U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship Comes to Texas for the First Time in History

Brookshire Polo Club, just West of Houston, will host the 2024 U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship in December

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, September 24, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Get ready for the ultimate arena polo competition as U.S. Polo Assn.³ presents the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship in the Houston area at Brookshire Polo Club.

With a strong presence in arena polo, Texas is a natural location for this prestigious United States Polo Association (USPA) tournament. Texas Arena League², played all over the Lone Star State including Brookshire Polo Club, is the largest arena polo event in the entire United States with over 50 teams participating.
Collegiate polo is strong in Texas including National Collegiate Champions Texas A&M University and University of North Texas. The 2021 U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship was won by three Texans. Texas teams from Houston, Dallas, Midland and Fort Worth have taken the National Interscholastic Championship titles more than 10 times. The depth of solid, competitive arena polo players in Texas should make the 2024 competition one for the record books.

This event allows interested sponsors and partners to be in front of an exclusive group of players and spectators with inclusion in the live-streamed event. Can't make the games? You can watch the live stream on USPA Polo Network YouTube Channel.

Arena polo, sometimes referred to as hockey on horseback, is a ball and mallet sport played on horseback. Arena polo is played in an enclosed arena with two goal mouths set into either end of the 300 by 150-foot dirt or sand arena. The game is played with teams of three players all mounted on horseback. All players are equipped with bamboo cane mallets and attempt to move the ball into their respective goals to rack up points.

Periods of play last for 7.5 minutes and are known as “chukkers”. At the end of a game, consisting of four chukkers, the team that has the highest number of goals wins. Teams must abide by all rules to ensure the safety of players and horses. Arena polo is a unique sport because men and women and players of all ages compete on the same teams and on the same field of play. With highly trained, athletic horses as the most important teammates, the action is fast, and reaction times are quick. The arena aspect brings the action up close to spectators who can feel the thunder of hooves and hear the players communicate with their teammates.

Presented by U.S. Polo Assn., the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship serves as the highest level of arena polo competition in the United States and has a rich history dating back to 1926. In its inaugural year, it was won by Yale University made up of Reddington Barret, Winston Guest and William Muir. However, their champion status was quickly overtaken by Brooklyn Riding & Driving Club the following three years (1927-1929).

For nearly four decades, the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship has been played alternately on the East Coast and West Coast at venues such as Shallowbrook Polo Club, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Empire Polo Club, Great Meadow [Twilight] Polo Club (Middleburg, Virginia), West Hills Polo Club, California Polo Club (Los Angeles, California) and Country Farms Polo Club.

In contemporary competition, Cedar Croft Farms garnered the prestigious title from 2013-2015. A significant feat, as only the second team in the history of the tournament to achieve three consecutive wins with the same team members (Kris Kampsen, Felipe Viana and Robert Ceparano). In 2018, Aliano Realty faced Hart Agency in four chukkers of close competition, as Aliano Realty (Pedro Gutierrez, Nick Aliano, Esteban Scott) finished out the day in the lead 11-8 to take home the title.

Following a two-year absence from 2019-2020, the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship was reignited in 2021 and hosted by California Polo Club, with Empire Polo Club serving as the site for games. Dallas Polo Club (Vaughn Miller Jr., Will Walton, Rob Payne) accelerated their momentum against BOOM! Cult (Robert McGinley, Alejandro Nordheimer, Pelon Escapite), and the Texas trio rode to a 14-10 victory. Final match available for viewing here https://youtu.be/h_o4sZ7oTJY?si=wz_Qgr4iUMty_jVA

In 2022, Beverly Equestrian (Wil Ballhaus, Lucio Fernandez Ocampo, Jorge “Tolito” Fernandez Ocampo Jr.) faced-off against Hotels At Sea (Tareq Salahi, Marcos Bignoli, Nicolas Sivori) hosted by Twilight Polo Club in Middleburg, Virginia. Applying relentless pressure in the opening chukker, Beverly Equestrian built a six-goal advantage and never looked back, effectively controlling possession to claim the most prestigious arena polo title in the United States 18-11. You can watch the finals here https://youtu.be/HEFY27kbJKc?si=zG-lgWVD1uyVD7Qy

The 2023 U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship sponsored by U.S. Polo Assn., returned to California Polo Club (CPC) with a record 9 teams competing. In conjunction with the Open, CPC also hosted the United States Arena Handicap, the second highest rated USPA arena tournament, as a subsidiary tournament. SIG Polo (Nicolai Galindo, Cacho Galindo, Eden Ormerad) was triumphant in the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship defeating K Crush (Mike Azzaro, Remy de Celliee Muller, Harrison Azzaro) while Prestonwood/Broken Taco (Andrew Scott, Vance Miller, Vaughn Miller Jr.) took the win in the United States Arena Handicap defeating Bush League (Virgil Kyle, Pelon Escapite, Ulysses Escapite). The finals of the Open can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/live/b91E8j8AlEs?si=W5YgMocYkORdzKg0 and the finals of the Arena Handicap are on USPA Polo Network YouTube channel https://youtu.be/jMFMSW7HM0Q?si=Zu9AcGp3PF6cWlPr

For more information on sponsorship email arenaopen@usarenapolo.com or visit usareanpolo.com.

Robin Sanchez
US Arena Polo
+1 717-645-8778
robin@usarenapolo.com
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WATCH NOW: 2023 US Open Arena Polo Championship Final - SIG Polo Team vs K Crush at https://www.youtube.com/live/b91E8j8AlEs?si=Kx831Y1PogShg2j0

¹ http://www.usarenapolo.com
² http://www.texasarenaleague.com
³ https://uspoloassn.com/