First Issue // 2013

Nick RoldanThe American Polo Boy

Argentine Polo OpenEllerstina, the Queen of Palermo

US Open 2013Zacara again on the Top

Martín OchotecoHis life with Horses

Polo WayMagazine

First Issue // 2013

Nick RoldanThe American Polo Boy

Argentina Polo OpenEllerstina, the Queen of Palermo

US Open 2013Zacara again on the Top

Martín OchotecoHis life with Horses

Polo Way Mag

Editorial Board Chairman:PW Polo Magazine

General Manager:Joanna Kimball

Polo Contents:Akejandro Patané

Latin America EditorHector Tancredi

Translation by: Anna McDonnell

Design:Polo Websites

Journalists:Eduardo Isaac, Justin Allen, Sorrell Moseley-Williams

Photography:Alex Pacheco, hans Neumann, Julieta Barrionuevo, Joanna Kimball, Adrian Vedder, Melito Cerezo, Federico López Claro, Matías Callejo, Carlos Weygang, Mica Percivaldi, Nacho Corbalan, Alice Gipps, Tony Ramírez, Gonzalo Etcheverry y PoloLine International.

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©PW Polo Magazine2010 All Right ReservedISSN 1112-1455

Man to Man: Magoo Laprida and Adolfo Cambiaso playing hard at the Field 1 of the International Polo Club. The Final was an in-credible match where Zacara Polo Team finish their season with a very important winning.

It’s never easy to win. And even less to do it two times in a row, and those who follow the international season, know that it’s even more complicated to repeat the same winning team, be-cause there’s usually changes in the handicaps. That wasn’t the case in 2012 and that’s why Zacara was able to have the same team and win again at the International Polo Club.

Zacara successfully defended its 2012 US Open Crown with a so-lid 16-13 win over A Valiente team they lost to just weeks earlier. I was only weeks earlier that Valiente had beaten Zacara 13-9 a in the finals of the USPA Piaget Gold Cup, but at Us Open belonged to Zacara. In a neck-and-neck game that had the score tied eight times, Zacara emerged victorious on the strength of a 16-13 win over a powerful Valiente lineup.

Pieres led all scoring with an incredible 12 goals, nine on penalty shots, and was named MVP. Laprida added three goals and Azza-ro scored once. Torres led the Valiente attack with six goals (four on penalties). Cambiaso scored two of his four goals on penalty shots. Stirling scored twice and Jornayvaz added a goal in a lo-sing effort. Bob Jornayvaz’s Medallion (played by Stirling) was na-med Best Playing Pony while Corcha, a seven-year-old American Thoroughbred Bay mare was named Horse of the Year.

“We had to work hard to win this final. We watched many videos during the week, and we put together a plan B, just in case things didn’t work as we had planned. We had a good preparation for this final. We played the way we wanted to play, I mean open polo.” said Facundo Pieres at the end of the match.

Together, they won for the second year in a row, the US Open, wearing the Zacara colors. They beat the Valiente Polo team, Cambiaso and Stirling’s team.

Facundo Pieres and Magoo Laprida: Friends and Champions in Palm Beach.

Editorial

Palermo Open 08

Veuve Cliquot Polo Classic at NY 12

Index //

05 Editorial

08 Argentine Polo Open

10 Polo Cool People

12 Polo at Governors Island

16 I´am Wine

18 Zacara Recharged

22 Polo Mexican Stars

24 The Polo American Boy

In this issue, a special thanks to:

Alex Pacheco, PoloLine, Alejandra Ocampos, all the Argenti-na Polo Tour Press Team, Polo y Estilo Magazine and Noveno Chukker the argentine Tv Show. Thanks to Nick Roldan, Chloe Amutio Motte and all the people of Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic.

Nick Roldan BIO 24

Chloe Amutio Motte 32

28 Martín Ochoteco

30 Ryan Harber // Interview

32 From Mexico with Love

34 Next Issue - Queen´s Cup

8 PW Polo Magazine

Polo Around the World

Pablo MacDonough gave La Dolfina the early lead on a goal from the field in the first chukker. Gonzalito Pieres scored to tie it up at 1-1. Three minutes later, Nico Pieres put Ellerstina ahead, 2-1, to end the first chukker.

