POLO PLAYERS - how difficult is it?!

Hi everyone,

Sorry about this: I kind of have a few questions. :smile:

I'm wondering if anyone who played polo (that is, polo on a horse) could tell me really how difficult it is? I've been riding for about three years now, and can therefore canter well and jump etc., but I was wondering if you needed to be exceptionally good to play in a competitive team?

The reason I ask is that it is different from other sports in that most schools don't play it due to lack of space or funding, and so I wonder how universities expect people to be able to play really well, and gather up enough people to make a team with past experience!

If I go to a university and give it a go for the first time, I just don't want to have to do it in front of everyone and look like a bit of an idiot because I've never played before! Does anyone know where it might be possible to try it out without having to be completely mortified (I live in the London area, so do you know of anywhere just outside there)?

It looks like such a wonderful sport, so I'd love to at least try it.

Thank you for reading. :smile:

Reply 1

hothedgehog

I wouldn't worry about trying it out at Uni to be honest. It's a niche sport and so not many people will have had experience with it and so there must be a bunch of first timers at uni. I know there certainly were for lacrosse when I went (and I'd been playing for years and was one of the odd ones out).

Reply 2

rhamilton

Original post by adieu

Hi everyone,

Sorry about this: I kind of have a few questions. :smile:

Hi there

I started playing polo at the beginning of the year with a group of people who were in their first year of uni, I'm the same age as them (but I did a third year at college so not at uni just yet). The people I was playing with only a few of them had ridden horses before but a couple of them had never even ridden a horse in their life! I have ridden all my life so obviously have riding skills and so starting and learning to play was a lot easier for me as it was for some of them.

Playing polo isn't really difficult and it's quite easy to pick up however the first few times that you do it you will ache afterwards! Especially your back and right hand/arm where you hold the mallet as it is a completely different style of riding to what you will be used to.

You don't need to be exceptionally good to be in a team as you may just play friendly chukkas against other people all of who will be at a similar level to you and if you join the polo team at your uni there will be frequent polo lessons (often weekly) to help you improve before playing any matches.

I don't know about any of the polo clubs around London (although if you type 'HPA polo' into google and go onto their website to the 'find a club' bit you should find one) as I am in Hampshire but if you ring up the nearest polo club to you and explain you want to start learning but have ridden for the last few years they will put you into a group of people who have also just started learning and you will all be of a similar level.

It is a really fun sport to play and I hope you find somewhere and enjoy it :smile:

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 3

A7d8i6l

I play polo competitively and train with the GB team. It is a rough game and came to me naturally because I rode a horse + played golf which only guided me into playing polo.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

POLO PLAYERS - how difficult is it?!

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