Firth Cowboy Named To U.S. Polo Association

A born-and-bred Firth man is receiving national attention for his play on the polo field.

The ?hockey on horses? sport is still growing in the United States, and Lucas Reid is one of the latest young talents to be named a member of the U.S. Polo Association, or USPA.

?C?mon bud,? said Reid, leading a horse on his father?s Firth farm.

Horses have always been a part of Reid?s life. He could ride atop four legs before he could walk on his own two.

(I) grew up on a family farm, fifth generation farmer,? said Reid.

These days, the 22-year-old is doing a different kind of riding: The competitive polo field is a stark contrast to the calm Firth landscape.

?The first time I held a mallet in my hand riding a horse, I fell in love with the game,? said Reid.

In September, Reid was selected as a member of the USPA.

That means he?s in a fraternity-like pool of about 40 players. They?ll practice together and the best will represent the U.S. at international competitions.

Reid remembered every detail about the early morning phone call that changed his life.

?And I just like instantly went from sleepy to, ?Holy crap! Are you kidding me right now??? said Reid. ?And it was just one of those very surreal moments where I went crazy.?

But get this: Reid?s only been playing for 3 years.

When he walked onto campus at the University of Idaho in 2007, he?d never even heard of polo.

Yet he captained the school?s very first team his sophomore year, and as a junior, led the Vandals to the national tournament.

?You learn really quick because the game just flies,? he said.

His horsemanship, on the other hand, has been a lifetime in the making.

Polo players change ponies each seven-minute period. And when on-the-road, they ride horses with only a minute?s-worth of knowledge about them.

?The horse is 90 percent and you?re the other 10,? said Reid.

Reid?s been perfecting that ten percent since he set his sights on the USPA.

He joined an outdoor club in Spokane, reached his one goal handicap, and in his chicken scratch engineer-to-be handwriting, drafted a mandatory letter about why he should be on the team.

He wrote about where he came from.

?Everything I could possibly do in order to make this happen, I did,? said the cowboy turned polo star. ?It just comes back from my background and how hard I work.?

When Reid earns his Masters of Science in mechanical engineering this spring, he?ll get to postpone the real world a little while longer.

?(I) plan on pursuing it a couple of years and see how far it goes,? he said.

Then he wants to come home to Reid Valley in southeastern Idaho, and maybe even bring a polo club with him.

Reid officially became a member of the USPA on Jan. 1. He will meet the rest of the team in Florida in February, and then train with a handful of other members at a club in Wyoming over the summer.