T
here are many facets to Stevie Orthwein: family man,
businessman, volunteer and philanthropist, he contributed to
almost every aspect of polo. From serving as chairman of the United
States Polo Association to being a committee member of various
polo organisations, he was the most passionately industrious sponsor
and player the game has ever known.
Indeed, as a promoter of polo, Stevie was unequalled in the sport.
He served on rules committees, organised more than a dozen polo
venues nationally and internationally, and was a prime force behind
the National Hall of Fame, Collegiate Polo and Youth Polo. What’s
more, he brought back the once famous Westchester Cup between
England and the US, and when the old boots and saddles club
Gulfstream Polo was sold to developers, Stevie used his own money
to recreate it on the shores of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, naming the
Opposite:
Steve Orthwein
at Palm Beach Polo, 1981.
This page, from top:
Stephen
riding Grey Shadow at
Oakbrook in the late 60s;
Steve and Stevie Jr at Palm
Beach Polo, 1982
club Port Mayaca. The club flourishes as a medium- and low-goal
venue, succeeding Gulfstream Polo Club with a family-oriented,
sponsor-friendly atmosphere.
Stevie was famous for playing polo on a shoestring, meaning
there was nothing fancy about his tack, rigs or organisation, but
he was the most generous and hospitable person you would ever
come across in the sport. As a student at Yale University he won
national back-to-back collegiate indoor championships, which
started a career that went on to span 50 years, and more than half
a dozen countries. At six goals he was the top amateur player during
that time and he played in every venue, from Pakistan to Palm Beach
Polo and Gulfstream.
His father Dolph was one of the original shareholding families of
the old Gulfstream Polo Club, where players, grooms, owners and pros
were all one happy family. At Gulfstream, Stevie was among the last
of the hard riding amateur athletes featuring playing families including
Armour, Bostwick, Johnston, Butterworth, Armstrong and Kraml.
He competed in the US Open, won the National 16-goal, and
facilitated the careers of several up-and-coming players such as
Hamish Bray, James Armstrong and JJ Celis, to name a few. A true
gentleman to play with or against, he played hard on horses that he
raised and trained at his home base in St Louis, Missouri, and, to his
delight, he was able to play on teams alongside two of his sons,
Robert and Stevie Jr, in tournaments later in his life.
THE MOST PASS I ONATELY
INDUSTR I OUS SPONSOR AND PL AYER
THE GAME HAS EVER KNOWN
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MUSEUM OF POLO
