The sport of kings
The Ocala Polo Club’s winter season will run through the end of March.
The Pendas Law team’s Cole Kinsella, left, and the Foxfire team’s Nicole Hai, right, battle for control of the ball from their horses during the Ocala Polo Club’s 6th annual Laneway Cup Polo Match at the Florida Agriculture Center and Horse Park south of Ocala, Fla. on Sunday, January 11, 2026. The Ocala Polo Club played six chukkers instead of the usual four in the Polo Match, with a round-robin play, where the Pendas Law team, the Foxfire team and Team Resolute played each other. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
The mild temperatures on Jan. 11 made for a perfect day for polo at the Florida Agriculture Center and Horse Park south of Ocala.
The Ocala Polo Club hosted its 6th annual Laneway Cup Polo Match. Club members played six chukkers instead of the usual four, with a round-robin in which the Pendas Law team, Foxfire team and Team Resolute played each other.
The Ocala Polo Club traces its roots back at least 30 years but had gone dormant for 15 years before being revived in 2020 by Dr. Lauren Proctor-Brown and her business partner David Eldredge.
Proctor-Brown has said in the past that polo is no longer just a game for the posh and, due in part to groups like the Ocala Polo Club, the sport is more welcoming with people of all ages and backgrounds getting involved.
“We have players from all sorts of different backgrounds,” she said in a 2023 interview for the “Gazette’s” sister publication, “Ocala Style.” “We have people who have been casual riders their whole life, as well as people who have never ridden and even people who have competed at a high level in various other disciplines and find polo later at a different point in their life. It’s a fun sport.”
The club’s winter season will run through March 29, with most games at 1 p.m. on Sundays and a few at 4 p.m. on certain Saturdays. There are some special events coming up, such as the Horsepower Cup Car Show on Jan. 18 and Horses and Heroes Day on Feb. 22.
The Horsepower Cup is an open car show, with classes of Classic (pre-2000), Modern (post 2000) and Modified. Prizes will be awarded for Best in Class and Player’s Choice Awards.
The 6th Annual Horses & Heroes Day will this year benefit the Honor Flight Network. The club website states that the annual endeavor has raised more than $50,000 to support veteran’s charities.
“Polo evolved from military roots, and we continue the tradition to honor our heroes with an organization that honors our veterans,” according to the site.
All levels of players and polo ponies are welcome, and the club offers several ways to learn the game, such as clinics and private lessons.
Tailgating is a popular way to enjoy a polo game, and the club offers options including a VIP version. Guests may bring their own chairs or a picnic blanket. A polo field is the size of nine football fields, so you may want to bring binoculars. At half-time, attendees are encouraged to stomp divots, “Pretty Woman” style.
To learn more and RSVP for tailgating, visit ocalapolo.com
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