Hi Polo Players,

New Handicap System: The hot topic at our recent Board of Governors call was a discussion of the proposed handicap modifications that will be voted on at the October meeting. The USPA handicap committee has been wrestling with the handicap compression issue for many years. They have considered many different proposals. One proposal was to have a 20 goal system rather than 10 goal in order to give more definition especially to the lower ranges. Something like 75% of all handicaps are one goal or less so it is impossible to adequately divide them up based on skill level when there are only 3 categories. The problem with the 20 goal system is that the rest of the world remains on a 10 goals system so we would have to operate two systems.

The proposal that will be voted on in October will apply to tournaments at 12 goals or lower. The attached exhibit is the best explanation as it shows the changes from the existing system. In essence the new system would have A (0 goals), A+ (1.5 goals), 1, 1+ (1.5 goals) and 2 goals and thereafter to 10 goals. I think it will make our teams more equal and give each team a reasonable possibility of winning the tournament. The Board of Governors could one of four things. They may not approve it. They could approve it for one circuit to see how it works. They could approve it. They could table the vote in favor of more discussion. The outcome will be interesting.

Polo Pony Welfare: A determination of a horse’s fitness to play polo has been a very subjective thing and often isn’t evaluated until it’s too late and the horse or player is injured. An evaluation system has been developed to try to take the subjectivity out of the issue. It is called the Henneke System. I’ve attached information about the system and an article by Gwen Rizzo discussing the system. The recommendation is that horses rated between 4 and 6 are fit to be play polo otherwise they are too skinny or too fat. I don’t expect the USPA to adopt the system and will stay with the existing rule giving an umpire the authority to order a horse off the field either because of injury or fitness to continue to play. I’ve never seen an umpire make that decision. As our sport becomes more public the condition of our horses becomes even more important. An individual tournament committee could establish a tournament rule that only horses rated 4 to 6 would be allowed to play. In addition, they could create a tournament rule that a horse can only play 15 minutes of tournament polo in one day. Horses cannot protect them selves. It is up to us to perform that function. These are just ideas on how to improve our sport.

Polo Helmets:The safety standard for polo helmets is supposed to take effect next year. There are a few helmets that have met the goals but at the October meeting the deadline may be moved back in order to give more manufacturers an opportunity to comply and more stores to adjust their inventory.

Pony Club: The US Pony Club has officially approved polo as a pony club sport. Presently the USPA Pony Club Committee is working on developing a Pony Club Polo Rule book. This wouldn’t change the USPA rules but make adjustments to fit the Pony Club style of operation. The USPA had a booth and made presentations including a demonstration game at the recent US Pony Club Show and Meeting. Their was a lot of interest in the polo sport and we can expect that Pony Club members will be playing polo and preparing themselves for I/I competition in the future.

Polo Publicity:This summer the USPA is supporting the publicity for several events on the East Coast. 60 Minutes will be doing a segment on polo which will include portions of two games at Aiken , South Carolina and interviews. There is an event at Bridgehampton where journalists from New York City will be invited in order to encourage them to feature polo in their magazines and newspapers. In addition the USPA will be supporting a Wounded Warrior Polo Event at Beth Page Park in New York. All of these efforts are being supported by the USPA’s advertising agency, French, West & Vaughn. I think we need the same effort on the West Coast. Would representatives of Santa Barbara Polo Club, San Diego Polo Club , Will Rogers Polo Club, Empire Polo Club, California Polo Club, Menlo Polo Club, Bel Air Polo Club and Eldorado Polo Club please contact Amber Owen at the USPA to see how the USPA could use its advertising agency to develop more publicity for your events?

See you in the arena or on the field,

Denny Geiler, Governor