Will Rogers Polo Club

Polo in the 1920s-1930s When the sport of kings took up residency in the Palisades THE STORY GOES THAT WILL ROGERS was first introduced to the game of polo in N...ew York while appearing with the Ziegfeld Follies in about 1915. He then picked up a mallet and played wherever in the world he was with the Maharaja of Jaipur in India, in the Philippines, Argentina, England, Spain and Mexico. Perhaps that’s why he landscaped a polo field for his new ranch in Pacific Palisades in 1926 even before he built his home there. His love of horses and the game led Rogers to also build the polo field for the nearby Uplifters Club in Rustic Canyon and help lay out polo grounds for the Riviera Country Club just up the road on Sunset. On weekends, he hosted the likes of Spencer Tracy, David Niven, Clark Gable and Walt Disney who practiced polo in the morning on the gently sloping field at his ranch before going to the Uplifters to take in the matches. A young Glenn Ford was a groomsman for the polo ponies at the ranch before beginning his acting career. Rogers was instrumental in drumming up interest in the sport and played himself for the Uplifters Club, including charity matches. America’s favorite roping humorist played a rough-and-tumble game, and was often thrown from his mount. He broke two ribs in one fall and broke two fingers in another mishap. He also played with no pretensions, often wearing chaps, dungarees and a simple shirt instead of polo whites. Commenting on the rough nature of the sport, Rogers once said, They call it (polo) a gentleman’s game for the same reason they call a tall man ‘shorty’. Hollywood and high society found common ground at the polo fields during the sport’s heyday in the 1930s and it was not unusual to see crowds of up to 28,000 turn out. On Sundays, movie stars and socialites flocked to polo matches in limousine caravans. In 1930, the Pacific Coast Open polo championships were held at another exclusive polo complex in Alhambra in the San Gabriel Valley Midwick Country Club and for that event polo ponies worth the equivalent of $7.5 million today were shipped in from Argentina, billed as the greatest collection of polo mounts ever assembled in the West. Midwick was the granddaddy of all polo clubs in L.A. County where Britain’s King George V and Gen. George Patton had played. And Midwick also fielded one of the best teams in the country led by Eric Pedley that won the national title in 1924. Santa Barbara was also a major polo center in Southern California. But it wasn’t just the men who played polo. Snowy Baker, an Australian Olympian and actor, was manager of the Riviera polo fields and he encouraged women to get involved with the sport and also served as their coach. One of the first women to sign up was Spencer Tracy’s wife, Louise, who helped organize the first women’s polo club and teams that played matches before the men took the field for their games. Another leading proponent of the women’s game, silent era screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, wife of fellow movie writer and polo enthusiast Frank Dazey, said jokingly, when the screen girls now talk about ‘my string’ they mean a string of polo ponies, not pearls. The Riviera women’s players became so good that they won the championship of the newly formed Pacific Coast league, embarked on tours, and even played against men’s teams. In 1937, the club captured the top prize in women’s polo, the U.S. Open title. Riviera Country Club, which opened in 1926, boasted four polo fields three for practice and one with grandstands including a field located at what is now Paul Revere Charter Middle School on Sunset at the foot of Mandeville Canyon. Today, the Will Rogers Polo Field at his former ranch is the only outdoor polo field in Los Angeles County. In the 1930s, there were 100 polo fields in the city alone. Please enjoy this selection of photographs and newspaper stories of those glory days of polo in the Palisades area. See more

We tend to get a lot of emails from people wanting their first polo pony, and we don't generally have a horse who can still play polo. If you are shopping for ...polo or polocrosse, I do know of a couple of nice horses who don't need to retire from polo, but do need an easier beginner/arena polo kind of life. They would also be great for other disciplines and they have experience on trails and being ridden in the city. Message me and let me know what you're looking for! Horses are in Los Angeles. See more

With summer upon us, we are all looking for fun, outdoor activities! Celebrate the good weather by joining our arena program at HYT Polo! All levels welcome, fr...om first time riders to advanced players! Check out our video to learn more. Contact [email protected] to sign up! #thefunneverstops #comeplaywithus #hytpolo #arenapolo #polo #losangeles #horses #southerncalifornia See more

Proud to have him call Will Rogers Polo Club home!

Did you know Polo for a Purpose is family friendly? Come join us! #charity #fundraiser #cancer #cancerawareness #hope #health #survivor #cancerwarrior #cancerfi...ghter #cancersurvivor #childhoodcancer #cancerresearch #beatcancer #cancersupport #lifeaftercancer #cancerfight #fightcancer #fighter #standuptocancer #polo #brandonphillips #poloforapurpose #laequestriancenter #memogracida #stephenstonedesigns #burbank #california Los Angeles Equestrian Center Los Angeles Magazine LA Weekly See more

Did you know you can order your tickets for May 27 through our website? https://poloforlife.org/purchase-tickets/ #charity #fundraiser #cancer #cancerawareness ...#hope #health #survivor #cancerwarrior #cancerfighter #cancersurvivor #childhoodcancer #cancerresearch #beatcancer #cancersupport #lifeaftercancer #cancerfight #fightcancer #fighter #standuptocancer #polo #brandonphillips #poloforapurpose #laequestriancenter #memogracida #stephenstonedesigns #burbank #california Los Angeles Equestrian Center Los Angeles Magazine LA Weekly See more

Amazing polo for an amazing cause, plus a fun kid zone, bar, food trucks! We highly recommend the Reserved Table for 4: premium seating plus a bottle of bubbly! Here's the link to buy tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-annual-polo-for-a-purpos

Contact HYT Polo to sign up your kids or yourself for an amazing lesson with club pro Ernesto Ezcurra

The Polo School for the Will Rogers Polo Club; great instructors and horses!

Please join us May 27 and support this great cause!

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL! Arena Polo is back for the season! We are offering an opening week discount. Purchase this week only and chukkers are just $50 each! Limit 1...0 per person, purchase by April 7, and they are good through June 30! The ponies are ready! Come play with us! #thefunneverstops Email Hannah@HYTPolo for more info or to purchase!