September 2018 Polo Players' Edition

S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8

England retains Westchester Cup

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CONTENTS S E P T E M B E R 201 8

VOL. 22,

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

26 Hand to mouth by Gwen Rizzo

6

Bitting is an important part of training

30 All England

Association News

USPA Bulletin Club Spotlight

12 Instructors Forum

Britain squad takes Westchester Cup over USA

with Miguel Novillo Astrada

36 Chuy Baez by Sharon Robb

16 Equine Athlete

1957-2018

18 22 24 40

S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8

England retains Westchester Cup

NO. 1

Team USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Polo in the Pampas

by Ernesto Rodriguez

OUR COVER USA’s Nic Roldan races England’s Tommy Beresford to the ball in the Westchester Cup. Photo by Alice Gipps

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

42 Polo around the Globe 60 Yesteryears 62 Calendar 46 Polo Report Sea monsters capture Mountain View Challenge

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

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

THE

OFFICIAL MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE

UNITED STATES POLO ASSOCIATION

Editor & Publisher

GWEN D. RIZZO

Contributing Editors

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS, ERNESTO RODRIGUEZ, ALICE GIPPS, CHRIS ASHTON, TOM GOODSPEED

Editorial Board BOB PUETZ, TONY COPPOLA, TOM BIDDLE, DAWN WEBER, AMI SHINITZKY

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

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©Copyright 2018 by USPA Global LLC. No part of this issue may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process without written permission of the publisher. Paul Brown illustrations are ©2018 and are reprinted by permission of Paul Brown Studios, Inc., P.O. Box 925, Hedgesville, WV 25427.

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VOL. 22, No.1 POLO Players’ Edition (ISSN #1096-2255) is published monthly by Rizzo Management Corp. 6008 Reynolds RD, Lake Worth, FL 33449 for U.S. Polo Association, 9011 Lake Worth RD, Lake Worth, FL 33467.

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

Gen. George Patton Jr. Award Remembered for his fierce determination and ability to lead soldiers, Gen. George S. Patton Jr. is considered one of 6 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

create opportunities for military members and their families to be involved in the sport of polo. Please include a description of how the nominee best embodies the characteristics described with your award nomination.

Nominees are not required to have served in the military but must be a current USPA member.

Please submit your Gen. George S. Patton Jr. award nominations by email to clubs@uspolo.org by Dec. 1.

All nominations will be reviewed and the winner chosen by the Award Sub-Committee of the Armed Forces Committee.

This award will be presented to an individual who perpetuates the tie of rich history between the armed forces and polo communities and goes above and beyond the call of duty through the promotion of events that support the military community and families.

ABI HANCOCK

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

Cpl. Zach Grob carried the American flag during the Westchester Cup at England’s Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club.

intemperate manner and his love for polo.

Patton was an avid believer that polo was a useful tool in understanding how his fellow officers preformed 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 on the weekends at the military base to which he was assigned. Patton encouraged participation, helped grow awareness and grew interest in the sport.

The Armed Forces Polo Committee requests USPA members nominate those who have gone above the call of duty to

Summer Tournament Results The USPA would like to encourage clubs to assemble and send in 2018 summer tournament results from all USPA events for inclusion in the Blue Book.

Please include the name of the host club, name of tournament and dates played.

JULIO AGUILAR

ABI HANCOCK

Annual Member Meeting The annual USPA Board of Governors and Annual Member Meeting will be held from Wednesday, Sept. 19 to Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Hyatt Lodge on McDonald’s Corporate Campus in Oak Brook, Illinois. The USPA fall meetings are one of two annual meetings held every year.

The USPA board of governors, committees, subsidiary boards, club delegates, members and staff will gather to hold a variety of meetings, discussions and presentations to review the progress and health of the sport throughout the United States and abroad, as well as debate and vote on key issues and policies affecting the game of polo.

The hosting of the 2018 USPA fall meetings corresponds with Oak Brook Polo Club’s 40th Anniversary since the last U.S. Open Polo Championship was held in Oak Brook, Illinois, in 1978 between teams Abercrombie & Kent and Tulsa.

In honor of this history, the Oak Brook Polo Club, in coordination with the USPA, is working on hosting a U.S. Open alumni match on Sunday, Sept. 23, on Oak Brook Polo’s Prince of Wales Field located at 2606 York Road in Oak Brook, Illinois, to close out the 2018 Season. Players and sponsors interested in participating should contact Oak Brook Polo Club’s managing director, Daniel O’Leary via email: doleary@oakbrookpoloclub.com.

For more information on the USPA Board of Governors and Annual Member Meeting, please contact Lindsey Ebersbach at lebersbach@uspolo.org.

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 high-resolution photo of the winning team from each event.

Tournament results may be submitted two ways: 1. Tournament Results forms may be emailed to tournaments@uspolo.org. Tournament Results forms can be found at uspolo.org by going to the “Association” tab, then clicking on “Programs” and scrolling down to the “Forms and Documents” section.

2. An easy-to-fill-out JotForm can also be requested by clubs. For a link to the form, please email the tournament coordinator at tournaments@uspolo.org.

Equine Welfare The USPA Equine Welfare Committee would like to remind all members to submit an Equine Welfare Incident form for any equine-related injuries and the Equine Fatality Report form for any equine-related fatalities that take place at their polo clubs. Collection of this information will help the committee to understand the number and kinds of equine injuries that are occurring in our sport.

The fillable JotForm can be easily accessed online at uspolo.org by going to the “Association” tab, then clicking on “Programs” and scrolling down to the “Forms and Documents” section, then clicking “Equine Welfare.”

In the same section, members can also find an Online Equine Welfare Reporting form for use in reporting suspected cases of abuse or neglect. If you feel a horse or horses are in imminent danger, you are encouraged to contact police or your local animal care and control office first.

To request a link to the forms, please email Lindsay Dolan at ldolan@uspolo.org. Additionally, ques-

Player Award Awarded to the most improved player for the year based on the following virtues—improved athletic ability; sportsmanship; integrity in all aspects of the game, both on and off the field • Club Best Pony of the Year Awarded to an exceptional pony at your club (playing, lessons, etc.)

National Tournaments USPA member clubs are encouraged to apply for one of three national tournaments listed below that have yet to be awarded for 2018. Download tournament applications at uspolo.org by going to the “Association” tab, then clicking on “Programs” and scrolling down to the “Forms and Documents” secWithout horses there can be no polo. Members are encouraged to report suspected cases of abuse or neglect using a fillable online form found on uspolo.org.

tions about the forms or the committee can be sent to Equine Welfare Committee chairman, Dr. Mike Manno at drmmanno@cox.net.

USPA Club Awards The USPA offers awards for excellence in four fields to be presented annually at each USPA club. All club delegates are encouraged to send in their choices for each award. Clubs will be sent certificate awards for each recipient, who will then be recognized in the USPA Blue Book.

Please see the descriptions below for each award. Submit the names of awardees to clubs@uspolo.org: •Clint Nangle Equine Welfare Award Awarded to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in the field of equine welfare.

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

•Dr. Billy Linfoot Most Improved

tion.

Applications may be emailed to tournaments@uspolo.org or faxed to (888) 391-7410. The USPA offers several benefits for hosting a USPA tournament including awards provided for circuit and national tournaments; promotional assistance provided through electronic mail, web and social media’ and umpire reimbursement through USPA Umpires, LLC. Additionally, winners will be published in the USPA Blue Book.

Available national tournaments: • Southwestern Regional Classic (10 to 14 goal) • Western Regional Classic (10 to 14 goal) • National Arena Chairman’s Cup (9 to 12 goal) Published by the United States Polo Association Offices at 9011 Lake Worth Rd. Lake Worth, Florida 33467 (800) 232-USPA

Chairman: Chip Campbell President: Tony Coppola Secretary: Stuart Armstrong Treasurer: Sam Ramirez Chief Executive Officer: Robert Puetz

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

JIM BREMNER /JFBPHOTOS.COM

Dan Coleman Being the Change Polo Club Carlucho Arellano USPA Executive Director of Services Gates Gridley International Polo Club Nico Eurnekian Congressional Polo Club Erica Kratz Myopia Polo Club Connor Deal Aiken Polo Club Western Ontario’s Andrew Begg competes in the 2018 National Intercollegiate Championship.

National Youth Tournament Series The NYTS Committee announced the close of the 2018 season with a total of 40 qualifying tournaments completed across the country. The National Youth Tournament Series was founded with the intention of providing opportunities for junior players to play against their peers. Clubs saw an increase in participation as players traveled to new locations to participate in qualifying tournaments. Jack Whitman was acknowledged for playing in the most qualifiers—a total of seven, including one in each zone.

The NYTS National Championship Cecil Smith Cup and All Girls Division East vs.

West Challenge takes place in Denver, Colorado, over Labor Day weekend.

Team USPA Team USPA players are competing across the country from New York to California and many places in between. Zach Grob represented the USPA and USA carrying the colors for the Westchester Cup match in London. He is currently on active duty with a special operations 8 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

group through the end of the year.

Jared Zenni accompanied the Junior Westchester Cup team as assistant to coach Joel Baker. Jim Wright, Patrick Uretz, Felipe Viana and Zenni will serve as mentors and coaches during the NYTS National Championship weekend.

Instructor Skilz Ten instructors began the process of working toward their coveted USPA Certified Polo Instructor Certification by attending an Instructor Skilz Clinic hosted at Virginia Polo Inc. in Charlottesville, Virginia. Participants included: Dani Wasty Shannon Hill Polo Club Dori Burner Battlefield Polo Club Jess Schmitt Virgina Polo Inc. Marisa Bianchi Seneca Polo Club

Certifiers Cindy Halle and Erik Wright co-led the event with program manager Jess Downey.

Team USPA member and USPA Clinician Connor Deal said, “The Skilz Clinic was a great learning experience. We reviewed teaching intricacies, often overlooked, that play a large part in the success of teaching polo. The certifiers were very informative and helpful with good constructive feedback on our teaching practices, and ways to continually improve our skills.”

A big thank you to Lou Lopez and UVA for the use of excellent facilities and horses. For more information about the USPA Certified Polo Instructor Program please contact Jess Downey at jdowney@uspolo.org.

Intercollegiate/Interscholastic I/I season is here! The 2018-2019 I/I season officially kicked off September 1!

Please check the I/I pages on the USPA website for 2019 I/I tournament condition changes, deadlines and fees. See you in the arena!

OKC Polo Club Jones, Oklahoma

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klahoma City is widely known for great farmland, oil wells and cowboy culture, but many may not be as familiar with the active polo facility in Jones, Oklahoma, only 19 miles from the city known as the “Big Friendly.”

Owned and operated by Great Plains Circuit Governor David Ragland and his wife Judy, OKC Polo Club serves as the go-to place for fun, family-oriented polo for players of all ages in the region. No amenity was left out when designing the club—two polo barns, an arena, two practice fields, a track and a wooden practice horse, all complimenting a regulation size polo field. After practices and games, players and guests can enjoy a lovely shaded area perfect for relaxing on a hot day.

“In the 1980s and 90s there was quite a bit of polo in Oklahoma because of two local families involved in the sport,” said David Ragland. “By the early 2000s, polo had subsided in the area and we came up with the idea of creating a polo club and teaching safe riding and the basics of polo. There were not any pros here at the time, so we had to develop the club from the grass roots up.”

OKC operates a full summer season each year, May through October, with the Raglands at the helm of operations.

Barn manager Alberto Tadeo, along with several dedicated members, serve as support during the six-month season each year. A first for the club last summer was the addition of intercollegiate player Devan Groves, USPA Polo Development 2017 Excellence Award winner.

“We have seven or eight school horses that we use in our lesson program,” said Ragland. “As people advance, we have horses for sale and horses that we rent. I started out teaching and have taught for several years, but last summer I worked

as backup for Devan, who is a senior at Oklahoma State University, captain of the polo team, and very close to becoming a USPA Certified Polo Instructor.”

Aside from teaching at the club, Ragland serves as coach and advisor for the Oklahoma State University men’s and women’s polo teams, an hour away from the club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Ragland’s continued efforts with OSU further his mission to enhance polo in the area, and his years of experience combined with excellent help from Groves, made the summer lesson program at OKC Polo Club fun and enjoyable for many students.

Of the 12 USPA circuits, the Great Plains is the smallest. Despite encompassing Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and part of Missouri, only a handful of clubs offer polo to those in the region. OKC Polo Club is on a mission to change these statistics with a solid approach to teaching and working with surrounding clubs. “We have a limited number of players spanning the region, so we try to travel and mix with several of the other clubs in the circuit,” said Ragland. “However, those clubs are also working on advancing the skill level of their players in their respective areas, so

it continues to be a work in progress.

Susan Koehler is the Lieutenant Governor of the circuit and she has done an amazing job with her farm and facility of NWA Polo Club [Gravette, Arkansas].

USPA Polo Development, LLC has done a tremendous job helping us to develop polo in our areas, but it takes time and we are continuing to work on it.”

The dedication to growth starts with a solid foundation for all horses and riders. “We try to start everybody in the arena,” Ragland explained. “What that does is create a confined environment for both the horse and rider. You can quickly dispel any fear someone might have and help someone progress more quickly. Typically, summer clubs like ours are more oriented towards the grass. While we are promoting that, we are also building a reputation for having a great arena program. We find that some people enjoy staying in the arena and some like to go on grass, so we try to do both.” OKC Polo Club begins new players’ education on the wooden horse to develop their position and swing; the students then get accustomed to tack and safety around horses, before moving on to mounted lessons and a coaching league.

Once students demonstrated their skills and passion for the game, they are encouraged to work towards becoming a horse owner. Ragland stresses, “We promote that all of our students buy horses. We think that if you really want to be involved and play the sport to its fullest, then a commitment to purchasing one horse can help get you there and get you in the spirit of the game. We are upfront about the fact that polo can be an expensive sport, but we try to make it as easy and inexpensive as possible, by providing opportunities to play with just one horse. Most POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 9

MICHELLE LAVASQUE

Ragland is good at matching riders and horses. Having the right horse helps build confidence.

importantly, everyone here learns and has fun from day one, when they start their first lesson, to the day they buy their own horse.”

Horse ownership is taken seriously at the club and the process is carefully considered for each rider. “My husband and my boys began playing polo through OKC Polo Club,” said member Espanta Steppe. “David is so good at helping match riders and horses. Sometimes building your string can be a gamble if you are inexperienced, but David takes the time to help us try and play horses

recommendation basis,” said Ragland.

“Our goal is to get more players involved in polo. We are very happy to have people come and observe and participate, but the ultimate objective is to get new people on horses.”

This goal has been repeatedly met as new members embrace the sport and encourage their families to play as well.

“I was asked a couple years ago to

NICOLE RAGLAND

JAMIE RUSSELL

that work for us. When you have the right horses, that someone with your best interests at heart has helped you pick out, then it just adds so much to your confidence and makes playing the games even better.” Although spectating games is encouraged at OKC Polo Club, the main goal is to get new riders playing polo. “We are a private club, and we have a social membership that works on a

Devan Groves

OKC Polo Club founder David Ragland

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

The club includes two barns, two practice fields, an arena, track and full-size polo field.

MICHELLE LAVASQUE

The club has seven or eight horses that it uses in its lesson program. As people advance, the club has horses for sale and rent.

game, most Sundays turn into an event with polo as the focal point. “It has kind of turned into a family,” said Steppe.

“Every Sunday we all hang out and barbeque or potluck after games. Judy does a great job of coordinating everything for the asados and people pitch in and bring guests. I have never heard of anyone having a bad time when they come out. David and Judy have

MICHELLE LAVASQUE

photograph an event at the polo club and found it very intriguing,” said member Michelle LaVasque. “I had done hunter/jumpers in the past, but quickly developed a love for polo. Fast forward a few years later and I have convinced my husband to play and he is loving it too! I guess you could say we are both hooked on polo thanks to OKC Polo Club.”

Whether for a lesson, practice or

opened up their home to all of us and there is not a time that we go out there and do not have fun. We bring friends and family out to watch and we get so many compliments from people about how great it is to be at the club.”

Polo surely has the potential to grow in the Great Plains Circuit thanks to the hard work and dedication of the OKC Polo Club. “I think both grass and arena polo have the potential to grow at our club,” said Ragland. “There is an equestrian program developing in our area with the use of an equestrian trail that has recently opened in the downtown area, as well as a facility called Stockyard City that is in the urban area of Oklahoma City. We would love to see an arena eventually built at Stockyard so that we could teach some of our lessons there. For now, we are focused on continuing to educate and grow the sport in our area and look forward to the future.”

For those interested in learning more about OKC Polo Club, please visit their website at www.okcpoloclub.com and make sure to “Like” them on Facebook (@OKCPolo) and Instagram (@okcpoloclub).

David Ragland teaches a young rider. The club’s goal is to get more players involved in polo.

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

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WITH MIGUEL NOVILLO ASTRADA

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CALM FOCUS iguel Novillo Astrada is known for his calm, cool demeanor on the polo field, even in some of the most competitive games. His focus helped elevate him to 10 goals (he is now 9). It has also helped him to conserve his horses when necessary.

He says he learned to be calm after having disciplinary problems in school as a kid. “When I was little I had some conduct problems at school. Maybe I was the worst of my brothers, so then on the field when I was playing polo I had some disciplinary issues. I learned from when I was young I had to change,” said Astrada.

“And being that way mentally helped me a lot to keep my focus, which not only helped me improve my conduct, it has helped my game.

“I watched other sports and learned from other top athletes that if I was going to be a good professional, I had to learn to be focused. It may look like I’m laid back but I’m really concentrating on what I am doing—on the game, the horse—and not worrying about the umpire, aggression from the other team or other things that happen on the field. It is something I have learned through the years.”

Astrada said he has learned a lot from different sports, especially tennis. “The mental part is 80 percent,” he explained.

“You see Roger [Federer], he doesn’t waste any movement, any motion. He anticipates and makes the right moves and that is why he is still so competitive.

He is always very consistent and mentally quiet and he has a big family like mine.”

He has also learned a lot from some of the polo greats he watched as a kid, including his father, Eduardo “Taio” 12 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

CHICHI UBINA

Concentrate on your game, horses and teammates

Miguel Novillo Astrada was MVP in the 2015 East Coast Open.

Novillo Astrada, who reached a 9-goal handicap as an amateur player, and Gonzalo Pieres Sr. “My favorite player for many years was my father. He was the one who started me. He always tried 110 percent, had passion and taught us to work had on the field and never quit. That is the most important thing and is the base you have to have to be a good player,” said Astrada.

He still looks for advice from his dad when he is playing in Argentina or when his dad is visiting him in the U.S. “I always ask him what he thinks about the team and how we are playing and how he sees the horses. He has never been a professional [polo player] but he was 9 goals so he knows,” he said. “It is one thing to watch the modern polo that we are playing now and the other thing is to play. When you play you can feel the difference but at the end of the day, basic things in polo haven’t changed so many times it is good to go to him. He makes you go back to basics so it is a good starting point. We try to use him as much as possible.”

Astrada remembers Pieres being very well mounted and good at organizing his teams. “He won a lot and got a lot out of his teammates. Maybe he wasn’t a superstar like [Adolfo] Cambiaso or [his son] Facundo [Pieres], but he was very well mounted and made the team work really well.”

He also watched Memo Gracida and the Heguys. “At the time, they were the stars and I learned a lot from them. I went to watch them every game and tried to learn how they rode, and got the best out of everyone there,” Astrada explained.

