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Saturday, May 31 2014 / Published in Weekly Feature

Polo Queen Kerstie Allen

Polo, Roping, Mounted Shooting, Barrel Racing, PoloCrosse: Is there anything Kerstie Allen CAN’T do on a horse?  

By Lauren R. Giannini

Kerstie Allen Photo by Barbara Bower, www.BarbarasVisions.com

Kerstie Allen
Photo by Barbara Bower, www.BarbarasVisions.com

After growing up in Australia, Kerstie Allen took off to explore the world, literally and figuratively, on horseback. She has played high goal polo alongside royalty and some of the best professional players, competed in rodeo events, and, at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, played demonstration games as a member of the USA PoloCrosse World Cup Squad.

“We won the USA-versus-Australia test match in PoloCrosse in 2010, and I’ve won best (polo) player in the WCT (Women’s Championship Tournament), but my biggest achievement so far has been playing in the 26-goal tournament in Wellington, Florida,” Kerstie said.

Her first 26-goal experience took place in the semi-finals match of the Butler Handicap, the subsidiary of the U.S. Polo Association (USPA) Piaget Gold Cup on March 20. Crab Orchard team captain and sponsor George Rawlings had been dealing with a persistent bad knee so Kerstie stepped into the line-up and stayed in the team through the finals, playing alongside 10-goaler Facundo Pieres, Magoo Laprida (8) and Paco de Narvaez (8). Crab Orchard won the 2014 Butler Handicap Title.

“It was the greatest honor because I am a 0-goal player,” Kerstie said. “I’ve never even seen a 26-goal game and to play in one and win was just a dream come true. I was riding 12 horses I didn’t know at all against top players with really high handicaps. I played in every match of the Butler Handicap and we won every one.”

When it came to the next 26-goal tournament, Kerstie found herself watching the ultimate high goal polo tournament, the 110th Maserati US Open. Women have made a lot of progress in polo, but there’s still a bit of a man’s-world bias. Polo’s a tough sport with bumping, riding off and racing at speed, and accidents can happen to the biggest and the best players and horses.

 

Kerstie plays for ERG a 20-goal tournament in Santa Barbara, California in 2013. Photo by David Lominska, www.polographics.com

Kerstie plays for ERG a 20-goal tournament in Santa Barbara, California in 2013.
Photo by David Lominska, www.polographics.com

Kerstie, with her long blonde hair, looks like a girly-girl, but don’t be fooled by the package, because she takes the concept of cross training to extremes and thinks way outside of the box. She enjoys rodeo events and also has a compulsion for the thrills of snowboarding and wakeboarding. Her grand passion, truth to tell, is playing polo.

“Polo is physical-mental – you’re in the middle of seven guys with mallets, moving at speed on horses, and you don’t get a second chance if you mess up,” Kerstie said. “Maybe I am 0-goal, but I hold my own as a player. They used me against the other 8- or 9-goal players in those matches and I held my own. I was hoping to go on to the Open with them, and I was there, just in case they needed me. I was cheering them on from the sidelines.”

In a soft Aussie accent, she talks about her dreams and ambitions. You can hear the strength of will behind her words, the steely-minded determination and the mind-set that transcends ordinary common sense about personal limitations. You know that Kerstie will figure out a way to get where she wants to go. In fact, she recently signed on to play beach polo for the first time at the Miami Beach Polo Tournament for team Fontainebleau Aviation. She’ll then travel to Via Reggio, Italy, to continue playing for Fontainebleau Aviation.

Kerstie and 9-goal player Facundo Pieres, Crab Orchard teammates for the Butler Cup 25-goal finals championship  Photo by David Lominska, www.polographics.com

Kerstie and 9-goal player Facundo Pieres, Crab Orchard teammates for the Butler Cup 25-goal finals championship
Photo by David Lominska, www.polographics.com

“I was on the way home after playing polo in England and I came to the USA to check out the polo scene,” she said. “I was also fascinated by rodeo and western riding, having heard about it all my life growing up in Australia. I was skiing in California and overnighted my horses to me and they wound up stabling at the Indio Polo Club and that was the start of my polo here in the States.”

Kerstie admitted to being obsessed with horses as long as she can remember. She didn’t get her own horse until she was in high school, and her family wasn’t at all horsey. She was born in Melbourne and stayed there until she graduated from college. When she had an opportunity to travel, she leaped at it and has never looked back.

“There’s no BS about me – we are what we are,” said Kerstie. “I do team roping and barrel racing professionally, and calf roping as an amateur. I also do cowboy mounted shooting. I’ve won a lot of buckles, probably hundreds, and saddles. I’ve never had a lesson. I taught myself to do everything. I’ve had to pursue my dreams pretty much on my own.”

Kerstie rides off Facundo Obregon in the 26-goal handicap finals, Crab Orchard versus Coca-Cola. Photo by David Lominska, www.polographics.com

Kerstie rides off Facundo Obregon in the 26-goal handicap finals, Crab Orchard versus Coca-Cola.
Photo by David Lominska, www.polographics.com

In addition to being totally self-taught in all of her endeavors, on and off the horses, Kerstie is totally self-supporting. “I buy and sell horses for polo, roping, barrel racing, hunter/jumper – I find out what the horses’ talents are and what they enjoy doing best,” she said. “I sold my best roping horse, a heel horse, to Tuff Hedeman. He was a champion bull rider and best friends with Lane Frost, who died bull riding. They made a movie about it, 8 Seconds.”

