final chukker but it wasn’t enough and The Island House hung on to the 9-8 win for the title. Tonkawa settled for runner-up and La Indiana came in third.

Mac Donough was MVP and Karma, owned by Santa Rita Polo Farm and played by Nero, was Best Playing Pony.

The Island House (Michael Payne, Peter Holowesko, Toro Ruiz, Pablo Spinacci) kept the momentum into the Emma Challenge Cup, making it to the final against Spindrift (Francisco Spinacci/Santos Novillo Astrada, Alejandro Poma, Stewart Armstrong, Alejandro Novillo Astrada).

Alejandro Novillo Astrada scored the first goal, but it was quickly matched by Ruiz. A young Francisco Spinacci, filling in for an injured John Bickford, ran to goal, scoring with a neck shot. His father, Pablo Spinnaci retaliated with a goal of his own, then sent an 80-yard back shot to Ruiz who passed to Armstrong before Poma finished it with a nearside slice to goal to end the chukker with Spindrift ahead, 3-2. Holowesko tied it up in the third and Ruiz’s Penalty 3 conversion put The Island House in the lead, 4-3, at the half.

Tonkawa’s Jeff Hildebrand takes off in the Just for the Love of It Cup.

Francisco Spinacci was replaced in the second half by Santos Novillo Astrada, Alejandro Novillo Astrada’s nephew.

Santos went right to work, tying the match. Payne responded with a deep neck shot to take back the lead, but Poma answered to tie the game at 5-all.

Poma added another early in the fifth, but Ruiz shot back with a Penalty 4 then back-to-back goals. Armstrong closed the gap with a lone goal in the final seven minutes but it wasn’t enough and The Island House had the win, 8-7.

Ruiz, who led with five goals, was MVP, and Armstrong’s Van Tempura was Best Playing Pony.

In the Just for the Love of It final, White Claw (Vinny Sangaline, Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Juan Martin Nero) downed Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Marc Ganzi, Nacho Badiola, Polito Pieres), 9-6. White Claw’s Nero was MVP. In the Just for the Joy of It final, La Indiana (Michael Bickford, Lauren Sherry, Tincho Merlos, Alex Gooding) tied Tiburon (Collen Clark, Gussie Busch, Jared Zenni, Horacio Heguy), 99. Bickford was high-scorer.

In the Just for the Fun of It final, Los Amigos (Paul Foster, Nic Roldan, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Brian Boyd) edged Seminole Casino (Melissa Ganzi, Antonio Bermudez, Pablo Mac Donough, Juan Bollini), 8-7.

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

P O L O

R E P O R T

Jan Pamelas’s Hector Galindo, Wayne Garrison, Paige Boone and Frankie Bilbao with Leslie and Louisa Johnston

Upatoi Green’s Jake Flournoy (and family), Julian De Lusarreta, Tom Sprung and Carlitos Galindo with Vicki and Levi Jorgenson

PAC I F I C N O R T H W E S T

JAN PAMELA ACES JOHNSTON MEMORIAL Jan Pamela edged Bendabout, 15-14, in a high-scoring Skeeter Johnston Memorial Cup at Flying H Polo Club in Sheridan, Wyoming, on July 18.

Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Paige Boone, Frankie Bilbao, Hector Galindo) took an early lead, only to have Bendabout (Gillian Johnston, Alex Caro, Will Johnston, Julian de Lusarreta) rally to tie the match at the half.

Jan Pamela started with a two-goal handicap and Boone added to it early in the first chukker with a Penalty 3, then one from the field. Galindo sunk a Penalty 4 to put the team up by five. De Lusarreta got Bendabout on the board at the end of the chukker. Bendabout rallied with De Lusarreta and Johnston combining for four in a row. Bilbao found the mark to put Jan Pamela ahead, 6-5, to end the second. De Lusarreta traded goals with Garrison and back-to-back goals by Johnston gave Bendabout the narrow lead. It was short-lived, however, as Boone’s Penalty 3 tied the match at 8-8 to end the half.

