Polo. Possibly the most fun I've had fully dressed

In April 2012 I got a Groupon for a Polo Day down at JF Polo Academy in Cheshire, so on the 29th I donned the jodhs, & set off just after 8 from sunny Blackpool.
By the time I hit the M56 it was piddling, & by the time I found the stables in Gt Barrow, raining pretty hard.
There was no sign of life, so I called the mobno I'd been given by Groupon. The posh sounding bloke (at this late stage [Oct 14!] I can't recall his name) said he'd sent an E the previous evening to say it was postponed as the field was waterlogged. 
You don't say!  There was a puddle so big in one bit you could've trained dolphins in it :-/
So, after a brief stop for some goodies, I went back to Blackpool.

It had been reconvened for the following Sunday, so off I went again, this time it was a lovely May morning all the way.
There were 3 of us with a Groupon, but the chap only had a 1/2 day voucher. There was another girl whose family was there. Apparently it was a birthday present.
Posh Bloke asked us about our experience, & sorted me out with a hat. As usual I was given an adult one, & when I explained about needing a kiddy one coz of my kiddy sized head, I got the smallest 1 they had. I also got offered a pair of long boots as I was only in jodhpur boots, but I declined.
Initially we had to show PB our skills & I got a bay mare. She was fine at walk, but very stiff at trot & always felt disunited at canter (for those readers who don't get that bit, google 'disunited canter'). Not a comfy ride :-(  Apparently she had arthritis & was always stiff at first. I felt a bit sorry for her, actually.
Stirrups were pretty short, & we had to ride in half-seat all the time (google half-seat ;-q ). The reins were always in the left, too. Pretty obvious that one ;-p
btw - there are no left-handed polo players.
We were taught to stop & go using the legs, seat & reins, & turn by neck-reining. This wasn't a prob for me having done a Lot of gymkhana comps as a kid. Plus, I'd spent a week on a ranch in Colorado a few years back. A real ranch, not a dude one.
We also got taught how to ride-off. This is (sort-of) the equivalent of tackling in rugby, but doesn't involve anyone hitting the deck (hopefully ;-p ). Basically, you use your legs & reins to make your pony travel in a diagonal line, & use the inner knee to shove the opposing pony over so you can get at the ball. As with tackling, good fun :-D
After about an 40 min of riding we had a break, & I got a new pony. He was much better & really knew his stuff :-)

Once PB had checked us all out as safe, we put the nags back & went to learn how to hit the ball with our mallet. To do this we sat on a wooden horse - it had a saddle on, but no head or neck. I was last to go which meant I had a slight advantage having watched the other 2.  PB seemed pretty impressed with my follow through. I think all those years of karate & kobubo helped ~ striking through the target & all that? He also said girls picked it up better than boys. Apparently they are more relaxed & don't try to rely on strength to whack it. Anyway, having tried it sitting on a lump of wood, we got aboard again & had a go mounted.
Wot a larf ;-)
Fortunately, Pony knew what I was trying to do & was very patient with me.
Then it was lunch & the bloke left.

Lunch was a mega BBQ with massive burgers & yummy sausages. Salad, juice, tea & choccy biscs were also on offer. Having not ridden since NZ (with Suzy, Dylan & Pete in September 11), I was pretty knacked after all that half-seat work, but several burgers/sausages did the trick & revived me. btw - the wooden horse's bottom is on the left of this pic.

Next up was more practice at hitting the ball while moving, & I slowly got better & faster. My new pony seemed to be a mind reader, & was turning as I was thinking about it, but I guess that was his job! He was also very good at following the ball I had just hit, & picked it out of any others in the vicinity. Clever chap :-)  

A few other peeps had mounted up over lunch & were tapping the ball all over the field, so once me & the girl were reasonably accurate at trot, PB suggested a 3-on-3 game.

During the game, Pony came into his own again & chased down the ball with little encouragement on my part, & we even managed to score a goal.

However, that wasn't a good as it sounds as the 'real' polo players were running rings round us 2 novices & I'm pretty sure they let me score???
I also lost my stirrups at one point when Pony went haring after the ball & did an emergency stop before turning left on a pin head & bombing it back in the other direction ~ oops!

Me trying to hit it backwards!

 

 .

All too soon it was 4 o'clock & time to stop.
I'd taken a carrot, so I shared it with Pony after I'd un-tacked him and given him a shower with the hose. They were all pretty sweaty, so I helped with a few others, too.
Then it was back in the car & up the road.
I fairly whizzed home, so I wasn't sat still that long. Even so, I stiffened up a Lot & I could barely get out of the car. The following morning I felt like I'd been run over by a rhino - several times :-/ but managed to get into work.
All in all a great day, & one to keep on the back burner for another time :-D
OAO