THAI POLO CLUB

At the Anniversary Cup the England Nation Team will play the South East Asian Team at the beautiful Thai Polo Club & Equestrian Pattaya for the polo match of the year celebrating the 130year anniversary of B. Grimm Group of Companies (established in Thailand in 1878) Next month, on January 17, the 11goal Mercedes Benz & B. Grimm Cup will also be held at Thai Polo Club & Equestrian Pattaya.


The Entrance

With polo occupying a prime position in the sporting and social calendar of Thailand, it comes as something of a surprise to realize that the game was introduced to the kingdom comparatively recently.


ATMOSPHERE THE POLO TOURMENT

It seems to have its debut in 1890, when a group of enthusiasts, led by Englishman Franklin Hurst, petitioned the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Krum Luang Devawongse Varopakarn, for permission to set up a polo club. King Chulalongkorn, a reforming and forward looking monarch who reined from1868 to 1910, allowed them to play in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, and later provided the newly formed Bangkok Polo and Riding Club with land on which to create new grounds.


Polo Action

Understandably, polo came to a halt during the war years, as it did elsewhere in Southeast Asia, and a revival was slow in coming. Now, however, the galloping game is reestablished firmly in Thailand, due in no small measure to the enthusiasm and vision of a leading Thai Businessman, Herald Link.


DRESSAGE

Thai Polo Club, at Pattaya on the Gulf of Thailand, has been developed by Harald Link over the last two years, and has been quick to mature into a first class facility with a worldwide reputation, not only for the standard of
its polo but for exceptional hospitality.

CROSS COUNTRY JUMP

Set in five hundred acres, the club includes two full sized fields and a practice ground. There is permanent stabling for 120 horses, with temporary accommodation for a further forty during the winter months. The Thai polo season runs from November to May, and many players from Singapore and Malaysia keep their ponies at Thai Polo Club for the duration. At the same time, the club makes polo ponies, so that more people are able to play. Staff includes an English polo manager, Argentine vet and an Argentine furrier, with his two Thai assistants.


“THAI GATE” THE SIGNAGE PENCE OF THAI POLO

All ages are catered for, from youngsters with small ponies upwards. The well known American based international coach, Rage Ludwig, is to open a school at the club, with diploma courses for differing levels of proficiency. Ludwig will visit the club to hold regular clinics. “Our aim is to provide a friendly atmosphere, with quality polo and facilities,” said Link.

Nothing, it seems, has been forgotten, and Thai Polo Club provides a facility second to none in this part of the world. Players from all over the globe are regular visitors, and one of the red letter events in polo is the 11goal Mercedes Benz & B. Grimm Cup, the fourth edition of which saw victory for the home squad.

Other sought after trophies include the Elephant Cup, Pahang Cup and the Gabriel Donoso Cup, which celebrates the life of one of the greatest internationals players in recent polo annals.

Good natured competitiveness is obvious among the players who visit Pattaya from various countries. The club has proved to be a boon in Southeast  Asia, as Singapore Polo Club is limited to one field, Malaysian tournaments are often affected by weather conditions and in Hong Kong there is no club at all. Players from these countries also come to Pattaya in the offseason, so effectively there is polo available year round. Less than one and a half hours from the airport and just two hours from Bangkok, the club is easily accessible. It is not surprising, then, that it is involved closely in the 24th Southeast Asian Games (SEA), in which this year polo is making its first appearance.



Besides Polo, the facilities at Thai Polo Club are being extended to include equestrian activities i.e. Even ting (Dressage, Cross Country, and Show Jumping) and Endurance with a course designed by Australian Wayne Copping and Col. Fuangvich AniruthDeva, the former Asian Games’ gold medalist for Even ting discipline, provided technical supports for building the competition venue. The designs of the course are very unique and different from most of the world’s renowned Cross Country courses. All fences or obstacles are also localized and infused with the Thayne’s and the beach city feels of Pattaya.

Not to be forgotten, of course, is the celebrated Chukka Bar, recreated from the old polo watering hole at London’s Lang ham Hotel by Nunthinee Tanner, architect and Thailand’s top lady player and patron.

ANNUAL POLO TOURNAMENT

Despite having opened only this year, the bar – housed in an attractive thatched building, with a wealth of polo memorabilia – adds to the sense of maturity that epitomizes Thai Polo Club & Equestrian Pattaya.

REGE LUDWIG

THE WORLD POLO INSTRUCTOR

The worded owned US based international polo instructor, Rege Ludwig, is to open a school at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club, with diploma courses for differing levels of proficiency. He will station here from November to April every year to hold regular clinics and conduct junior program aiming to upgrade the standard of polo player in Thailand and Asia region, create sportsmanship for future generation and build the National Polo Team. Polo training is catered to all ages, from youngsters with small points upwards.

Junior Polo Team

With the first class facilities provided at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club, players from all over the globe are regular visitors here.

Show Jumping

The club is home to one of the red letter polo event, the 11goal Thai Polo Open Mercedes Benz & B. Grimm Cup, held annually every January, Friendship cups between the team at Thai Polo Club and the English, Chinese, Australian team, as well as other sought after trophies include the Elephant Cup, Pahang Cup and the Gabriel Donoso Cup, which celebrates the life of one of the greatest internationals players in recent polo annals.