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"Let other people play at other things – the King of Games is still the Game of Kings.”
Inscribed on a stone tablet next to a polo ground in Skardu, Pakistan, near the fabled silk route from China to the West, that ancient sentence pretty much sums up the feelings of today’s polo players, as well. Artistry, danger, and adrenaline have held the players’ devotion and spectators’ interest for centuries.
The sheer majesty of beautiful beasts, in unison with their riders, thundering across pristine lawns at breakneck speeds, where anything can and does happen in a flash, makes other sports pale in comparison. Just as the spectacle and daring of polo once thrilled its participants and fans in the royal courts of ancient Asia, many of today’s players are known to be attracted to extreme sports of speed and endurance.
“I used to heli-ski before I started playing polo,” says Jim Hunter, a Bay Area real estate developer in his 60s and a member of the Wine Country Polo Club in Santa Rosa (WineCountryPoloClub.com). “After polo, I’ve never gone back to helicopter skiing.”
Hunter, a self-described Calgary cowboy, was born on his parents’ Canadian cattle ranch. Riding and skiing are like second nature to him, but he finds polo far more exciting. Fellow club member, Scott Malek, couldn’t agree more. He began riding horses at age three and grew up in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Illinois during the time it was the headquarters of the U.S. Polo Association from 1967-1986.
“I was a jockey from the time I was 18 to 21,” says Malek, a Sacramento businessman in his mid-forties. “I was also a race-car driver, but I can truthfully say there is nothing like polo, and there’s no other sport for me.”
Today, USPA headquarters are in the middle of thoroughbred country, in Lexington, Kentucky. There are 3,500 members with more than 250 clubs and schools registered across the U.S. In Northern California, there are a dozen clubs and private fields, as well as collegiate play at Stanford University and the University of California at Davis.
Polo’s Attraction
The oldest of all equestrian team sports, and possibly one of the earliest organized sports of any kind, historians believe polo has its roots in the Near East and Asia where cavalries were composed of light infantry units known for their agility and speed, unlike the heavy weaponry used in Europe. The swift, direct swing of the lightweight polo mallet is not unlike the sling of the ancient cutlass in the horseman’s hand. This is evidenced today as nimble riders in tall boots, with only a helmet for protection, must rely on their superb horsemanship, timing, concentration and instinctive skills to master the game. On a field measuring 300 by 160 yards, or nine times the yardage of a football field, two teams of four gallop and move a ball downfield between goalposts at either end. There are typically six periods, each seven minutes long, known as “chukkers,” and the player brings in a fresh horse for each period. The player’s jersey number (1-4) indicates his or her team position as a forward (1), defensive back (4), or mid-action players (2&3). Players have a USPA handicap rating based on their experience and number of goals normally achieved. The team captain is usually the number 3 player, the highest rated member. Spectators have a role also. They get on the field for traditional divot stomping at halftime where they socialize and replace the divots unearthed by the ponies’ hooves.
“When eight players and eight horses on a field traveling 30 miles per hour need to stop on a dime and turn on their heels quickly, anything can happen, and that keeps the adrenaline pumping,” says Roger Schaufel, President of the Wine Country Polo Club. “Throughout history, kings and rulers have used polo to train their cavalries and perfect their skills.”
And that adrenaline factor is something to consider. When a horse stops fast, so must the rider. And since they tend to move as one, it is not unusual to see many a horse and rider tumble and roll together as they hit the ground. Bones break and injuries occur in a split second. It is not a sport where riders can let their minds wander, and that is part of polo’s allure --the focus factor. For those successful professionals who insist on control over everything in their lives, polo challenges the player’s mind and body because control can be lost instantly.
Malek, who has broken more than half the bones in his body, concedes he may have an occasional nightmare or two about the possibilities of more mishaps, but in his waking hours that thought never enters his mind.
“I’ve been playing for 29 years, and for me it is the thrill factor and the need to focus totally and completely on everything that’s happening in front of you,” says Malek. “There’s no time to think about anything else when you’re out there.”
