By Laurel Pfahler
Published Saturday, January 21, 2012
VERO BEACH — John Walsh got hooked on polo while watching his sons play and took it up himself about six years ago.
The Vero Beach resident and former “America’s Most Wanted” host said locals curious about the sport can experience the same level of enjoyment he did as a fan when the Vero Beach Polo season begins Sunday at Pointe West.
Walsh will be playing with his 17-year-old son, Hayden, on the Shamrock team. His oldest son, Callahan, no longer lives in the area, but the three have traveled all over the world together playing polo.
“I had watched my sons play and saw the challenge and got the bug,” said Walsh, whose family has owned horses for several years. “It’s a very demanding sport. You have to ride pretty well. It takes a lot of hand-eye coordination and a lot of skill. It’s great exercise, exciting, high-adrenaline, a little dangerous — all those components.
“It’s a great sport.”
The Vero Beach polo season features several local and visiting teams with games taking place at 2 p.m. every Sunday through April 1 on The Polo Grounds Field just south of the Pointe West Golf Course.
Average attendance is 300 fans, many of whom tailgate and picnic during the game. At halftime, fans trot onto the field and stomp divots, a polo tradition that also allows time to socialize.
Players range in age from 16 to 75 and in skill from the beginner stage to professional level. Each four-person team has a pro player on it, and at least four teams, like the Shamrock squad, include family members playing together.
The family atmosphere is what Walsh enjoys most about the Vero Beach polo season. Walsh, who was a part of the first-ever game to take place in Beijing, China, also plays in West Palm Beach and in upstate New York in the summer.
“We’ve played in Argentina, Beijing, Morocco, England, all over the world, but the thing about Vero Beach Polo Club is it’s a family club and lots of families play in the club together,” Walsh said.
The Kahle family founded the club and remains active in it.
Sandy Kahle serves as event coordinator, while her husband, George, son, Dolf, and grandson, Devon, all play together on the “Rocking K” team.
“The nice thing is it’s a sport you can play — like golf because of the handicaps — at advanced levels your whole life,” Sandy Kahle said. “A whole group of players started 20 years ago at Windsor in Indiana River County when they had it, and our children and grandchildren were young then, but they come up and want to play, too. It’s become a family sport.
“My husband always said he would give his son and grandson a chance to play, and then when he got older they would have to give him a chance to play with them.”
Two other notable families participate, as Peter Busch — a member of the beer-brewing dynasty — and his daughter Tiffany play together and Charley Replogle, longtime owner of the Ocean Grille, plays with his son, Coleman.
Walsh and Kahle said the horses are the real stars, though.
“They are fantastic athletes,” Walsh said. “They are fast and they have to be able to stop and turn quickly because the game changes direction and speed quickly.”
Players use a different horse, mainly thoroughbreds, for each period, known as a “chukker,” in a game. A total of 40 horses are needed for a four chukker match — four for each of the eight players and two umpires involved.
The polo field is 10 acres, roughly the size of 10 football fields.
“The horses are the athletes,” Kahle said. “They are trained and conditioned just like any other athlete. For parts of the year, they are off, just resting in the pasture, but then about six weeks before matches start, they are conditioned and trained for the season. They are well taken care of and they perform superbly.”
The sport can be dangerous for the riders, though, because polo is much like hockey on horseback with checking and rough play.
But that’s part of the fun of it, Walsh said.
“We’ve all gotten hurt lots of times,” Walsh said. “Everyone falls. It’s not if, but when. You’re moving 35 miles an hour with another person banging into you while trying to hit a bouncing ball.
“It’s the most challenging sport I’ve ever played.”
