We all have that one favorite pony…

They say to not choose favorites… but how can you not?! Read our exclusive stories with players on Team Greenville and Team Asheville as they talk about their favorite polo ponies of all time!

Team Greenville

Presented by Greenville Turf and Tractor

Carlucho Arellano

“My favorite polo pony of all time was a horse named Karate Kid who I bought after I graduated from college from a lesson program. I bought him at the age of 4, and I ended up playing him for 10 years.”

“It was funny because the seller brought him as the “bum horse” and I rode him first. Sellers would put you on the bum horse first and then the nice horse second so then you say ‘Oh this one is great!’ and you buy that horse. I wanted to see if he could run, so I ran him and then I wanted to see if he stopped, and he stopped well. So I got off of him and onto the nice one, but I did not get along with her well. So I asked if I could get back on Karate Kid and the seller was shocked. The seller used him as a trail horse and didn’t want to sell him, but he turned out to be a great horse.”

“The name Karate Kid came from when he would gallop, he would throw out his front feet and it was really ugly. It looked like he was punching the air with his legs! So that is where he got the name.”

Mariano Obregon

“Oh yes, Jujeña, she was my favorite. She was a mare my dad bred. I actually just retired her this year. She is a 16-year-old thoroughbred and I played her for about ten years. I would pass her to Facundo when he played in big tournaments, and he would do the same for me back before we had that many horses. Now we have our own string, but we used to share. Jujeña is really just a complete and awesome polo pony.”

Pelon Escapite

“My favorite polo pony is named Madonna. We bought her from a trainer friend of ours, and she grew with me and helped me out with my polo. She played all levels of polo from high goal, all the way down to eight goal. She has played with the best, and in the best tournaments. Madonna is 12 years old and she is agile, fast and has a very light mouth. She has it all.”

Team Asheville

Presented by Ingles

Patrick Uretz

“My favorite polo pony is Hi-Lita. Her mom’s name was Highlight, and then her baby’s name was Hi-Lita! We bought her mom, who at the time we did not know was pregnant, and she ended up having a baby eight months later in the stall and the mom was supposed to play that weekend! We, as a bunch of brothers, trained Hi-Lita and she was my best horse for a while. She’s older now, but my mom still plays her, so she really is a family pony!”

 Geronimo Obregon

“Cambalache is my favorite polo pony. My brother started playing him and then I snagged him and he became my best horse. When I was 16 or 17 years old, I got the ride because he bucks a little bit. I asked if they wanted to sell it or not, and we ended up making a trade deal and he became one of my best horses. Cambalache translates to “trade” in Spanish, so there is not a lot of science to his name!”

Costi Caset

“My favorite polo pony is named Poncho and he’s my favorite because he is a home-bred horse that my dad used to play. We bred him on our farm in Argentina, and then I brought him to the states. Last year, we won Pacific Coast Open together, which is the most important tournament on the West Coast and it is played in Santa Barbara, California. Poncho also won the best polo pony last year too! He is just awesome.”

See you this Saturday, September 30th for the the Gladiator Polo™ Battle for the Carolinas Championship!

Purchase you Argentine Asado tickets here!

To read more about this Saturday’s upcoming championship click here!