Talk

The English team with its support group

Sarah Eakin explains the demands of finding horses for the British team when they competed in the Westchester Cup

The challenge of finding horses for the Westchester Cup – in a matter of days – is a bit like Lance Armstrong running around France just before Le Tour, trying to find bikes for his entire racing team. And in the case of polo, as with cycling, having the requisite contacts and resources to hand doesn’t always solve the problem.

The British players – Luke and Mark Tomlinson and James Beim – who flew to Florida to line up against the Americans for the Westchester Cup, brought their sticks, their boots, their whites and a small but experienced support crew. They also brought hats and T-shirts that were well received and worn with pride by the grooms tending the numerous horses that were loaned or leased that day. What they didn’t have were horses…

On the ground was a man with 20 year’s experience in the international arena – Julian Hipwood – longtime captain of the England team and appointed Master of the Horse. But as he and others in the British camp would point out, there are vast differences between a foreign team finding horses to take on England for the Cartier International (played annually at Guards Polo Club) at the end of the English high goal season, where players usually have horses at hand, and the task that faced the visitors in finding horses in Wellington.

‘Speaking from experience, many of the players [during Cartier] are better mounted than us,’ said Luke. ‘If they weren’t out mounting us it would be very close.’ The Westchester campaign involved trying some 100 horses in the quest to find a quality string for the 28-goal game.

‘I had a lot of support,’ said Hipwood, who was chosen to help, given his extensive knowledge of the Wellington polo scene and available local horses. ‘The foreign patrons and players were very helpful. I never pushed them but asked them to lend perhaps just one – or to let the players try four – and then pick just one to play.’

What initially made the game a reality for Luke was the comfort that the fourth member of the British team, Eduardo Novillo Astrada, had the ability to call on the resources he already uses in Florida, playing for Camilo Bautista’s Las Monjitas. ‘They had sufficient horses for one-and-a-half players, so we had to find mounts for twoand-a-half players after that. It would not have been a realistic game without Eduardo on Camilo’s horses,’ he said.

After 10 days of searching and playing some two practices a day, the team explored generous offers of loan horses from Audi patrons Melissa and Marc Ganzi, as well as possibilities from a wide variety of sources. Some individual horses were loaned based on personal friendships. ‘Pelon’ Stirling loaned horses to Mark and orchestrated his string at the field as one of several ‘volunteers’ appointed to oversee each player’s horse line-up during the game. Some were leased, including several horses that Luke played belonging to Memo Gracida and a ‘really nice horse’ that came from Max Secunda. In other cases, it was a question of pursuing friendships and asking nicely.

Beim has much international playing experience, including representing Britain in New Zealand and South Africa.

Also relying on the loan of saddles, Luke admitted to being particularly ‘finickity’ about finding designs he felt comfortable with. Horses were a different matter.

This summer, the players will be back on home turf for the Cartier International. But unlike in Florida, the ‘visiting’ Argentinian team will hardly be at a disadvantage.

Sallie Anne with husband Duane and son Terence

Sallie Anne Lent created The Sussex Polo Club in an effort to capture the congenial atmosphere of Argentine farm polo

Lying in a hammock, while soaking up the Argentine sunshine and waiting for chukkas to begin – I’m starting to remember why, six years ago, I was seduced into recreating this polo lifestyle in Sussex! Polo is so addictive that you only remember the highs and forget the lows. A key low being that the UK is wet and cold for 150 days of the year, so someone has to trudge through fields in Dubarrys or shovel endless poo to enable you to play once the sun shines again.

But right now I’m in polo paradise in a small town called 25 De Mayo, populated by two 10 goalers and the UK’s Tomlinson family. We are taking our annual pilgrimage to the El Casal Polo Estancia, the place where our dream began. Owned by the Raschia Grau family there are ponies, dogs and kids everywhere – a real family atmosphere. Argentine laughter fills the warm air, while our guests play polo in an inclusive and relaxed environment. No pretence, airs or graces. Just pure farm polo at its best.

This inclusive feeling is what I wanted to recreate back home within a club – where the whole family could play in tournaments ranging from -6 to 4 goals, all in the same weekend. I must have even been harbouring a secret ambition to one day become a pushy pony club mum, provided our young son might get over his fear of horses and be able to join in!

In starting up a club, we were aware we had to make it easy for new players. So with the help of my husband, Duane, we set about providing a full service, including sale and rental ponies, HPA instructors and on-site full livery with Argentine grooms. We organised sponsors, put teams together and even made and laundered the Patrons bespoke team shirts.

