60 SIDELINES APRIL 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Lauren R. Giannini
Daniel Galindo, winner of the
Polo Training Foundation’s 2012
Interscholastic Male Player of the
Year Award, has been described in
print (Polo Players Edition) by Duncan
Huyler, Intercollegiate/Interscholastic
chair, with the words “awesome rider…
beautiful polo player… and smooth
as silk.” Affrming these accolades
by phone, Duncan added, “Daniel is
6’6” – a big, solid kid, but he rides like
an equitation rider. He’s easy on the
horses. He has nice hands, nice seat,
nice everything. Daniel is the guy you
want to ride your horses.”
Daniel, 19, grew up totally immersed
in his family’s business of breeding
horses for polo at their G & L Ranch,
Thermal, California. His father Carlos
Galindo is a 5-goal arena and currently
4-goal grass professional; his mother
Stacey rides and plays – her highest
rating was two goals on grass. His
older brothers Carlos and Nicolai and
sister Brianna all play polo. They are
members of the Eldorado Polo Club in
Indio, not far from their home. Daniel,
the third in his family to make Team
USPA for developing players, started in peewee polo when he
was four.
“I would love to go professional, but my size might be against
me,” admitted Daniel. “It’s been a bit challenging my frst year of
college. There isn’t a polo program at University of Oregon and
not much interest in starting one, so I’ve been going up to Portland
to work with Brendan Alcott who works with the JV team at Oregon
State. I do lessons with him. I run to stay ft. During the Christmas
break I went home and played polo every day. Being on Team
USPA makes me want to do more and work harder mentally. I
like to be perfect. I watch videos to see what I can do better and I
watch games to keep my mind in it.”
Among his major infuences are Joe Henderson and Corky
Linfoot. “I would watch how Joe played because he is a big guy
like me,” admitted Daniel. “Corky was coach of my dad’s team for
a long time. I would hang around so I could hear what he said. I
always listened to the pointers he gave to the players. When he
came to the ranch to do hitting lessons with the team, I tried to be
out there, watching and listening to everything.”
Daniel cites his father as an important factor in his equestrian
education. “Horsemanship is the most important thing I got from
my father,” he said. “The most important part of polo is being
a horseman and riding the horses to improve my game means
being able to read the plays. I’m more of a defensive back player.
You have to be aware of everything going on. I just fell into
that defensive position naturally. I was always the bigger guy, I
Daniel Galindo
Daniel Galindo Just Wants To
Play Polo
e
Polo
Daniel Galindo played Leti, owned by his uncle Hector
Galindo, on day three of the February clinic in Florida for
Team USPA Developing Players when the clinic moved
from the International Polo Club to the Everglades Polo
Club.
Photos By Elizabeth A. Hedley, USPA-NCD
wasn’t that quick a player, but
I could always hit a long ball.
Strength helps, but it’s mostly
about timing and hand-eye
coordination. As you play more,
you learn how to hit and you
learn the tendency of the ball.”
Daniel is currently rated two
goals in both grass and arena
polo, although he confessed
that at Eldorado they never
practice arena. Nerves don’t
bother him during matches
either. “I don’t feel pressure
much – I’m too focused,”
admitted Daniel. “Once I’m done playing, I turn off the player and
become a person.”
Daniel’s work ethic carried him through freshman year at
Oregon University where he maintains a 3.5 grade point average
and focuses on sports business. He hopes to transfer to Texas
A&M and get involved in their polo program.
“Maybe I can work in management with a high goal polo team,”
said Daniel. “No matter what I do after college, I want to keep
playing. I’m happy that I have USPA and all their resources behind
me. I ask the players and coaches for advice, do all the clinics I
can. I just want to play polo.”