POLO PROS BEHIND THE SCENES

from Seattle Polo Magazine 2023

INAUGURATION

High-Goal: Adam Snow

With countless tournament wins and 45 Best Playing Pony prizes to his name, Adam Snow’s career is unmatched by any other American-born polo professional. A native of Aiken, South Carolina, the former 10-goal player recently made the decision to step away from high-goal tournament polo. Yet he remains actively involved in the sport, training young horses, playing practices and pro-am tournaments, commentating for ESPN, coaching, and writing books.

Adam was surrounded by polo from a young age, but it was not an immediate career choice for him. He grew up in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and his family regularly played at the Myopia Polo Club. Adam graduated from college with an interest in sports, writing, and international affairs, so he applied for a Fulbright scholarship, which ultimately fell through. Looking for a backup plan, he turned to polo. Already rated 4 goals, he decided to go to Argentina where he could learn Spanish and pursue a polo career. From then on, he played every Florida season for years, making polo a lifelong career.

Competing alongside a wide variety of players and ponies and serving as the captain of many teams was always a thrill for Adam. Another highlight was breeding and training his own string of horses, building trust with them, and working as a cohesive unit on the field. One of the most challenging aspects of the profession, Adam admits, is the uncertainty of seasonal work – not knowing whether you’ll be employed from month to month makes planning for the future difficult. Adam used this challenge as inspiration to work harder, continually striving to improve until he was at the very top of the sport.

The best polo players, according to Snow, are extremely competitive. They must also have excellent riding skills and the ability to get the most out of their mounts. What sets polo players apart from other athletes is the fact that they must perform at their highest level in partnership with another species.

Adam was fortunate to play many incredible horses over the years: “Whether it was luck, good fortune, or all the stars aligned... great horses came to me right at the best moment in my playing career.” While the horses were something special, the care they received at home under his veterinarian wife, Shelly Onderdonk, also contributed to their success. The goal of balancing human goals with equine needs is the subject of Adam and Shelley’s latest book, Winning with Horses, published in 2023 by Trafalgar Square Books.

Hale Bopp, one of Adam’s best horses, was recently nominated to the Polo Hall of Fame. Adam is currently training and playing the offspring of several of his favorite mounts, including Hale Bopp, an experience he considers both challenging and rewarding.

Next-Level Talent: Hope Arellano

Hope Arellano is one of the best female polo players in the world. The South Carolina native is the United States Polo Association’s newest 10goal rated player, and although she is just 20 years old, she already has a long list of notable wins under her belt, including two Women’s U.S. Open Championships and a silver medal in the Federation of International Polo World Championship.

Arellano was born into polo. Her father, Julio, was a professional polo player and her mother Meghan grew up playing. Hope and her two brothers followed naturally in their parent's footsteps, and as a family they share a deep passion for the sport. One of Hope’s favorite memories is a special 12-goal win with a team made up entirely of her family members.

At the root of Hope’s success in the sport is her love for horses and her talent as a horsewoman. “The ponies make it all possible, and the bond that I feel with each pony is so special.” Because the partnership between a professional player and their ponies is critical to success, Hope spends almost all her time with her equine teammates. A typical day includes a workout, followed by riding and training horses, and stick and ball practise. On game days, whether it’s a team practice or tournament game, Hope strives to be both mentally and physically prepared. This can be challenging for a young athlete, but Hope carries it all in stride: “I feel some degree of pressure to prove myself day after day, but this is part of being an athlete. I am always working on improving, whether it is my ponies, my game, my mental strategy, or my fitness level.”

Hope’s hard work has paid off and every day she is grateful that she gets to follow her passion and play professionally. As a female pro, she faces different challenges on the field than her mostly male counterparts, yet she also brings different skills to the game. When it comes to hitting, for example, she finds herself working more on accuracy and ball placement, rather than distance.

Hope is currently playing in Santa Barbara and plans to play in England this summer season. She will then return home to Aiken for a short break before heading to Argentina to play the top women’s tournament in the world in the fall: the Argentine

Inspiring the Sport: Toto Socas

Argentine-born Toto Socas spends much of his year in California, splitting his time between Cerro Pampa and Eldorado Polo Clubs.

Toto comes from a long line of polo players. He grew up traveling the world with his professional polo player father and admits that both his father and uncle, Adolfo Cambiaso, are great role models for him. “What is so inspiring about my uncle is that he has been so competitive for so long. He competes against up-and-coming younger players all the time, and he just keeps winning.”

Having played up to 16-goal polo in Argentina, Toto gravitated towards the management and teaching side of the sport when he arrived in the United States almost 10 years ago. Toto enjoys introducing new players to polo, and believes numerous factors go into making a skilled player. Above all, horses make up 70% of a player’s game: “Buying good horses, this sets all players up for success. And the rest of their game is a balance between skills and smarts,” suggests Toto.

One of the biggest challenges that Toto realizes as a professional player is the costs associated with the sport. To improve, most of what is earned must be reinvested into horses and tournaments, sometimes becoming an endless cycle. Finding a balance between income and expenses, while also creating a safety net for the future, is something that he believes many professionals players struggle with on an ongoing basis.

Toto spends most of his time in the barn and at the field. He suggests that a deep love for horses is crucial for anyone who makes a living in polo: “All day, you spend time with horses, you talk about horses, you socialize with other people about horses, and then it repeats again the next day!”

One of the highlights of the recent winter polo season for Toto was winning the USPA Carlton and Keleen Beal Cup and receiving the MVP award. This summer polo season, Toto looks forward to playing at the Seattle Polo Club.

While the life of a pro is not an easy one, it does make for a great lifestyle. It means always being in places at the best time of year, when the weather is best for polo. “Polo is a lot of work, but it is also very fun. Fun in the sun! If I were a millionaire and didn’t have to work, I would still choose life as a polo pro. I love it that much.”

For more than 60 years, there has been one polo club in the California desert that hosts competitive, international-calibre polo. Known for decades as a players club, this tradition continutes with competitive polo from 2-Goal through 12-Goal, as well as Junior, Women's, Pro Pool and Coaching Leagues throughout the winter season.