RECOLLECTIONS FROM THE ‘VOICE OF POLO’ Tony Coppola, Owner Of The Tackeria And A Former President Of The United States Polo Association, Has Been There Since The Very Beginning Of Polo In Wellington BY Y.A. TEITELBAUM
Wellington The Magazine’s year-long Wellington History feature series includes the recollections of early Wellington pioneers who built the community we enjoy today. This month, longtime polo writer Y.A. Teitelbaum speaks with “Voice of Polo” Tony Coppola, founder and owner of The Tackeria, on the early years of polo in Wellington. Coppola was already a familiar face on the South Florida polo scene when the legendary Bill Ylvisaker unveiled his vision for polo in Wellington.
60 february 2024 | wellington the magazine
Tony Coppola is synonymous with polo in Wellington, just as Wellington is recognized as the “winter equestrian capital of the world.” As the iconic “Voice of Polo” and a local businessman, Coppola has been here since the beginning. Coppola started riding when he was nine years old and began playing polo on Long Island in New York before he turned 13. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and spending several winters at home after being discharged, he moved to South Florida and continued playing. He also was a club manager and an umpire before he shifted his focus onto the business side of the sport. He opened The Tackeria in the mid-1970s, selling polo tack to players from a mobile trailer parked next to the fields. “In 1977, I took a ride with [Palm Beach Polo founder] Bill Ylvisaker west
of [State Road 7], the end of the world, and he told me about this great vision that he had [of a polo club],” the 77-year-old Coppola recalled. “Forest Hill was just two lanes. Big Blue was still a dirt road. South Shore was paved only until Pierson, and a dirt road the rest of the way.” That vision was the catalyst that ultimately materialized into the internationally renowned Palm Beach Polo and Country Club, a gated community