Making Strides
Diego Fernando Florez helps bring polo to the masses at the 14th annual Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships
By Kaylor Jones / Photos by Claudia Johnstone
It comes as little surprise that one of the returning stars of the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, Diego Fernando Florez, has quite literally been riding horses since he could walk. Growing up in a rural area of Columbia, he got his start well before age 3.
“There’s the funniest picture from when I was probably 6 months old, with my dad carrying me in his arms on a horse – and I was crying!” Florez says. “I grew up going to ranches, then we moved to a farm and I’d get up every morning and just jump on a horse. It was really calming.”
With this love of animals in mind, Florez followed in the footsteps of his uncle and studied to become a veterinarian. He attended the University of Caldas in Manizales, Columbia, practicing large animal medicine before moving to the U.S. There, he focused on small animals after further education at Purdue University. In 2001, he fulfilled his dream of owning his own practice when he purchased Scottsdale’s Aztec Animal Hospital.
Over the years, Florez drifted away from his horse-riding roots. But that passion was reignited one fateful day while on vacation in Argentina.
“I saw polo being played down there – on TV, not even live – and when I got back to the States, I really fell in love with the sport and with horses again. It’s like therapy that makes you forget about everything else around you.”
The Polo Party
As Florez fell head over heels for the sport after taking it up in 2008, he noticed that it seemed to be dipping in popularity elsewhere. “Polo was kind of a dying sport, and I wanted to promote polo in town. So I lent some money to the Arizona Polo Club and went to Jason Rose, who came up with the idea of the Scottsdale Polo Party – and that’s how the Polo Party was born.”
The inaugural event in 2011 drew around 2,500 attendees for a one-match showdown. In the following years, Florez had a front-row seat to watch it grow into the most attended polo event in America.
This year, the 14th annual Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships – taking place Nov. 8-9 at WestWorld of Scottsdale – will once again strike the perfect mix of sport and culture. Returning fan-favorite elements include Canine Couture by Lugari Pet Salon, the World’s Longest Catwalk Fashion Show by Phoenix Fashion Week, live music, exotic car displays, and much more. Guests can also expect luxurious VIP areas, party tents, tailgating opportunities and a brand-new open-air format to the well-loved Barrett-Jackson Champagne & Jazz Lounge.
All new this year is the WestWorld Art & Wine Experience. This concurrent event will showcase the offerings of 20 premiere Arizona wineries and welcome 100 artists and craftspeople for an array of enriching exhibits and interactive art demonstrations.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a polo party without the polo. There are six heart-pounding polo matches on the schedule, kicking off Saturday, Nov. 8 with a match between the Arizona Polo Club and New Orleans Polo Club, followed by the first Army vs. Navy polo match-up. That afternoon, defending champions Wine Country Polo Club will face off against Wales National Polo Team in the signature match, before Sonoma Polo Team vs. Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club closes out the day. Sunday will see the highly-anticipated Battle of the Sexes showdown and the International All-Stars Match.
“It’s a very unique event with some of the best players from around the world,” says Florez, who has played in the championships every year since its inception. “The setting is really neat with the McDowell Mountains in the background. It’s also a very close course, playing in probably half the field size, so people are much closer to the action and able to feel the galloping of the horses.”
Polo For the People
It’s safe to say that the Scottsdale Polo Party has more than achieved Florez’s vision of bringing polo to wider audiences and helped him refine his own talents to become one of the top-ranked polo players in Scottsdale, even winning the coveted Don King Days trophy in Wyoming in 2015. This exposure also means there are plenty of people on the sidelines looking for a way to get in on the action.
To address this need, Florez founded Scottsdale Polo Academy in 2022 (www.scottsdalepolo.com) to provide lessons to adults and children of all skill levels.
“Most people that have never tried polo, when they get on the field for the first time, the smile they have and the adrenaline rushing through them is unbelievable. My motto is that polo is a punishment for the body and therapy for the soul. When you’re playing, you don’t have time to be behind the computer or phone.”
There are a lot of untapped potential players still out there, Florez says, especially among the many Arizonans who already own horses. He’s also seeing a trend as more and more children get involved in the sport, a promise that the future of polo is in good hands.
“My kids in particular I don’t call into the equation because they have no choice,” he jokes about his three children, an 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old twins. “They’ve been riding since they were really young, and they complain a little bit about going to polo, but once on the horse they become very competitive. They’re very natural horse riders.”
In addition to running Scottsdale Polo Academy and fitting polo practice into his busy schedule as a small animal vet, Florez makes time to breed and train polo ponies on his ranch in Casa Grande (also home to Caballeros Field, the only regulation-size polo field in the state). The Argentine Polo Pony has been recognized as its own breed since 1984, selectively bred over the decades for the perfect combination of temperament and physicality.
“Mentally, they have to be really calm and relaxed during all the craziness around them – which kind of sounds like the anti-polo horse. But physically, they have to be really athletic and reactive. You can see it in our foals now, they maneuver really well, almost like a cat.”
And just like the players, the horses can enjoy playing polo as well. When it comes down to it, the sport is all about enjoyment – though some people still assume it’s a “snobby” sport, Florez says. Accessible lessons and fun-filled events like the Scottsdale Polo Party are making great headway in correcting those misconceptions.
“It’s a big reality check for them. It’s a very welcoming crowd, and the Polo Party is a place to see and be seen, to dress up and have fun. I always look forward to seeing the people who come every year, from the public to the players and the sponsors.”
It’s come a long way since the first event 14 years ago – at the time, those 2,500 attendees felt like a very large crowd to Florez. Last year, in comparison, the Polo Party attracted upwards of 10,000 people.
“Every year, the event catches up more and more people. Polo is just a happy sport. After everyone finishes, they hang out with the other players, have some drinks, have some laughs. They go home happy and don’t remember what happened at work, don’t remember what the totals are, they just feel decompressed. I know some people care about the score,” Florez adds, “but my score is – if I didn’t fall that day, it’s a great day!”
Learn more and purchase tickets at www.thepoloparty.com.