Another penalty conversion by

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

Boone and a shot through the uprights

by Galindo put Jan Pamela back in the lead but Johnston tallied again to keep it close. Johnston was on fire and traded goals with Bilbao and Boone to stay within one. De Lusarreta tied it up and Will Johnston gave Bendabout the lead, 13-12. Bilbao scored early in the sixth to tie it up, but De Lusarreta found the mark to take back the lead. In the waning minutes of the chukker, Bendabout was whistled and Jan Pamela was awarded a 60-yard free hit. That was all it need for Bilbao to level the score and force overtime. In sudden death, Boone slipped the ball between the posts for the 15-14 win.

Gillian Johnston was high-scorer with seven goals and took MVP honors.

Bilbao’s Noche was Best Playing Pony.

In the subsidiary Everglades Classic, No Trees (Lance Stefanakis, Camp Campbell, Nico Saenz, Jeff Blake) defeated Upatoi Green (KC Krueger, Lucio Benedit, Sugar Erskine, Jake Flournoy), 14-10. In the subsidiary Everglades Challenge, Cessna (Phillip Higgins, Chip Campbell, Steve Krueger, Gonzalo Teves) ousted Parrot Heads (Tom Sprung, Roni Duke, Carlitos Galindo, Pite Merlos), 9-7.

Play continued the following week with The Moncreiff Cup. Upatoi Green

(Tom Sprung, Julian De Lusarreta, Carlitos Galindo, Jake Flournoy) edged Cessna (Paige Boone, Frankie Bilbao, Chip Campbell, Gonzalo Teves), 10-9, in overtime.

Cessna started with a handicap goal and Bilbao added to it. De Lusarreta responded to keep it close. Flournoy scored early in the second, but Bilbao countered. Galindo found the uprights but Campbell had the answer. Bilbao added another to increase the lead.

Cessna doubled up Upatoi but Flournoy and De Lusarreta fought back to bring the team within one, 6-5, at the half.

Cessna increased the lead in the fourth but Upatoi chipped away at the deficit in the fifth and sixth while holding Cessna scoreless, to knot the score, 9-9, forcing overtime. In sudden death, Galindo scored the golden goal to win the match for Upatoi Green.

Jake Flournoy was MVP, and Vogue, owned by G String Polo and played by De Lusarreta, was Best Playing Pony.

In the consolation Budweiser Cup, Bendabout (Gillian Johnston, Lance Stefanakis, Sugar Erskine, Lucio Benedit) fell to BTA (KC Krueger, Steve Krueger, Jeff Blake, Craig Duke), 12-10.

In the consolation Michelob Cup, Parrot Heads (Roni Duke, Alex Caro, Will Johnston, Pite Merlos) beat Clearwater

P O L O

R E P O R T

No Trees’ Craig Duke, Jeff Blake, Frankie Bilbao and Paige Boone with Jesse Morton and Nick, Hadley and Laken Zuhlsdorf

Bendabout’s Gillian Johnston, Julian De Lusarreta, Steve Krueger and KC Krueger won the Bozeman Trail Cup.

(Wayne Garrison, Camp Campbell, Nico Saenz, Hector Galindo), 10-7.

Bendabout (Gillian Johnston, KC Krueger, Steve Krueger, Julian de Lusarreta) came out on top the following week in the Bozeman Trail Cup, downing Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Will Johnston, Carlitos Galindo, Sugar Erskine), 11-6. Evergreen began with a three-goal handicap and added to it with goals from Sprung and Erskine.

Johnston put Bendabout on the board and KC Krueger followed with a goal to end the first, 5-2. Bendabout stopped all of Evergreen’s drives in the next two chukkers, while Johnston added one, KC Krueger added two penalty conversions and De Lusarreta added another to take a 6-5 lead at the half.

Neither team could find the goal in the fourth but De Lusarreta scored back-to-back goals in the fifth and KC Krueger split the uprights to take a convincing 9-5 lead. De Lusarreta kept up the pressure, sinking a Penalty 5b and following with a field goal to increase the lead to six, 11-5, in the final seven minutes. Erskine found the mark but it wasn’t enough and Bendabout won.

Gillian Johnston was MVP and KC Krueger’s Shadow was Best Playing Pony.

In the consolation Bozeman Trail

Classic, No Trees (Paige Boone, Frankie Bilbao, Jeff Blake, B. Craig Duke) edged Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Roni Duke, Pite Merlos, Hector Galindo), 108. In the consolation Fetterman’s Challenge, Cessna (Camp Campbell, Chip Campbell, Nico Saenz, Gonzalo Teves) soared above Upatoi Green (Lance Stefanakis, Jake Flournoy, Miguel Astrada, Lucio Benedit), 10-7.