Two of Astrada’s five children play polo—17-year-old daughter Mia and 11year-old son Miki. Daughter’s Tonia, Azul and Mora ride but don’t play. He now teaches Mia and Miki the lessons he learned early on. “I teach them to concentrate on the game and not to think about anything else—just the game plan, and getting the best from the horses and teammates,” he said.

If he sees them getting rattled on the field he intervenes right away. “I try to stop them right away. That is not the way to get anything good. It is not only bad for people watching you, it’s a bad image, but it also hurts your game. I try to make them understand that and they can lose a chukker or a game if they get upset and are not able to think about what they should be focusing on,” he said.

It is the same advice he would give to anyone playing the game.

That laser focus came in handy when he made it to the semifinal and then the final of the East Coast Open in Greenwich, Connecticut, with Audi in 2015. He played three horses in both games, and the final was against the powerhouse home team, White Birch,

CHICHI UBINA

Astrada said he may look laid back but he is just concentrating on the game and his horses.

known for its deep pockets when it came to horses.

He had to be smart with his horses, utilizing his teammates and picking plays carefully so his horses didn’t get over tired. “I played the same three horses in the semifinal and they went really well. It was important that they recovered for the final so I made sure they were well rested and [kept hydrated],” he explained. “It was also important to make a good game plan. So, for the first half, I tried to play well but not go to every play so I could save the horses’ [energy] for the second half. I knew it would be an exciting second half so it was important to make that plan before the game.

“I started with one of the best horses in the first chukker and played her back in the fourth chukker. Fortunately, she didn’t finish her second chukker very

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POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 13

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

their games, videos of their opponents and then make a plan. He says that really helps to improve how the team plays.

“Last year, for example, I played with Stevie [Orthwein], Will [Johnston] and Carlucho [Arellano] and we did really well in the 20-goal but we worked just as hard outside the field to put the team together,” he explained. “At the end of the season, we lost the semi-final of the last 20 goal by one goal to Coke, who won the tournament.

“We ended up doing really well as a team and that is Whether playing in 14- or 40-goal polo, Astrada likes what we are looking to hit the ball the first time, passing to a teammate. forward to for this practice and keep my mind thinking on year. We know we are a four-man team, so what is coming, and the polo were are we are looking forward to working playing allows me to do that. together and playing the best polo “It helps you to start thinking before possible.” you get to the ball, to know where to hit it To play well as a team, its players need and that is what the Open is about. It’s to work together. Pregame preparation anticipation, knowing what you are doing helps the players know what is expected and what you are going to do before you of them. get to the ball.

Astrada explained, “If you have a team “When I play the 20 goals, I come that works well, the teammates do a good from playing the Open in Argentina so I job when they don’t have the ball. They come with extra speed, extra preparation work [for each other], pass the ball and and that helps me to be quicker. Palm make the right moves for the teammate Beach is so competitive that we work a lot that has the ball, making sure he has on preparing the team, the game plans, space to release the ball or to make a the strategies against different teams and play,” he said. “Position is very important making my players do their best so we can but it comes from the teammates working get the best out of everyone on the team well together. That can be taking the and be as competitive as we can.” man, opening spaces for the guy who has To prepare for games, Astrada and his the ball or anticipating and running for teammates have meetings, watch videos of the pass. That is the way I like to CHICHI UBINA

tired so when we went into overtime, I jumped back on her. I was hoping the overtime was going to be short, but I had my other two horses ready just in case.

“We started the overtime from the throw in because I scored the last goal like five seconds before the last bell.

Peter Brant crushed me in the throw-in, so Hilario [Ulloa] got the ball and ran with it. I recovered, was able to catch him and hit a backshot. Marc [Ganzi] picked up the ball, hit it a couple of times and Nic [Roldan] put it in the goal. It was a good short overtime and my horse ran well,” he said. “I remember it like it was yesterday.”

That calm focus is helpful as he transitions from different levels of play throughout the year. In the winter he competes at the 20-goal level in South Florida, then switches to 14-goal polo during the summer in Wyoming. After that he competes in the Argentine Triple Crown at the 40-goal level. He says he finds something good about every level he plays.

“Here in Wyoming, it is a bit more relaxed. The way polo is set, we play with two amateurs and two professionals so the focus is on helping and using the amateurs as much as I can. I try to hit the ball the first time then make really good passes to my teammates. It is good preparation for Argentina, where I have to do that—hit the ball the first time and pass it the best way possible. So, even though I am playing some of Gillian [Johnston’s] younger horses, we end up playing really good games.

“Last year I came from [Wyoming] and went directly to play in Argentina, playing one practice game and the next day playing the Tortugas Open. I had a great game. When I am [in Wyoming] I try to

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play—open, using all my teammates and hitting the ball the first time. To make that work, you need teamwork. The team has to be synchronized.”

Using your teammates and playing smart helps conserve your horses, but having talented horses also helps. One of Astrada’s favorite horses was a mare named Cereza, a homebred.

“She was amazing. She had everything—speed, handle and was really quiet. Even though I played her in the Open, anyone could play her. She was really complete,” Astrada said. “The ideal horse for me is not the one that has a lot of power or a [good] mouth, it has to have everything and that mare had all the gears, she was really complete.”

River Slaney was an American Thoroughbred mare Gil Johnston found for the Astrada’s breeding program. They brought her to Argentina and Cereza (meaning Cherry) was her first foal.

In the U.S., Astrada’s favorite horse was Manuel, a bay gelding he bought when he was young from Gillian Johnston. “He was amazing. He played many years for me here and in England. He was very well known because he was my best horse,” he said. He played the horse when he won the 2002 U.S. Open with Coke.

Finding these great horses is no easy feat and some players may never play one in their career. Astrada said while a horse’s bloodlines are pretty important, when it comes to the really special horses, it mainly comes down to natural ability.

“A background will help them to have more speed and more quality. You start from trying to see their natural abilities and then you worry about their background,” Astrada said. “You run into these horses very few times during your polo career and when you do, they make a very big difference in your game. That is what Manuel did for me here and Cereza in Argentina. You have to always be looking for horses, buying and breeding them and that is what I do. I keep trying them from other people, breeding and looking for the next ‘crack.’”

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POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 15

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BAD REACTION Clostridial Myositis following injections, and precautions for Banamine injections

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any horsemen give injections to their horses. These include vaccinations, antibiotics, and sometimes other medications. Most injections are given intramuscularly but there are a few medications that should always be given intravenously.

Intramuscular injections occasionally cause local abscesses if the needle or skin was dirty when the injection was given.

Sometimes abscesses occur even with very clean conditions, however. The worst kind of injection-induced infection is called clostridial myositis or myonecrosis.

This type of infection is caused by certain types of clostridial bacteria that are present in the environment. Some of these bacteria live in the horse’s intestines and don’t cause problems under normal conditions. They are present in manure, and form spores that last a very long time in the environment.

They are often on the horse’s skin and can be taken into the tissues with an injection. These bacteria can be in a dormant state, and then multiply when conditions are right; they grow best in an airless environment without oxygen, such as bruised and damaged tissue with very little blood supply.

The dormant spores “come to life” and become dangerous when they find favorable conditions in which to multiply and start producing deadly toxins.

Different kinds of clostridia also cause different diseases. Examples include tetanus, malignant edema, blackleg in cattle, enterotoxemia in young calves and foals, or life-threatening gut infection and diarrhea in young foals.

Some types of intramuscular injections seem more risky for clostridial infections,

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

especially flunixin meglumine (Banamine and its generic equivalents), if given in the muscle rather than in the vein. There is some thought that this drug sets up an ideal pH in the tissues for these bacteria to grow (basic, as opposed to acidic). A clostridial infection can happen with any kind of injection, but flunixin has been the most common culprit.

Dr. Ray Randall, a semi-retired veterinarian in Bridger, Montana, says any time you give an injection, be aware of the possibility of adverse reaction.

“This can occur with vaccinations, injections of vitamin E and selenium, etc.

Banamine is the one we are most aware of (since it seems to be most often associated with reactions), and it doesn’t matter how well you give the injection; there is always a risk. Clostridial bacteria are present in the environment and may even already be in the horse’s body in spore form, just waiting for something to set up the right environment (such as damaged tissue from the injection),” he says.

Irritation from the drug can cause part of that muscle to die. Normally this is not a big deal, but it can set up an anaerobic environment, which enables clostridia to thrive. It’s not the bacteria themselves that cause the problem; it’s the toxin that they secrete. When they multiply they produce toxins that damage the surrounding tissue even more, and produce gas. You can feel air bubbles under the skin--crinkly like bubble wrap.

“I have some slides taken many years ago of a horse that I treated (in 1989) for a clostridial infection following vaccination. He survived and lived about 15 more years. He was disfigured from the infection, but still functional, and was used as a lesson horse for a long time,” says Randall.

“With Banamine or any of the generic flunixin products, the only way to minimize the risk is to give it orally or IV, and never in the muscle. It does have an intramuscular label on the bottle [stating that it can be given either IV or IM] though there is also a warning about possible adverse reactions when given IM, which include clostridial infection.” This drug is safest to give orally but works fastest if given IV. “When people are giving injections of any kind, the number one thing is to be clean. Don’t inject into a dirty area on the neck or buttocks. We used to use alcohol and it really doesn’t do much good (it’s not a very good disinfectant) but it does at least make someone think about where they are going to stick that needle, so it might help,” he says. If you use alcohol, let the area dry again before injecting; a needle going through wet skin and hair is more likely to take dirt/bacteria with it.

“Use a sterile needle, a new syringe and choose a clean spot on the horse.

That’s about all you can do to try to prevent problems. If you notice swelling later or the horse is not doing as well you’d expect, get veterinary help—the sooner the better. Load that horse in a trailer and take him to the vet, rather than calling and waiting for the vet to come to you. If you can get that horse in a trailer and get him to a vet, this may be a lot faster,” says Randall.

“The horse I treated for clostridial myositis in 1989 received a vaccination.

He was not very good about injections, and the owner gave it to him in the hindquarter (but not in the best location).

This horse also had a history of reactions,” he says.

“It was on a Friday when the owner called me. The horse had received the

vaccination early in the week. He always got stiff and sore after vaccination, and the owner had been doing some massage and maybe some chiropractic work on this horse. When they called me, it didn’t sound good. I loaded up some supplies and headed down to look at that horse.

When I walked into the barn I could smell that horse—a sickly sweet odor put off by clostridial organisms. The horse was standing out in the arena, holding his left hind leg up. The whole leg was cold and swollen, with gas bubbles under the skin all the way up the leg,” recalls Randall.

“I got him started on antibiotics, clipped his whole hind leg from hock to croup, and figured out where the major problem areas were. We cleaned those up and made a number of incisions to open them up, let the gas out, and start drainage. The tissues were dead and rotting. We didn’t have to use any anesthesia to make the incisions because he had no feeling at all in those tissues.

These were incisions 8 to 12 inches long,” he says.

“We called the owner and asked about possible euthanasia. The horse was insured for a fair amount of money and I told the owner the chances of surviving this infection were poor and it would be completely reasonable to euthanize him, but we’d have to call the insurance company first. The owner didn’t want to do that; he told me to save the horse if I could. So we got the horse loaded and took him to our clinic. He was already starting to feel better, just from the antibiotics and opening up those areas; you could tell by the way he acted,” says Randall.

“We kept him in the clinic about a month and he ended up sluffing an area in his left thigh as large as half a watermelon. He had a hole that big, where all the muscle was gone. His sciatic nerve kept functioning, however, and his hip joint was ok, so he survived and was able to keep going.” Randall recalls.

Some horses aren’t this lucky. Randall tells of another horse that arrived one evening at a barn where he happened to

When giving shots of Banamine in the muscle rather than in the vein, you risk getting a clostridial infection like this horse did in the croup area.

be, with an infection at an injection site.

The injection had been given on top of the gluteal muscles (rump area). “There was a noticeable swelling. I gave the horse some antibiotics, loaded him in a trailer and took him to the clinic, and he was dead when I got there. The owner was the one who gave the injection, but was quite upset about the outcome,” Randall says.

The first ivermectin deworming products for horses were injectable and there were a few incidents of clostridial infections with those. “I think this risk was mentioned on the label. Here at our clinic we probably used about 3000 doses of it during the time it was available as an injection, and it was my favorite dewormer. We just always gave the horse an injection of penicillin in the same region, at the same time.” This eliminated the risk because penicillin is very effective against clostridia.

“We never had any trouble with those injections. I have no idea what the incidence of reaction and infection might have been. The company later went to an oral product, partly because of the injection reactions but mainly as a marketing tool because it was easier for horse owners to give it orally,” says Randall.

Proper ways to use Banamine “Regarding flunixin, it is less risky to give it orally or by IV injection rather than as an IM injection,” says Randall.

“There are times you need to give it when a horse is flopping around on the ground with colic. If you are going to have any

flunixin products on hand, however (whether the paste or injectable), you need to be able to assess that horse reasonably well and know whether you should actually give this drug. That means you need to be able to take a pulse, listen to gut sounds, and look at the gums, to know if the horse is shocky,” he says.

“An owner called one night, wanting me to come to the fairgrounds (about an hour away) and give fluids to a horse.

This was about 11 p.m. The owner said the show vet had looked at the horse and said it needed fluids. The owner had given the horse an injection of Banamine about 7 p.m. and it wasn’t doing well. I asked about the history on the horse. The owner said it wasn’t eating well that morning so they gave it Banamine. This means the horse was sick all night by the time they discovered it was off feed that morning, and probably sick the day before. They simply didn’t want to haul the horse to a vet because they had to show some horses the next day. They just kept giving it more Banamine, and a day or two later, after the show, they hauled the horse home—where their vet did surgery on it—and the horse died. The owner just assumed it couldn’t hurt the horse to keep giving it Banamine!” says Randall.

When Banamine first came out, about 1980, people considered it a cure-all. “We thought we could just give a shot of Banamine and make the horse better. But (continued on page 58) POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 17

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MAKING LEMONADE Memorial event goes on despite heavy rain

ROBERT KELLER

ROBERT KELLER

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HEN RAINS threatened the 21st annual Ronny Maher Memorial at the Maryland Polo Club in Monkton, Maryland, July 27, organizer Ron Maher Jr. was undeterred, knowing the show must go on. Caterers were preparing to feed the 400 VIP guests, and eight players dressed in jerseys, whites and boots, an announcer and a singer for the national anthem were on hand when, at 5 p.m. as gates opened, the heavens unleashed a torrential downpour. So, Maher switched to Plan B. “The floor of the tent was more like a ship—it was floating on the water running off the field, but we were dry under the tent,” said Maher. “The caterers were in a foot of water running down the ground ... and guests had to park in mud.” When the rain finally stopped, the guests got to watch some modified polo action. “The horses arrived by car. We had the players on stick horses for the Champagne ‘halftime.’ ... [Guests] raised a glass to Ronny Maher and raised funds for [the University of Maryland’s R. Adams Cowley] Shock Trauma [Center]. It was impressive. One guest told me, ‘Ron, you have dodged the weather

ROBERT KELLER

Ron Maher Jr., center, with Dr. and Mrs. Jay Menaker from Shock Trauma

Guests walk the plank to get to the tent.

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

for 21 years and now Mother Nature is getting even!’ ... Dr. Jay Menaker from Shock Trauma came to speak to the guests,” Maher said.

The Trauma center did all it could for Ronny Maher after a fall while fox hunting on Thanksgiving Day in 1996 left him a quadriplegic. He died of respiratory failure in July 1997 at 72 years old.

An avid foxhunter his entire life, Ronny Maher fell in love with the sport of polo at age 60.

ROBERT KELLER

Nate Berube, Liv Stringer, Kylie Sheehan, Posey Obrecht and Tommy Huber

A few smart guests donned rubber boots, which came in handy!

POLO BABY Club welcomes little girl during fieldside dedication

REVEREND TORIE FRONT, perhaps the only polo playing pastor in the United States, took time out before the start of a

Cincinnati vs. Columbus polo match on July 8, to dedicate Isadora Joyce Marie Cunningham Everett among the horses and polo trailers. Isadora, the daughter of Columbus Polo Club member Terry Everett and his wife Sarah Cunningham, could be the fourth generation in that family to play polo.

Both teams gathered in the shade on a beautiful summer day to show their support for Isadora and to stand together in unity before they became fierce competitors on the field. Front, of the Cincinnati Polo Club, and formerly of the Columbus Polo Club, was honored to be asked to dedicate the newest addition to the Everett family. “It was a lovely service, and great show of the fellowship our two clubs share,” said Front, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, who has also officiated at two polo-based weddings over the years!

“The Columbus Polo Club is basically one big family, anyway. So this is not so out of the ordinary for us!” polo club president Marissa Abram wrote on Facebook.

After the polo match, teams and their families converged on the picnic grounds for a receptionstyle buffet to welcome Isadora into the polo family.

PARKER’S POLO MINUTE

Marissa Wells,

SPRING CHICKS New baby girls make their debut

POLO PLAYERS in Houston, Texas, were busy this spring with new babies

KAYLEE WROE

making their way into the world. Steve and KC Krueger welcomed Shirley Jean on February 16; Kaylee and Mason Wroe welcomed their first child, Evelyn Grace, on May 21; and Emily and Joe Wayne Barry welcomed their first child, Clementine, on April 6. Congratulations to them all!

Good polo requires patience.

How many times have you seen a ball hit into a horse? Use patience, especially in tight quarters, to give the play a moment to develop, then make your best decision.

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Evelyn Wroe, Shirley Krueger and Clementine Barry

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 19

HAIL TO THE CHIEF Polo player swaps polo mallet for spear

POLO PLAYER CHRISTIAN WEISZ recently began

his freshman year at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. If that wasn’t exciting enough, he is attending on a full scholarship after being named Chief Osceola, the official mascot of the school’s Seminoles football team.

Rated 1-goal, Weisz’s riding and playing ability helped land him the gig. As Chief Osceola, Weisz will lead the football team onto the field riding bareback into the 80,000-seat Doak Campbell Stadium aboard a leopard Appaloosa named Renegade at each home game before throwing a flaming feathered spear into the middle of an FSU helmet painted on the field.

Weisz isn’t the only polo player to portray Chief Osceola. Chris Gannon performed the pre-game ritual during the 2008 football season and recommended Weisz for the job.

Weisz was brought in for a trial run during a spring football game. In addition to a hectic college schedule, during the season he will help out at the farm where the horse is kept four or five days a week, riding and practicing his routine. He also will make appearances at various functions to talk about the Osceola and Renegade pageantry and its significance to the FSU Program.

On game days, he starts early, exercising the horse at the farm before helping get it ready and driving to the field with program director Allen Durham, whose father started the

Florida State University’s new Chief Osceola, Christian Weisz, with grandfather Ted Brinkman

program. Durham was Chief Osceola from 1992-1994.

Weisz will get to the stadium hours before game time to ride the horse on the field before getting into character with war paint and authentic regalia designed by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Later, he will take pictures with fans.

During the game he will be in the end zone urging fans to cheer for the school’s beloved football team.

GIVING BACK Players thank hospital for saving baby’s life

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HE CINCINNATI POLO CLUB in Cincinnati, Ohio, held its 5th annual Polo for Babies event at its home field on July 14.

The event has raise over $115,000 for Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Institute.

Chris and Betsy Leonidas’ daughter, Adeline, was saved by the hospital, which also helped care for her for the next two years. The Leonidas family wanted to give back and since Chris had played with the club for a year and Betsy’s father Jim Fraser, for many years, they could think of no better way to show their appreciation, bring awareness and raise funds for the institution.

The club played a team from Atlanta in a match where the chukkers were shortened following heat index good practices.

