Founded in Baltimore in 2017, Charm City Youth Polo Club is an athletic and leadership development program engaging Baltimore’s youth in the sport of polo. Charm City Youth Polo Club was founded with one idea- to make polo accessible to all.

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Through a partnership between The City Ranch Inc., Baltimore’s premier equestrian non-profit, and Garrison Forest School, home of one of the nation’s most award-winning private school polo programs, Charm City Youth Polo integrates a dedication to empowering Baltimore’s next generation with the elegance, grit, and passion of competitive polo.

 

All polo lessons are taught by coaches who are former players with national reputations and awards who teach players strategy, riding and mallet techniques and care of polo ponies. Players practice at the Garrison Forest School campus in Owings Mills, led by Coach Cindy Halle, as well as the City Ranch farm in Woodlawn, led by Coach Randy Carrington.

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History

Coach Randy Carrington has been a volunteer riding instructor with The City Ranch since 2009 and has been a member of the Baltimore County Police Department for 30 years. In the workplace, Coach Randy experiences first-hand the struggles of area families and the stress it places on our youth. In the ring, he witnesses the transformative outlet of horses and their ability to unbridle confidence and foster leadership.

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Coach Cindy Halle is a renowned polo coach with a life-long commitment to the sport of polo. As head polo coach for Garrison Forest School, Coach Cindy led her teams to seven Women's National Interscholastic Championship titles and was awarded Polo Magazine’s Coach of the Year Award. She is respected nationally for her high standards of play, knowledge of polo, horsemanship and commitment to excellence in sportsmanship coaching.

 

In 2015 Coach Randy, after observing an urban youth-focused polo program in Philadelphia, approached Coach Cindy with an idea to expand polo to Baltimore’s youth. She saw the vision and committed to working to making the dream a reality. In 2016 Coach Randy approached the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks, who agreed to register the program as a community based sports & educational program.

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The Future

​The vision of Charm City Youth Polo Club is to develop competitive middle-school and high-school coed polo teams. By the end of the first session, the inaugural team will have the skills to participate in a showcase competition. By the end of the second session, the team will progress to inter-club play. Colleges in the mid-Atlantic and nationally offer polo scholarships- we hope to see Charm City Youth Polo alumnae go on to play in their college years and beyond.

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Sessions last 10 weeks and costs $850 including instruction, rider equipment (mallets and helmets), tack (saddles, bridles, etc.), and registration. All Charm City Youth Polo Club riders in the first session committed to the full cost of the program. The cost, while worth every penny, is prohibitive to many prospective riders. Charm City Youth Polo Club is seeking sponsorships for the Fall 2017 session.

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Please contact Charm City Youth Polo program director Randy Carrington by phone at 410-984-5566 or email at randallkc1982@gmail.com for more information about registration or sponsorship.