I started playing polo when I was nine years old. I'm from Argentina, so in Argentina polo is more of a common thing. We have a lot of horses and a polo tradition and it's something that goes from generation to generation.
Nacho FiguerasA friend of mine had this idea a few years ago. We thought it would be a great way to promote the sport and to put polo in front of a lot more people in an unexpected place: the romance novel. There's a lot of people that care about those kinds of stories, especially women, and it would help people to know what the polo life is all about. It's not just what you see in the newspapers or on Pretty Woman. There's a lot more to it: the time spent in the barn, how much we love the horses, the relationship with the horses and with the family, etc.
Nacho FiguerasI also believe that using polo as a platform to give back is a very humble way to position this sport, because people sometimes look at this sport as a little bit snobby. So I love to use polo as a platform to help.
Nacho FiguerasCharity is another passion of mine and I think it's important to give back. I'm a lucky guy, I've had a great life, I have a great family. I'm very blessed that way, so I believe in giving back a lot.
Nacho FiguerasI'm honored and I think the relationship with Ralph Lauren brand has been so long because it goes beyond the face or the guy. I don't feel that I'm a model at all, because I'm not. I'm a professional polo player that endorses a clothing company.
Nacho FiguerasOne out of four kids in Lesotho has AIDS, and the idea of the charity is to help the children first fight the stigma of living with HIV and then teach them how to live with it and survive and get an education so all these children can have a normal life. When you're changing the life of so many kids - one out of four is a big number - you change the direction of an entire nation.
Nacho Figueras