Cincinnati was victorious while Atlanta’s Jolie Liston’s paint pony, Turbo, won Best Playing Pony. Cincinnati club president Katy Betsy and Chris Leonidas, center, celebrate with benefit participants.

Keffer recently bought Turbo.

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

GOOD CAUSE

CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES

Match raises funds for African children

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HE SENTEBALE ISPS Handa Polo Cup took place at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in London on July 26. The annual event raised over $1 million for Sentebale, which provides care, education and psychosocial support for vulnerable children and young people affected

by HIV in southern Africa.

On one of the hottest British days on record, over 300 guests gathered to watch Sentebale’s cofounder, The Duke of Sussex, take home the Sentebale Cup alongside teammates Sentebale Ambassador Nacho Figueras, Ashley van Metre Busch and Miguel Mendoza. The team overcame Royal Salute’s Malcolm Borwick, Saad Audeh, Chet Lott and Riley Ganzi, 5-4.

Sentebale’s flagship fundraising event has been running since 2010, raising over $6.5 million.

U.S. Polo Assn. signed on as the official apparel partner and outfitter for the players and event staff. “U.S. Polo Assn. is proud to be the official apparel partner of such an impactful charitable polo event like the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup. We have the opportunity to support a wonderful and very important cause while also expanding global awareness for our brand and our ongoing support of the sport of polo around the world,” said u USPAGL CEO J. Michael Prince.

Ten-goal Adolfo Cambiaso has been winning in the Texas Polo Luxe Edition Saddle for eight seasons everywhere he plays: Florida, England and Argentina

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Pass it on Team USPA members help coach younger players The United States Polo Association established Team USPA in 2009 to grow and sustain the sport of polo by identifying talented young American players and providing opportunities to grow their abilities.

Stephen Curry is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, shooter in NBA history. His notable achievements include three NBA Championships, two NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and five NBA AllStar honors among other accolades.

Interestingly, Curry attributes some of his success in the sport of basketball to consistent coaching. Coaches play an integral role in the function of most sports’ teams worldwide, yet this important figure is noticeably absent in the sport of outdoor polo.

The importance of coaching has begun to take hold in the polo community in recent years. Providing young players with access to high-level coaching and playing opportunities has been a driving force of the Team USPA program since its inception. From the likes of Adam Snow and Owen Rinehart to Tommy Wayman and Hector Galindo, Team USPA members have studied under some of the country’s top players, learning firsthand how they strategized, approached problems and developed a style of their own on the field.

As some of the senior Team USPA professional players progress through their careers, they now find themselves in a position to give back to younger players through coaching opportunities.

In April, Jared Zenni achieved the seemingly impossible—beating one of the 22 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

KAYLEE WROE

“To excel at the highest level—or any level, really—you need to believe in yourself, and hands down, one of the biggest contributors to my self-confidence has been private coaching.”

—Stephen Curry

Jesse Bray coaches Cory Williams during the NYTS East vs. West match last year.

best players in the world in the U.S. Open Championships. Just last month, he hopped on a plane from Miami and flew to London to assist coach Joel Baker with the Junior Westchester Cup team.

“Interacting with the kids and helping them with game strategy was very rewarding. They worked really hard and to see them win was awesome,” said Zenni. “I try to relate to the kids in the way I like to be coached and see how they respond.

Kids’ personalities vary so much, you have to really pay attention and see if they look engaged or if they are closing you off.”

The National Youth Tournament Series qualifiers and championships have been another venue for Team USPA players to coach younger players. Nick Snow, Felipe Viana and Jesse Bray coached at the 2015,

2016 and 2017 championships, and Jim Wright and Zenni will join the ranks this coming year. Their experience on the field garners respect from the youth players but their age helps keep them relatable.

Bray finds watching game tape to be the most efficient method of preparation before matches, so before his NYTS western region team took the field they reviewed all of the team’s practice footage from the previous day.

“Seeing the plays from another perspective can be eye-opening. With the [western region] team, I focused on their field awareness and positioning. I kept asking them to find themselves on the field and explain why they were in that position, and a lot of times they didn’t know—but that is how they become more

NANO’S POLO MALLETS

Costi Caset, Felipe Viana and Jared Zenni (each wearing a No. 4 jersey) helped coach during a PTF event.

self and team aware on the field,” Bray explained. Along with Bray and Viana, Matias Gonzalez, Costi Caset and Jared Zenni have helped coach at the local level.

Jim Wright played in the NYTS national championship in 2014 and is now returning to coach in 2018. Like several other Team USPA members in the past, Wright plays with the Antelope organization at Eldorado Polo Club and Santa Barbara Polo Club, both in California, under the tutelage of Santi Trotz. Wright will now pass on his knowledge to the next generation of upand-coming players. Wright is excited to be involved in the NYTS program as a coach.

“Going from participating in the tournament to joining Team USPA and now being a coach is really neat. It comes full circle,” he said.

Team USPA alumnus CB Scherer works in Boston, Massachusets, in the real estate industry and sees coaching as a way to stay involved in the sport when not playing.

Scherer and Snow volunteer to coach at the NYTS qualifier each year at Myopia Polo Club and Scherer makes an effort to work with the Harvard Polo team as much as possible throughout the fall and winter.

Branden Van Loon was named head coach of the Yale Polo Club after playing at Cornell throughout his college career and enjoys sharing his love of the sport with youth players.

Polo remains a sport rooted in tradition, but the introduction of quality and consistent coaching to up-and-coming players enhances the learning experience and encourages personal growth in players.

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Nick Snow volunteers to coach at the NYTS qualifier at Myopia Polo Club in Boston each year.

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Mustang Magic Player competes in wild mustang competition

BY AMY FRASER

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va Crossman is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, and competes on its Varsity polo team. She began her riding career at an early age and had a passion for breaking and training young horses in dressage, show jumping and three-day eventing. In her senior year of high school, she added polo to her repertoire with interscholastic coach Kelly Wells at Maryland Polo Club. She chose the University of Kentucky for her studies so she could continue playing polo at the collegiate level and have access to other equine disciplines, one of which included breaking a wild mustang.

Crossman explained the process: My mustang Rebel and I finished 5th at the 2018 Extreme Mustang Makeover. The competition was held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, June 21-23. The Extreme Mustang Makeover and the Mustang Heritage Foundation put on events and trainer incentives throughout the year that aim to find homes for the nearly 50,000 wild horses that currently live in the United States corral systems.

The premise of the competition is that trainers are assigned a random horse from the Bureau of Land Management Corral system and have 100 days to gentle and train that horse for the competition. All the horses assigned for the Makeover are referred to as “3 strike� horses. Three strike or sale’s eligible horses are animals that have been turned down for public adoption at least three times. Most of the time, holding three strikes says nearly 24 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Eva Crossman and Rebel, a wild horse who was captured in a round up in the fall of 2016.

nothing about the animal itself, it just means they have been presented to the public and have been looked over.

Unfortunately, when a horse hits three strikes on its record it is passed up for any future adoption events and most never find homes. The horses at the Makeover all showcased how useful and athletic

mustangs, and in particular three-strike horses, can be.

Rebel is a 15-hand sorrel gelding and is 5 years old. He was captured in a large round up in the fall of 2016 and lived in the BLM holding system with a few placement transfers before I got him. I picked him up with my friends Shalise and

Seamus on Feb. 23, in Lebanon, Tennessee, where all the horses for the Kentucky Makeover were shipped. I kept him at a barn in Georgetown, Kentucky, where he lived in a round pen inside of an indoor [arena] for more than a month.

Initially, Rebel was extremely afraid of people and for the first 30 days of training I focused purely on groundwork and developing a bond with him. The first couple of times I sat on him, I would just hop on and off bareback to get him comfortable with the pressure of having someone on him, which also gave me the easy option of hopping right off. Rebel never bucked or fought, and once he was comfortable around me, which took several weeks with time spent everyday, he

Crossman’s UK Polo teammates set the fences for her freestyle performance. Rebel proved to be a natural jumper.

Crossman picked up Rebel, right, in Tennessee last February.

would follow me around the round pen and knicker to me when I got to the arena.

When I first began to really send him forward, I spent a lot of time getting on and off of him and leaving the round pen after he had worked for a couple of minutes to make sure that I never pushed him past what he could handle. Once I really broke him, he took to work, quickly progressing on the basics of flatwork and is a very natural jumper. When I was comfortable riding him out and about, I took him to a couple different events to get him used to new environments and atmospheres.

At the makeover event, there are handling, flatwork and trail work classes and the top 10 trainers after the preliminary classes move on to compete in the freestyle final. Rebel was wonderful all

weekend. We were highly placed in the preliminary classes and so we got to preform in the final Saturday night. I was super nervous about being in front of that many people, but I was also really excited to get to show off what Rebel can do. My teammates from UK Polo set the fences for my freestyle, and it was incredible to be able to have fun with my mustang in front of my friends and family.

All of the mustangs that competed in Kentucky were available for public auction after the makeover. I was fortunate enough to be able to use my prize money from the competition to buy Rebel back. There really isn’t much that Rebel wouldn’t do if I asked him and I’m so blessed to have him in my life. As a trainer, I’m excited to be participating in an invitational training

Crossman used her prize money to buy Rebel.

event called Mustang Magic that starts this September, with the final in Fort Worth, Texas, in January.

If anyone has any interest in competing in mustang training events, the Mustang Heritage Foundation offers information and contacts on its website. If anyone is interested in purchasing a started or already trained horse, there are TIP certified trainers throughout the country specializing in training BLM mustangs.

Ultimately, these events are about helping find horses like Rebel homes and jobs in today’s world.

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

Hand to mouth Bitting is an important part of training

by Gwen Rizzo

G

avin Chaplin has made it his mission to educate people about horse training, with an emphasis on what equipment is used in their mouths.

Chaplin grew up around horses as both of his parents played polo and he had a polo field on the family farm in South Africa. “I was the only child in the club at that point and we had the most amazing club. Our club practices were 22-goal practices,” he explained. And he had some unorthodox early training.

“Every time you chased the ball, they’d take your mallet away, so it got to be man marking [was the better option] for me, and I had to earn my pocket money by riding with notes [under] my knees. If I lost any of it, my pocket money was gone,” he said. “I used to go out for exercise in the groom’s arms and fall asleep riding.”

He was sent to an English boarding school at just 5 years old. He didn’t speak English and was very dyslexic. “They just thought I was really, really lazy,” he said.

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

“I would have to go pick a stick every day and they would put my head in the cupboard and beat me. That was the cure for dyslexia in those days.”

He remembers the panic he felt on a daily basis knowing he couldn’t do what was being asked of him. “That has played a big part in how I train horses,” he said.

“I switch into their panic when I feel they are unable to do something, but I am also able to figure out if they are just being obstinate. If a horse is willing, I go back to the schooling method of teaching one thing at a time. You teach a child the numerals first, then you teach them to add, then subtract, then multiply. You are not teaching it all at once,” he explained.

After Gavin finished university and a stint in the Army, Benjamin Araya’s parents came and stayed at his family

home and invited him to come to Argentina. He jumped at the chance and after being there nearly a month, he realized he wanted a career with horses.

“I went there hoping to find some way of staying there. When [9-goal] Eddie Moore came to buy horses, I said to him, ‘Have you got a job for me?’ He told me to get in the lorry, so I got in the lorry and traveled about eight hours from Coronel Suarez to his place,” Chaplin explained.

“I was dumped in a little hut on the edge of the field, spoke no Spanish and nobody spoke English, but I loved it because it was my passion, and it was what I wanted to do.

“Eddie would come everyday and look, and dad was a super horseman so I kind of knew my way around riding. After a month, Eddie came past me and asked if I

wanted to come live in town. I said, ‘Eddie, I don’t give a damn where I live.

I’m as happy as a pig in the proverbial here.’ He said, ‘No, come live with me.’ I didn’t realize at the time that was kind of his stamp of approval,” Chaplin explained.

Moore and Chaplin got to be really good friends and Chaplin traveled all over the country looking for horses. Moore also gave him a lot of young horses to train that the pair eventually took to England. Chaplin worked for Moore for six years and later, ended up working for Tommy Wayman as well.

While training, he learned a lot about bitting and how bits work. “Tommy was very much a gadget man and I saw the value in that. Dad, Eddie and Tommy, these guys are all really great horsemen and it was all these ideas coming through.

I developed kind of an amalgam of their ideas, with a few of mine thrown in with what I’ve discovered along the way,” he explained.

His approach to schooling horses is teaching lightness, having the horse move off your leg with a light touch on the bit instead of hauling the horse around. That started Chaplin on a journey about bits.

He met up with bitting expert Bomber Nel, owner of Bomber’s Equestrian.

“He’s put so much thought and effort into every bit he’s made. I’ve been very much a part of that experimentation.

He’d say, ‘Try this, and this is what I think it will do,’ so I’ve learned a lot about it,” Chaplin said.

As Chaplin was teaching people about horse training, he realized that videos were a helpful tool. Eventually he started posting the videos online, which led to his website gavsays.com, a site dedicated to horse training, riding, bitting and horse care. On it, he explains different types of bits and there uses as well as why a horse may be acting out and what things to look for from improper bitting to medical issues. “That is what I’m trying to achieve with this website, just to bring all these things to people’s attention to show them there is actually a solution to them,” he said.

Visitors to the website can read articles on a variety of topics, watch videos and send in questions to issues

A three-ring gag with a spinner will help prevent a horse from getting its tongue over the bit. Bomber Nel developed this and many other bits.

A two-jointed bit with a plate puts pressure on the tongue so the horse tucks its nose in. A rope goes through the cheek piece for leverage on this gag, similar to the one shown left.

Pelhams come with or without a spinner in the center. Pelhams put pressure on the tongue, poll and chin (from the curb chain).

For horses that don’t like a fixed mouth piece found in a traditional pelham, you can now find a variety of mouthpieces like this Don McHardy polo pelham. Chaplin likes this bit for young horses or ones with a problem he is trying to sort out. It helps gets the horse rounded up.

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

they are having with their horse.

Chaplin says when people think their horse has a bitting issue it is often a schooling issue. He says it is important to learn to ride well with strong legs and good balance so you are not hand dominant in everything you do. Then, you can move on to learning how each bit works before finding one suitable for your particular horse. “You can’t look for a bit before that. If the horse doesn’t know how to give to pressure, you can put the kitchen sink in its mouth. It is still going to fight you.”

There are many signs the bit you are using is not comfortable for the horse, including head shaking, getting the tongue over the bit, pointing its nose, not responding to the bit, leaping or running from it.

For young horses in training, Chaplin likes to keep it simple. “My favorite mouthpiece is the Don McHardy because it is a ported [snaffle]. I try to take away as many things that will stand in my way as I possibly can and tongue pressure is one of them. I never use a gag on a young horse because all the pulley releases are all too slow so the horse doesn’t get rewarded immediately for the give.”

He uses the same bit to start when he is working with a horse with a problem he is asked to sort out.

“I love the McHardy with either a Dutch (three ring) or pelham cheek piece because they work to get the horse really rounded up,” said Chaplin. “It has very light bar pressure and barely any tongue pressure until you pull on the rein. It’s got a little ring that just touches the tongue and tucks the nose so you pick up the horse and it tucks back to you.

“The ported mouthpiece takes away the tongue pressure and I put the rein on the snaffle ring and teach [the horse] to give to the light pressures of the direct rein first,” he said.

An important aspect of bits to understand is pressure, which can be on the tongue or on the bars of the jaw.

Tongue pressure encourages the horse to drop its head while bar pressure encourages the horse to lift its head more. A simple snaffle creates a nutcracker action on the tongue creating more pressure on the bars. A Barry gag 28 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Gavin Chaplin has many years of experience training horses.

also puts more pressure on the bars.

A pelham creates pressure on the tongue as well as some on the bars. There is also pressure on the poll (the top of head) as the bit rotates when the reins are pulled, and from the curb chain attached behind the horse’s chin.

“Then you start to look and say, what cheek piece am I using. If I am using tongue pressure to drop the head, it’s pointless to put a rope gag in there that lifts it because its as if they are fighting each other,” explains Chaplin. A Dutch (three-ring) gag would be better suited because it puts the pressure downward.

“If the horse is going low, use a single break gag with a rope. That creates bar pressure so that would lift the horse’s head. So, if you are using a rope gag with that, the two are working in tandem to pick up the head,” he said.

While pelham and gags are the most widely used bits in polo, there are so many variations of these bits that it can be confusing. Bomber Equestrian alone

makes some 700,000 varieties.

Pelhams can come with longer or short shanks (the piece between the end of the bit and the lowest ring), longer or shorter purchase (the piece between the end of the bit and where the cheek piece attaches), larger or smaller ports (the raised area of the bit) or no port at all and curb chains can be wide, smooth and flat or thinner with more links. The larger the shank, purchase or port, the more leverage you have and the harsher the bit.

Larger curb chains are gentler than a thinner chain. A twisted chain is harsher than one that lies flat. Flat curb hooks, rather than rounded hooks, help keep the chain flat against the chin when you pull on the reins.

The gag is basically a snaffle bit with leverage added by way of a rope through a large or small ring attached to each side of the bit, or three rings. In the former, if you remove the rein attached to the ring at the bottom of the rope, you remove the leverage and are basically back to a snaffle. Most polo gags you see have a ring with a rope through the center. The larger the ring, the more leverage you have.

With the three ring, you attach the rein to one of the three rings. The lower the ring, the more leverage you have.

Both pelham and gag bits are now available with things like spinners, rollers or plates of some kind in the middle. The length of the plate determines the amount of pressure on the bars—the longer the plate the less bar pressure. The more bar pressure, the higher the horse will lift its head. A bit with a spinner can help prevent the horse getting its tongue over the bit.

Every horse is different so you have to be mindful of each horse. “You need to look at the horse’s mouth. If it is a short mouth, don’t use a curved bit because it will go back to the teeth. In a longer mouth, the teeth are set further back,” Chaplin explained. “Some horses have rounded bars with the ridge on the inside, while others have narrow bars with the ridge on top, which is always a more sensitive mouth. Horses are not symmetrical so you might have a horse with a round bar on one side and a sharp one on the other so now the horse is carrying its head to one side to get the bit

SERGIO LLAMERA

It is important to ride well with strong legs and good balance so you are not hand dominant. Lia Salvo is playing this horse in a pelham with draw lines.

Curb chains are found on a pelham bridle. Curb chains with smaller rings don’t lie as smooth and flat as chains with larger rings (see below).

Larger curb chains are more comfortable than smaller ones.

When you pull on the reins, the curb chain puts pressure on the chin.

to work on the side that isn’t as sensitive.

“If you look at the gap between the horse’s [upper and lower jaw] it is about the thickness of a man’s forefinger. If you use a bit that is thicker than that, you are creating jaw pressure. Some people think thick bits are softer. I find horses fight them because there is too much bit and they can’t close their mouth all the way.”

People will then use a drop-nose band to help keep the mouth closed, but with a bit that is too thick, this just makes the horse more uncomfortable. Chaplin said that even with a drop-nose band, the horse should be able to open its mouth a little because when it is turning, its jaw slides slightly to one side. “If the nose band is too tight, you are working against yourself,” he said.

Chaplin said people also will use rubber bits thinking they are gentler, but they are often too thick and can dry out

the mouth. Chaplin said sweet iron and blue bits encourage the horse to salivate and are warmer than stainless steel so the horse tends to accept them more happily.

