SUMMIT AT PLAY

THE RHYTHM OF WELLINGTON

The Craft, Heritage, and Timeless Elegance of Polo

March 2025

Each winter, Wellington, Florida, becomes the epicenter of American polo, where the sport’s most prestigious tournaments—the U.S. Open Polo Championship, the Gauntlet of Polo, the C.V. Whitney Cup, and the Gold Cup—unfold in a display of skill, discipline, and tradition. For all of us at Summit,  polo is more than competition. It is a craft, a pursuit that values mastery as much as instinct, heritage as much as innovation.
 
Every element of the game is honed for performance. The seamless coordination between horse and rider, the exacting cut of a mallet, the balance of a saddle shaped by hand. These are not simply tools but the result of generations of expertise. A mallet must be weighted just right, a bridle fitted to perfection, a stirrup curved for both form and function. The best of these are not merely functional; they carry the mark of their maker, an imprint of craftsmanship that elevates necessity into artistry.
 
This philosophy extends beyond the field. The matches may take place on manicured fields, but the true experience continues beyond the final chukker, in the shaded terraces and breezy courtyards where the conversation lingers, the details matter, and time slows just enough to be savored. In Wellington and Palm Beach, craftsmanship shapes the spaces that surround the sport. The weight of a teak chair, the grain of finely worked wood, the patina that deepens over time—these are not just objects, but expressions of the same values that define the game: longevity, refinement, and an understanding that true quality is built over time.
 
Tradition is what holds it all together. The careful training of a young horse, the apprenticeship of a saddle maker, the timeworn rituals of a sport that has changed little over centuries. There is beauty in that continuity—in the refinement of a tool, the dedication to craft, and the understanding that the best things are made to last.
 
Polo is a game, but it is also a way of seeing the world—one that values skill, artistry, and the pursuit of something enduring. •