Why did Nacho Figueras choose a barn for a home? A look inside the polo legend’s private world

The day begins before sunrise. At 5:30am, grooms feed the horses, then send them to the covered exercise track for an hour of walking and trotting. Horses are rinsed and checked, legs are cooled, and tack is cleaned. If there’s morning practice, ponies are saddled for chukkers at ten or 11. By eight most mornings, Figueras arrives, drinks maté with the team, then rides a few young prospects. There’s a compact gym, a Pilates studio, even a cold plunge tucked behind a wall.

But the real heart of this place is family. His wife, the beautiful and statuesque photographer and entrepreneur Delfina Blaquier, is a constant presence. They have four children: Hilario, 25, Aurora, 20, Artemio, 15, and Alba, 12. All ride, all play, all speak horse as a first language.

Figueras started playing polo at nine. His love for horses came next, followed by an obsession with breeding. But playing alongside his children added a dimension he didn’t know existed. He laughs about learning to offer fewer opinions with each child.

“What matters most is that this passion keeps everyone together in the barn,” he says. “That’s the ultimate luxury.”

Watching his two sons’ desire to become professional polo players is a new chapter of wonder. The shared language of horses creates bonds that transcend the usual parent-child dynamic. When they’re in the barn together, they’re not just family—they’re teammates, horse people and bearers of a tradition they’re building together.

This daily gathering around horses is intentional. Figueras could base his family in London or Palm Beach, where much of polo’s elite migrates each year. He chooses Argentina with deliberate pride. The country fills him with purpose and clarity. For horse people, he says, this is heaven. Keeping his children rooted here, connected to the land and the culture that shaped him, is one of his proudest achievements.

Figueras calls polo Argentina’s gift to the world. The Pampas made it possible—open land, horse culture, fine weather and a century of British influence created an ecosystem that breeds excellence. 

The sport around him has changed and technology has widened the audience. Matches that once seemed locked within elite circles now stream to phones worldwide. His collaboration with Prince Harry on a Netflix series introduced polo to viewers who might never have set foot on a field. Insiders had opinions about whether the series captured polo’s essence. Still, Figueras focuses on the many people who discovered the sport through the show—from Uber drivers in distant cities to families who now watch Sunday matches. That, to him, is progress.

Style gave him an early platform. As the face of Ralph Lauren campaigns, Figueras became a symbol of a modern gentleman: athletic, elegant and understated. He accepts it as a responsibility. If strangers meet polo through him, he wants them to see what he loves about it—horsemanship, teamwork, the partnership between man and horse that humbles even the most gifted.

Talk of the future doesn’t summon a serious tone. He’s not stepping back. His competitive fire evolves, but his energy shifts toward building platforms that bring polo to new audiences—exhibitions, media projects, breeding programmes, community initiatives. Everything begins and ends with horses.

Legacy, for him, isn’t a trophy room. It’s a working farm that remains a haven for equine excellence. It’s a family that stays close because they share a language of care, craft and courage.

He wants his children to inherit more than trophies or property. “Kindness matters most,” he says. “Gratitude matters most. Please and thank every person you meet. Be good and be brave. The rest is theirs to write.” The Figueras family’s values of kindness and gratitude serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration, uplifting those who read their story.

For all the fame and high-profile friendships, his world remains simple. A barn at dawn. Maté is warming his hands. A young mare walking through the track, lunch around a long table with grooms, teammates, children and friends.

Horses show us that every achievement begins with patience, a lesson that resonates deeply for Figueras. This is precisely where he thrives—surrounded by family, nurturing a legacy that will endure far beyond the fleeting nature of headlines.

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