Tag archives: Santa Barbara Polo Club

A Birthday Bonanza
By Richard Mineards   |   July 1, 2021

Teresa Kuskey Nowak’s deliciously decadent La Boheme Dance Company, who were attired in Versailles 18th century Marie Antoinette costumes at the Santa Barbara Polo Club earlier this month, were back at the picturesque locale for the birthdays of ubiquitous KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri and former Cottage Hospital orthopedic nurse Rochelle Mirabello. As guests feasted on […]

The Hills are Alive
By Richard Mineards   |   June 24, 2021

It was the perfect pairing when Folded Hills winemaker Andy Busch, a former patron at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, debuted his 2018 Polo Syrah at his rustic Gaviota locale, which produces 3,200 cases of wine annually. The new vintage was made by winemaker Angela Osborne, who has now moved on to devote her time […]

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 […]

Polo in Paradise: Kentucky Derby Brings Out Familiar Faces
By Lynda Millner   |   June 3, 2021

The Santa Barbara Polo Club is celebrating 110 years, one of the oldest clubs in the United States. It was the location for a Kentucky Derby party hosted by Deb Richards, John Hillis, and Juli Kordic. Energy abounded (and so did mint juleps and big hats) since it was the first time for many to […]

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 […]

Keep Up That Racquet, Please!
By Richard Mineards   |   April 29, 2021

It’s all systems go at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club! As the Carpinteria equestrian facility marks its 110th season with its official opening on May 2, the club will be open to spectators as pandemic lockdown rules are eased. “It will be nice to have people back in the stands,” said club manager […]

Polos and Ponies
By Montecito Journal   |   March 18, 2021

The recent interesting “Seen Around Town” article (volume 27, issue 10) reviewed Santa Barbara Polo Club and requires a few comments and corrections. It mentioned that polo player Elmer Boeseke Jr. was able to gain admittance for the local club into the U.S.P.A. However, it was his father, Dr. Elmer J. Boeseke, who served two […]

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 […]

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 […]

Social Distance Serenades
By Richard Mineards   |   April 9, 2020

Santa Barbara classical guitarist Chris Fossek is looking to the Middle Ages, when balladeers roamed the land, to soothe our furrowed brows during these most trying of times. Chris, who has performed at the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Rome’s Olympic Stadium, has launched a charming new project, Open Window Serenades. “As long […]

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 […]

Start Your Engines!
By Richard Mineards   |   September 26, 2019

It was horsepower of a very different kind on display at the Santa Barbara Polo Club when the 8th annual Montecito Motor Classic, which used to display its pricey wares on Coast Village Road, pitched up at the Carpinteria equestrian facility. With the theme Supercar Designs & Legacy Milestones, featuring one-of-a-kind cars made by Lamborghini, […]

Challenging Chukker
By Richard Mineards   |   September 5, 2019

It was the battle of the bridled behemoths at the Santa Barbara Polo Club when former president Dan Walker‘s Farmers & Merchants Bank team took on current president Texan tycoon John Muse‘s Lucchese team for the 110-year-old Silver Air Pacific Coast Open trophy, the most prestigious tournament on the Left Coast. With a record 4,000 […]

Art Flag
By Richard Mineards   |   August 15, 2019

An interesting new flag is “flying” at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. The flag, the concept of firefighter-artist John Carrillo, who made the first version for the retirement for Santa Barbara fire chief Pat McElroy, incorporates hoses used by the Montecito Fire Department to fight the 2017 Thomas Fire. Throughout the disaster, the SB Polo […]

Montecito Motor Classic Moves
By James Buckley   |   August 8, 2019

They are still calling it the Montecito Motor Classic, but it won’t be taking place on Coast Village Road. Actually, the popular eight-year-old car show couldn’t have taken place on Coast Village this year because the county is about to begin a three-month resurfacing project on Coast Village Circle, hit hard by last year’s debris […]

Bank Bash
By Richard Mineards   |   August 1, 2019

Having won polo’s 55-year-old America Cup three times in the last four years, it seems appropriate that former Santa Barbara Polo Club president and banker Dan Walker should now be sponsoring the three-week annual 16-goal tournament that runs through August 11. To mark the occasion, he hosted a bustling reception at his Farmers & Merchants […]

Haute Hats
By Richard Mineards   |   August 1, 2019

It was a record turnout when the Santa Barbara Polo Club held its annual Belmond El Encanto Robert Skene Trophy final between undefeated BenSoleimani.com, last year’s runners up, and banker Henry Walker‘s FMB Too! Henry tied the game with only a few minutes of the hotly contested 16-goal match remaining. Just as overtime loomed, Felipe […]

Polo Party
By Richard Mineards   |   August 1, 2019

Polo patron Justin Klentner and his interior designer wife Amanda Masters opened the doors of Klentner Ranch, their sprawling Carpinteria estate, for a 160-guest Summer Social fundraiser for the Polo Training Center of Santa Barbara, which was expected to raise around $100,000 to support activities and upgrade the facility’s training arena, including lighting for nighttime […]

Neck and Neck
By Richard Mineards   |   July 18, 2019

It was a very in-tents occasion when Montecito dynamic duo, Justin and Mindy Mahy, hosted a boffo bash to mark their New Zealand company Kopu Sparkling Water’s high goal challenge at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. Justin’s mother, Pam, and father, Arthur, flew in for the occasion from Auckland on the country’s North Island, for […]