The family that plays together – Business Daily

From left: Izzy Stichbury, Archie Stichbury and Rowena Stichbury. during Chairman’s Cup at Nairobi Polo Club on January 30, 2022. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NMG

For some families, by the time a child is about two years old, she or he is saddled up and may have already inherited the passion for polo from the parents.

In Kenya, polo has become a family tradition. On weekends or during international matches, families play with children for fun and to wind down.

The Stichbury’s are among Kenya’s polo-playing families, having fallen in love with the game over 20 years ago.

To them, this equestrian sport is about the beauty and power of the horse, making memories and sharing in the lives of their friends around the world, just like any other family pastime.

Rowena Stichbury got this ball rolling.

“It’s a wonderful sport to play as a family. Kenya is one of the last places where there’s still amateur polo. This means that although we’re still competitive, it comes without the hassle of patrons and the winning-at-all cost attitude that make the game dangerous. We play for the pleasure of the game and for the fun of being able to do something with our loved ones,” she says after a game at the Nairobi Polo Club on Sunday.

Rowena, Jonathan her husband of 24 years, and their five children —four boys and a girl— are polo players.

Introduction to the game begins with horse riding lessons as soon as the children blow out the candles on their second birthday.

Her three oldest children – Harry (21), Izzy (20) and Lochie (18) — are so passionate about the sport that they have gotten to the level where they are being scouted.

“My two young ones — Archie (11) and Jamie (10) — have been dragged to watch all their siblings’ games and have had weekly riding lessons every Monday since they were two years. They didn’t particularly enjoy their riding lessons, because it seemed like a futile task. But once they started polo, everything made sense,” the proud mother says.

While polo traditionally has always been a game passed down through generations, Rowena did not inherit ponies because she did not come from a polo-playing family.

She came from a globe-trotting one instead, travelling to where her father’s business as a pharmaceuticals exporter took them.

However, she interacted with horses working as a horse-safari guide for seven years in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Then she moved to Kenya with her husband. The move ended her tour guide career but she remained on a horse trying eventing and hacking before concluding that both were not her thing.

“After joining the Nairobi Polo Club, Michael Camm, the oldest player in the club asked me to try polo. I’m so glad I said ‘yes’,” she recalls.

“I got such an adrenaline rush that I started off the Stichbury polo-playing family.”

Unlike her mother, Izzy is privileged to come from a polo-playing family and has been playing the game competitively for the past 11 years.

Her first competitive game was at Gilgil Polo Club when she was nine. It ended in a draw.

“I just remember feeling so small on the horse the whole time,” the 20-year-old says.

To her, the thrill is in the love of the game, riding horses and playing with her family and friends. All her closest friends in Kenya play polo so it is always an excuse to see them on weekends.

“It’s something I look forward to when I come home from the UK, where I’m pursuing a degree in sports science.” The university student has five horses that she loves dearly because they are “obedient, loyal and don’t talk back to her. Ferrari is her favourite. Every single game she’s won, Ferrari has been her partner.

“He’s a machine. Very quick, hardworking and tries his best,” she says.

Great player

This exhilarating sport does not discriminate. It has been played by both men and women, young and old.

Archie is the second-youngest player of the Stichbury family. On a horse, he is impressive. Whereas he does not remember his first game, he vividly remembers the first time he was on a horse, aged two.

“I was shouting at the horse so that it can begin walking only to be told that I need to kick it instead,” the 11-year-old says laughing. He has been playing polo for a year, crediting his budding horsemanship skills to the rest of his family members.

“The best thing about the sport is that it’s so much fun plus I get to play with my family,” he says, adding that he loves the company of ponies named, Rusty and Emma.

“Rusty is feisty and has to have his eyes covered so that he doesn’t see me mounting him. Emma is gentle and kind”,” the young Stichbury shares, adding that he really enjoys being on a horse.

“I like having the sun shining on my face, the wind blowing through my hair, and winning games. I want to be like my brother Harry,” he says.

Rowena’s heart warms upon hearing this.

“Harry is a great player with incredible horsemanship skills. He never loses his cool and focuses on making the game wonderful as a team. I’m glad that my younger son thinks his older brother is an inspiration,” she says.

Tusker Malt’s Magda Jurkwowiecka vies for the ball with Rowena Stichbury and Jules Camm of Radio Africa during Chairman’s Cup at Nairobi Polo Club on January 30, 2022. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NMG

Winston Churchill once said, “A polo handicap is your passport to the world.” This has been true for this two-generation polo-playing family. The sport has seen them travel to play and watch games in South Africa, India Zambia, England, Scotland and Egypt among other nations. It has also placed them before kings as they have represented Kenya in various tournaments internationally.

“We’re like one big family. Wherever we go in the world, we know people and we get to see them and share in their lives,” says Rowena, who won the Ladies International in India four years ago.

The family owns a lengthy string of horses, which are shared among them.

”Horses are incredible animals. They’ve taught me patience, self-control and veterinary skills,” she offers.

The oldest horse is 20 years and the youngest is seven years.

“People choose what to invest in. Some choose to invest in holidays, cars or nice things. We invest in horses because polo is our passion. Our horses are part of the family. We live with them and say good night to them every night.”

Currently, she has six favourite horses but the family’s dearest is Bunderburg, who has won “Best Playing Pony” in two international games.

“Bunderburg is a phenomenal horse. He plays at any speed, does not pull us, turns quickly and has a heart of a lion.”

Polo has also a great way to bond with family.

“There are many children who don’t want to go home to their families. Ours can’t wait to get back and spend their holidays with us and with their friends. This is something very special. It also means that our children are engaging in a healthy lifestyle and learning the right values in life, as opposed to being obsessed with material things,” she says. The couple loves watching the children play. So much so that they prioritise their playing over their own.

Through the game, they have drawn valuable life lessons. Polo has taught Archie courage. He has learnt that he should not be afraid to go out there.

As for Izzy, it has been a lesson on character, which she believes is more important than winning a game: “One can be both competitive and friendly. We don’t have to be rude and horrible just because we’re competing.”

Two generations in, Rowena is confident of the sport’s continuity in her bloodline.

“The main quality needed apart from the riding skills is your passion and love for the sport. My children are passionate about polo and because of this, it will be a bright light for generations to come,” she says.