Cotterel Polo Farms is a private polo facility and organization owned by Jennifer “Jenny” Luttrell Benardoni and managed by husband Francisco Benardoni located in Declo, Idaho… a power couple if there every was one! We breed and train polo horses in Declo, and our goal is to bring other teams to have a customizable, fun, and competitive summer polo in a place we love and call home.
We have 3 polo fields, 160 stalls stabling, exercise track and an onsite 25 room luxury lodge renovated from the original 2 story barn originally used for working draft horses from the 1920’s.
Apart from the Summer seasons, we also compete in medium-goal and low-goal competitive polo in both USA and Argentina. Our Winter are specifically spent playing in the extremely competitive seasons in Indio, CA where we have been a long standing team and plan to be.
Team Owner & Player
Jennifer Luttrell Benardoni:
I am originally from Salt Lake City, UT. I got my start in horses from my mom, Claudia Luttrell who showed Saddlebreds and Arabians while I was growing up. I started showing Saddle Seat in my early teens, and while I loved it, having seen polo on tv and magazine I really wanted to try it! I got my chance when I attended Colorado State University.
From that first hit of the ball, I was instantly hooked and never looked back. After graduating with a BS in Equine Science, I moved to Denver and joined the Denver Polo Club. In 2004 I created the Cotterel Polo Team and started traveling to play polo all year long. In 2014 my husband and I moved our polo operation to our family ranch in Declo, Idaho.
Country
USA
Discipline
Polo
Current Horses
Too many to name, around 60 playing horses, plus our breeding/training horses. A little tidbit is that Stampede is the first mare from our program to come full circle. She started out as a homebred and is now in the playing string and one of Francisco’s favourites. She’s a FormaHoof horse and we have a video featuring her on our Social Media channels, @cotterelpolo and Cotterel Polo Farms @6S Ranch on Facebook.
Main Accomplishments In Your Equestrian Career To Date
Our biggest playing accomplishment so far was playing in and winning the 2019 Copa Zafiro in Canuelas, Argentina with the best polo player in the world, Adolfo Cambiaso. Jennifer’s biggest breeding accomplishment has been the ability to play the offspring of her favourite retired mares and to consistently compete with her playing stallions (currently the stud on the string, Misíl, who is as gentle as he is athletic and one of the most amazing minds I’ve she’s seen in a stud).
Talking To FormaHoof
FormaHoof
Who is your equestrian idol?
Cotterel Polo Farms
Hands down Adolfo Cambiaso. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the sport of polo that doesn’t consider him the idol, simply because he’s been the GOAT now for going on 3 decades. On top of his impressive playing and riding abilities, his endless knowledge of breeding and training is something to truly behold.
I believe he has won more Argentine Opens (the highest level of polo played the world) than any player in history. Not only does he have all the mallet tricks and field awareness, but his horses are simply second to none.
FormaHoof
How many team members are using FormaHoof?
Cotterel Polo Farms
As you can imagine, running a sport organization that requires such a vast amount of horses such as this (at least 6 per player, per game, more commonly 8-12) requires a whole village of people working perfectly in sync to get the strings of horses and players ready to compete.
That being said, each tournament we bring 4 players to the field and the players change depending on the tournament level (“’goal’ handicap”) with the staple players usually being Team Owner, Jennifer Luttrell Benardoni (0.5 goals, USA), and Ranch Manager, Francisco Benardoni (2-goals, ARG).
However, we do have a few players that have been with us for quite a while throughout the years. 5-goaler Santi Von Wernich, 5-goaler Tomas Reinoso (ARG), 5-goaler Tavi Usandizaga (ARG), 4-goaler Maximiliano Menini (ARG) 1.5-goaler Gabriel Saccullo (ARG), and 4-goaler Fran Rodriguez Mera.
Our horses are most certainly the most important members of our team. We have 10 horses currently applying the FormaHoof to their performance on the field but there are certainly no minor cogs in this Cotterel Polo Farms Operational wheel, including all of our amazing grooms, young horses, brood mares, studs, players, trainers, and managers alike.
Other than horses and players on the team, we must also mention our main Jennifer’s mother Claudia Luttrell (USA), Emilia Marie Soldivierr – Trainer/Photographer/Wife of Fran Rodriguez Mera (ARG), Ethan Russell Galis – Videographer/Social Media Manager (TX-USA), Doug Blumenthal – Videographer/Drone Pilot (CA-USA), Arturo and Antonio Sachs Avalos-full time groom, Sophie Sabin-full time groom (USA), groom Jose Saracho, (ARG), groom Facundo Fabrri, groom Gabriel Bracamonte, groom Fran Garcia Conde, wife of Maxi Moni Zambrana, groom/player Nacho Saenz, and groom Matias Diriz to name a few!
FormaHoof
How many cumulated years of riding experience has your team?
Cotterel Polo Farms
All of us have grown up riding horses before we could walk & talk. the cumulative number is probably close to 150 years.
FormaHoof
What made you choose your discipline?
Cotterel Polo Farms
Adrenaline. And of course the fact that it’s a team horse sport, that is really what sets this sport apart from other equestrian disciplines. Not to mention it requires a lot of horses all the time, which means we get to spend more time around the animals we love and hold dear.
FormaHoof
How many horses are in your team?
Cotterel Polo Farms
We take between 35 to 40 horses to the field for each game.
FormaHoof
What has been the team’s first int’l event?
Cotterel Polo Farms
The 2019 Copa Zafiro, a 16-goal (med-high gfoal) tournament hosted by the La Dolfina Polo Club. The most winningest and highest recognized of polo organizations in the world, located in Cañuelas, Argentina.
FormaHoof
Which is the biggest sporting achievement for your team up to date?
Cotterel Polo Farms
Winning the Copa Zafiro!
FormaHoof
What are the teams sporting goals?
Cotterel Polo Farms
First and foremost, be safe and have fun. After that we are always trying to be better horsemen and women, better players, train better ponies and to leave absolutely everything on the field.
FormaHoof
Describe your team spirit in 3 words.
Cotterel Polo Farms
Camaraderie, enthusiasm, control.
FormaHoof
How did you come to FormaHoof and how do your horses benefit from FormaHoof?
Cotterel Polo Farms
Francisco Benardoni (Jenny’s husband) is our amazing ranch manager who discovered FormaHoof. Utilizing mainly thoroughbred type-y horses, we had some horses with hoof issues and he was constantly looking for something to try to keep them comfortable, which his always his number 1 concern.
He found the FormaHoof website and reached out to you to find a farrier who in our area who used the products. We met David from Diamond C Farrier Servies and showed him some of hoof issues we were dealing with. He was confident that our horses would thrive with this product, and he was right.
Horses that walked up lame, walked out sound almost immediately! The change was so drastic just in that first day, we knew we had found a truly special product. So far we have treated 11 horses ranging for things from laminitis to thin soles, and all are doing amazingly better.
Even more than the hoof results, we are see a change in the soundness of the muscles and tendons of the horses, because this product puts the hoof, skeletal structure and surrounding muscles all in the correct alignment, it allows the horses overall body to function correctly and at its physical peak.
Experience The FormaHoof Difference
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