Proper Polo Position
The older hunt seat of days gone by called for longer stirrup length, longer reins, and a deeper seat. Today’s polo position has been fashioned by the top players in the world coming out of Argentina. Their domination in the sport has caused the world to sit up and take notice, literally. We have had [...]
So…you like playing horses half your age??????
Well, if you are in your forties or later, that may be somewhat of a concern…unless you are just getting started and looking for that “experienced” horse. First off, horses have a life span of about 30-35 years. Their years of productivity are usually from around 3 yrs of age to late 20’s. The following [...]
HIT IT !! ANYWHERE !! JUST HIT IT !! short pause, sound of hitting ball…NOT THERE !!
These were actual words gifted to me as I ran full out across the Number one field in Santa Barbara during the Pacific Coast Open some years back. Isn’t it fun to listen to words uttered (uttered with more volume sounds like yelling) from frustration that don’t have a prayer of making it into any [...]
Bucking with the letter B and Rearing like Roy…
Now if you belong to any rodeo associations, the words bucking and rearing probably don’t bother you a much. If you are just one of the rest of the majority of the rest of us on horseback, buck and rear are in fact…. four letter words . It may only be a few feet from [...]
There’s a back door on a polo field?
Ok…I’m in the throw-in, my team has put me in the #4 position (#3 in the arena), where they feel I’ll do the least damage. The umpire bowls the ball in…somehow…my prayers being answered, the ball makes it all the way thru to me. I see the ball, that means I get to hit the [...]
The Throw-in
I struggle to think (I could end the sentence right here) of another sport that brings everyone together following a score and has the umpire throwing the ball in to the entire group. Kind of like throwing bread to seagulls and expecting a proper formation (mine-mine-mine for you Finding Nemo fans). Football may come close, [...]
Taking the Danger Out of “Taking Your Man”
When I think of all my great experiences in our awesome game of polo, there is one area that I believe we need to focus our attention on for the improved safety of both rider and horse: The Ride-off This one aspect of the game seems to come up as the common denominator in most [...]
Ok..they are about to back it…do I pull up and turn for the shot…or keep the pressure on??
Very common dilemma. The answer lies in the positioning of all the remaining players. If all opponents are well covered by your teammates, you want to pressure the player backing the ball so they don’t have the time to turn back up field. However, if you push too aggressively, they may pull up and take [...]
Playing Smart Tip #6-Take Care of You
Play Within Realistic Perimeters of Your Present Competence. You are running down the field, you alone are aware of what you are comfortable with and what you are not comfortable with, respective of speed, contact, and hitting. You need to take care of yourself, regardless of what you may be being instructed to do by [...]
Playing Smart-tip #4 What level should you play?
Play at your Proper Level of Play What level is that? Some present that high goal is better supervision of incoming players; others feel that the more traditional “walk before you run” approach is better in lower goal. Which way is right? They both are, depending on your resources, riding skills, and mental attitude. However, [...]
