Denver Polo Club: Polo – the kingly team sport of equestrian skills and team strategy

The Kentucky Derby is the start of the most exciting time of the year for horse racing enthusiasts, especially after watching Sovereignty take the title at the 151st Kentucky Derby last month. But there is a different kind of horsepower in the backyard of Castle Pines. The Denver Polo Club (DPC) offers Coloradans access to the kingly horse sport of polo. The season opens with its first polo match on June 8 at 6359 Airport Road in Sedalia.

John and Chris Gandomcar founded DPC in 1986 and raised their daughters, Tara and Erica, in the sport, lifestyle and business of polo.

“My family created Denver Polo Club as a destination for everyone,” said Erica Gandomcar-Sachs. “It is a way to celebrate the joy of sharing their love of horses, the excitement and anticipation of polo matches, and all the good feelings of the sport, while making it accessible to everyone.”

Erica is the day-to-day manager at DPC as well as a polo player. She began riding horses at 2, playing polo at 8 and since then has collected many wins and awards, both nationally and internationally.

Tara Gandomcar Hieb is the owner and manager of sister company, The Cotton Riding Club in Littleton, which offers boarding, horseback riding and polo lessons.

Polo is one of the oldest recorded team sports in the world, with matches played in Persia more than 2,500 years ago as a cavalry training exercise.

As with horse racing, polo attracts the social set who like to see and be seen on the lawn. Notable celebrities and VIPs who play or have played polo include President Theodore Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and in current times: King Charles III and Princes William and Harry. It has had quite the impact on fashion with the invention of the polo shirt: the modern polo shirt was invented by renowned polo player Lewis Lacey in the 1920s but gained further popularity from fashion designer Ralph Lauren in the 1970s.

Polo ponies are not actually ponies, but rather horses bred for polo. They are generally a cross between a quarter horse and a thoroughbred.

Polo is a blend of equestrian skills and team strategy. Played by two teams of four players, each player has specific roles in both offense and defense. To score, players hit a small ball with mallets through a goal post, with teams switching sides each time they score. The most important part of polo is maintaining the safety of the players and horse, with players following the “line of the ball” to avoid dangerous collisions and ensure fair play.

To that end, polo can only be played using the right hand. If one advancing player were to approach using his left hand and the other with his right hand, a head-on collision would occur.

The field is 300-yards long and 160-yards wide, which is roughly 10 football fields. The match lasts about two hours, and is divided into timed periods, called chukkers, each lasting seven-and-a-half minutes.

A highlight for some spectators is divot stomping, which occurs at halftime and is exactly what it sounds like—the spectators get to take to the field to replace grass divots and stomp them back into the ground with bare feet, heels or whatever shoes they are wearing. Divot stomping is not just a tradition; it helps restore the field and is essential for the safety of the players and horses.

The DPC offers lessons to teach anyone the foundations of horseback riding. The organization also offers polo lessons and polo leagues for players ranging in skill from never-played to experienced.

The most popular event at the DPC is the Sunday Funday event series that has different themes for each Sunday polo match, such as Disco or Colorado Heroes Day. The venue is also available for special events, celebrations and parties with private polo matches, as well as corporate event planning.

So don a hat, a polo shirt and some sunglasses and go enjoy a polo match!

For the summer schedule or for more information, visit denverpoloclub.com.

By ViVi Somphon