As part of our hunt’s online auction, we got a donation to from a polo school for an intro to polo lesson. I’ve agreed to bid on it with a friend . . . I actually think that polo looks scary when played at speed (this coming from a foxhunter!) but it’s something that I think would be a lot of fun to try.
Years ago, I lived outside of Cleveland. The town next to us had a polo field and it was easy to catch a game. I knew several of the players and had a lot of respect for their skill and their determination.
I doubt I’ll ever get beyond the intro lesson but doesn’t it sound like fun? The school even provides the equipment and the ponies, so no worries about how Freedom would react to having me swing a mallet!
I’d also like to ride a reining horse sometime. I’ve seen them in action and that also looks like a blast.
What about you? Which equestrian discipline would you like to try if you had the chance?
I would probably try a Western discipline
I’d love to try reining!
Years ago I was invited to try Polo through friends of my sister, when she was riding out of Florida. At the time and I was a golf instructor, so my eye-hand coordination was pretty solid. It was an exhilarating experience, however the polo mallet is probably the most difficult tool to hit, without years of practice. The few times I made contact resulted in hitting one of my opponents horse in the rear end, causing her to nearly throwing the rider. Putting one shot into the parking lot. (No cars were damaged). Finishing with my crowning achievement of hitting the ball, loosing my grip on the mallet, it bouncing off the ground, swinging violently into another player’s mallet which ricochets upward into my chin.
It was agreed by all, including myself, that my best participation in the sport should be done from the patio bar. Enjoy your lesson. 😉
That’s quite a story! I am not the most coordinated person so I’d better be extra careful.
All I can say is, I have a huge respect for people who are accomplished polo players. I’m a klutz at best, so my story is typical for me. 🙂
fox hunting is very high on my list of things to try 😉 but honestly i’d try just about anything with my mare
I loved the polo field in Cleveland! Used to show there once a year until I moved 🙂