BEHIND THE FLOATS The Adelaide Hills Equestrian centre monthly. ISSUE 1
January 2013
Matt Prior on his way helping to win the A grade final at Casterton 2011, team mates Richard Iles and Tony Astbury.
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FROM THE EDITOR Hello, I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable Christmas and New Years, and didn’t indulge too much. The Adelaide Hills Equestrian Centre would like to bring you this monthly magazine, our goal is to keep people informed of all events held at the centre, as well as providing advertising and communication between club members, different disciplines, sports and the community. We hope that you enjoy and support the monthly magazine, we would appreciate and help with articles, photos, information from individuals and or your sport club that you wish to enter. Advertising will also be available at a small cost. Thankyou, until next time. Hayley Prior
WHAT’S ON AT THE ADELAIDE HILLS EQUESTRIAN CENTRE
DATE
EVENT
JANUARY 6TH
Polocrosse practice.
January 20th
Grounds Hired
February 2nd
Working bee
February 9th & 10th
Adelaide Polocrosse Tournament
March 9th & 10th
Adelaide Polocrosse Tournament
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Editor Hayley Prior
What’s on 2013 Creation of the AHEC A snap shot of the year so far Social Pages The Adelaide polocrosse club page Under the spotlight Kids Corner This months health spot - Colic Tom Galbraith eulogy Lobethal Christmas Pageant Polocrosse dates for 2013 Adelaide Royal Show Polocrosse the game Memories 2011 (photo’s) Sponsors page Quick tips on fitness for polocrosse horse and rider. Coaching tip’s for players Looking back older pictures.
pg 2 pg 3 pg 3 pg 4 pg 5 pg 8 pg 9 pg 10-11 pg 13 pg 14 pg 16 pg 17 pg 18-19 pg 20 pg 21 pg 23 pg 24 pg 25
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THE CREATION OF THE AHEC Adelaide Hills Equestrian Centre It all started way back in 1997 when ‘Wally Havriluk’ took Dave Prior (then president of the Adelaide Polocrosse Club) to show him a bare piece of land that he thought might suit polocrosse. Dave then had a vision of what he would like for the Adelaide Polocrosse Club, this vision took 9 years and is still ongoing, a lot of meetings, sponsorship, lost hours from work, many many weekends and hard work to realise and WOW what a result. There are numerous people to acknowledge first and foremost Dave Prior with out him there would be no grounds. Matt prior for being there every weekend for many years, we also owe a great deal to Justin Lucey, Craig Tremellen, Mandie young, Don Pike, Pam Prior and every other member who rock picked(lots and lots of weekends), built yards, fenced, welded, gathered sponsorship, acquired grants and basically worked hard to make this happen. A huge thanks to our sponsors, for with out them we would not have this beautiful centre, including The Lobethal recreation Grounds, Mark Goldsworthy, Adelaide Hills Council (Dave Paske, Michael O’Connell and the rest of the team), Department of sport and Recreation, Ashford Constructions, Colin weinert, Hunter Bro’s, Aldgate Pump, Allan Todd, Adelaide Hills Vineyard, Charles Roseback, Ian Fitzner, Andrew Bampton, Jim Rigby, and countless others who worked behind the scene to make it happen. However that is just the start, since then members have worked tirelessly on the up keep and still more improvements such as watering the lawn 2-3 times a week, mowing, more seeding, finishing field 3, building field 4, an arena, fitting out the club rooms, fundraising, up keep of the horse yards, Showers and toilets, etc.. As you can see a great deal of work has gone in to this fantastic centre and there is a lot more still to do. Thankyou to everyone who has helped and will continue to help in the future.
SNAP SHOT Preparation for the 2013 season started early last year, with several young horse practices and 3 well-attended Come and Try days. There were many enthusiastic riders who enjoyed some racquet and ball skills, tactics and a few chukkas. Special thanks to the members who assisted welcoming the newcomers into our polocrosse family. There was a comprehensive working bee in November, in preparation for the Adelaide Hills Family Fun Day. Yards were cleared and mowed, the fields were manicured and pony yards were installed in each block of yards. The Family Fun Day was held on the 17th of November, and was a great success. Locals and visitors alike enjoyed the beautiful weather and snacked on local produce while checking out the various activities and displays. There was a ute muster, a petting zoo, and many games including a gumboot throw and yabby races. In the main arena there was a horsemanship exhibition, youth steer riding, barrel racing, team roping, steer wrestling, and plenty of bull and bronco riding. Following these events, there was live entertainment late into the night. The grounds were rested after the rodeo, and are looking great. Another working bee was held, this time for the clubrooms. Repairs were carried out, and a general spring clean, to prepare for the upcoming season. Practices were held almost every weekend up until Christmas, with most members ready and rearing for tournaments starting this month. Adelaide Polocrosse Club will be holding its first tournament on the 9th-10th of February, 2013. By: Maddie Iles
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SOCIAL PAGES
FUN WITH FRIENDS
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THE ADELAIDE POLOCROSSE CLUB HIRING THE ADELAIDE HILLS EQUESTRIAN CENTRE
THE ADELAIDE POLOCROSSE CLUB
If you have an event and wish to hire the grounds, or you would like to know more information about costing, camping, use of club rooms, canteen, PA system please contact Craig Tremellen he will be able to help you with any enquires. The ground are not just for horse events we do hire to other clubs or groups for more information.
