Sunny Hale

Sunset "Sunny" Hale (December 30, 1968, Carmel, California – February 26, 2017, Norman, Oklahoma) was a professional polo player and one of the few women to play on pro teams consisting almost entirely of men.^[1]

In 2000, she was on the winning team in the U.S. Open Polo Championship, becoming the first woman to do so.^[1] At the time of the 2000 championship, she outranked 96 percent of players in the world, including men.^[2]

Described as "the most famous female polo player in the world", Sunny was active in developing women's polo.

Sunny's mother, Sue Sally Hale, competed as a polo player in the 1950s and '60s disguised as a man and is credited with breaking the gender barrier in the sport.^{[3] [4]}

Sunny Hale was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2012.^[5]

Death

Sunny Hale died at age 48 from complications from breast cancer on February 26, 2017.^[6]

References

1. Fabrikant, Geraldine (December 10, 2013). "On Horseback, Mallet in Hand, Breaking Barriers for Women". New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
2. Howley, Elaine (5 May 2011). "Sunny Hale Rules the Game of Queens". espnW. ESPN. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
3. "Sue Sally Hale". The Guardian. 22 May 2003. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
4. Goldstein, Richard (5 May 2003). "Sue Sally Hale, 65, a Pioneer in U.S. Women's Polo, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
5. Braschayko, Karen. "Dream Jobs: Professional Polo Player Sunny Hale". Equitrekking. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
6. "Sunny Hale, top-ranked polo player of peerless style and audacious speed, dies at 48". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 2, 2017.