One of the minor things I’d like to know – but I’ll probably never hear about – is whether Prince Harry bought some polo ponies for himself in America. I think we would have heard about it if he moved his British polo ponies to America, and there was that weird story about how Prince William sold their polo ponies after Harry left the UK, when William (wrongly) believed that Harry had “given up” polo. So… did Harry buy a polo pony? Or is he borrowing someone else’s polo pony for his summer polo games? In any case, it turns out that Harry’s Hot Summer Polo Szn is not over. Harry is due in Colorado today for a charity match. He’s raising money for Sentebale with Nacho (his Argentinian brother).
The Duke of Sussex is set to participate in an annual polo tournament in Aspen, Colorado, to raise funds and awareness for his charity Sentebale. Prince Harry will play on the Sentebale team, joined by his longtime friend and the charity’s ambassador Nacho Figueras.
The Sentebale team is due to battle it out against the Royal Salute and the US Polo Assn teams in a round-robin tournament.
The Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup is an annual tournament held in the Aspen Valley Polo Club. It serves as the single-largest fundraising event for the charity to advance its mission on behalf of young people across Lesotho and Botswana.
Information about whether the Duchess of Sussex will attend the event hasn’t been revealed.
“We are delighted to return once again to the stunning grounds of Aspen Valley Polo Club for the annual Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup,” Harry said in a statement. “Sixteen years ago, Prince Seeiso and I founded Sentebale in honour of our mothers’ work in HIV, and named after my mum’s favourite flower, the ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho, representing our commitment to always remembering and advocating for those in need.
“We are all proud of the support we are able to give the young people of Lesotho and Botswana to feel empowered, healthy, resilient, and able to thrive. The funds raised this year will be invested in these communities at a critical time, as inequalities have been exacerbated by the pandemic. We are enormously grateful to our partners and supporters here today, especially our long-standing title sponsor, ISPS Handa, for making the day possible.”
Will Meghan be there? I don’t know. I doubt it. She’s got babies, beagles and rescue chickens to look after. Again, I’m fascinated by the logistics – is it BYOPP (Bring Your Own Polo Pony)? Does Harry handle the transport of polo ponies to Colorado? Or are the polo ponies provided in Colorado? Hm. Anyway, I love that Harry is still in the midst of his Hot Summer Polo Szn. The Other Brother was so mad and jealous about Harry’s Santa Barbara polo season that Will organized a charity polo match TOO. There’s still so much for William to copykeen – William will have to arrange a trip to Africa too, just like Harry. William will have to play another polo match for charity too, just like Harry. William will have to make a big speech in New York, just like Harry. Copykeening Harry is a full-time job for the Other Brother.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instagram.
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Prince Harry plays his last polo game in Santa Barbara before heading to London with his family to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Harry’s side Los Padres won the Lisle Nixon Memorial Final event in “sudden death” extra time 15-14 against Mokarow Farms on Sunday (May 29). Harry’s Argentinian friend and teammate Nacho Figueras scored the winning point. There was no sign at the game of Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. Harry was named as “H. Wales” on the scoreboard. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 29 MAY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Prince Harry plays his last polo game in Santa Barbara before heading to London with his family to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Harry’s side Los Padres won the Lisle Nixon Memorial Final event in “sudden death” extra time 15-14 against Mokarow Farms on Sunday (May 29). Harry’s Argentinian friend and teammate Nacho Figueras scored the winning point. There was no sign at the game of Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. Harry was named as “H. Wales” on the scoreboard. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 29 MAY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Prince Harry plays his last polo game in Santa Barbara before heading to London with his family to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Harry’s side Los Padres won the Lisle Nixon Memorial Final event in “sudden death” extra time 15-14 against Mokarow Farms on Sunday (May 29). Harry’s Argentinian friend and teammate Nacho Figueras scored the winning point. There was no sign at the game of Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. Harry was named as “H. Wales” on the scoreboard. