NEWS

Seneca Polo Club provides players with the ultimate arena experience. A family-friendly club with strong roots in the local community, Seneca Polo Club is located an hour from Washington, D.C. in Poolesville, Maryland. Wayne and Kate Briere started the club in 2012 with a mission to grow the sport of polo in the Washington Metropolitan Area by running a polo school for all ages, hosting low-goal tournaments for local players, and connecting with other local clubs. Above all, Seneca is a welcoming, fun and safe place to learn and play polo.

The Seneca Polo Club has one of the best arena surfaces on the East Coast, and spectacular LED lights, that were funded in part by several USPA grants for exciting night games and a unique experience. The club hosts nightly games twice a week, in the heat of summer, when it is cooler for horses, players and spectators. Lessons are held after work on weeknights, and also weekend mornings, making them accessible for all players. Friday night arena matches have a casual feel for players and spectators with “Food, Fire, Polo” benefit matches, exhibition games for community fundraisers and corporate events.

Seneca Polo School offers group and private lessons, club tournaments and polo clinics. The best way to get started in polo is to attend an “Introduction to Polo Clinic” held each month. Lessons are held twice weekly throughout the season May 1 through December 15. Wayne Briere teaches with a focus on fun, sportsmanship, and safety for players and horses. The versatile school horses know the game well and can get absolute beginners started quickly. Seneca Polo School videotapes games to review with players to improve their riding, swing and game strategy. Wayne designed and built a hitting cage for the school and anyone who wants to experience swinging a polo mallet.

A typical week at Seneca Polo Club includes coached chukkers, practice games, and private or group lessons. On weekends, the club holds regular games, club tournaments, and casual chukkers. Many games are round-robin style with some players splitting chukkers. Games may also include top players from the region such as Charlie Muldoon, Cindy Halle, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Joe Muldoon, Jenny Schwartz and Marisa Bianchi, all generously sharing tips. All levels of players are included, with many families playing together, where new players to the sport are made to feel at home, especially when the grill is cooking! Regular visiting teams include Summer Hill Polo, Garrison Forest and Mountain View, while several college teams are represented with current and former players from Cornell University (Ithaca, New York), Yale University (Bethany, Connecticut), Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Virginia) and the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia). For grass play, Seneca Polo Club visits neighboring clubs for practice games and tournaments.

Seneca Polo Club offers full board (with a stall) or field board. The facility has a 12-stall barn, a one-mile exercise track, beautiful pasture with good fencing, automatic heated waterers, and daily horse checks resulting in conscientious, loving horse care. In the off-season, boarders continue to gather for group rides, grooming sessions in the barn and social events. Kate and Wayne Briere put horse care first and foremost, being mindful of each individual horse’s needs.

The club house on the property has a grandstand, screened in seating, a bar, grill area, fire pit, and a full bathroom for guests. The club house offerings are a favorite to local businesses and suitable for wine tasting, private parties and corporate events, most often featuring an exhibition polo match.

As part of the Eastern Circuit, Seneca hosts annual USPA tournaments attracting some high-goal players. The Eastern Circuit Arena Women’s Challenge in June is open to 6- to 9-goal teams and some of the best women players in the country compete. The Eastern Circuit Arena Sportsmanship Cup in September is open to players rated 1 to 3 goals. An added bonus to these tournaments is the opportunity to meet and watch teams that travel in from East Coast clubs such as Triangle Area Polo Club (Hurdle Mills, North Carolina) and Darlington Polo Club (Darlington, Pennsylvania). The visiting players add comradery and fellowship from nearby circuits. The Seneca Polo Club is located within hauling distance of five friendly polo clubs, providing access to a fantastic polo league that allows players to play together two or three times a week. Intra-club tournaments are regularly on the schedule too.

Seneca Polo is a safe, informal, and friendly place to share a passion for the game and the love of horses. Many children experience their first memorable ride at Seneca Polo Club. Dogs are welcome on a leash. For adults, a glass of wine at sunset with horses grazing on lush grass after a ride is a sublime end to a perfect day of horses and fresh air.

To learn more about Seneca Polo Club, visit www.SenecaPoloclub.org or follow them on Facebook.