The short answer: The mountain West is summer polo country. Jackson Hole plays July and August, and Big Horn, Wyoming, plays from June through Labor Day with free Sunday games. In the Pacific Northwest, Spokane and Portland have small, welcoming clubs, and Bend plays only in summer. Hawaii's clubs play on their own island rhythm. I visited or contacted all of them on my tour of every polo club in America.
These notes come from my 2021 and 2022 tour, when I tried to visit every polo club in America as a playing USPA member. Seasons, contacts, and prices change, so check each club's Instagram or the U.S. Polo Association before you go.
Wyoming
Jackson Hole
Craig welcomed me and couldn't have been nicer. Polo here runs in July and August only. Players trailer their horses up from Texas for two months of polo and barbecues, and it's beautiful out on the river. About ten pros are shared among the players to keep it affordable, a smart way to split the cost.
Big Horn Polo Club
The season was over when I arrived, but Trent showed me around, and it was one of the most peaceful fields I've ever seen. He got into polo through a friend's parent, played bike polo, and now keeps a string of 12 horses. He told me it's cheap to keep horses there because the grass is so good you only need to feed hay three months a year. Pros come up for the three-month season. Big Horn plays from the first week of June through Labor Day, and Sunday games in July and August are free to watch.
Washington
Spokane Polo Club
Caitlin took me to lunch, then we had mimosas and cider and met her friend. Spokane has a great girl gang: about 22 members, a tight group that always hangs out together, rowdy and fun. The season is very affordable. The facility is a little rough around the edges, with two fields, and when they aren't playing polo they're out boating or doing something else outdoors.
Seattle and La Conner
I connected with the Seattle Polo Club, and a club in the La Conner area asked me to try again another year.
Oregon
Rose City Polo, Portland
Run by two women in their seventies, and everyone is welcome. Someone there gave me a warning worth repeating: if you're buying a horse, ask whether it has been sedated before your trial ride. Some sellers do it.
Bend
Bend plays only in summer.
Idaho and college polo
The Palouse Polo Club is an umbrella for the region's college clubs. I was told the University of Idaho's club has grown a lot. Washington State's team had disbanded by the time I asked.
Hawaii
Hawaii Polo Club, Oahu: Very windy. I stick-and-balled here.
Honolulu Polo Club: Coming back from a break during my tour, with practice chukkers on Wednesdays and Fridays and games on Sundays.
Maui and the Big Island: Both clubs were closed during my tour because of COVID restrictions. The Big Island club kindly invited me back for chukkers in the future.
Tips for polo in the West
Summer only, for the most part. See the season calendar.
Bring a trailer or lease. Many players haul horses in for the season.
Small clubs, big welcome. Spokane, Rose City, and Jackson Hole were all warm and welcoming to me.
More regions: what I learned trying to visit every polo club in America.
Summer polo in the mountains is worth the drive. PoloFlow will make it easier to find. Polo, wherever you are. Join the waitlist.
