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| A Legacy of Equestrian
Challenge While the first polo team probably took to the field over 2,500 years ago somewhere in Central Asia, it took a couple of millennia for the "game of kings" to arrive in Santa Fe. No one knows exactly when that happened, but some of the old timers around town remember informal games as far back as the 1930s. In the early 1970s, a few people who had played a little polo in Midland, TX, thought it might be fun to "import" some players from Texas and get something going in Santa Fe. Eventually, three of the players bought a big parcel of land out in the flood plain southwest of town. The most attractive thing about the site was that it was literally a wide open space -- big enough and flat enough to create a couple of polo fields, each of which had to be about the size of nine football fields -- 300 yards by 150 yards. In the early 1980s, the three partners decided it was time to retire, at least from the responsibilities of running the Polo Grounds. They put the property up for sale, and polo in Santa Fe went into hiatus. But in 1997, a venture capitalist from Silicon Valley breathed new life into Santa Fe polo. When Charlie and Marla Kokesh, both avid polo players, moved here from California, they were simply looking for someplace to board their horses. There were no vacancies. When they heard that the old polo grounds were for sale, they made an offer. Inspired by the beautiful setting and the possibilities it offered, the Kokeshes have transformed the 80-acre site into the Santa Fe Horse Park, a full-service, multi-discipline equestrian facility with polo as the anchor. In addition to polo, the Santa Fe Horse Park is home to dressage, hunter-jumper and Western events. The experienced professional staff offers lessons in polo, English and Western riding, hunter-jumper and dressage as well as clinics on penning and roping, horsemanship, horse health and general training for new horse owners. Horses get the royal treatment at the Santa Fe Horse Park. More than 100 covered event stalls keep them comfortable during competition. Boarders in the main and show barns can take advantage of tack rooms, wash stalls, laundry facilities, bathrooms and changing areas. The Santa Fe Horse Park is also committed to the community. In addition to festivals and fairs like the annual Pumpkin Festival, Marla Kokesh has started a therapeutic riding program, Santa Fe Equestars, certified by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA). |
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