This is the news the polo community has been waiting for: Nico Pieres has recovered from the surgery he underwent by late 2021 following the heavy fall he suffered during the Hurlingham Open. He is ready, stick-and-balling, and he’s slowly working to get back into the flow of things.
“I’m doing well,” Nico Pieres told PoloLine in Wellington. “Two months have passed since I had surgery, and it has been three months since I last played polo. I’m feeling good, getting better everyday. I have stared training, feeling better physically and physiologically. I am riding a bit, taking it step by step, sticking and balling, too. I’m talking to doctors and trainers, and when my body is ready I will be able to set a date and make a comeback.”
“I knew I couldn’t take it for granted, and I never set a date to be back,” he continues. “I had the surgery, I went back to Argentina, took a holiday, and then as soon as the recovery weeks has passed, I came back to the USA for to see the doctor. They ran a scan to see how I reacted to the surgery and fortunately everything was fine. So I started training little by little. A month has passed from that moment, and I’m getting better. While I know that polo is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, I have to take it slowly. My body and my head will decide when I am ready to be back.”
The Ellerstina player is currently a member of the Coca-Cola team in order to play the Gauntlet of Polo in the US. Pieres is taking it slow, but he is confident. But mostly, he is extremely grateful for the remarkable support he has received from the polo community during his recovery. He was overwhelmed by the affection he received from friends and fans.
“A lot of people worried about me, and that’s when you realize that the polo community is big, but at the same time, very small,” says Nico. “We are all related, or friends. A lot of people – rivals, team mates from the present, from the past, people you don’t know much or people who you thought weren’t very connected to the situation – they all texted or called me, they came have mate at my stables, players from Ellerstina, La Dolfina, La Natividad, players from the teams of the Open, players from overseas. I’m very grateful to everybody, each of them contributed confidence and support; it was really tough for me, but they made it all much easier.”
The 2021 Argentine Triple Crown had an unexpected finale for Ellerstina, since they hardly played with the whole line-up. The three Pieres and Hilario Ulloa could only play six chukkas together, in the opening game of the Tortugas Open, when Ellerstina defeated Alegria. In the sixth chukka of that match, Hilario Ulloa suffered an injury and from then onwards they weren’t able to play together. When Ulloa was back to the saddle, Nico was already sidelined.
“Today I look back, and I’m really grateful for having the chance to be there, of being able to tell the story, of having surgery, and also to having the chance to play polo again,” says Nico. “This is what I can take as a positive from last year. Regarding Ellerstina, it’s difficult to talk about the season, due to everything I mentioned. So we think the fairest thing to do, for the team and for Hilario, is to give us another chance next season, and see how it goes. Many good teams have been put together, so it’s going to be a fun season, a competitive one. If we manage it well, we are going to have a good chances.”
Last but not least, and confident on what’s coming up next, Nico concludes: “Today, I am here, I am able to tell the story, and I’m lucky to be able to play polo again soon. Time will tell, and so will God. But I am really grateful to everyone, and hopefully I can be back on the field soon.”