The following day, the club held the Archie MacCarty Cup, a tournament for junior players. Four teams battled it out, each playing four periods total.

In the first semifinal round, Tee Pee (Avery Evans, Abby Benton, Lance Stefanakis, Malia Bryan) narrowly edged Flying H (Mateo Bilbao, Rufino Merlos, Miki Astrada, Harry Caldwell), 5-4.

Stefanakis struck first but Astrada answered. Stefanakis added a Penalty 3, but this time Caldwell had the answer, ending the first chukker, 2-2. Stefanakis traded penalty conversions with Merlos in the second to keep it level, 3-3. A shootout was needed to determine which team would advance. Merlos did the shooting for Flying H, finding the goal once. Stefanakis represented Tee Pee and shot through two goals to advance his team.

In the second semifinal round, Walker Prairie (Carter Nix, Dig Singh, Mad-

die Grant, Quinn Evans) came from behind to defeat Moncrieff Ridge (Mili Galindo, Brianna Galindo, Fernando Torres, Mia Astrada), 5-3. Astrada got on the board first and a Penalty 1 put Moncrieff Ridge ahead by two, while Walker Prairie was silenced. A Penalty 3 by Grant put Walker Prairie on the board but it was answered by Astrada. Singh closed the gap and another goal by Grant tied the score at 3-3. Another shootout would determine the winner.

Grant was the only player to score, moving Walker Prairie into the final.

Moncrieff Ridge doubled up Flying H, 4-2, in the consolation. Torres scored three penalty conversions added to a goal from Astrada, while Caldwell scored all of his team’s goals.

In the final, Walker Prairie stopped Tee Pee, 6-2. Quinn Evans started the scoring and Grant followed with a Penalty 2. Bryan sunk a Penalty 4 to put Tee Pee on the board, ending the first, 2-1. Quinn Evans started the second with a goal but Stefanakis converted a Penalty 3 in response. Grant converted a Penalty 3 and Quinn Evans found the mark with a Penalty 4 conversion. Nix added one for good measure, ensuring Walker Prairie the win. Quinn Evans was MVP and Grant’s Quenna was Best Playing Pony.

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

P O L O

R E P O R T

INTERNATIONAL

PALMARE VICTOR IN POLO PLAYER TROPHY Palmarium continued its loyal support of family polo in Jamaica with its “Palmare Private Brokerage—your Personal Real Estate Advisor” division at the St. Ann Polo Club.

The Palmare 2020 Family Tournament started out with Palmare Toby’s Resort playing against Chukka Adventure for the Polo Players Trophy. Palmare consisted of Paul Chin and his son Conrad along with Lesley Fong-Yee and Michele Subaran. Chukka Adventure consisted of John Byles and his son Zachary and young guns Freddie Farquharson and Adam Laing.

Palmare came out firing as Paul Chin put the first goal on the board followed by one from Fong-Yee in the first chukker but Zack Byles replied with a brilliant cut shot from the boards to put Chukka on the score board. The game showcased fast back-and-forth polo as both teams attacked. Strong defense by Palmare held Chukka scoreless in the second and third chukkers while Palmare added to its score with goals put in by Conrad Chin and Subaran, giving them a 4-1 lead going into

Palmare’s Leslie Fong-Yee, Michele Subaran, Conrad Chin and Paul Chin

the last chukker. However, Chukka came out with the young guns blazing in the fourth chukker. Farquharson converted two penalties to bring them to within a goal and they were still attacking when the final bell went, allowing Palmare to hold on to the 4-3 victory and win the Polo Player Trophy.

Paul Chin was nominated MVP of the match.

The second game featured Palmarium with Shane Chin, his brother Kurt Chin, Brandon Richards and young Cameron Wates versus Rousseau with Mitta Rousseau, his son Jacob, Jonathon Dougall and young professional Luke Clarke playing for the coveted Mare and Foal Trophy. Palmari-

Team Rousseau

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

um was a bit disorganized in the first chukker and Rousseaus presented as a well-oiled machine with Luke scoring twice to take the early lead.

Shane Chin found his form in the second chukker but was only able to score once as the teams traded goals.

