POLO PLAYER’S SON
In Memory of Polo Player Ted Turner
By Jason Turner

Ted Turner

There’s no way I can look back and remember my father without seeing him on a horse with mallet in hand, or on a boat fishing somewhere.  His ashes were scattered out in the ocean but he would have been just as pleased, I’m sure, had they been scattered on the polo field at Will Rogers’.  Dad played polo at least from the records I have, from 1938 to 1982.  That’s 44 years. He died 3 days after his last polo game.  He started in Omaha, Nebraska with his brother Joe, and then moved on to Riviera Polo Field and then to Will Rogers’ in Southern California.  He also played in Santa Barbara, Hawaii and Palm Springs.

My brother Ted started to play right after my dad’s death. He played in the Second Ted Turner Sr. Memorial Tournament in 1983 and continued to play at Will Roger’s until he retired from polo in 1996.  When I visit him in the desert, we sometimes still go out to watch the games in Indio.

For many years of my youth, dad would take me with him to play polo at Will Rogers’.

He trained me in cleaning hoofs, saddle-soaping the tack, hot-walking, and the braiding and taping of horse tails. I also learned to tack up the horses before the game but dad would always check to be sure the cinch was tight enough before he mounted up.  That, and bandaging the horses legs where chores not left to youngsters.

Jason Turner.

When dad broke a mallet, I was there on the sidelines waiting for him to shout “51!” or “52!” depending on the size mallet he needed.  It was thrilling to watch him race to the sidelines and jump the red wooden plank that kept the balls on the field.  He always had that look of intense urgency when he arrived since the game continued to be played without him.  In those moments I played a crucial role in his life.

The most beautiful memory I have was stick-and- balling on that huge green grass field before the game started.  Just me, my horse, my mallet and the ball.  I’ll never forget that cracking sound when the mallet strikes the ball at a full gallup and watching the ball’s high, graceful flight through the air.  At that moment, I understood the passion of polo players.

Mom and dad spectating.

Some of the players were like uncles to me.  They watched me grow up.  CD Le Blanc, Duke Holter and Don Howden were among them.  Also, Forrest and Mark Cruse, sons of the ranger who lived on the grounds, were around my age and we always had fun together.  Don Howden’s daughter spent time up there too and we would ride together.   I attended her wedding some years later.  She, as a true daughter of a polo player, was married between the goal posts on the polo field!

From left, Duke Holter and CD Le Blanc. Ted Turner 2nd from right. Photo taken at Will Rogers.

Duke was always in his little T-Bird sports car and, as I recall, was always bitter about something or other regarding the stables.  We went to several parties at CD’s ranch up Mandeville Canyon where he kept his ponies.   I remember his wife Isabelle who would have one too many and pick me up by my boots and walk me around the house.  I don’t think that I ever recovered from that experience but everyone else seemed to get a kick out of it.   Somehow I got the impression that polo players were all two fisted drinkers. That may or may not be the case.

Aug. '81: Forest Cruse, Col Shake, Sue Sal, Mark Cruse, Paul Hyman, Ted Turner.

Also, I remember Sue-Sal, apparently the first female polo player to join the United States Polo Association and to be allowed to play professional polo.  She would dress like one of the guys and play polo at Will Rogers’ when I was a kid.  I thought that was pretty cool.  I still do.  From what I understand, she opened the door for women to play polo.

Don Howden, also a jeweler, made my mom a beautiful necklace.  A polo player in gold hitting the polo ball, a small pearl.  What else would a polo player’s wife wear?  In any case, he and my dad had a very long and close friendship.  The book I’m printing about polo and my family, will be dedicated to their friendship.

Chuck Wheeler, Don Howden, Ben Marble, CD, Ted and unknown. Probably the 70's

Also, something happened perhaps in the late 50’s, that sticks in my memory.  It was not at all uncommon to hear players yell out to each other in the heat of a game using some rather crude language.  Ok, often really crude language.  This particular day someone yelled at my dad but included the word ‘Jew’.  This was unacceptable to my dad and he asked that the player leave the game.  The other players tried to convince him otherwise but dad held his ground.  At the end, the players decided to ask the guy to leave.  I was very proud of my dad that day but when I think about it, I’m also very proud of the other players who showed the caliber of their character that day.  From what I understand, dad may have been one of the first, if not the only, Jewish player in those days.

That's a young CD LeBlanc on the far left and Ted, two over from CD.

I did referee a game at Will Rogers’ once and also played in a game one time.  I was just a kid and dad threw me into the game long before I was ready.

Also, I played on the indoor field (again, one time) and my horse stopped abruptly and I was thrown into the fence with my hands gripping the wire.

Jason Turner with his dad Ted Turner.

Not a pretty picture, and certainly not an experience that gave me any confidence to pursue the game further.  Also, the older I got, the greater the distance grew between my dad and myself.  It just wasn’t in the cards that this Turner might play polo.  It is in my blood, however, and perhaps my daughter will revive the family tradition.

Regardless, I still look back fondly at the time I did spend with my dad and at all the amazing people and experiences I had at Will Roger’s.

Yes, polo influenced our lives.  It’s interesting that my mother didn’t like horses or polo (I did find one photo of her giving a trophy to the team and I was shocked). I’m not saying that there were no other circumstances involved but my dad left my mom and married Virginia (his fourth and final wife).  She loved horses and polo.  I finally saw my dad happy.

Jason Turner's daughter is fond of horses and enjoys riding.