Talk

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When a move to the country failed to cure his children’s slovenliness, Martin Armstrong’s family took up polo – and found their relationships blossomed

One sunny day two years ago I was sitting on our farm in Lewes staring at the cows and giving thanks that we lived in such a lovely corner – the South Downs – of such a beautiful country, when a niggling thought crept int0 the back of my mind and disturbed my blissful contentment. It was a brooding uneasiness that perhaps the rural idyll my wife Rose and I had tried so hard to create for our children was actually not all it was cracked up to be.

Having moved down from London a few years before, we’d found that the sedentary habits of our children, and indeed myself (although certainly not my wife!) were still in evidence and slowly getting worse. And yet we’d moved to the countryside so our children could have wide open spaces to frolic and while away the sunny afternoons enjoying the perfect childhood. To my dismay, our four boys, now approaching their teenage years, were actually spending more time in bed, punctuated with surfing the internet, gaming, watching football on television and ‘grazing’ huge amounts of biscuits and cheese from the fridge. We also found that the cows, which we were initially excited about, were a bit boring. They didn’t seem to do much, and with the endless forms to fill in every time a calf was born, it felt more like trying to adopt a baby! It was a lot of work keeping these animals and we weren’t getting much in return.

As I surveyed our farm on a Saturday lunchtime in January, with the boys in bed, I spoke to Rose, or ‘Headquarters’ as I like to call her, and we decided to start a polo team. We all liked horses, hunting only took place in the winter, it’s a four-man sport, and we have four boys, eureka! The paperwork around horses was pretty simple, or so we thought, before we realised that hiring the grooms and going through all the paperwork to get polo permits took just as must time as calving. Oh God, why hadn’t I taken up crack cocaine? It was far cheaper and better for my blood pressure!

We stuck to our guns, though, called up some friends, bought four ponies from Argentina and had them shipped over. Our fine steeds duly arrived in April and immediately grew their winter coats thinking they were still in Argentina. We knocked around on a makeshift pitch all summer and even played a tournament at Knepp Castle. We were still renting horses and relying on others to help us when a kindly five-goal professional came to live with us and helped us buy some more. It wouldn’t be a stab in the dark to say he retired to Patagonia on the proceeds of those transactions. On the bright side, my wife turned out to be an excellent truck driver. ‘A saving!’ I thought. But every time

she had to drive to Knepp Castle, she would spend a day on Bond Street to make up for it.

There were however some terrific benefits. The obvious ones were that our kids were up and at it every morning. Our Argentinian pro was fantastic at teaching them the subtlety of the game. He taught our children about horsemanship and respect for the animal, and that it wasn’t a motorbike. It needed looking after. This all happened just after breakfast at about 9.30am, which amazed me. My wife and I were no longer the oldies screaming at our children to get out of bed, as they left their slumber voluntarily, excited even, at the prospect of tacking up and tearing around the field. Our children became fit and focused. And they wanted to improve, not something we had ever seen in evidence hitherto, but it made us immensely proud.

There were also more subtle benefits which we were just as grateful for. My communication with my two eldest sons improved immeasurably. In the past, when I’d enquired about their lives, they had seemed to regard me as some kind of 2

1 The Armstrong family at cowdray, May 2011 2 Ned Armstrong 3 The family team in action

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Left Paddy Armstrong playing for Broncos Above Rose Armstrong

weirdo, and if I’d tried to say something which I thought to be cool, it had only resulted in derisory comments from them. Most of my time was spent telling our teenage sons what to do and what not to do: ‘don’t play that so loud’, ‘get your hair cut’, ‘delete that file marked “xxx” on your computer before your mother sees it.’ By giving us this common ground, polo also gave us some serious quality time together. We started discussing how to manage the horses and prepare strategies for our matches. To top it all, we could have a laugh with a beer at the end of a game.