Facundo Pieres scored the first goal of the second chukker, giving Ellerstina a 3-1 advantage, but La Dolfina stormed back. Ellerstina fouls allowed Adolfo Cambiaso to convert a pair of 30 yard penalty shots to tie it up at 3-3. Gonzalito Pieres’s se-cond goal of the game had Ellerstina back on top, 4-3. A foul in the Ellerstina goal mouth gave Cambiaso a short penalty shot for a goal and the chukker ended in a 4-4 deadlock.

Goals are hard to come by in the third. Adolfo Cambiaso put La Dolfina up 5-4 on a 40-yard penalty conversion. Facundo Pieres followed up Nico Pieres and tied it up on a goal from the field. At the end of three periods of play it is all even at 5-5.

La Dolfina picked up a pair of goals from Cambiaso in the fourth (one by penalty

one from the field) to lead, 7-5. Nearly six minutes into the chukker, Ellerstina’s Facundo Pieres scored on a neck shot through a crowd. La Dolfina led at the end of the first half, but Facundo’s goal cut the lead to a single goal, 7-6.

Mariano Aguerre scored his first goal of the game in the opening minute of the second half to knot it up at 7-7. Facun-do Pieres gave Ellerstina the lead on a 60 yard penalty conversion just two minutes later and Ellerstina was leading, 8-7. Fa-cundo Pieres scored on a 60-yard penalty shot and the defending championship La Dolfina team found themselves trailing by two goals, 9-7 as the chukker ended.

Gonzalito Pieres scored a very nice goal from the field less than two minutes into the sixth, carrying the ball over two-hun-dred and fifty-yards down the field. Fa-cundo Pieres converted a 30-yard penalty shot and Ellerstina was up, 11-7. Cambia-so cut the lead back to three goals but missed a 30 yard penalty shot to end the chukker trailing Ellerstina by three goals, 11-8.

Facundo Pieres put Ellerstina up by four goals again, 12-8, on a beautifully exe-cuted neck shot just a minute-and-a-half into the seventh chukker. Juan Martin Nero responded for La Dolfina with a goal from the field at 2:44, for a 12-9 score. Cambiaso cut the Ellerstina lead to a pair of goals on a short penalty shot and the chukker ended with Ellerstina defending a 12-10, two goal lead.

The Queen of Palermo

Ellerstina on the Top of the Polo

PW Polo Magazine 9

Facundo Pieres commented: “Royal Salute has shown their full support and commitment to polo in the past years; I am honoured to represent Royal Salute World Programme globally”.

In the opening 30 seconds of play, Gon-zalito Pieres fouled Pelon Stirling, but Cambiaso had the 60-yard penalty shot blocked. La Dolfina continued to press the attack with no results. An Ellersti-na foul put Cambiaso at the penalty line once again, but the 10-goaler proved he was human, missing his second 30-yard penalty shot of the game. Moments later Cambiaso got another opportunity on a 60-yard shot, but once again it was bloc-ked and cleared by Ellerstina. A defensive backhander by Mariano Aguerre last in the chukker reversed the field on La Dolfi-na and despite a final charge at the Ellers-tina goal by La Dolfina, the shot by Nero went wide (6:27), and Ellerstina looked to have the game won. Ellerstina controlled the ball in the final seconds of regulation time, as neither team got on the score-board in the eighty. Time expired and Ellerstina celebrated the 12-10 win.

Facundo Pieres and Royal Salute:

Facundo Pieres, son of legendary polo player Gonzalo Pieres Sr. has signed with Royal Salute, after leading Ellerstina to victory (12-10) against La Dolfina at the 119th Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo. Partnering with the renowned Scotch whisky as Ambassador for the World Polo programme globally, Facundo raised a glass at the Royal Salute stand in Palermo,shortly after Ellerstina claimed the trophy.

After celebrating the first year as Official Whisky of the 119th Campeonato Argen-tino Abierto de Polo, Royal Salute made the announcement to a small group of patrons, players, journalist and VIPs after Ellerstina claimed victory on Saturday, na-rrowly defeating La Dolfina 12 goals to 10 in an amazing match.

After signing with Facundo, Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers Christian

Porta said: “The Pieres family are legen-dary in the sport of polo. What we have seen today and throughout Facundo’s professional career is a passion, dedica-tion and vision for this prestigious game that is truly inspiring.

Facundo will offer a unique insight into the Sport of Kings, and we look forward to further strengthening the Royal Salute World Polo programme with his support.”

Facundo Pieres commented: “Royal Salute has shown their full support and com-mitment to polo in the past years; I am honoured to represent the Royal Salute World Polo programme globally and to be part of this fantastic journey. I hope to share this passion with the world”.

