2021
OUR 2021 FALL SEASON BEGAN WITH A BANG!
POLO AND FULL CAPACITY AT THE STADIUM
1st Match of the Season was
Friday, October 1st
Polo 101
Wednesday September 29
Wednesday October 6
FALL 2021 EVENTS - MEMBERS ONLY
SEPTEMBER 25 - TAILGATING AT OXFORD POLO
Our Theme for the event was - How I survived 2020
OCTOBER 21 - OUR SPECIAL CLASS ABOUT THE PLAYER AND HORSE AS A TEAM
This was a very special class. Our Speaker was the world renowned horse trainer, Pat Parelli. He practices natural horsemanship. A master horseman with an uncanny ability to "read a horse" and change the way we interact with our horse. His principals and skills can be used on our children, spouse, friends.....any living being. Read all the comments from your fellow booster members below.
NOVEMBER 16th - CLOSING PARTY AT THE BARNS
Wine and cheese with live music under the beautiful oaks
DECEMBER 7th - ELF Party @ The Stadium
SHOP - WRAP - SHIP
It's our first annual Nick Johnson toys for cancer event
2021 - ELF PARTY - NICK JOHNSON TOYS FOR CANCER EVENT
A huge thank you to all who attended this event, purchased the pony shirts, donated gifts and money and especially to those of you who worked tirelessly in the background making this special event happen. It was a joyful, caring group of members who arrived, enjoyed mimosas, hot chocolate and cookies and opening boxes filled with toys and gifts for all ages, sorting them into like items and finally packing them in shipping boxes to be delivered to The Arnold Palmer Children's Cancer Hospital in Orlando.
Nick was able to join us at The Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital for the delivery of the toys, on his way to the airport for his return to England for the Christmas holiday. The staff was ready and waiting for the delivery and expressed joy and amazement in not only the quantity, but the way it was all organized and labeled. Let's keep this energy going and make next year even better!
Photos by Keith Franklin
2021 - FALL CLOSING PARTY AT THE BARN
250+ Booster members enjoyed an educational, fun and entertainment filled afternoon.
Under the big live oaks at the barns, Paige Boone introduced us to 2 of the “babies”, Una and Ukulele, born in the Spring of 2017. Paige Boone gave us details of the “babies” births and life for the 4+ year olds. Many of us have watched these babies grow into grown horses. They are now being trained to be polo horses.
After this great presentation we moved to another part of the Barn area to listen to Nick Johnson instruct Charlie Quincoces and horse, Dinamito, on how the horses move. Polo horses do not respond to verbal commands, they are trained by touch and pressure. The rider uses his/her legs, knees, feet, and reigns to maneuver the horse where he/she wants them to go. Nick explained that the wraps on the horses legs are to protect their tendons from injury. Polo horses can reach speeds of 30 miles an hour. They must sprint, stop, turn and sprint some more for seven and a half minutes. Some polo players will change horses during a chukker if they feel the horse is tired (the chukker does not stop for horse change during the chukker).
We then returned to the other side of the tree to listen to Joe Hand and Bobby Blackman entertain us while we ate individual charcuterie trays from Tierra Del Sol. Water, sodas, beer and wine were available for attendees.
Paige Boone, Frankie Bilbao, Nick Johnson and Lord Lyall made up a players panel to answer questions for the Booster audience. Great questions were asked and answered in terms we could understand.
The first annual Nick Johnson Toys for Cancer campaign was a great success. Thank you to everyone who brought a toy or monetary donation. Sale of the Nick Johnson t-shirts was also a great success. Money from the shirt sales will go toward next year's cancer fund.
Closing out our great party, Joe Hand and Bobby Blackman provide more awesome music.
If you were not able to attend, more parties are being planned in 2022. Keep checking the Booster Website.
2021 - PAT PARELLI "THE HORSE WHISPERER" PRESENTATION
The Villages Polo Booster Club presented Pat Parelli (aka The Horse Whisperer) at the polo stadium on Wed, October 21. If you were not able to attend you missed a 4 hour class filled with information and philosophy that you can apply to animals and humans. It was an amazing 4 hour presentation that had many of us in awe of this American horse trainer who practices natural horsemanship and founded the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program.
The video that follows is what we watched live and were totally captivated by. Pat showed us why he is called the “Horse Whisperer”. Special thanks go to Jenny Fross, who offered one of her horses for Pat to work with that gave her and her groom a lot of resistance to getting in and out of a trailer. After a lengthy session of finally getting it in a trailer to bring her to the stadium, Pat worked his magic. It ended up being the hit of the day!!
FYI - The video was recorded live just as we watched it and about 28 minutes long. I took it off of Facebook so you might not be able to use fast forward. You should be able to watch it on your computer or smart device. I'm able to watch it on my iPhone with no problem. It is really amazing what Pat achieved in a short time.
READ WHAT OUR MEMBERS HAD TO SAY ABOUT PAT PARELLI
Not at all what we expected - Pat’s training and communication methods are amazing! He’s so full of knowledge and patience, while adding fun to the mix!