Kerstie travels with her horses all over the USA, according to the season and the sport. Right now, she has 20 in her string, but she has had as many as 300 horses in one year. For polo, she has a mentor in Facundo Pieres.

“It was an honor to play on the same team with him this season in the 26-goal matches,” Kerstie said. “As a woman, it is rare to even have the opportunities I have had. I have to thank the Rawlings and the whole Crab Orchard team, including Paco, Magoo and Facundo. I just want to continue playing high goal internationally. I want to go as far as I can in polo.”

Kerstie at Crab Orchard Photo by Barbara Bower, www.BarbarasVisions.com

Kerstie at Crab Orchard
Photo by Barbara Bower, www.BarbarasVisions.com

About the writer: Lauren R. Giannini is an award-winning journalist, specializing in stories about the equestrian world. Crazy about horses all her life, she craves more stable time, especially in the saddle. Right now, she rides her beloved MacBook, a genuine work-pony, and reads voraciously to escape the everyday world. Her plans for 2014: do more teaching and thereby share her love of books, reading, writing and telling stories. Big goal: to become a published author in the not-too-distant future. 

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Tagged under: Barbara Bower, Crab Orchard, David Lominska, equines, facundo-pieres, george-rawlings, horse-magazine, hunters, jumpers, kerstie-allen, lauren r. giannini, Maserati US Open, polo, polocrosse, sidelines-magazine, U.S. Polo Association (USPA) Piaget Gold Cup, World Equestrian Games, www.BarbarasVisions.com, www.polographics.com

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Marie Meyers has been around the world because of Marie Meyers has been around the world because of dressage, but it’s her farm in Moorpark, California, that has captured her heart. The farm and the business that thrives there represent Marie’s lifelong journey—a journey made up of good friends, spectacular horses and relationships made to last.

Marie was raised in Southern California, and spent her childhood playing just about every sport under the sun, but she didn’t discover riding until she was 14 years old. “I loved animals so much, so I started taking lessons. I did jumping at first, but I was very bad at that, for sure!” Marie laughed.

After some time, Marie moved on to take lessons at Foxfield Riding Academy and began riding dressage. “I fell into dressage by accident,” Marie said, “At the beginning, I thought it was extremely boring, but then I got hooked. By the time I graduated from high school, I had plans to travel to England to work for Franz Rochowansky, a former head of the Spanish Riding School.”

In 1988, Marie’s hard work paid off, and the pair was selected as alternates for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. “They didn’t take the alternates that year, so we didn’t go to Seoul, but the experience, the training and the European Tour afterwards set me up for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden,” Marie said.

In addition to having success representing her country, Marie was busy with her life—marriage, a business, teaching lessons and clinics. 

Learn more about Marie in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more 🦄

📸Photos by Lindsey Long Equine Photography, www.lindseylong.com

#dressage #equestrian #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #dressagehorse #equestrianlife #showjumping #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #instahorse #dressur #horselove #eventing #equestrianstyle #cheval #dressagerider #horselife #horselover #pferde #love #riding #jumping #pferdeliebe #horseofinstagram #horsebackriding #paard #dressurpferd
We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on o We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on our socials where we share some of the lovely stallions, and their breeders featured in each month's magazine. Our first feature on this #STUDSunday is...

 ✨ALVESTA OWAIN✨
Thistledown Arctic Lore x Alvesta Fairy Lustre
13.1hh, Welsh section B
Stud Fee $750 (plus collection)
AI only and EVA negative
Fairfield, VA

Contact Cheryl Maye at (703) 431-9096 for more information
https://www.mayeshowponies.com/more-info/stallions

You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

📸  SAS Equestrian
‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️ The purpose of this ‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️

The purpose of this month’s column is to help the young equestrians of our sport develop and maintain healthy friendships within the industry. Cultivating healthy relationships with other members within the industry is not as easy as one may think. As a young equestrian, it may be difficult navigating friendships at the barn and at horse shows. Typically, kids have friendships within the barn they ride at but also friendships with others from different barns in their area. 

Initially, it may seem as though making other friends in the sport would be easy and ideal; after all, there is the common interest of horses. However, because of the natural therapeutic benefits of horses, the sport has a history of attracting all types of people, with a wide range of personalities. This can be both an advantage and a drawback. We are now in an era that acknowledges the growing need to discuss and manage one’s mental health. 

One thing I have learned is that we are likely to notice mental health challenges at an age younger than most people may think. Some of the friendship dynamics I have observed over the years have caused me to pause and really think about the future of our sport. Without looking for a source to blame for the cause of this, i.e. social media, parents, school, teachers, etc., I think if all adults involved worked to encourage, affirm, love, and respect our youth, the likelihood of them developing authentic friendships with their peers may increase.

Both humans and horses were designed to have connected relationships. These relationships allow a greater sense of security when one experiences challenges in life. Cultivating the quality and authenticity of these relationships requires intentional work. 

Thank you Rob for providing your helpful insight on developing healthy relationships. Check out his tips in his column you can find in the link in our bio.
Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine🦄 

Photo by Blenheim Equisports

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #sidelinesmagzine
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