Polo and most of the World got a real wake-up call in 2008, especially those in elected office.  They have seen the decline of almost everything, with the exception of “debt.” In the 80’s we had the aerospace boom go bust in the early 90’s and that was bad for polo, but that recession was nothing like this one.  If our Govt. continues to bail out companies by giving money  to the wrong people, than the money never hits the street.  So what does it do? Very little!

Polo is the same . . . we may have smart people in elected offices, but their common sense is asleep. In the late 1800’s Polo was the “Sport of Kings” and then it became the “King of Sports.” Now our leaders in the polo industry wish to make polo “a sport only Kings.” The trouble is they do not spend the Kings money so there will not be any sport.  That means no support for the sport of polo or for anyone else.

Polo is like life . . . one feeds the other.  If we have no polo we have no reason to have horses, shoers, hay, grooms, feed dealers, pros, trucks, trailers or equipment. Our polo leaders are burying polo people without a casket.  It’s like they are saving us from the future. Just bury polo now.? WHY? Just tell us the reason.  Do they not realize they are destroying a way of LIFE? Will they need the people who make it work including the grooms, shoers, hay companies, feed and all of the other support?

We have cured that problem in Indio for the time being with new leaders who believe in the game.  The show will go on and that is it. The show must go on, but it’s a time when everybody needs to see the light.  Things ARE BAD. I believe the American Pros see this now and they are adjusting to the new economic situation.  So have the suppliers of feed, services and labor to the industry. Diesel is 1/2 what it was 6 months ago so they have room to operate at lower cost. They do not need to be like our CA senator. She stands there clapping while President Obama rails on corporate jet use.  Then she uses a G4 or G5 to fly back and forth from Washington to San Francisco every weekend which must cost about 50 grand a month.  And we DO pay for her corporate plane, oh yes!  She is Nancy, Speaker Of The House.

We need to take the politics out of polo and help it survive.  Or find those billions of lost dollars.  Someone has them.  They did not just vanish. I think clubs can create some room for reductions.  There are, in most cases some, revenue items that are paid for already.  Stalls are an example of this.  If the polo clubs give the stalls at a reduction or free to active players it may encourage some players to stay on the polo field, instead of turning their horses out for the season.  Everything adds up.  If the clubs can look at their membership and playing fees and find ways to cut out the fees that are club assets, not expenses.   I think this is one idea that would help clubs and players make the season happen. 

Another idea would be see how to cut fixed costs. Umpires can make longer deals.  Or the clubs could pay one umpire and have a pro or Patrons umpire with them.   This would cut umpiring costs ½.  Or a club could schedule players (pros and patrons) to umpire all of the games like we used to do.

Other big costs that clubs may be able to negotiate down is the price of manure removal, ambulance service, trophies, etc.  Trophies are something the USPA could provide to clubs.  The USPA could buy all trophies for the clubs instead of hiding their revenue it in unknown funds.

Polo can happen if we all just help our sport during tough times.  Everyone will be able to exist and Patrons will hang around too.  Clubs should try these ideas or at least just do one thing to help Polo.   If we all do one thing something will start to happen.  It may not be the 12-goal in Santa Barbara, the 5th team for the Skins or two more for the US Open, but someone will make something work better. Just do it. Let’s play Polo in the USA or Canada all summer long.

See ya @ POLO