California Polo Club

Horses charge forward. Riders clutch reins in one hand and a mallet in the other. One team endeavors to advance a 4-inch ball toward a goal. The other team struggles to take possession. Hooves thunder. Mallets are swung high. Clouds of dirt scatter upward.

Horses charge forward. Riders clutch reins in one hand and a mallet in the other. One team endeavors to advance a 4-inch ball toward a goal. The other team struggles to take possession. Hooves thunder. Mallets are swung high. Clouds of dirt scatter upward.

Horses charge forward. Riders clutch reins in one hand and a mallet in the other. One team endeavors to advance a 4-inch ball toward a goal. The other team struggles to take possession. Hooves thunder. Mallets are swung high. Clouds of dirt scatter upward.

Horses charge forward. Riders clutch reins in one hand and a mallet in the other. One team endeavors to advance a 4-inch ball toward a goal. The other team struggles to take possession. Hooves thunder. Mallets are swung high. Clouds of dirt scatter upward.

Horses charge forward. Riders clutch reins in one hand and a mallet in the other. One team endeavors to advance a 4-inch ball toward a goal. The other team struggles to take possession. Horse hooves thunder. Mallets are swung high. Clouds of dirt scatter upward.

Patti Perez was simply looking for a place to rent a riding horse now and then. An avid rider, she soon found a suitable stable in Lake View Terrace. But it was the hand-painted sign next to the stable that she found most intriguing. "Polo Lessons," it read. Polo? No way. Too rich, too snobby, too expensive for me, Perez thought. Then she thought again, and decided to plop down 25 bucks for a half-hour lesson (horse included). Then she took another.

Monika Wiercioch, a Tujunga horseback riding enthusiast, has vivid memories of her ninth birthday: "My presents were a pair of cowboy boots and a form signed by my parents giving me permission to enroll in the California Rangers." She refers to the venerable equestrian organization for youths, ages 9 to 19, organized during World War II as an auxiliary to the civil defense effort.

During the Great Gatsby heyday of polo, the president of DuPont was asked to buy a radio advertising spot on Sunday afternoons. "But who would hear it?" he asked. "Everyone plays polo on Sunday afternoons." The polo faithful in Orange County are hoping to revive that Sunday tradition with an inaugural polo tournament Nov. 22 for the newly formed Beach Cities Polo Club.

Madison Richardson scrutinizes his hand, which just got smacked on the polo field. An ear, nose and throat surgeon, he makes a living with his hands. But a few seconds later, he's back at it, swinging his long, thin polo mallet, galloping around the indoor arena of the Equestrian Center in Burbank in one of the matches held this weekend as part of a charity event for the Boy Scouts.

Horses charge forward. Riders clutch reins in one hand and a mallet in the other. One team endeavors to advance a 4-inch ball toward a goal. The other team struggles to take possession. Horse hooves thunder. Mallets are swung high. Clouds of dirt scatter upward.

Patti Perez was simply looking for a place to rent a riding horse now and then. An avid rider, she soon found a suitable stable in Lake View Terrace. But it was the hand-painted sign next to the stable that she found most intriguing. "Polo Lessons," it read. Polo? No way. Too rich, too snobby, too expensive for me, Perez thought. Then she thought again, and decided to plop down 25 bucks for a half-hour lesson (horse included). Then she took another.

A listing of activities in the Valley and Ventura County areas: AGOURA HILLS Various activities The Wilderness Institute offers a variety of programs, including some designed specifically for individuals or groups.