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 29 MAY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Prince Harry plays his last polo game in Santa Barbara before heading to London with his family to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Harry’s side Los Padres won the Lisle Nixon Memorial Final event in “sudden death” extra time 15-14 against Mokarow Farms on Sunday (May 29). Harry’s Argentinian friend and teammate Nacho Figueras scored the winning point. There was no sign at the game of Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. Harry was named as “H. Wales” on the scoreboard. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 29 MAY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Prince Harry plays his last polo game in Santa Barbara before heading to London with his family to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Harry’s side Los Padres won the Lisle Nixon Memorial Final event in “sudden death” extra time 15-14 against Mokarow Farms on Sunday (May 29). Harry’s Argentinian friend and teammate Nacho Figueras scored the winning point. There was no sign at the game of Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. Harry was named as “H. Wales” on the scoreboard. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 29 MAY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Prince Harry plays his last polo game in Santa Barbara before heading to London with his family to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Harry’s side Los Padres won the Lisle Nixon Memorial Final event in “sudden death” extra time 15-14 against Mokarow Farms on Sunday (May 29). Harry’s Argentinian friend and teammate Nacho Figueras scored the winning point. There was no sign at the game of Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. Harry was named as “H. Wales” on the scoreboard. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 29 MAY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Prince Harry plays his last polo game in Santa Barbara before heading to London with his family to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Harry’s side Los Padres won the Lisle Nixon Memorial Final event in “sudden death” extra time 15-14 against Mokarow Farms on Sunday (May 29). Harry’s Argentinian friend and teammate Nacho Figueras scored the winning point. There was no sign at the game of Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. Harry was named as “H. Wales” on the scoreboard. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 29 MAY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Prince Harry plays his last polo game in Santa Barbara before heading to London with his family to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Harry’s side Los Padres won the Lisle Nixon Memorial Final event in “sudden death” extra time 15-14 against Mokarow Farms on Sunday (May 29). Harry’s Argentinian friend and teammate Nacho Figueras scored the winning point. There was no sign at the game of Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. Harry was named as “H. Wales” on the scoreboard. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 29 MAY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Meghan Markle watches her husband, Prince Harry, at this latest polo game. The royal played for Los Padres at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club on Friday (June 17). Harry’s side is taking on Folded Hills. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 17 JUNE 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Santa Barbara, CA – Meghan Markle hangs out with the Polo WAGS as she enjoys a cold drink and watches Prince Harry play Polo. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 17 JUNE 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
AD did a piece in 2017 on Nacho’s stable in Argentina where he houses his then 44 polo ponies, the number needed for a team of four players. Interestingly piece. Likely he loans some to Harry for these tournaments.
Yes probably this. They are a team so they probably move all the ponies together.
I can’t find the comment but the US Polo Association listed some awards One of the awards was an amateur polo pony named Razzle Dazzle by Harry Wales (Prince Harry) It didn’t state whether Harry owned or it was a lease from Nacho It has the Championship blanket on Harry as holding the reins and grinning from ear to ear
Right, I was just coming here to say if Harry has his own, it would not be one pony, but a string! It’s a very demanding sport for the horses, and players change mounts every chukker, so in a typical match, a player will ride about 10 horses.
I’ve also read the Figueras owns about 500 horses, and sends them to compete all over the world. A team member will travel with 12 to 14 horses for a six-month season, training them incrementally so that they don’t all peak at once.
He’s probably happy to have Harry ride some of them?
Nacho might have leased Harry a string of ponies for this, so Harry can have his favorites of Nacho’s herd without having to buy any of his own yet.
Polo logistics are super interesting, thanks for posting, y’all.
(And 500 horses?! Yeah, Mr. and Mrs. Nacho are RICH-rich.)
Have you seen the Architectural Digest article about the Dream House (stables) he had built for the polo ponies? And that’s just for the horses!