Marie K
I expected Pat to be funny and personable and, of course, an expert with horses. But I was astounded by the metamorphosis he created with the stubborn and reluctant young horse that became calm, obedient, and trusting partner within what seemed to be a very short time!
Christie S
An informative and entertaining event! Pat has a gift!
Patricia S The Pat Parelli event was wonderful; he is a gifted speaker--knowledgeable, articulate and funny.His horse training ability is second to none. The morning was very interesting.
Joan M
Pat was entertaining and very informative about how he approaches the training process with horses. Wonderful experience!
Tom D
We were in awe of Pat Parelli. Fascinating to watch how he communicates with any horse, even the stubborn ones. Thank you for such a great event!
Art L
Not only was I thoroughly entertained and loved his stories but he made a believer out of me that he’s truly the horse whisperer!
Pamela C
Horse confidence training through gentle persuasion no longer horse “breaking”.
Pam W
Pat Parelli is absolutely amazing. I was mesmerized watching him work with the horses. I thoroughly enjoyed the day. In addition to being a gifted and talented horseman, he is also a gifted story teller. The stories he shared about some of his life experiences were both entertaining and fascinating.
Thank you to the Booster Club for this fun event.
Karen
The class was just Amazing! I learned so much about horse behavior & also how it relates to human behavior. Pat Parelli is a wonderful story teller with a great sense of humor. And then in a very short time he gave the horse in the trailer the confidence to exit & return to the trailer....several times! Fantastic!
Karen G
Pat Parelli’s presentation was entertaining, eye opening and totally enjoyable! Thanks to all involved for an exceptional opportunity for our polo booster club!
Sandi A
My wife and I attended the clinic with Pat Parelli this week. It was an extremely informative and insightful session, as well as entertaining. I showed horses in Western Pleasure many, many years ago but was completely unaware of the training techniques used by Mr. Parelli. I wish I had known then what I learned in this short 4 hours clinic this week. Kudos to everyone who organized this event.
Mac and Sheila K
Absolutely Amazing......would like to see him again!
Debbie W
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to and watching Pat Parelli work. Being able to watch him work real-time with a reluctant trailer loading horse was truly incredible and very moving. Pat is so patient and has so much empathy for horses. It was beautiful to watch. I hope the Booster club can arrange for Pat to come on a regular basis. I would gladly come to see him again. Having him spend some specific time talking/demonstrating on polo specific content would be an added bonus.
Anne M
Fun and informative in a beautiful setting!
Lori K
He was amusing, confident and interesting. I was most impressed at his ability to convince the horse to enter the van. He also showed ability and desire to communicate with the audience. I would attend another of his shows.
Diana R
One of the best days at the Polo Grounds. Pat was captivating, amusing and kept my interest the entire time!
Ginny M
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation. We felt that he was a very down-to-earth person. Very approachable. I have been watching him for years and his horsemanship is incredible. We took away quite a few life lessons pertaining to humans also. Would highly recommend anybody that hasn't had the opportunity to see him, to make it a point to do so, if you can.
Dickie and Kelly S
2021 - FALL OPENING PARTY AT OXFORD POLO
This year’s Spring Opening Party returned to where the Boosters got their start so many years ago – The Oxford Polo Club! Everyone arrived right on time to claim their preferred spot for one of the best things associated with polo – tailgating!!!
Boosters are a competitive bunch so of course there was a tailgating contest to see who would have the best tailgate display. Many forms of “horsepower” backed up to the field and rear hatches opened to serve as backdrops for set up. Of course, tailgating wouldn’t be complete with the sounds of fine tunes being supplied by Joe Hand and Lordy Lyall.
The Shirt Sales team was busy at the t-shirt table selling re-stocked Polo Booster t-shirts – it was a rainbow of colors. Business was brisk, just like the windy temperatures of the day.
The day’s festivities started with a “barrel racing competition” between players of the two teams slated to play the polo match – Oxford Polo and Villages Polo. Haley Winson from Oxford Polo squeaked out the winning time from some pretty good competitors. Next up was the Closest to the Pin competition – won with a perfect shot by Angie Maio from Villages Polo. With each team claiming a victory, this set up a competitive polo match between the two teams to claim the final victory for the day. After trading winning goals back and forth, the match win was claimed by Oxford Polo with a score of five to four.
Our judges walked the line of tailgaters, closely studying each setup to score against five criteria. Competition was stiff and after much consultation and friendly discussions, a consensus was reached. Congratulations go out to the first place winners and new booster member “Gatsby Polo” (Elizabeth Hlavacka and Alia Berg), second place to “Polo Fun” (Mike and Pam Cherpelis) and third place to “Magical Magnolias” (Alex and Margarita Copher). All were awarded prizes which no doubt will be put to good use for tailgating at upcoming matches at the Polo Club.
It was a great day to celebrate the return of Spring Polo, and what better place to be than outside in the sunshine among the trees, horses, players and fellow Booster members.
OUR TAILGATING WINNERS
A great time was had by all our Booster members who attended this event. A humorous take on how we survived 2020 was the theme for this tailgating event. Perfect weather, puffy clouds and our Polo school students put on another great performance. It's great to see them improve from last spring.
