Passion for ponies leads to association's founding
11/4/2009 9:52 PM
By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer
Sunny Hale founded the American Polo Horse Association with the purpose of collecting, collating and recording information on polo ponies, preserving information on their pedigrees and fostering an appreciation for the horses as a way of recognizing them, while encouraging and supporting events that showcase the talents of the equine athletes that excel on the polo field.
A passion for horses, particularly polo ponies, served as the impetus for Hale to create the American Polo Horse Association, which was founded in January 2006. Registration is open to any breed of horse, and the horse may be from any country, she said.
"In our industry we travel around the world, and there are polo horses that travel in and out of the United States and through different countries," said Hale, who was in Aiken recently for the Aiken Ladies Invitational tournament. "It's such a special thing for a horse to be a polo pony."
Hale serves as president of the APHA, which now serves as a resource, searchable database and registry for organizing and maintaining polo pony records. With the information base, people can learn more about the horses that are involved with the sport and their bloodlines.
"The association has DNA verification, so people will be able to look at the lineage of polo ponies regardless of the handicap of the polo," said Hale. "A zero-goal player needs a quality polo horse the same way that a 10-goal player does. Players like to know about their horses and where they came from, whether it's a mare, gelding or stallion that they're playing. That was the core idea to recognize these horses. Everyone has an opportunity to register their horse. All they have to do is DNA type it, take pictures and send it in."
The DNA sample is required for every horse in order to maintain the integrity and validity of the records, said Hale.
The founding of the organization has been beneficial to Hale since it is an educational process regarding the history of polo horses in the United States.
"There's so much breeding going on in different parts of the country, and there are a lot of trainers and breeders in Aiken," said Hale. "Because there wasn't a registry, there was a Polo Horse Society in the early 1920s and 1930s that seemed to disappear after the war, and there was a large gap of time from that period until now where there's been no written documentation regarding the success of those horses."
Hale devotes a great deal of her own time. Her sister works with her, as do a number of volunteers who are dedicated to and believe in the mission.
"We're only three years into the APHA, and this year playing in the Argentine Open, we're going to have five registered American Polo Horse Association horses," said Hale. "It's not that American horses have never played in the Argentine Open previously, but they've never been recognized. It puts a stamp on the quality of horses that we have."
For more information about the American Polo Horse Association, call (561) 312-5201 or visit www.americanpolohorse.com.
Contact Ben Baugh at bbaugh@aikenstandard.com.
11/4/2009 9:52 PM
By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer
Sunny Hale founded the American Polo Horse Association with the purpose of collecting, collating and recording information on polo ponies, preserving information on their pedigrees and fostering an appreciation for the horses as a way of recognizing them, while encouraging and supporting events that showcase the talents of the equine athletes that excel on the polo field.
A passion for horses, particularly polo ponies, served as the impetus for Hale to create the American Polo Horse Association, which was founded in January 2006. Registration is open to any breed of horse, and the horse may be from any country, she said.
"In our industry we travel around the world, and there are polo horses that travel in and out of the United States and through different countries," said Hale, who was in Aiken recently for the Aiken Ladies Invitational tournament. "It's such a special thing for a horse to be a polo pony."
Hale serves as president of the APHA, which now serves as a resource, searchable database and registry for organizing and maintaining polo pony records. With the information base, people can learn more about the horses that are involved with the sport and their bloodlines.
"The association has DNA verification, so people will be able to look at the lineage of polo ponies regardless of the handicap of the polo," said Hale. "A zero-goal player needs a quality polo horse the same way that a 10-goal player does. Players like to know about their horses and where they came from, whether it's a mare, gelding or stallion that they're playing. That was the core idea to recognize these horses. Everyone has an opportunity to register their horse. All they have to do is DNA type it, take pictures and send it in."
The DNA sample is required for every horse in order to maintain the integrity and validity of the records, said Hale.
The founding of the organization has been beneficial to Hale since it is an educational process regarding the history of polo horses in the United States.
"There's so much breeding going on in different parts of the country, and there are a lot of trainers and breeders in Aiken," said Hale. "Because there wasn't a registry, there was a Polo Horse Society in the early 1920s and 1930s that seemed to disappear after the war, and there was a large gap of time from that period until now where there's been no written documentation regarding the success of those horses."
Hale devotes a great deal of her own time. Her sister works with her, as do a number of volunteers who are dedicated to and believe in the mission.
"We're only three years into the APHA, and this year playing in the Argentine Open, we're going to have five registered American Polo Horse Association horses," said Hale. "It's not that American horses have never played in the Argentine Open previously, but they've never been recognized. It puts a stamp on the quality of horses that we have."
For more information about the American Polo Horse Association, call (561) 312-5201 or visit www.americanpolohorse.com.
Contact Ben Baugh at bbaugh@aikenstandard.com.
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