It's been nearly two decades since I sat on a polo pony, or did any kind of real horseback riding. For 10 years I had spent every summer riding horses, competing in show jumping, and as the weather turned cool, fox hunting in the fall. But that had all changed as I went off to college, and began to work. As the years went on, I felt less and less inclined to get back into riding. And then this spring, with the COVID pandemic in full swing, my daughter decided that she wanted to start learning how to ride horses. Thankfully she has an aunt who is well versed and still has two horses, and so we slowly began taking the occasional lesson. It started off slow. We had to get her over her fear of actually touching a horse, then she slowly started to give them treats, and as her fear began to melt away, her confidence and desire to be around horses took off.
At the same time, some friends I had grown up with had started a polo club with the desire to introduce the sport to newcomers. Knowing how much fun it is, I avoided joining them for most of the summer. But after a run in with a friend in September and the push to come up just to watch, we headed up for an afternoon, and I got on for the first time.
I was hooked. We have since been playing two to three days per week, and while it most likely wont be a long term sport due to the expense and distance, it has been one of the most fun falls that I have had in years.
Ligonier Polo Association has made it so that aspiring players, young and old alike, can learn to play one of the most aggressive horse sports, without the need to personally own four or more polo ponies.
Aside from playing a bit, I have also been photographing and shooting some video for what will eventually become a promo for them.
Cheers