I also discovered that my wife knew a good deal more about horses than many of the professionals that we employed to look after them. I should not have been surprised, though, as one of her brothers is a player, the other a racing trainer and her father a huntsman. It also struck me that the name Rose comes from the old German word for ‘horse’. I did find however, that I had to promise many more shopping trips to compensate for the ensuing domestic chaos that this activity resulted.

Polo is funny though in how it creeps up on you – and your wallet. Casual people who should know better whisper, ‘if you had a sand arena or a proper track, you might be more competitive’, ‘you should stick and ball at home and build a proper polo pitch’, ‘your field is too hard – it needs irrigation’ and the old line, ‘you want better horses’ while the balance in your current account is shedding noughts. We were having a great time, though. It was a lot of fun, more horses arrived, our children’s play improved and by the end of our second season we were becoming competitive and even won some stuff.

Our sons then discovered the asado. The wonderful thing about this was that girls turned up and that it was dark. This was a new and exciting development, but it was tough for them to compete with the swarthy ruggedness of their South American counterparts. That one challenge aside, we would enter various competitions and do things as a family and sometimes, after winning, my wife and I would gaze proudly as our four sons held on to a fluffy cushion they had taken all weekend riding in the 2-goal to win. We often wondered, perhaps churlishly, how much that fluffy cushion had actually cost us.

Over the past two years, we have discovered a lot, such as the importance of preparation, of making sure that nothing is forgotten, from the bandages to the referee’s horse. In our first season, we probably looked like the Keystone Cops. We showed up at a game and ran about crazily in all directions shouting at each other, but gradually and slowly we got our stuff together and started showing up on time, with the referee’s horse, ready to play. We now have 30 horses in training, four trucks, six grooms, two pros and I am gently persuading my wife to get an HGV license. In the meantime I’ve learnt a great deal about tricky business dealings. Polo is the least transparent marketplace I’ve ever encountered. Consequently, I still have no idea how much (or little) it takes to get a pro on the field or what a horse is really worth.

As for our polo ambitions, we have no idea where they will take us, except to say we hope the boys remain safe and well and that I will continue to be able to fund this money furnace and my wife’s shopping trips. What keeps us loving polo is that we can do it together, the beautiful horses who give everything, and the competition of the game. Above all, it’s our sense of togetherness as a family that we really enjoy. In the process of all of the little emergencies we’ve encountered – and come through – over the past two years, we have discovered a lot more about each other.

As host of America’s Most Wanted, John walsh goes after bad guys; but he’d far rather be chasing a ball on horseback among family and friends

I come from a horse family. My wife, Revé, is a master of the hunt and belongs to four different hunt clubs. With her Irish sport horses, she will jump just about anything. My two sons, Callahan, 25, and Hayden, 16, were polo players already, playing in our local club in Vero Beach, Florida. I was 58 and had never ridden in an English saddle. At the time I owned a quarter horse and I had only ridden western. I had no idea what I had been missing. My boys had said, ‘Dad, you’ve got to try it, it’s everything you like… high adrenaline, fast, dangerous, exhilarating, very competitive and a serious team sport.’

Then, on a trip to Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic, the Colley family, father Gene and son Bruce, talked me into taking a polo lesson. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time. I had no idea how addictive polo was or that family was such a huge component. We’re Floridians and live and ride in South Florida most of the year. Our summers are spent in the beautiful Finger Lakes in upstate New York and we play at the Skaneateles and Saratoga clubs.

I dove headfirst into polo. The next thing I knew I had horses, a team named Shamrock, in honour of my father, a war hero who flew a B-24 bomber with shamrocks painted on it. And I had a wonderful young English pro named Max Secunda, who was raised by the legendary Julian Hipwood. Max’s challenge was to teach me and my sons. The boys were pretty good and I was awful: what a challenge. Riding bareback or practising with no stirrups on the saddle didn’t sound like fun to a 58-year-old… but it was.

