Donovan Stratemann fell at Santa Clara Polo Club outside Wellington during a match at about 3:30 p.m., Thursday when his horse collided with another player's mount.
He was flown to a hospital by Trauma Hawk to Delray Medical Center, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said. It's unclear if he was still alive when the helicopter arrived.
BREAKING: Polo player, 17, dies after fall from horse during match https://t.co/iZNfXsw1DV pic.twitter.com/HvRjl9ksUy
— The Palm Beach Post (@pbpost) February 17, 2017
The polo community is mourning, said George DuPont, the executive director of the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame on Lake Worth Road.
"It's always a tragedy when you lose anybody," DuPont said. "People are horrified and saddened."
A moment of silence is planned for Stratemann at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony tonight.
Polo great Carlos Gracida died during a match in 2014 when he was thrown from his horse after another player accidentally hit it with a mallet. He was playing for Santa Clara at Everglades Polo Club.
Last year, Pony Express patron Bob Daniels died days after he was thrown from his horse during a match.
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