I come from the horsey world so can speak to this a bit. High end horse sales are SO private and exclusive, never EVER advertised. Sheiks and the super wealthy have giant ranches up near Santa Barbara and will fly anywhere in the world to look at a good horse, and then that horse would be transported like a crown jewel to the ranch. These ranches will also board horses of the OTHER super wealthy, so Harry could privately own a freaking fleet of horses and Nacho would board them and no one would ever know.
Interestingly, there are small and large farms all across the country that specialize in boarding super high end horses. I ended up staying in one in a NOWHERE town in alabama and the airbnb was CRAZY cheap. We had a giant house to ourselves with a giant pool and grill and LANDDDD all to ourselves and the farm was GORGEOUS. The owners showed us a few of the horses they had but they were mostly empty because the house was for the people transporting luxury houses and that was why it was so cheap to rent. They charged hundreds of thousands of dollars and had to be super insured for those horses, so the house just came with the horse boarding fees. We got it for 40 bucks a day, ya’ll. The horse world is so fascinating and weird and secretive.
@Chanteloup – apparently Nacho is also a breeder and trainer, which would account for a lot of additional horses on the property. The ones housed in the stable are his best of the best. And, his son is also a polo player (so there’s horses for him as well); wonder if he was one of the two young men on the Santa Barbara team with Harry.
Nachos kindness and brotherhood makes him ten times sexier. I love watching them bonding!
I think Nacho and Prince Sessio are some of Harry’s genuine friends.
I remember once seeing a clip of prince seeiso where he got angry at a british reporter and refused to answer a question (with regards to harry) because “they’ll twist his words anyway”
That’s what I think any time he’s mentioned! He’s good looking guy but knowing what we do about his character makes him HOT. It always makes me happy to know that H&M have such solid, deep friendships, people who genuinely have their backs. That’s a true measure of a person.
I’m just here to say this: I am just fascinated about the fact that Sentebale has a annual tournament of its own. Now lets consider this for a second, shall we? “The Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup is an annual tournament…………. It serves as the single-largest fundraising event for the charity …………” LOL, William is crying right now. And, William is going to compete; how; with what? I said yesterday that with Invictus Games, Harry’s legacy and history is already set, nothing William can ever do will ever one up Harry. Why? Because William Dolittle did absolutely nothing with his life for 23 years, just waiting to become king of whatever will be left when he becomes king…23 years wasted, that’s 23 years too late to start competing with Harry on anything. Now add Sentebale to Invictus and all other Harry projects? I am not sure where William intends to begin in terms of “competing and flaunting statesman credentials” LOL. Few words to sum up what William is: William has been, he is and will always be a failure compared to his younger brother. I love to see this. 💃🏿💃🏿 💃🏿
Where are you getting 23 years from? Would that be how long he’s been out of college (uni for non Americans)? Cuz I feel like I’m looking at a waste of 40 yrs.
@Steph Presumably, the 23 years is counting since he became an adult. (40-17 = 23).
@Duchcheese
I’m here to agree with you!
Looking at the headlines for the Sussexes over the headlines over the past few weeks they’ve all been related to recent projects. Speaking at the UN, travelling to Africa, a podcast and now a charitable polo match. In that time what have the Cambridges done?
The UK tabloids are vicious in their attacks on H&M for getting on with their lives and promoting worthy causes. Yet, wilfully ignore Pop and Sporty Barbie for choosing to lounge around for weeks at a time doing naff all on the taxpayers dime. Yeah, let’s all hear it for “The Cambridge Way” *slow hand clap*
Harry have been using Nacho polo ponies.
An acquaintance plays polo and he transports his ponies to matches; though typically it’s day trips for the New England season and then seasonal trips south for the whole Florida season. I imagine for short term events it’s like show jumping or other riding events, where the horses are brought out a day or so in advance and stay for the duration, then get transported back to their home barn.
