Even during a relaxed practice session, a game of polo is exciting to watch. The horses accelerate quickly, stop quickly, turn quickly. The riders keep one hand on the reins, one hand on mallet and are rarely sitting squarely in the saddle. They lean to one side or the other, jockeying for position and swinging for a small white ball on the ground.
Members of the La Conner Polo Club gather twice a week for practices on George Dill’s farm in La Conner. Dill, the founder of the club and the international committee chairman for the U.S. Polo Association, is an enthusiastic polo player who has played all over the world. He’s a big supporter of polo, especially in the Northwest.
On Saturday and Sunday, the club will host the Governor’s Cup on Dill’s farm. The event attracts some of the best polo players from around the Northwest. Fourteen teams are expected to play. The event is open to spectators.
The La Conner Polo Club has been around since 2006 and hosts the Governor’s Cup yearly.
Aurora Edington is spending the summer working in La Conner on a development internship with the U.S. Polo Association. Edington recently graduated from Yale, where she played polo.
Edington had experience riding horses before she started with polo. She enjoys the partnership of working with the horse, as well as the teamwork among the players.
“It’s exciting, you get an adrenaline rush,” she said. “It’s a team sport, so not only are you working with the horse, but there’s this whole team component to it. Running on a horse at 40 miles per hour adds a whole new element to the game.”
She says it’s been easy to fit into the polo community in the Northwest. The players tend to be welcoming and, because it’s a pretty small community, everyone gets to know each other quickly.
She’s spending the summer teaching lessons, helping organize tournaments and learning from Dill.
“George is a steadfast column of polo in the Northwest,” she said. “He’s really big into traveling and supporting other clubs.”
Ernesto Maña, a polo player from Argentina, is also spending the summer with the La Conner Polo Club. It’s the offseason right now in Argentina, so he came up here to spend more time riding polo and working with the horses.
During his time here, he’s training horses, teaching lessons and playing in tournaments every weekend. It’s his second summer in the Northwest.
Maña said he really enjoys the polo in the Northwest.
“There are good tournaments, good competition and the players are really friendly,” he said.
Polo 101
Polo is played with four players on each team. The game is separated into four quarters, known as chukkers. Each chukker is 71/2 minutes long. Players usually change to a fresh horse after each chukker because of the demanding nature of the game. Each player has a designated role, either offense, defense or a mixture of both. The direction of play changes after each goal.
The rules in polo are designed for safety. All players must carry the mallet in their right hand for safety. Fouls are usually called for dangerous riding. For example, riders can not cross the line of the ball, which is an imaginary line that extends along the path of the ball from the last player who hit the ball.
Riders wear helmets with a face mask or eye protection, boots, knee pads and gloves. Horses’ tails are tied up and their manes are kept short. The horses wear some sort of leg protection and tack to help the saddle stay on securely during fast turns, stops and starts.
A good polo player needs excellent horsemanship, good hand-eye coordination and the ability to work well with a team. A good polo horse can accelerate and decelerate quickly, as well as make quick turns. It is responsive to the rider’s directions. Good polo horses enjoy being around other horses, have a calm demeanor and are unconcerned by loud noises. They are usually thoroughbreds, with some of the best coming from Argentina.
If you go
The Governor’s Cup is Saturday and Sunday at the La Conner Polo Club (16278 La Conner-Whitney Road). Matches will be played from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entrance fee is $8 per person per day. Bring a blanket or lawn chair if you’d like a spot to sit down.
Want to try it yourself?
If you’d like to try polo, contact George Dill at 253-732-3111. Initial lessons are $125. Once riders gain experience, they can practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays for $300 for a package of 6 practices, which includes the horse rental and gear.
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