Welcome everyone to our grounds and hope people get to know we are here and come and enjoy the grounds.
Booking Officer Craig Tremellen Ph.: 0408226162 Email: adelaidepolocrosseclub@hotmail.com Postal: P.O. box 91 Woodside 5244 SA
Adelaide Hills Equestrian Centre
THE COMMITTEE: President:
Richard Illes
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0432538814
Vice President: Matt Prior
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0412895482
Secretary:
Jo-Anne Tremellen
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0414862240
Treasurer:
Craig Tremellen
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0408226162
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0419353151
Sponsorship Co-ordinator: Shane Pike -
0498034799
Booking Officer: Craig Tremellen
0408226162
Head Coach: Tony Astbury
ALL CORRESPONDENCE: adelaidepolocrosseclub@hotmail.com P.O. box 91 Woodside 5244 SA
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We only ask if you are attending a polocrosse event that the following directives are adhered to: 1. NO DOGS be present at any time. 2. No Stallions be present. 3. Any persons on horse back at any time wear Australian approved helmet. 4. All gates are closed at ALL times. 5. No yards be made up, horses only to be in permanent yards. 6. Make sure you are aware of children and prams near horses and fields.
Behind The Floats Advertising Behind the floats will be published every month with the aim to keep people informed of what's going on at the grounds. We have advertising available to all readers at a small cost. • $5.00 for anything under 1/4 pg. (text only) • $8.00 for ¼ pg. (photo optional) • $10 for 1/2 pg. (photo optional) • $20 for a full pg. (photo optional) • If you would like to advertise every month we have a special offer of $200. If you have a business or a sale item you would like to place in the Magazine please don't hesitate to contact Hayley Prior. Anyone who would like to write an article for your sport or have any funny tales, photos, Births, deaths, Marriages, or achievements. We are after new and interesting pieces, so please forward them to the editor no later than 10th of each month. You can forward the information to Hayley Prior email: classicbeauty75@hotmail.com If you would like a copy of the magazine I can email to you every month just send your email address, or look out for copies in all good stores.
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UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT DAVE PRIOR Life member Adelaide Polocrosse club Let us go back to the beginning of Dave’s polocrosse life. Dave started coming to polocrosse in 1991 when his eldest son Matthew decided he might try this sport of polocrosse. Dave with his and wife Pam and three children Matthew, Clint and Megan packed their camping equipment, loaded Matt’s horse onto the float and went for the weekend to experience this game. They had a fantastic time and little did they know that this would become a huge part of their life. Over the next few years, Dave drove his family in their little blue truck and float all over the state through the summer months to polocrosse tournaments. Clint also started to play, followed by Megan and Dave’s enthusiasm for the game grew. With all his children involved his involvement in the Adelaide Club developed and Polocrosse became an integral part of his leisure time. Always the handyman Dave invested in a gooseneck in 1996, which with the help of the boys he rebuilt to make life more comfortable for the ever-increasing travel for this game, polocrosse truly is a family sport. In 1997, Dave became president of Adelaide Polocrosse Club and at this time, he was shown a vacant piece of land in Lobethal by a friend. Dave thought this ground could become the site for new grounds for the club. At this point in time the Adelaide Polocrosse Club grounds were at Mt Crawford and for any one who has ever been to these grounds, you will know they were dry, dusty, and with very few amenities which created a lot of hard work to run a tournament. The prospect of new grounds in Lobethal sounded wonderful and Dave set out straight away to acquire these grounds for the club. This was not a straight forward task. Over the next nine years he attended, many meetings with the Adelaide Hills council, monthly meetings with the Lobethal Recreation Grounds, liaised with the EPA and the Office for Recreation and Sport to get project approved and obtain funding. He encountered many interesting obstacles along the way but never lost sight of his goal. Finally, in
2003, the fields could commence construction and with the help of an enthusiastic club and many of Dave’s contacts throughout the building world, work began. Once again this took many hours both in leisure and work time, coordinating earthworks, building club rooms, horse yards, rock picking and seeding fields just to mention a few. Whilst sitting as Adelaide's president Dave took on a further role, that of South Australian State president in 2001 and with the support of his committee set a development plan for the state enabling the acquisition of funding for coaching clinics annually, an initiative to help the state grow. Within these years, Dave also helped to run two masters games Championships, one at Strathalbyn and the other at The Lobethal Grounds. In 2005 Dave brought a new gooseneck that he fitted out with all modern comforts which has made life travelling to polocrosse relaxing, a long way from the more humble beginnings. Dave retired as President of the Adelaide club in 2005. His vision realised, the fields are up and running and we would like to thank Dave for the hard work and dedication he has given to the Adelaide Polocrosse club and to the sport itself. Dave continued to help both at State and club level sitting for a few more years as State president and has helped the club out being our president last year, he continues to help with the grounds and sits on a few committee’s. Dave was awarded with a life membership in recognition of all this work in 2006, of which we are still so grateful. Once again, thankyou Dave for all you have done.
