Miss Florida USA Karina Brez and Lauren Duffy, Asst. VP of Piaget along with the Stanley Cup on loan from the National Hockey League made an appearance at IPC in January Photo by Alan Fabricant
Catching up: Josh Hall, DVM is back on the scene in Wellington looking after Tommy Lee Jones and the Ganzi’s polo strings. When Josh is not inFlorida, you can find him practicing his trade in Santa Barbara.
Yikes! By now, you’ve probably heard that there is a horse virus out in Californiathat has brought all equestrian activity to a screeching halt. We learned that one of Domingo Questal’s horses died from the virus. Apparently the virus was brought in by horses at the rodeo grounds atEl Dorado. It is airborne and most games and activities have been cancelled.
Polo will officially become a discipline of the U.S. Pony Club during the 2012 USPC Annual Meeting and Convention next week in New Orleans! In celebration of this special partnership, the USPA plans to offer a free introductory membership to Pony Club members and is currently working with its member clubs and other polo entities to offer educational clinics this year for Pony Club chapters located around the country. For more info, contact Ryan Boger at 919-277-1166.
Californiawill be hosting an “Arena Legends” tournament in Californiain conjunction with Randy Russell and Polo America Events…..more info to follow!
Team USPA member Mason Wroe made his high-goal debut in a big way, earning an MVP nod in the opening weekend of the 20-goal at IPC. Way to go Mason!
Houston’s Jeff Hildebrand will be taking his first plunge into high-goal polo, taking his Tonkawa Farms team to IPC to play his first season of 20-goal polo! Good luck Jeff!
Preliminary Discussions have begun for a spring re-match of the England vs. USA Townsend Cup, with the English acting as host.
Bumps ands bruises: Polo Editor Danika Rice is recovering from surgery after a spill with a polo pony in Houston. The horse tripped and fell with her foot still in the stirrup, breaking both the tibia and fibula bones feeding into her ankle. Two plates and 7 screws later, the healing process has begun! This all came a week after brother Shane took a tumble during the opening rounds of the 8-goal at Sarasota Polo Club. Shane fared better, sporting only a bum knee and some impressive bruises.
Chad Bowman also took a tumble during chukkers in Houston’s winter season arena polo……..he suffered only a fat lip, so best get to paying up on his case of beer to ease the swelling!
Stay up-to-date with the latest happenings of the winter high-goal season…even when you can’t be there! IPCscoreboard.com is a new website from the International Polo Club that will feature real-time updates, scores, stats and photos from Florida!
Mark your calendars: American Polo Horse Association’s National Polo Pony Show returns to West Palm Beach, Florida; Tuesday March 27, once again at the Jim Brandon Equestrian center.
Fun fact: APHA 2011 “most searched” horse of the year was Mariah, owned by California’s Domingo Questal.
New baby department: Del Walton and longtime girlfriend Tessa Lord have welcomed their second child, another son, Robert Callaghan Walton, into the world!
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Avendano Memorial Junior Polo tournament. If you have long memories (or photos, perhaps) contact Haley Bryan, who’s working on putting together the history of this memorable tournament. The editor remembers when Julio Arellano and the Novillo-Astrada boys played in it – and it was an amazing game that year. Most of the kids who played in that match are now high goalers!
The Equestrian Celebrity Bartending Challenge to benefit the YMCA of the Palm Beaches took place in mid-January 21st at The Gallery Lounge, International Arena, Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Polo players Kris Kampsen, Nic Roldan (voted one of Vanity Fair’s Hottest Horseman), Brandon Phillips (also a model) and Pelon Escapite were among the bartenders. Show jumpers Georgina Bloomberg, Marley Goodman, Paige Johnson, Daisy Johnson, Tiffany Foster, Whitney Weeks and dressage rider Devon Kane also doled out the drinks in this popular fundraiser.
Passing: the Aiken polo family lost a fine young man in Austin Allen.Austin was a sweet good natured athlete who played polo on the Aiken Interscholastic team as well as other tournaments. His polite demeanor, ready smile and sweet soul will be missed by all of us.
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News to share: New baby, engagement, pickup truck? On the move, having parties, falling off horses? Share what’s happenin’ with your polo friends by e-mailing us at editor@sidelinesnews.com. Be sure to put “News for Asides” in the subject line.
