Fauquier Times – Democrat
May 23, 2007
By:  Betsy Parker, staff writer

VIRGINIA EMERGING AS POLO MECCA OF 21ST CENTURY

Florida? Hamptons? Nope. Try the Piedmont

Virginia International Polo Club sprouts at Llangollen Farm

Cognizant of her own tentative start in the sport of polo, when former show jumper Maureen Brennan decided to establish the Virginia International Polo Club at Llangollen, her family’s recently-acquired 1200-acre estate in Upperville, her first step was to set up its polo school.

Brennan was an international level show jumper until seven years ago.  She was invited to participate in an exhibition “Twighlight Polo” match at Great Meadow involving show jumpers.  She asked the organizers for a polo lesson.

That’s all it took.  “I was hooked,” she said.

Since then, Brennan has emerged as a driving force in organizing higher-goal matches and leagues in the area.  Her Goose Creek team went to the finals of the US Polo Association’s 22-goal Gold Cup tourney in Aiken, S.C. last year, losing to New Bridge – a championship team anchored by 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso – by only one point. 

German Noguera, a Chilean 3-goaler, is VIPC manager and runs the club’s polo school.  With two grass fields being put in and an area slated for completion in June, Noguera looks forward to further expansion in the sport.

“We’re looking to provide a venue primarily for various levels of grass polo,” he said.  “The arena is just for rainy days and won’t be lighted.  We’re not going to be competing for Great Meadow’s niche.”

“We understand that for any club to be sustainable, it needs to continually feed new players into the system,” Noguera explained.  The polo school barn is an airy 28 stall affair just yards away from the stick-and-ball field.  Currently there are 30 students signed up for regular lessons, ranging in age from 10 to 70. The school provides players for league play; they often graduate to regular play, and, when they are rated, often acquire their own string of ponies and become more involved in the sport.

Noguera said he finds it fulfilling to introduce the sport to neophytes of any age and gender.  “Professionals with high-pressure jobs in DC come out to de-stress and they tell me that they go back to work in a more productive frame of mind.  It’s great to hear that.  It’s also great to start kids out and see them develop not just riding and hitting skills but build character and discipline as well.

“When they’re ready to graduate to actual play, we have several leagues and levels to accommodate them.  We’re a very inclusive club.  You don’t have to hire a pro to play in the leagues and have fun.  Whether you have two horses or six, or need to lease your mounts, we find a way to fit you in,” Noguera said.

Eight teams are currently signed up for the VIPC 4-goal league and four are signed up for the 8-goal format.  League matches will use the historic Phipps field at Goose Creek until Llangollen is ready.  Discussions are underway with Eric Steiner at Foxlease, who is also running an 8-goal format, to possibly combine the two leagues after June, Noguera said.  Reach Noguera about polo lessons and league play at (540) 592-7474.