News

Polo: An Orthwein Family Tradition

“Two of the most important things in Steve Orthwein’s life are family and polo- in that order,” read the opening line of a fifteen-year old article from Polo Magazine. And it appears that it is as true today as it was then.

The sixty-two-year-old former Chairman of the United States Polo Association has undertaken a task that will bind both passions in his design and creation of the Port Mayaca Polo Club in western Martin County, Florida.

Encompassing 570 acres of stick and ball areas, exercise tracks, five championship fields, club barns and stabling for 128 horses and seventeen 20-acre private ranch sites, Steve Orthwein is ensuring that competitive polo with a family flavor will endure for years to come.
A world-class facility will promote both family oriented and highly competitive polo from November to May as well as Junior Polo and International Competitions that will feature some of America’s top players.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to play high-goal polo,” said the former 6-goaler, “but I’ve got to admit that I probably enjoyed myself more when we used to play at the St. Louis Country Club with a few of the families in the area.”
One of those families was the extended Orthwein family, the Busch brothers- Adolphus, Billy, Andy and Peter.

“We all grew up together,” added Steve’s wife, Ginny. An accomplished rider in her youth, she rode jumpers at the Busch’s Grants Farm with Elizabeth Busch Burke, half sister to the Busch brothers.

“When I was a kid,” Steve recalls, “we’d take a few horses to the field and play. There wasn’t as great an emphasis on winning,” he added, “we just played for the love of the game.”

Although Steve has nothing against the high-goal polo that has made a home in south Florida, he would like the polo at Port Mayaca to be able to offer a blend of fast, competitive polo, and leisurely-enjoyed matches with friends and family.

With three generations of polo players on the rolls, the Orthwein legacy extends far beyond St. Louis and Florida. The family has strong ties to clubs in Greenwich (Steve’s twin brother Peter), Atlanta (older brother Dolph founded the club there), and Baltimore (nephew PJ actively playing).

The Port Mayaca Polo Club looks to accommodate like-minded players of today and help grow the next generation of players. The Club is located 40 minutes north west of Wellington in a rapidly growing equestrian area in Martin County Florida. Its proximity and accessibility to Lake Okeechobee has resulted in the club’s tagline-“Polo on the Lake”.

From boaters to riders to players to spectators, there is something for every walk of life at the Port Mayaca Polo Club.