In the 1950s and "60s, he was a renowned polo player, handicapped at 6 Outdoors and 8 Indoors. In the 1970s and "80s, he was the club manager of the Meadowbrook Polo Club, the Blind Brook Polo Club, the Squadron A Armory Polo Club and the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club. The Herbie Pennell Cup is named for him.
He won the Indoor Twelve Goal in 1955, the Delegates and Monty Waterbury Cups in 1956, the United States. Arena Chairman’s Cup (formerly Arena 12-goal and Junior Championship) six times (1950, "55, "57, "63, "64, "65), three Senior Championships (formerly Class A) in 1952, 1956, 1957, the 1952 Inter-circuit Cup (Formerly 12-goal), and the 1948 Chairman’s Cup (Formerly 12-goal). In 2012, he received the Philip Iglehart Award from the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in Lake Worth, Florida.
