150 SIDELINES MARCH 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 152
By Lauren R. Giannini
Alina Carta stays busy and polo is a major factor in her work and
her play. She specializes in farms and land with Browning Realty
International, based at Palm
Beach Polo & Country Club. In
2012 she started Masai of Palm
Beach, which retails accessories
adorned with the stunning
beadwork of the Masai people
in Kenya. Alina can easily track
the success of her new business
by the increasing popularity of
the colorful and distinctive hand-
made browbands on the bridles
of polo ponies at games and
tournaments. Her product line
includes dog collars, key chains,
sandals and bracelets.
“So far the response to Masai
of Palm Beach has been great –
all my friends have my beaded
key chains and bracelets,
which are all unique, all my own
designs,” said Alina. “I wanted to
make sure that the browbands
would hold up under wear and
tear conditions. So I asked a
good friend, an Argentine high
goal player, who was playing last
fall at the Grand Champions Polo
Club, to put them on his bridles.
The browbands performed great
– as sturdy as a good polo pony.”
Alina did research and read
books for sound advice when she
started Masai of Palm Beach.
As a longtime horseperson, she
knew that leather quality was key
to the success of the beadwork.
“I consulted Vince who works for
Tony Coppola at Tackeria,” said
Alina. “He told me you need this,
e
Polo
this and that. So I started sending tools and other items to Kenya
that the Masai would need.”
It’s quite a process. Alina’s leather man in Nairobi oversees
supplying the Masai with fine hides that are supple and strong
enough for frequent riding and
polo play. Alina entrusts a
Masai woman with distribution
of the designs and orders to the
various beaders who complete
the orders for Masai of Palm
Beach. But when it rains,
especially out in the bush, the
red dust of Kenya turns to mud
that literally gums up the works.
“I had gone on safari to Kenya
in 1984 with my sister Maita and
that’s when I first encountered
theMasai’s amazing beadwork,”
said Alina. “The bracelets and
necklaces were great tourist
items. Beadwork has a long
history with the Masai and the
craft is passed from generation
to generation. The colorful,
high contrast patterns have
spiritual significance for the
Masai. I have played polo all my
life and I thought that beaded
browbands in stable and team
colors would really appeal. Last
year Adolfo Cambiaso made a
custom order for browbands
with the Argentine flag for the
Argentine Open.”
Polo and family have been
major elements throughout
Alina’s life. “My mother is still
alive, my father passed in
2000, and I’m very involved
with my six nieces,” said Alina.
“My nephew just passed the
bar exam to be an attorney.
Alina Carta
Brings
Beadwork &
Browbands
To Polo
Virginia International Polo’s Maureen Brennan’s
bridles with their Masai of Palm Beach
browbands.
Photo by Alina Carta
Adolfo Cambiaso ordered La Dolfina team browbands custom
beaded with the Argentine flag for the 2013 Argentina Open,
which La Dolfina won over Alegria.
Photo by Tony Ramirez ©ImagesOfPolo.com