Mitta Rousseau scored his first for the day, but Kurt cut the lead back to one towards the end of the chukker. Palmarium went quiet again in the third and Mitta Rousseau found his way through the defense to score twice.

Dougall and Jacob Rousseau worked hard in the mid-field creating opportunities throughout the match and Clarke backed them up with another goal to increase the lead to 6-2 going into the final chukker.

Wates was replaced by Zack Byles for the last chukker after taking a blow to the ribs and the team came out firing again. Shane scored early, but Palmarium was unable to capitalize on its opportunities, while Rousseaus continued with solid teamwork as Clarke increased the lead. Towards the end of the game Byles put in a lovely goal for Palmarium but it was too little, too late.

Rousseaus took home the lovely Mare & Foal Bronze Trophy, 7-4.

Mitta’s Annabell, who he scored two goals on in the third chukker, was Best Playing Pony and Jacob Rousseau was adjudged Most Valuable Player.

•

I N T E R C O L L E G I AT E / I N T E R S C H O L A S T I C

participating in USPA arena tournaments with the aim of increasing participation in these tournaments both locally and regionally. NAAC uses a win-loss point system to populate a leaderboard of the participants on the USPA website and determine the individuals that qualify for the national tournament scheduled this year at the Orange County Polo Club in Silverado, California. Additionally, the USPA offers a circuit-level I/I alumni tournament that can be played at any member club, and the I/I sponsors the Feldman Cup—the National I/I Alumni Tournament—that rotates locations every year.

Molly stepped back into the irons and signed back up as a USPA member right before the Feldman Cup was hosted by the Maryland Polo Club in 2017.

Drawn in by the option of two flights of play, she experienced an alumni’s dream: to play and win with some of her best friends from college. Molly, along with fellow UVA alum Lauren Connors and CSU alum Liv Stringer Berube, took home the B-flight championship.

“Coming back and being able to play with so many familiar faces in my own backyard was a nostalgic trip down memory lane,” she reminisced.

“Not much had changed besides my memory of the rules and ability to hang on for four chukkers.”

So, how do we help graduating intercollegiate players stay involved in polo? All graduating seniors receive a letter, welcoming them to the alumni “club”, and a USPA club guide with contact information for every active USPA club in hopes that they will continue to participate as players or club members. New alumni are also encouraged to reach out to staff in the event they are interested in tournament manager or umpire training, as well as specific areas or committees they would like to volunteer for. In the past few seasons, 100% of I/I tournament managers and 50% of I/I tournament umpires have been I/I alumni.

Molly has involved herself in I/I polo in a few different ways over the past few years. Traveling for work through Baltimore County’s Greenspring Valley puts her close to Garrison Forest School with many hats to wear; both as a professional and a volunteer.

Molly and fellow GFS alum Beth Supik were instrumental additions to the 2020 I/I “Ask the Expert” series of Zoom calls. The duo shared their wealth of knowledge over two calls that covered topics from basic horse care to nutrition for the polo string.

“Garrison is my favorite ‘appointment’ of the day

PAT MICHAELS

(continued from page 25)

because it’s a touchstone that reminds me of what motivated me to become a veterinarian,” explained Muedeking. “Watching the kids learn to give shots, question what is best for their horses and grow as individuals makes the tough moments of this job worthwhile. Knowing that they will forever use those skills to care for the horses that allow them to play the sport they love so much is the most rewarding part of my job.”

Muedeking added coaching to her resume with the West Shore interscholastic team when she began helping Posey Obrecht with her young team in an effort to give back to the program that started her polo journey.

“I felt incredibly lucky to be able to coach West Shore this past year and continue to be a part of I/I polo in a small way. Somehow, magically, emergency calls and work seemed to wait until after practice and for an hour just polo took precedence again.

Watching the team grow together and individually to reach different mile markers made me thankful for all the mentors, programs and ponies that opened the polo world to me.”

If your club is interested in pulling I/I alumni back into the sport and would like assistance, please contact the I/I staff.

•

Cailin Phebus, Gabriella Chiasera and Molly Muedeking

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

Y E S T E RY E A R S

A prince among men England’s heir apparent was a talented polo player

You can often tell someone’s character by the way they conduct themselves as a sportsman. Geoffrey Kent, who captained Prince Charles’ Windsor Park polo team, put it simply, “It’s not en vino veritas, but en polo veritas.” You can tell a lot about a man by the way he plays polo. If that’s the case, Charles, Prince of Wales, is going to be an exceptional legatee of the British throne.