The type of reins you use can also make a difference. In polo, draw reins are used to collect the horse’s stride when slowing or stopping. “When you look at a freeze frame from the side of a horse running, the front feet will land directly in a vertical line underneath its nose. As the horse runs faster, its stride gets longer so it sticks its nose out and that gives it the speed,” explained Chaplin. “If you want to stop a horse, you collect it first. ... when you first take that pull on the reins, you are pulling the nose back so the horse shortens its stride as you are driving it slightly with your legs into the bit” Chaplin said if the horse is hollowing its back and going airborne, he would be looking for a medical problem.

An ill-fitting saddle may be causing back pain, or pain in the neck or hocks may causing the horse to resist stopping on its hind end. Even sore feet may cause the horse to leap. So, before changing bits for a horse that is acting out, have the horse evaluated by your veterinarian for a medical issue.

Chaplin said, more often that not, horses, like people, are either right-hand dominant or left-hand dominant so one side is usually muscled differently than the other. This adds saddle pressure on the spine on one side.

If you’ve got a horse with a very sensitive mouth and too much bit, it often won’t run because it is anticipating the stop and is afraid to go there. Too light of a bit on a horse that is less sensitive is often just as bad because when the horse doesn’t respond, the rider will resort to yanking and pulling, bruising the mouth.

Chaplin said there is a bit for every horse, it sometimes just takes some experimenting to find it. “The best horse I ever owned, Gabi, played in a Barry gag and she was magnificent in it. You put anything else in her mouth, she was horrible,” Chaplin said. You need to experiment until you find what the horse is comfortable in. “Suddenly, you find that one thing and wham, you’ve got a different horse and that is so exciting.”

For questions about bitting, or an issue with your horse go to gavsays.com.

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

All England

British squad takes Westchester Cup over USA

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

ALICE GIPPS

A

fter a four-year hiatus, the celebrated Westchester Cup challenge between the United States and England took place at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in Windsor, Berkshire, England, July 28.

Back in April the USPA announced Britain’s Hurlingham Polo Association had accepted a challenge for the Westchester Cup, which was last played in 2013 when England defeated a U.S. team of Marc Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Polito Pieres and Mike Azzaro in a 12-11 nailbiter.

At the time, HPA chairman Stephan Hutchinson said, “I am delighted that the USA team has issued a challenge and that the Flannels England team will be competing for this great cup in 2018. A huge amount of our pride and history is caught up in the Westchester legend and we want it to become the Ryder Cup of polo. I look forward to an exciting new chapter of this great story at our new venue.”

Since its inception in 1886, the Westchester Cup has been played 17 times with only five of those taking place since World War II. All but one have been played against England. In 1988, a United States team defeated an Australasia team in a two-game series.

There was a lot of excitement leading up to the event. On July 7, England’s captain James Beim and U.S. captain Nic Roldan attended an event at Kadie’s Cocktail Bar & Club in London where Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club’s Jamie Morrison officially launched International Day Polo 2018.

On game day, the celebration began with three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Charlotte Dujardin, performing a Dressage Masterclass, demonstrating her training techniques aboard Olympic champion Valegro before The Scots Guard Band accompanied the teams onto the field in blustery winds.

The Flannels England team was outfitted in the HPA’s brand, Hurlingham 1875, while the U.S. team sported U.S. Polo Assn. apparel both on and off the field. The U.S. team also wore Lucchese boots courtesy of John Muse and Lucchese.

USA fielded a 28-goal team of Julio Arellano, Peke Gonzalez, Jeff Hall and Nic Roldan against a 26-goal English squad comprised of Tommy Beresford and three members of El Remanso (James Beim, Ollie Cudmore, James POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 31

ALICE GIPPS

England’s pony club kids parade around the field before the Westchester Cup.

Harper), fresh off a Gold Cup victory.

USA had an up-hill battle as its players didn’t have a chance to play together until they got to England, and all but Roldan were on leased horses they didn’t know well. According to coach Joel Baker, Hall arrived on Tuesday and was trying horses in the team’s first practice. They practiced again on Thursday, but Baker was with the kids’ team while the players were still sorting out horses.

Due to the difference in handicap, England was awarded an agreed upon one goal at the onset of the match.

Directly out of the first bowl-in America quickly equalized the score, a wellexecuted pass from Gonzalez landing on the stick of Roldan.

The U.S.’s prowess would be shortlived however, as England’s Cudmore scored a hat trick to take the lead 4-1.

HELEN CRUDEN

USA’s cheering section

Officials from the U.S. and Hurlingham Polo Associations flank USA’s Peke Gonzalez, Nic Roldan, Julio Arellano and Jeff Hall, and England’s James Beim, Ollie Cudmore, James Harper and Tommy Beresford after the Westchester Cup. Trophy presenter Zara Tindall is center.

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

HELEN CRUDEN

but if they haven’t been playing top polo, they are not going to last.”

Trailing by five at the start of the fourth, a Penalty 3 conversion by Arellano propelled the U.S. back in the right direction, instigating its best chukker of the match. Yet, the unyielding English force quickly countered to maintain the gap. USA’s Nic Roldan would manage two more goals in the second half, including a stunning 70yard shot, but it was not enough to suppress the English momentum. Four goals from Cudmore, one a rocketing backshot through the uprights, cemented the win. A final push and score from Arellano cut the deficit to six, 12-6, ending the loss on a good note.

Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter, ALICE GIPPS

Ending the first on a strong note, Roldan put a second goal on the board. The remainder of the first half proved fatal, with England dominating the field with three more goals, holding USA scoreless.

“We would come close to the goal and then we’d lose the ball and they would get it back,” said Hall. “I felt like we were okay in the first part of the chukkers, but then the horses would get a little tired at the end of every chukker and England would score a couple of goals on us.”

Baker agreed. “[Some of them] were really good horses and they did well for half a chukker but the horses weren’t fit enough to go a whole chukker and that’s when the English jumped on us,” he explained. “You can lease great horses

USA’s Peke Gonzalez slips an attempted hook from England’s Ollie Cudmore.

Nic Roldan’s 9-year-old Mariscal was named Repurposed Racehorse Best Playing Pony.

Zara Tindall, an Olympic silver medalists in eventing, presented the historic Westchester Cup, created by Tiffany & Co. in 1886, to the English team. The trophy is said to be cast from 396.3 ounces of sterling silver.

Beim received Most Valuable Player and his gray mare Salsita, played in the first and fifth chukkers, donned the Best Playing Pony blanket. Playing his own exceptional string, Roldan didn’t walk away empty handed. His 9-year-old bay gelding, Mariscal, received the unique honor of Repurposed Racehorse Best Playing Pony.

Despite an unfavorable outcome for USA, morale seemed overwhelmingly positive. “It has been so fun to play with these guys and it’s great to visit other countries and play on horses you don’t know to benefit your own polo,” said Gonzalez. “It’s a great experience and I recommend it to everybody.”

England accepted the United States’ challenge to play the Westchester Cup on U.S. soil in 2019, the U.S. hoping for a chance at redemption.

“We were all very hopeful going into the game and positive, but the fact of the matter is that any time you are on foreign land it’s really difficult,” said Roldan after the game. “These guys have been playing together for years, they have numerous international matches throughout the year. We have one-off per year. I think we have a lot of work to do building up the international team and finding time for us to play together.”

Hall looks forward to next year’s challenge on U.S. soil. “They beat us forward and backwards. I knew it was going to be really tough and it didn’t work out for us today. I will be remembering this one and thinking about challenging them next year,” he said.

Arellano relayed his happiness at having been able to represent his country and share this unique moment competing alongside his daughter Hope, who was victorious in the Junior POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 33

USA takes Junior Westchester Cup “We knew going in they were going to be out-mounted and those kids over there have been playing together a lot ... so we knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” said Baker. The team got together in California for a few days before heading to England, working in the classroom on set plays, then practicing them on the ground before playing a practice against a team led by Memo Gracida. Baker said they build the team around defense and concentrated on that.

Once in England, they didn’t have a chance to play together until the first game. In that match, they played a 0-goal team, spotting them two-and-a-half goals on handicap. USA was MARK BEAUMONT

Five young up-and-coming stars of American polo outfitted in U.S. Polo Assn. traveled to Black Bears Polo Club in Oxfordshire, England, July 27, to take on the Brits for the Junior Westchester Cup. The teams, limited to a 4-goal handicap, were made up of players 16 years old and under.

Coached by Joel Baker and accompanied by Team USPA member and USA adult team alternate Jared Zenni, the starting team of Hope Arellano, Bayne Bossom, Lucas Escobar and Tenzin Tognini defeated the English team of Will Harper, Milly Hine, Charlie Townsend and Luke Wiles, 3-2.

USA coach Joel Baker with Tenzin Tognini, Lucas Escobar, Bayne Bossom, Hope Arellano and alternate Johnny Kirton

Westchester Cup Championship. “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Baker believes the results would have been different if the players were able to bring their own horses. “The other thing that would help is to do like we’re doing in the World Cup. Instead of playing six chukkers, play 12 half chukkers,” he said. “The other alternative is to get the English to agree to split horses—have a 34 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

pool of horses and have a horse master divide the horses equally and then draw for the horses.”

Baker would like to see the U.S. commit to having a national team, like the English have had for decades, that would play together on a regular basis.

Even better, he’d like to see most of the team compete in England’s Gold Cup prior to the next Westchester Cup played

on British soil so the players better understand the [English] rules and can work on set plays with each other.

“The whole idea of a national team is, not only will help us to do the best we can with our best players, but it will help the next generation move into that, be a part of it and learn from it,” he said.

Minimally, he hopes the U.S. team will get chances to play together several

ahead by two-and-a-half goals with three minutes left and lost by a half goal.

Baker said, “That was a good [rude] awakening of how to finish a game. ... [The other team] all went up by a goal but we played them as a 0-goal team.”

Despite unusual drought conditions in Britain, the teams experienced the more traditional rainy English weather for its main game and the title. USA faced a whole new English team.

“The field was in great shape, it was well organized and people were very generous in making sure everybody was safely and well mounted,” said Baker.

An electrifying and defensive first chukker left the teams scoreless. England snatched the upper hand in the second with a first goal from Luke Wiles. However, a goal from USA’s Escobar at the tail end of the chukker, a steal with a beautiful run downfield, equalized the score 1-1 at halftime.

A scoreless third chukker paved the way for a suspenseful final period of play. England’s Wiles finally broke the stalemate, but America’s fighting spirit prevailed—Bossom hammering a powerful 80-yard shot to goal to tie the score once again, 2-all.

“We had great chemistry, it took a few practices to get in sync but once we were there we were unstoppable,” Bossom shared after the game. Shutting the back door, excellent defense from Tognini and Arellano kept England’s score to two.

times before next year’s Westchester Cup match in Florida.

England’s celebration continued as the Flannels England Ladies dominated an international match, also by six goals, for the Diamond Jubilee trophy against a Rest of the World team following the Westchester Cup. Flannels England’s Nina Clarkin notched the first goal, setting the tone.

USA’s Hope Arellano gets past England’s Milly Hine in the Junior Westchester Cup.

MARK BEAUMONT

MARK BEAUMONT

USA’s Lucas Escobar carries the ball despite pressure from Milly Hine.

Down to the wire and only seconds before the 30-second warning horn, USA received a pivotal Penalty 4 off a turning call. Escobar converted the shot for USA, sending the ball through the uprights to secure the Junior Westchester Cup title and the John Cowdray Trophy with a final score of 3-2.

When asked about his final goal to cement the win Escobar replied, “Honestly, going to hit it I was angry because I missed my first three penalties and I knew I had to make it to win the game and to redeem those for sure.”

The team had tremendous support from Baker, USA junior team alternate Johnny Kirton, USPA leadership and their families from the sidelines. Baker was proud of the young team after the hard-fought win.

“They were together for over two weeks, living together, eating together, practicing—and really became a unit of brothers and sisters over that two-week period. So today, when it really got tight, they never gave up on each other. The other team was a fantastic team, superbly mounted, but our team kept working together and I think that’s what got them through. I know that’s what got them through, they had all the confidence that they were going to win it—they were prepared,” Baker said.

“I was really proud of how they represented the United States. Both teams’ sportsmanship was great and [USA] worked as a team, never got down on themselves, never got down on each other and they kept working and working.”

England kept pressing and led 4-1 at the half. The team kept up the pressure and equaled its first half score in the second half to end with a convincing 8-2 victory.

U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the USPA, partnered with Eurosport to broadcast the Westchester Cup, targeting over 200 million households in over 70 countries across Europe, Asia and India.

The coverage was aired on Aug. 13.

U.S. Polo Assn. CEO J. Michael Prince explained, “Partnering with Eurosport was a strategic decision to increase global visibility of the Westchester Cup, the sport of polo and U.S. Polo Assn.” Prince said the brand continues to focus on high-profile venues that provide amazing experiences for consumers and sports fans around the world.

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

Chuy Baez 1957-2018

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olo community mourns the tragic and sudden death of Jesus Moreno ÒChuyÓ Baez on July 23.

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

the Coronation Cup, Warwickshire Cup, British Open, as well as the 8-goal National Presidents Cup, the 12-goal Bronze Cup, the 20-goal $40,000 Boehm Cup, the 22-goal Cadillac and Sterling Cups and the World Cup. Baez worked with polo’s top organizations and patrons including Guy Wildenstein, Alex Ebeid, Anthony Embiricos and Marc Ganzi, whom he groomed for at both Grand Champions in Wellington, Florida; Aspen Valley in Carbondale, Colorado; and on several road trips.

“Our entire organization grieves for the loss of someone I called a dear and close friend,” Ganzi said. “Chuy was beloved by all in and outside of our organization. His infectious smile and easy-going spirit always put you at ease and made you feel welcome.

“Our family feels grateful to have spent the last 13 years with Chuy in a professional capacity, as he helped us DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM

The well-liked polo player and groom at Grand Champions and Aspen Valley Polo Clubs was killed in an accident at the Aspen club in July.

Baez, 60, born in Leon Guanajuato, Mexico, of hard-working parents, Jose and Petra, was part of a large, loving family. Baez will be remembered for his infectious smile, gift for working with horses and humility that set him apart from others.

He grew up around horses and started working with them when he was 8 years old. He played polo for 25 years and most recently, groomed for two of the nation’s top polo clubs for 13 years until his death.

Baez grew up with Hall of Famer and former 10-goaler Memo Gracida in Mexico City. He first met Gracida when the two played foot mallet polo in Mexico as children. Chuy went on to ride horses for Gracida’s father before coming to the United States with Gracida in 1976. The two worked together for decades.

Gracida said Baez will be remembered for his humble spirit, exceptional horsemanship skills, excellent teammates and most importantly as a wonderful human who will not be forgotten.

During his playing career, Baez reached 6 goals in the U.S. working and playing with Gracida. Baez won several tournaments around the world including

(continued on page 38)

Photographs from throughout Chuy’s career were displayed at the final of the Emma Challenge Cup in Aspen, Colorado, on July 29.

for those who wish to help support his family. He was the sole provider for his family in Mexico and the U.S. The goal is to raise $30,000. The Ganzi organization will match the funds raised through September.

A memorial service was held in Wellington, Florida, on August 11. The Baez family and Ganzi organization plan to hold a memorial during the upcoming Florida season.

A day was dedicated to Baez during

the final of the Emma Challenge Cup in Aspen, Colorado, July 29. Photographs of Baez during his career were shown on the club’s Jumbo-tron throughout the day and were on display at the club. A moment of silence was held before each game and awards ceremony and a memorial service was held after the final. Chuy’s ex-wife, Jenifer Baez, and son, Sebastian, were in attendance for the memorial.

—Sharon Robb

A memorial service was held in Carbondale on July 29, attended by his close-knit polo family, his son Sebastian and ex-wife Jenifer.

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

CHIARO FOTO

and the Audi organization achieve and accomplish many of our goals; goals that Chuy shared with me as well. Our success on the field could not have been possible without him. I will miss him dearly. He was a true lover of horses and always had a unique connection to them.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Baez family, especially his children; we feel for their loss, as Chuy was family to us as well.”

“He was a fun-loving, great man with a beautiful soul who you could never catch without a smile on his face,” his family wrote on his Facebook page. “He worked his entire life and devoted his entire life to polo and his family and was just a short time away from retirement.”

Baez is survived by his daughter Caroline and son Sebastian; his father Jose; brothers, Juan, Pancho, Jose, Ramon and Raul; and sisters, Aracell and Ana. He was predeceased by his mother Petra, a brother, Oscar and a sister, Maria.

A Facebook page was created for Baez where people can post photos and memories of his life. An outpouring of dedications and photos have been posted from the polo community.

A GoFundMe page has been created

CHIARO FOTO

(continued from page 36)

USPA Umpires, LLC from 0 goal to 40 goal, we’ve gotcha covered!

For information regarding a professional umpire at your club, please contact: Charlie Muldoon (240) 731-2248 cmuldoon@uspolo.org Maggie Mitchell (941) 928-4600 mmitchell@uspolo.org For information regarding umpire certification, online testing, umpire clinics or rule reviews, please contact: Steve Lane (352) 454-6611 slane@uspolo.org

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RELOADED Argentine Triple Crown shows encouraging outlook

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SERGIO LLAMERA

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he first throw-in of 2018 is soon to be realized. The Argentine season, set to begin in a few weeks, shows an increase in participating teams, including two 40-goal quartets (La Dolfina and Ellerstina), which last happened in 2009.

The action opens, as usual, with the celebration of the San Jorge Military Equestrian Club Open for the Duque de Edimburgo (Duke of Edinburgh) Trophy, which this year will be held between Wednesday, Aug. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 8.

The first stop of the Triple Crown, the Tortugas Country Club Open, will put the Emilio de Anchorena Cup into play from Tuesday, Sept. 25 until Saturday, Oct. 6, having, for the first time, eight teams in competition instead of the usual six.

From Sept. 24 until Thursday, Oct. 4, the Remonta y Veterinaria Cup, a qualifier for the Hurlingham and Open tournaments, will be played on the Argentine Polo Association fields located in Pilar to define the two teams that will contest the last two scales.

The scheme of 10 teams in the two main tournaments (instead of eight), that was tested for the first time in 2017, left more doubts than certainties, but the commitment of the players with Eduardo Novillo Astrada, AAP’s president, was to keep the scheme a couple of years to evaluate and decide the way instead of drawing hasty conclusions.

Unlike 2017, when there were 10 teams committed to the last two events

Ten goaler Sapo Caset is hoping to win one of the Triple Crown tournaments as a member of Las Monjitas.

in the Triple Crown (six that played directly and four advancing from the qualification tournament) this year will involve 15 quartets (including seven teams in the qualifier) with players coming from the USA, Canada, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Spain and South Africa, showing great growth.

The oldest Open on the planet, The Hurlingham Club Open, which disputes The Ayrshire Cup, will be held at the Hurlingham Club headquarters between Tuesday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Nov. 3. The great closing of the season will be the 125th edition of the Argentine Polo Open, the most coveted event on the planet, which will be played in Palermo between Saturday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 15.

La Dolfina, the defending champion

in Palermo, will maintain—at least for one more year—the structure that allowed it to get the unprecedented trilogy of the Triple Crown (2013, 2014 and 2015). The four stars (Adolfo Cambiaso, David “Pelon” Stirling, Pablo Mac Donough and Juan Martín Nero) have kept a 40-goal rating since 2014 and are the rival to beat for all.

“We do not have a general objective, we will go tournament by tournament with the desire to win everything,” acknowledged the Uruguayan Stirling.

Ellerstina will premiere the highest rating this year with four Piereses together: brothers Gonzalo, Facundo and Nicolás, along with their cousin Polito. “The idea will be to be in the three finals again, like last year. Later we will see how many we won,” acknowledged Polito.

