Across the road from Arthur Morgenstern’s home, he keeps about 30 polo ponies. Arthur and his partner Tanya are keen players, competing three or four times a week in the polo season. As a child, Arthur was knocked off a bolting pony. The experience left him afraid of horses, but after watching polo for the first time he was hooked.

Arthur’s cousin in Los Angeles, Maynard Britten, who owns a polo club, gave him his first lessons. Arthur purchase two polo ponies and began attending Auckland gatherings within the tight and cliquey community. It took a year and a half to begin to be acknowledged by other players and Arthur was afraid to bend down and hit the ball with his mallet and couldn’t make his horse go fast enough to get where the action was, anyway. It was six or seven months before Arthur really hit the ball and he has fond memories of the moment as everyone on the sideline cheered.

Arthur wanted to encourage other newcomers so he ran a polo school for two years teaching other businessmen how to play. His polo skills grew beyond expectation as he rode the double in past seasons, and played for the winning teams in both the New Zealand Open and the prestigious Dewar Cup.