The Villages - October 2016 - 16


cCabe feels most alive when she's playing
polo.
She loves riding the thousand-pound
thoroughbreds upward of 35 miles per
hour while her long, brown ponytail trails in the wind.
She loves the skill and athleticism of sending the
softball-size plastic ball flying at 100 miles per hour across
a field the length of nine football fields.
"I think polo is the ultimate sport," she said, although
she admits that to play, "You have to be a little crazy."
After all, it can be as dangerous as it is thrilling.
McCabe knows. About two weeks before her wedding,
she fell off a buckling horse and broke her shoulder.
But soon enough, she got back on the horse. Her injury
didn't deter her.
McCabe started off playing kids chukkers and still keeps
up with some of the friends she made as a child,
though they're spread out across the country.
Polo wasn't always a coed sport, and
McCabe is very aware of that.
It wasn't until 1972 that women even

16

OCTOBER 2016

were allowed to play in the United States Polo Association.
"For me, growing up, I didn't have a lot of women
playing," she said. "It can be intimidating."
That's why she especially finds it important to host the
Women's Championship Tournament.
The club is in its ninth year in a row of hosting a
qualifier for the tournament.
It's put on in honor of Sue Sally Hale, the first woman
polo player admitted to the USPA, who paved the way for
other females in the sport.
"I thank her now that I can play," McCabe said.
Today, women and men, young and mature players all
can play on the same team based on a handicap system.
Since The Villages Polo Club is open to any member
of the U.S. Polo Association, McCabe gets to play with a
variety of new faces each season.
She enjoys hosting guest players and is able to offer
them horses for rent through the club.
"Just bring your helmet and boots," she said.
Many players, in turn, host McCabe at their clubs and
barns when she travels the world to play.

Photo courtesy of Dave Boege

M

Playing the game



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - October 2016

Contents
The Villages - October 2016 - Cover1
The Villages - October 2016 - Contents
The Villages - October 2016 - 1
The Villages - October 2016 - 2
The Villages - October 2016 - 3
The Villages - October 2016 - 4
The Villages - October 2016 - 5
The Villages - October 2016 - 6
The Villages - October 2016 - 7
The Villages - October 2016 - 8
The Villages - October 2016 - 9
The Villages - October 2016 - 10
The Villages - October 2016 - 11
The Villages - October 2016 - 12
The Villages - October 2016 - 13
The Villages - October 2016 - 14
The Villages - October 2016 - 15
The Villages - October 2016 - 16
The Villages - October 2016 - 17
The Villages - October 2016 - 18
The Villages - October 2016 - 19
The Villages - October 2016 - 20
The Villages - October 2016 - 21
The Villages - October 2016 - 22
The Villages - October 2016 - 23
The Villages - October 2016 - 24
The Villages - October 2016 - 25
The Villages - October 2016 - 26
The Villages - October 2016 - 27
The Villages - October 2016 - 28
The Villages - October 2016 - 29
The Villages - October 2016 - 30
The Villages - October 2016 - 31
The Villages - October 2016 - 32
The Villages - October 2016 - 33
The Villages - October 2016 - 34
The Villages - October 2016 - 35
The Villages - October 2016 - 36
The Villages - October 2016 - 37
The Villages - October 2016 - 38
The Villages - October 2016 - 39
The Villages - October 2016 - 40
The Villages - October 2016 - 41
The Villages - October 2016 - 42
The Villages - October 2016 - 43
The Villages - October 2016 - 44
The Villages - October 2016 - 45
The Villages - October 2016 - 46
The Villages - October 2016 - 47
The Villages - October 2016 - 48
The Villages - October 2016 - 49
The Villages - October 2016 - 50
The Villages - October 2016 - 51
The Villages - October 2016 - 52
The Villages - October 2016 - 53
The Villages - October 2016 - 54
The Villages - October 2016 - 55
The Villages - October 2016 - 56
The Villages - October 2016 - 57
The Villages - October 2016 - 58
The Villages - October 2016 - 59
The Villages - October 2016 - 60
The Villages - October 2016 - 61
The Villages - October 2016 - 62
The Villages - October 2016 - 63
The Villages - October 2016 - 64
The Villages - October 2016 - 65
The Villages - October 2016 - 66
The Villages - October 2016 - 67
The Villages - October 2016 - 68
The Villages - October 2016 - 69
The Villages - October 2016 - Cover4
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