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POLO
The ‘Sport of Kings’ is a way of life in Argentina, which claims nine of the world’s top 10 players.
What is it about polo that sets the heart racing? Is it the power of the ponies, their manes flying in the wind, the thwack of the wooden mallets as they strike the ball, the handsome players, or the champagne flowing at divot-stomping time, perfected by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman?
This ancient and hugely glamorous sport lies at the heart of the international social scene, with major championships attracting royalty, celebrities, movie stars and A-listers from around the world.
But have you ever had a penchant to actually learn to play polo or perfect your game? If the answer is yes, it’s time to saddle up and head for Argentina.
Unlike in other countries – where you need a sizeable Swiss bank account, a string of thoroughbreds and fully cashed-up sponsors and investors to play the so-called Sport of Kings – polo is surprisingly affordable in Argentina, where the locals are horse-mad.
Crowds of up to 30,000 regularly attend polo games that are televised nationally, and top players are revered as national heroes and invariably look as if they’ve just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren commercial.
Polo instruction is much cheaper compared with Australia and there are many polo schools – such as Estancia Don Manuel, about 20 minutes from Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires – offering a game-enhancing and fascinating insight into the sport.
The all-inclusive school is set in picturesque grounds and offers comfortable accommodation, meals and personal polo tuition from expert players both on and off the field.
A polo team is made up of four riders and their horses – called ponies – whose aim is to drive a small white wooden ball into the opposition’s goal. The game consists of four to eight periods called chukkas and each chukka lasts seven minutes.
Expect plenty of action: the game is fast-paced, exhilarating and sweatinducing, as well as demanding of concentration, nerves of steel and exceptional riding skills.
It’s little wonder children in Argentina are introduced to the sport as young as seven. Polo instructor Dominic Schishimo learned to play polo at the age of 10 and hasn’t stopped since.
“We start children here early and in rural areas many do lessons from 7am to noon, then attend polo training,” says Schishimo, who has been a polo instructor for almost 30 years. “Horses are an important part of our lives,” he adds.
For the love of it
Horses were introduced into Argentina by the Spaniards during the conquests of the 16th century and have always played a vital role in the operation of the country’s many cattle ranches.
These estancias dot the vast pampas, extending west across central Argentina from the Atlantic coast to the Andean foothills. The seemingly endless treeless plains offer the ideal terrain for beef cattle and horse-riding, and they have been home to gauchos – Argentina’s cowboys – for centuries.
Polo is believed to have originated in Persia and was first introduced to Argentina by British immigrants in the 1870s. The horse-loving nation was an early adopter.
Argentina now has more top-level, 10-goal handicap players than any other country, and nine of the world’s top-10 players are Argentinian.
Debonair Adolfo Cambiaso, 44, has been numero uno for more than two decades. “I love polo, I love horses, and so I try to be the best always,” he says.
At the age of 25, Cambiaso created his own polo team called La Dolfina, and he now has a stable of more than a thousand horses fed by a mix of plants and grasses grown on his own sprawling farmlands.
As for training, it can take up to seven years for a horse to get used to the swinging wooden mallet brushing its sides and the “thwack” sound when it connects with the ball.
The country’s most exclusive polo estates are Estancia La Bamba de Areco, Estancia El Colibri, Puesto Viejo Estancia & Polo Club, Casa El Remanso and La Aguada.
The main season each year gallops from September to December and major championship tournaments include the Hurlingham, Tortugas and Argentine Polo Opens.
Polo may be known as the Sport of Kings, but in Argentina you can get into the swing of it regardless of any royal connections – although they surely help.