Life is sweet

Years ago, having watched Robert Skene play at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, in California, I decided I’d like to play polo myself. I learnt to ride late, at the age of 30, and entered my first game in 1973. I have now played for 40 years.

As an amateur, I was able to attain a handicap of 3, which I held for eight years in the Eighties and Nineties. Over four decades, I have been lucky to have been invited to bring teams and play all over the world – Jamaica, Brunei, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, England, Italy and Argentina – and, as a result, have made many friends in polo. In Argentina, I played in the Mundialito in San Isidro and the Mundialaso at Palermo Cancha #1 in Buenos Aires. I also entered many teams as a patron in Santa Barbara’s 12-goal and 20-goal tournaments.

Although horsemanship may not have been my long suit, I was nonetheless able to recognise the talent of the very best polo pony I have ever ridden. Her name was Empress. Danny Juarez, a West Coast player and trainer bought her from the Yakima Meadows Race Track in Washington State as a four-year-old and brought her into polo. Danny says she was the first horse, and one of only two, that he was able to play in a snaffle, and that she went right into polo without much training. He also roped calves on her, further proving her versatility.

Under Danny, Empress won Best Playing Pony in a tournament in Washington. He had her for a year, then sold her to Brad Ramsby, who, in turn, sold her to me. I played her for 10 years at the Santa Barbara Polo Club and others in Southern California. When Argentine professional Santiago Trotz rode her in the 20-goal Pacific Coast Open, he was so impressed, he encouraged me to breed her to former 7-goaler Joel Baker’s stallion, Morning Star.

With such a strong lineage, it’s no wonder Chocolate, the first of three foals out of Empress

Opposite Adolfo Cambiaso riding Chocolate in the Argentine Open Below Ken Berry, with his daughter Denise and wife Joan, having played Chocolate and won the 12-goal Intracircuit Tournament, Santa Barbara

and Morning Star, has risen to the top. We bred Empress in 2002 at Joel’s ranch in Buellton, California, and Chocolate was born in June 2003. He remained at the ranch for a few years before I brought him to Santa Barbara. His full brother Juancito was born in the summer of 2005 and his full sister Soraya a year later. My groom, Honorio Ramirez, broke and trained all three and we are presently playing Chocolate’s siblings.

I played Chocolate for three years in club and 12-goal polo before Santiago, having played him in 12-and 20-goal tournaments, encouraged me to sell him into high-goal polo. He brokered the deal that sent him to Bob Jornayvaz and the Valiente team. Robertito Zedda brought him to Florida, where both Nacho and Miguel Novillo Astrada played him for a couple of years in 20- and 26-goal tournaments, including the US Open.

Last year, Adolfo Cambiaso played him in the US Open and other tournaments. Valiente did a great job of bringing him to his full potential and took him out of their US rotation at considerable risk and cost and sent him to Argentina. I was delighted to learn Adolfo was keen to include Chocolate in his string for the Argentine Open.

Joel and I are very proud and grateful that Adolfo recognised Chocolate’s abilities and played him so well for 10 minutes in the biggest game of the year. Being awarded Best Playing Pony wasn’t bad recognition for an Americanbred, raised and trained gelding!