Sue Sally Hale’s heart pounded as she looked at the membership card in her hand. It had her name on it! After trying for more than 20 years, she was officially the first woman to be accepted into the United States Polo Association (USPA). Finally, she could play in USPA polo events without disguising herself and dressing up as a man.

On January 1, 1972, Sue Sally mailed an application to the USPA for herself and all the players in her club, the Sleepy Hollow Polo Club. She had submitted the same application since she was 15 years old. It was rejected every time. Until this year. 

Sue Sally’s First Official Polo Card (SSHALE.COM)

Sue Sally loved the sport of polo. She had played it her entire life. And she was good at it. After receiving her membership, she could finally play polo at the highest level. And she took every opportunity that came her way.

Many players protested Sue Sally’s inclusion in the USPA, however. She was upsetting the status quo and they didn’t like it. Sometimes, the opposing team refused to play if she participated. Other times, the players threatened her on the field. But Sue Sally refused to quit. Eventually, she realized that the men’s anger about her presence hurt their game — the angrier they got, the more mistakes they made on the field. And she was ready to take advantage of every one.

Sue Sally had to work harder because of her gender during her entire polo career. And she had to be tough — Sue Sally couldn’t give the men any reason to call her “weak.” A result, she played through some pretty significant injuries. In fact, she continued to play after her leg was severely injured in a match. The doctor diagnosed her broken leg immediately after the match ended.

First USPA Women’s Open Tournament Champions: Stormie Hale, Sue Sally Hale, Carolyn Anier, Sunny Hale, pictured with Joe Barry (The Stormie Hale Collection & SSHALE.COM)

Finally, the USPA held the first officially sanctioned US Women’s Open Championship in 1990. It was held on Sue Sally’s home turf — the Empire Club in California. It was a close match and went into overtime, but the Empire Team won the championship. For Sue Sally, it was a family affair. The Empire Team included herself and her two daughters, Sunny and Stormie (along with a fourth teammate, Carolyn Anier). Sunny Hale went on to become one of the best women polo players in the world. At one point, three generations of Hale women played polo together – for Sue Sally, it was a dream come true!

Sue Sally fought for equity in the sport of polo during her entire career. She wanted every person who loved the game to be able to play, regardless of their gender, race, or socioeconomic status. Back then, polo was an exclusive sport — available only to men who had the money to join an elite club. Her ultimate goal was to break through the “good ole’ boys network,” so that everyone who loved the sport could participate.

Sue Sally was particularly passionate about supporting other women polo players. She provided opportunities for women to play polo together, in both informal matches and non-sanctioned tournaments. She also recruited other women to join the USPA — by the time she died in 2003, over 500 women were members of the USPA. A fitting accomplishment for the “Grand Dame of Polo.”

The Power of the Wand

Sue Sally was determined to break the gender barrier in the exclusive sport of polo. And her actions have paved the way for women and girls to participate in all types of equestrian sports.  Shariah Harris was named the U.S. Polo Association’s National Interscholastic Player of the Year as a senior in high school. One year later, she became the first Black woman to play in a top-tier polo tournament at age 19. Shariah started riding at age 8, thanks to the Work-to-Ride program — a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that is dedicated to exposing at-risk youth to equestrian activities.

Her Yellow Brick Road

Horses were both Sue Sally’s passion and her career. She had a special bond with them. She rode nearly everyday. She trained horses. She taught riding lessons. She hosted summer camps for kids. She competed in many different equestrian sports. And she was a champion in events such as dressage, jumping, and steeplechase. But Sue Sally’s first love was polo.

Sue Sally Hale (sshale.com)

Sue Sally did whatever it took to make ends meet and be able to play polo. She supplemented her income from riding lessons and youth camps by working as a firefighter and EMT. She also boarded horses and took in rescue ponies. In fact, one of her favorite polo ponies was actually a mule — she rode her in tournaments to prove that you don’t need the most expensive horse to win. 

Since the USPA was a mens-only organization, Sue Sally had to create her own opportunities to play polo. She cleared a field at her hobby farm to use for practice and recruited other players to train with her. One thing led to another — she founded her own polo club, trained other polo players, and organized unofficial matches.

