Two weekends ago, the varsity women and a string of six Harvard ponies traveled to Skidmore for the Northeast Preregional Tournament. Arriving at Skidmore early Friday afternoon, the women played their first game against Kemptville. Earning their first victory of the weekend, the women progressed to the final round, to be played on Sunday versus the victor of the Yale-UMass game. On Saturday, a well-fought match by the Yale team resulted in a victory for the Bulldogs. On Sunday, in arguably the hardest fought match of the weekend, the Harvard women faced off against their rivals in blue. In chukkers one through three both teams maintained a narrow goal differential which gave way in the fourth chukker to a steady Harvard lead. Ultimately, the Harvard women reigned victorious, earning the opportunity to compete in the Regional tournament at Cornell the following weekend! At the awards ceremony, Harvard's own Circa won Best Playing Pony, and Janie Amero and Danielle Lussi were added to the All-Star Team!

The following weekend, the women traveled to Cornell for the Regional tournament. Competing against the region's perennial powerhouse, the Harvard women fought a tough match but could not outscore the Cornell team. Despite the loss, the spectacle of competitive men's and women's intercollegiate polo throughout the remainder of the weekend made the trip all the more worth it. Many thanks to the Cornell team for hosting Regionals and providing an incredible string of ponies!

Yale's Lucy Topaloff taking a mid-chukker break on one of Harvard's best, Pampita.

Captain Janie Amero taking a penalty shot on Tigger.

The Harvard women after their victory in the NE Pregional Tournament (from L to R: Sarah Amanullah, Marina Lehner, Danielle Lussi, Janie Amero)

Coach Kim Maguire and Circa's Best Playing Pony blanket.

This past weekend a mixed team of varsity men and women traveled south for three days of games in VA and MD. The women lost to the UVA club team in a shootout on Friday, but the mixed team made up for lost ground on Saturday with a 9-6 victory in the superb UVA outdoor arena. On the return trip North, the women played the Maryland Polo Club interscholastic team and lost. Many thanks to UVA and the Maryland Polo Club for hosting us!

Mallets prepped for the mixed game on Saturday in the UVA outdoor arena.

Bon Bon, one of the many impressive mounts at the Maryland Polo Club.

For the first time in a few years, our string of horses will remain up North for the winter thanks to our new facility with winterized stalls and an indoor arena! For the next month and a half all of the ponies will receive a bit of well-deserved time off with only a few days of intermitent trail riding. Below are a few photos from our latest afternoon with the now furry Harvard horses.

Willy modeling for the camera.

Willy and Sarah.

Trail riding!

Afternoon trail ride.

This past weekend, as the Harvard and Yale football teams faced off in the 129th Harvard-Yale football game*, the polo teams of both schools took to the Myopia arena. The women played on Friday with the Harvard team dominating the scoreboard throughout the game despite a strong Yale opposition. With an 11-7 final score the Crimson women earned their ninth and final victory of an undefeated season! On Sunday, the men played a very competitive match with the Harvard team outscoring the bulldogs in all but the third chukker, where Yale scored half of its eventual 12 goals. Despite an attempted comeback in the final chukker, the Crimson lost the game 10-12. Many thanks to everyone who spectated at our games this weekend and throughout our entire Fall season!

* Congratulations to the Harvard football team for its sixth consecutive win over Yale. Final score: 34-24.

                              Both teams posed for a post-game photo with Harvard alum and avid team supporter, Tommy Lee Jones '69.

Photo Credit: Adam Evans

Shawn DeMartino taking the ball through the corner on Circa.

Photo Credit: Adam Evans

This past weekend, both the men's and women's varisty teams struck victory in their games against UPenn, and Kemptville! This next weekend, both teams face off against Work-to-Ride with the women playing on Saturday at 3PM, and the men on Sunday at Noon. Both games will take place in our home arena at 235 Bay Road, South Hamilton, MA 01982. We hope to see you there!

                                                                   Setting up the spectators' corner before the Sunday game!

For those of you not on Facebook or Twitter, we apologize for not posting more frequently on this website! If you do use either of these sites, like or follow "Harvard Polo" for weekly posts and tweets about our games and day-to-day happenings. 

Despite our relative silence on this site, this Fall has been a busy one for the team. Between weekly games, multiple outdoor exhibitions and the donation of six new horses to our string, there's been much to be excited about! Firstly, the end of September saw the arrival of six new horses from a Harvard alum in Minneapolis. The horses, named Sonic, Tigger, Tsunami, Pampita, Rebel, and Jedda, have each contributed greatly to our intercollegiate season. All formerly accustomed to the outdoor game, the new horses have each acclimated well to the arena. Check back on our "Horses" page for photos and profiles of these new additions to our roster!

Tigger, one of our new horses, warming up before an arena match.

In addition to our intercollegiate arena season, it is customary for the varsity men and women to play a few mixed exhibition games during the beginning of the Fall. This year, the Crimson men and women and participated in three of these games against Cornell, Yale, and Work-to-Ride. The Cornell game, held at URI, was highly competitive and ended in a one point loss, nearly redeamed in the final minutes of the last chukker. The next day, the Crimson faced off against perennial rival, Yale, in the Harvard-Yale Cup at Myopia. The game, an equally exciting show, eneded in a 7-3 victory over Yale. The last, and arguably most momentous outdoor exhibition occured just last weekend in Scottsdale, AZ when team of current captains Shawn DeMartino and Janie Amero matched up with past captains Marion Dierickx and Albany Mulholland to take on Work-to-Ride in the second-annual "Horses and Horsepower" charity match. With Kareem Rosser anchoring the Work-to-Ride team, the Crimson fought a tough match but ultimately loss 8-3 to the powerhouse Philly team. 

