Charity classic
photos by Kathy Hickling Photography | khicklingphoto.com
Polo took center stage recently at Rose Hill Plantation as the Rose Hill Equestrian Club hosted its inaugural match — the Spring 2023 Charity Polo Classic.
About 1,000 spectators attended the April 2 event at Rose Hill, which is home to one of the only traditional polo fields in the Lowcountry.
The Charity Classic was held in support of numerous charities.
The match’s primary beneficiary was Family Promise of Beaufort County. Secondary beneficiaries, the Parkinson’s Foundation of the Carolinas, Caring Neighbors in Bluffton, Saint Gregory the Great Catholic School, and John Paul II Catholic School, were added as a nod to Dr. Sandy Termotto and the causes he champions.
Dr. Termotto has been a Rose Hill resident since the 1980s and is a former polo player.
The equestrian lifestyle in Rose Hill has been growing more prominent with the formation of the Rose Hill Equestrian Club, led by its founder, Vannessa Weatherford.
The Rose Hill Equestrian Club has hosted small social and learning events since late 2019, and soon after, it set its sights on bringing polo back to the neighborhood on a regular basis.
This grassroots effort was a throwback to the days when Dr. Termotto, along with a few others, including the late H. B. Buck Limehouse, established the Rose Hill Plantation Polo Field as a welcoming venue for polo matches benefitting charities.
The Spring 2023 Charity Polo Classic revitalized the tradition. Event organizers Charlotte and Danny Hieronymus, Emily Termotto Trott, and Weatherford, along with other Club members, felt it was important to honor Dr. Termotto by campaigning to have the Rose Hill Polo Field dedicated to him at the inaugural match.
The game was also played in honor of the late “Buck” Limehouse, a dear friend of Termotto and a staple in Lowcountry polo. Limehouse’s sons, family and friends made up the two teams, with Brien Limehouse taking on the role of organizing their participation.
The Rose Hill Equestrian Club plans to hold two matches annually beginning in 2024, one in the spring and the other in the fall. The club will begin hosting polo clinics at dates to be determined.
For more information, visit rosehillequestrianclub.com.