Alegría, last year’s third best team in dispute, suffered a schism after the Argentine Open semifinal was lost in the last chukker against La Zeta (Ellerstina). Marcos Heguy, the manager of Las Monjitas, the team of Colombian patron Camilo Bautista, offered the two 10 goalers of the quartet (Hilario Ulloa and Guillermo “Sapo” Caset) along with 8-goaler Facundo Sola to leave Fred Mannix and join the organization. The place of the Canadian back will be occupied by Julián De Lusarreta, a man historically linked to Chapaleufú, the club of the Heguys, so the new team will have 36 goals. “I think we’re here to win one of the three tournaments. That’s what we aim for,” said Sapo Caset.

Mannix decided to stay at the highest

SERGIO LLAMERA SERGIO LLAMERA

level and allied with La Irenita, the eighth team of the 2017 ranking. This agreement created Alegría-La Irenita with Mannix joining Clemente and Juan Martín Zavaleta and Matías Mac Donough, totaling 32 goals.

A team that still has not confirmed how it will be presented is La Aguada (33 goals). Last year, the injury suffered

by Eduardo Novillo Astrada in Tortugas (and his political commitments) forced him to give his place to Alfredo Bigatti, who shared a squad with Eduardo’s brothers Alejandro, Miguel and Ignacio.

If Eduardo’s duties for the AAP prevent his presence in the 2018 Triple Crown, Bigatti, who put in a good performance last year, will be back.

Two 32-goal crews will maintain the structure of the previous year: Cría Yatay (Valerio Zubiaurre, Cristian Laprida, Joaquín Pittaluga and Ignacio Laprida) and La Dolfina Polo Ranch (Guillermo Terrera, Diego Cavanagh, Alejo Taranco and Ignatius Du Plessis).

The eighth team in question will be a step down with 31 goals. La Albertina Abu Dhabi will keep Francisco Elizalde, Ignacio Toccalino and Alfredo Cappella Barabucci and will have a novelty in the arrival of Nic Roldan, the first American to play the highest tournament in the world seven years after the presence of Julio Arellano

La Dolfina will keep its four 10 goalers—Juan Martin Nero, Pablo Mac Donough, David Stirling and Adolfo Cambiaso—together for at least one more year.

when he was a member of Indios Chapaleufú II Cardón in 2011.

For the Remonta and Veterinary Cup, although the AAP still had not released the official calendar at press time, there will be seven teams that will play for the remaining two places, with ratings between 28 and 31 goals. In this scheme there is the novelty of La Cañada with two American players (Agustín Obregón and Jared Zenni) accompanied by Ezequiel Martínez Ferrario and Sebastián Merlos. The rest of the candidates are La Esquina Los Machitos (Pascual Sainz de Vicuña,

Rodrigo Andrade, Mariano Aguerre and Rodrigo Rueda), Etiqueta Negra (Second Bocchino, Juan Agustín García Grossi, Alejandro Muzzio and Matías Torres Zavaleta), Alegría (Julian Mannix, Juan Ruiz Guiñazú, Agustín Merlos and Jaime García Huidobro), Chapaleufú (Alberto Heguy, Tomás Fernández Llorente, Pedro Falabella and Joao Pablo Ganon), Puesto Viejo (Manuel Crespo, Salvador Ulloa, Diego Araya and Marcos Araya) and La Ensenada (Facundo Fernández Llorente, Juan Britos, Juan Martín Zubía and Jerónimo del Carril).

Polito Pieres was raised to 10 goals for this season, making Ellerstina 40 goals. With La Dolfina, it will be the first time since 2009 that two teams will have a 40-goal rating.

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

SERGIO LLAMERA

Ten goaler Hilario Ulloa will trade in his pink Alegría shirt for an orange Las Monjitas jersey.

From July 27-29 it was time again for polo meets picnic. Nearly 6,000 polo and picnic fans came to Münster’s Hugerlandshofweg to enjoy the unique atmosphere and enthusiasm for polo sports at the annual Polopicknick. The unique feature of the Polopicknick attracts eight teams Polopicknick is that the PHOTOS BY MATTHIAS GRUBER/POLO-LOOKS.COM visitors, in addition to the action-packed polo matches, experience a relaxing day with a beach-club feeling.

And all that for less than $12!

The Polopicknick tournament took place for the 15th time, with organizers billing the match as faster than hockey, rougher than rugby and sexier than golf.

A portion of the proceeds were

DESTINATION: GERMANY

donated to a good cause again this year.

The proceeds go to Farid Qualifighting, founded by Dr. Farid Vatanparast from Münster. His boxing project focuses on school and sports support for socially disadvantaged children with the idea of them becoming high achievers through sport.

The program tutors children and young people and teaches them to box, but only if they do their homework.

Those who don’t study, can’t box. The link between learning promotion and sport improves kids’ performance at school, strengthens their personal development and curbs aggression and violence. The key to the project’s success is the close cooperation with parents, teachers, police and the city. Thanks to the project, Muenster is a federal training center for boxing in Germany.

Guests at Polopicknick are

The 15th annual Polopicknick drew 6,000 fans and raised money for disadvantaged children.

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

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

encouraged to bring their own picnic.

The visitors come equipped with bulging picnic baskets, blankets and bottle coolers. At the edge of the pitch, blankets are spread out and the guests enjoy their lunch. The polo matches can be watched well from there and the favored team can be cheered on.

Large tents were erected for VIP guests where they enjoyed a delicious gourmet meal and sipped refreshing cocktails while watching the matches.

A lottery was held earlier in the month matching teams with sponsors.

After, participants celebrated with a traditional Argentine asado and a few well-chilled drinks.

World-class players showed their skills during the celebrated weekend.

The spectators had the unique opportunity to see German and international stars of the polo scene in

S P O T L I G H T

Niklas Steinle, Clarissa Marggraf, Laura Gissler and Steffi von Pock

Spectators are encouraged to bring blankets and picnic baskets.

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

Cilian’s Max Bosch, Clarissa Marggraf, Steffi von Pock and Manuel Elizalde celebrate.

SX-Capital takes on Top Magazin. Eight teams competed in the event.

Cilian’s Steffi von Pock battles iLive’s Joao Novaes.

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

Münster. There were top German players like Thomas Winter, Heinrich Dumrath, Max Bosch, Sven Schneider, Moritz Gaedeke, Patrick Maleitzke and Sebastian Schneberger. Top Argentinian players like Valentin Novillo Astrada, who won the Polo World Champion title in Azerbaijan in June, Augustin Kronhaus, Micky Duggan and Marcos Riglos also participated.

The Dutch came with Pablo van den Brink and Alexander van Andel. The Swiss Stefan Locher and Cedric Schweri were there as well as the Belgians Gery de Cloedt with his sons Léon and Lucien, who together with Marcos Riglos formed the team SX-Capital.

Games were played over three days.

On the first day, Oeding-Erdel defeated Factory Hotel 11-6½, Cilian defeated Top Magazin 10-4½; iLive edged SX-Capital 98 and Knubel got the best of Homann Immobilien 7½-6.

The second round of games saw firstround losers playing off in the first two games while winners played the last two games.

Münster’s Schneberger made it to the final with his Oeding-Erdel team, also known as Los Nocheros, consisting of Laura Gissler, Niklas Steinle and Valentin Novillo Astrada, where they ultimately fell to Team Cilian’s Clarissa Marggraf, Steffi von Pock, Manuel Elizalde of Spain and Max Bosch, 6-2.

The tournament winners took home the big trophy.

The event was family-friendly and everyone was welcome. Schneberger, creator of the Polopicknick said, “The Polopicknick is not a fancy event with champagne and snacks, but a place where people can meet in a relaxed atmosphere. We also want to address those who have not had any contact with polo sports before.

“Polo is a fast team ball game with body contact. You can see right away that it’s a tough and cool sport—very tactical and yet body-conscious. However, three referees take care that nothing happens to the horses and the players. Each player has four to six horses per game, which must be changed in between, so that the horses do not have to run to exhaustion.”

Rated 1 goal, Schneberger has been

Polo ponies rest in the shade between chukkers.

an avid polo player for many years. He organizes the tournament with Rhea Gutperle.

Gutperle said, “We were able to inspire a very wide audience for this

sport with the Polopicknick. Meanwhile, the great atmosphere in our tournament has got around, because, in addition to the top professionals, many spectators from all over the world come to

Münster.”

Excitement is already building as organizers plan for the 16th annual Polopicknick scheduled for July 2019, and teams are forming up as well.

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

POLO REPORT DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF POLO EASTERN

SEA MONSTERS CAPTURE MOUNTAIN VIEW CHALLENGE

Mountain View’s Shamsiya Shervani leads the pack as Sea monster’s Lea Jih-Vieira and Blake Truitt close in.

S

ea monsters swam away with the title in the 2nd annual USPA Mountain View Challenge held at Mountain View Polo in Charles Town, West Virginia, on June 17.

The 0-goal arena event was created to encourage the club’s low-goal players to compete in a USPA tournament.

Sea monsters (Blake Truitt, Lea JihVieira, Willow Longerbeam) started the match with a one-goal handicap and held on to that lead throughout the game. Mountain View (Shamsiya

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

Shervani, Kevin Yungk, Laura Goddard) kept closing the gap, threatening that lead as Yungk racked up goals from the penalty line. He went on to tally seven of Mountain View’s 10 goals, earning him MVP honors while Phantom, owned by Mountain View and played by Yungk, was Best Playing Pony. Truitt led the Sea monsters with six goals.

Willow Longerbeam and Lea JihVieira are interscholastic players on Mountain View’s girls’ team coached by Laura Goddard.

BORDER

EL CASO VICTORIOUS IN NALDA MEMORIAL

El Caso cruised to victory in the final of the Louie Nalda Memorial at El Caso Ranch in Quemado, New Mexico on July 1.

El Caso (Lance Easterling, Robert Bruton, Pete Chavez, Carol Moore) took on Rancho Naranjo (Ric Lara,

P O L O

R E P O R T

Sea monster’s Blake Truitt, Lea Jih-Vieira and Willow Longerbeam won the Mountain View Challenge.

Tony Yahyai presents trophies to Pedro Chavez, Robert Bruton, Lance Easterling and Carol Moore.

Rancho Naranjo’s Jason Bruton, Franz Felhaber and Fritz Felhaber won the USPA Alumni Cup.

El Caso’s Luke Wisneski, Johan Felhaber, Hunter Wisneski and Lance Easterling won the Ross Easterling Memorial.

Tony Yahyai, Alec Felhaber, Barbara McCrimmon) in the match. Easterling was the first to reach the goal, followed by teammate Bruton. Easterling shot through another before Lara put Rancho Naranjo on the board. A pony kicked one through the goal for Rancho, but it was countered by Bruton’s second goal. Moore traded goals with Felhaber ending the first with El Caso ahead 5-3. In the second, Lara sunk a penalty shot, but Moore responded with a pair of goals to increase El Caso’s lead by three, 7-4, at the half.

Chavez began the third with a pair of goals. Lara sunk another penalty but Moore scored again to double Rancho’s score, 10-5. Rancho had its work cut out for it if it was to win but El Caso kept that from happening.

Bruton and Easterling combined for three goals to go up 13-5. Lara scored his third penalty but it wasn’t enough

and El Caso took the title.

Later in the month, the club held the USPA Alumni Cup between El Caso/Nature’s Remedy (Kim Nance, Pedro Chavez, Robert Bruton) and Rancho Naranjo/Ruben Ortiz Law (Jason Bruton, Fritz Felhaber, Franz Felhaber). El Caso got off to a slow start while Rancho Naranjo’s Felhabers, cousins Fritz and Franz, had the hot sticks. Fritz put Rancho on the board and Franz followed with a hat trick to take a 4-0 lead. Franz traded goals with Chavez and Robert Bruton in the second to maintain a four-goal lead, 6-2, at the half.

Fritz took over in the third with three goals, added to another from Franz, while El Caso was held to a penalty conversion from Robert Bruton. Rancho finally ran out of bullets in the last period but the damage was done. Chavez scored once more, ending the match ended with

Rancho holding the 10-4 lead.

The month finished out with El Caso Ranch (Johan Felhaber, Lance Easterling, Hunter Wisneski/Luke Wisneski) edging Sante Fe (John Nance, Erin Brittin, Carol Moore) in the Ross Easterling Memorial in a shootout.

Santa Fe jumped out front in the first chukker thanks to Nance slamming in four in a row, including a pair of penalty conversions. Brittin followed with a goal, while El Caso was trying to stop the onslaught. Johan Felhaber put El Caso on the board and added another. In between, a pony helped them out by kicking the ball into the goal but three more goals by Nance countered El Caso’s efforts, ending the half with Santa Fe ahead, 83. Felhaber took control in the third, shooting in four goals, interrupted just once by a goal from Nance, cutting the deficit to two, 9-7. Felhaber couldn’t be stopped and after swapping goals with

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

R E P O R T CHIARO FOTO

CHIARO FOTO

P O L O

La Karina’s Stewart Armstrong, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Alejandra de la Vega and Brian Boyd won the Emma Challenge.

Britton, nailed the goal two more times to tie the score, 10-10, forcing overtime.

A shootout would determine the winner. After the first round, the teams had each scored one of three so they went to a second round. This time, the Santa Fe players missed while El Caso nailed its shots to take the win.

Many members of the Easterling family supported and hosted the event.

Ross’ brother, Buzz, was on hand during the weekend.

Four teams participated in the event, played over two days. El Caso Ranch advanced to the final after downing Cutco (Dan Faherty, Jason Briton, Benjamin Faherty, William Faherty), 16-10. Johan Felhaber couldn’t be stopped, scoring all but two of his team’s goals. On the other side, Santa Fe advanced over Ruben Ortiz Law Firm (Niklaus Felhaber, Robert Bruton, Barbara McCrimmon), 12-10.

Nance and Brittin led Santa Fe with six goals each, while Niklaus Felhaber scored a game-high eight goals in a losing effort. In the consolation, Ruben Ortiz Law Firm tipped the scales over Cutco, 7-2. Ruben Ortiz Law Firm shut out Cutco 3-0 in the first half. Briton scored two goals for Cutco over the next two periods, while Niklaus Felhaber scored a hat trick and Bruton added one. Felhaber had a total of five goals in the afternoon.

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

La Karina’s Lucas Lalor, Juancito Bollini, Grant Ganzi and Brian Boyd won the Basalt Handicap Final.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN

LA KARINA, PIOCHO TOP TWO CUPS IN ASPEN, CO

On an emotionally-charged day, the Emma Challenge Cup final lived up to expectations in front of a packed house July 29 at Aspen Valley Polo Club in Aspen, Colorado.

Argentine 9-goaler Nacho Novillo Astrada scored the winning goal with four minutes left in overtime to lead defending champion La Karina (Alejandra de la Vega, Brian Boyd, Stewart Armstrong, Nacho Novillo Astrada) to a thrilling 8-7 victory over Piocho Ranch (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Nacho Figueras, Tom Barrack).

Astrada was named Most Valuable Player after scoring a team-high four goals including the game-winner.

Little Hawk, an 11-year-old mare, owned and ridden by Figueras in the fifth chukker, was Best Playing Pony.

Also scoring for La Karina was de la Vega with two goals, including a clutch 30-yeard penalty conversion that gave La Karina a 7-6 lead with 3:37 left in regulation. Boyd and Armstrong each added one goal.

For Piocho Ranch Ganzi added three including an incredible lofted neck shot that tied the game at 7-7 with 1:29 left in regulation.

Astrada had an opportunity to win the game in regulation with a 60-yard

penalty shot with 38 seconds remaining but his attempt sailed wide right.

Piocho Ranch had the first opportunity to score in overtime but missed a long goal attempt. Astrada brought the ball downfield and, despite having defenders all over him near the sideboards, got the winning shot off.

In the Just for the Love of It subsidiary game, Sopris Mountain Ranch (Jeff Desich, Rich Desich, Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini) defeated Los Amigos Red (Michael Payne, Paul Foster, Pablo Dorignac, Jonathan Gracida), 9-7.

Jeff Desich, who scored a game-high five goals, was named Most Valuable Player. His brother Rich was forced to leave the game with six minutes left in the third chukker with an injury. The teams decided to play three on three for the rest of the match.

After a close first half with Sopris Mountain Ranch leading 5-4, Ganzi scored and Sopris Mountain Ranch shut out Los Amigos Red for the 6-4 lead.

Behind Desich’s hot mallet and three goals, Sopris Mountain Ranch extended its lead to 7-4 early in the fifth chukker and maintained a two-goal advantage for the rest of the game.

The previous week, La Karina (Brian Boyd, Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Lucas Lalor) won the Basalt Handicap, defeating Piocho Ranch (Marc Ganzi, Carlitos Gracida, Nacho

R E P O R T

CHIARO FOTO

CHIARO FOTO

P O L O

Piocho’s Tom Barrack, Nacho Figueras, Carlitos Gracida and Riley Ganzi took the Independence Cup.

Figueras, Tom Barrack), 8-5.

Grant Ganzi, a member of Team USPA, was named the game’s MVP for the second year in a row. Ganzi had a game-high four goals including two penalty conversions.

Santa Rita Polo Farm’s 6-year-old grey mare, Pilar, played by Lalor in the third chukker, was Best Playing Pony.

La Karina, led by Bollini in the back, was relentless on defense. Piocho Ranch had its share of scoring opportunities but could not take advantage against La Karina’s stingy defense.

Despite a 20-minute delay for a storm at the 5:06 mark of the third chukker, La Karina never lost its momentum.

Los Amigos Red (Alex Gooding, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Stewart Armstrong, Paul Foster) won the Just For The Love Of It subsidiary game with a 12-7 victory over American Polo Horse (Alejandra de la Vega, Riley Ganzi, Pablo Dorignac, Juan Bollini).

Los Amigos Red broke open a close game, taking a 4-3 lead at the end of the second chukker on Astrada’s goal.

Los Amigos Red never trailed after that and led by as many as five goals, 11-6, late in the fifth chukker and shut out American Polo Horse, 1-0, in the final chukker.

The season opened with Piocho Ranch coming away with the Independence Cup. Piocho (Riley

Piocho’s Grant Ganzi, Nacho Figueras, Juancito Bollini and Tom Barrack won the Craig Sakin Memorial Cup.

Ganzi, Carlitos Gracida, Nacho Figueras, Tom Barrack) defeated Aspen Valley Polo Club (Melissa Ganzi, Marc Ganzi, Pablo Dorignac, Juan Bollini) in front of a good local holiday crowd.

Piocho, tied twice in the third and fifth chukkers, came up big in the sixth chukker with goals from Figueras and Barrack to clinch the 8-6 victory.

Nacho Figueras was named MVP and his 10-year-old Chestnut mare, Milonga, played in the fourth chukker

by Barrack, was Best Playing Pony.

The game was a seesaw affair for the first five chukkers. The lead changed hands nine times. Piocho took a 6-4 lead at the end of the fourth chukker before Aspen Valley tied the game at 66 on Melissa Ganzi’s goal with 50 seconds left in the fifth chukker.

Both teams had their share of scoring opportunities in the final chukker but it was Piocho, which took advantage with a go-ahead goal by Figueras with 3:32 left and an insurance goal by Barrack with a minute remaining. Barrack led Piocho in scoring with four goals.

Piocho Ranch followed up the next week with a win in the fifth annual Craig Sakin Memorial, edging Los Amigos Red, 11-10, in a thrilling match.

Piocho Ranch (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Nacho Figueras, Tom Barrack) jumped out to a big lead before Los Amigos Red (Jonathan

Gracida/ Alejandra Foster, Pablo Dorignac, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Paul Foster) cut the deficit in the sixth chukker.

