Jul 29, 2016 2:27 PM
South Dakota native Heather Benson has been horseback riding for the majority of her life. Her love of horses, with a particular fondness for off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTB), led her to establish the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) in 2010. The goal of the project is to help transition retired racehorses into a second career. One possible second career for OTTBs is polo. Benson was introduced to polo through an “Intro to Polo Clinic” at the Sioux Falls Polo Club.
Last year, the USPA sponsored the RRP Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium. The highly successful symposium features top professional and amateur equestrian trainers, competing 500 Thoroughbreds in 10 disciplines for $100,000 in prize money. The event now has a division for polo trainers and horses thanks to Benson’s great experience with polo.
The USPA is proudly sponsoring RRP again this year as it returns to the Kentucky Horse Park, October 27-30. The polo-specific event takes place fifth on the schedule Thursday, October 27. Spectators are welcome to cheer on the polo trainers and perhaps pick up a new addition to their string as all horse entries are for sale during the event.
For more information on the USPA’s involvement in RRP, please contact Justin Powers, Director of Club Development at jpowers@uspolo.org
2017 polo pony entries are listed here: http://www.retiredracehorseproject.org/viewpublic
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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