According to Schaufel, people get into polo pretty much for two reasons.
“The love of the animals is a huge draw because what we do with horses is as exciting as it can get,” says Schaufel. “Others love to compete. They’re successful, they like to dominate in what they do, and if they’re bored with their success, they like to challenge themselves further. Some players take up polo with no riding skills; they’re going for it, and you have to admire them for it.”
Polo is definitely not a game for the fainthearted. Most polo players proudly rattle off their injuries like badges of honor. It is all part of the game.
“A shattered right shoulder, a couple of broken ribs, some bruised ribs, a broken left little finger the other day; I love it,” says Hunter. “It’s hockey on horseback, and I’m going to play until I break my neck – again.”
Hunter is well known for a most unfortunate event not long ago. He was racing down the field in a polo match when his horse suffered a massive heart attack and died. Hunter luckily sustained only minor injuries. Now that’s a risk taker.
The Horse Set
Just as more women opt for military service, more women professionals are seeking out polo than ever before and for the same reasons as their male counterparts. Julia Graves, of Healdsburg, is a marketing district manager with Medtronic, Inc. She met Carol Molln, a property management executive in Sebastopol, at the Wine Country Polo Club several years ago. Both were accomplished horsewomen who had decided to take up polo to get back into active riding, and after a year of lessons, they began playing. Graves and Molln are members of the USPA, where women now account for 25 percent of its membership.
“When I moved from San Francisco to this area, I didn’t know anyone, and I thought of polo,” says Graves. “Even with a solid riding ability, it’s a definite challenge to perfect your ball handling skills, but you can play at a level that is comfortable for you.”
Cissy Laughlin Strain played in college at UC Davis and plays weekly with her brother, Peter. The Laughlins, who grew up with horses in the Rancho Santa Fe area outside San Diego, play to keep their love of horses in their lives and to stay connected with each other and their families.
“Some families ski; others play golf. This is something we can do together that keeps our family close, says Strain.
It is not unusual to see family members playing polo together. There are a number of husband and wife duos, as well as generations of families who introduce the sport to their offspring. Schaufel still plays some, but his family isn’t keen on it. However, his son, Steiner, is a regular whose five-year-old son is now taking riding lessons to prepare him to play. Another club member, John Ziegler, plays with his 13 year-old son, Jack, who is the youngest on the field. With this kind of dedication, why would anyone quit playing polo?
There are only two reasons I can think of,” says Malek. “Death or poverty.”
THE POLO SEASON–Argentina, Anyone?
If polo is your passion, the good news is that polo season never ends. It just moves from north to south, following temperate conditions on both coasts in North America before high season starts in South America. Argentina is the international headquarters for the finest polo players and horses, and the truly devoted travel there several times a year to play and observe what is considered the epitome of the sport. Many also purchase their horses in Argentina, where the fine steeds come trained with impeccable polo skills.
“A good polo horse has to have stamina and a willingness to compete, “says Schaufel.“ It will combine the heart and athletic ability of a thoroughbred with the endurance and more muscular, compact build of a quarter horse.”
While still new to the sport, Graves and Molln joined other members in their club and ventured to Argentina where they each decided to take the next step and purchase polo ponies.
“Several weeks later after I had received notice that my horses had arrived in the U.S. and I needed to make arrangements for receiving them at their stables, I called Julia, and I said, ‘Oh, my god, what have we done?’” laughs Molln.
The commitment required of this sport Is significant given the care and maintenance of the horses and the need to transport them to private and public fields throughout California for any number of weekly practices, social matches, tournaments and charity benefits from spring through early fall. The Wine Country Polo Club hosts its 14thAnnual Polo in the Wine Country Benefit for Junior Achievement of the Bay Area on Sunday, September23, from 1-4:00p.m., with polo matches and teams sponsored by local vintners, live jazz, a silent auction, gourmet food and wine, and a champagne divot stomp at halftime sponsored by Korbel Champagne Cellars. For tickets and more information, visitLuxLifeMag.com.