2021 SPRING SEASON
Due to the uptick in Covid19, we have decided not to participate in our annual trips to Barbados, Wellington and Sarasota. We will instead focus on all the safe events we can participate in, here in our hometown.
THE FOLLOWING EVENTS WERE ALL MEMBER EXCLUSIVE EVENTS AND ALLOWED FOR THE LARGEST GROUP AND SOCIAL DISTANCING
2021 - OUR SPRING OPENING PARTY AT OXFORD POLO CLUB
Our 2021 Spring Opening party at Oxford Polo Club was enjoyed by about 160 people. It was a beautiful day with a sunny sky, slight breeze under the shade of the big oaks, while being entertained by Joe Hand.
Our members pulled out all the stops with their elaborate tailgating displays, dressed for the occasion and some even handing out wine to other attendees.
Prizes for tailgating included: Picnic baskets or backpacks filled with place settings, flatware, wine glasses, a bottle of wine along with a ticket for a tailgating spot at a Polo Match in March. Trivia prizes included Polo tickets, coasters, beverage cozzy's, shirts and aprons.
OUR TAILGATING WINNERS
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
4th Place
1st Place - Michael Tighe, Marie Montvilo, Rita & Jerry Kelly, Rena & Michael Bonczek & Ginny McLoughlin
2nd Place: Bill & Susie Thesier, George & Betsy Yates and Rosemary Karpovich
3RD Place: Katherine Limimg and Lisa Dattilo
4th Place: Tami Fratis, Howard Baker and Gus Schettini
PHOTOS BY: Keith Franklin
The event started with a match played by our Polo School students. It was great to see how much they have improved their game since the last time we saw them
Our Polo School players were: Red - Angie Watt, Mike DeAmbrose, Beth Millwood and Lou Pendas. Blue - Kim Smith, Gus Schettini, Petra Harden and Mike Harris
Paul and his horse won for the best matching mane and helmet.
RULES AND STRATEGY CLASSES
These two classes were a delight to all who attended. Our first class, Basic Rules was presented by USPA Umpire Rob Yakley, who is also a polo player with a history of playing at The Villages Polo Club and Arena Polo. Rob took this class beyond what they would have experienced in our Polo 101 class. He explained how the rules are to protect the players and ponies along with keeping the game moving. He used analogies that we could relate to, as he explained why the rule existed, and the severity of the penalties associated with it. A question and answer session ended with a game of polo trivia.
Our Advanced class was lead by Lord Lyall with a panel made up of Paige Boone, Frankie Bilbao, Nick Johnson, Nate Berube and Eden Omerod. A lively discussion about strategy, handicaps, horses and personalities kept us all entertained. Paige went into details about the different classes of handicaps; ea: Mixed, arena, woman's and woman's arena, and stated that she has 4 different handicaps. The panel also explained that picking their teams is done long before the season starts and that once the teams are announced, the strategy starts. Nick offered that about 95% of the polo players handicap is 1 or below and that there are only eight 10 goal players in the world. Most players want to stay below 5, as there is a better chance for them to play. It was also explained that a handicap is not based just on goals scored, but on how well they play the game and aid in their teams success. After a brief break for lunch, Eden went down to the field and showed techniques for training and communicating with a horse. It was an absolutely fascinating presentation where he compared it with parents or teachers relating and encouraging their children to be engaged on a level comfortable to both and connecting with mind and body language.
2021 - SPRING CLOSING PARTY - THE BARNS
We had perfect weather to finish out our Spring season, warm and breezy with the perfect mix of clouds. We started our day at the arena, with our Polo School students, Beth, Angie, Mike, Petra and Jenny, showing their talent and progress coached by Mike Harris. Next up was a match of our favorite players, Paige, Nate, Tom, Irene, Miguel and Charlie. Thank you to all our players for keeping us entertained.
Our next stop was The Barns where we watched as the horses from the match were fed and groomed. Mike was in barn 3 to answer questions. Barn 2 was enjoyed by all with a self tour and up close to the ponies.
A barbeque dinner with beer and wine was served under the beautiful live Oaks. Joe Hand entertained us, while a nice breeze kept the bugs and fly's away. It was a relaxing way to get ready for a players panel with Paige, Frankie, Nate, Tom and Miguel, which ended with an awesome view of the Rocket launch. We ended our night with Joe Hand and a beautiful sunset. Thank you to all our Booster Club members who assisted in making this event a successful one. We hope you enjoy the photos.
The next event was an educational event with Lord Lyall showing the different equipment for tacking a pony for play, along with a game of house trivia. Prizes included tickets to polo matches in March, polo coasters, beverage cozies and shirts. Our next event was a match by Oxford Green played by Sherry Wedgemuller, Miguel Lis Planells, Camron Smart and Murad Ismail vs Villages White played by Irene Lis Planells, Todd Randell, Paul Wadsworth and Lupe Castro. Our umpire was Nick Johnson and our favorite announcer Dale Gavett . Joe Hand and Lord Lyall entertained us with some great music under the shade of the oak trees.