Nacho Figueras was MVP for the second week in a row. MVP Amateur Award went to Alejandra Foster, who also won MVP honors the previous day in the Aspen Cup. Yatay St. Regis, a 7-year-old mare from Figueras’ breeding ranch in Argentina, was Best Playing Pony. The horse, owned by Barrack and played in the fifth chukker by Figueras, is out of Quattro by stud Cabernet.

Figueras scored five goals including the game-winner with 2:31 left. Ganzi and Bollini had three goals.

Nacho Novillo Astrada, making his tournament season debut, scored a game-high six goals. Alejandra and Paul Foster each had two goals.

In one of the club’s most exciting games in tournament history, Piocho Ranch was sitting pretty in the first half, controlling the game on both ends of the field. Piocho jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Los Amigos Red scored its first goal in the final minute of the chukker.

Piocho, controlling the throw-ins, was unstoppable in the second chukker, scoring three consecutive goals for a 61 lead. Back-to-back goals from Novillo Astrada and Paul Foster and winning the final two throw-ins kept Los Amigos Red in the game.

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P O L O

R E P O R T

Mokarow Farms’ Todd Offen, Nachi Viana, Clark Mayer and Don Stemaly won the USPA Congressional Cup.

Piocho Ranch opened the third chukker with a long mid-air goal from Ganzi at center field for a 7-3 lead.

Novillo Astrada kept Los Amigos Red in the game and also scored from center field to cut the lead to 8-5 before Piocho took a 9-5 halftime lead after another long goal from Ganzi.

With Piocho ahead, 10-6, at the end of the fourth chukker, Los Amigos Red started chipping away at the lead, reeling off four consecutive points, including the tying goal by Alejandro Foster with three minutes left.

Both teams had scoring opportunities late in the game but it was Figueras’ heroics of scoring the game-winner and stopping Novillo Astrada’s long hit to goal that clinched the win.

Flexjet (Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini, Marc Ganzi, Alex Gooding) won the Just for the Love Of It subsidiary final with a 12-9 victory over La Karina (Jonathan Gracida, Brian Boyd, Lucas Lalor, Carlitos Gracida).

The subsidiary final was just as competitive as the final. The lead changed hands six times in the first four chukkers before Melissa Ganzi’s long pass to husband Marc Ganzi for a goal tied the game at 8-8, followed up

by Gooding’s long goal shot to take the lead for good. It was all flexjet in the fifth and sixth chukkers.

—Sharon Robb

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

Rawhide Creek’s Steve Gilchrist, Clark Mayer, Rob Stenzel and Don Stemaly won the USPA George Patton Tournament.

SOUTHWEST

MOKAROW TRIUMPHS

IN CONGRESSIONAL CUP Mokarow Farms’ topped four teams in the USPA Congressional Cup at Willow Bend Polo Club in Little Elm, Texas, June 20.

The teams, divided into two brackets, battled over two weeks.

Tiburon (Pipa Turrubiartes, Rob Stenzel, Russell Stimmel, Collen Clark) and Mokarow Farms (Kevin Mokarow, Nachi Viana, Todd Offen, Clark Mayer) both advanced to the final with 2-0 records. Mokarow Farms then topped Tiburon 12-10 for the title. Rob Stenzel’s Athena was named Best Playing Pony.

In preliminary games, Tiburon edged Palo Pinto (Olivia Uechtritz, Allen Custard, Tommy Collingwood, Robert Payne), 10-9, and Mayer Ranch (Kenny Mayer, Rob Payne, Collin McCosh, Justin Daniels), 11-5.

Mokarow got the best of Palo Pinto, 84, and Mayer Ranch, 13-9. Palo Pinto defeated Mayer Ranch 11-8 for third place.

A few days earlier, on June 17, Rawhide Creek (Don Stemaly, Rob Stenzel, Steve Gilchrist, Clark Mayer) took the title in the USPA George Patton tournament played over two days. Rawhide Creek downed

Catena/Willow Bend (Bill Kraft, Rob Payne, Kristin Armbruster, Will Walton), 10-7. Will Walton was MVP and April, owned by Mokarow Farms was Best Playing Pony.

In preliminary games, Catena/Willow Bend defeated 5S Ranch (Kelly Coldiron, Richard Steppe, Greg Summers, Robert Payne), 7-4; Rawhide Creek topped Icon Global (Bernie Uechtritz, Olivia Uechtritz, Ed Judge, Cinderella von Falkenhausen), 6-5½; and 5S Ranch edged Icon Global 3½-3.

CENTRAL

WINNIPEG SECURES PTF SENIORS TOURNEY Blackberry Polo Club in Batavia, Illinois, hosted the annual Central Circuit PTF Seniors Tournament July 14-15.

After a short rain delay, the four teams began play on Saturday with Winnipeg vs. Oswego. The Winnipeg team (Memo Font, Gerald Levin, Joe Messer, Clifton Yandell) prevailed over Oswego (Zivile Rackanskas, Douglas Giebel, Tony Natale, John Greene, Tucker Reback). Barrington Hills (Keith Gray, Joan Brugue, Bill O’Leary, Bob McMurty) clinched its trip to the final with an 8-3 win over Peoria (Robert

R E P O R T TIME STOPS PHOTOGRAPHY

P O L O

Winnipeg’s Joe Messer, Clifton Yandell, Gerald Levin and Memo Font with presenter David Wigdahl, right

TIME STOPS PHOTOGRAPHY

McGinley, Roueen Rafayan, Chuck Weaver and Len Monson).

Sunday’s matches were played for the benefit of the Batavia Arts Council. Oswego captured the consolation match with an 8-3 win over Peoria. Natale was high-scorer with three goals for the winners.

For the final match, keeping with the “Gatsby Gallop” theme, Barrington Hills was renamed the Gangsters, sponsored by Mirror Image, and Winnipeg became the Bootleggers, sponsored by Bulldog Plumbing. Font anchored the Bootleggers with two goals and long passes to Yandell for two more. Messer and Levin scored one each. The Bootlegger defense held the Gangsters to two goals, one each from Joan Brugue and Bob McMurty.

David Wigdahl presented the Thomas J. Wigdahl Trophy in honor of his father. The club already has scheduled the tournament for July 1415, 2019.

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

OAK BROOK PREVAILS IN DRAKE CHALLENGE After several weeks of rainouts, the Oak Brook Polo Club in Oak Brook,

Gibson’s Matias Obregon, MVP Lindor Novillo Corvalan, Billy Mudra and Chris Vangel won the Butler Challenge Cup.

Illinois, was able to kick off its season with the 12-goal Drake Challenge Cup played between Oak Brook (Jim Drury, Horacio Onetto, Toto Obregon, Mariano Gutierrez) and Morgan Creek (Dean Kleronomos, Tod Rackley, Del Walton, Lindor Novillo Corvalan) on July 22.

Morgan Creek began with a two-goal handicap, which Obregon quickly negated. Rackley and Onetto swapped goals for a 3-3 tie after the first seven minutes. Onetto scored three in a row in the second chukker while Morgan Creek was silenced for a 6-3 Oak Brook lead, but not for long. Kleronomos put two on the board in the third, followed by Corvalan, tying the match at 6-all at the halftime break.

Onetto and Obregon kept up the

pressure in the fourth, each scoring goals. Corvalan leveled the score in the fifth and Obregon traded goals with Rackley to close out the chukker in another tie, 9-9.

Gutierrez scored early in the sixth, but Corvalan had the answer. As the time ticked away, Gutierrez slipped in another goal for the win.

Corvalan was MVP with four goals and Gutierrez’s Bonita was Best Playing Pony.

The same Oak Brook team wasn’t as lucky in the 12-goal Butler Challenge Cup on July 29 when it took on Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse (Chris Vangel, Matias Obregon, Lindor Novillo Corvalan, Billy Mudra). Mudra’s daughter Grace replaced Jim Drury in the match.

Onetto was the first to score with a Penalty 2 conversion but Corvalan answered with two to give Gibson’s the lead. Onetto put two on the board in the second but Corvalan sunk a Penalty 2 to tie the score at 3-all. Gibson’s jumped out front, 6-3, in the third after goals by Matias Obregon, Corvalan and Billy Mudra.

After the half, Matias Obregon added another to put Gibson’s up by four.

Onetto cut the deficit with a pair of goals. Matias Obregon scored again, but Onetto and Grace Mudra answered with goals to bring Oak Brook within one, 8-

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

P O L O

R E P O R T

No Trees’ Charlie and Harry Caldwell, Jeff Blake, Craig Duke and Shane Rice with Jeff Keller, Connie Bason and Tom Keehner

7. Billy Mudra and Corvalan found the target in the fifth, while Oak Brook was scoreless, putting Gibson’s up 10-7. Oak Brook worked hard to put points on the board in the final chukker. Gutierrez and Onetto split the uprights but the team fell short as the horn sounded with Gibson’s ahead 10-9.

Corvalan was named MVP for the second week in a row and Onetto’s Hula was Best Playing Pony.

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

NO TREES TAKES FLYING H OPENER

No Trees got the best of Bendabout in the final of the season-opening Gallatin Ranch Cup at Flying H Polo Club in Big Horn, Wyoming, July 7.

Each team played two four-chukker matches over two days to decide the winning team and players’ bragging rights.

No Trees (Harry/Charlie Caldwell, Jeff Blake, Craig Duke, Shane Rice) held on to the two-goal handicap awarded from Bendabout (Gillian Johnston, Lucas Arellano, Julio Arellano, Tom Gose) to take the 13-11 victory.

Duke started the scoring with a pair of open-goal penalties early in the first.

Rice followed with a shot from the field to take a 5-0 lead. Johnston put Bendabout on the board and a Penalty 4 from Julio Arellano got the team back in

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

Bendabout’s Hutch Radcliff, Gillian Johnston, Steve Dalton and MVP Julio Arellano won the Cloud Peak Cup.

the game. Duke sunk a Penalty 3 to end the first 6-2. Gose split the uprights on a Penalty 2 in the second and Rice traded goals with Julio Arellano, ending the second a bit closer, 7-4. Father and son, Julio and Lucas Arellano, gave No Trees the one-two punch, but a pair of goals from Blake negated their efforts. The half ended with No Trees holding the 96 lead.

The Arellanos scored again in the fourth while No Trees was limited to one from Charlie Caldwell, cutting the deficit to two, 10-8. Rice traded goals with Julio Arellano in the fifth and Blake and Rice swapped goals with Lucas Arellano and Tom Gose (Penalty 2) in the final chukker, leaving No Trees ahead 13-11.

Jeff Blake was named MVP and Rice’s fifth chukker pony, Summer, was Best Playing Pony.

In the consolation Johnny Clover Classic, Clearwater (Jim Parr, Chip Campbell, Gonzalo Teves, Frankie Bilboa) edged BTA (Sugar Erskine, Steve Krueger, Gonzalo de la Fuente, Kelly Beal), 11-9. Frankie Bilbao was MVP and his third chukker pony was Best Playing Pony.

The consolation Circle V Polo Cup was won by Parrot Heads (Roni Duke, Hope Arellano, Francisco Lanusse, Jason Crowder) over Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Hector Galindo, Miguel Astrada, Roper Morrow), 10-8.

Bendabout (Hutch Radcliff, Gillian

Johnston, Steve Dalton, Julio Arellano) bounced back the following week when it beat The Villages (Jim Parr, Jason Crowder, Frankie Bilbao, Tom Gose), 118, in the Cloud Peak Cup. The Villages began with a handicap goal, which was quickly countered by a goal from Johnston. Gose sunk a Penalty 2 to put The Villages back on top, but Radcliff converted a Penalty 3 to level the score at 2-2. An early second period goal by Radcliff gave Bendabout a firsttime lead, but Parr answered to tie the score once again. Goals by Arellano and Dalton gave Bendabout a two-goal lead, 5-3. Gose split the uprights, followed by goals from Bilbao and Crowder to take back the lead, 6-5, at the half.

Fouling changed the game in the fourth when a pair of Penalty 2s by Radcliff gave Bendabout the advantage.

Gose sunk another Penalty 2 but it was countered by a goal from Arellano.

Bilboa scored a lone goal in the fifth to knot the score at 8-all. Radcliff tapped in his third Penalty 2 to give Bendabout the lead, 9-8. Johnston ran to goal and Radcliff added another, giving Bendabout the victory.

Julio Arellano was named MVP and Radcliff’s Sabonet wore the Best Playing Pony blanket.

In the consolation Cloud Peak Challenge, Sonny Hill (Curtis Pilot, Lucas Arellano, Francisco Lanusse, Shane Rice) got the best of Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Hector Galindo, Sugar

P O L O

Tito’s Joe Wayne Barry, Gonzalo Teves, Roper Morrow and Francisco Lanusse won the Bradford Brinton Memorial.

Erskine, Joe Wayne Barry), 12-9. Rice was MVP and Curtis Pilot’s Pompita was Best Playing Pony.

In the Cloud Peak Classic, BTA (KC Krueger, Steve Krueger, Miguel Astrada, Roper Morrow) edged Clearwater (Hope Arellano, Chip Campbell, Jeff Blake, Gonzalo Teves), 10-9.

In the Bradford Brinton Memorial, played on July 21, Tito’s (James P. Uihlein, Gonzalo de la Fuente, Francisco Lanusse, Joe Wayne Barry) defeated Parrot Heads (Roni Duke, Jason Crowder, Sugar Erskine, Harry Caldwell), 8-7.

Tito’s began with a two-goal handicap and Morrow added to it with a Penalty 2 conversion, the only goal in the first chukker. Lanusse split the uprights in the second before Roni Duke’s Penalty 2 put Parrot Heads on the board. Morrow scored another Penalty 2 in the third, but Crowder and Erskine responded with field goals to cut the deficit to two, 5-3 at the half.

Parrot Heads took control in the third with Duke, Crowder and Erskine tallying, while Tito’s was held scoreless, giving Parrot Heads the 6-5 lead. Tito’s took the lead back in the fifth with goals

by Lanusse and Barry before Crowder tied it up, 7-7. The teams battled in the final chukker, each shooting at goal twice unsuccessfully. Lanusse finally found the mark to put Tito’s ahead until time expired.

Jason Crowder was MVP and Curtis

R E P O R T

Why Not’s Jef Graham, Santi Wulff, Santi Trotz, Hana Grill and Jim Wright won the James Colt Classic.

Pilot’s Tiara was Best Playing Pony.

In the consolation Red Grade Cup, Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Hector Galindo, Jeff Blake, Charlie Caldwell) edged Retama (Kelly Beal, Steve Krueger, Miguel Astrada, Tom Gose), 109. Wayne Garrison was MVP and Steve Krueger’s grey mare, Bugsy, was Best Playing Pony.

In the consolation Turbin Creek Challenge, Bendabout (Gillian Johnston, Shane Rice, Julio Arellano, Craig Duke) edged Clearwater (Jim Parr, Chip Campbell, Gonzalo Teves, Frankie Bilbao), 9-8.

The final of the Oliver Wallop Cup, scheduled for July 26, was rained out and was played on July 31. Jan Pamela (Wayne Garrison, Hector Galindo, Sugar Erskine, Stevie Orthwein) narrowly slipped Bendabout (Gillian Johnston, Lucas Arellano, Miguel Astrada, Kelly Beal), by 11-10.

Bendabout began with a two-goal handicap and Jan Pamela quickly got to work neutralizing it, first with a goal from Erskine, then with a pair of Penalty 3s from Garrison. Johnston and Astrada fought back with goals in the second, while holding Jan Pamela scoreless. Jan Pamela responded in-kind in the third with unanswered goals by Garrison and Orthwein for a 5-4 halftime lead. Astrada put Bendabout on top in the fourth, but Orthwein tied the game at 6-all. Johnston and Astrada took back the lead, but Erskine and

Orthwein tied it back up. In the last period, Erskine traded goals with Astrada before a pair of goals by Orthwein put Jan Pamela ahead by two.

A Penalty 1 brought Bendabout within a goal but time ran out with Jan Pamela narrowly ahead.

Orthwein was MVP and Gillian’s fifth chukker horse, Sugar, was Best Playing Pony.

In the first consolation round, The Villages (Jim Parr, Frankie Bilboa, Steve Krueger, Jason Crowder) edged Titos (Malia Bryan, James P. Uihlein, Julian de Lusarreta, Joe Wayne Barry), 11-9.

Jim Parr was MVP while de Lusarreta’s 7-year-old bay mare, Delphenia, was Best Playing Pony. In the other consolation round, Newport (Gene Goldstein, Harry/Charlie Caldwell, Michel Dorignac, Gonzalo Teves) edged Sonny Hill (Curtis Pilot, Francisco Lanusse, Steve Dalton, Jeff Blake), 10-9.

CALIFORNIA

WHY NOT WINS JAMES COLT CLASSIC Why Not powered to victory in the 8goal James Colt Classic final at Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club in Carpinteria, California, July 14. Six teams divided into two brackets played a cross-bracket format over nine days.

It was the opening tournament in the

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

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

P O L O

FMB’s Charlie Walker, Benjamin Avendano, Santi Wulff and Leigh Brecheen won the Summerland Cup.

8-goal Rincon League, which includes four tournaments.

Why Not (Hana Grill, Jim Wright, Santi Trotz/Santi Wulff, Jef Graham) led from start to finish over Novis Insurance (Ivan Weiss, Julio Zavaleta, Maco Llambias, Milan Nebuchla). Jim Wright got the scoring started with a Penalty 3 conversion for Why Not, overcoming the one-goal handicap given to Novis. Hana Grill added to the Why Not score with a pair of goals, ending the first chukker 31. Jef Graham added a goal in the second and Wright sunk a Penalty 4, giving Why Not a 5-1 advantage. Julio Zavaleta broke Novis’ scoring drought to stay in the game. An injury kept Santiago Trotz from continuing, so Santiago Wulff replaced him in the third. Maco Llambias cut the deficit to two on a Penalty 3 conversion, but goals

by Wright and Wulff made the spread four goals, 7-3, at the half.

Grill started the scoring in the fourth, but Zavaleta answered. Grill struck again early in the fifth and Wright turned up the heat, scoring three in a row to take a 12-4 lead to end the chukker. Novis fought back in the sixth, with Weiss, Zavaleta and Llambias combining for four goals in reply while holding Why Not scoreless, but the damage had been done and Why Not took the trophies on the 12-8 victory.

Hana Grill was named MVP and Llambias’ second chukker pony, Venturino, was Best Playing Pony.

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

Lucchese’s Jeff Hall, Facundo Obregon, John Muse, Toly Ulloa and Luke Klentner won the Robert Skene Trophy.

In the consolation rounds, Cancha de las Estrellas (Sarah Magness, Joe Henderson, Mariano Fassetta, Mia Bray) took on Gainesway (Cory Williams, JW Hall, Andrew Beck, Juan Monteverde), and Whitehall Ranch (Paquito de Narvaez, Mariano Iniguez, Facundo Obregon, Bill Lane) faced Klentner Ranch (J. Contreras/ Elizabeth Humphreys, Luke Klentner, Jake Klentner, Jesse Bray).

Two weeks later, on July 28, Farmers Merchant Bank (Charlie Walker, Benjamin Avendano, Santi Wulff, Leigh Brecheen) defeated Whitehall Ranch (Paquito de Narvaez, Mariano Ineguez, Facundo Obregon, Bill Lane), 13-10, in the final of the Summerland Cup, the second tournament in the Rincon League. Six teams divided into two brackets, playing a cross-bracket format, dueled off over 10 days for a spot in the final.

