United States Polo Association

United States Polo Association

Sport	Polo
Abbreviation	USPA
Founded	1890; 134 years ago (1890)
Location	9011 Lake Worth Road Lake Worth, Florida 33467
President	Charles Smith
Chairman	Stewart Armstrong
Secretary	Thiruvendran
Official website
www.uspolo.org

The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of polo in the United States.

Established in 1890 by David Grubbs, the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual members^[1] and 250 polo clubs^[2] across the U.S. and Canada, including promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its member clubs and registered players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions and games and providing rules, handicaps and conditions for those tournaments, competitions and games, including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. The first chairman of the USPA was H.L. Herbert (1890-1921). The first chief executive officer was Mr. Peter J. Rizzo (2011-2015).

The USPA has established a number of programs for new players to learn the sport in the U.S. including Regional Polo Centers and clubs that host schools and lessons across the country. In 2010, the USPA created Team USPA,^[3] a program to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the U.S. by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and professional players. The organization also coordinates youth polo programs and competitions through Interscholastic/Intercollegiate polo ^[4] and Pony Club.

In 2012, “60 Minutes” ^[5] aired a special feature on polo's resurgence in America and included several interviews with dedicated players and ambassadors in the United States. The segment highlighted one of the USPA's specialty programs, Work to Ride www.worktoride.net, which is dedicated to helping inner-city youth in Philadelphia through polo and other equine activities.