Horse heaven for polo afficianados

Spring is an eventful season at Jack and Claudia Chopp's 27-acre Fox Haven Farm near St. Louis, Missouri. The pending arrival of new foals has everyone on edge with anticipation. Last spring the first Chopp-bred ponies from their herd of 18 made their debut on the polo field. To accommodate their growing herd, the Chopps renovated one barn and built a second with an attached indoor riding arena. Jack maintains a fenced pasture, keeping it cut short, as a practice polo field where he can train and exercise the ponies.

Acquired a passion for riding

Surprisingly, neither Jack nor Claudia were raised with horses. These urban Minnesotans discovered the tranquility of a country lifestyle as a couple in the late '70s. A move to Des Moines, Iowa, gave them an opportunity to buy an acreage. Their daughter Corissa acquired a passion for riding, and soon all of the Chopps, including daughter Diedra, had saddled up. Their lifestyle was forever changed. Peaceful settings and wide open spaces became essential to their equestrian life. Subsequent moves to Wisconsin and St. Louis have all been to horse properties.

Jack's main interest is the sport of polo. He was a founding member of polo clubs in Iowa and Wisconsin. Both he and Corissa are rated polo players. Their farm, says Jack, is the perfect place to raise polo ponies. The skill of the horse is 85% of the game of polo, he explains.

"Evaluating a pony's skill and suitability for the game takes about four years, so being able to raise them ourselves is a real asset. Few actually become polo ponies, but by the time you have them around for so long they have become pets. That is why we have as many as we do."

Gardener's delight

Claudia no longer rides, but she spends much of her time caring for the horses. She credits the animals with her bountiful gardens. "I have the best soil in the world," she says. "We compost hay and manure from the stalls and I spread it regularly throughout the gardens. The composted mixture is pure gold for the flowers."

The property was virtually garden-free when Jack and Claudia purchased it in 1992. Since then Claudia has used her gardening creativity to design flower beds and lush landscaping throughout the farm. First she planted country-style perennial beds around the existing swimming pool. A waterfall and small pond to frame the original barn came next. Once the new barn and riding arena were completed, Claudia landscaped a meandering, park-like path from the main house to the new building and surrounded the structure with beds of gigantic foxglove digitalis and masses of colorful daylilies.

One of the newest projects at the farm was digging a large pond adjacent to the riding arena. Aquatic residents include several well-fed coy, which outgrew the smaller pond, and bluegill fish for catching. Friends and family enjoy fishing and feeding the coy from the small dock at the edge of the pond.

"The coy know precisely when it is feeding time," Claudia says. "As soon as I step on the wood dock they come from all directions."

Time away from horses and gardening is usually spent socializing. Professional hockey games and season theater tickets draw Jack and Claudia regularly to downtown St. Louis. Involvement in social clubs keeps them in touch with friends. The poolside pavilion they built has become a favorite spot to host events such as garden clubmeetings and country barbecues.

"Most of our friends live in town," says Claudia, "so they think coming out to the country is a real treat."

Despite the rolling hills and pastures surrounding the Chopp's farm, "country" is a term Claudia still hesitates to use. "When the nearest convenience store is only 2 miles away and the mall is a 20-minute drive, I think it only looks like the country," Claudia jokes.

But whatever the official designation of Fox Haven Farm (named for the foxes that take refuge there from the adjoining hunt club), it is truly a haven for Claudia and Jack and their menagerie of animals. The hills and pastures provide an ideal setting to await the arrival of this spring's generation of Fox Haven Farm foals.

One-minute polo primer

Think of polo like any other sport. It involves players, uniforms, equipment, helmets, rules, strategies, periods, and fun. The ultimate goal is to get the ball through the opponent's goal posts.

Polo has elements similar to golf (mallets and small balls), tennis (forehand and backhand shots) and soccer (penalty shots). The field is larger than a football field. Matches consist of six 7-minute chukkers or periods. Ponies play a maximum of 14 minutes per match, so each player uses several ponies.

Ponies are not really ponies, but horses who have the skill and spirit to play polo. The ponies love the sport as much as the players because they can score, too, by kicking the ball through the goal posts.

Players wear specific colors (like a jockey) to identify their club. They have handicaps calculated on their past scoring history, making all levels of players equal. Two mounted umpires and one sideline referee enforce the rules and call fouls.

For information on polo clubs in your area, contact the United States Polo Association at www.us-polo.org or call 800/232-USPA.