Along the Sideboards

By Alex Webbe

December 14, 2009

More horses are arriving every day as the Florida polo community continues to gear up for the 2010 winter polo season.

The International Polo Club Palm Beach is comfortable with its 20-goal and 26-goal tournament brackets and continues to coordinates the activities of its newly created 8-goal and 14-got leagues as the old Outback League relocates to the Hobe Sound Polo Club, approximately an hour north of its old location. The Gulfstream Polo Club is stressing club polo and offering four chukker, 0-4 goal polo on Saturdays.

There will be more than their share of Orthweins on hand for the Port Mayaca Polo Club’s 2010 Holiday Family Tournament (Dec. 26-Jan.2) with competition being offered at both the 4-6 goal and 10-goal levels.

Pedro Morrison will be honored and remembered on Tuesday, December 15^th at the Humberto Calzada’s Studio Gallery in West Palm Beach where a portion of the evening’s sale proceeds will benefit YMCA of the Palm Beaches in memory of the polo player and philanthropist.

The Museum of Polo announced its Hall of Fame inductees for 2010. Julian Hipwood and the late Lewis Lacey will be joined by Dave Rizzo and the late Joe Muldoon at the 21^st Annual Hall of Fame Awards Gala on Friday,February 12^th.

Horses to Remember, Red Ace and Khaki, will also be honored with America’s Most Wanted’s John Walsh serving as Master of Ceremonies for the awards presentation.

The festivities for the induction gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a Cocktail and Champagne Reception and Silent Auction. A seated dinner will follow, capped off by the awards presentation and dancing afterward.

Reservations for the black tie affair are $200.00 per person and can be made through the Museum of Polo.

The United States Polo Association commissioned the USPA Polo Pony Welfare Committee to look into better ways and means to better provide for the safety and welfare of the horses.

Newly approved USPA by-laws allow for the random testing of any mount of any member of the USPA. The gray area of what to test for, however, is still being worked out. It is felt that an in-place and enforced drug testing rule will act as a deterrent. The rules will be enforced beginning with the 2010 season.