Tag archives: polo

For the Win
By Richard Mineards   |   June 7, 2022

Prince Harry and his Los Padres team were in fighting form at the Santa Barbara Polo Club before winging to London with his wife, Meghan Markle, and family, Archie, 3, and Lilibet Diana, who turns one on Saturday, for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth’s four-day Platinum Jubilee Pageant. The Duke of Sussex’s team hoisted the Lisle […]

Latest Match at the Field
By Richard Mineards   |   May 24, 2022

Prince Harry may not be appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with his actress wife Meghan Markle after the Trooping of the Color ceremony next month, but he was definitely front and center at the Santa Barbara Polo Club playing in the final of the Folded Hills Pope Challenge final on Sunday. The closely […]

A Polo Gala
By Richard Mineards   |   May 17, 2022

Santa Barbara Polo Club member Jef and Katie Graham opened the doors of their charming Montecito Ranch home for a gala for the ten-year-old club training center attended by 120 guests, raising more than $50,000. Center president Rhys Williams emceed the sunset soirée with volunteers from the Westmont College and UCSB polo teams. Jeff Scheraga, […]

More at the Club
By Richard Mineards   |   May 17, 2022

Call it the Prince Harry effect! Since it was announced that Queen Elizabeth’s 37-year-old grandson would be playing regularly in the 12-goal matches at the Santa Barbara Polo Club with his old friend Argentinian Ralph Lauren Polo model Nacho Figueras, the club’s telephone has been ringing off the hook and the website deluged with viewers. […]

Polo Gallops Back
By Richard Mineards   |   April 19, 2022

After nearly two years of limited access to the public, the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club is back at the gallop! Opening day is May 1 for a riveting season of action-packed games and exhilarating tournaments. “We have a record number of teams participating at every level, with many of the world’s most talented […]

Women’s Polo Rides into Regionals
By Scott Craig   |   March 1, 2022

The Westmont women’s polo team, fresh off a 15-1 victory over cross-town rival UC Santa Barbara, rides into United States Polo Association Regionals on Friday, February 25, in Los Osos. The Warriors will face Stanford, who they beat earlier this season, Cal Poly, UC Davis, USC, UCSB, Oregon State, Montana State, and Idaho State.  The […]

Staying Civil
By Richard Mineards   |   October 26, 2021

Former corporate attorney and Harvard Law School graduate David Gersh has published his seventh book, The Whisper of a Distant God, an historical fiction of the Civil War. “It explores a little-known battle in that war and the struggle with duty, honor, and compassion by the Union commander’s wife, Louisa Canby, which made her the […]

What a Classic
By Richard Mineards   |   October 12, 2021

The Amazons ruled at the ninth annual Santa Ynez Polo Classic hosted by former Santa Barbara Polo Club billionaire patron Tom Barrack at the Happy Canyon Vineyard at his sprawling Piocho Ranch. The popular event, co-chaired by Nancy Hunsicker and Alanna Tarkington, featured four all-female teams watched by 350 tony tête topper wearing guests, while […]

Prince Perfecting Polo Prowess
By Richard Mineards   |   September 21, 2021

An accomplished polo player, Prince Harry has been honing his mallet skills “stick and balling” at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, I can exclusively reveal. The Duke of Sussex, 37, who lives with his wife, Meghan Markle, at Riven Rock, just a short gallop from the Carpinteria equestrian facility, is following in the stirrup-steps of […]

Dinner with a Side of Polo: New Fieldside Grill Offers Distinctive Culinary Experience
By Gabe Saglie   |   September 9, 2021

One of the newest spots to eat in town is a longstanding destination all its own. The Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club is one of the oldest of its kind in the U.S., and its polo season, which runs May through October and lures a sophisticated crowd to both play and watch from all […]

Hats Off to You!
By Richard Mineards   |   September 7, 2021

For the 15th year my millinery skills, garnered from attending the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, England, where outrageous hats are de rigueur for ladies attending the centuries’ old races attended by Queen Elizabeth, for more than four decades, were called on by the Santa Barbara Polo Club to judge the annual hat contest during the […]

Got Loon Loot?
By Richard Mineards   |   August 31, 2021

California’s most expensive residential property, a 22-acre spread known as the Sanctuary at Loon Point, has just surfaced for sale in Carpinteria for a hefty $160 million. The titanic price tag makes it the priciest property in the Golden State, beating out a $135 million retreat up for grabs in Woodside and a $115 million […]

A Hippie Throwback
By Richard Mineards   |   August 12, 2021

It was Pucci, Gucci, and a dash of Fiorucci when YouTube influencer Rebecca Brand celebrated the 10th anniversary of her half-century with a ‘60s-themed bash at the historic University Club. Tie-dye reigned, along with Mary Quant miniskirts and white plastic go-go boots, as hits from that swinging decade that spawned The Beatles and The Rolling […]

Penning on Polo
By Richard Mineards   |   June 24, 2021

Carpinteria artist Robyn Geddes is not only putting paint to canvas, but pen to paper, launching a new monthly newsletter at the Santa Barbara Polo Club condos. Robyn, who I have known for more than four decades since he worked with Andy Warhol at The Factory in New York, is a board member at the […]

Extraordinary Moment: SB Polo & Racquet Club Makes Welcomed Return
By Richard Mineards   |   May 13, 2021

Crowds of members packed the clubhouse and tiered seating at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club when the Carpinteria equestrian facility opened its doors for the first time in more than a year after the pandemic restrictions were eased. “This really is an extraordinary moment,” said club manager David Sigman. “It couldn’t have been […]

Fighting Fair Housing Initiatives is Counterproductive
By Montecito Journal   |   May 6, 2021

In reference to the recent Montecito Association meeting held on April 13, I was deeply disappointed to see that our esteemed, highly respected former senator, Hannah-Beth Jackson, has agreed to represent the anti-growth side of the discussion regarding California State Bills 9 and 10, or SB-9 and SB-10. The legislation proffered by Governor Newsom will […]

Polo and Ponies
By Lynda Millner   |   March 11, 2021

One of the things that fascinated me when we first moved to Santa Barbara in the mid-‘70s was the polo field just south of town. We soon became social members even though we lived in town and spent many a Sunday watching and learning about polo and its ponies. Yes, they are called ponies. We […]

Polo’s PCO, pandemic-style
By Steven Libowitz   |   August 27, 2020

As with just about everything else that might involve an audience, polo tournaments have also been barred from permitting spectators at their matches. But rather than canceling the season, the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club has carried on sans the crowds, as only polo players, team associates and club staff are allowed to attend […]

Preparing for Polo
By Richard Mineards   |   May 7, 2020

Santa Barbara Polo Club, which was re-scheduled to kick off its 109th season on May 15, now plans to launch in July, according to manager David Sigman. “The health and safety of our membership, staff, and the community are of the utmost importance to us,” says David. “As we look ahead toward the possible reopening […]

Horsing Around
By Richard Mineards   |   April 2, 2020

The Santa Barbara Polo Club is delaying the start of its 109th season, which was scheduled to kick off on May 1, because of the coronavirus. Instead, the hotly anticipated initial equestrian event, the Folded Hills Pope Challenge, has been rescheduled for May 15, with the 12-goal schedule continuing through July 5. “The club is […]