HydroMentia Polo Team Wins Charity Polo Tournament during Florida Horse Park’s Festival of the Horse

Ocala, Florida (April 2007) – In the Day at the Park Polo Charity Tournament on April 21, 2007, the HydroMentia polo team took away the trophy and raised some funds for local charities at the Florida Horse Park.

A total of six teams played polo during the tournament. Two teams played against each other that morning, followed by a lunchtime exhibition game that was geared toward the children in attendance. Finally, the HydroMentia polo team squared off against realtor Joan Pletcher’s team in the afternoon. Teammate Chris Gannon scored three goals on the Pletcher team by pulling a hat trick during the game. Brad Limehouse, a four goal player from Ocala, scored the winning goal in the last 30 seconds of the game, making the final score 12-11 HydroMentia. Margaret Rowell, who serves as the Director of Development for Florida Horse Park, estimates that 5,000 people came to the festival, while approximately 250 attended the charity game.

Some of the funds raised during the three-day festival are being used for the continued development of Florida Horse Park, which was created by the Florida Legislature in 1996 to recognize that the horse industry is a large part of Marion County’s identity. It now hosts national and international competitions, a show jumping classic, arena polo games, and charity events.

Additional funds raised from charity event will support Kids Central, Inc., which is a community-based care lead agency that transfers public child welfare services to the private sec- tor. It supports a network of organizations that provide adoption and foster care support services as well as support to community and business partners, caregivers, and troubled families.

The Day at the Park events were part of the Festival of the Horse, which was sponsored by many area businesses, including the W.M. Palmer Company/HydroMentia.