Polo at Los Pinos fields |
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Presentation of 2022 Copa de Oro to Dubai polo team |
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SANTA MARÍA POLO CLUB
by Saskia Mier and Chris Chaplow
The Santa María Polo Club is well-known in Spain and was considered one of the best clubs worldwide. However Santa María now concentrate on their Equestrian Centre and lease their principal Los Pinos and Puente de Hierro grounds to Ayala and others for touraments. The Santa María Polo Club's fields are at the Puente de Hierro grounds, situated just to the north of old Iron Bridge over the Guadiaro River where there are three playing fields.
The Santa María Polo Club's Rio Sotogrande fields were the epicentre of Sotogrande polo in the 1980s and 1990s. They were replaced by Los Pinos fields in the 2000s, on the eastern side of the River Guadiaro near the marina. Since 2021 Los Pinos fields have been leased to Ayala Polo Club and are officially known as "Ayala Polo Club Sede Los Pinos".
Information about Polo tournaments in Sotogrande
Santa Maria Club's polo grounds
Santa María Polo Club owns three separate grounds known as Los Pinos (leased to Ayala), Río Sotogrande and Puente de Hierro.
Puente de Hierro polo fields
The grounds of Puente de Hierro are situated further north of the Guadiaro River and have three playing fields and are now used for practice matches and occasional tournaments. The grounds were inaugurated in 1992 and have five-star stable blocks for 39 horses. There is ample parking, 10 hectares of land, and grounds to hold events and banquets.
Puente de Hierro ground was used to film the polo scene in Season four Episode six (Terra Nullius) of The Crown depicting Prince Charles and Princess Diana's tour of Australia in 1983. (Location)
The Puente del Hierro fields I and II were reserved for the low goal International Polo Tournament and other tournaments of this level in spring and last summer up to 2021. The field III was always used for practice. Puente del Hierro fields are located on the west bank of the Guadiaro River, north of the famous 1929 iron bridge. From Sotogrande via Pueblo Nuevo take the A-2103 north and follow the small POLO signs.
Los Pinos polo fields
Los Pinos is the main ground of the polo club, offering two unique and exceptional spaces surrounded by 20 hectares of parkland for hosting events. The high-handicap matches of the International Summer Tournament and some of the spring tournaments are played here. The ground features four playing fields and one warm-up field. It is the closed ground to Sotogrande resort being near to the Marina. (Location)
Río Sotogrande polo fields
The grounds of Río Sotogrande, which are no longer in use, are located on the western side of the Guadiaro River, opposite to the grounds of Los Pinos, and were formerly used for the International Summer Tournament and other winter and spring tournaments. Their construction started in 1984, after the destruction of La Playa grounds (read Sotogrande history) and they became the main area of the club until the creation of Los Pinos. The facilities consisted of two playing fields and a multi-purpose tent prepared for events. Rio Sotograndeground is now used for stables. The old grandstand remains and so do the emlematic ceramic logos of the Ayala and Santa Maria clubs. The land is earmarked for property development, ecologist groups have opposed this use mainly on grounds of potential flooding to this Guadiaro river side location.(Location)
Stables
Santa María Polo Club has a total of 160 stables in different areas of the estate, designed in an open form with front folding doors from the German company Rowe & Rub.
In addition, there is a state-of-the-art arena, with automated surface hardness control and innovative flood control system, so that the horses can always train on an optimum surface.
The stable area has a video surveillance system controlled by private security personnel. This new generation of stables were inaugurated in July 2010.