Six years and six-figure investments later, we have achieved the polo club that I dreamt of. We have grown from just one pitch to four, and have enough acreage to allow all the ponies to graze as nature intended throughout summer. As well as hosting over 70 playing adult members, plus the old Surrey and Burstow Pony Club, we also have many junior members. Thanks to the Pony Club our son, Terence, has also taken up the sport and shows a real talent (thank the Lord because his maths indicates he will not be a rocket scientist.) His team won the UK Jorrocks Championships and led last year’s parade at Cartier. How great is that? Plus we all get to play polo together every summer!

Starting a polo club is not for the fainthearted. You need a network of dedicated staff and the ability to plough through endless paperwork involving work permits, public liability insurance, health and safety and employment law. If you’re looking to make a buck then take up lap dancing, as there’s absolutely no easy money to be made in polo. Only start a polo club for the sheer love of the sport and the ponies. You have been warned!

Well my name is being called: ‘Sallee! Ees time for chukkers’ (I have learnt to translate Spanglish) and so I will now step down from hammock onto pony. I cherish these moments, as soon I will be too old and creaky to play polo with my family and friends. But I sleep well, knowing that we have enabled our son – and countless others – to live the dream on an achievable budget for at least a few months each summer. That’s what it’s all about in the end – living the dream when, where and while you can! www.sussexpolo.co.uk

in France; it is a peaceful and enchanting retreat for even the most demanding of people. Located in Gassin, one of the most beautiful listed villages of France, nested between vibrating Saint-Tropez and the languishing beaches of Pampelonne, the Polo Club Saint-Tropez – Haras de Gassin is a very breathtaking experience. This splendid and forceful place emanates a soft plenitude.

It provides 2 tifway polo fields meticulously maintained to ensure an ideal terrain for matches, a stick and ball exercise area, a main course and a training course. The stables can comfortably accommodate up to approximately 500 horses. The roomy and tastefully furnished club-house, fronted by a large terrace, is a wonderful place to watch matches.

The Polo Club Saint-Tropez – Haras de Gassin organizes international tournaments at various handicap levels as well as practice matches, each season, from March to late October. They draw a large audience with many VIP guests and important personalities.

The Club can provide you with a high level personalized service in an intimate location. The exquisite atmosphere, the pleasant venue, the adequate infrastructures make the Polo Club Saint-Tropez – Haras de Gassin one of the most prestigious and appreciated Club in Europe. Come and spend a Polo Weekend at the Polo Club SaintTropez – Haras de Gassin (on all weekends in March, April, May, June, September and until mid-October): Helicopter, taxi, car rental with or without driver, Hotel, Beach, Lunches, Restaurant outings, night clubs, polo lessons, practises, games, matches and children horse riding lessons available… Let’s get fascinated by the passion for Polo…

So as to satisfy the Polo enthusiasts, who are steadily growing in number, the Polo Club Saint-Tropez – Haras de Gassin is one of the rare Polo Clubs in France to have its own Riding School and Polo School, for both novices and confirmed players. The lessons are given by world famous professional players. The official equipment and the pony will be at your disposal for you to learn the basics, the fundamental rules and the specific shots of this sport. Then you will practice on horse back on the field and quickly have the opportunity to join a team in a tournament or just to be initiated and entertained. It is your turn to play!

It is also a prestigious venue to hold important events such as gala dinners, products launches, seminars, exhibitions, fashion shows, new car presentations, film productions, parties, weddings, any equestrian event imaginable, especially in our brand new event area which can hold up to 500 guests.

Splendidly nestled in the haven of peace, La Table du Polo, the restaurant of the Polo Club Saint-Tropez – Haras de Gassin, offers all sensual pleasures: the refined and inventive cuisine, the privilege of this exceptional venue, the magnificent scenes of the polo tournaments.

All those who have a passion for this universe are contented and find everything they could wish for at the Polo shop: a complete collection of clothes in the colours of the Club, especially designed by several famous labels (jackets, polo shirts, sweaters, trousers, famous Argentine players’ berets…). In addition, candles, china, table and household linen, and many other articles are the joy of all creators of ambiance, who are anxious to revive the magic times spent here.