Dave Prior and Helen Iles.
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KIDS CORNER
Figure It Look at the clues and fill in answers.
Down 1. Four times eight 2. 12 across minus 16 across 3. 1640 doubled 4. 6 down minus 5 across 6. Nine times nine 7. Five times 121 9. Half of 1450 11. 716 doubled 14. A third of sixty-three 15. Number of hours in two days 17. Half of 164 19. 100 divided by five
Across 2. 7 down minus 482 4. Number of weeks in a year 5. Number of days in four weeks 7. Seven times nine 8. 8617 re-arranged 10. 15 down plus fortytwo 12. Quarter of 100 13. Half of 10486 15. Half of 10 across 16. Quarter of 4 across 17. Four times twentytwo 18. 82+62+78
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HEALTH SPOT Colic What It Is A term used to describe a large range of abdominal discomforts, colic can be anything from a twisted intestine to an enterolith to worm infestations. Colic is the #1 natural killer of horses. Common Causes Sand Colic: When horses ingest sand. Horses that are fed on sandy ground or have access to it may eat small bits of sand. Over time, the sand will build up in the intestines and eventually cause discomfort. Over feeding: If a horse breaks into the feed area and gorges itself colic could result. Parasitism: Worm infestations disrupt circulation in the intestines, or blood clots and bits of dead worms may cause blockages. Irregular Feed Schedule: This may cause a horse to wolf feed if he gets really hungry. Feeding right after work or if horse is still hot also can cause horse to come down with colic. Sudden Changes in Feed: When you change feeds, or introduce new feed, be sure you do so slowly! Bad Feed: Moldy or rotten feed may cause colic Fine Grain: Sometimes it will pack together and cause blockages in the intestine. Poisons: Some poisons may cause colic. Moldy feed may cause mold poisoning and colic. Twisted Intestines: Very severe and life-threatening. There are different types of twists in different areas. Signs The first signs you may see are uneasiness and a personality change. The horse may be uninterested in food or drink, and may act sleepy or dull. The temperature may be slightly higher than normal, but the respiration and pulse will usually be normal. Later on, the horse may swish its tail, stomp a hind leg, turn and look at belly, or nip its sides. It may also roll its eyes, snort, or groan. As the pain increases, the horse may kick its belly and lie on the ground and stretch. It may also stretch as if to urinate, or may make attempts to defecate with no success or may have diarrhoea. It may roll lightly, get up and walk in circles, then lie down and roll again. It may also walk aimlessly into fences or walls. As the colic worsens, the horse may bite its sides, kick and thrash, and may roll madly. NEVER let a colicing horse roll, because it could twist an intestine and cause serious injury! Try to get the horse up, even if it means yelling at or hitting the horse. Be VERY CAREFUL- a colicing horse in severe pain doesn't care what or who you are, it may step on you or crush you accidentally. During this time, the horse's only focus is trying to rid itself of pain, and it won't be aware of its surroundings. It may walk into walls or fences or step on things. You should catch it and, if it is rolling, make it stand; then, proceed to walk it for about 15 minutes.
