NEWS

Before he was 6 years old, V8 Piaget was playing in high goal on the polo fields of Pilar, Argentina; by 7, the stunning stallion was headed abroad to join the La Fe organization in Wellington, Florida. In 2023, both the men’s and women’s La Fe teams competed in the 22-goal, with the ladies leading the way and taking home the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship title. Remarkably, Piaget played in both tournaments and was Pamela Devaleix’s strategic sixth chukker mount in the final.

An 8-year-old Argentine stud out of GT Arandela and Dolfina Padre Nuestro, the 15.1 hand black stallion is so well-liked that an argument often ensues when deciding which La Fe member should have the competitive advantage of riding him. After seeing him compete in everything from 6-goal to 22-goal, it is easy to understand why. Playing this season in Wellington, Florida, until the end of April, Piaget is expected to return to Argentina this summer.

How did V8 Piaget become part of the La Fe string?
“Robi Bilbao got V8 Piaget from Santiago Chavanne. Piaget grew up on Robi's farm in Argentina which is called La Fe—that's how our team is named, after Robi’s farm. They didn't know if he had any potential. Ash Price, a good friend of mine and Robi’s, had seen him in a field…and told Robi, ‘That horse is going to be something special,’ and Robi kind of brushed it off. Now we all joke about it because today, he's one of the favorites in the organization.

Robi brought the horse from Argentina to the U.S. and played him a season here and that's when Louis [Devaleix] got to know Piaget. Louis fell in love with him. Not only because of the way he played—he's a phenomenal little horse on the field—but also his personality. He is a character. Louis ended up buying him from Robi. In 2023, I was trying horses for the U.S. Open Women's Polo Championship, and I had watched Piaget play. I love that style of horse; the really quick, light, agile, smaller size, more compact horse is what I get along with quite well. After watching him in a few games and practices, I had a feeling that he might be a good fit for me. I played him in a few of the Women's Open games and he was definitely one of my top horses, if not my top horse. When we had the final in 2023, Louis also had a final in Sarasota, the 16-goal final. We had to choose between who got to play Piaget that day. Louis lent him to me that day and I was able to play him in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open Polo Championship final.”

How does Piaget get along with your other mounts?
“He gets along well with all the other horses. Like I said, he's not aggressive or mean in any way, but because he had been doing live cover since he was a young age in Argentina, he's not one of those studs that we can take on sets with mares because he's accustomed to live breeding. Nonetheless, he is the horse that you can walk up to his stall and give him treats, pet and love on him—he's sweet as can be.”

What are some of Piaget’s career highlights?
“Last year, Louis played him in everything from the 6-goal to the 22-goal, in the U.S. Open [Polo Championship]. He does everything. They didn't want to burn him out, so they only used him for important games in those early matches, whether it be semis or finals. Then they used him for the entire Gauntlet.”

Where do you see him in the next few years?
“We would never sell him, but we are selling his breedings. Hopefully, he'll have some more babies on the field in five years.”

What makes Piaget unique?
“He’s one of the horses that I love. Robi and Louis fight over him all the time to see who gets to play him. So even though it's Louis’ horse at this point, through different games they'll pass him back and forth, which is fun to see. I never know going to the field who's going to have Piaget in their string that day. He's a hot commodity at the barn and everybody loves to play him. He's super light, super electric, super quick. I’ve played a handful of stallions and for me, this one is the lightest and quickest stallion that I've played before. He's not that big-bodied, but in terms of women's polo, for getting around, being quick, being agile…he's a 10 out of 10.”