Polo next two weekends at Bendabout Farm
Bendabout Farm in McDonald, Tenn., will continue its tradition of hosting polo matches in September with matches the next two weekends.
Matches will feature local, national and international players from the professional and amateur ranks playing as the Bendabout Team and the Aiken Team. Spokeswoman Amy Moore says these are the highest-rated matches in the Southeast during this time and are a preface to major polo competitions in Aiken, S.C., beginning the following week.
Tournaments played in Aiken, she says, include the prestigious Silver Cup Tournament, designated by the U.S. Polo Association as the highest-rated competition in polo’s fall season.
This year, players of local interest include Gillian Johnston, the highest-rated woman player/ sponsor in USA highgoal polo and captain of the Coca-Cola Team. She will lead the Bendabout Team in these weekend matches.
Also returning is her teammate on the Coca-Cola Polo Team, Julio Arellano, the highest-rated American player. Leading the Aiken Team will be Owen Rinehart, former 10 goaler and Hall of Fame inductee.
Many of the other players expected to compete in these matches have played worldwide with great success and will offer people in this area an opportunity to view polo competition at its very best, Moore says. They will be playing their best ponies, which are as competitive as their riders, offering a unique combination of athleticism and artistry.
Saturday matches, Sept. 10 and 17, start at 10 a.m. Sunday matches, Sept. 11 and 18, start at 2 p.m. Gates open two hours before start time, and all matches are played weather permitting. Seating is provided, but folding chairs are welcome. Admission and parking are free.
The final Sunday match benefits (by way of voluntary contributions) the 6th Cavalry Museum in Fort Oglethorpe. Polo matches between Bendabout Farm and the 6th Cavalry at Fort Oglethorpe date to the 1930s. Representatives of the museum will be on hand to answer questions about that storied history.
Bendabout Farm is at 3553 S. Lee Highway, just south of Cleveland on U.S. Highway 11.“Polo Today” signs will be posted.
For more information, visit www.bendabout.com or call 423-476-6602.