Polo Pony Fall Sale to make debut at New Bridge
By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer
In the past decade, the Aiken Polo Pony Sale has seen its numbers, average and median, increase and has attracted exceptional horses, reputable consignors and a wide variety of buyers.
This year's fall sale will be held at the New Bridge Polo and Country Club and will place an emphasis on family. The sale is scheduled for Oct. 4. Practice chukkers will be held Oct. 2-3. The deadline for sale consignment entries is Sept. 1.
This year's sale will be limited to 100 hip numbers, said Charlie Herrick, Aiken Polo Pony Sale. The sale is being sponsored by Banks Mill Feeds.
"The Spring Select Sale showed us where everyone wanted to go and how successful that was with the limited number of horses we had," said Herrick. "People are looking for quality horses. Green horses, with the exception of the special individual, have never done well at the sale. It's no fun to conduct the sale and to have people not sell their horses. All horses will have to be able to go on the field and practice with a low-goal player. The horses will have to be game ready. We've already had a lot of interest. Hopefully, we'll have some select type horses, although this won't be a select sale. The hip numbers won't be done by alphabet anymore. The horses will enter the sales ring by their qualifications."
The sale will start Saturday, Oct. 4 at 8 a.m. There will be a break for lunch, and the sale will resume at 1 p.m., said Herrick.
"This will provide people an opportunity to see the vendors and get some food, and then come back and see the advanced horses and hopefully some of the select horses that we'll have in the Spring Sale," said Herrick.
There will be an event for the Polo Training Foundation Friday evening, and it will have a country fair theme, said Herrick. The event will be a wholesome, family-oriented event in a safe, controlled environment.
"We hope to have games, bounce houses and some other activities for the kids," said Herrick. "We're going to sell tables for the event, but we're also going to make it affordable for people who just want to come in and get some chicken or barbecue and be part of the evening's festivities. We're going to have a band. We're also going to have a Gong Show themed talent event where, for a $25 donation, people can get up and sing. I want to take the event back to where it's fun for the family. Some of the parties get so serious, where they become so expensive, people can't participate. The Polo Training Foundation places an emphasis on children, and they should be included. We're going to have a children's menu featuring hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. It will be clean entertainment for the kids."
This is the first year that the Aiken Polo Pony Fall Sale will be held at New Bridge Polo and Country Club. The Spring Select Sale was held there in May.
"New Bridge is making some big changes for the sale," said Herrick. "We have a new P.A. system. Everyone who thinks that Matias Magrini is leaving or isn't going to be involved in Aiken is wrong."
For more information, call 641-1624 or visit www.aikenpoloponysale.com.
Notice about comments:
AikenStandard.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. AikenStandard.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not AikenStandard.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.
Comments
0