It's a scene that looks like it's out of a movie. On a beautifully manicured grass field, with a vintage-looking clubhouse, and grandstands, some polo players, and polo ponies are getting ready for the start of a more than a century-old tradition in Santa Barbara. Jesse Bray and his sister, Mia, are on the main field at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club, preparing for the 2026 polo season.
"I've been riding my whole life," said Jesse. "My dad plays professionally, he grew up riding horses, and he started playing polo when he was 18. So, polo's been in the blood."
"I started playing polo with the men," Mia said. "Women's polo is growing as a sport. There are now more women's-exclusive tournaments around the world.
Does she ever play against her brother in coed polo?
"I mostly play against him," she laughed.
The polo club’s roots go back to 1911, when it was founded. In 1922, it moved to what‘s been its permanent home for the last 104 years, just north of Highway 101 in Carpinteria. The club is a hot spot on the international polo circuit.
"The polo community travels the world," said Henry Walker, President of the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club. "If they're lucky, in June, July, and August, they get to come to Santa Barbara to play polo. We have the best weather in the nation during those months. Where do you go where there's little heat and no humidity? In the world of polo, people want to come here, and be here, and the polo is fantastic."
"The polo players have shown up, and the horses are here, and the stabling has happened, and we will start our competitive season May 1, and run to the end of August," said Walker.
Many people have an image of polo as being snobby and elitist. But the club has been working to change that, with free, casual happy hour matches on Fridays and more traditional, dressy events on Sundays.
"Polo, especially in the old days, had this very exclusive, elitist feel to it, and we've worked hard over the years to overcome that," said Melanja Jones, who manages the Polo Club. "Our Friday happy hours are free and are at four o'clock. I'm the announcer, and I explain what's going on so people understand the background of what's happening on the field. It's open to everyone. On Sundays, (for) our main event, it's a little fancier."
Jones added that matches at the club bring some of the world’s top names in the sport to Santa Barbara.
"We have had a lot of big names, especially in the Pacific Coast Open and the USPA Silver Cup, which are two of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in the whole USPA."
The club has youth programs and competitions at different levels. Walker said generations of some families have been a part of the club.
Many people involved in polo call it much more than a sport. They say it's a lifestyle. You can check out the local polo scene with afternoon matches this weekend (May 1 to 3).