It was a high-scoring game riddled with fouls. Farmers Merchant Bank began with a handicap goal and added to it with a Penalty 3 conversions.

Facundo Obregon sunk back-to-back goals to level the score, but Avendano hammered in another Penalty 3.

Obregon replied with a Penalty 4 but Santi Wulff got the last word with a Penalty 6 to give FMB a 5-3 advantage.

Avendano split the uprights early in the second, but Obregon answered with a Penalty 6. FMB was awarded a Penalty 1 and Brecheen scored on a drive

downfield to double up Whitehall’s score, 8-4. Wulff sunk a Penalty 2 but missed on a Penalty 4, ending the first half 9-4.

Whitehall regrouped at the half and Obregon shot through a pair of goals wrapped around one from Avendano.

Charlie Walker found the goal to start the fifth. Later, FMB missed on a Penalty 4 but hit the target with a Penalty 3. Paco de Narvaez sunk a Penalty 3, and another Penalty 4 from FMB went wide, ending the chukker 127. Obregon scored twice, interrupted only by an Avendano goal, cutting the deficit to four. De Narvaez shot through the last goal but Whitehall ran out of time before it was able to get any closer.

Benjamin Avendano, who scored seven goals, was named MVP and Bill Lane’s Mouse wore the Best Playing Pony blanket. Facundo Obregon scored a game-high eight goals in the losing effort.

In the consolation matches, Barrossa (Hana Grill, Jim Wright, Santiago Trotz, Jef Graham) defeated Novis Insurance (Ivan Weiss, Maco Llambias, Julio Zavaleta, Milan Nebuchla) and Gainesway (Cory Williams, JW Hall, Andrew Beck, Juan Monteverde) defeated Klentner Ranch (J. Contreras/Elizabeth Humphreys, Luke Klentner, Jake Klentner, Jesse Bray).

In 16-goal action, Lucchese edged Restoration Hardware, 14-13, in a downto-the-wire final of the Robert Skene

P O L O

Barton Farms’ Henry Zavaleta, Luciano Vasquez, Jared Sheldon and Andrew Gundlach won the Officer’s Cup.

Trophy. Eventual Best Playing Pony, Gypsy, owned by Jeff Hall, helped turn the game around for Lucchese (Carlos Ulloa, Facundo Obregon, Jeff Hall, John Muse/Luke Klentner) after it trailed RH (Ben Soleimani, Santi Von Wernich/ Santi Wulff/Felipe Vercellino, Iñaki Laprida, Geronimo Obregon) in the sixth chukker. Hall cantered onto the field with confidence to begin the final seven minutes of regulation play and quickly found the ball at the end of his mallet. Blowing by his defenders, Hall scored three consecutive goals for the close win.

With players just arriving from the English season, Restoration Hardware elected to stick with its team of substitutes for the duration of the tournament. Felipe Vercellino (6) and Santi Wulff (5) stepped in for Iñaki Laprida (7) and Santi von Wernich (5) at the onset of the tournament and quickly fell in sync with each other alongside teammates Geronimo Obregon (4) and Ben Soleimani (A). Luke Klentner (A) played for John Muse on Lucchese.

In a fantastic display of horse power and young talent, the final was competitive until the final bell chimed.

RH began with a handicap goal, but a quick whistle put Lucchese on the board within a minute. Two goals by Hall and a goal each by Geronimo Obregon and Vercellino left the score tied after the first chukker of play. “Playing against my [younger] brother [Geronimo] is

R E P O R T

Gardenvale’s Agucho Zavaleta, MVP Matt Coppola, Shane Finemore and Juanse Olivera took the Officer’s Cup Handicap.

always a challenge, but it also makes it more fun,” said Facundo Obregon.

Fouls riddled the beginning of the second period, giving Facundo Obregon the opportunity to put Lucchese in the lead by one, 6-5, from the penalty line.

The momentum swung back in favor of RH with young players Geronimo Obregon and Vercellino playing off each other’s fiery determination. With Wulff at the back feeding passes to his runners, RH pulled ahead in the third chukker, 8-6.

A balanced fifth chukker saw two goals scored by each side. Carlos “Toly” Ulloa threaded through the pack of players, slicing the ball in to tie the score at 11 goals each. A final penalty goal by RH pushed them in the lead 12-11.

MVP Jeff Hall dominated the final chukker on Gypsy. Ulloa played a tight defense, breaking open the field for Hall to walk the ball through the uprights for Lucchese’s 14th goal of the game. RH did not relent, scoring once more before the clock ticked down, ending with a final score of 14-13. Hall’s strategy for the 2018 season in Santa Barbara, included using a higher-rated second player. After playing the 20 goal with Facundo Obregon, the two players began the season a step ahead. Their third player, Toly Ulloa, easily slid into their system and proved to be both talented with the ball and disciplined in taking a man.

“The game was very close today. RH

had a few goals on us in the middle chukkers, but we were able to get organized in the sixth chukker. Jeff scored three of the goals from the field to put us ahead, but Geronimo almost got us on his last run,” said Facundo, chuckling.

Five teams competed this season in the tournament named after 10-goaler “Hurricane Bob” Skene, who managed Santa Barbara Polo Club for several years. The Hall of Famer represented the British in the 1939 Westchester Cup, won the U.S Open three times and the Argentine Open twice.

NORTHEAST

BARTON FARMS BEST IN USPA OFFICERS CUP Barton Farms edged Smithfield 12-11 in the final of the USPA Officer’s Cup at Mashomack Polo Club in Pine Plains, New York, on June 30.

Smithfield (Craig Callen, Robi Bilbao, Julio Ezcurra, John Klopp) began with a handicap goal but Barton Farms (Andrew Gundlach, Luciano Vasquez, Jared Sheldon, Henry Zavaleta) wasted no time in overcoming it when Zavaleta sent the ball through the uprights. Ezcurra converted a Penalty 3, but Vasquez responded with a Penalty 4 conversion for a 2-2 score after the first seven minutes. Sheldon traded

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

HUNTSMAN SHINES IN USPA SILVER CUP

KATERINA MORGAN

KATERINA MORGAN

goals with Bilbao in the second to keep (Peter Holowesko, Santino Magrini, it level. The third chukker was just as Pedro Gutierrez, Matias Magrini), 13-10. tight as Ezcurra matched goals from Postage Stamp would need to strike Huntsman edged Postage Stamp Farm Vasquez and Zavaleta for a 5-5 tie at the early and often if it was to take down in the final of the Silver Cup at half.

Huntsman. Mariano Gonzalez put Greenwich Polo Club in Greenwich, Barton jumped out front in the Postage Stamp on the board early in the fourth with unanswered goals first with a run to goal, but a from Gundlach and Sheldon. penalty conversion by Tomas Ezcurra was on fire in the Garcia del Rio negated it. Toro fifth, scoring four goals Ruiz and Brandon Phillips including a pair of Penalty 2s, traded penalty conversions in while Barton was held to a the second, but a field goal by single goal from Sheldon for a Garcia del Rio put Huntsman 10-9 Smithfield advantage. A on top 3-2. Phillips and Garcia Penalty 1 for Smithfield gave del Rio swapped penalties in it a two-goal advantage early the third, but field goals from in the sixth, but Barton was Dillon Bacon and Garcia del unfazed and kept chipping Rio extended the Huntsman away at the lead. Sheldon lead to 6-3 at the half. scored and Zavaleta added Postage Stamp hit the reset Huntsman’s Segundo Merlos, Tomas Garcia del Rio, Toro Ruiz and Dillon Bacon won the Silver Cup in Greenwich, Connecticut. another to knot the score at button at the halftime break, 11-11. And with time running shutting Huntsman down in Connecticut, July 21. out, Sheldon hit the target to give the fourth while Gonzalez shot through Huntsman (Dillon Bacon, Toro Ruiz, Barton Farms the win. a lone goal. Postage Stamp combined Tomas Garcia del Rio, Segundo Merlos) Vasquez was MVP and a pretty bay for three more goals in the fifth, dominated in preliminary games, pony, owned by John Klopp and Played including a pair of penalty conversions, blowing away the competition while

by Ezcurra, was Best Playing Pony. and a field goal from Marcos Garcia del scoring an average 13 goals per game. It In the Officer’s Cup Handicap on Rio. A field goal from Ruiz and another met Postage Stamp Farm (Annabelle July 1, Gardenvale (Shane Finemore, penalty by Tomas Garcia del Rio kept Gundlach, Marcos Garcia del Rio, Juanse Olivera, Matt Coppola, Agucho Huntsman in the lead, 8-7. Postage Brandon Phillips, Mariano Gonzalez) in Zavaleta) edged Hawk Hill (Ian Stamp was too close for comfort so the final, a team it had beaten MacTaggert, Dylan Rossiter, Agustin Huntsman kicked into full gear. Tomas previously, 12-9. Postage Stamp finished Bottaro, Keko Magrini), 10-9. Olivera Garcia del Rio split the uprights and the preliminaries with a 2-1 record after scored a lone goal in the first chukker to Segundo Merlos followed with another overcoming Faraway (Stevie Orthwein, put Gardenvale on the board. Rossiter goal to go up 10-7. Gonzalez scored the Kris Kampsen, Julian Daniels, Hutton sunk a penalty in the second to put last goal from the penalty line, but it Goodman), 12-8, and Island House Hawk Hill on the board but Coppola wasn’t enough and Huntsman took its scored back-to-back goals to put Gardenvale ahead, 3-1. Rossiter and Dillon Bacon passes to his Coppola each scored a field goal and a teammates in the penalty in the third, leaving Gardenvale Silver Cup final. ahead 5-3 at the half.

In the fourth, Coppola traded goals with Bottaro and Rossiter. He added two more in the fifth, while Olivera traded penalty shots with Rossiter to give Gardenvale the 10-6 lead. Hawk Hill took over in the sixth chukker with Zavaleta, Rossiter and MacTaggert finding the goal, but came just short of tying as the horn sounded. Matt Coppola was MVP and one of his ponies was Best Playing Pony.

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

P O L O second title this summer.

Marcos Garcia del Rio was named MVP of the final and Tomas Garcia del Rio’s Cali Marino, whom he played in the sixth chukker, was Best playing Pony.

degree in engineering. He was elected to the Tau Beta Society, lettered in swimming, played water polo and was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Shortly after graduation, he joined Marble Mortgage Company in the San Francisco Bay Area and began a long

OBITUARY

HARRY COLLINS Harry Anthony Collins passed away peacefully at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, on June 3, surrounded by his family. He was 82.

Harry was known as an exceptionally talented real estate developer and an active and generous community leader.

He developed and invested in many residential and commercial properties during an illustrious career that spanned over six decades.

Born March 6, 1936, in Des Moines, Iowa, he was one of six children born to Dr. Harry and Esther Collins. He attended St. Augustine Elementary School and Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines.

He had an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age and was an engineer at heart. He enjoyed building Soapbox Derby racers and rebuilding motorcycles and was constantly tinkering and always creating.

Harry’s family moved west to La Jolla, California, in 1954. Harry was in his late teens, and leaving Des Moines meant selling his beloved Jeep. As a new student at La Jolla High School, one morning Harry saw a cute girl arrive at school in a Jeep. He later followed her home from the movies and asked her out to the Scarlet and Black Ball. Harry eventually married that girl, his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Judy Allen.

Harry and Judy shared a love of tennis, horses, the great outdoors, and especially, spending time with family and friends. Harry graduated from Stanford University in 1958 with a

career in real estate. Two years later, back in La Jolla, Harry began building custom homes. He subsequently founded Collins General Contractors, Collins Development Company and La Jolla Development Company, and developed many commercial and residential projects in both Northern and Southern California.

Harry was known for his attention to detail and great respect for the communities in which he developed.

Harry’s favorite endeavors were with his best pal and father-in-law, Willis Allen.

Among them was the iconic La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. He was especially proud of his stewardship of the “Pink Lady,” restoring and improving her throughout his ownership. He took special care in the restoration of the Whaling Bar, emphasizing its history and unique heritage. Harry and his family celebrated many special occasions at La Valencia over the years.

In the late 80s, Harry created and opened Rancho Valencia Resort, a premier tennis destination. Rancho

R E P O R T Valencia was Harry’s happy place, his heart and soul.

He also developed and ran the Eldorado, Rancho Santa Fe and Rose Spur Polo Clubs. Harry loved what he did for a living, but he always made time to play. A good day for Harry was nine holes of golf, two sets of tennis, and a 5 p.m. polo match.

“Polo clubs worldwide would do well to have their players emulate Harry and proselytize his style and form throughout the polo world. No easy undertaking—Harry Collins was a oneof-a-kind gentleman, a treasure without peer,” wrote Patrick Brent. “Harry, for over 30 years, was my friend. I battled not to disappoint him both on and off the polo field. Polo and I will never forget Harry Collins.”

Harry served on many non-profit boards including the boards of The Dunn School and Santa Catalina School. He was the chairman of the board of Scripps Memorial Hospital, where he led the planning of the Scripps La Jolla campus as we see it today.

Harry loved kids and all the mischief they created. He and Judy raised seven children, and welcomed with open arms and unconditional love 26 grandchildren, sharing with them their appreciation and fondness for adventure and the outdoors. They spent quality time with their family on their ranches in Julian, California; Kauai, Hawaii; and Snowmass, Colorado.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Judy Collins; his children Cathy Geier (Brad), Chris Collins (Alice), Kim Dempsey (Pat), Laurie Chamberlain (Tom), Suzi Ricci (David), Kelly Petit (Hank), and Peter Collins (Lisa); 26 grandchildren; five greatgrandchildren; brother Robert Collins;, and sisters Mary Mulvihill and Ruth Kelly.

Donations can be made in Harry’s memory to REINS Therapeutic Horsemanship Program, 4461 S. Mission Road, Fallbrook, CA 92028 u (reinsprogram.org).

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

(continued from page 17) we soon found out that the horses that needed surgery didn’t get surgery as soon as they should. We’d give Banamine and it would be 4 or 5 hours before the horses started showing they were sick again.

Sometimes those few hours were the difference in whether they lived or died.

If the horse is not a surgical candidate, giving Banamine is fine. But if the horse does need surgery, you shouldn’t wait.

There is a lot of responsibility that goes with the owner giving Banamine— whether the paste, or the injectable (whether by IV or oral).”

Banamine may mask the colic symptoms enough that you end up being a little late with the decision to do surgery. The horse seems better after the Banamine, so the owner goes off and does something else for a while, and then comes back to find the horse is worse again. By then it may be evening, and also the optimum window of time for doing colic surgery (before the horse is too shocky and the gut too compromised) may be gone.

“If the horse is shocky and you give a full dose of Banamine this is hard on the kidneys, because that horse is essentially dehydrated (not as much circulating blood volume, because of shock). Or if you have a hard-working horse that’s dehydrated, you need to get 10 to 15 liters of fluid into him before you give him any drugs. And then you should give only a quarter or a third of a dose of Banamine,” he explains.

Dr. Matt Randall, a veterinarian at Collier Equine, in Waller, Texas, (who earlier practiced veterinary medicine in Montana with his father Ray Randall) says there seems to be more risk with full doses of Banamine, compared to giving a half dose or less.

“You can give the product orally, however, to reduce the risk for problems.

I recommend to my clients that if they can’t get the injectable product into the vein, to just give a little extra and squirt it in the mouth. It tastes terrible, but they 58 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

can get it into the horse that way if the horse is having a serious problem like colic,” says Matt.

Many people have given IM injections of Banamine for years without problems, but need to be aware of the risk.

“It’s a low risk, but it is a risk. I have seen three cases and all three of these horses were very sick, and toxic.

There is often a fair amount of swelling at the injection site.

The typical ‘calling card’ of clostridial An important aspect of treatment is to open up the area and get oxygen down into the infection. Bacteria thrive in damaged tissue with no oxygen supply. myositis is gas bubbles under the skin. It feels like Rice Crispies. If you ever but finally found a pocket of gas under feel gas under the skin on a horse that’s the skin by her withers. The gas had recently had an intramuscular injection, traveled up and along the neck, clear to this is serious and warrants an emergency the withers. So I prepped the skin at the visit to the veterinarian. It can make a big injection area and blocked it with difference in the outcome if you can start anesthesia as best I could and made treating it early, to reduce the extent of incisions through the skin and partway complications.” down into the muscle with a big scalpel,” The most recent case he’s seen was he says. when a horse owner called to say her One of the important aspects of horse colicked a couple days earlier. “She treatment is to open up the area and get had some Banamine but couldn’t give an oxygen down into the infection. “Those injection in the vein so she gave it in the bacteria are anaerobes and don’t like muscle. The next day, her horse was a oxygen. They thrive in damaged tissue little stiff-necked and sore at the injection with no oxygen supply.” site, so she gave some penicillin, which He made several deep incisions and was fine. Two days after the Banamine bluntly dissected down into the muscle. shot was when she called me. The mare’s “Then suddenly my finger fell into an neck was swollen on both sides and she opening and I thought maybe I’d been had a fever of 104, and a toxic line on the unlucky enough to drive my finger right mucous membranes on her gum.” into a large blood vessel. I was afraid it “The owner told me what had might start bleeding but I realized I had happened, so I was looking for evidence to pull my finger out. When I pulled my of gas under the skin as I was examining finger out of the wound, gas rushed out the mare—because I was thinking it of that hole and the stench was foul. So I probably was a clostridial myositis. I opened it up even more, grabbed chunks didn’t find any gas near the injection site of necrotic muscle tissue and dragged it

A hyperbaric oxygen chamber is the ideal treatment for clostridial myositis, however it can be costly and many may not be close enough to one.

out. I opened the infected area as best I could, then packed it with penicillinsoaked gauze and started the mare on penicillin injections. Another drug that is very effective against clostridia bacteria is metronidazole,” he explains. A horse with this kind of infection would also need a tetanus booster.

“With this mare I got lucky. She survived, but ended up with large scars on the side of her neck, and some atrophy in those muscles, but all in all she did pretty well. The most important thing in dealing with this type of infection is getting oxygen into the affected tissues, and that’s why you see photos of horses with large, gaping incisions into those areas—for oxygen and drainage,” he says.

“If a person has access to a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, that would be ideal, but most people are not close enough to one, and/or can’t afford those treatments.

This type of oxygen therapy is an excellent treatment modality for clostridial myositis, however.”

If the injection site and subsequent incisions are on the neck, the horse will have a very sore neck for a while and it might be painful to put his head down to eat and drink. “You need to help these horses out a little by placing feed and water a little higher for easier reach. If the horse is in decent body condition to begin with, even if he can’t eat very well, it will take several days before he really starts dropping muscle condition and

body weight. But supportive care to help him eat and drink can keep him from losing too much weight. Depending on where the injection was that caused the infection (neck or hindquarters), you may or may not be able to give IV fluids,” he says.

“With this particular mare, with the infection in the neck, venous access was not an option because of all the infection and gas under the skin. Trying to get into a vein with a catheter would risk a more serious problem. You can clean the surface of the skin but you can’t clean out the contaminated subcutaneous tissue. A person can always give fluids and nutrients via stomach tube (nasogastric tube), which would be safer in this situation than an IV. There are some tubes that are designed to be left in place for several days, and the horse could be fed that way,” says Randall.

The mortality rate with this type of infection is fairly high, unfortunately, so it’s important to get your veterinarian involved as soon as possible, to increase the chances of turning it around quicker.

Banamine administration “To avoid the risk for this kind of infection, flunixin products like Banamine should never be injected into the muscle,” says Tia Nelson, DVM (Helena, Montana). “They can be given intravenously or orally. There is a Banamine paste, and I try to encourage

horse owners to use it if they want to have Banamine on hand in case their horse colics. In an emergency the injectable form of Banamine can be given off label orally (squirted in the mouth),” she says.

