The Polo Report
By Steve Crowder

LOTUS

R.I.P. Lotus

HE WAS JUST A DOG …  BUT NOT EXACTLY! Yes he was a four-legged furry animal called a dog. We all know some and most of us have one. I on the other hand never had a dog.  I had looked after a few fun dogs over the years.  Before Lotus came into our family,  a dog named Barron, who belonged to a great friend named Brian Murphy, was a dog I knew well. It was because of Barron that I probably  liked Lotus.  They were very similar.  They did not like people hanging around and had little tolerance for bad behavior whether it be humans, horses or other dogs.

Lotus was better known than most 10-goal players in the Polo world.  He spent his first six or seven years with my son Jason,  who actually owned him.  He was in Florida and went with him wherever he was going. However, when he was very young they moved back to California in the Summer time. It was during this time that he started hanging out with me a lot.  When Jason was at the barn Lotus would always came and hung out at the tack room. He started riding in the golf cart or Mitzi and went to every game.  There would be as many as 3 games a day, but he just looked after the tack and the cart. I never had anything stolen or borrowed without permission ever. Every time Jason was in the same place as me, Lotus would always hang out with me and I got to like his company.  Lotus never argued and never said no.  He just just kept a good eye on anyone around.

About 4 years ago, with all the traveling  that Jason was doing, Lotus stayed with me more often.   When Jason went to Europe, Lotus hung out with me at Rothbard’s new Polo Center in Santa Barbara. He was a big help and we had no problems with thieves during construction of the facility.   Lotus hated coyotes, so they were seldom seen after a couple of weeks around the property.  No one came in the yard after he bit a couple of them, not even the water boy. He was always ready to go to Polo and ride in the cart.  He liked to be at polo  and he always happy to nip someone who took his sea.  He wast never mean, just a nip to let you know it was his. Lotus was on hand for the Victory of every Major tournament on the west coast including:  Pacific Coast Open,  The Skins,  12-goal tourneys,  the America’s Cup, the Skene and the Spreckles, etc.  It was during the Spreckels Tournament when there was a memorable incident when he bit Jason, just before the Semi finals. They still won even with Jason’s minor injury from his dog.  He played that year with Lisa Bosstick’s Madison Square Team.  Lotus even nipped Jim Frizley for being a pain in the ass about something.

The last couple of years Lotus was with me building Zacara and always there on the cart or following the tractor to make sure it was going straight.  Lotus watched us build the best polo field in CA  and he was there when they fired us,  but he was just as happy either way.  Less driving is what I think he thought about that.

Then Lotus got cancer in the Lymph nodes and as life is it became sad.   I was to.  He was not happy and the medicine started working and it looked good,  but it was only a matter of time.  As bad luck would have it we were gone to New York and he was being looked after by some friends and he passed away on Veteran’s Day without us being able to be with him.   It was so sad. I got back to CA and jumped in old whitey and it just does not feel the same. No buddy riding with me. No need to get that extra Burrito from Stacky’s.

I hope Lotus finds a Golf Cart up yonder because I think he hated walking as much as I do. He had been our private security for the last couple of years for my wife  Valerie and daughter Whitney.  He was a constant companion to all of us. SO MAYBE HE WAS JUST NOT A DOG, JUST A BUDDY LIKE I AM SURE MANY OF YOU HAVE.

See ya,

Steve Crowder