The Polo fashion in Argenti-

na as you can see from the

photos is effortless chic, Ar-

gentines tend to dress more

as Europeans than Ameri-

cans. It’s not about the big

hats or who you’re wearing,

it’s being fashionable in

a relaxed manner. To see

more of the trends follow

us on our facebook page.

12 PW Polo Magazine

Polo @ Governors Island

Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic

Polo and Glam in NY

Over 7,000 New Yorkers and polo enthusiasts enjoyed a sunny day at the sixth annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic at Liberty State Park. Matthew McConaughey, his wife Camila Alves McCo-naughey, world-renowned polo player Nacho Figueras, his wife Delfina Blaquier and Veuve Clicquot U.S. President Vanessa Kay hosted an afternoon with an exciting polo match, high fashion and, of course, flutes of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label and Rosé, all enjoyed with stunning views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

While the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is always one of the most highly-anticipated social events of the season, this year’s event was particularly special for Veuve Clicquot and all guests, as it was held in support of Liberty State Park, which sustained significant damage due to Hurricane Sandy seven months ago. The park suffered extensive flooding and wind damage and had to close down for several months to rebuild. Today, the park is still wor-king to recover from the storm’s devastating effects; to aid in the park’s reconstruction and return it to its former beauty, in addi-tion to the event benefiting Liberty State Park, Veuve Clicquot re-planted and landscaped a large green area of the park, including the area where the event was held.

The 2013 Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is also proud to benefit Matthew and Camila McConaughey’s foundation, just keep livin, a charity dedicated to empowering high school students to lead active and healthy lives. Veuve Clicquot is honored to support such a worthy cause and have Matthew and Camila McConaug-hey experience the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic for the first time.

The fashion-forward crowd at the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in-cluded Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves, Nacho Figueras & Delfina Blaquier, Ashley Olsen, Rosario Dawson, Anne V, Tika Sumpter, Garcelle Beauvais, Dree Hemingway, Dan Abrams, Alek Wek, Carly Cushnie, Michelle Ochs, Rebecca Minkoff, Tiffani Thies-sen, Theophilus London, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Leigh Lezark, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, Lo Bosworth, Harley Viera Newton, Danie-lle Snyder, Chelsea Leyland, Lubov Azria, Timo Weiland, Naaem Khan, Charlotte Sarkozy, Catherine Malandrino, Vivienne Tam, Sasha Cohen, Veuve Clicquot U.S. President Vanessa Kay, Veuve Clicquot International Director Lauren Boidevezi, Veuve Clicquot International Director of Communications Aymeric Sancerre, Veuve Clicquot Marketing Director Chloe Stefani, Moet Hennessy USA CEO Jim Clerkin, Veuve Clicquot Director of U.S. Communi-cations Christine Kaculis and Veuve Clicquot U.S. Brand Director Bernadette Knight.

As always, guests to the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic were dressed to impress! The ladies and gentleman sported classic polo style—summer whites, classic pastels, and dapper suits for men. Style highlights included everything from Dree Hemingway’s denim jumpsuit and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld’s bejeweled A-line floral frock, to Carly Cushnie and Michelle Och’s structured pastel ensembles and Alek Wek’s graphic black and white stripes.

Around the Field

The fashion-forward crowd included Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves, Nacho Figueras & Delfina Blaquier, Ashley Olsen, Anne V, Dree Hemingway, Charlot-te Sarkozy, Veuve Clicquot U.S. President Vanessa Kay, VC Director Lauren Boide-vezi, VC Director of Communications Aymeric Sancerre, VC Marketing Director Chloe Stefani, Moet Hennessy USA CEO Jim Clerkin, VC Director Christine Kaculis and Veuve Clicquot U.S. Brand Director Bernadette Knight.

16 PW Polo Magazine

Bacchanalia

How did your relationship with wine start?

Asking an Italian how his relationship with wine (or with food) was born, is like asking about his family, the land he was born in, the town where he was brought up. Italy is the country with more denominations of origin in the world; denominations which often times are so localized that they are enclosed in a radius of a few kilometers, and they depend on a lot of different tra-ditions.

