Polo in Greenwich

I am very lucky to have a gorgeous aussie friend who has made polo his life. And he is damn good at it - polo that is. This friendship allows me access to a rarefied world of incredibly good looking Argentine men and their Giselle Bundchen-like wives and children, multi million dollar polo ponies and lives, first-hand accounts of what really goes on in the polo world and a chance to see the working side of this often misunderstood sport. The fact that I am a horse fanatic makes this an even more special friendship because I get to nuzzle these magnificent ponies!

Last weekend I spent my Sunday at the Greenwich Polo Club to watch said friend win an important game and go onto the finals this week. Greenwich Connecticut has to be one of the most extraordinarily beautiful, if not too perfect places in the world. Apart from the stunning backdrop of vast green lawns and lush forests, there is an obscene amount of money here which results in monoliths lining the tree-canopied roads, each larger than a small African nation.

Amidst all this decadence sits one of the most incredible properties you will ever have the pleasure of visiting; White Birch Farm. It is owned by Peter Brant, paper manufacturer, publisher of Interview magazine, art collector, husband of Stephanie Seymour (although now going through a famously acrimonious divorce) and of course, polo magnate. Brant started the Greenwich Polo Club - and the Bridgehampton Polo Club but that's for another post - in the eighties, as a way to bring high-goal games to the area. He also has his own polo team named after his farm. One of the world's top players, Mariano Aguerre, is the team leader who also happens to be my friend's business partner in Argentina, where they breed polo ponies. But I digress!

The polo club sits on Brant's property which comprises of not one, but two picture perfect polo fields alongside each other, surrounded by magnificent old trees.

Overlooking the fields is Brant's personal art gallery and non profit study centre, which includes an incredible collection of modern American art. Housed in a 1902 converted barn, it is open to the public by appointment, but that is also for another post!

And so to the game. There is something magical about being a part even for a brief moment, of this special world. Even though it is considered impossible to penetrate, you can still enjoy it from the sidelines - literally. All you need is a picnic rug, a chilled bottle of rose and some summer salads. The magnificent surroundings, horses and players will do the rest.

Images: mine, Sotheby's, luxist, berg properties, mine