Since that day we have been welcomed at clubs all over the world, many of them owned and run by families. We’ve played in India with Raj Kalaan and his two pro sons. We’ve played in Ireland and also had a wonderful invitation to Morocco from the former President of FIP, Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, and his late son Mathias, both avid polo enthusiasts. Last October we had huge fun playing in the first ever polo game at Beijing’s brand new Tang Polo Club, built by Shilai Liu and his family. My boys and I have played in Argentina many times and are in awe of the many polo dynasties, such as the Pieres, the Novillo Astradas and many more.

In America I’ve been fortunate to play at so many clubs with so many wonderful families. In my little club in Vero Beach we have multiple family teams, the Kahles, the Replogles and the Busches to name a few. In Palm Beach there are the Johnstons, the Ganzis, the Goodmans, the Hipwoods and the Orthweins. They’ve all done so much to further the sport of polo and encourage young people to play. I think many people have a misconception of what polo really is… it’s high adrenaline and sort of dangerous, sometimes frustrating, but very satisfying and what other sport do you get to play with champions? I’ve played with Adolfo Cambiaso, in many charity tournaments with my friend, Nacho Figueras, and serious professionals

from all over the world. Many of them have children that they hope will someday embrace their profession. What other sport could a senior citizen like me play with his 16-year-old son on a competitive level, with the best in the world?

The horses are the biggest part of the sport: they teach you patience and respect. They can literally bring you ‘down to earth’ and teach you humility. I constantly admire their athleticism, grace and courage. Working on America’s Most Wanted, I travel the world hunting down the worst of the worst, some of the most dangerous fugitives out there… but I also get to meet the best of the best: the people of polo – they welcome you with open arms and make you feel like you are a member of their family… the polo family!

Over these many years, I’ve learned that it is the players themselves who try to spread the word about this great sport. As an amateur polo player I consider it a privilege to be involved with the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in Palm Beach, Florida. When I MC the annual Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame dinner, it’s always an honour to spend time with some of the most passionate members of the worldwide polo community. This year’s dinner was not only lots of fun, it set a record for attendance. Last year it was a great honour to induct an English polo legend and my friend, Julian Hipwood. The induction of international players is a timely fit.

Previously the introduction of Gonzalo Pieres, an Argentine great, acknowledges the huge contribution that Argentina has made to the sport of polo. To my knowledge this museum remains the only one in the world solely dedicated to polo. Thanks to the generosity of many people and the hands-on design and display contributions by people such as Martin Cregg, chairman of the board and owner of world-renowned Chase Design, the museum has become a destination for polo lovers. The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame is a non-profit organisation that relies solely on gifts and donations from its supporters. Brenda Lynn and George DuPont are true professionals and run the museum with great passion and dedication. Not only is Palm Beach a great destination and the epicentre of American polo in the spring, the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame is a mustsee if you love the sport of polo.

Opposite John in action with son, hayden Above the Museum of polo and hall of fame in palm Beach, florida

The breeding of polo ponies has entered a new phase after the construction of the most advanced cloning laboratory in the world in Canuelas, near Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Crestview Genetics is the business entity behind the project and I’m pleased to have Adolfo Cambiaso and Ernesto Gutiérrez as partners in this program. The laboratory is ready to start cloning procedures and we have already isolated cells from horses belonging to clients. In addition, we have cells stored from horses to which we have cloning rights and which we plan to enter into our genetic program.

There’s a distinction between flooding the sport with cloned competition horses and the concept behind our endeavours. Our intention is to improve the genetic base for polo breeding programs worldwide. For example, if a breeder can have access to the genes from Adolfo Cambiaso’s horse, Cuartetera, to introduce to their existing bloodlines, it will instantly improve the breeder’s program. Now, since only one ‘Cuartetera’ clone has been – and ever will be – sold (it fetched $800,000), there will never be such an opportunity. But through embryo transfer programs from the clones we have from Cuartetera, this DNA will become accessible to breeders.

A portion of the clones that we have produced will be trained for polo. Owen Rinehart is involved in training some of the clones from his exceptional horse, Raptor. The intention is always to replicate the conditioning of the original horse. The ‘Raptors’ are the eldest of our clones at nine to ten months old and to see the look on Owen’s face while he’s watching them is priceless. It’s as though he’s been given his favourite horse back again.

