Our Team
Javier Tanoira
Javier is a former professional polo player and horse breeder with over 30 years of experience. Both he and his entire family have been closely involved with polo in Argentina and around the world. At the same time, he is very familiar with the dynamics of meatpacking plants and the horse meat marketing chain in our country, which is why he decided to create Santuario Ixobel on his farm in Daireaux, Buenos Aires to offer another alternative for horses that have finished their sporting careers, as well as to raise awareness among the polo community and promote the humane treatment of horses at all stages of their lives.
Francisco Munarriz
Toji was born in 1972 in Daireaux, Buenos Aires province. He graduated as a veterinarian from UNICEN (Universidad Nacional del Centro) in Tandil in 1997, and for 30 years he has run an embryo transfer center on the same farm where the Sanctuary operates. Both he and his wife and three children are great horse lovers and are deeply committed to our cause.
Inés Morikawa
Inés was born in 1984 in Buenos Aires, attended Santa María School, and graduated as a veterinarian from the Universidad del Salvador in 2008. She is a tireless fighter for animal rights. An active member of the Fundación Zorba, which rescues all kinds of animals from abusive conditions, she is also a veterinarian for the AACCP and a horse physiotherapist. She brings all her knowledge on the subject, her drive, and her desire to change reality and transform it into what we all want it to be to Ixobel.
Emiliano Espina
Emi was born in 1999 in Henderson, Buenos Aires Province. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Henderson, and then graduated as a veterinarian from UNICEN (Universidad Nacional del Centro) in Tandil in 2024. Emiliano has been working for two years at the Estancia Frontera Sur, where our sanctuary is located. Emi brings all the strength and drive of youth, and from the very beginning she has shown us her great commitment to this cause, willing to give her all to achieve this change in mentality regarding the survival of horses.
Tomás Antelo
Tomi was born in Buenos Aires and studied agricultural technology at the Universidad de Belgrano. For more than 10 years, he has been a leader in the breeding and marketing of polo horses in the province of Buenos Aires. Passionate about breeding and an expert in Argentine polo horse lines, he tirelessly travels around the country's fields and clubs looking for business opportunities, connecting dots and now implementing best practices in polo, especially when horses' sporting lives come to an end.
Cruz Uranga
Cruz is a lawyer and part of the team providing legal and institutional support to the association. He handles everything related to contracts, regulatory issues, and institutional matters, helping to ensure that the work is carried out clearly and within the framework required by a civil association.
But more than a lawyer, he is passionate about horses. Since he was a child, he has felt a very strong connection with them: they help us, entertain us, and, above all, teach us. That is why being part of this association has a very special value for him.
It not only allows him to contribute professionally, but also from a deeply personal place, with a commitment to care for them, accompany them, and give back, at least a little, everything they give us.
