104 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Alan Martinez
Photos courtesy of Equestrian Sport Management
By Danika Rice
Alan Martinez has polo in his blood; his father is Dominican polo
player Eddy Martinez and his mother Linda helps run the family
operation. Raised in Tampa, Florida, Alan now splits his time
between his family's farms in Georgia, South Carolina and South
Florida. At 30 years old, Alan has quite a list of accomplishments
and he hopes to see it continue to grow!
What is the most memorable polo game you’ve ever played?
In 2005 I was playing for Mokarow Farms at the Las Colinas
Polo Club. Our team was Kevin Mokarow, Robert Payne,
Del Walton and myself. We played the spring and fall 12 goal
tournaments and won each tournament we entered. When it came
time to play the 16 goal at the end of the season we stuck with our
12 goal team and were able to make it to the fnals before losing
in overtime. Our team played very well together and it’s still one of
my most memorable moments in polo.
Can you name a favorite horse you’ve played?
The best mare that I have ever played was named Flaca.
She was a 15 hand bay mare that came from Owen Rinehart’s
breeding operation. She could run, stop and turn better than any
horse I have ever owned. When I played her I felt like I could
Alan on the feld
do anything. She allowed me to focus completely on the game
because she would always get me where I wanted to be.
What goals do you hope to accomplish on or off the polo
feld?
My goal in polo is to continue getting better, playing as much
as possible and constantly improving my string. I would like to win
more tournaments and better my skills so that I can be a great
well-rounded player. With my horses, I would like to have them
all playing to the best of their ability and be bringing along green
horses so that I always have great horses to play. With every
game I play and watch I hope to gain more knowledge about the
game and the way it’s played.
If you could play with any team, anywhere, who would it be
and where would you play?
My dream team would be Adolfo Cambiaso, Miguel Novillo
Astrada, Facundo Pieres and myself and we would play at
Palermo in Argentina.
Who is the most infuential person in your life?
My father is the most infuential person in my life. He has an
incredible work ethic and takes a lot of pride in everything that
he does. He has helped me in so many ways, from coaching me
on and off of the feld to helping me fgure out horses and how to
make them better. I wouldn’t be half of the player that I am today
without him.
Polo Blood
Runs Deep
e
Polo