Polo Pony of the Month: Taco
We will be featuring one of our polo ponies each month to share with you a little about their backgrounds and special roles they carry at Franklin Polo Academy. We hope you enjoy getting to know our horses and encourage you to seek them out at polo matches to say hello as they ride by! Or better yet, come take a polo lesson with them!
Taco gains the spotlight for March as our featured polo pony! She is an 18 year old, bay, Thoroughbred mare with a unique "C" shaped star on her forehead and big, bright eyes. Taco originally came from our good friend and former polo player, Ed Silva. Ed played Taco for many years at another polo club here in Franklin and we are grateful to have gotten her when he decided to retire from the sport. Taco is a spunky girl with a goofy attitude that everyone seems to fall in love with.
You can find Taco playing multiple roles around Franklin Polo Academy. She serves as a lesson pony from beginner to advanced students, she plays in practice and game chukkers by some of our club members, and she can be found leading the kids around for pony rides at our public matches. She is an "all-around" wonderful asset to our string of polo ponies.
Franklin local and club member, Jamey Parker, plays Taco the most in practices and games. He exclaims, "Taco's a handy and nimble horse with a knack for knowing where I want to go before I do! She wants to be in the right place at the right time for the right play as much as me." You will most likely see them together this Summer competing in our arena polo matches at Harlinsdale Farm! Check out the schedule here to save the dates!
Fun facts about Taco:
*Did you know "Taco" means "mallet" in Spanish? So as a polo pony, her name is very fitting!
*She is one of the best "bumpers" that we have in the barn. Shown below in the first photo, you can see how she really pushes the other horse and rider off the line of the ball.
*Taco loves treats almost as much as Nala! You can see her stretching as far as possible over the fence for a treat from one of FPA's students, Connor, in the photos below.
We hope you've enjoyed learning about Taco and look forward to next month's feature polo pony! Have you had a special moment or the chance to ride Taco? We would love it if you shared your experience! Comment below or on our Facebook page.