Puffa - Charity Polo Tournament

Puffa- winning polo and the fight against Strangles

Despite the windy conditions, hundreds of people turned up to Puffa Strangles charity polo tournament at Sussex Polo Club on Sunday 10th August.

Champagne was flowing, and picnics were out as spectators were treated to an afternoon of thrilling polo action, including ladies’ and children’s matches. The men’s match was the most anticipated of the day, with local celebrity player Tarquin Southwell playing for Puffa. The men’s Puffa team won after beating Cowdray Park in the final. Also competing at the event, were the locally based junior polo team who have just won the UK Pony Club Championships.

In between the exciting play, there was lots of shopping activity at the Puffa stand, with leading local retailer, Frogpool manor, who were there kindly supporting the event.

At the start of the afternoon, Puffa’s Managing Director, Neil Farrar, proudly handed over a cheque for £10,000 to Andrew Simmonds from the Animal Health Trust. This amount has been raised from the sale of limited edition Strangles Puffa polo shirts, with £2 from the sale of each one going towards the Strangles fund. 

Puffa’s VIP guests had the opportunity to bid for a private polo lesson with Jodie Kidd, with other fantastic prizes also up for grabs. The auction prizes raised an additional £1000 on the day, and money is still being counted from ticket sales.

All proceeds raised from the event will go towards the Breaking the Strangles Hold campaign, a joint initiative between The British Horse Society and the Animal Health Trust. (AHT) The campaign has already raised well over half of its £250,000 target, and has allowed AHT scientists to develop a blood test to screen for the disease prior to competitions, sales or movement. The rest of the money is needed to help create and produce a vaccine to eradicate Strangles for good.