NEWS

Story Courtesy of CLICKPOLOUSA.

Although born in Fort Worth, Texas, John Muse was in his mid-forties when he learned to play polo in England. After ten years, his career peaked when he won the Pacific Coast Open (PCO) three years in a row, playing alongside Adolfo Cambiaso.

“Growing up in Texas, I felt comfortable on a horse, but riding in an English saddle took a lot of getting used to. I have always been an athlete, including football, lacrosse and skiing. However, I always preferred team sports. With a heavy work schedule and a young family, it took me three years to develop any proficiency,” said Muse.

Taught by the legendary Howard Hipwood in England, by the time he returned to the United States, Muse was ready to take his polo to the next level. "In 2005, I started playing the medium goal with Andrés Weisz in Texas and Florida. By 2008, I was approached by Carlos Gracida and Andrés to play the high-goal season in California. Then in 2010, we played the high goal in Florida with Andrés Weisz, Pancho Bensadon and Luis Escobar, winning the Ylvisaker Cup.”

The next three years would be the most successful in Lucchese’s history. “Andrés approached Adolfo Cambiaso to put a team together for the high goal in California. Our first season was perfect, as we won every match. We went on to have three more successful seasons with Adolfo, winning the PCO for three consecutive seasons, the only three-peat in the 100-year history of the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Santa Barbara, California.”

After a successful run with Lucchese in California, John Muse decided to establish MW Breeding in Mar del Plata, Argentina, with his partner, former player Andrés Weisz, who is a native of that city.

“After purchasing Scott Devon’s string when he retired from polo, we approached Adolfo Cambiaso and Mariano Aguerre about two of my best mares, Rubi and Pandora. Mariano played both of these mares in the Argentine Open season. Having showcased the talent of these mares and gaining access to Mariano and Adolfo’s stallions, we had the beginnings of a small breeding business,” John Muse told CLICKPOLOUSA.

Almost ten years later, John Muse built a farm near Mar de Plata and produced over 60 offspring. He and his breeding company continue to experience positive results, having sold 10 of these horses to high-goal players and sponsors and five of them having played in the 2019 Argentine Open. They lent two mares to Matías Torres Zavaleta, as well as one each to Nachi Du Plessis from La Natividad and Polito Pieres from Ellerstina.

Besides being a very successful investment banker and having co-founded the hedge fund HM Capital Partners, John Muse is the Chairman of Lucchese, the historic and famous makers of boots. In 2015, John Muse also became President of the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Santa Barbara, California, where he still plays. Recommended by the previous three-year term president, Daniel Walker, and the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club nominating committee, Muse was acknowledged and selected for his business acumen, long-standing polo appreciation and contribution to polo, both on and off the field.