Board of Governor’s Conference Call
July 12, 2010
The conference call was administered by Jim Burton:
1. Brushy Creek Ranch– Brushy Creek Ranch is located 20 miles from downtown Ft. Worth, Texas. It is owned by the Upchurch Family who are wonderful donors and supporters of polo. A portion of their ranch has been improved with a polo arena and two dormitories. The ranch has been used for PTF and USPA clinics and tournaments for many years.
It was the first Regional Polo Center and is very active in the RPC activities. It also provides support to other regional polo clubs. Robin Sanchez is running this successful program. The Upchurch Family has decided to offer the property for sale and the USPA is investigating the opportunity.
2. Pony Club– The USPA has developed a relationship with the US Pony Club by providing Pony Club members with an opportunity to expand the member’s equestrian experience. This is especially true for individuals who are old enough to participate in I/I activities.
Margie Pauer is a Pony Club regional director and she is the first USPA Pony Club Committee chairman. The committee is a sub-committee to the Club & Membership Committee. Wilbur O’Farrell is the USPA administrative liaison for the committee.
Representatives from the USPA attended the Pony Club annual meeting in Houston. Pony Club/USPA clinics are now being held across the United States.
Russ Sheldon of the Poway Polo Club has developed a relationship with the Poway Pony Club and his club has gained three new student members. If you have a Pony Club in your region, Russ Sheldon, Wilbur O’Farrell or Kris Bowman can assist you developing a relationship that could create more student members for your club.
3. Polo Pony Welfare Committee-The Polo Pony Welfare Committee is a sub-committee to the Equine Welfare Committee and was developed immediately after the unfortunate incident at the US Open in 2009. This committee has developed the guidelines and implementation of the drug testing of polo horses. As part of the USPA membership renewal process each USPA member has agreed to submit any of their horses to drug testing when requested.
There have been 3 testings of 26 horses so far this year. None of the horses have tested positive for banned drugs. The goal is for 12 to 15 tests to be performed annually which would cover about 315 horses.
4. Team USA Clinic in Sheridan, Wyoming-There were 8 team members that participated. Tommy Wayman gave a seminar on bits and biting. Owen Rinehart gave a seminar on horse conditioning. Dr. Paul Wollenman gave a seminar on vet testing for horse purchases. Red Armour gave a seminar on game strategy and a seminar on buying and training green horses.
All of the participants went through the umpire testing procedure with Steve Lane. 6 of the team members will be in Sheridan all summer and each will have an assigned professional for mentoring.
5. USPA Fall Meeting: Santa Barbara Polo Club-The Fall meeting will be hosted by the Santa Barbara Polo Club and will conclude with the finals of the Pacific Open. The meetings will be Thursday, August 26 to Saturday, August 28, 2010. The meetings will be held at the Fess Parker Double Tree Inn (633 East Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara). The meetings are open to all USPA members.
6. Pacific Coast Circuit Delegates Meeting– Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 9:00 AM at the Santa Barbara Tennis Club which is on the grounds of the Santa Barbara Polo Club. That afternoon is the final game of the Pacific Open so you can get a full day of polo watching.
7. Advertising/Marketing Intern Program: Many clubs need help on their marketing and advertising programs. A club manager cannot be an excellent polo player, teacher, bookkeeper and manager and still have experience in marketing and advertising. In addition, website development and social networking are new skills that are in demand. Many clubs don’t have the money to hire an outside consultant.
On the other hand, there are college students who are majoring in marketing and advertising who are also involved in their schools polo programs. Those students need practical experience. The USPA has developed a program to match the college student with the polo club. By application to the USPA a club can receive around $2,000 to help pay for the living costs of the college student so they can provide those services to the Club. Of course the student would like a little polo as part of the deal. Contact Kris Bowman at the USPA if your club would like to participate in the program.
See you on the field,
Denny Geiler
Pacific Circuit Governor