30th Annual PACE Polo For Heart

Richmond Hill, ON – Experience the thrill of polo during the 30th Annual PACE Polo For Heart Festival June 19, 20 and 21 at Gormley Polo Centre in Richmond Hill. Everyone is invited to see North America’s top polo players and horses take to the turf twice daily for three afternoons of non-stop action and entertainment. Pre and half-time shows, along with an after-game mix and mingle with riders and horses complete this activity-filled country afternoon that the whole family will enjoy.

Doors open daily at 11:30 a.m. with the main attractions taking place from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The popular K-9 Performing Dog Team kick-off the show followed by the Polo Pony – Mercedes Benz Parade and national anthem led by a colour-flag rider on horseback. Guests on Sunday will also be treated to the Toronto Kite Flyers’ exotic kites soaring over the 10- acre pristine polo park from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, and a dove release prior to the first game. It will be “game-on” at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. when polo’s top players and their mounts including several international riders take to the field for two matches of world class polo.

A special half-time performance by the Canadian Cowgirls commemorates Polo for Heart’s 30th Anniversary year. This elite rodeo-style precision drill team from Chatham-Kent, Ontario has dazzled audiences all over North America with their dangerous and daring maneuvers on horseback.

Guests will be invited onto the field for the traditional half-time “Champagne Divot Stomp”. Divots – clumps of dirt kicked up by galloping horses – are stomped back into the ground between games while guests socialize on the field and enjoy a glass of ‘bubbly’. Members of the Descenders Para Club will then make a thrilling descent onto the field amidst the crowd!

There is also plenty of action off the field. Guests are invited to bring a themed picnic or wear a “pretty hat” to become eligible for the daily Best Picnic and Best Hat contests. Dozens of boutiques exhibiting gifts, accessories, jewelry and equine products will line the north side of the field. Also on site will be the popular Mallet Lounge Food Court, “Art Walk” with local artists’ work on display, live entertainment, Sony Centre offering free photos, miniature pony collection, face painting and pony rides. Everyone is invited to mix and mingle with the horses and players after the game.

Polo For Heart began in 1979 by Col. Michael Sifton, a member of the Toronto Polo Club, who helped raise $25,000 that year for the Heart Action Committee. The event has since grown in scope and size and attracts thousands of visitors each year. Over 100 volunteers work to present this unique event which has raised nearly $4 million to date for Heart & Stroke related charities.

PACE Polo For Heart is conveniently located at the Gormley Polo Centre, 13404 Leslie Street, just south of Bloomington Road in north Richmond Hill. Tickets are $15 per person with children under 12 admitted free. There is plenty of complimentary parking. All proceeds go towards the Heart & Stroke Foundation, and electrophysiology lab in the Regional Cardiac Care Program at Southlake’s Regional Cardiac Care program. For more information and directions visit www.poloforheart.org.