However, Sue Sally wasn’t welcome in official USPA tournaments simply because she was a woman. So she played in matches and tournaments disguised as a man for about 20 years (from the 1950s to 1972). She was usually listed on the team roster as “A. Jones.” She wore men’s clothing and put on a fake mustache. She even cut her long hair to make the disguise more believable.

Sue Sally’s teammates were behind her 100%. They had known her for years and trusted her as a teammate. She was a great polo player and that’s all that mattered to them. In fact, they rather enjoyed the deception — especially when Sue Sally took her disguise off and attended postgame parties as herself. They would all listen to players from the other team comment about how well “A. Jones” played. In fact, a player once asked Sue Sally if she had watched the match. She just smiled. He had no idea she had just been on the field playing against him.

Brains, Heart & Courage 

Sue Sally grew up surrounded by all kinds of animals. Her mom raised champion sheepdogs and Sue Sally loved to groom all 15 of them. Her mom also rescued any animal who needed help — macaws, goats, and a parrot. Sometimes, their house looked like a zoo!

Sue Sally went to her first polo game when she was only 10 days old. It was a family tradition — every Sunday, the whole family went to the Riviera Polo & Country Club and watched the polo matches.

Then, her father died when she was three years old. Her mother eventually remarried and her stepfather, Richard, was a stuntman in Hollywood. He taught Sue Sally everything he knew about horses. They rode together in the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains. Before long, Sue Sally rode her pony alone in the wilderness nearly everyday after school. She developed a deep bond with her pony and intuitively understood her different moods.

When she wasn’t riding her pony in the wilderness, Sue Sally spent most of her time on the Riviera polo grounds. She got to know the groomers and offered to help them take care of all the members’ horses. In exchange, they taught her the basics of polo, gave her tips on technique and strategy, and let her practice with them.

Sue Sally fell in love with the game of polo and wanted to play at every opportunity. She had to provide her own horses, however. A player usually rides 3-4 horses throughout a polo match, so the horses have an opportunity to rest. Horses were expensive, so Sue Sally saved her money and bought as many ponies as possible. Many days, she walked a caravan of her ponies to the Riviera polo Club for polo practice. 

Sue Sally’s big break came when she was 13 years old. A team at the Riviera Polo Club was one player short for a game. So the manager, Duke Coulter, asked Sue Sally to be a substitute. She was excited, but nervous. On the field, Duke kept shouting instructions at her. She thought that he was mad but misunderstood his intentions — Duke had noticed her talent and was trying to help her.

Duke Coulter offered to train Sue Sally as a polo player. He was her coach for the next 10 years and became a lifelong mentor. Because of Duke’s kindness, Sue Sally was accepted by the other players at Riviera and trained with some of the best polo players of her generation.

Glinda’s Gallery

Just the Facts

• Sue Sally was born on August 23, 1937 in Santa Monica, California. Her brother, Harold, was 13 years older than she. Her mom, Susan, was a ballerina. And her dad, Grover, worked in the movie industry. He eventually became a successful writer in Hollywood and was nominated for two Oscars. He died when Sue Sally was 3 years old. 
• Sue Sally was very athletic and excelled at every sport she tried. She played volleyball and swam in high school. In fact, she was such a good swimmer that she qualified for the Olympic trials. But she was committed to her ponies and the sport of polo. 
• Sue Sally graduated from high school in 1954. Then, she graduated from San Fernando Valley State College with a degree in illustration and cartooning.  She was also an EMT, volunteer firefighter, poet, artist and writer.
• Sue Sally married Alex Hale in 1957, when she was 20 years old. They had five children — Brook, Stormie, Dawn, Sunny, and Trails (she continued to play polo during all of her pregnancies). Then, they divorced in 1976. 
• All of Sue Sally’s children rode and showed horses. She also taught them stunts and they were featured in some movies. And she played polo with two of her daughters, Stormie and Sunny.
• Sue Sally was named as one of the 28 legends of polo by The Polo Magazine.
• Sue Sally played her last polo tournament when she was 65 years old. She died months later, on April 29, 2003. 
• In 2004, Sue Sally posthumously received the Iglehart Award from the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame. 
• Some of her polo artifacts are on display in the Women in Sports section of the National Museum of American History in Washington DC. 

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