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Chris Dawson at the Valiente Barn in Wellington, Florida, with his pony SantiagueÑa
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CHRIS DAWSON I started playing polo in Hawaii when I was in my early 20s. I did not come from a polo family but thought polo was the coolest thing ever. I loved the horses – I fell in love with the horses when I was just a boy – and it’s a love affair that has stayed with me throughout my life. I am extremely lucky, as I get to play team practices with Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso, Pelon Stirling and other members of the Cambiaso tribe. Everyday 20+ goal practices are the most fun for me. My most memorable polo game was playing with Diego Cavanagh in Denver, Hawaii Polo Life vs Colorado. We were getting smashed and down by five goals in the fifth chukka. I remember praying ‘Please, we need an act of God!’ Out of nowhere, a huge thunderstorm popped up, marching its way towards us. Thunder and
lightning like crazy, everyone scattered, and the match was postponed. About three hours later, the sun was shining, and we were told to return to the field with our best horses to finish the match. I remember sitting in the team tent thinking it was crazy. At the throw-in, Diego Cavanagh stole the ball, scored six goals in a row and won the game for Hawaii Polo Life. Cavanagh never gives up – he is amazing. In Hawaii I only play low-goal, but in Florida I play 16-20 goals. My personal goal is to get organised to compete in the 22-goal and US Open in Florida. When I decided to play high-goal, I knew it was a different game requiring a different level of horses. For the past five years, I have been buying Adolfo’s bloodlines through J5 Equestrian. Powerful, easy and explosive! That said, the quality of the horse is very
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important, but if you don’t manage the horses well, it’s pointless. A good horse is only as good as it is managed and cared for. Tatu Gomez Romero manages all my horse operations – without him it doesn’t work. Polo has taken me around the world, and I am very proud of my Hawaiian heritage. Polo has been played in Hawaii since 1880, during the reign of the last Hawaiian King, David Kalakaua. The friendship between Hawaii and Argentina is more than 200 years old, and the kingdom of Hawaii was the first nation to support Argentina’s independence. There is, and always will be, a special friendship between Argentina and Hawaii. Winston Churchill said it best: ‘A polo handicap is a passport to the world’. And the spirit of “aloha” is global. Polo and aloha are what Hawaii Polo Life is.
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