August 2021 Polo Players' Edition- Association News

Circuit governor elections will take place this summer. Please find an outline for the election process below.

• All candidates must be nominated, regardless if they currently hold a circuit governor position.

• Only delegates representing active member clubs are eligible to nominate or vote for a candidate.

• Any individual receiving two or more nominations will be considered a candidate for the office of circuit governor.

• All candidates must be registered players who are at least 18 years of age and registered with an active member club in the circuit as of June 1 of the election year.

• Each delegate will receive the number of ballots set forth below based on the number of registered player members in the active member club the delegate represents:

Tuesday, June 1: Deadline for registered player count at active member clubs.

No later than Tuesday, June 8: the association will convey to delegates of each active member club in good standing as of June 1, with a copy to the incumbent circuit governor:

• A list of the member club’s registered players who are at least 18 years of age and of record as of June 1

• A list of all active member clubs in the circuit as of June 1, including the name and address of each delegate

• A nominating form

Tuesday, July 13: Nominations due Tuesday, July 20: Ballots sent to the delegates Tuesday, August 10: Ballots due Before Monday, August 30: Results announced

If you have any questions please reach out to Lindsey Ebersbach, lebersbach@uspolo.org.

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The USPA is partnering with The Jockey Club to provide Best Playing Thoroughbred awards for USPA tournaments. Players will be required to register their horse for a Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) number in order to be eligible. Clubs will apply, first come first serve, for 50 available awards. The winner information will be included in Bluebook tournament results and awards will be mailed to the club.

Eligibility: For purposes of eligibility for all T.I.P. awards, a Thoroughbred is defined as any horse that has been registered with The Jockey Club or a foreign Thoroughbred stud book recognized by The Jockey Club. An unregistered horse is not eligible for T.I.P. You must know your horse’s registered name to be eligible for T.I.P. (if registered but unnamed, must know YOB and dam’s name). For identification assistance and to

check registration status, please log in at www.registry.jockeyclub.com.

In order to be eligible for a T.I.P. award, owners and riders must obtain a T.I.P. number. Apply for a T.I.P. number online at https://tjctip.com/APPLYTIPNUMBER. The T.I.P. number card should be provided to participating polo clubs as proof of eligibility.

To request this award, please email clubs@uspolo.org.

Remember to enter your tournament results on the member portal immediately following the completion of events.

Member clubs that have hosted a USPA tournament this year and have not yet entered tournament results, please do so immediately following the completion of the event.

All tournament results can be submitted electronically through the new tournament database. Once logged into the member portal and viewing one’s profile, club delegates can access the database by clicking on the tab titled “Tournaments.” The option to select “Tournament Application Form” or “Roster/Results Entry” will be presented.

Currently, only club delegates have access to the tournament database and only they have permission to submit tournament applications. However, if you would like to grant another person access to the “Roster/Results Entry” page, please contact Kaila Dowd at Kdowd@uspolo.org for assistance.

Courtesy of Joshua Hall, DVM

Heatstroke is a potentially deadly condition that can come on suddenly with little warning. Heatstroke occurs when heat production outpaces heat loss. A horse’s normal temperature is 100 to 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures beyond 103.5 challenge their metabolic processes. Beyond 105 degrees, horses may show signs of subtle incoordination or lack precision and regularity in their paces. The horse may be fretful and irritable, less attentive and sluggish in its work. If its temperature stays over 105 for longer than a few minutes, the horse’s sweating mechanism starts to shut down, and it loses interest in eating and drinking. All that internal heat dulls its brain’s cognitive functions, leading to disorientation. If the temperature is not brought down within five to 10 minutes, or if it rises to 108 or beyond, the horse likely will collapse, suffer convulsions and die. At temperatures over 111.2 degrees, tissues can literally break down.

Heat production even during gentle exercise can increase by 10 to 20 times over resting values. Sprinting results in an increase of 40 to 50 times over resting values. At work levels of 150 heartbeats per minute, a horse’s temperature will go up 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit every three minutes.

Working your horses in a steamy climate significantly increases their susceptibility to heatstroke. High humidity compromises the evaporative process because up to two-thirds of the heat-releasing sweat will roll off of the horse’s body before it can evaporate and cool the horse. This means efficient sweating is not always synonymous with efficient cooling.

The following rule of thumb has been devised as a guide. If the sum of the temperature and humidity is:

• Less than 130—no problem;

• Greater than 150—use caution, especially if the humidity is greater than half of the total;

• Greater than 180—use extreme caution, since normal cooling is almost ineffectual and horses may resort to panting.

EQUINE WELFARE HOTLINE (866) 563-5534

Callers can remain anonymous but are asked to provide as much information as possible, including location of horses and their owner’s name, if known.

NYTS players across the country continue to impress, improving their skills and bringing a new level of excitement to summer junior polo. All-stars are named at each event based on horsemanship, sportsmanship, playing ability at current handicap and ability to play as a member of the team.

Tinicum Park: Abdullah Chaudhry, Daniel Arnold, Mosiah Gravesande, Samantha Iahn

Giant Valley: Daniel Arnold, Samantha Iahn, Sophia DeAngelis, Elizabeth Leudesdorff, Malachi Light

Midland: Lance Stefanakis, Francesca Felhaber, Trenton Werntz, Ulysses Escapite

Gardnertown: Vlad Tarashansky, Taylor Palacios, Matteo Chaux, Saralyn Painter, Malachi Light

USPA’s I/I Middle School League is open for business! Middle School tournaments can now be hosted year round by USPA clubs. The Middle School League is open to all players grades 5-8. Parents of interested students can check out the Middle School page at uspolo.org or email Emily Dewey at edewey@uspolo.org for more information.

I/I teams, keep an eye out for start-of-the-season information! You will be receiving emails on requirements and dates in the coming weeks. All information will also be posted on the I/I page at uspolo.org.

Are you interested in starting an interscholastic team at your club? If you are, check out the “Starting an Interscholastic Polo Team” guide on the uspolo.org bookshelf!

The I/I staff is here to help and more than happy to walk you through the requirements and steps to becoming a full-fledged interscholastic team. For more information, please email Ali Davidge at adavidge@uspolo.org.

Congratulations to the 74 players who received their Interscholastic Varsity Letter for the 2020-2021 season! Players worked towards receiving their varsity letters by competing in tournaments and games, practicing and riding.

I/I coaches, mark your calendars and join us in August for I/I round table discussions. We will be covering multiple topics coaches come across while running both interscholastic and intercollegiate programs. If you would like to sign-up, please keep an eye out for the online sign-up sheet or email Amy Fraser at afraser@uspolo.org.

Published by the United States Polo Association Offices at 9011 Lake Worth Rd., Lake Worth, Florida 33467 • (800) 232-USPA Chairman: Stewart Armstrong President: Tony Coppola Secretary: Charles Smith Treasurer: Steven Rudolph