Sterling Jones grew up on a horse ranch.
“I never knew anything other than seeing horses every single day of my life,” he says. “It’s not like I went and sought out horses—they were just always there. My entire family did stuff with horses in some capacity.”
In his early 20s, Jones left all of that behind when he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor. He found success, with credits that now include movies and television shows such as Barbie, Grey’s Anatomy, Found, Call Me Kat, and NCIS—among many others.
And randomly, yet perhaps fortuitously, his acting career brought him back to horses.
“I had been in a big movie called Lone Survivor,” he says. “Because of that, I was invited to a polo event, where I met Melissa Ganzi.”
Ganzi, one of the world's most renowned female polo players, noticed a photo of Jones doing a handstand on a horse—back from his horse ranch days—on his Facebook page and invited him to do a polo class.
“She was like, ‘If you can do that, you can play polo,’” he remembers.
He went and, as he says, “was bit by the bug.”
Now, Jones balances playing polo with his acting career—and both are thriving.
In fact, he’ll be in the Valley to play in The Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships: Presented by Talking Stick Resort on Sat., Nov. 4 at WestWorld of Scottsdale.
“I love the game so much,” Jones says. “It’s just so much fun.”
This now-12th annual event features star-studded teams from around the world. In addition to Jones, America’s top polo star Nic Roldan, the Ganzi family, Ricky Cooper, and more will be on the field. This year’s lineup includes teams from Texas, Wales, New Orleans, PRIDE USA, USA Women’s All-Star team, Aspen Valley, and two teams from Arizona.
It also includes events such as the Canine Couture Fashion Show and The World’s Longest Catwalk Fashion Show. There will also displays by Barrett-Jackson, Bentley Scottsdale, and more.
Riot House Polo DayClub and Grimaldi’s Pizzeria Disco also return this year, as does the Million Dollar Mingle organized by former NFL star AC Caswell.
