WE LOST A LEADER TODAY JOSEPH (( BUD )) Dardi
One of the nicest Men on this Planet he was without a doubt one of the most well-known and popular Players on the West Coast and known World Wide for being a super tough Patron and as one person said a real warrior of the game . Bud was not a big Guy and never Loud or mean just an even flow no matter winning or losing but you knew he was never happy with losing, He loved his Horses and made many of them and played them from 0 goal to 20 goal he was game to get it on . So damn tough you thought he was high steel worker. I saw him hurt many times in cast, wheel chairs ,crutches and once with his jaw wired shut and that time I knew he was double tough he broke his jaw on a Wed. game in the 12 goal which put us in the finals with one other game to play and he sat down on Fri. We lost our first game of that season and were all talking about finals and Bud came up and said sort of with no Jaw “ I am playing in the Finals. We all thought yes maybe a chukker or less well this was when I knew he was quietly maybe the toughest Man I knew he played as hard as anyone and never said anything and we won easy and still had Champagne with a straw at the Trophy Table, it was one of the best moments of my life we won and we had my son about 2 weeks old in the trophy Cup.
Bud was not only tough and a player he was genuinely a hell of a good person. He helped People out no matter the problem best he could and it was almost all they needed. He was one of the Leaders in Ca. Polo being involved with every big club, start of Santa Rosa , Santa Barbara when it needed a lot of help, Eldorado when it started and San Diego when it opened its doors . He was one of the oldest active members of The Rancheros in the San Ynez Valley, a main man in the Sonoma Trail Blazers and the Frontier Boys all huge Men’s riding groups winner many times in the California Distance riding and 100 miles’ ride. Once rode 100 miles in 11 hours and 18 minutes to set a record.
Bud was also involved in the young Polo program always lending horses and money to Pee Wee Polo all the way to FIP and even did timing and horse checking at several of the World Cups he also spent 2 weeks in 98 helping put the World Cup on in Santa Barbara and as a Person all the Wives loved him and the children as well he always knew their Names and had MacDonald’s sticker for them as this was his real-life business in No California. Bud came out of Santa Rosa with a bunch of Polo people who we all knew of Mac Jason, the Little Giant Henry Trione, Jack Conant, Pete Gillman, Vic Graber and several others but they made Polo in No Ca. I am not sure how Bud got into Polo growing up where he did but I am sure as hell glad he did , if there was ever a MAN who meant what he said in was BUD DARDI and you could take it home with you . Bud joins most of his Wild Bunch up there it the Big gates and they should have a very good time . Bud lives on at the Polo fields as many of his Horses are still playing Jason has 2 Redhead and Dardi and Dardi is a star @ IPC . Bud leaves a lot of Women behind both related and past Wives but it was a HELL OF A RIDE! Gone but not forgotten .
SO, LONG MR DARDI