TRAINING TIPS
P OLO speed, skill and stamina With goals scored at lightning speed, the game of polo is as exciting as it is skilled. AMANDA MAC spoke to top Polo player Jack Archibald for some top tips.
G
overned by the Australian
Portsea Polo spectacle in Victoria, and,
English teams during Australia’s off-
Polo Federation and five State
of course, the annual Polo International
season. Based in the Hunter Valley, he
Associations, the game of polo
Test Match when Australia will once
comes from a polo playing family (both
again take on archrivals England.
his brothers and his father play), that
is one at which Australia excels – we are currently ranked among the world’s top five polo-playing nations.
One of Australia’s top polo players is Jack Archibald. He’s represented
breeds its own Thoroughbred cross Australian Stock Horses for the game.
While the number of players in Australian
Australia on no less than 13 occasions,
Involved with his local Bush Fire Brigade,
falls just short of 1,000, making that
captaining the World Cup side in 2017, as
which at the time of writing was still
ranking all the more impressive, we have
well as the 2019 Test Match team, which
battling huge blazes, Jack kindly took
a rich history in the game and awareness
succeeded in upsetting an extremely
time out to talk to us about the game he
of the sport is growing steadily. During
strong English side.
loves.
Jack, who has been riding since he
“If you’re interested in checking it out,
could walk, has played professionally
or you’re already playing and want to
for the past 13 years. He’s competed
improve, there are polo clinics running in
the season, men’s, women’s (a branch of the game gaining huge appeal) and youth team competitions attract an enthusiastic stream of spectators.
all over the world, including Argentina,
both NSW and Victoria. Riverlands Polo
Key events in 2020 will include the
South Africa, Barbados, New Zealand,
operates out of the Windsor Polo Club
Magic Millions in Queensland, the
Malaysia, and India, and also plays for
in the Hawkesbury Valley, and Venture Polo is located at Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre to the south west of Melbourne’s CBD. Both clinics are run by professionals who cater for every level. They have a string of horse from beginners to advanced, and some world class coaches. There’s a guy setting up a clinic in Brisbane too, and that will be operational in about six months,” he explains. But for Jack, there are a few basics that beg serious attention. “My top tip for beginners in the game is to improve your overall riding skills. Riding is the most important part of polo. The rest is relatively easy to coach, but
Jack with Jim Gilmore, a member of the Australian Polo Federation International Committee. (Image courtesy of Stephen Mowbray). 92 | H O R S E V I B E S M A R / A P R 2 0 2 0
you have to spend time in the saddle – the more the better. No matter what