POLO CLUB SAINT-TROPEZ Route du Bourrian | 83580 Gassin (Saint-Tropez) Tel. : +33(0)4 94 55 22 12 Fax : +33(0)4 94 56 50 66 contact@polo-st-tropez.com www.polo-st-tropez.com

James McBride (age four) in front of his father at Windgate Polo Club Britoria, South Africa, 1968

According to Winston Churchill, ‘the best passport into this world is a good polo handicap.’ As managing director of The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, the legendary New York hotel, as well as an avid polo player, James McBride would be inclined to agree with this statement. As an hotelier who has worked across the globe, McBride has found that it is his passion for polo and his commitment to playing consistently that has brought him more friendship and success than any other skill or pursuit.

First introduced to the sport by his father Alan, who played at the Inanda Polo Club, McBride played foot and bicycle polo as a child in South Africa. When he began playing polo at the age of 10, he was immediately taken with the energy and social nature of the sport. Though not always the strongest on the field, he relished the instant bond that was formed between him and his teammates and continued to enjoy the sport until he started his career in the hospitality industry after graduating from university. As is too often the case, work and obligations took precedence over childhood passions and polo ceased to be an important part of McBride’s life as he began to build a career in the luxury hotel industry.

Joining the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, McBride worked in Boston and San Francisco before moving to the Big Island of Hawaii where he visited the Waikiki Polo Club. Upon meeting the late Tommy Harris at the club, McBride determined that he should develop a Ritz-Carlton Polo Team. Drawing such players as Stuart McKenzie and Zulu Scott Barnes, the team was an immediate success. Having rediscovered his passion for the game, McBride became involved with planning polo events throughout Hawaii, California and even Aspen with Barry Stout.

Life in the travel industry is never stationary and soon McBride was tapped by the Ritz-Carlton in Singapore. Moving to Asia he joined the Singapore Polo Club and found that the commonality of sport transcended any cultural differences between his teammates, quickly forming deep friendships with players such as Wee Tionhan, Asad Jumabhoy and Bob Mehm who now plays in Geneva. A Singapore RitzCarlton team was founded and this tradition continued as McBride’s career took him to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington D.C., where he played one of the last games on the mall with his close friends Charlie Muldoon and Dave Polin. McBride came to rely on polo to allow him to enter any city or culture and find common ground. His life has proven the wisdom of Churchill’s words, as polo has truly been his passport and helped him gain success in each of these locations both personally and professionally.

Moving from London to The Carlyle on the Upper East Side of New York City, McBride was introduced to the Mashomack Preserve Club in Pine Plains New York by his good friend and fellow polo player Bruce Colley. With the help of Duke Buchan and John Klopp, McBride and Colley formed The Carlyle Polo Team and the hotel quickly became the unofficial headquarters for New York’s polo players, who now frequent the restaurant and Bemelmans Bar. Despite McBride’s contentments in New York he still travels regularly, recently taking The Carlyle team to Rio De Janeiro to visit the city and to challenge friends Daniel Klabin and Jose Antonio Magalhaes Lins to a match.

With his son, Sterling, now nine years old, McBride has begun to push him to take up polo. Just as his father introduced him to the sport, McBride longs to teach Sterling the sport which has given him so much. Though he has taken him to matches and played together, McBride says his son is more attracted to soccer and dreams of playing for Chelsea. Though McBride has petitioned his son, explaining that polo will help him later in life, he admits that he wouldn’t be disappointed if he became a footballer, ‘then he’d be able to pay for my polo.’

Excitement is mounting over the forthcoming Coronation Cup on July 26th at Guards Polo Club between England and Argentina, who will be captained by undisputed world number 1 Adolfo Cambiaso, 34. After years of opting to play mainly high-goal tournaments and championships, it is a welcome return to international duty for the charismatic Argentine. To provide a level playing field for his English opponents, he has agreed to be part of a 26-goal side, rather than the 40-goal lineup his nation could field, thanks to its fabled strength in depth. Although he usually prefers to let his polo do the talking, Cambiaso agreed to a rare interview at his Dubai Team’s English base at Holyport, Berkshire, to talk about his thoughts on the future of the game and how much he is looking forward to the Coronation Cup.

‘It is always emotional to play in Argentina’s colours,’ he grinned. ‘To play in that light blue shirt and do your best when you’re playing for your country, it is a wonderful thing. Internationals like this one are very good, because everything that shows how exciting and competitive polo gets, helps bring it to a wider audience. When we played in Argentina during the very successful Nations Cup against England (see page 48), Brazil, and the Rest of the World, we got very good coverage, and polo needs that. Polo at this level deserves it.’