Cornell University will monitor the clones as they are conditioned for polo both in the US and in Argentina. So far, after all

Opposite The cloned foal of Mariano Aguerre’s Califa 1 Adolfo Cambiaso, Ernesto Trotz and Juan Carlos Di Caro 2 Owen Rinehart with a Raptor foal 1 2

the experience we’ve gained with cloned animals in the athletic field, I believe the responsibility for the horse turning out well or better than the original lies with the trainer. The clones have an inherent ability and provided this talent is not interfered with, it should emerge. Bucking bulls are a tried and tested example of this. There are many cloned bulls on the rodeo circuit today and they perform better than the originals. They have the same ability and have been trained by the same people – the difference between them and non-cloned bulls is that they begin their career being trained correctly for that discipline, rather than having to wait until they are five years old to be ‘discovered’. That’s why it’s vital that polo pony clones are placed with their original trainers. The ‘Cuarteteras’ and ‘Lapas’ ponies are going into Adolfo’s training programme in Argentina, where the originals were bred and trained.

We do not plan to sell clones from any of the superior genetic polo ponies we have. All the clones belong to Crestview Genetics. In Argentina, we now have two ‘Cuarteteras’ and three ‘Lapas’ – and in South Carolina we have four ‘Cuarteteras’, six ‘Small Persons’, four ‘Raptors’ and four more ‘Lapas’. All of these will be going to Argentina soon. There is a small chance that if a player has the means and desire to purchase a clone to play we would consider a sale, but at this point there are no plans to sell clones, only embryos. On the other hand, clients can clone their own horses to play and one is cloning two of his horses 10 times each.

The reason I pursued cloning was so that I could have a lot of really good polo ponies for myself. But I realised that polo, and the horse world in general, can benefit from genetic improvement programs. We have a solutions company called Sweetwater that bridges the gap between where a country is and where it could be in terms of agricultural abilities, farming practices, animal husbandry and genetics, thus addressing food security and other issues for sovereign governments. The genetic improvement programme mantra is central to Sweetwater and it became apparent to

me that these same principles could be applied to breeding horses for polo.

The first polo clone was born three years ago in Texas – derived from Charlie Armstrong’s mare, Sage. Following that, Mariano Aguerre cloned his stallion, Califa, last year, to much polo media attention. Today it is not legally possible to clone a polo pony anywhere in the world without going through Crestview Genetics. The process of cloning is ‘intellectual property’ and we have licensed the patents from owners worldwide, including Viagen, for polo ponies. In Argentina we’ve gone further and also licensed the rights to the technology for all horses and cattle.

The cloning facility is just 2,000 square feet and houses four geneticists and three or four technicians. We use a sample of the horse’s DNA – a skin sample from behind the ear – to grow the cells. We then freeze most of them except those to be used for immediate cloning. We build the embryos and then take them to the recipient mares. The foals are weaned from the surrogate mares as soon as possible, to eradicate any imprint of the mother’s personality. So far we’ve found that when we put them in a pasture with others, the clones tend to congregate and reflect similar personalities.

Adolfo took Aiken Cura’s cells to a lab for placement in cryogenic stasis at the time the famous stallion had to be euthanised after an irreparable injury during the finals of the Argentine Open. When I met him, he told me: ‘If you can do what you say, I’ve been waiting for you to come along for five years!’ The cloned foals from Aiken Cura are currently in utero and will be on the ground by the end of the year. I’ve never seen anyone in my life as pleased as when Adolfo saw our first clones from his other horses.

I should point out that Crestview Genetics exists to assist all breeders and players realise the most from their breeding programme. We are agnostic as regards for whom we clone or use our Advanced Reproductive Technology (ART). We want all breeders and players to benefit from our host of technologies and in particular seeing Argentina as the world’s leader in ART. Interviewed by Sarah Eakin