Symptoms of colic include... Rolling excessively Sweating Pawing Kicking at belly Looking at or biting belly Change in attitude, or depression Lack of appetite Unable to defecate Little or no gut sounds Sitting like a dog or lying down Stretching out as if to urinate Restlessness, or lying down, getting up, lying down again, etc. Treatment: If you suspect your horse has colic, record all the symptoms it is showing, take the horse's vital signs, then call the vet immediately and tell him what you've observed. Return to the horse, walk him for about 15 minutes, then release him in a safe area and watch his behaviour. A simple colic can quickly turn deadly without prompt attention. If you horse is already rolling on the ground, thrashing, and sweating, get him up as soon as possible! A horse that is rolling may twist an intestine or complicate an otherwise minor colic. Remember, a colicing horse may be dangerous to be around since it is in pain. Keep all food and water away from the horse until the vet arrives. Try to keep the horse as calm as possible, and keep it from rolling if possible. You may want to walk the horse for a few minutes, then let the horse stand. DO NOT CONTINUE TO WALK THE HORSE. Many people will walk a horse for hours, until it is weak and exhausted. Walking can do a bit of good, but over-walking can weaken the horse and even lead to death if the colic turns severe. If the horse isn't feeling better after 15 minutes of walking, then 3 more hours won't make a difference, either. Most likely, if a little walking doesn't help, the horse will require surgery, and if it's been over-walked, it is less likely to live through the surgery and fully recover. If you do walk the horse too much, it's nervous system may shut down, creating more problems. There are many people that will walk a horse for hours, even all night long, thinking that it will do some good. It won't. Recovery Only about 10% of horses die from colic, but it is still the leading natural killer of horses. Colic's due to torsions and intestinal twists are nearly 100% fatal unless promptly treated. Disclaimer: The information and recommendations in this article have been presented as a guideline based on veterinarian information given to the editor. Whilst all care and diligence is taken in producing this information, the editor accepts no responsibility or liability for unforseen consequences resulting from the advise given in this article. All information in this article is thanks to : A.C. ASBURY, DVM A.C. ASBURY, DVM, Retired to Versailles, Ky, after a practice and academic career devoted to equine reproduction.
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COLIC THE MYTHS Colic has been recognized in horses for a long time, but only recently have veterinarians been able to accurately diagnosis, and effectively treat, colic cases. Nevertheless, many myths about colic persist today – here’s to trying to dispel some of them! 1. Horses do not colic because the weather changes. That’s right. The weather changes all of the time. Horses colic all of the time. One doesn’t have anything to do with the other, but since they both occur often, it’s easy to make an association. A couple of studies have even shown this. But this durable myth persists.
2. Horses don’t twist their intestines when they roll. Have you ever seen a horse lie down and roll, happily scratching his back in the dirt? Have you ever seen a horse develop a twisted intestine afterwards? Didn’t think so. Horses that are uncomfortable from the pain of colic will often lie down and roll. They are trying to find a way to get comfortable, just like when you lie down on the couch after, say, some bad restaurant food. That often means that they’ll change positions, just trying to get comfortable. However, the pain that occurs from a twisted intestine is extreme, and horses with intestinal twists (volvulus, strangulation, entrapment, and such) show that extreme pain by rolling around. But it’s the twist that comes first, not the other way around. If a horse is beating himself up from rolling around frantically in pain, there’s certainly ample reason to keep him from doing so. However, if your horse rolls, the gut isn’t in danger of twisting.
3. Walk your horse, no matter what. The idea that horses need to be walked because they have a colic probably comes from the concern over twisting a gut. Walking is not directly therapeutic for colics, and if a horse is relatively comfortable lying down, there’s no real reason to get him up just so that he can walk. Imagine you, on the couch, feeling bad after that restaurant food; if someone got you up and made you walk, you probably wouldn’t appreciate it. That said, there may be some slight benefit to walking a horse with colic. It may help distract the horse with colic, and help him forget about his pain. That’s at least humane. It also gives the owner something to do until the veterinarian arrives!
