MAY 2019 Raul Rodriguez, Roque Rodriguez and Luciano Núñemn


Ellie O’Malley. These girls are constantly impressive in the pony lines, their horses relaxed and gleaming, their hydration and cooling on-point and their presentation smart. It is the on-field performance of the horses though that shone the spotlight on “Team Harper”. Winning the Cartier Queen’s Cup with Scone Polo Team, James was not only awarded the Cartier Most Valuable Player, but also received the Best Playing Pony blanket from Her Majesty The Queen for the Australian-bred mare Twitter, ensuring this was a dream day for the team. “Team Harper” were back the following weekend to contest the final of the Out-Sourcing Inc Royal Windsor Cup, with James playing for Mad Dogs this time around. Although not the winners of the trophy,


the girls were back in the winner’s enclosure


“It’s nice to be recognised and that people have


noticed the effort that we put into looking


after the horses” LUCY TAYLOR


to collect another blanket, this time with the handsome chestnut gelding Skiff. Head girl Lucy Taylor has worked


with James in Australia and England for four years. “The Tally Ho Groom of


the Month Award is an excellent


prize that gives grooms an incentive to do a really great job’” said Lucy. “It was incredible to win. It’s nice to be


recognised and that people have noticed the effort that we put into looking after the horses.” Sixteen-year-old Luke Wiles may be


one of our youngest playing members here at Guards Polo Club but is one of our most competitive and most promising. He is developing into a fine horseman and demands the gold standard of his grooms. “It’s so important for me to have good grooms,” said Luke. “Because I’m still at school, it’s important for me to know that the horses have everything they need and are well cared for. I’m able to trust Jose and the team to have everything in order so I’m able to play my best.” Luke is referring to Jose Montenegro,


his head groom, and his team of Natalie Barrett and Alcides Rojas, who were awarded the Tally Ho Groom of the Month Prize for July. Travelling from Beaufort, sometimes on a daily basis, means that preparation and post-match recovery are very important. Luke’s team has worked with a specialist equine nutritionist to devise a match-day regime whereby they arrive a little earlier and offer the ponies some chaff for a pre-match nibble. This ensures that Luke’s ponies are not competing on a completely empty stomach, reducing the risk of gastric ulceration.


Jose and the team also


travel with large nets of hay to enable the ponies to graze on the journey home. A high fibre ration post exertion encourages drinking and hydration, promotes healthy gut motility and function and also promotes a feeling of well-being.


98


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144