Just to make an example we live 40km apart from one another (Nicola in Crema, Michele in Bergamo), but we have diffe-

rent dialect, different cuisines, different cheeses, etc. As much as the globalization of tastes may have negatively influenced young “consumers” (I don’t really like this word) here in Italy as much as in the rest of the world, and even though knowledge of regional products,

. You’ll never hear an Italian saying: “It’s just food!” Food is sacred, wine is sacred. So how did our relationship with wine started? the same way a religion is born and grows, for those who have faith; we have faith in the land, which is the highest treasure, and we have faith in honest and hard work.

What makes your wine different from the rest?

The wines we offer are made by artisans, by farmers, and it’s what you can call Real Wine: wine made only with healthy gra-pes, harvested and gently crushed, and with time which allows wine to develop while in the bottle and in the end express itself in all of its grace. We believe wine is one thing and drinks made from wine are another. Our wine, whether you call it “na-tural”, “real” or whatever, is made without any chemical rubbish in the vineyard, without exogenous products in the cellar, without any kind of physical trick which

I am Wine

From Italy to the World

PW Polo Magazine 17

can’t be dimmed “natural”. No pesticides, no herbicides, no plant protection drug, no selected yeasts, no enzymes, no added sugar, no fine filtering, no clarification, no osmosis or micro oxygenation, etc. Wine like it used to be, like it should be once again. We would like to invite all wineries to share with us the ingredients that go in their wines and putting them on the la-bel, because most often than not, it is not only Grape and Time that goes in a bottle. We could even say that at times a label used for a magnum bottle wouldn’t have enough space to fit all of the ingredients!

How do you see the relationship between

good wine and polo?

Polo is a sport where contact with nature is much deeper than in most sports: man and horse as a whole. The respect shown towards your horse shows a deep love for nature, so we believe that polo aficiona-dos might show a deeper interest in con-suming natural products, products which respect nature.

Are you considering entering the polo market?

Why not?! As we said before, we believe it’s a sport where there might be a deeper

consciousness about natural wine.

What is the ideal wine to enjoy after a polo match?

That depends on one’s own tastes! So any wine that you like and that makes you feel good. For both women and men, a nice glass of a sapid white wine, refreshening and mineral: it would be the perfect after-match!

More Info: https://www.iamwine.it

In this photo, Michele and Nicola Finotto having a sip of their wine in Central Park, New York.

polo y estilo 19

Zacara successfully defended its 2012 US Open Crown with a solid 16-13 win over Valiente. It was only weeks earlier that Valiente had beaten Zacara 13-9 in the finals of the USPA Piaget Gold Cup, but the finals of the USPA Maserati 109th U.S. Open Polo Championship® Sunday, Apriil 21st belonged to Zacara.

Facundo Pieres y Magoo Laprida

ZacaraAgain

US Polo Open Championship

Zacara successfully defended its 2012 US Open Crown with a solid 16-13 win over Valiente. It was only weeks earlier that Va-liente had beaten Zacara 13-9 in the finals of the USPA Piaget Gold Cup, but the finals of the USPA Maserati 109th U.S. Open Polo Championship® Sunday, Apriil 21st belon-ged to Zacara.

In a neck-and-neck game that had the score tied eight times, Zacara emerged victorious on the strength of a 16-13 win over a powerful Valiente lineup.

“For two days we spent hours and hours reviewing game films,” said Zacara patron, Lyndon Lea. “We wanted to see what they did differently when they ran all over a team than when they had a closer match,” offered Lea.

The work appeared to pay off, but it was no easy task in the early goings.

Facundo Pieres was on the scoring end of a pass from Magoo Laprida for the first goal of the game to put Zacara in the lead, 1-0. A minute later Valiente patron Bob Jornayvaz broke free of a Zacara defender to tie it up, 1-1. A 60-yard penalty conver-sion from Pieres was answered less than a minute later when Cambiaso converted on a pass from Stirling to tie it up at 2-2. Mike Azzaro drove the ball through the goalposts when he scored on a 45 yard shot on goal for a 3-2 advantage. Santi To-rres closed out the scoring in the chukker with a pair of penalty conversions for a 4-3 lead.

After seven first chukker goals, the pace became more guarded and deliberate in the second. Torres stole the ball from Zacara’s Mike Azzaro around midfield and raced down the field for a score on a great individual effort, 5-3. Pieres added another goal from the penalty line, 5-4. Magoo Laprida scored for Zacara on a pass from Pieres to tie it up at 5-5. Valiente had the opportunity to re-take the lead on a penalty shot, but the shot was blocked and the period ended in a 5-5 deadlock.

