Ratings Reform Required

 

Eyebrows were raised this month when Argentine pro Lucas Criado’s handicap was lowered from 9 goals to 8 starting in January. The plot thickens when you discover that he was the only high goal professional who’s rating went down after he played for the Chairman of the handicap committee last summer in California.

#3 Criado shares the stage with #1 Dan Walker- Handicap Chairman

 

Several questions remained unanswered:

Why was Criado lowered after he won the Silver Cup and the El Encanto Classic?

Why was Criado lowered after he won MVP in both of those tournaments?

Why was Criado lower when two of his horses were awarded Best Playing Pony?

 

This decision might suggest that the multimillion-dollar USPA seems to have lost sight of fairness in polo. Without a doubt it demands an answer from the powerful association that is supposed to be setting the standard for all of the, impressionable, young people they are trying to bring into the sport.