For the love of Polo

Besides being a horse lover with a passion for polo, 31-year-old Juan Ignacio Cilea—Juani for short— is an exquisite equestrian sketch artist. He resides in Buenos Aires, in his family home and is one of three triplet brothers.

What inspires him to draw horses is the love he feels for them; he tends to every detail and every stroke so that it is the best possible. His greatest source of inspiration for this Argentinean polo amateur is his family, because they are the first to give their words of encouragement, correct him and give him the critical eye that is often difficult to find.

His love for polo is for the union of the horse and the player; he believes that the skill of both and the adrenaline of the matches make it something very exciting to watch and share with family and friends. His favorite team is La Dolfina. He considers the 2011 team composed of Adolfo Cambiaso, Pablo Mac Donogh, Jean Martin Nero and David “Pelon” Stirling, which won the Triple Crown (Tortugas, Hurlingham and Palermo) the best team ever in the history of polo.

He usually shares quality time with Federico, one of his brothers who also shares the same love as Juani for polo; they always surround themselves with those who follow this same sport.

Their favorite events to attend are the Triple Crown and between the three best tournaments, Juani’s favorite it is Palermo because it is like the polo world cup. The final of Palermo is the best match—the best polo with the best players of the world.