‘I have been playing with many of the young guys who are coming through, including several up-and-coming English boys. Mark and Luke Tomlinson play a great game and James Beim too. As for Argentina, there are so many good young players. The best? Maybe Polito Pieres [Pablo Pieres Jr], who I think has a great future.’

‘I think it would be great if more top American players came through and they revived the Copa, but the problem at the moment is Argentina has 40 goal teams and if we picked our top people, it would be very one-sided. If you play in an Argentinian shirt, you want to put out your strongest side. It would be frustrating that some of the top players in the world could not play, as other teams cannot field a strong enough handicap team to compete with us.’

‘No, not at all. The game will be good: hardfought, good for the spectators and the Cup is a big event with a lot of excitement around it. I always feel that when I play in England, there’s a great sense of excitement because the crowds are very knowledgeable and I always find them very supportive. They seem to appreciate the exciting, hardriding style of players from Argentina as well as the skills of the top English players. It’s a privilege and thrill to play in front of thousands of people, in major championships and internationals, especially in England where the atmosphere is often electric.

A lot of people will be there and with the Argentina side against England, interest is at an all-time high. I am so looking forward to captaining the side and playing alongside my team-mates Facundo Pieres, also a 10-goaler and two excellent 3-goalers, Martin Valent and Gustavo Usandizaga.’

[Cambiaso smiles diplomatically, well aware of polo’s cachet even among those who wouldn’t know a chukka from a chimpanzee.]

‘Some people go and enjoy the game, others know nothing. For them it is just about drinks with friends or watching celebrities. But some that go along for drinks then begin to learn more about the game, and perhaps start playing. In the last five years around the world more and more people are playing but polo is still missing out on the TV and media coverage it should have. It is building up but slowly. Our mission should be to get more and more polo onto TV, so everyone can learn to understand and love it.’

‘It is merely an exhibition, but it is not the true reflection of the sport. Any media coverage that promotes or endorses polo: TV magazines, newspapers, as long as it shows polo in a positive light, it is all good for the sport. I’ve done 10 TV interviews at least in the run-up to the Coronation Cup and this shows how interest is building up over our country playing against England.’

As well as promoting the game in more out-of-the-way places, including Thailand, Cambiaso is also a tireless worker for charity and for the underprivileged, particularly children. In the UK alone, he has raised over a million pounds for British charities including Childline, the NSPCC and the Prince’s Trust, but typically refuses to take any personal credit for this.]

‘I support an Argentinian based children’s charity called “Ideas Del Sur” and this is one of the most important charities for me. We play a fund-raising match at Ham Polo Club, partnered with the watch firm Jaeger-Le Coultre, in aid of it. It is a really enjoyable way to help the children. It is part of our mission statement for me and my teams, wherever we are playing round the world, that what we take out of polo we must put back into society. It is always a huge pleasure to do the work for these charities. We are just so lucky to be able to play the sport we love and raise money while we are doing it.’

From left: Adolfo, Martin Valent and Tariq Albwardy at the Queen’s Ground, Guards Polo club

‘As a young player, I didn’t think about being top in the world. That was never my aim. I just try to clear my mind, to get myself at the best level I possibly can and to focus on winning. Nothing but that.’ [These may be fateful words for England’s ambitious line-up, come Coronation Cup day.]

The tragedy of 21 horses dying after a fatal supplement injection devastated the US Open. Sam Morton asks how the polo community can recover from its monumental loss

Nothing really prepares you for what happened at the semi finals of the US Open in April 2009; the horror of 21 horses dropping at our biggest polo tournament of the year. Young equestrian athletes cut down in their prime. It is our Black Sunday or 9/11 in polo. There are lots of rumours flying around which don’t really change the end result.

After the first horse began to wobble after being led off the trailer, dozens of polo people; grooms, umpires, photographers and vets who arrived at International Polo Club early for the semi-final game, scrambled to save lives, but there was nothing they could do. One witness told me there were roughly 20 people around each horse trying to do something, anything.

People who work behind the scenes in polo learn to work fast. We pride ourselves on it. Horses are tacked up, stripped and washed in minutes. At the US Open this year and at any Florida function all winter, there are people from all over the world in the polo community. Since the late Seventies Wellington, Florida has been the Mecca for winter polo in the world. When horses began to drop, South Africans, Argentines, French, Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Costa Ricans, Cubans, and several other countries worked shoulder to shoulder with the best horse vets in the world to save lives; they were scrambling as one at a moments notice.

