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TA L K
When Mariano Obregón arrived in Colorado
in 1990 from Argentina to play for Kurt
Kissmann and Bob Jornayvaz, he had no
expectations of building a polo dynasty
with his sons, but that’s exactly what
happened. If the horse is considered to be
as much as 80 per cent of the game, how did
a struggling 4-goal professional player living
in a foreign country manage to discipline,
organise, train and promote his four sons to
become some of polo’s top players?
Mariano Obregón went about his daily
routine in workmanlike fashion, shaping the
understanding and discipline that his sons
would draw upon as their own polo careers
developed. Together they pitched in to help
their father with the horses, the barn and
the tack and, as the boys matured, so did
their affinity for the game.
Thirty-two-year-old Marianito (Nino)
Obregón is the oldest of the four boys and
remembers learning to ride at the age of
seven, and stick-and-balling two years later.
‘I played in my first tournament at the
Eldorado Polo Club [Indio, California] when
I was 12,’ recalls the 7-goaler, smiling. ‘It was
a 2-goal event.’ Over the ensuing years,
Nino learned the trade under his father’s
watchful eye and dogmatic instruction.
‘My father gave me the foundation of
my game,’ he explains. ‘He taught me about
the horse and the importance of proper
feeding, exercise, training and preparation.
He showed me how to care for the tack, keep
the barn organised and the trailers clean.’
Over the years, opportunities opened as
his handicap has risen; appearances in
20-goal competitions in Greenwich and
the Hamptons led to 26-goal opportunities.
Nino was a member of Fred Mannix’s
Zorzal team in the 2013 US Open and played
with Peter Brant’s White Birch in the 2016
US Open, where they made their way to the
semi-finals before losing to the eventual
winner, Orchard Hill, by a single goal.
Following closely behind his older
brother is 27-year-old Facundo Obregón,
who also found himself on a horse at a very
early age and took full advantage of the
direction offered to him by his father.
Facundo quickly climbed the handicap
ladder, attaining an enviable 6-goal rating
to play in both 20-goal and 26-goal
competitions for Orchard Hill, Coca-Cola
and Lechuza Caracas, among others.
A smart and physical player, Facundo
is known for his mallet skills, as well as the
signature Obregón ride-off – a disciplined
and well-executed skill that Mariano has
ingrained well into each of his sons. His
knowledge of the game, team play and
horsemanship continue to place him in
demand on the American high-goal circuit.
Probably one of the best kept secrets
of the Obregón clan is Juan Martin Obregón.
Rated at 5-goals, the 26-year-old kept
himself off the main stage until making his
20-goal debut at the International Polo Club
this year with an 18-goal Horseware team in
the Ylvisaker Cup. There, he displayed
flashes of brilliance and a command of the
field, scoring 27 goals in four games and
accounting for 75 per cent of the team’s
offence. No stranger to the high-goal game,
Juan Martin also participates in 24-goal
competitions in Argentina, so the odds look
good for seeing him on the field more
frequently in the coming season.
At 21, Geronimo Obregón is the youngest
brother, but the Obregón talent pool
certainly hadn’t run out by the time he
arrived. He played his first game at eight
years of age and participated in a 6-goal
tournament later that same year. At the
age of 14, Geronimo replaced an injured
Camilo Bautista on the Las Monjitas roster
in both 20-goal and 26-goal competitions,
competing in North America’s most
prestigious tournaments. The only one
of the gang born in America, Geronimo
is a member of Team USPA and has been
selected to represent the United States in
the 2017 FIP World Cup.
The evolution of players as their skills
progress over the years is not a new story
in the world of polo, but the fact that
Mariano Obregón managed to do it on a
shoestring budget is exceptional. ‘We
have very strong family values,’ he says.
‘Everyone always pitched in. Horses were
shared, the boys groomed for one another,
supported one another, whatever it took.’
The mentality of the Obregón family stands
as an inspiring example of what can be
achieved through dedication, discipline
and pulling together.
Opposite, clockwise from top left:
The
Obregón brothers, Marianito, Facundo,
Geronimo and Juan Martin
' E V E R Y O N E P I T C H E D I N A N D S U P P O R T E D
O N E A N O T H E R ' , M A R I A N O O B R E G Ó N
