The dreaded African Horse Sickness (AHS) that ravages stables in the northern part of the country has hit the bull’s eye in Kaduna forcing the postponement of the Emir of Zazzau African Patrons Polo tournament and the prestigious Kaduna international polo festival.
Already, both polo fiestas that have suffered two postponements since the outbreak of the deadly sickness that kills horses within days of infection, have again been put off indefinitely as efforts at containing the AHS by stakeholders are yielding slow results as the tournament’s dates approaches.
We can report that the African Patrons polo extravaganza that is held annually at the Fifth Chukker Polo & Country Resort in Kaduna that was earlier scheduled for October 21 but shifted to the second week of November, has been postponed indefinitely.
A statement issued by the organizers, Fifth Chukker Polo & Country Club confirmed the latest shift, stating that a new date for the continental polo fiesta that also creates awareness against the Breast Cancer pandemic, would be communicated to all participating teams and stakeholders.
“It is evident that a highly fatal strain is circulating endemically. Collectively, we need to prioritize safeguarding our treasured horses at this moment in order to continue enjoying the usual safe polo experience.”Evening Roundup: Stories making waves in The Nation – The Nation0:03 / 1:00
“On this sad note, we would like to inform you all that the 2024 Emir of Zazzau African Patrons Cup polo tournament series is hereby suspended indefinitely to protect the health & welfare of our beloved horses,” the release stated.d=369
The African Patrons debuted in 2004 as African Masters, but was re-launched in 2008 as African Patrons Cup. In 2011, it added the Pink Hope polo as a platform to support the Breast Cancer Awareness Movement in Northern Nigeria.Related News
African Patrons Cup remains a most significant addition to Africa’s international polo calendar, being the first exclusively corporate polo championship in the continent where several chief executive officers lead the charge for their respective company teams-making it a truly corporate challenge.
A release from the Yakubu Ahmedu Polo Club House said the grand event earlier fixed to thrill from the first week of November but moved forward to November 21 – 30, 2024 due the AHS pandemic, is off the cards.
A signed statement indicating that a new date would be announced as soon as the on-going quarantine of horses is successfully completed and practice resumes ahead of the prestigious polo fiesta that annually features all the biggest Nigerian polo patrons, the best of Nigerian players and foreign professionals across the world.
One of the veterinary experts urged patience on the part of participating teams, players and millions of polo buffs, insisting that since the AHS generally has an incubation period of two weeks, the recommended four weeks of quarantine should be observed to the letter to save the lives of horses that give the game of polo its special uniqueness.
“We all were looking forward to another thrilling polo moment at Fifth Chukker and crown it at the Murtala Square here in Kaduna but the AHS outbreak has thrown the spanner on that optimism,” the Vet Doctor declared.
He added that all is not totally lost, insisting that once the quarantine period is over those horses can come out and practice for tournament fitness, a new date will be announced by the organizers and Kaduna will bloom again with top class polo actions as the tradition has been for over a century now.