California Travel Tips
Cal Polo
Published on: August 21, 2017
Ralph Lauren model & renowned Argentine polo player, Nacho Figueras (left photo), at Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic this year in Pacific Palisades. Tickets on sale Aug. 25, 2017; Divot stomp; Big hats and champagne
Polo is associated with the rich & famous but actually began more than 2,000 years ago as part sport and part training for war by mounted nomads in Central Asia. It arrived in the U.S. when the publisher of the New York Herald, James Gordon Bennett, saw his first polo game in England in 1876. He traveled back to New York with mallets, balls and a copy of the Hurlingham rules. Today California boasts more than 15 US Polo Assoc. clubs.
Polo Festivals & Events
- CARPINTERIA: Santa Barbara Polo Club Games every Sunday, May-October
- INDIO: Empire Polo Club Sunday Polo games free to see January -April. Parking $20
- LOS ANGELES: Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic October 14, 2017 at Will Rogers State Historic Park
- MENLO PARK: Fridays and Sundays practice, special events and tournaments vary, spectators free
- WOODSIDE: Horse Park Polo Club weekly matches
Myth-busters
- I can’t play polo until I learn how to ride — wrong!
- Fact: Beginners can learn to ride and play polo at the same time.
- I can’t play because I don’t have a horse — wrong!
- Fact: You only need a shirt, jeans and riding boots; the polo school has all the tack and equipment needed to outfit beginners including helmets and mallets.
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