I know what you’re thinking… I don’t remember this on the list! Well, my mom wrote a short story at the age of 9 that has always stuck with me. I don't remember the actual plot line, but I know in the end the main character, Carlotta, proclaimed "it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind." Very precocious for a 9 year old, and also quite true. Originally this was supposed to be “Climb a Mountain,” however after the heat exhaustion episode during #25, the mountain was bumped. I told Kevin I would happily climb Old Rag, but only in the spring or fall—not in the heat of the summer months. So using my power as blog commissioner, I substituted an alternate and we went to watch a polo match instead.
Kevin and I found out we have live polo matches every Saturday just a half hour away from us. It’s out in The Plains, VA in Great Meadow and it is absolutely beautiful, with rolling green hills and miles of white fenced pastures. This past Saturday, Kevin, Mike B and I headed over to see a game up close and personal.
Polo was originated in Persia in the 5th century BC as a training game for cavalry units. The modern version we know today was formalized by the British. Field polo is played with teams of 4 on long grassy fields, but arena polo is much more popular in the US. It is played with teams of three in a shorter sand arena bound by 6 ft tall walls. Arena polo is played in 4 six minute chukkers (quarters). The term originated in 1898 and is derived from the Hindi chakkar which means circle or wheel.
It’s interesting to note that although the term ‘Polo Ponies’ is widely used, it’s a bit of a misnomer. Most horses used for polo are not ponies, but full sized. They are bred and selected for quick bursts of speed, agility, and stamina. They are trained to be reined with only one hand and are extremely responsive to subtle leg and weight cues from their rider. In fact, a well trained polo pony can account for 60-75% of a player’s skill. Each player typically uses between 4-8 ponies per match; although in the arena polo we saw fewer ponies are needed as the field of play is much smaller and there are less chukkers.
The players themselves wear the numbers 1-3 on their backs. The one position is the most offensive and will most likely do most of the scoring. The two position can score themselves, or can distribute the ball to position one and provide defense. Commonly, position two is the most skilled player on the team. Position three is the most tactical and predominantly a defensive position, it is three’s responsibility to get the ball downfield to player one or two.
When we arrived in Great Meadow, we walked over to the lighted polo arena and saw people sitting on the grass or in camp chairs, surrounded by picnic baskets and wine glasses. There were a few tailgaters with upscale spreads of wine, grapes, brie, and who knows what else. The attire ranged from expensive sun dresses to jeans and tshirts. It was a laid back crowd gathered to sip wine, enjoy the weather and watch the match. We walked over the Boxwood Winery bar (sponsors for the event included wineries, the Porsche dealership, etc.) had a glass of vino and settled in to root the Nash Tigers to victory over Four Oaks Farm. Overall, the game of polo is not super exciting, but the venue and atmosphere were hard to beat.
23 down; 7 to go
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