Another of the many reasons that equestrian sports are usually a rich person thing,
I’ve “played” polo twice (really a riding class where we did mock mini matches; the most of the class horses were former polo ponies) And even though none of the people riding had ever played before, we were able to have a semblance of a real match … because the horses knew how to play! They knew when to follow the ball, when to circle back, etc. So I’d imagine it’s also possible Harry just borrows a pony from someone on his team, and that if both he and the horse are experienced, they’d do fine.
Thanks for the insight! One of my favourite things in the CB community is there are people who know about EVERYTHING.
That’s so awesome! I’ve never played polo, but as a kid I was incredibly lucky to live near polo grounds where they had regular matches every week, and tournaments including visiting teams of the rich and famous [like Prince Charles – yeah, I’m old – and the Sultan of Brunei]
And I got to exercise polo ponies. They are so collected, light on their feet, can turn on a dime and insanely intuitive [well, as are all horses, imo]. I was in love.
Great job on the charity initiatives!
Can I just say his little interaction with Meghan on the podcast was cute af?
I’m so glad that Harry has true friends like Nacho. Some of his old friends from back in day really showed their racist asses when Meghan came into his life. Waiting to see how Will and the palace PR try an compete with Harry’s busy schedule of late.
Agreed. It’s clear that Nacho and his wife are true friends to the Sussexes.
What happened to that BFF of his i only remember him as Skippy or something.
Just popping back to say that nacho has the cutest IG post about playing polo with Harry and Sentebale today. He really is Harry’s true brother.
@Noki – that would be Tom Inskip, they were friends from childhood but he had *reservations* about Meghan and apparently the friendship has soured.
I don’t care for royal sh*t or polo but Nacho is HOT! That’s all.
I am a gay man and I appreciate this kind of posts where handsome men are being featured. It is so inspirational to me.
@Lolo85f I totally understand your appreciation!
💗😍🔥
They really are *ahem* inspiring. Good God, they are so hot.
Nacho and Harry playing polo again? *checks on flights to Colorado*
I don’t care what anybody says, those polo uniforms MUST have been designed by a woman. Lord! (By which I mean the colors are very nice and complementary.)
@Debbie…LMAO. Thank you and agreed!
At least copying harry got the other brother of his ass
Nacho has a bunch of horses. I suspect Harry uses those horses. Given how petty and vindictive the Royal Family is he was probably told that he can’t take his horses.
Exactly. I’m 100% certain that the moment Harry asked for his horses to be transported to California, William decided to sell them off. Hell, he probably sold them off before then.
Agree, Snuffles. William sold of the polo ponies when most/all of them belonged to Harry. It isn’t like Harry was going to publicly call him about it. He was just grateful to escape with his family, even if it meant losing his beloved horses. That’s how hateful and jealous Billy is.
I remember a story where William sold off their string of polo ponies [jointly owned by Harry? idk] and sent Harry a painting as a replacement.
I remember the snide media was all about how poor William no longer wanted to play polo, sob, cry, now that his brother abandoned him for California and “swapped polo for yoga.” [Clueless, as usual!]
Could have been that Will thought if he gave up polo, Harry had to also. It could have been PC (who would have been paying the upkeep of the horses) said to sell them.
Dang, if he really did send a pic to Harry of his horses that he’d just sold, that’s cold. Not sure I believe it though. That he sold the ponies yes. That he sent a pic, who knows? Maybe. But also sounds like a RR flourish.
I’m just so glad H&M got away. I can’t imagine how it would be for them to have to be fully under Baldness’s thumb when he is king. And now they never will be or need to be. So petty and vindictive.
As attached as I’m sure Harry is to his animals, I’m honestly not sure he’d want to transport 4+ horses from the UK to California. Sure fancy athlete do it but it’s a hard journey on the horses, they have to quarantine once they’ve arrived, and then he’d have to keep them up somewhere. That’s a lot to manage on top of everything else he went through at the time.
There are professional services that take care of that for you, and polo ponies are well-used to traveling. IMO William sold those ponies out from under him before Harry could get settled and arrange for their transport.