On the field Charles embodied the same quiet dignity and sense of duty that endears so many to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and the drive and determination that made his father, Prince Philip, an international caliber polo player with a 5-goal handicap.

Charles was no hobbyist on a show pony. Quite simply, he could play.

As soon as there was the Guards Polo Club—originally the Household Brigade Polo Club, which Philip helped establish in 1955—there was Charles, aged 7, playing with a polo mallet. A polo pony was the first gift he received from his father. As a young

Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, his sons Princes Harry and William and their wives. Charles has always taken his royal duties very seriously.

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

PA IMAGES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

By J.M. Casper

A young Charles, his sister Anne, mother Queen Elizabeth, and father Prince Philip at Windsor Great Park in 1956.

HOMER SYKES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

MEDIAPUNCH INC/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Y E S T E RY E A R S

Prince Charles played with Guy Wildenstein’s Les Diables Bleus in 1987. The previous year they won the Queen’s Cup together.

teenager, the young prince was often spotted practicing with his father at the club. Charles’ beloved uncle, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, also a 5-goal polo player, penned “An Introduction to Polo,” by Marco, a seminal treatise on the game’s fundamentals.

“Lord Louis, I remember, was the man that actually played probably a bigger role in getting Prince Charles involved in polo than his father did,” explained polo legend Paul Withers. “When [Philip] realized that he was serious about it, the two of them took over together helping Prince Charles.”

In 1966, a 17-year-old Charles traveled to the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica with Philip and made his first public appearance as a polo player in a series of matches played in conjunction with the Games, a moment captured on film and archived by British Pathé for posterity.

“Charles, I think, enjoyed playing very, very much,” said Withers, who was on the first all-English team to win the Gold Cup with Prince Philip in 1968. “I think [Prince Charles] wanted to prove to his father that he could do what his father could and was a very good person to play with.”

By age 19, with a 3-goal handicap, he was playing high-goal polo. In 1973, he played in a test match following the Coronation Cup with a Young England team, only to lose in the closing moments to Young America. Charles was selected for the Young England team, which defeated France the year before.

As was the want of The Queen, duty came first,

though polo became something between a passion and a healthy obsession for Charles. The prince was ranked among the top 10 British poloists and played every chance he could get.

At the height of his career, Charles played back alongside Julian Hipwood—the first Briton to be rated at 9 goals by the USPA since Gerald Balding in 1938—with Guy Wildenstein’s Les Diables Bleus team, making it to the final of the Gold Cup in 1978, one of four finals appearances. He and Wildenstein, along with Memo Gracida and Chile’s Ricardo Vial, captured the Queen’s Cup with Les Diables Bleus in 1986, eclipsing his father who lost in the final for the second time 20 years before. He also played with Hipwood on Canadian businessman Gaylen Weston’s Maple Leafs team.

“You have to give him 10 out of 10 for what he could do on the polo field … to get to 4-goals,” said Hipwood, 74, from his Florida home in Wellington, a short trek from the USPA Hall-of-Fame where he was inducted in 2011. “Prince Charles was always opening some factory or having to give some speech somewhere. Probably 90% of our practices were without him, he was busy. He really did take his royal position very, very seriously, and is true to his words. He is there and does an outstanding job and to reach a handicap of 4. I wouldn’t have gotten to my handicap—I got to 9—if I had to live the life and do all those things he had to do. He wasn’t an ordinary man. He was a very special person.”

In the late 60s, while in the British Navy, Prince Charles met a young British Army officer named

Geoffrey Kent, center, played against Prince Charles, right, in Chicago in 1986.

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MICHAEL CHEVIS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Prince Philip hands Charles a trophy in one of the first tournaments they played together.

Prince Charles chats with Lady and Lord Louis Mountbatten at Cowdray Park Polo Club in 1971.

Geoffrey Kent on the polo field and the two became fast friends. Eventually Charles asked Kent to be captain of the Windsor Park polo team that disbanded after Philip had retired, an honor Kent, the famed luxury travel mogul, called the pinnacle for a polo player. In the summer, they would often play six days per week.

“Julian said it correctly. I was a 4-goal player and an amateur,” said Kent, who made it to the final of the British Open with the prince in 1987. “He was a 4-goal handicap and he earned it.”

