If you go
› What: Polo exhibition matches› Where: Bendabout Farm, 3553 Highway 11, Cleveland, Tennessee› When: 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15; 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16› Admission: Free, donations collected Sunday for 6th Cavalry Museum› For more information: www.bendabout.com
Bendabout Farm will continue its long-standing tradition of hosting polo matches in September this weekend.
Matches will be held Saturday morning, Sept. 15, and Sunday afternoon, Sept. 16. The matches will feature local, national and international players from professional and amateur ranks. These polo matches are the highest-rated in the Southeast at this time.
Local players of interest include Gillian Johnston, the highest-rated female player/sponsor in USA high goal polo. Johnston is a native of Bradley County, Tennessee. Owen Rinehart is a former 10 goaler and Hall of Fame inductee. Novillo Astrada, another former 10 goaler, captained the Coca-Cola Polo Team's 2002 winning U.S. Open Team. Jeff Blake received the Most Valuable Player award for the 2008 Open finals.
Players from both teams have played worldwide with great success and will offer area visitors an opportunity to view polo competition at its very best. They will be playing their best ponies, which are as competitive as their riders. It is the combination of athleticism and artistry in the horse and rider that makes polo a sport that continues to excite and impress observers of all ages.
Feature match play on Sunday benefits the 6th Cavalry Museum in Fort Oglethorpe. Polo matches between Bendabout Farm and the 6th Cavalry at Fort Oglethorpe date back to the 1930s. While admission and parking are free to those attending the match, representatives of the museum will be on hand on Sunday to accept voluntary contributions.
Games are played "weather permitting." Gates open to the public two hours before start time. There is plenty of free parking and seating, or spectators may bring folding chairs.
Bendabout Farm is located just south of Cleveland, 3553 Lee Highway. Look for the Polo Today signs.
For more information: www.bendabout.com.