Photo of a sunset taken from the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club's fields
Founded in 1911, the Santa Barbara Polo Club in Santa Barbara, California is the premiere equestrian polo club in the Western United States. The club, located between the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, consists of three full size outdoor polo fields, one arena, extensive horse boarding and exercise facilities, as well as stabling for 350 horses. The facility is home to the Pacific Coast Open, United States Polo Association (USPA) America Cup, and the USPA Circuit Player's Cup.
The facility expanded to become the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club by adding 10 tennis courts, a club house, as well as a pool and spa. There are many events hosted at the club including polo and tennis tournaments, as well as non-sporting events such as weddings.
History
In 1911, the Santa Barbara Polo Club was declared an official polo club by the United States Polo Association. The club set about looking for a permanent home and found one through an $80,000 purchase of part of the property known as the Bartlett Estate on Middle Road in Montecito. The Bartlett Family took back an $80,000 loan for the property and the club raised $15,000 to build a concrete club house. They even went so far as to make the roof concrete so the members could watch the matches from on high. There were also two sets of concrete stairs to access the roof for members and waiters. The club and the fields lasted until 1928 when it was moved to its present location and the house was recently rebuilt and named Villa Polo.. During the 1920s such stars as Chaplin, Fairbanks and Will Rogers all competed here. Rogers broke his arm during a game and was quoted in the newspaper as saying,"They call this sport a gentlemans game for the same reason they call fat guys slim". The club was then erected in its present location thanks to Major Max Fleischmann. Between 1920 and 1930 the club grew in popularity and number of memberships. Horses and players arrived by train and walked to the club. World War II had adverse effects on the polo club. After a Japanese attack on Goleta, California (Attacks on North America during World War II), soldiers were stationed at the polo club to protect the members for the remaining years of the war. After a lull in polo play during the war, the Santa Barbara Club again gained momentum attracting many of the families that would eventually preserve the club. For the first time in 1963 and again in 1966, trials were held for positions on the American Polo Team for the Cup of the America's Tournament against Argentina.
During the 1970s, the club was leased by Robert Skene, a 10 Goal player who would eventually become manager and is responsible for much of the club's success. In 1974, the Santa Barbara Development Company completed construction on a new polo complex at the Santa Barbara Club in which 144 condominiums were built. Kenneth Walker, Glen Holden and Dr. Norman Ringer, Trustees of the SBPC, purchased the polo ground as well as the club house a year after the complex was completed. The club then was leased to the Santa Barbara Polo Club Management Company, Inc. During the 1990s, the club is extended to intercollegiate and interscholastic play hosting the first official interscholastic tournament in the Western United States in 1995. In 1998, the Santa Barbara Polo Club hosted the most prestigious event in polo, the Federation of International Polo(FIP) World Championship. The Olympic style event (Polo was removed from Olympic competition in 1939 and is now governed by the FIP) recorded attendance of over 20,000 people. The SBPC has to date over 500 members, more than 100 of which are full-time polo players.
The Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club hosts many big tournaments which bring in celebrity spectators from all around the world. In 2011 Prince William played in the Foundation Polo challenge.
Polo Academy
The Santa Barbara Polo Club is home to the Santa Barbara International Polo Training Center. The SBIPTC is a polo school for beginning players, taught by Jeff Scheraga. The Polo Academy teaches interscholastic, intercollegiate, and adult players.
Polo or Chovgan is a ball game that is played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. It originated in ancient Persia, dating back over 2,000 years. Initially played by Persian nobility as a training exercise for cavalry units, polo eventually spread to other parts of the world. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ball through the opposing team's goal. Each team has four mounted riders, and the game usually lasts one to two hours, divided into periods called chukkas or chukkers.
The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) is the governing body for polo in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and many other countries. The Federation of International Polo produces the International Rules of Polo through a cooperative agreement with the Hurlingham Polo Association, the Asociacion Argentina de Polo, and the United States Polo Association.
Robert Livingston Gerry Jr. was an American polo player.
The Federation of International Polo (FIP) is the international federation representing the sport of polo, officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The FIP was founded in 1982 by representatives of eleven national polo associations, and it represents the national polo associations of more than 80 countries. Its principal aim is to enhance the international image and status of polo.
The World Polo Championship is a polo competition between countries. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the Federation of International Polo (FIP), and is contested by the national teams. There is no restriction on the gender of the players. The inaugural tournament was held in 1987, hosted by Argentina, and is now contested every three or four years.
The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of California, Santa Barbara. Referred to in athletic competition as UC Santa Barbara or UCSB, the Gauchos participate in 19 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports with the majority competing in the Big West Conference. UCSB currently fields varsity teams in 10 men's and 9 women's sports.
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Guillermo "Memo" Gracida Jr. is a Mexican polo player whose international career includes several record-setting achievements, including the most U.S. Open victories (16) and the most consecutive years as an American 10-goaler (21). These feats and dozens of major tournament wins led to Gracida's selection as Player of the Centennial Era in 1990 and his induction into the National Polo Hall of Fame in 1997 while still an active player.
The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of polo in the United States.
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Alan Lyle Corey Jr. was an American polo player.
Robert E. Walton, is an American polo player and coach.
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The Gulfstream Polo Club was a polo club in Lake Worth, Florida. Since 1923, Gulfstream Polo Club was one of the most prominent polo clubs in North America, particularly during the Florida season (December–April). Gulfstream was managed by Marla Connor for 18 years until it closed in May 2016 at the end of the polo season. Throughout its long history it offered a wide array of tournaments, with 4, 6, and 10 Goal Leagues as well as Ladies Tournaments.
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The 1998 World Polo Championship was played in Santa Barbara, California, United States during August 1998 and was won by Argentina. This event brought together six teams from around the world in the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club and San Diego Polo Club.
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