Sussex Polo

Gaucho Diary by Richard Buckfield

I left for Argentina on New Year’s Eve – and what a way to start the New Year! Arriving in the heat of Buenos Aires so soon after the cold of an English Christmas was greatly welcome as was the sight of my driver holding the obligatory sign ‘RICHARD – SUSSEX POLO’.

Being probably the only Englishman who has never been to Spain, I didn’t know a word of Spanish, not even the basic holiday lingo, and being typically English I assumed everybody abroad could speak English. There in the middle of a large South American city I suddenly realised this was not so. The driver could speak no English but, with a bit of sign language and a phrase book, we were soon on our way. I always find it boring to be a passenger so I persuaded my companion (through sign language) to let me do the driving, assuming it was a car from the polo ranch. When we arrived at El-Casal there was great amusement when they saw me driving an official taxi!

The day before I arrived hosts Memo and Carla had held their wedding celebrations. It had been a late night and almost everyone was feeling the worse for wear. Fortunately, another visitor named Jason ,who had been firmly ensconced there for some three weeks (and was staying another four), showed me around and introduced me to everyone. Just as I was starting to relax, stick and ball practice was called, as we had to prepare for a two-day tournament beginning the next morning.

So, it was in at the deep end for me as I was thrown into my first tournament playing with 2 & 3 goalers (including one of the famous Pieres family no less). The game was fast and although I had four good ponies I struggled to keep up. Our team went into the lead – with no help from me – but only to lose in the last chukka 8-7. That put our team into the subsidiary final (loser’s playoff).

The sub final was again fast and furious with us losing 7-4. The polo pro’s performed magnificently only hindered by my inexperience. A good show of goals nevertheless. The final was extremely fast with lots of shouting, I guess this is typical Argie polo, Duane’s team won as he scored the winning goal in the last few seconds, I couldn’t wait for my next tournament.

Anticipating my defeat on the second day I decided to buy cakes and pastries for all of the teams as my penance. Most things in Argentina seem cheap, but 24 hand made cakes for 80 pence (UK) seems ridiculous. Embarrassed at spending so little, I came away with 48 cakes – which were soon finished off with champagne after the finals.

It was not long before I felt I had been living there for weeks. Our days began with a leisurely breakfast followed at about 10.30am with stick and ball for an hour or so. Lunch was always cooked on the barbecue and followed by a siesta or a swim. Chukkas began around 3.30pm, galloping like mad, then shower and more sleep until it was time to go into town for supper about 9.00 pm (which was in fact early as most people don’t start eating until 11.00pm or midnight.). Time seemed to slow up, there was no hurry, it was all in your own time. It’s a different way of life that everyone should have a chance to experience.

One day we decided to ride across the Pampas to the lakes where Memo was going to show us how to fish from horseback – bareback! The water in the lakes was low as there had been so little rain. Memo cast from the horse and within seconds had a bite – amazing – a fish in seconds. We photographed it before throwing it back in; apparently the fish are plentiful. Memo recommended we stick and ball bareback when we returned. It was great fun, but I ached later and appreciated the saddle next time.

Lunch was steak; you can’t imagine how wonderful meat can be until you’ve tried it in Argentina. But just as we sat down Memo decided this was a good time to break in a young pony, so it was back to the corral to round it up. After some time spent coaxing it and finally catching the pony, super groom Telmo was up on it. It bucked and leapt but Telmo hung on. With the fun over it was back to the steaks for lunch.

The next day brought an incredible electric rain storm with lightning that lit up the whole sky and went on for hours, but we still managed to get a taxi into town for supper. The rain still continued and it was amazing to watch as the streets filled knee deep with water. At 2.00am I thought it was time to get back. Jason was happy to stay in town for a while as the nightlife goes on until daybreak so I asked Memo how to get a taxi. “Impossible in this rain, they would never get back to the ranch”. Apparently the 7km of dirt track would now be flooded so I started looking for a hotel. Both the hotels were full, but there was one last hope, Memo knew of a small hotel but he had never actually been there. At 2.30 am I got the last room, charge 20 pesos (£4) .. Hotel California it was not, I lay on the bed not in it, no need to tell you more, let your imagination conjure up a £4 a night room in a very small town in South America. Michael Palin would have been proud of me.

The next day the temperature went up to 40c. After supper at midnight someone suggested a swim and within minutes we are all in the pool cooling off and having fun and as usual poor Katie was the target. If ever there was someone that took all the stick it was Katie, if there’s a water fight she always comes off worst only to be then rolled in the dirt .She is a great sport and always there with our refreshments during chukkas.

Finally , my two weeks were up, and I went back to BA.to meet my wife. She had come for a weeks sightseeing in the luxury of the Four Seasons hotel -. (Although I think I actually preferred the Ranch). But it wasn’t all over yet. Memo was staging another tournament, and I was desperate to play again, so I convinced my wife that a 3 hour taxi ride back to El Casal would give her the opportunity to see the real Argentina and the local people. And of course I got this final chance to play four more chukkas before I came home. She enjoyed it immensely so everyone was happy.

Even the biggest polo enthusiast should try to spend a few days in BA, the shopping is fantastic, the Tango is exciting and the city has a real cosmopolitan feel. Everyone seems so passionate, whether it’s about the Polo, Politics or Dance. Fantastic, I will return!

”Adios amigos hasta el proximo ano!”