After being home from Argentina, and completely without polo for 2 months, I was really jonesing for some play time… so I booked a flight to Florida for a weekend of polo in Palm Beach. Technically all the polo is about 30 minutes outside of Palm Beach, in a town called Wellington. This is probably the most popular destination for high goal polo in the US, especially at this time of year when all the best players in the world are in town to play the big tournaments.

EL SUR POLO CLUB
I began my weekend at El Sur Polo Club with a lesson with Matias Obregon (yes from the same Obregon family whose team won the 2018 US Open!) The tranquil stables felt like home, and I was greeted with mate (traditional Argentine tea) and a really solid horse to practice my hitting on. It took me most of my two months in Argentina to start hitting the ball with any consistency, so it was awesome to hear from Matias that my form and swing are pretty decent. Now I need to focus on my aim (via my follow-through).  Just by tweaking those small parts of the swing, I was able to get the cleanest and most powerful hits I’ve ever had. Matias was a great teacher- giving me drills to help hone the new skills I was learning- with just the right balance of pushing and encouragement. I left El Sur super happy with my lesson, and so happy to just be around polo again!

INTERNATIONAL POLO CLUB
The next morning, I got to play a game at International Polo Club… which was kind of crazy seeing as how all the big players are playing right now at the same place. Like, I finished my game then walked over to the next field that afternoon to see Cambiaso and the Piereses doing their thing.  I still can’t get over that!

The game itself was one of the more competitive I’ve played but I had a blast and each horse I had was a lovely ride. I also had a lot of really nice compliments from the other players about my skills, so that was an awesome bonus.  I was totally spent at the end of the game though, so I’ve still got work to do on my fitness!

After the game, Roberto, the owner of El Sur, gave us box seats to watch the Gold Cup. The teams were pretty much made up of all the same characters from Argentina so it felt super familiar.  Each team had a woman at the #1 position though, which is something I definitely didn’t see in the high goal games there. The atmosphere wasn’t as breathtaking as Palermo (Argentina), but they did give out champagne and ice cream on the field at halftime!

FLYING COW POLO CLUB
I returned to Palm Beach about a month after my first visit to catch the US Open Championship match (which was totally insane by the way!!) and got in some ride time at Flying Cow Polo Club.  Kylie Sheehan runs the program at this laid back spot.  She has some of the nicest horses I’ve ridden in the US.  They have a sand arena and a small grass field.  The chukkers were friendly and relaxed and I had a super fun time.  The two teams on that day were made up of mostly women, which was really cool.

TATO’S
If you talk to anyone on the East Coast of the US, there’s a 90% chance they order their gear from Tato’s, which is based in Wellington.  Apart from having a custom mallet shop, they also have a ton of other polo equipment they’ve hand selected – from saddles to bridles, helmets, boots, gloves, etc.  I visited a bunch of other polo shops while I was in town and nothing held a candle to these guys. I wandered into the shop and was welcomed warmly by one of the owners, who patiently helped me through the process of finding everything I needed (I’m super picky, indecisive, and ask a LOT of questions when shopping).  I felt like I was back in Argentina, where the guys at the shop learn your name and really build a friendship with you.  He even took me into the back room and showed me the mallet shop, walking me through the process of how they make the mallets.  After my visit I can totally see why these guys have become legendary.

pro tip:  The prices of gear in Wellington were MUCH better than they were in Argentina.  Don’t be fooled thinking that maybe you can get it cheaper there- you can’t.  A lot of the stuff at Tato’s was half the price, and just as good (or better!) quality than the same stuff in Argentina.

US OPEN (at International Polo Club)
I was able to catch the Final Championship game of the US Open while I was in town on my second visit to Palm Beach.  After attending the Argentine Open this fall, I have to admit that I think the US Open was a better overall experience.  I mean nothing beats sitting in the stands at Palermo with the city of Buenos Aires rising up above you… but the general atmosphere in Palm Beach beats that, in my opinion.  There’s less of a crowd, so things are much more open and relaxed – the access to actually being able to meet with the players is much greater.  If you haven’t experienced it yet, I’d still keep the Argentine Open on your bucket list but if you can only make it to Palm Beach for some reason, I highly recommend it as an awesome alternative.

Overall, I was very impressed with Palm Beach. Everything was really well organized and professional.  Driving around looking at all the equestrian estates in Wellington, you can tell there is a lot of money in the area and Florida has a reputation of being closed-and-cliquey but everyone I met made me feel totally welcomed. It also didn’t hurt to be around sun and palm trees… and to get a glimpse of the ocean!