“Flunixin is readily absorbed from the GI tract and works about as fast as when given IM, but IV administration gives the fastest response (which is usually what you want, in a horse with colic). Flunixin is somewhat irritating to the mucosal tissues, so you wouldn’t want to give it very often orally or it may cause ulcers (partly because it’s irritating and partly due to the basic pH). But if you need to get the Banamine on board and don’t know how to give it IV, you could squirt the injectable drug into the horse’s mouth—rather than risk an IM injection.

It’s not labeled for oral administration, however; it’s labeled for IV only.”

The liquid form is absorbed readily through the mucosal tissues of the mouth and probably is effective even quicker than the oral paste. “IV injection, by someone who knows how to do it, is the best route, but don’t try it unless you know what you are doing, because if any of this solution leaks out of the vein you have another big problem. If horse owners need to have some on hand, and are given a prescription for it, and are giving it at home, they need to be very confident in their ability at giving an IV injection. For most of my clients, the Banamine paste is much safer and simpler to have on hand, without the potential for this reaction.

If some of the drug slips out of the vein into the surrounding tissue, it burns and damages that tissue, creating serious swelling and blocking the vein. “This may wreck the vein (ending up with jugular vein thrombosis), but that’s not a life-threatening thing, compared with a clostridial infection that may kill your horse. Any time you can avoid a problem, it’s better than trying to fix it afterward,” Nelson says. The old saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is very true in this instance POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 59

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PETER J. RIZZO

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION U.S. defeats Argentina in 1928 and 1932 Cup of Americas competitions

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n late summer of 1928, magazine editor Herbert Reed wrote a story titled, “The Argentine Threat.” Reed declared: “What is probably the most serious assault on American supremacy will be launched by the flying horsemen from the Argentine on the International Field at Meadow Brook.” He of course was referring to the first official international match-up of polo powerhouses Argentina and the United States.

The event became known as the Copa de las Americas (Cup of the Americas) and many believe it helped usher in the age of the Argentines as the world’s dominant polo-playing country. Reed wrote just prior to the 1928 series, “There is another angle to the coming matches that is interesting. The Argentines, while the best of sportsmen, felt a little hurt that they have not been allowed to try for the International Challenge Cup. The powers that be, however, have felt that they could not violate the deed of gift that accompanied what was know in the early days as the Westchester Cup.” According to the United States Polo Association’s 1930 year book, the match between the United States and Argentina marked, for the first time since 1921, that the United States played an international match two years in succession.

The pony string of the challenging side established records in three ways, as follows: length of time given to their stay in the country and the acclimatization process which was the longest yet known; a record total sales price for the string sold at auction, which brought a grand total of $276,100 ($3,934,400 in 2018 buying power value) and a record individual pony sale of $22,000 ($313,500 in

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

The U.S. team in the first and second match included W.A. Harriman, Tommy Hitchcock Jr., Malcolm Stevenson and Winston Guest. With them is USPA Chairman Luis E. Stoddard.

today’s value). There was speculation the sales prices was indicative of the then-present interest in the game in the United States and of the popularity of the ponies bred in Argentina as mounts for U.S. players and for breeding purposes.

While Argentines and Argentine teams playing in the United States was nothing new, there had never been a match-up of an Argentine team against an official “American Big Four” featuring the best team that could be assembled for the challenge. The Big Four, rated 32 goals in 1928, was made up of W. Averell Harriman, Thomas Hitchcock Jr., Malcolm Stevenson and Winston Guest.

According to Reed before the series began, “There is no doubt, too, that the Americans will be hard put to it to match the horsemanship of the Argentines, that all but reinless riding that is the mark of a lifetime in the saddle, of in a word, ‘horse-

mastership’ as distinguished from mere horsemanship.” Reed noted that while there was nothing severely lacking in the horsemanship of the Big Four, the fact some of the American players made at least a hobby of raising and training their own strings gave them an advantage over some of its predecessors.

The team from Argentina featured a similarly rated foursome of Arturo Kenny, Juan D. Nelson, Juan B. Miles and at back, the redoubtable 10-goaler Luis L. Lacey. For Kenny, this international match would be his first playing in the United States. Many felt Nelson was like Tommy Hitchcock, one of the best No. 2 players in the world. Nelson and Miles displayed an extraordinary ability in the passing game; always working on play that would free one of them so the other could place a perfect pass while the other was flying across the field.

A large crowd gathered at the Meadowbrook Polo Club to witness the Americans take on the Argentine team in the Cup of the Americas in 1928.

Lacey, who was born a Canadian, served with the British in World War I, so was able to represent the British polo team in prior international competitions.

However, because Lacey’s father moved to Argentina when Lacey was 3 years old, that established Argentina as the Lacy home of record, therefore he was eligible to play for his home team, Argentina.

According to Reed, “Lacey himself, the field general of the four will not weigh more than 145 pounds, [compared to the U.S. Back Winston Guest at 6’4” and a trim 185 pounds] and where he stores away the power with which he makes his strokes is a puzzle. The Argentines are given to what is known as the ‘hanging’ mallet. That is, instead of carrying the weapon upright when coming on the ball, they swing it to the thrumming of the horses’ hoofs. Whether it helps much in the timing the Argentines themselves say they do not know. It is an unconscious habit with them. However that may be, it adds to the grace of their stroke. For that matter, every move they make is graceful to the last degree.”

The first match, originally scheduled for Labor Day, had to be postponed until Sept. 29 because of a series of minor injuries to the players selected for the American team, a sickness that ran

through the Argentine stables, as well as poor weather that limited both teams from practicing and getting the horses fit for that level of competition.

Once the game was played, the Argentines led 5-2 after the first three periods in the eight-period game, however the American team held the Argentines scoreless for the next three periods, while scoring four goals to take a 6-5 lead. A score by the

Argentine Arturo Kenny scored six goals in the second game, which his team won.

Argentines in the seventh tied the score at 6. The Americans scored the lone goal of the eighth to secure the first game of the three-game series.

On October 3, the Argentines surprised the Americans with a 10-7 win in the second game that was tied 4-4 at the half. It was Kenny leading the way from his No. 1 position, scoring six goals for high-scoring honors.

For the U.S. team, Stevenson was swapped out for E.A.S. Hopping, who took over Hitchcock’s customary No. 2 position, while Hitchcock played the No. 3 position for the rubber game of the series.

The lineup change seemed to be what the Americans needed as they galloped to a 92 lead at the half, then 13-7 by the end of the game. Harriman was the star, scoring five, while Hitchcock added four.

The United States would go on to win the rematch series in 1932, with only Winston Guest returning to anchor the American team, which took a 12-10 win in the third and final game of that series.

The Argentines lost the first game 9-6, but rallied 8-7 to set up a thrilling series clincher with the Americans. It would be the final time the American team would win a Copa de las Americas series. The Argentines went on to win in 1936, 1950, 1966, 1969, 1979 and 1980.

POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N 61

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

AU G U S T 3 0 - S E P T E M B E R 2 Labor Day Cup (2) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD

AU G U S T 3 - S E P T E M B E R 1 Arena Women’s Challenge (0-3) Commonwealth, Paris, KY

A U G U S T 31 - S E P T E M B E R 2 Women’s Challenge (0-6) Banbury Cross, Middleburg, VA

AU G U S T 3 - S E P T E M B E R 5 Landhope Challenge Cup Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA

Gerald Balding (6-8) Brandywine, Toughkenamon, PA

AU G U S T 3 - S E P T E M B E R 12 Masters Cup (6-8) Virginia International, Upperville, VA A U G U S T 3 - S E P T E M B E R 16 Southampton Cup (8) Southampton, Water Mill, NY A U G U S T 14 - S E P T E M B E R 3 USPA Masters Cup (4-8) NYC, Patterson, NY A U G U S T 16 - S E P T E M B E R 2 Pacific Coast Open (16) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

The Triple Crown of Polo Trophy Aspen Valley, Carbondale, CO Polo Hall of Fame Tournament Saratoga, Saratoga, NY A U G U S T 31 - S E P T E M B E R 1 2 Coal Cup Invitational (14) Mt. Brilliant, Lexington, KY SEPTEMBER 1-2 Labor Day Benefit match Sugarbush, Waitsfield, VT USPA/PTF Senior’s Cup (0-4) Denver, Sedalia, CO

AU G U S T 2 2 - S E P T E M B E R 9 USPA Tracey MacTaggart Challenge Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY

SEPTEMBER 1-3 Jon Moeller Memorial Des Moines, Norwalk, IA

AU G U S T 2 6 - S E P T E M B E R 0 9 East Coast Open (16-20) Greenwich, Greenwich, CT

SEPTEMBER 1-30 USPA Women’s Arena Handicap (12) Virginia Polo, Charlottesville, VA

AU G U S T 2 8 - S E P T E M B E R 2 NYTS Championship (0-4) Columbine, Littleton, CO

Two dozen All-Stars, 19 years old and under, from NYTS zone qualifiers played across the country all summer, will gather in Colorado to play for the USPA Cecil Smith Cup. An East vs. West Challenge will also be played.

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

S E P T E M B E R 1 - NOV E M B E R 1 Keleen and Carlton Beal Cup (12-16) Houston, Houston, TX SEPTEMBER 2 Labor Day Cup Myopia, South Hamilton, MA Bella Vista Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH

SEPTEMBER 7-9 Arena Masters Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD Polo America Beach Polo Hotel del Coronado, Coronado, CA Feldman Cup Bloomfield, Saratoga Springs, NY SEPTEMBER 8 Sportsmanship Cup (3-6) Tinicum, Erwinna, PA Chukkers for Charity Riverview Farm, Franklin, TN Treehouse Benefit Spirit Valley, Chesterfield, MO Freedom Farm Charity Event Blackberg Ranch, Watertown, MN SEPTEMBER 8-9 Garlic Cup South Bay, Gilroy, CA Sherman Memorial (3-6) Maryland, Jarrettsville, MD SEPTEMBER 9 National Sporting Library & Museum’s 8th Annual Polo Classic Great Meadow, The Plains, VA S E P T E M B E R 9 - 11 USPA Karen Carra Memorial (4-8) Mountain View, Charles Town, WV S E P T E M B E R 9 - 17 Regional Presidents Cup (4-8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA SEPTEMBER 9-30 Club Championship (12) Southampton, Water Mill, NY

SEPTEMBER 2-3 2-Goal Tournament Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

SEPTEMBER 9-OCTOBER 7 Pro-Pool League Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

SEPTEMBER 3-8 Sportsmanship Cup Tinicum, Erwinna, PA

S E P T E M B E R 11 - 2 2 U.S. Open Arena Championship (20) Country Farms, Medford, NY

SEPTEMBER 6-9 Mile High Women’s Invitational Denver, Sedalia, CO

S E P T E M B E R 11 - 2 3 Gladiator Polo at WEQX Games TIEC, Tryon, NC

S E P T E M B E R 6 - 16 Willis Allen Memorial Cup (2) San Diego Surf, Del Mar, CA

SEPTEMBER 12 Montechristo Cup Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

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SEPTEMBER 12-23 Masters Cup (0-4) Houston, Houston, TX Fall Classic (8-10) Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY S E P T E M B E R 14 - 16 Masters Cup (0-4) Fairfield, Haysville, KS S E P T E M B E R 14 - 3 0 Kentucky Cup Invitational (14) Mt. Brilliant, Lexington, KY S E P T E M B E R 15 Pegasus Charity Cup NYC, Patterson, NY S E P T E M B E R 1 5 - 16 17th Annual Hector Sustaita Memorial Will Rogers, Los Angeles, CA

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S E P T E M B E R 21 - 2 3 Smithfield/Shekomeko Open Mashomack, Pine Plains, NY National Arena Chairman’s Cup (9-12) Commonwealth, Paris, KY SEPTEMBER 22 Cardinal Glennon Benefit Kraftig, Defiance, MO Founders Cup (0-6) Horse Park, Redwood City, CA SEPTEMBER 22-23 Scott Macintyre Memorial (0-2) Meadowview Farm, Lowell, MI SEPTEMBER 23 The Atlantic Cup Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

Pacific Coast Arena League Orange County, Silverado, CA

SEPTEMBER 24 Shades of Gray Seniors Tournament Southampton, Water Mill, NY

S E P T E M B E R 15 - 2 3 USPA Presidents Cup (8) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

S E P T E M B E R 2 6 - O C T O B E R 14 SW Circuit Governors Cup (0-4) Houston, Houston, TX

S E P T E M B E R 15 - 3 0 Northrup Knox Cup (12-16) New Bridge, Aiken, SC

SEPTEMBER 28-30 Amateur Cup (0-4) Fairfield, Haysville, KS

S E P T E M B E R 16 Windrush Cup Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

S E P T E M B E R 2 8 - O C T O B E R 14 Governors Cup (6) Aiken, Aiken, SC

Sophisticated Living Cup Play Polo, Westerville, OH S E P T E M B E R 18 - 2 9 Regional President’s Cup (4-8) Houston, Houston, TX

OCTOBER SEPTEMBER 29-30 51st Annual Will Rogers Memorial Will Rogers, Los Angeles, CA

The event honors polo player, actor, humorist, newspaper columnist and vaudeville performer William Penn Adair Rogers. The matches are played on Rogers’ former property.

Polo For Lyme Benefit Menlo Circus, Atherton, CA Survivor’s Cup Denver, Sedalia, CO O C T O B E R 1 - 15 Bronze Trophy (8-12) New Bridge, Aiken, SC O C T O B E R 1 - 31 National Arena Amateur Cup (0-3) Orange County, Coto de Caza, CA OCTOBER 2-20 National Eight Goal (4-8) Houston, Houston, TX OCTOBER 3-7 Governors Cup (0-4) Midland, Midland, TX Congressional Cup Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI

SEPTEMBER 29 East Coast Polo College Fair Meadowbrook, Long Island, NY

O C T O B E R 4 - 14 Celebrity Ranch Cup (2) San Diego Surf, Del Mar, CA

SEPTEMBER 29-30 Congressional Cup (0-2) Meadowview Farm, Lowell, MI

OCTOBER 5-7 Arena Congressional Cup Great Meadow, The Plains, VA

S E P T E M B E R 19 - 3 0 Alan Corey Cup (4) Aiken, Aiken, SC

Retro Classic New Orleans, Folsom, LA

S E P T E M B E R 19 - O C T O B E R 6 Masters Cup (3-7) Wagener, Wagener, SC

Arena Challenge Cup (0-6) Sportsmanship Cup (0-8) Congressional, Poolesville, MD

SEPTEMBER 20-30 San Diego Cup (2) San Diego Surf, Del Mar, CA

SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 7 USPA Wickenden Cup Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA

S E P T E M B E R 21 Sportsmanship Cup (0-4) Hickory Hall, Whitestown, IN

SEPTEMBER 30 Last Chukker Cup Myopia, South Hamilton, MA

O C T O B E R 5 - 21 Officers Cup (6) Aiken, Aiken, SC OCTOBER 6 USPA Paigahs Cup (0-2) Mountain View, Charles Town, WV OCTOBER 6-7 4-Goal Tournament Atlanta, Atlanta, GA USPA Governors Cup New Orleans, Folsom, LA

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Arena Challenge Cup (0-4) Skull Valley, Skull Valley, AZ OCTOBER 7 Pony Up for a Cause Charity Atlanta, Atlanta, GA O C T O B E R 7 - 13 Aiken Women’s Challenge Aiken, Aiken, SC O C T O B E R 7 - 21 H. Ben Taub Memorial (8-12) Houston, Houston, TX O C T O B E R 10 West Coast Polo College Fair Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA O C T O B E R 1 0 - 14 General S. Brown Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI O C T O B E R 10 - 2 7 Constitution Cup (3-6) Wagener, Wagener, SC O C T O B E R 1 2 - 14 Last Chance Tournament (0-1, 2-4) Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA National Sherman Memorial (3-6) Westchester, Portsmouth, RI

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O C T O B E R 17 - 2 8 USPA Players Cup Aiken, Aiken, SC

NOV E M B E R 4 Women’s Charity Polo Tournament New Orleans, Folsom, LA

O C T O B E R 18 - 2 2 USPA Women’s Arena Open (12) Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

N O V E M B E R 5 - 11 North American Cup (16-20) Grand Champions, Wellington, FL

O C T O B E R 19 - 21 Arena Sportsmanship Cup Farmington, Farmington, CT

N O V E M B E R 6 - 11 U.S. Open Women’s Championship (20) U.S. Open Women’s Handicap (0) Houston, Houston, TX

O C T O B E R 2 0 - 21 USPA Women’s Challenge Atlanta, Atlanta, GA Pacific Coast Arena League Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, CA Harvest Cup New Orleans, Folsom, LA O C T O B E R 2 3 - NOV E M B E R 3 Delegates Cup (4-8) Houston, Houston, TX OCTOBER 24-28 Governors Cup Honolulu, Waimanalo, HI O C T O B E R 2 4 - NOV E M B E R 4 Aiken Fall Cup (2) Aiken, Aiken, SC

O C T O B E R 13 Polo in the Pines Charity Fundraiser Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

OCTOBER 25-28 Masters Cup Midland, Midland, TX

O C T O B E R 1 3 - 14 6-Goal Tournament Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

OCTOBER 26-28 Mustang Madness I/I Tourney Central Coast, Los Osos, CA

N O V E M B E R 7 - 11 Family Tournament Aiken, Aiken, SC N O V E M B E R 9 - 11 Arena Admiral Chester Nimitz Farmington, Farmington, CT N O V E M B E R 1 0 - 11 Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships Horses & Horsepower Westworld, Scottsdale, AZ USPA Constitution Cup New Orleans, Folsom, LA N O V E M B E R 11 Masters Cup (0-4) Mauna Kea, Kamuela, HI N OV E M B E R 12 - 18 National Twenty Goal (16-20) Grand Champions, Wellington, FL N OV E M B E R 13 - 18 USPA PTF Seniors Tournament (0-40 Houston, Houston, TX N O V E M B E R 17 - 1 8 USPA Sportsmanship Cup New Orleans, Folsom, LA

USPA Amateur Cup (0-3) Seneca, Poolesville, MD

Women’s Challenge (10-12) Midland, Midland, TX

Justin Addison Memorial New Orleans, Folsom, LA

Arena Amateur Cup (0-3) Westchester, Portsmouth, RI

O C T O B E R 13 - 2 0 Arena Sportsmanship Cup Triangle, Hurdle Mills, NC

OCTOBER 27 Fall Festival Club Game & BBQ Seneca, Poolesville, MD

N OV E M B E R 18 Women’s Challenge (1-4) Mauna Kea, Kamuela, HI

O C T O B E R 14 Atlanta Brunch Festival Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

OCTOBER 27-28 USPA Congressional Cup New Orleans, Folsom, LA

NOV E M B E R 2 5 Sportsmanship Cup Mauna Kea, Kameula, HI

O C T O B E R 14 - 16 George S. Brown Banbury Cross, Middleburg, VA

NOV E M B E R 3 - 4 Fall Tournament Mountain View, Charles Town, WV

DECEMBER 2 Amateur Cup (0-4) Mauna Kea, Kameula, HI

USPA Women’s Challenge (5-10) New Orleans, Folsom, LA

DECEMBER 9 Players Cup (0-4) Mauna Kea, Kameula, HI

O C T O B E R 15 - N OV E M B E R 1 National Copper Cup (8-12) New Bridge, Aiken, SC 64 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N

Teddy Roosevelt Texas Military, Poteet, TX