The team of current and past Harvard captains after the game in Scottsdale, AZ on October 20th.

(L to R: Marion Dierickx '12, Shawn DeMartino '14, Janie Amero '14, Albany Mulholland '12)

It bears mentioning that the women's varisty team, of juniors Janie Amero (captain), Danielle Lussi and Marina Lehner, has had an undefeated record so far this season--beating teams from USC, Skidmore, UConn, and UMass. Unprecedented in the history of the women's team, this impressive streak is no doubt the product of an enhanced team dynamic between the three starting women, each juniors at the college and two or three-year members of the team. A major contender in the region, we expect the team to have a strong showing in the regional tournaments later this year! For the men, the graduation of three of the four varisty members from last year has meant significant restructuring and greater focus on rebuilding this season. The three new varsity men (aprropriately nicknamed the juggernaut) are sophomores Jay Po, Tejinder Gill, and Max Zacher. Each novices to the sport and the world of horses, the juggernaut continue to make rapid progress under the close supervision of coaches Crocker Snow and Kim Maguire, and captain Shawn DeMartino. 

One of our last outdoor practices of the season!

The horses' tails all tied up before a game. (some better than others)

Lastly, Harvard Polo has welcomed a new assistant coach to the program! Kim Maguire, veteran ferrier, polo aficianado and longtime friend of the team is a welcome addition that has brought a refreshing perspective on coaching, and horse care. We look forward to the exciting improvements she promises to bring in the coming months!

The river we cross to reach the outdoor practice fields of Myopia!

This past weekend has been a busy one for the members of Harvard Polo. Friday afternoon, the team participated in the Harvard Activites Fair, recruiting interested students from across the college. The following two days, fifteen prospective players came out to our farm in Ipswich for a day of drills and hitting exercises meant to test their interest in the sport. All twelve displayed an impressive amount of riding ability and enthusiasm. We expect to welcome most to our JV contingent in the coming days! Congrats to all of our current members for, what we believe to be, the most successful round of recruiting of the last few years! 

Our set up at the Activities Fair

The group of prospective players arriving at the field.

Danielle Lussi '14 teaching the full swing.

Practicing on the wooden horse.

                                                Our beloved Centella with her new family before taking off on a well-deserved retirement!

To an intercollegiate team such as ours, the horses are everything. The most dedicated and patient members of any team, these ponies train dozens of new players throughout their long careers. For no other horse is this more true than our mare, Centella. One of the first to join Harvard Polo back in 2006, Centella has played an integral role in rebuilding our team. For many, Centella was the first horse they had ever ridden--this is no coincidence. One of the gentelest, most dependable horses in our string, this mare gave many of our best players the initial confidence necessary to boost their game. After six long years of service, Centella began a well-deserved retirement this afternoon. The new pet pony of a family farm in Maine, Centella will spend the rest of her years free from the responsibility of teaching Harvard students--a difficult task, for sure! As a team, we owe everytyhing to a mare like her. Here's to a great career!

It's been a while since our last post and much has happened since the end of our 2011-2012 season. At the end of May, six of our varsity men and women flew to Europe for three weeks to compete in games in Rome, Geneva, Chantilly and London. Hosted by alumni and friends of Harvard Polo, the team enjoyed good company and friendly competition in each of the host cities. Losing by one point in all three of the first games, Harvard put a strong finish on the tour with a 5 - 3.5 victory over Yale in the Jack Wills Varsity Polo Tournament.

The team on the field between chukkers at the Geneva Polo Club.

            The team with host, Marco Elser '81 of the Harvard Club of Italy, at Villa I Tatti in the hills outside of Florence, Italy.

     The team before the game at the Rome Polo Club.

In returning to the States, many of the varsity players remained actively engaged in improving their game. Both newly-elected captains, Shawn DeMartino '14 and Janie Amero '14 returned to the fields of Myopia to stick-and-ball the Harvard horses and compete in the 6-goal Forbes Cup. Marina Lehner '14 traveled to Santa Barbara, CA to try her hand as a high-goal polo groom for the San Saba polo team. Danielle Lussi '14 made a similar decision, working as a groom in Germany where her skills as a German concentrator and avid polo player paid off well. Newly graduated former captain, Albany Mulholland, has also continued to pursue his interests in the sport. Taking a year before entering Officer Training for the British Army, Albany has secured a position working for the San Saba polo team. Many of our less experienced players have also found ways to remain in the saddle by working with the Harvard horses and playing in occasional practices chukkers at Myopia.

                       Danielle Lussi '14 participates in a tournament in Germany while working as professional groom for a German team.

This week each of the varsity men and women returned to our home stable for a seven-day pre-season clinic organized by former captain and professional 4-goal player, Nick Snow '09, and newly appointed assistant coach Kim McGuire. Engaging in daily riding drills and scrimmages the teams have started preparation for the fall season!

              The Harvard players having a bit of fun during preseason training with past captain and current professional player, Nick Snow '09.

While our game schedule has yet to be finalized, a few outdoor exhibition games in Rhode Island, Dedham, MA and Scottsdale, AZ are in the works. Check back within the coming weeks for an update on these and other game postings!