| 40 minutes west of über-shopping destination
Worth Avenue, located in bright, beautiful, and
bountiful Palm Beach. Naturally, then, it was at
Welly World that two polo ponies – Cottontail
and Little Lou Dee – were honored at the
Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame Awards
Gala, attended by more than 300 people from
all parts of the world.
The late Harry Payne Whitney’s favorite
mount was the late, great Cottontail, who was
noted for her “unfaltering courage.” The pair
competed in international matches against
England in 1909, 1911, and 1913 (A piece of
polo trivia – female polo ponies are preferred –
99.9 percent of all polo ponies are female, in fact
– as they are considered to have greater courage,
intellect and stamina than their male counterparts.
No female editorial comment necessary).
Whitney’s grandson, Leverett S. Miller of Palm
Beach, was on hand to accept the award. Little
Lou Dee, the other pony recognized as one of the
“Horses to Remember,” was bred and played by
Hall of Famer Tommy Wayman. The gallant, blackmare was remembered “for her agility, speed and
great heart.”
Averell H. Fisk, also of Palm Beach and a
polo enthusiast, accepted the Hall of Fame
Award in memory of his grandfather, W.
Averell Harriman. The late sportsman and
statesman, who had a farm in Middleburg with
all types of horses, was honored for his skills on
the polo |
field during the 1920s “Golden Age”
of the sport and for his “great contribution
toward the breeding of polo ponies. ”The polo celebration was co-chaired by
Patricia and Julian Hipwood, the legendary
British polo player. There were endless flutes
of champagne and six hors d’oeuvres stations
(representing the six chukkers present in the game
itself), including a “World Tour of Polo,” which
offered an Argentinian table, Australian “Shrimp
on the Barbie,” French foie-gras, Italian bruschetta,
Spanish jamon Serrano and queso Manchego, and a clever take on Americana – lobster macaroni
and cheese. All of this was followed by dinner and
dancing in the main tent.
Other polo patrons in Florida for the season
were: Garrick Steele, Jay Fetner, and Kevin
Dougherty. Susan Hensley and Bill Fannon
have been following the polo season south for
several years and frequently attend the Sunday
matches at the fashionable International Polo
Club Palm Beach. Polo aficionado Stephen
Seager of Chetwood Park in The Plains also
stopped in for this whirlwind weekend.
Winter Equestrian Festival
Elizabeth Wolf was spotted at a reception
for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation,
held at a private home in Palm Beach. She
spent her first full winter in Florida while
recuperating from a broken leg (yes, it was a
horse-related injury). |
Elizabeth fell in love with
the lifestyle and spent the warm days watching
several of her dressage horses go through their
intricate moves. Her husband, Bill Wolf, flew
down from Middleburg for several weekends.
The odds are good that they will be making
this excursion into an annual event.
At every turn, more folks from Middleburg
pop up. At the Winter Equestrian Festival
Horse Shows, Charley Matheson signed
copies of his new book (friend Julie Martin
was also in town). Mimi Abel-Smith was riding
her show hunters and Nellie Ann Foosaner
commuted back and forth from Foxcroft with
her father, Bob Foosaner.
According to the United States Equestrian
Federation, Joe Fargis proved, once again, “that
in equestrian sports, experience can compete
alongside youth.” The 59-year-old team
and individual gold medalist from the 1984
Olympic Games now claims Middleburg as
home base. Joe was jumping high in the Grand
Prix events; perhaps he has his eye on a spot on
the U.S. team, which soon heads to this year’s
summer Games in Hong Kong.
Allen Richards, who has a farm over near
Delaplane, was busy riding and training. His
neighbor, Troye Plaskitt, introduced her new line
of Italian footwear at one of the show’s boutiques.
Troye has opened a new shop in Middleburg
called Nobel Nielsen Shoes…expect all the full
fashion details next month. |
OVER THE MOON
