Woman of polo Sayé Yabandeh is a woman of the world. The Iranian-born award-winning actress spends a majority of time juggling her Hollywood career with her global humanitarian work. However, when it comes to how she enjoys spending her extra time, her eyes turn to the polo field.
As a child, she saw many beautiful old paintings of Iranians in their traditional ancient costumes playing the sport of kings. She recalls seeing these valuable paintings on the walls and in old poetry books that date back to 1546 AD. Getting lost in the beauty of those colorful paintings, Sayé began imagining herself playing polo at a young age.
She first held a mallet in 2015 while living in California. “I learned to ride and play polo at the same time. And after the first time, there was no going back,” she proudly says.
As many have heard from other polo players, Sayé also describes the sport as addicting. When it comes to opportunities to learn and improve her skills, she credits The Polo School in Wellington, Florida, founded by the Ganzi family, as an excellent resource to learn and play before investing in horses.
Fellow polo player Juan Bollini has given her some great pointers that she often refers to, reminding her that the sport of kings (and queens!) needs to be played with dignity and strength.
Since joining the sport, she has participated in numerous charity matches worldwide. One of her favorites is the celebrity polo match during the World Snow Polo Championship in Aspen, Colorado, which helped raise funds for the Aspen Valley Hospital. She also enjoyed playing at the Breast Cancer Fundraising Tournaments in the United Arab Emirates.
Sayé understands that polo can be a full-time activity, but her current schedule only allows her to enjoy it when she can. Outside polo, she manages her non-profit organization, Saye ORG, to help the children and families living in underserved areas worldwide. She also has a talk show, The Miss Sayé Show, which broadcasts on Chukker TV.
Having a busy schedule doesn’t stop her from maintaining her physique for polo. Her favorite activity for training is yoga. During the winter season, she goes to Aspen a week ahead of the snow polo tournament to practice her stick and ball at the Aspen Valley Polo Club.
“On the day of the event, it is pure excitement!” Sayé exclaims. The World Snow Polo Championship is her most favorite polo event. One reason may be because it led to the most meaningful time of her life.
Her fairytale romance blossomed during a snow polo season a couple of years ago, where she met her now-fiancé at the St. Regis hotel lobby. She is the one who introduced him to the sport of polo. One year later, they returned, and he proposed on their way to Aspen in a private jet. The couple announced their engagement on the field during the Celebrity Snow Polo Match.
The celebrity match is more of an exhibition and a fun time, not a full-on competition, which takes the pressure off of Sayé and the other players.
When she scores a goal, her excitement is visible from the edge of the field—as Sayé is known for swinging her mallet in the air while sporting her notorious lion-painted helmet. She has even been described as Tarzan during her winning moments.
Sayé hopes other women will become inspired to pick up a polo mallet and play in the male-dominated sport. She believes that it’s a great way to discover the beauty of Aspen. Besides, the World Snow Polo Championship is the only snow polo tournament in the United States. “It is well-organized and star-studded all around, in and out of the field,” she describes.
“I always encourage women to at least take a lesson and experience this beautiful sport. It would be lovely to see more women polo players across the field,” Sayé ends.