The usual string brought for each player at a polo match is 6 ponies.
There is a match this afternoon. Sentebale was founded in 2006 by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso to honor both of their mothers (Mamohato Bereng Seeiso and Princess Diana.) Sentebale means ‘Forget-me-not’ in the Sesotho language, “representing a pledge to remember the most vulnerable children in the region.” Also, ‘Forget-me-not’ was Prince Diana’s favourite flower.
Sussex Squad members are fundraising for Sentebale in honour of Meghan (Duchess/Princess) and Prince Harry’s birthdays. SS fundraising is through American Friend of Sentebale and it runs from August 4 to September 15. Donate to this wonderful organization via @SussexEvent link on Twitter if you can afford to.
There is also a link on IG.
Lol yep keeping up with Sussexes is a full time job and the Cambs are incredibly lazy. Unfortunately for them they also aren’t the brightest and thought smearing and exiling the Sussexes was a better alternative to working.
I am incredibly proud of how the Sussexes are continuing to define their lives with their charitable endeavors. They are really booked and busy. Am also amazed at how they have such a loving bond and secure family life as they constantly travel to spread goodwill. For me their lives defines the words humanitarians and service and this is just based on what I see them publicly involved with.
That picture of Harry with his hands on his hips … 🔥 🔥🔥
@BettyRose, I KNOW. Dying
This combined with the Squad fundraiser will have Sentebale ending the summer having raised a pretty decent amount of funds. Nice. I know IG is more famous but this is the charity that made me a Harry fan. I lost my father and uncle to AIDS, so it’s an important cause for me.
Good grief, I’d still be recuperating from my flight to Africa! I believe that Harry used to take the Sentebale cup all over the world. I think the last one in Europe was in Rome, but I remember Singapore and South Africa as well. It’s interesting that it seems Harry plans to establish Colorado as the permanent location for the fundraiser now that he resides in US. Also, isn’t Sentebale going to receive some proceeds from the memoire which was announced last year.
Speaking of William, I thought he played in a polo fundraiser where he raised almost half million pounds, and that occurred before Prince Harry played in Colorado. I remember I was surprised reading it because I also remember reading that William had sold a stable of polo ponies.
Yeah I remember when it was in Rome (or at least Italy) shortly after Archie was born. I think Aspen is the new home for it because I think Nacho spends his summers playing there, so he’s familiar with the club and since its not that far a flight for Harry, it probably makes sense.
William did play in a polo match a month or so ago but it was after Harry was photographed playing polo throughout May in California lol.
I live in Colorado. It’s a gorgeous day here and I hope they have a wonderful time! What a cool event to be happening here. And please wear your sunscreen and drink tons of water. K bye!
I’m in awe of his ability to travel so much. As an introvert I’m just like …. Nope nope nope. Although I do think it’s very smart the way they cluster all the trips together so that it’s not spread out time away from the kiddos. Good dad Harry. Also – as someone with long Covid who’s energy level has just not returned- I’m a little envious too. But very happy for him and M to be out and about in the world doing good.
My guess is he scheduled his trip home from Africa through Colorado, which also prob helps to cut the long flight up.
“Hydrate!”
As Archie used to say 🙂
My SIL is a serious polo player. it’s an investment of tens of thousands of dollars per year. You ride your own horse-they train once or twice weekly, and it would not be typical to play a match on a horse you weren’t familiar with. The horses are transported in what are basically tour buses-big trailers with air conditioned stalls for 4-6 horses.
You buy the transport package, the driver comes and picks up your horse and takes him to the event. they pick up others along the way.
Yikes! Harry’s going bald.
I feel your laughter writing this story. If the big brother only realized how much happier he’d be if he just stopped. stopped everything he’s doing.
anyway the ponies. I think Nacho travels with a slew of ponies when he comes to the US for the polo season. I think Harry used some of Nacho’s horses in Santa Barbara and may do the same in Aspen. Not sure, but it’s a guess.