4. Banamine® (flunixin meglumine) is a potent pain reliever if your horse has colic. Flunixin was heavily advertised as the”drug to treat colic, when it was first released a few decades ago. Since then, it seems that horse owners have learned that the drug is a “must” for treating horses with colic. In fact, some people even say that it works within minutes of its administration, which, given what we know about how the drug works, isn’t possible. Some veterinarians even believe that it’s something of a wonder drug when it comes to suppressing pain, but there are others (including this one) that disagree. In fact, experimental studies on the drug have shown that it’s not very effective at all at treating the pain of colic. It is a useful drug, but it’s not a miracle drug. That said, there’s no reason at all to give any drug for any condition, without a proper diagnosis. If you have flunixin in a medicine chest or tack box, don’t give it to your horse with colic without consulting with your veterinarian first. 5. Add “alternative” treatments to help your horse with colic. Some people may add things such as acupuncture or massage to their efforts to help a horse with colic. There’s no evidence at all to indicate that such things are helpful, and, in the case of acupuncture, there’s good evidence that it doesn’t help at all. If your horse has a colic, focus on getting quick and proper diagnosis and treatment, and don’t look for any “alternatives” to that! Information from David Ramey, DVM
Disclaimer: The information and recommendations in this article have been presented as a guideline based on veterinarian information given to the editor. Whilst all care and diligence is taken in producing this information, the editor accepts no responsibility or liability for unforseen consequences resulting from the advise given in this article. All information in this article is thanks to : David Ramey, DVM
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LATEST NEWS Polocrosse Victoria & Portland Polocrosse club are hosting the Development Camp for Under 21's and Under 16's at the Portland Polocrosse Grounds, January 23rd, afternoon, 24th all day, 25th all day, followed by weekend playing in a team at the weekend with an allocated coach. Activities include: Racquet & Ball Skills Horsemanship (on horse)_ Horsemanship (on ground) Activities and games Nightly activities
Congratulations ♼ Shane and May Pike who were married in November 2012. R.I.P - Tom Galbraith He was 69 and involved in Polocrosse through his son in law who was an A grade player in north Queensland. Unfortunately Peter suffered a near fatal injury and is now in a nursing home. Tom was a sponsor of Adelaide Polocrosse Club. He loved Polocrosse and described himself as a POLOCROSSE TRAGIC, because he would have loved to have played himself. Please see eulogy next page. Thank you to Julie Morris for writing it.
I have extended the Invitation date until 19th January, Please let me know the names, ages & grades of the participants. Regards Lee Kelly
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Shane and May pike
Adelaide Polocrosse club working bee 2nd Feb. Getting ready for our up coming carnival. Please all be there.
Deanna and Aidan enjoying the Lobethal Pageant.
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Tom Galbraith of Mt Barker Springs. There were many sides to Tom
Then more recently Tom became a familiar face among the Polocrosse fraternity.
There was Tom the husband, Tom the father and grand father, Tom the businessman.
Tom and penny always used to support Peter Penny son who was an A Grade polocrosse player in Queensland.
But today I want to talk about Tom the horseman. Toms passion for horses goes back a long, long way. He loved his tent pegging. The skill, the adrenalin, the discipline of the sport, the camaraderie and all the life long friends he made along the way. He loved to talk about the run offs, who he competed against, the scores, the judges, the good and the bad and I’m sure many of his fellow tent peggers who’ve made the journey here today would have many more stories to tell. But it was his horses he loved to talk about all the good ones like Blondie, Chelaly The little quarter horse Chuck, Flinders Blackcat and Blondie's foal aptly known as Blondie2 who Tom rode at his last Competition. Then there was Tom the Huntsman. We will always remember Tom and Penny immaculately turned out on the Hunt field. Their horses were always big They were beautiful. Always plaited, Shiny brass buckles and highly polished boots. They always looked as if they were ready to go into The Royal Show not about to gallop through muddy salt flats or clamber up over rocky out crops. Some of Toms horses could be a bit of handful. After one such hairy ride I kidded Tom that I was going to find him a hunter BUT I was going to make sure it was the ugliest horses I could find. To which Tom replied Oh but I do love a good looking thoroughbred. That was Tom he loved them all. There was Dear old Spider A gift rom Penny, ‘beautiful RED’ the gentle BEAU Warwick and Harley the handsome black thoroughbred. And not forgetting Trax..aka Hummer who almost made it to the hunt field made a u turn and ended up competing high level dressage with their good friend Gerri. Tom loved to watch him compete so
Tom generously supported South Australian Polocrosse and would travel to tournament both here and Victoria. Tom would always introduce himself as A Polocrosse Tragic because it was a sport he would have loved to have played. Tom would always make sure he had a good possie for the finals, Beer in hand, Akubra hat on so he could soak up the atmosphere and excitement he admired the speed and agility of the polocrosse ponies and marvel at the racquet skills of the players. Tom we will miss your generosity Your knowledge Your wisdom your advise, all of which you gave so freely. But most of all we will miss that Scottish accent your dry sense of humour and that wicked wicked laugh that seemed to start deep down in your belly and gurgle up out of your mouth.
Tom you will be missed by so many but never forgotten. RIP THOMAS Written by Julie Morris.
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EMAIL AND WEB ADDRESSES
LOBETHAL CHRISTMAS PAGENT
If you would like to have your email or business web address featured on this page or you know of a good website please let me know.
