The Sport of Kings Finds Home in the Rodeo Arena

Fourth annual Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic set for Colorado Springs

A polo player at The Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic | Courtesy of Robin Repeta

The rodeo arena is sacred ground for cowboys, cowgirls and rodeo fans alike. It’s a place where eight-second rides and gold buckles define legacy. This winter, that same dirt in Colorado Springs will thunder under a different kind of horsepower, as mallets replace ropes and polo ponies charge where bucking bulls usually stand.

The fourth annual Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic is set for Feb. 21 and will take place at the Norris Penrose Event Center, the same arena that hosts the NFR Open in July. 

Embracing Differences

Unlike traditional winter polo that is played on packed ice or grass and stretches the length of several football fields, this event will be on the arena dirt, offering a fun modern twist to the time-honored event.

“It’s slightly different from a traditional polo match, but it aligns directly with rodeo,” said Megan Leatham, Colorado Springs Sports Corporation president and CEO. “The other thing that makes our event unique is we play with fewer horses and players on the pitch.”

Traditional polo is played with four players per team, each rotating onto different horses during seven-minute periods called “chukkers.” In this arena adaptation of the classic sport, teams are reduced to three players, and the playing field is much smaller, creating a more fast-paced and involved experience, much like rodeo.

“It's a lot more intimate,” said Lauren De Marco, co-director of marketing and PR for Colorado Springs Sports Corporation. “You can hear the players conversing and talking before and after the game. You can actually go and touch the horses when they come up close to you.”

Rodeo runs thick in the blood of Colorado Springs, but polo has its place in the city’s history as well. Spencer Penrose, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who settled in Colorado Springs, was passionate about the sport and had massive polo fields and stables for more than 400 horses.

Longstanding Ties to Polo

Norris Penrose Events Center | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Now, The Broadmoor, a luxury hotel opened by Penrose in 1918, honors his memory and the history of the sport in Colorado Springs as the title sponsor of the event.

“There's roads [in Colorado Springs] called Polo Way and Pony Place, so there's a lot of ties to polo,” De Marco said. “I think it’s really fun for us to honor [Penrose], his great legacy and all that he's done for us here in Colorado Springs.”

The Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic is a unique experience for tourists and Colorado Springs locals to witness the “sport of kings” firsthand.

“I think the opportunity to be able to go on a rogue Saturday in February to watch a polo match without having to go to Switzerland is pretty iconic in itself,” Leatham said.

In a city defined by its longstanding connection to horses, this event brings together the grit and spirit of rodeo with the heritage of a classic sport.

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