Third chukker action got underway with a goal from the field from Pieres at 6:49 for a 6-5 lead. Cambiaso beat Laprida on a play to the goal, and it was all even at 6-6. Pelon Stirling scored his first goal of the game for a 7-6 Valiente advantage. A goal from Torres had Zacara trailing by two, 8-6 at the 1:31 mark, but Laprida drew Zaca-ra within a goal with a score in the final minute of the chukker. At the end of the first half of play, Valiente held a tenuous 8-7 lead.

It was just over a minute into the second half of play when Stirling’s second goal of the game had Valiente ahead, 9-7, but that was when the tables turned. Pieres connected on two consecutive 60-yard penalty shots to tie it up at 9-9. An im-pressive 100-yrd shot from the field from Pieres split the goalposts and ended the period with Zacara holding on to a delica-te 10-9 edge.

Valiente fouled their way into trouble in the opening seconds of the fifth chukker, as Pieres converted another 60-yard penalty shot for a goal, 11-9. Torres res-ponded with a goal of his own to cut the Zacara lead to a single goal, 11-10. Pieres added another penalty goal to the Zaca-ra total on a 40-yard penalty conversion, 12-10, when Valiente got back on track. Valiente took advantage of Zacara mis-cues to add three more goals to their total. Cambiaso scored goals on two pe-nalty opportunities to knot it up at 12-12, and Torres gave the lead back to Valiente on his second penalty conversion of the chukker for 13-12 against Valiente.

Less than a minute into the sixth chukker, 6:37, Pieres tied it up on another penalty conversion. As Valiente struggled to right

the ship, Pieres gave Zacara the lead back, 14-13 on his eighth penalty goal of the match (5:03). Laprida gave Zacara some breathing room with less than two minu-tes left on the clock to move Zacara ahead by two goals, 15-13. Valiente got despe-rate, and the fouls kept coming. Valiente found themselves awarded a penalty shot at midfield when Cambiaso protested. When the umpire placed the ball on the spot, Cambiaso argues the placement of the ball and hit it forward, resulting in a fi-nal penalty against Valiente. For the ninth time, Pieres would convert a penalty shot, and with 1:02 left in the game, Zacara was on top, 16-13. Cambiaso removed himself from the game, at this point, and Zacara celebrated their successful defense of the US Open trophy.

Pieres led all scoring with an incredible 12 goals, nine on penalty shots, and was na-med MVP. Laprida added three goals and Azzaro scored once. Torres led the Valien-te attack with six goals (four on penalties). Cambiaso scored two of his four goals on penalty shots. Stirling scored twice and Jornayvaz added a goal in a losing effort.

Bob Jornayvaz’s Medallion (played by Stir-ling) was named Best Playing Pony while Concha, a seven-year-old American Tho-roughbred Bay mare was named Horse of the Year.

By Alex Webbe

Thanks to International Polo Club Press Team and Alex Pacheco Photos.

Chucho Solorzano

22 PW Polo Magazine

Polo Players

Interview with Antonio Madrazo, Mexican Polo Player. By Polo Way Mag.

How do you see Mexican Polo Today?

I see the present of Mexican polo very well. There are new generations of polo players that are doing things well, and overall that have the necessary support to grow as players.

Why do you think the sport grew so much in Mexico in the past few years?

Polo has grown in Mexico for the same

reasons it’s grown everywhere else: me-dia has put their very important grain of sand, you could almost say that polo is “in” and that means that not only you get more players, but also more sponsors and aficionados. To this, you have to add the great job done by the presidents of each polo club, including the Mexican Federa-tion of Polo.

What are the future plans from the Association’s point of view?

I don’t know by detail the future plans of the Federation, but I know where they’re

not loosing focus, and it’s in supporting in many different ways the creation and growth of new clubs, even though it’s more and more obvious the growth in a sports environment, we try to maintain the family part, since its there where pa-rents are convinced how good this disci-pline is for their sons.

What would you recommend to someone that wants to start getting involved in the sport?

It depends on how they want to be invol-ved, but as a player I recommend they go

Polo Mexican Stars @ PW

Photo by Adrian VedderAntonio Madrazo

to the Mexican Federation of Polo and to the closest polo club, to get installed in the environment to see the polo in it’s many perspectives, and if he has the abi-lity to stay on top of a horse for hours in a week, then he’ll probably be a good pla-yer.

If Mexico had to compete internationally, how would you say the level of the team is?

