A Week in my Dubai Polo Life
The week here in Dubai starts on Sunday, so whilst my Instagram feed is full of cozy images of lazy #sundaze and polo antics, I am in fact at my desk by 8 am and have a full inbox screaming at me. Sundays always just pass by in a total haze of busy. So many e-mails, meetings and plans and just a long to-do list to get the week going. Some day I will tell you guys exactly what I do in a day (it will be a very long post). They should change my job title to Social Media and Marketing Executive ETC. haha
This particular Sunday was extra busy as we had the Julius Baer Gold Cup press conference and live draw the next day, so the final details had to be reviewed and finalized.
#MondayMotivation !! I started my day at 5.45 am and there are only two things that will get me out of bed that early: a flight and POLO. At 6.30 I was Stick and Balling on Birra. It was freezing and I was wearing 3 layers and reminiscing on UK summers, ha! I was just chilling, trotting around like I didn’t have a care in the world. Then Alejandro came and told me it was time to gear it up a notch and made me canter. Whenever I haven’t ridden in a while (3 weeks) I feel uneasy when I am back in the saddle and I get scared. I am really annoyed with this, but can’t seem to shake it off. Eventually I force myself to ‘just do it’ and the adrenaline takes the place of the fear and it’s all good again. I was feeling cold, but as I cantered down that field, I felt a sudden fire light up in my chest and flow through my veins in such an electrifying manner, it really is no mystery why this sport is so addictive.
Pretty sunrise between pony ears
Always need a #horsefie
After riding I had to rush home, shower and get ready for the Julius Baer Gold Cup press conference, which you can read about here.
Tuesday – The Polo Masters Cup started, a 14 goal handicap tournament with 5 teams competing. It is quite chill, especially after all the hectic polo days of the McLaren Cup. I played catch-up with all my e-mails and suddenly realized that our big Mitsubishi Horse and Hound Show is next week and I am somehow the one in charge of getting vendors for the Shopping Village and food trucks (along with a bunch of other random things which have nothing to do with social media and marketing, but oh well someone’s got to do it). At night Habtoor Polo hosted a BBQ dinner at Andreea’s at Habtoor Grand. It was cold, but luckily I have all my winter clothes from Denmark, so I layered up and wore boots, everyone teased me at the beginning, but after a while they were all draped in blankets and cursing the wind chill. It was a lovely evening of mingling and sharing polo stories.
Habtoor Polo Dinner at Andreea’s
Photo by Dorian Blond
The Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series crew at the Habtoor Polo Dinner at Andreea’s
Photo by Dorian Blond
The Argies, Tommy Iriarte, Juan Zubiaurre, Fran Elizalde and Nico Pieres feeling cold in Dubai (I was wearing cashmere, fur and a big wool coat #prepared #YesIamDanishButIamAlsoBrazilian)
Wednesday – Got another food truck onboard for the Horse and Hound, spammed people on Facebook (sorry, not sorry) and went home during my lunch break for a quick bite. It really is very convenient to live 4 minutes away from the club. And felt very proud of myself that I actually made it to the gym AND I did not eat any chocolate today, #WednesdayWin !
Thursday – More Polo Masters action and lots to do in the office. Next week we have our second Horse and Hound Show, sponsored by Mitsubishi – Al Habtoor Motors. It is a great event and people really enjoyed it last time, since then it has grown and we have more partners and more activities going on. So a lot of planning and organizing goes in to it and I need to make sure that every dog and/or horse owner in Dubai knows about this event.
Friday – “Friday’s are for polo!” Here in Dubai the weekend is Friday and Saturday, so every Friday we have some polo activities going on and usually also a big brunch on the terrace of the hotel overlooking the field. This Friday we had a Polo Academy Match (I really need to improve my skills and join in on those chukkers). This was followed by a practice match, which casually was between two 18 goal teams with two of the best players in the world – Nico Pieres and Pablo Macdonough – on either team. Then a Polo Masters Cup match between Mahra and Wolves. The atmosphere on Friday’s is so lovely, it’s great seeing people bring their picnic setups or just a blanket or beach towel and hanging out on the sidelines. I do love the fancy schmancy polo experiences with champagne and white table cloths, but tailgating and feeling the grass between your toes is also one of my favourite things in this world.
Saturday – My day off, which I spent getting some more decorative things for my apartment. Philippa Davin took some amazing pictures of me and my boy Rocco this summer, and I am getting them printed in large scale, I will show you guys once they are up. I am also in the process of making a collage wall with great memories. So the day went by with the general to-do’s and a lot of time in malls, yes several of them, you would be surprised at how many malls are in this city and each one bigger than the next. The evening I blocked off for relaxation, a bit of yoga, some netflix for a laugh and a book before bed. I just started Isabel Allende’s La Casa de los Espíritus. I read it once in high school, but now re-reading it in Spanish to help refresh my language skills. Hanging around all these polo Argies I need to know what they are saying, even though I am sure this book does not have all the slang they use.
Can’t wait to get this beauty up on my wall, by Philippa Davin Photography
So that was my week, it went by in a flash and now it is Sunday again and I am having my morning coffee. The new week starts. Let’s see what’s in stock for it, follow along on my Instagram account.
