Benjamin Araya is the brand new President of the Argentine Association of Polo, a position he inherited from Delfin Uranga following the elections during the meeting of the Board of Directors, on Wednesday May 28. He will serve from May 2025 to May 2027.
On his first day in office, Benjamin, who claimed the Argentine Open with Coronel Suarez three times, spoke to PoloLine about his feelings and what he expects of his prestigious position.
First of all, congratulations, Benjamin. What do you feel about being the new President of the AAP and stepping in the offices set at Palermo?
Thank you! I am very honoured and proud to be in this position. I am very much looking forward to working for all levels of polo – kids, ladies, amateurs, professionals. We’re at their disposal, waiting for new ideas, new projects, we are here to listen to everybody. We will work together to make polo even better.
In the interview we did prior to the elections, you said that you biggest wish was to give polo all what polo gave to you. How do you plan to make this possible?
Yes, that’s true. My idea is giving my grain of sand to polo; I’ve been into polo since I was a kind, because I love it. So I want to make it bigger, make a bigger polo family. Also, I want to participate in all the polo events in clubs, Pilar or Palermo. That’s the best – having the polo family back home.
How do you see the current level of polo in Argentina?
Polo in Argentina is much further with regards to the rest of the world and I mean on every level, kids, even ladies. Ladies polo had a significant and quick growth. Women were the leaders in the rest of the world, and today, the Argentine girls are playing better and better and they are very well organised. With regards to men, there are several remarkable tournaments, with sixty, eighty teams, as well as a very strong and competitive amateur polo that’s growing fast. Let alone professional polo. I should say that Argentina is currently leading all the levels. And our aim is to be side by side with them to help them growing. We are the mirror for polo in the world and we must be up to the task. We are the best, and we must be the best all the year; we will open doors for everybody to come here.
What are your thoughts on horses, in terms of innovation, breeding and genetics?
I think there embryo transfer marked a before and after. That allowed us to grow faster as breeders. Today we have foals that are playing with their mothers. Before that, it was impossible – a retired mare was able to have three or four foals, maximum; today, they are six or seven years old and they already have foals that are being tamed or even starting to play. About cloning, there are stallions and mares that have good clones, and others so so. But I think it’s a good way to preserve the genetics. In order to clone a stallion or a mare, breeding comes first; it’s impossible to clone without breeding, which, in my opinion, is crucial. The base of any good horse is the breeding.
What are your thoughts about the changes of the horses DNA?
I think it’s an issue that’s in safe hands – we are working jointly with the Argentine Polo Pony Breeders Association and the Argentine government. We are determined to adhere to whatever they decide. We are focused on polo, the sport; obviously the DNA is something we must work together, but I plan to leave it in safe hands.
How would you like to be remembered as the President of the AAP?
Good question. I would like to be remembered as a President who did put everything to make polo the best as possible. A President who’s committed to work every day for polo and someone who cared for everybody within the sport.
As a player, you won the Argentine Open, at Palermo, with your beloved Coronel Suarez, three times. Do you feel more pressure as the President of the AAP rather than when we played the finals at Palermo?
Honestly, the pressure is always the same, and it’s good, I am not scared of it. And to me, this is another match, a very important match indeed. When this match is finished, I will be able to say whether it was more important than winning the Open, or similar. I am starting to play this one.