ad_Puesto_Viejo_path.pdf 26/3/09 23:15:28
how
ham polo club
emigr
II N S P II R E D M E T O
ate
BY JEREMY BAKER
Some 10 years ago, one sunny April
morning I met the now chairman of the
HPA, Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers outside
the clubhouse of Ham polo club. I had
absolutely no idea how that introduction to
the world of polo would change my life.
Earlier that decade, in 1992, I had been on a
‘lads’ trip around South America. Our primary
intention was to ski in Chile and to lie on the
beach in Rio, however we had also organised
a 4 day weekend in Buenos Aires. There, given
that we were young men in our late 20’s, I
must confess we were in search of exercise of
a different kind. The night life of that amazing
city did not disappoint, but it had a much more
C
permanent effect on me than I had planned
because, as I later realised, I had fallen in love.
M
That four day romance extended into a long
Y
distance relationship and then eventually
CM
into marriage. going to be enough. Which is how I ended up now own and run a Polo club called Puesto Viejo
at Ham. Nick gave me some very good advice which is fully affiliated to the AAP. We have 70
MY
that first day he met me. ‘Remember to take boxes and 50 corals, plus 50 hectares of turnout,
CY
I ATE
it slowly with this sport’ he said,’ it has a way and most important of all 3 full size boarded
CMY
of taking control of your life’. Wise words, that fields of absolute top quality. There is also a
ENDLESS STEAKS I completely ignored. Having enjoyed many boutique hotel with 7 rooms for guests and
K
AND DRANK
seasons playing only at Ham I am now a Polo enthusiasts, and it is our plan to go
LITRES OF
member of 3 clubs in the UK and I own and live there permanently (as soon as the
a 4th in Argentina. ( I know ... completely ‘credit crunch’ allows ).
LOCAL WINE
bonkers!). But the truth is that Nick and Annie
have inspired my wife and I. Ham has been This only leaves me to advise all those
such a big, happy and fulfilling part of their lives reading this who are getting involved with
for so long that I have found myself envying this wonderful sport at this wonderful club...
This presented a new problem, however, as it them. It is this and all the fun that I have Listen to your Chairman, he knows what he is
appeared that I had also made a commitment enjoyed at Ham and playing Polo that has talking about. If you don’t who knows where
to return to Argentina to see the in-laws for led us to plan our future in a similar way. We you could end up.
every single holiday that I would ever have.
But what to do when I was there? My wife
was content to talk endlessly to her mother
in Spanish. This was a conversation that
t
I couldn’t have understood even if I had
h wanted to. I also couldn’t have trawled around
i
g
the nightclubs looking for the same type of
-
e
y
entertainment I had been after on my first trip,
after all I was married now! I went to some top
f
i
f
t
flight football matches but I didn’t want to just
watch. I ate endless steaks and drank litres of
local wine but it wasn’t any good. I needed an
activity and I needed one fast. The trouble with
Polo is that is addictive, one of many addictive
things on offer in South America. And once I
started there was no going back. Just playing
a couple of times while on holiday was never
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