A HUGE thankyou to all that helped on the day it was a lovely day spent with all the Rec ground clubs as well. Special thanks to Dave and Pam Prior for the hours of work scrubbing the gooseneck ready for the occasion and spending $50 on stop light lollies for us all to through out to all the kiddies yelling for them. Thankyou to Deanna, Don, Dave, Hayley, Matt, Emma and Ashley for decorating the Gooseneck in the simmering heat and Julie, Clint, Craig, Travis, Laura and all the Prior kids for coming down and walking the street with us, Julie and Dylan through each other the ball all the way, Dylan had blisters and Julie a sore arm but a great demonstration for everyone to see. We all had a ball.
Emails: Editor Hayley prior: classicpark1@bigpond.com
Classic Beauty for all you beauty needs. classicbeauty75@hotmail.com
Websites: If you a looking for good quality horse feed please look no further and support our sponsors - Currency Creek fine Fodder: www.lucernehayforsale.com.au
What ever you might be wanting for mans best friend have a look at The Complete Canine Company, they stock a huge range of product for your dog www.completecanine.com.au
Australian Polocrosse websitewww.polocrosse.org.au
If you are looking for stock whips or equipment , training dvds etc. They have very reasonable prices. www.murphywhips.com
Dressage club competition details http://www.dressageclubsa.com/competitionDetails.html
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THE ROYAL ADEALIDE SHOW The royal Adelaide show competition was held on the 14th and 15th of September. Once again it was fantastic to see the Adelaide Polocrosse club being well represented at the show. Well done Matt Prior, Shane Pike (returning after 8 years of being out of the game), Richard Stevens, Emma Shultz, joined by Andrew Cameron, Drew Gurney (from Naracoorte)made up the SA side. With Clint Prior filing in for the Vics and Richard Illes for umpiring both nights. Friday night was bitterly cold but that didn’t dampen the spirits of this team, Playing against Victorian team Zac Gleeson, Bec Burns, Matt Jarmain, Steve Boulton, Clint Prior, Dean Crighton. The game was hard fought with lots of heart pounding moments for the crowd, unfortunately SA couldn’t hold on losing to Victoria by 2 goals. SA coming out to play on Saturday night the underdogs after Friday nights defeat. To win the crown SA were required to win by more than 2 goals. The competition was hot and fast, with the SA team implementing a few improvements which helped them to work well together to make a unstoppable team. SA ended up winning by 10 goals making them the overall winner of the Royal Adelaide Show Competition 2012. Well Done SA.
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POLOCROSSE THE GAME As the name itself implies, Polocrosse is a combination of polo, lacrosse and netball. It is played on horseback, each rider using a cane stick, made up of a polo stick shaft to which is attached a squash racquet type head with a loose twisted-thread net, in which the ball is carried. The stick may be of any length, usually from 1.0m to 1.2m overall. The ball is made of thick- skinned sponge rubber, 100mm-103mm in diameter, and weighs 140-155grams. Each player is permitted only one horse in each match or tournament, except in the case of injury when a substitute horse can be played. There is no restriction on the height of horses. PolocrosseThe Team A team consists of six players, divided into two sections of three who play alternate chukkas of a maximum of eight minutes each, either six or eight chukkas usually comprising a full match. The three players in each section consist of a No. I or "Attack", a No. 2 or "Centre", and No. 3 or "Defense". The total aggregate of goals scored by the two sections in each team constitutes the final score. PolocrosseThe Field The field is 146.5m long and 55m wide, with goalposts 2.5m apart at each end. Infield, 27.5m from each end there is a line extending the width of the field which is called the "penalty line". The line encloses what is known as the "Goal-scoring area", in which only the No. 1 of the attacking team and the No. 3 of the defending team are allowed to play. Directly in front of each goal there is a semicircle of 10m radius, and the ball must be thrown at goal from outside this semi-circle, and within the goal-scoring area. PolocrosseHow is it Played? The No. I is the only player who can score a goal for the team and the No. 1 can only do so whilst in the "Goal-scoring area". The No. 2 is usually the pivot of the team, can only play in the center area. The No. 3 is the only player who can defend a goal.