Mexico has the ability to compete inter-nationally today, but I believe more in the new generations since the older ones are

tretiring already. I believe in the new ge-nerations that will once again put Mexi-can polo high where it belongs, and this time it won’t be a couple, but a lot of new players.

Which players do you see as stars for the future?

I see a lot, in between Guadalajara, Mexi-co, Monterrey and Queretaro, I’ve seen children and young kids with amazing skills. There’s nothing more satisfactory than sharing the field with a youngster who dreams to play in Palermo.

Polo Players

24 PW Polo Magazine

Fueled by intensity, passion and raw ta-lent, Nic Roldan has become one of the top professional polo players in the world today and holds many of the highest ac-colades prized by the adrenaline-charged sport.

Born in Buenos Aires and raised in the U.S. and Brunei, the third generation polo pla-yer remembers swinging a polo mallet by age four. Nic captured his first major win – the coveted U.S. Open Polo Champions-hipTM – in 1998 with team Escue shortly after reaching professional status at age 14.

Nic has charged polo fields on five conti-nents and continues to add to his roster of wins. Nic’s ambition is to reach 10-goal status, win the Argentine Open, claim a second U.S. Open Polo ChampionshipTM victory and propel popularity for the sport.

Polo’s hottest rising star has attracted a host of opportunities including a sponsor-ship from luxury Swiss watch maker, Pia-get. His smoldering good looks have also garnered attention, landing him recogni-tion in Vanity Fair’s 10 Hottest Horsemen,

GQ Taiwan and the cover of Hamptons magazine to name a few.

After recognizing a need for a better sadd-le, not only for him but for his horse who he claims is responsible for 80% of the sport, Nic put his creative mind to work and teamed up with an innovative group of saddle makers, chiropractors and vete-rinarians. He is proud to introduce the Nic Roldan Elite Saddle, which is designed to be the best fitting, best performing saddle yet!

Few athletes have enjoyed a similar le-vel of success at such a young age. Nic Roldan sets the gold standard and it be-comes only more apparent as his career churns onward.

Vital Stats & Career Highlights

Birth Date: December 4, 1982

Status: Top American polo player

Known for: Being confident, competitive and supremely focused

Other Interests: Tennis and surfing.

Nick RoldánThe American Polo Boy

Jacket: John Varvatos

Shirt: Ashram V-Neck -Linen/Cotton Jersey Knit,Parke & Ronen

Pants: Jaipur Derby Jersey - Cotton Combed Twill Color, Parke & Ronen

Jewelry: Lazaro Soho

Boots: John Varvatos

Pants: Mountbatten Trouser - Cotton-Linen, Parke & Ronen

Jewelry: Lazaro Soho

Watch: Piaget

Shirt: John Varvatos

PW Polo Magazine 25

A Photo Shoot with Nic RoldanTo break out of the typical “polo” mold and show the other side of polo players, we decided to give the photo-shoot with Nic Roldan a more “urban” look. And, we thought Williamsburg would be a great place to do it. It was great working with such a renowned photographer as Hans Neumann, and Nic made the shoot so easy, everyone had a really great time.

Photographer: Hans Neumann - Stylist: Jorge Rubalcava - Asst. Stylist: Angela Denea and Ibithihaj Brooks -

Exclusive Interview

28 PW Polo Magazine

How do you tame horses with indomitable spirits, those who are easily frightened, have caused injury, don’t want to be ridden or seem just plain dangerous? Call Martin Ochoteco, a non-traditio-nal Argentinean horse trainer renowned for his unique ability to develop an amazing and unforgettable bond with these beauti-ful creatures. Ochoteco possesses the distinct ability to rehabili-tate the most extreme cases through a mix of patience, trust and finely tuned body language to assess the horse’s needs.

What do horses mean for you?

Horses are my friends, I feel more at home in a yard full of horses than at a social event with a lot of people. They are very impor-tant to me. I can’t imagine my life without horses….

What was your first experience with a horse?

I once saw this photo where I must have been about six months old, and someone had put me on a horse, bareback and with no bridal or headcollar and they took my photo, I guess that was my first experience…

How do you manage to communicate with them?

The difference between horses and other animals is that with horses, you have to be on a par with them if things are going to work out. For example, if an owner kicks a dog and then calls it back a minute later, the dog comes and even licks his feet. If a rider hits his horse, he will have to dedicate time and attention to that animal to save their relationship and to get the trust back.