I can tell you no one could have worked faster in any sport, equestrian or human, and for that I am extremely proud to be part of it. When it became obvious that the polo team, Lechuza Caracas, would not be able to mount a team, the polo team Isla Carol

mounted a substitute team in little over an hour. I’m not sure people realise what went into that.

You have to focus on something good when something like this happens. How the Audi sponsors, the Ganzis, offered Lechuza horses to continue the tournament. How some of the press in Palm Beach rose above the finger pointing and showed some compassion to a community that was devastated. We don’t need anything else right now. Anything that needs to get done will surely be dealt with soon enough. Right now there are a lot of people that need to heal.

Grooms, sponsors, vets, players, photographers and spectators are all bonded by a passion for horses. It’s who we are as a community. The last time we were brought together was the herpes virus scare in Wellington a few years back. Wellington is a small town in Florida with 15,000 horses in a two mile square. The largest horse show in the world sits across from the largest polo club in the country. Sunny Hale called a meeting at the Players Club for the polo community to address concerns with the state vet. I sat in a room and looked at pros, blacksmiths, grooms, vets, owners and fans of polo that pulled together for the love of our horses and I think it was probably the first time I truly thought about being part of a community that bridged nations from all over the world. I was proud then and I am proud now.

The Thursday following Black Sunday during the semi finals of the Open, people dropped carnations in the pond around the number one field at International Polo Club around where the tragedy occurred. Many who were there stayed back because it was too emotional while many others came to support those who lived through it.

On Sunday 26 April, before the final match, three jets buzzed the field. It looked to me like there were two corporate jets and a military jet, which was fitting. I was in the old Palm Beach Polo barns and there was not a horseman in polo within a mile around who did not feel the souls of those horses when those jets passed.

In Plains Indian society, less than 200 years ago, it was believed that when a man dies, his horse would accompany him in the next life. That’s how much horses were deeply involved in their life and in a way they are that much a part of our lives in polo. Every polo player, groom, owner, trainer and fan of the game feels the pain right now. We are deeply hurt and saddened as a people over the loss of our horses. To Lechuza we send our condolences.

God bless the souls of our horses that run with the angels now.

Carnations dropped into the pond at the IPC in remembrance of the ponies that died

Plenty Coups Chief of the Crow

Sam Morton is the author of Where the Rivers Run North. His second book, The Land of the Horse; The Art and Photography of Absaraka will be published in July.

By Alex Webbe

Sunday 19 April 2009 Twenty-one Lechuza Caracas polo ponies in Wellington are given an injection of Biodyl substitute, a dietary supplement not approved by the FDA, that was ordered by a veterinarian. The supplement is utilised to help horses recover quicker from exertion. Following the pre-game injections, and as the horses are being loaded into the trailers for the trip to IPC for a polo match, two horses that were not well are held back by the vet.

After the 15-minute trip to the IPC, a mare is found dead in one of the trailers, disoriented horses begin to unload from the trailers. The first horse falls, then another. Volunteers join the hastily organised fleet of veterinarians in a futile effort to save the horses.

An ice truck backs up to the site where the animals are being assisted. Bags of ice are placed on the horses to lower their temperatures as IVs are attached in an attempt to slow down their heart rates and fight whatever is causing the ponies to collapse.

One by one, the horses die. Mini Bank, the 2009 Best Playing of the recently completed Gold Cup, is the first to go. Within hours 20 horses are dead. Abrigadita, a 13-year-old Bay mare, the sole survivor, dies at midnight at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic, bringing the count to 21. The polo community is in shock.

Monday 20 April Veterinarians at state facilities in Kissimmee and Gainesville receive the carcasses of the fallen horses and begin to determine what has caused the death of the horses.

Tuesday 21 April The USPA retains a Washington DC public relations firm to deal with inquiries regarding the association and its position on the tragedy.

Wednesday 22 April The US Open semifinals are postponed until Thursday.

Thursday 23 April Franck’s Pharmacy of Ocala, Florida takes responsibility for the improper mixture of a supplement injected into the horses. A memorial ceremony follows the second semifinal match.

Friday 24 April The executive board of the USPA takes all jurisdictions regarding drug testing policies and appoints its own ‘research committee’ to ‘review the forthcoming results from the civil authorities conducting the formal investigation.’

Tuesday 5 May Team manager Esteban Scott reveals the sorrow surrounding the loss, saying: ‘it was a scene from hell,’ while USPA executive director Peter Rizzo is brought to tears. An uncommonly high amount of selenium is named as the toxic substance responsible.