The game is commenced in centre field, the players lining up side by side, one behind the other with the No. 1 or Attack in front, and the ball is thrown in by the umpire, over-arm, above the players' heads. The game recommences similarly after a goal has been scored. Whenever an attempt at goal fails, the No. 3 or defense throws the ball back into play from just behind the penalty line, at a point directly in front of the spot where the ball crossed the back line. The umpire should indicate the spot from which the throw is to be taken. Players pick up the ball from the ground, or catch it, in the net of the racquet, and ride with it or throw it from player to player until the No. I or Attack is in possession of it in the goal scoring area so as to be able to throw a goal. A player cannot carry the ball over the penalty line, but must bounce it on the ground, so that that player does not have possession of it while actually crossing the penalty line. However, a player may throw the ball to another player across the line on the full. A player carrying the ball in the racquet must carry it on the racquet side, i.e., right-handed players carry it on the off- side of the horse. A player cannot carry it across the horse, but the player can pick up or catch the ball on the non-racquet side provided the player brings the racquet back to the racquet side immediately. Hitting at an opponent's racquet, either to dislodge the ball or prevent the opponent gaining possession of it, is allowed in an upward direction only. Hitting down constitutes a foul. "Riding-off' is allowed, but crossing, stopping over the ball, or elbowing constitute fouls. The wedging or sandwiching of one player between two players "riding-off" simultaneously constitutes a foul and is dangerous play. The penalty for such fouls is a free throw to the offended side, or if the penalty needs to be more severe a free goal may be awarded.
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PolocrosseOrigin and History The International Horse Sport of Polocrosse derived from an equestrian exercise in England. Just prior to visiting England in 1938, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hirst of Sydney read an article in an English Horse Magazine on "Polo Crosse". As both were keen on horse breeding and horse sports they decided to find out more about it when they got to England. On arrival they visited the National School of Equitation at Kingston Vale near London where two riding instructors had developed an exercise to supplement the work at the riding School and to make the young riders take better charge of their horses. The exercise was played with two a side, indoors, and with markers on the wall from which the ball bounced back into play. The goals were elongated basketball nets hung at each end of the arena. The sticks were old polo sticks that had the polo mallet removed and replaced with a squash racquet head. This had a shallow string net which they used to scoop up the ball. The idea was to scoop up the ball, which was a little larger than a tennis ball, ride with it to the end of the arena and drop it into the net to score. Realizing the great possibilities of this exercise as an outdoor horse sport, Mr and Mrs Hirst returned to Australia with sticks, balls and rule books where they sought the assistance of Mr Alf Pitty, a well known and experienced horseman and polo player. After many hours of discussion, practicing, much trial and error and with constant revision of the rules, they finally came up with a new and exciting game, using only one horse and able to be played by a person of any age. They called the new game “POLOCROSSE”. Over fifty years later despite numerous ideas on improvements the same basic philosophy, size of the field and team combination is still used to make it “King of the One Horse Sports”. After all their careful designing Mr Pitty then helped to give what would appear to be the first polocrosse demonstration at the Ingleburn Sports Ground near Sydney in 1939. He showed those present how to pick up the ball and the basic idea of the game. Such was the immediate interest and enthusiasm that it was not long before all the club members were practicing this new game. A short time later in 1939 a meeting was called at Ingleburn to form the first Polocrosse Club. At this meeting the first book of Rules of the Game was established. During
World War II naturally the game suffered a setback, but a few keen enthusiasts mainly the women of the Club kept it alive with charity days for the war effort. In 1945 Australia’s second Polocrosse Club, Burradoo, was formed near Bowral, 120 km south of Sydney and in 1946 the first inter-club game was held between the Ingleburn and Burradoo Clubs at Ingleburn. The game spread quickly with great interest being shown which led Mrs Marjory Hirst to believe that there should be an overall controlling body formed consisting of representatives of all the existing Clubs. On the 17th October 1947, Mrs Marjory Hirst as Ingleburn Club President convened a meeting at which all representatives from the Ingleburn, Burradoo, Nowra, Parrakeet and Wollongong Clubs were present. At this meeting it was unanimously agreed to form the Polocrosse Association of Australia. From 1946 polocrosse spread to the New South Wales country areas with some of the first country Clubs forming in the west of the State at Mudgee, Wellington and Dubbo, and in the south at Wagga and Albury. By 1949 it had spread to Queensland around Toowoomba and Bundaberg and into Victoria around Hexham and Ballarat. It then continued to spread to South Australia and Western Australia and finally into the Northern Territory and Tasmania. At present there are some 3,682 players, both male and female, of all ages and from all walks of life registered in 197 clubs participating in the sport throughout Australia.
THE POLOCROSSE FIELD
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MEMORIES 2011
The Bunnies
Adelaide v’s The Bunnies
Runner’s up B Grade State Champs
Winners C Grade State Champs
Back from battle
What a wood!
Run Twist Run, winning the A grade final Casterton.
Watch out Tori she’s waiting for you!
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Deanna lining up the goals
The horse dance.
Clint nice off side pick up.
Craig having a party.