Starting in the late 1970s, Charles brought his

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talents to South Florida. The one man that could top the pomp and circumstance helped bring attention to the new epicenter of American polo. Though short of the 35,000 spectators Prince Edward saw at Meadow Brook in 1924, about 15,000 polo enthusiasts and royal watchers alike attended when Charles played at Palm Beach Polo and brought his first wife, Diana, to present the trophy at an exhibition in 1985.

“Whenever there was news of [Lady Diana] coming [to watch Charles play polo] there were obviously more people. Everyone wanted to see her … I thought she was wonderful,” remembered Hipwood. “He was a good enough player where he wasn’t just sitting there doing nothing. They just loved it when he gave someone a good bump and came through and scored a goal. You would’ve thought it was a 10-goal player that just made that play; he had just so much support.”

Despite royal prestige and protocol, Charles gave and received no quarter and likewise expected none.

He was a throwback, a defensive minded rough-andtumble back who knew where and when to be at the right place at the right time.

“He was very disciplined, a highly disciplined player, very thoughtful,” explained Kent, who won the U.S. Gold Cup and U.S. Open in 1978. “He had his own style but above all he was reliable. I use one word—reliable—you knew he would be there. He is reliable. You can’t say that about many people today. He had honor … they don’t make them like him anymore.

“He wasn’t a wimp. You can write that one down,” notes Hipwood, who enjoyed success here in the States as a professional player after serving as captain of the English National team. “If he had to give

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TRINITY MIRROR/MIRRORPIX/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Prince Charles with Australian 10goaler Sinclair Hill. Hill coached Charles when he played on the Young England team.

Prince Charles played hard and occassionally got hurt.

One example is when he fell with his horse in 1985.

somebody a jolly-good bump, he’d give it, and a few too hard bumps and he’d have a penalty.

Added Kent: “We’d give instructions at halftime.

Prince Charles said to me, ‘What should I do?’ I said, ‘You, Sir, you just kill. Kill anybody who gets away from us, kill them.’ ‘I got it. I’ll kill them,’ [replied Charles]. That’s it. He is a team player, [and] apart from calling him ‘Sir’ there is no difference.”

That reckless abandon often came at the expense of the royal heir’s body. Though he retired from highgoal polo in 1992, Charles still played in lower-goal matches, often to raise money for many foundations, including The Prince’s Trust.

“Prince Charles did a huge amount on the charity side, as much as he could, and did very well,” said Withers.

Ever the environmental advocate, gossip columnists couldn’t help but point out that Charles had used 70 gallons in fuel to fly back and forth

from a polo match in one day, failing to point out he had raised over $15 million for charity at the game.

That microscope partly explains why Charles finds serenity on the polo field.

“Quite honestly, he just loved polo. He just would’ve played all the time. One day he said to me, ‘Julian, I really envy you.’” Hipwood noted. Charles just wanted to play polo and when on the field, be one of the guys.

Finally, after breaking his wrist—an injury Hipwood says could bring tears to his eyes on a mishit even after he recovered—his wife, Camilla, convinced Charles to hang up his mallets for good in 2005. However, he still attends games. As The Queen gets on in years, he occasionally presents the Queen’s Cup at Guards in her stead as well as the Mountbatten Cup played on the same day, which Charles revived in Mountbatten’s honor after his untimely demise in 1979. “[Charles] is a really good person; he is not quiet in his thinking. He often spoke about his duty, what he had been born into. No matter what, [he] was going to see it through because that was his job. opined Hipwood. “I think he is a true gentleman. I don’t know what other words to use. I wish all sportsmen had his way of playing and his way of wanting to win and accepting if he lost.”

Kent echoed those sentiments. “We are just so lucky to have him. They have no idea of his personality, of his ability in many, many theaters.

[People should be] amazingly gratified that he is going to be our next king. They should be really, really happy. He is an amazing, amazing person,” he said. “Prince Charles has all the honor and the caliber of—you know, he’s a prince.”

