Getting Into Polo Learn to Play by Pam Gleason
P
olo is more than just a game. It is a lifestyle, an addiction, and often even an obsession. A unique sport that combines the thrill of speed, the pleasure of hitting a ball, the joy of teamwork and an unequalled partnership with a beautiful and athletic animal, it is exhilarating in a way that is hard to beat. In addition, playing polo gives you access to a worldwide polo culture and makes you part of a special international club. Winston Churchill, a polo player himself, is often quoted as saying that
a myth. Polo players come from all parts of society. They are men and women, princes and dukes, members of the leisure class and people who work hard for a living at both blue and white collar jobs. There are old people and young people, small people and large people, individuals with incredible athletic prowess and those with average skills. Although it is not a sport to be taken up lightly, it is possible for pretty much anyone with the time and desire to give it a try.
Pam Gleason
Growing up in polo: Malia Bryan tries to hook Hope Arellano. Both teenagers are from polo families with two parents that play.
“a polo handicap is a passport to the world.” And Churchill was right. But how do you get this passport? Polo is surrounded by a certain mystique and it definitely has an elite aura. The stereotypical polo player is very rich. He is also male, likely a member of a royal family – and he probably isn’t very nice. Although there is no denying that there are some rich, royal, snobbish polo players, the idea that you have to be rich or have “prince” in your title in order to play is 34
Aiken Polo Club 2016
But if you wanted to get into polo, exactly how would you do it? Broadly speaking, there are three ways to get into polo. The first and easiest way is to be born into a polo family. If your parents play polo, there is an excellent chance that you will be holding a tiny mallet while you are still in diapers, and will progress to marching around the sidelines hitting a ball (with a slightly larger mallet) when you are a toddler. By the time you can read and write, you