Henry Porter was born and raised in
London, then moved to Dubai when he
was nine. He started to play polo at Desert
Palm in 2009 and is now a full-time polo
player. His ultimate aim is to become
a 10-goal player.
I’d been riding since I was five years
old, so I had some understanding of basic
horsemanship when I first picked up
a mallet, but after my first polo lesson
with Martin Valent I’ve had a constant
urge to get on a horse and play polo. After
that first encounter with the sport, I used
to go to the stables every day after school
to learn how to play, and later played club
chukkas. I love animals, especially horses,
and the thrill of galloping down a field at
30mph is a feeling you can’t get playing any
other sport. Also, the community around
polo is always friendly, and there’s a familiar
crowd wherever you go, as it’s a very small
world. I’ve played from 4-goal up to 20-goal,
and I’m currently playing 20-goal in Florida.
The perfect game of polo for me is an open,
fast-moving game – I enjoy that much more
than a tightly packed rabble. My most
memorable polo game in America was
winning the East Coast Open in 2017
with GSA. Other memorable games include
playing for England when I was 17 and
winning a gold medal in the FIP European
championships. I also went on to play in
the world championships with England
in Australia, where we came third. I’m
continually trying to improve, learn
from those around me and build up
as much valuable experience as I can.
H O O K E D O N P O L O :
H E N R Y P O R T E R
K I N G P O W E R G O L D
Cowdray Park Polo Club has announced that luxury duty free business King Power will
become title sponsor of the Gold Cup for the British Open Polo Championship for an
initial three-year period.The King Power International Group already has an impressive
history with polo, in particular the Cowdray Park Gold Cup for the British Open
Championship – the King Power teamwon from 2015 to 2017.The Draw for the 2018 Gold
Cup for the British Open Polo Championship will take place at Cowdray House on 11
June;the opening date of the tournament is 26 June, with the final on 22 July.
12
P O N Y L I N E S
TONY RAMIREZ/IMAGESOFPOLO.COM
J M I C H A E L P R I N C E
USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL) has announced J Michael Prince has been
promoted to CEO. Prince, a veteran executive of iconic global lifestyle brands such
as Cole Haan, Nike, Converse, and Guess, was hired as COO of USPA Global
Licensing in May 2017, and says of his promotion: “I am honored and humbled by
this amazing opportunity to work with a brand and sport that have unlimited
potential... We are very excited and optimistic about what the future holds.”
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