Polo isn’t a sport related often to Florida, especially with South Florida’s LGBT community. But the fledgling Gay Polo League brought in more than 20 players for its first national polo tournament April 3.
The tournament was held at the Grand Champion Polo Club’s fields.
“We selected Wellington because we wanted people to know that we take our polo seriously,” said league president Chip McKenney. “And Wellington is as serious as you can get when it comes to polo.”
The weekend-long competition culminated in a 3 p.m. champion match between Equestrian Life and Bluehorse. Equestrian Life won 4-3. Nearly 1,500 polo fans and Gay Polo League supporters attended the final day’s matches.
Each team was built around local Wellington professional players, including John Wigdahl, a member of the 1989 FIP World Championship USA polo team.
The VIP tent was host to a number of celebrities that included former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, six-time Olympic dressage rider Robert Dover, and Gale Brophy.
“We just want to level the playing field,” Wigdahl said after the awards ceremony. “We don’t want to be treated any better or any worse than anyone else. We just want to be accepted as equals.”
For more information visit GayPolo.com or call 323-712-3514.
