Polo Life:
“Polo Life: Horses, Sport, 10 and Zen” delves into the world of high goal polo through the lenses of former 10-goaler Adam Snow and his wife and veterinarian, Shelley Onderdonk, DVM. Together their voices provide an unprecedented level of access into the horse and human dynamics that make the sport tick. Less polo manual than human interest story, their chapters cover a broad range of topics: there is a horse so good she probably single-handedly changed Adam’s career; a farm named after the city where this couple met in college; and a country and polo culture that shaped Adam as a player…and where they had luggage stolen more than once.
This book is filled with humor, humility, and insight. Adam recounts his childhood obsession with balls; Shelley hers with horses. Adam tells how a serendipitous meeting with a mental coach helped turn his career around; Shelley explicates how her intuition and acupuncture needles translated into multiple Best Playing Pony awards as well as career longevity for many of their legendary equestrian athletes. “Polo Life” is the story of how their working partnership brought Adam to the pinnacle of his sport.
“Although on more than one occasion I considered shifting to a different career with a more consistent source of income and fewer expenses, the rewards of sticking with professional polo have been profound.”
“Not only humans play the game of polo—one of the most salient aspects of the sport is that it is played on horseback. Behind that simple fact lies an entire world—of breeding, training, caring for, conditioning, and feeding these amazing equine athletes.”
“I often recounted the quote, “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” before I embarked alone for another polo season at a distant venue. I said it aloud for both Shelley and me to hear as she drove me to the airport.”
See behind the scenes stories of mindfulness, courage and partnership.