The Brookshire Polo Club in Texas hosted its first ever benefit for SIRE Therapeutic Riding programs in the Houston Area at Scott Woods’ ERG Farm. Everyone enjoyed the 20 goal feature match with Jeff Blake, Marcos Villanueva, Santi Torres, and Jeff Hall, as well as a dinner and live band. Photo by Rebecca Bollenbach
Catching up: We’re glad to report that Nic Roldan is back in action after suffering a broken collar bone this winter, and is now gearing up for his summer season in New York.
Mandy and Marcos Villanueva are expecting their second child this summer. We want pix when the baby comes!
Summer marks the return of big names to the west coast, as Sugar Erskine and Gonzalito Pieres travel with the Audi team and Adolfo Cambiaso pairs with Jeff Blake and the Lucchese team (just to name a few) for the start of the 20 goal in Santa Barbara. Looks like things are heating up on the beach in California!
It wouldn’t be Asides without a report from Prestonwood, and this issue is no different. So which NFL football player recently took a group polo lesson with the Millers during a filming for a TV docu-series?
(And may we remind you that we would LOVE to hear the fun news from YOUR club, too. Just send it to editor@sidelinesnews.com!)
Bumps and bruises: The 25th annual Polo on the Prairie event to benefit the MD Andersen Cancer Center was held in Breckenridge, TX at the Musselman’s Lazy 3 Ranch. Three days of polo saw its share of spills as Roni Duke, Hector Galindo, Miguelito Torres and Shane Rice all hit the ground over the course of the tournament. Roni gave everyone a good scare and was taken to a nearby hospital with a concussion. The rest of the players were without injury and continued their respective games.
Over in Houston, Nick Cifuni made gymnastics look like a second talent after he catapulted over the ears of his mount in a collision with his patron Joe Fitsimmons in the 8 goal. Not quite through with the exhibition, Nick fell off the back of a horse while umpiring just a few days later. Advil! Advil! Get the boy some Advil!
Seems Nick isn’t the only one doing rough rider demonstrations. Kathie Roberts did a demo of her own in Aiken when one of her horses tripped. “I went up on her neck, lost my stirrups, riding blind, she jumped over the boards, cleared them by 4 feet, I got my stirrups when we were galloping BEHIND the tailgaters, jumped back onto the field and re-joined the game.” Show off!
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