Columbus Polo Club Club History

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Columbus Polo Club

The Club/Club History

Columbus Polo Club History
by Charles Einhorn, updated by Torie Front (4/02), Tom Margetis (06/05)

Officially founded in 1984, the Columbus Polo Club has roots reaching into the early 1950s. Otis Harris and Walter Shapter founded the Harbor Hills Polo Club located in the community by that name, on the north shore of Buckeye Lake. Otis' son, Alan Harris, who still has been known to join the Columbus Polo Club on the field, remembers those days when, as a youngster, he watched his father and helped out as a flag-boy. Crowds numbering 2,000 regularly came each summer Sunday afternoon to cheer the club. Two rows of cars, loaded with fans, lined one side of the field while the remaining spectators filled bleachers on the other side. After the game, long tables were brought out for impromptu pot-luck meals and the party would last until dark.

In the latter 1950s, Otis Harris started a team called the Columbus Farms Polo Club while Shapter formed the Del Rancho team. Both clubs were members of the US Polo Association. Otis, Alan and his brother Tom, along with Dick Smith and Trent Smith played on the Columbus Farms team while W.J. Durrett, Al Durrett, Frank Harris and Albert "Bud" Strauss formed the Del Rancho team. Games were played well into the 1970s on a field in north Columbus, in an area now owned by the Busch Brewery Co.

In 1974, the notorious three Sieber brothers, from Cincinnati, dominated polo in Ohio. Their team had not lost a game in three years. Vowing to bring an end, Columbus Farms and Del Rancho decided to combine forces and come up with an 8 goal team that was to challenge the awesome brothers. Not only did the newly formed team beat Cincinnati, they went on to win the National 8 goal tournament that season.

Later, throughout the mid 1970s, several players moved out of the Columbus area or quit playing polo and the teams dwindled down to zero. In the following 10-year period, no organized polo was played in Central Ohio. Some diehard players commuted to places like Indianapolis or elsewhere, but they had no home team.

Dr. Leandro Cordero, of Argentina, a country where polo is taken most seriously, is credited with reviving polo in the Columbus area. Cordero had come to Columbus to serve as head of the premature pediatrics unit at Ohio State University. His passion for sport, which he had avidly pursued in his native Argentina, was quenched by his willingness to travel all over the country, playing as a guest on many different teams. Longing to play with a home team, he gathered a group of friends in 1984 and coaxed them into forming the Columbus Polo Club. Although none had ever played polo, all had some level of equestrian skills. Dan Schmidt, Stan Ackley, Dr. Tom Mallory, Jim Thorson and Bernie Brush were among that first group of novices. Bill Gockenbach and Dick Smith, who had played in the old Harbor Hills days, were among the more seasoned players who also joined. Several players attended a weekend polo school in West Palm Beach and professional polo Tom Harris conducted a three-day clinic. Dan Schmidt's fiend in Groveport became the first official Columbus Polo Club home field.

Most of the matches consisted of inter club polo, at first. Players worked on learning polo fundamentals, including two very important skills: staying on the pony and hitting the ball. By the third year, many had improved sufficiently to play "low-goal" polo. Professional polo players, whose role was to improve the players' ability levels and to increase individual goal standings, were also hired that year.

In 1987, the Woodland Hall team, consisting of Stan Ackley, Dr. Tom Mallory, and two pros, became a 6 goal team, the strongest in the Columbus Polo Club, while the Peugeot team, including Alan Harris, Dan Schmidt, Leandro Cordero and Troy Everett, rated as a 5 goal team, the second strongest team in the club. Joe Safko, from Zanesville, who admits that he always plunges deeply into any new venture, began playing with the Columbus club in 1986. In 1987 he hired pro Jimmer Watson and along with Gale Amacher and Jeff Abrams formed the Stefan Springs team, also a 5 goal team.

Considered as founder and inspiration of the Columbus Polo Club, Dr.Cordero was ordered by his doctor to stop riding horses. He carries the affection of all team members who are saddened at the loss of his leadership.

In 1986, the Bryn Du Field, at Granville, became the official Columbus Polo Club field. Located on the beautiful property of the Bryn Du mansion, formerly the home of Granville's grande dame, Sally Sexton, the field was located in an idyllic, picturesque setting. It was built on a former corn field in front of the mansion. Because they are level and lined with drainage tiles, cornfields make ideal sites for building polo fields.

The 1989 Columbus Polo Club roster consisted of 5 teams - Bryn Du, Granville, Peugeot, Stefan Springs and Toad Hall (formerly Woodland Hall). They play games against teams from Cincinnati, Dayton, and Cleveland, as well as teams from other states in the region.

In 2002 the Columbus Polo Club boasted a membership of between 15-20 players, including some married couples, and parent-child combinations! Polo is truly a family sport!

The Columbus Polo Club lost the field at Bryn Du in Granville in 1998 for five years. The Club returned to Bryn Du in 2003, where from the middle of June to the middle of September, the Columbus Polo Club plays at Bryn Du for most of the Sunday games. Saturday afternoon games are played in Reiterheim Field in Pataskala. In 2005 Bryn Du is also the site for Tuesday night (weather permitting) new-player/green-horse practices. Playing members also practice at Ackley Field in Gahanna on Thursday nights.

In addition to playing visiting teams, Club Polo, where members play against each other, is considered an important element of the Columbus club, since it offers novice players opportunities to develop competitive playing skills. Columbus Polo Club members are friendly and eager to share their enthusiasm. As you come to watch games, feel free to walk up to the horse trailers and chat with home team members and visitors alike. Whether you are experienced or new to polo, you'll soon be amazed at your own involvement with this exciting sport.