Francesca Finato

Originally from Palo Alto, Fran,known to friends as “Frenchie”,began her polo career grooming for local players at Menlo Polo Club. She attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and played on the women’s intercollegiate team for three years.

After college, she pursued construction management, but polo called her back. Working with Erik in Menlo Park, Indio, and Burbank, she learned how to run a club, teach new and experienced players, and fine-tune horses for optimal play.

Fran founded South Bay Polo Club in 2012 and grew it into a home for lessons, clinics, arena and outdoor polo, and NYTS tournaments. In 2015, she launched South Bay’s USPA-sanctioned Interscholastic Open and Girls teams,helping establish a durable competitive pathway for middle- and high-school players in Northern California.

In addition to being a USPA Certified Polo Instructor, Fran is a certified umpire for both outdoor and arena polo. Her leadership combines strong club management with hands-on teaching, coaching, and horse development.

Under the program she built, South Bay teams have competed through the USPA Western Region and advanced to the Open National Interscholastic Championship. In 2023, the team won the Western Regionals and reached the semifinals of the national tournament, falling only to eventual national champion Houston. At the 2026 national championship, South Bay player Jens Lermusiaux received the Horsemanship Award,national recognition for the standards of riding and horse care at the heart of Fran’s program.

Polo runs deep in Fran’s family: her great-great-uncle L.C. Smith was a founding member of Eldorado Polo Club. Growing up beside player Wes Linfoot and riding through Pony Club gave her the horsemanship foundation that would eventually shape her career.