Cal Poly polo team wins first game since a equine virus outbreak

On Friday, Sept. 30, Cal Poly’s horse polo team celebrated their first out of state victory in two years due to the Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) that broke out in 2020. EHV affects only horses and is extremely contagious throughout the horse polo community nationwide. 

Cort Rowley, junior biology major, was not able to travel with his team last season to protect his team’s horses. 

“[Equine Herpesvirus] spread very rapidly,” Rowley said. “We saw it last year in the school year and it put a damper on our travel plans.”

EHV is typically spread through contaminated equipment, nose to nose contact, and food and water. With no recent EHV breakouts, teams are able to travel out of state for the 2022-23 school year. 

After two years, Cal Poly’s horse polo team traveled to Colorado State University to attend the CSU vs. Cal Poly qualifying game. 

Women’s varsity team captain Caroline Matthews, sophomore animal science major, and two other female players flew to Colorado for the weekend to play. 

“This was the very first year we were able to go out of state, which we are very thankful for and we had a lot of fun,” Matthews said. 

Cal Poly lost their first game on Friday 7-8, and won Saturday’s game 10-3. Rowley traveled with his team as a coach’s assistant to help out with the first trip of the season. 

“It was nice to be able to travel with the team and to be able to share the experiences with CSU,” Rowley said, “It was awesome to play with their horses and kinda just see what they have to offer.” 

Cal Poly will be hosting a tournament on Oct. 22 through 24 at Central Coast Polo Club in Los Osos, titled Mustang Madness. 

For more information, visit centralcoastpoloclub.com