Martín Ochoteco, Passion and Horses

PW Polo Magazine 29

In his TV Show “El Domador de Caballos” delves into the world of horse training, a difficult task for an animal that is stubborn, smart and acts on instinct. For Martin, his form of doing it is through peaceful taming, it’s always necessary to have patience and keep in mind to never use force. The majority of horses with traumas have been exposed to a lot of violence. Violence only hinders the taming and betterment of the horse. Take Pistolas for example, an equine notorious for throwing his riders and refusing to be used in “charrerias,” a competitive event and one of Mexico’s national pastimes that is similar to rodeos. Martin’s task is executing a sea-mless plan by removing the animal from his usual surroundings and taking him deep into the forest in an attempt to understand and expose his worst habits and fears and, ultimately, build trust. Only time will tell if Martin’s interpretation of the horse’s needs will work to solve this case of personality differences.

Continue the journey to Colombia to meet Sandra, a young rider with a disability working to ride Zarina for hippotherapy, a form of therapy done with horses. Zarina balks at being ridden, put-ting her ability to help Sandra as a hippotherapy horse in jeopar-dy. Martin can’t afford to make a mistake here; he must work to subdue the animal and will the horse to participate in the critical therapy sessions needed to help Sandra.

Don’t miss this rare look at the world of horse training as Nat Geo Mundo shares how Martin Ochoteco adapts his knowledge and methods to each particular horse to ensure the best results.

Martin Ochoteco: “My taming methods are based on confidence and communication. I know that every time I work to tame a wild horse, something in the universe is changing.”

Spotlight // Ryan HarberWhat made you become a shoe designer after having been dedi-cated to other careers?

-You say dedicated, I say searching. After starting out studying Business and ending up graduating with a degree in Interior De-sign, it was the 6 Majors in which I dabbled in, that helped me realize what my true passion and love was. Shoes. I was always interested in architecture, and studying Architecture for a short period of time at The Ohio State University and then studying In-terior Design at The Cleveland Institute of Art, I found the love of women’s footwear. I began to look at shoes and studying them. Shoes to me are structures and works of art. I sat down at a local Caribou Coffee in Cleveland, Ohio and began sketching shoes. It allowed me to be more creative, I felt more free when it came to designing. The sky is the limit when it comes to women’s foot-wear, and I have only scratched the surface. I fell head-over-heels in love with women’s shoes and their love for them as well. The-re is nothing more satisfying than seeing a woman lock in on a great pair of shoes that may be sitting on the shelf, and knowing that she needs them. Seeing a girl go gaga over a pair of my shoes is even that much more intense. It has helped me be more creative, more open and more available to the female market. I haven’t looked back ever since sitting down at the coffee shop, and I won’t even look back!

How does the knowledge gained from those careers influence when it comes to shoe designing?

-You can’t teach being creative. Studying Architecture and Inte-rior Design has only helped strengthen my design skills. It has allowed me to be more of a designer. What I have gained, is the ability to take criticism as well as constructive criticism when it comes to a style. When I would have to put together a big pre-sentation I learned to stand up there in front of those 100 stu-dents and present my piece with pride and confidence. No mat-ter what, it was my idea, my design, my work. You must be proud of what you accomplish. I also feel that studying Business for short amount of time helped me be more business savvy.

3. What experience did you take from your internship in Steve Madden and BCBG?

-I will tell you one thing, without that internship with Steve Madden I wouldn’t be sitting here doing this interview. I owe it all to Steve and that amazing experience he provided me. The amount of knowledge I learned there, you can’t teach at any school. That internship truly validated my decision to get into footwear design. The behind the scenes look into what it really takes to create a shoe from nothing. The amount of work, the way to communicate with your overseas partners, whom may not speak the best of English. I learned how to spec out a shoe (pick materials and detail the parts of the shoe). It was an exten-sive and extremely knowledgable experience.

Quick story about that internship; My first day there I thought I was going to meet all the girls in the division I interned for and maybe look at what they were all doing and see how they work. Nope. I sit down at my desk, one of the girls says “Can you sketch?”, I reply with “Of course.” She then brings me a stack of white paper, 8.5 x 11, and a pencil and says, “Okay, here is a shoe that was a hot seller last season, we want you to update this shoe for next Fall/Winter.” That was it, I sit down and get thrown into the shark tank right off the rip! Little did I know, that shoe in which I had made revisions to and updated for the following season would go into production and be sold at his retail stores.

