NEWS

Name: Carlos R. de Arellano II (I also go by Carlucho, Luch, Lucho, Carl, Los, C-Lo, Carluchin and El Luchador).

Hometown: Wellington, Florida, yes as in (561) and 33414, winter equestrian capital of the world.

Years with the USPA: 5.

Tell us a bit about what you do for the USPA: I oversee the Services division, which operates as the hub of all USPA functions, maintaining the rules, handicaps and policies within which all divisions, LLCs, clubs and members participate. I am fortunate to have a talented group of staff members within the division, including Membership and Handicap Director Lindsay Greenway, Tournament Manager Kaila Dowd and Membership Office and Operations Administrator Kynzie Watahomigie. We serve as support staff for the majority of the USPA committees. I also get to cooperate in new projects directed by the board alongside Lindsey Ebersbach (Governance), Matt Baran (Communications), Justin Powers (Polo Development) and Fergus Gould (Umpires, LLC).

Do you ride and are you actively involved in the sport?
I ride every day, like I used to, but it is a little different now that I am not a pro. I still like to train young horses, keep my riding legs and feel the wind in my face; there is something special about that. However, now, I share the horseback riding experience with my kids early in the morning before work or just before dark in the evening.

If so, how did you get involved in the sport?
I got involved in the sport by following in the footsteps of two absolute polo fanatics: my dad and my brother.

Do you have any relatives involved in the sport?
Oh man, ha ha. I feel like I am somehow related to or affiliated with everyone in polo: my father, my father-in-law, my two brothers, my five brothers-in-law, my niece and nephews, an uncle and all my friends (the USPA membership).

Give us some insight into your background.
I grew up playing soccer, roller-hockey and fishing every canal and lake in Wellington. I was a mischievous kid, and I crashed my ATV when I was 11, hitting jumps with Tim Greene [another polo kid] in some muddy field. (I think it was the raw land that was there before Villa Del Lago [Polo Club] existed).

I believe the accident was a blessing because that is when I decided to start spending more time riding horses. I developed a tremendous friendship with a gray gelding named Pantera (trained by and purchased from Wellington’s famous Pantera). I went on to study (and play more polo than ever) at the University of Virginia, and I played professionally after that for 20 years.

What are your interests outside of work and polo?
I love my wife and family. I hang out with them. We go to the movies, play games, throw parties, grill out and just share time together. My other soft interests are swimming, studying, fishing and I love watching sports, especially tennis and ice-hockey. I’ll get into a philosophical conversation about virtues, morality and divine filiation with anyone. It interests me.

Is there anything people would be surprised to learn about you?
Sometimes I count the palm trees when I am driving down South Shore Boulevard. Is that weird?

If you have a bucket list, what are some of the things on it?
Hike the Inca Trail, El Camino de Santiago, the Grand Canyon on mule or donkey and the Cordillera de los Andes on horseback, all alongside my wife, God-willing. I would like to go back to Wyoming and spend time there with my children and wife and friends. I would also like the opportunity to race Bear Grylls through the Everglades; I think I can take him.