Father-son duo changing into twin forces for Lengthy Island-based Metal Polo
They’re a royal household within the sport of kings.
Skilled polo participant Juan Redlich is having a summer season to recollect on Lengthy Island, driving aspect by aspect along with his son, Juancito, because the 16-year-old strives to comply with in his father’s footsteps — or, quite, hoofprints.
“I’m 47, I don’t know what number of extra years I’ll play,” Juan, a member of LI-based Metal Polo, instructed The Publish.
“We share daily collectively. … So for me, that is the largest reward that life has ever given.”
The daddy-and-son teammates hail from a farm within the flat and inexperienced Venado Tuerto — a passionate polo city positioned about 4 ¹/₂ hours northwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina — the place they play throughout the South American summer season, which spans from December to February.
“My father taught me plenty of stuff about horses, the connection with the grooms,” stated Juancito, who remains to be studying English and makes use of his time on LI to enhance.
“We’re within the area all day to follow, to trip, and I discovered rather a lot from him.”
The polo patriarch added that their house nation is ecstatic over the event of a household dynasty, and it exhibits once they tackle large tournaments within the capital metropolis and elsewhere.
“They get very enthusiastic about us, about what my son is doing,” stated Juan, who first got here to Lengthy Island as an 18-year-old and took a job caring for horses throughout the summer season months.
Greener pastures
Since then, the Redlich household has spent its days having fun with the great thing about the North Shore, often from June to September, in Huntington.
Juancito and his dad sometimes prepare and play weekly on the free-to-attend Thursday “sundown” night matches at Meadow Brook Polo Membership in Outdated Westbury, in addition to at Sunday’s “Polo at The Park” at Bethpage State Park, and sometimes at different matches within the tri-state space.
Juan, or “Johnny Juan” as announcers name him on the weekend match, is a crowd favourite at Bethpage.
Given the game’s advanced nature and the bodily limitations of the animals, the matches require jockeys to substitute their horses by means of every of the often 4 to eight chukkers, which every lasts 7 ¹/₂ minutes.
Sending a horse from Argentina prices upward of $12.5K per animal, and the expense lands on every particular person participant with assist from sponsors, in response to a handler acquainted with the state of affairs.
“We flew 9 up for this summer season. They simply received right here the opposite day,” stated Juan, who counseled his son’s dealing with of the creatures.
“He’s very pure with the horses. … I by no means noticed him preventing with a horse or making one drained. He brings out the perfect in them.”
Not horsing round
Juancito has cherished horses since he was a little bit boy driving within the fields of Argentina.
The teenager athlete, who additionally performs soccer and rugby, drew nearer to polo throughout the pandemic’s isolation interval, as driving was one of many few alternatives to get contemporary air.
Since then, Juancito stated he naturally underwent his father’s tutelage, however shortly confirmed his personal moxie whereas saddled up.
“I can say one factor, from the start he was a really pure rider,” in response to Juan.
“I by no means tried to push him to play polo as a result of I feel he has to decide on no matter makes him glad.”
Now, Juancito goals to refine his sport over the following two to a few years, including finesse, coordination and placing energy to show why he deserves a shot within the execs and at main tournaments.
Lengthy Island’s Structure Cup, a two- to three-week match that started this week, is the perfect platform to showcase weeks of improved play, he stated.
“If it doesn’t work out, I need to go to varsity for agriculture and have a Plan B,” stated Juancito, who’s keen on his nearly completely polo-dedicated summers on Lengthy Island.
“However it doesn’t matter what, I need to work with horses for the remainder of my life.”
For now, nonetheless, the aim is placing whereas the mallet is scorching.
“I need to be a greater participant,” he stated. “Doing this with my father pushes me to be my greatest.”