The internship at BCBG was just as important and extensive. The good thing about both internships is I was able to get a taste of both the West coast and East coast. Each internship taught me something different, and each company worked totally different.

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What inspired you to design your “A” collection?

-My motto is, You can tell a lot about a woman by the shoes on her feet. What’s Your Story?. I wanted to create a special collec-tion in which the woman could express herself. Let her alter-ego out. My spring/summer 2012 line was titled the”Alter-Ego” Collection. Each shoe had a name in which I felt was an alter-ego, and she could wear that shoe to express it. Each style, also, had the look of that alter-ego. Some style names were Monster, Queen, Freak and Wicked, just to name a few. I want to empower women in my shoes. I want my shoes to be high and strong, yet sexy and delicate. When a woman wears RHC I want the room to stop and stare.

What is the type of woman you design for? Which celebrity would you like to wear your shoes that hasn’t yet?

-The type of woman? There is no type. It’s the type of woman that wants to feel confident, sexy, classy and also relaxed. The women that wears RHC can be daring and wear a bootie like Monster, or she can be more low-key and wear a wedge from my spring/summer 2013 line called Park. The RHC girl is confident in herself no matter where she is and no matter what she is doing. She is not afraid to wear a 6” heel, and can also go casual and wear a ballerina flat. As long as my girl is comfortable in her own skin, she is comfortable in RHC.

It would be great to see the fabulous Beyonce rocking a pair of Ryan Haber Collection! I mean, come on, she is the epitome of what women strive to be. Beautiful, sexy, real, powerful, suc-cessful and a sweetheart.

What do you feel when people call you “the new Jimmy Choo?”

-It’s an honor to be called such a thing, and an honor to see my shoes on the feet of the likes of Carrie Underwood. To be on the stage with Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Stuart Weitzman and Sergio Rossi while she hosted the 2011 CMAs, and then you have Ryan Haber on her feet. What an honor! It’s a compliment when people compare me to such an amazing designer as Jimmy Choo or Brian Atwood. Where they have come and where they have started makes me thrive to work even harder.

Chloe AmutioMotte How do you see Mexican fashion?

I think that fashion and design in Mexico have made huge progress because people are yearning for innovative and revolutionary styles….In recent years, many very talented Mexican designers have appeared on the scene, who have shown a great deal of passion and dedication. They’ve managed to design some incredible things! Take the industrial designer Alexander Dia Andersson, for exam-ple, founder of the brand Telharmonium (www.thmn.eu).

Who are your main inspirations?

My main inspirations have always been the great icons of haute couture such as Lavin, YSL, Givenchy, Balenciaga Balmian y Chanel.

How do you imagine your future collections? What do you have in mind?

For my future collection I have an androgynous, prêt-à -porter style in mind. I love sculpting the female form to perfection, giving it an elegant and chic look, with a hint of masculinity.

How did you start playing polo? Where and why?

I started playing polo en Puerto Vallarta, Mexico because I was bored of jumping. I wanted something with more adrenaline and exci-tement and polo turned out to be exactly what I was after!

What do you like about the sport?

What I love about polo is the feeling I get when I’m playing. It’s a mix of savoir faire and great fun. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I just love it! [Laughs]

What do you think about fashion in the polo industry?

To me, fashion in the polo world is above all very smart but very relaxed at the same time. It’s not as sophisticated as in the jumping world but it’s still very chic. If you watch a match you realize that there is a certain degree of elegance in the riders and their horses, as well as amongst the spectators.

What is the ideal of outfit to wear to a match?

In my view, you should show up at a polo match in an outfit that is at once comfortable and elegant, or as they say in NY “effortless chic”. Something light and smart such as a maxi dress or skirt and sunglasses with a hat, would be perfect for a girl! In other words, elegant but not over the top.

What are Mexican tournaments like?

In my view, you should show up at a polo match in an outfit that is at once comfortable and elegant, or as they say in NY “effortless chic”. Something light and smart such as a maxi dress or skirt and sunglasses with a hat, would be perfect for a girl! In other words, elegant but not over the top.

What are your plans for the future? Both for polo and design?

For the time being I don’t plan to incorporate my designs into the polo industry. But it’s not a bad idea. Perhaps in a few years I’ll revo-lutionize polo outfits, starting with my own! [Laughs]

Next Issue //

2013 Queen´s Cup,

A new Polo Season in England. The Guards Polo Club will host the

most important tournament of the season and Adolfo Cambiaso will play with Nicolás Pieres to try

to get again the Trophy.