Gladiator Polo is leading a resurgence in the sport of arena polo.
Last year’s inaugural Gladiator Polo season took Wellington by storm, ushering in a new era of arena polo and offering an additional evening of equestrian entertainment during the popular winter circuit. Gladiator Polo is a re-energized form of traditional arena polo, which pits teams of three against each other in an “ice hockey-like” environment, where play of the boards is encouraged and the fast-paced nature of the game captivates spectators and fans alike. The brainchild of Mark Bellissimo, managing partner of the Wellington Equestrian Partners, which oversees the ownership and management of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, home of the Winter Equestrian Festival, the Adequan Global Dressage Festival at
Equestrian Village, and the Wanderers Club, Gladiator Polo seemed to be a surefire way of re-engaging polo fans and introducing the sport to an entirely new spectator group on Thursday and Friday evenings at Equestrian Village on South Shore Blvd. “It has always been our intention with Gladiator Polo to engage fans and spectators on a global scale. Gladiator Polo can become a tremendous catalyst in promoting interest in the sport of polo and equestrian sport as a whole,” Bellissimo said. “The fan base and support we’ve seen surrounding Gladiator Polo motivated us to expand the reach of the game so we can interact with a broader audience around the world and ultimately offer an opportunity to provide enormous exposure for the sport.” The response to the inaugural season was incredible. Thousands of fans flocked to Equestrian Village on the wellington the magazine | january 2018
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