Velia on the go
Justin looking to intercept the pass.
Ebony looking for her one.
Matt being chased by all three players
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QUICK TIPS ON FITNESS FOR POLOCROSSE HORSE AND RIDER After having 6 months off both horse and rider need to think about getting fit so the following might give a little help on how to accomplish this.
"down." If you're workout is "working your horse up" and he's getting more excited, you're doing too much fast work. Match-fit ponies ought to be able to canter FITNESS TRAINING FOR POLOCROSSE reasonably fast for about 45 minutes! You don't HORSES need to gallop them loads - cantering is the most Getting them back into good physical shape is important pace. If they are fit enough to canter your first priority. However, it's probably going to round a field for 45 minutes, they are fit enough to take longer than you first imagined. In fairness to gallop in bursts during a match. You could do your horse, you're going to need a good plan, plus some hill work or working around barrels or some kindness and consideration. Now, imagine if cones to build up the driver muscles. you had to do something extremely strenuous in the same out-of-shape condition. You might pull a FITNESS TRAINING FOR POLOCROSSE muscle, get sick to your stomach, or something PLAYERS even worse, because you do not have the muscle From my experience with Polocrosse, I get the strength or the air to perform at that level. A good impression that some players put lots of effort into rule of thumb for coming back after a spelling conditioning their horse, but forget about them, is to realise it takes just as many weeks to themselves when preparing for competition. For get a horse back into shape as it did for him to get juniors, any sort of sporting activity will be out of shape, up to 12 weeks. In other words, if beneficial to their fitness. Participating in different he's off for eight weeks, it will take that long to get sports is encouraged for younger players because him back in competition-ready condition. If he's off it is a fun way to keep fit and prevents burn-out for five months, it will still take three months to get from Polocrosse at a young age. Team sports are him back in shape. good because they have a similar intermittent At a minimum, you'll need to plan on four to six stop-starting nature to Polocrosse. weeks of consistent work before you can If players want to train specifically for Polocrosse, reasonably expect your horse to be in condition to the best training would be a session which compete. By consistent, we mean that he's involves a mixture of high and low intensity getting exercise an average of five days a week. efforts, commonly known as interval training. The We start the first week of work with a simple idea of interval training is to perform a series of program of walking, trotting and loping. The efforts that are at (or above) the highest intensity workout is likely about 40 to 45 minutes long, but reached in a game. Each effort is followed by a of that time, only a small portion is trotting and low intensity recovery period. Interval sessions loping, and there is a good deal of walking should be fairly short and easy when introduced sandwiched between the faster paces. That's into a training program and become progressively because if your horse has been turned out or kept harder each week. Intervals can be made harder up in a stall, chances are he hasn't done much to by either increasing the number of efforts build his wind. Working him too much at this point performed, increasing the duration of each effort, will make him sore and can adversely affect his or decreasing the recovery time between each work ethic. Chances are that the horse will be a effort. All interval sessions should begin with a low little rusty and have some resistance. This is the intensity warm-up for 15min and finish with a time for patience and repetition. You're asking for warm-down for 10-15min (plus stretching). a response, and he's thinking he'd still like to be Information: Equisearch website. on vacation, so just correct, and ask again. Don't By Cheryl Magoteaux, Savannah Magoteaux get mad or frustrated; these behaviours will likely be much less evident in about a week. Each day, you'll increase the strenuous workout time by adding a little more trotting or loping to his workout. But keep one important thing in your mind. You're working him "out" then cooling him
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LOOKING BACK
Shane @ 18 & Drew Gurney
The winning U21 side Werribee Nationals 1996
Matt @ 17, Don & Lindsay Woodford at Bordertown umpiring
Shane @16 & Mick Devit at Naracoorte
Warwick Nationals 2011 Below Tori & Ebony at The Warwick 2012 Polocrosse Nationals. For those who don’t know they played in the U24 Women’s side, unfortunately they didn’t end up winning any games but came within 3 of Victoria! Tori played a 3 all week and Ebony played a 2 & 1. “We learnt a lot and are looking forward to putting everything into practise with Adelaide next Season!! “ Ebony Sherriff Matt Prior was also representing our state in the men’s side but unfortunately injured his knee and was unable to play. Well done Ebony and Tori you have done our club proud.
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SPONSORS ADELAIDE POLOCROSSE CLUB
The Adelaide Polocrosse Club is looking for sponsors for our 2013 season. If you would like to sponsor our fantastic sporting club. Please call Shane Pike on 0498034799 for a sponsorship proposal.
THE ADELAIDE HILLS EQUESTRIAN CENTRE When it first began 2003