•

Paul Withers, Julian Hipwood, Prince Charles, John Horswell and Howard Hipwood

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CALENDAR

September A U G U S T 21 - S E P T E M B E R 14 Intra-Circuit Cup (8-12) Beverly, The Plains, VA AU G U S T 2 4 - S E P T E M B E R 6 Challenge Cup (18) Cowdray Park, Midhurst, Essex, UK AU G U S T 2 5 - S E P T E M B E R 6 John Prestwich Cup (12) RCB, Windsor, Berkshire, UK AU G U S T 3 0 - S E P T E M B E R 13 East Coast Open Greenwich, Greenwich, CT AU G U S T 3 0 - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 Sportsmanship Cup (2-4) Roseland, Crozet, VA SEPTEMBER 1-6 The Triple Crown of Polo Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO National Arena Delegates Cup Commonwealth, Paris, KY

SEPTEMBER 5-6 Arena Women’s Challenge (6-12) Lakeside, Lakeside, CA Masters Cup (0-2) South Bay, Gilroy, CA SEPTEMBER 5-7 Don King Days Big Horn, Big Horn, WY SEPTEMBER 6-8 Women’s Pacific Coast Open (16-20) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA S E P T E M B E R 8 - 13 d NYTS Championship one p t Oak Brook,POak os Brook, IL S E P T E M B E R 10 - 2 7 Northrup Knox Cup (8-12) New Bridge, Aiken, SC S E P T E M B E R 11 - 2 0 Intra-Circuit Cup (8-12) Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL

S E P T E M B E R 1 - 15 Sportsmanship Cup (6-8) Nashville, Nashville, TN

SEPTEMBER 12-20 Regional President’s Cup (4-8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

S E P T E M B E R 1 - NOV E M B E R 1 Keleen & Carlton Beal Cup (12) Houston, Houston, TX

S E P T E M B E R 13 National Sporting Library & Museum Polo Classic Great Meadow, The Plains, VA

S E P T E M B E R 2 - 13 Fall Classic (4-8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY S E P T E M B E R 2 - 16 Amateur Cup (2-4) Lexington, Versailles, KY SEPTEMBER 3-7 Governors Cup (0-6) Arranmore, Oswego, IL

S E P T E M B E R 13 - 2 6 Constitution Cup (4-8) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY S E P T E M B E R 16 - 2 7 USPA Masters Cup (6) Wagener, Wagener, SC Alan Corey Cup (4) Aiken, Aiken, SC

SEPTEMBER 4-6 Women’s Pacific Coast Open (18-22) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

S E P T E M B E R 16 - O C T O B E R 3 National President’s Cup (4-8) New Bridge, Aiken, SC

SEPTEMBER 4-OCTOBER 4 Kentucky Cup (12-14) Mt. Brilliant, Lexington, KY

S E P T E M B E R 18 - 2 7 Officers Cup (4-8) Nashville, Nashville, TN

SEPTEMBER 5 Camacho Cup Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

S E P T E M B E R 18 - 2 9 Masters Cup (0-6) Houston, Houston, TX

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S E P T E M B E R 21 - 2 7 Butler International (10-12) Oak Brook, Oak Brook, IL SEPTEMBER 24-27 Amateur Cup (0-2) Fairfield, Haysville, KS SEPTEMBER 24-OCTOBER 8 Regional Classic (10-14) Houston, Houston, TX SEPTEMBER 25-27 George S. Patton Jr. (0-4) New Orleans, Folsom, LA George S. Patton Jr. (0-4) Congressional, Poolesville, MD Arena Sportsmanship Cup (0-3) Triangle, Hurdle Mills, NC SEPTEMBER 25-29 Chris Prant Cup (0-4) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 12 Governors Cup (0-6) Houston, Houston, TX SEPTEMBER 26 Ride to Thrive Polo Classic Great Meadow, The Plains, VA SEPTEMBER 26-27 Arena Challenge Cup (0-3) Orange County, Silverado, CA Arena Sportsmanship Cup (0-3) Barrington Hills, Wacounda, IL SEPTEMBER 26-OCTOBER 4 USPA Wickenden Cup (8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA S E P T E M B E R 2 9 - O C T O B E R 11 USPA Governors Cup (6) Aiken, Aiken, SC Wagener 4 Goal Wagener, Wagener, SC S E P T E M B E R 3 0 - O C T O B E R 18 USPA National Copper Cup (8-12) New Bridge, Aiken, SC Note: All dates are subject to change. “USPA” refers to tournaments sponsored or sanctioned by the United States Polo Association.