Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/498400
Boston real estate firm Cabot Properties. "Players retiring from the game were not being replaced, and fewer spectators were coming out to see the matches. We're reversing t hat t rend, slowly but surely." With four children playing polo, Colloredo- Mansfeld is doing his part to propagate the sport. Kim Maguire, a four-goal player and farrier who directs the Boston Polo League, includes doctors, eng ineers, a nd high school a nd college student s a mong her players. "W hat unites t hem a ll," she says, "is that they love horses." Training takes place from May to October in the evenings and on week- ends to accommodate work and school schedules. There's a $1,500 membership fee, and horses are available to rent per session or through longer-term leases from local barns. More committed players genera lly st a r t off by buying older, seasoned horses, most of them ex- t horoughbred racers or qua r ter horses, for a ny- where from $4,000 to $8,000, and boarding usually clockwise from top left: Crocker Snow, who coaches at Harvard, and his son Nick; the Harvard versus Mongolia match at Myopia Hunt Club; the ceremonial start of a polo match at Norfolk Hunt Club; Franz Colloredo- Mansfeld with his mother and his son Johann after Harvard's win. Ta il Spin Tailgating—whether proper or rowdy—is a sport in its own right. At Myopia Hunt Club, A-list spectators tailgate up against the sidelines in bespoke spaces, with awnings, tables, linen, chafing dishes, and well- stocked coolers from which crisp Chardonnays and the occasional Veuve-Clicquot help relieve the heat of a summer Sunday in South Hamilton. The art of hat wearing is on full display. Hats decorated with fresh tulips, fuchsia ribbons, or a classic wide brim adorn the female set, while a bowler or fedora can be spotted on more than a few gents. Galvin-ized Headwear (450 Harrison Ave., 617-834- 2910; galvinizedhats.com) and Goorin Bros. (130 Newbury St., 617-247-4287; goorin.com) are local favorites. Nantucket red shorts, blazers, straw hats, and sundresses compete with equine couture like boots, jeans, and polo shirts at Myopia. Dover Saddlery (595 Washington St., Rte. 16, Wellesley, 781-235-1411; doversaddlery.com) is a local retailer of choice for traditional English riding apparel, as is the online SmartPak Equine (smartpakequine.com). Fifty miles southwest, at the Norfolk Hunt Club's annual polo exhibition in Medfield, sideline revelers party to a more urgent beat. "The secret of a great tailgate?" asks Red Sky Studios production manager Tiffany Kinder, wielding a flute of Krisanna Onorato next to a table filled with French bouquets, lobster rolls, kabobs, and crudités. "Good food, good wine, good company, and white linens." And, in her case, catering from Captain Marden's (279 Linden St, Wellesley, 781-235-0860; captainmardens.com). 114 bostoncommon-magazine.com