Equipment

The adjacent photo shows the player’s and the pony’s typical equipment which is obligatory for any tournament.

In the game the player must wear protective headgear including a chinstrap, as well as knee pads, boots, white breeches and a team shirt. The polo mallet will complete this list of obligatory equipment. Faceguards, possibly non-breakable glasses (goggles) and mouth guards are necessary to protect eyes and the facial area. Most of the polo players wear gloves on both hands or at least on their hitting hand. More and more frequently you will see players wearing further safety equipment like elbow pads, back protectors and wrist guards.

The pony’s legs are carefully wrapped with bandages, often supplemented with protectors like brushing or tendon boots (which help to protect cannon bones and fetlock). Its mane must be trimmed to prevent the reins or mallet from entangling. Of course it would be at least as dangerous if the mallet became entangled in the pony’s tail, so this is plaited and wrapped for the course of the game.

The typical and obligatory equipment and turnout of a pony includes:

Polo saddle Bridle including double reins Standing martingale Breast collar Bandages and/or protecors Trimmed mane Tied-up tail

Below is a detailed illustration of a typical polo helmet including faceguard. These traditional helmets are kind of a modification from the pith helmet the British often used to wear when playing polo. More up-to-date models are often DIN-tested and available in lighter and modern versions, fully developed in the sense of safety. Besides the field itself you will also need further equipment for your pony’s keeping, care and training. As the training and keeping of polo ponies is a very complex subject, this book will not deal with it in detail. However, the importance of it must be strongly emphasized! Polo horses are real athletes who are top-performing and motivated because of their breeding, selection, schooling, training and keeping. To keep this level requires species-appropriate and competent handling. These jobs should be assumed by a routine and qualified groom. Listed below is further equip-

Protective Helmet ment typical for polo.

Mouth Guard When using a mouth guard you should ensure that it is produced for stroke sports and protects both the jaw line and mouth area.

Goggles Goggles should be composed of non-breakable material like polycarbonate. Besides UV protection they also offer protection against flies and dust and even protect the eyes from flying balls or hits. Some polo associations stipulate the wearing of faceguards and/or goggles for juvenile polo players.

Gloves Gloves should be from a durable material but not too thick. Often only the right glove is used, so polo gloves are mostly available separately.

Whip Whips, including any tag, must not be longer than 122 centimeters. Walking Sticks Besides the standard mallets, a walking stick (a short stick of about 28 to 32 inches), called foot mallet or taco de pie should complement the equipment. The walking stick is an essential training tool, as considered later in the book.

Spurs Make sure your spurs, including any rowel, are worn blunt. The prescribed length here is a maximum of three centimeters. Wearing spurs which might hurt a horse is forbidden. Stick Bag The polo bag, also known as a mallet bag or stick bag, is quite a helpful tool for transporting your mallets. Typical is the bone-shaped form which accommodates mallets as well as helmet and knee protectors.

Elbow Protectors In polo, you will often see back and arm protectors coming from other sports like inline skating and motocross. Polo Balls Having a good stock of polo balls is of course important, too. For comparison, you can see below a sequence of illustrations of different balls used in different sports (beginning from left: Polo ball, hockey ball, tennis ball and golf ball).

Wrist Braces On the right wrist polo players often wear common wrist bandages to support and

guard the joint.

Goggles for the Horses’ Eyes Goggles to protect the horses’ eyes are an innovative item in polo.

T-Shirts for Training Chukkas In many clubs you will be asked to bring T-shirts in various colors for training chukkas. These shirts should be found in any polo bag.

Polo Boots and Boot Bag Boots are best transported in a boot bag. After the game you should clean your boots with water and saddle soap, to make sure the horse’s sweat does not cause stains or even damage to the leather. Traditional polo boots are made from brown leather and are traditionally cleaned with colorless saddle soap. If you care for your boots in this way, instead of using shoe polish on black boots, they will not leave stains on your fellow players’ clothes. This is certainly a sign of traditional respect to both the opponent and to the grooms, who are responsible for boot cleaning. There are now variants of fashionable black leather boots.

Tape for the Mallet To protect the mallet from moisture, you should prepare it with adhesive tape. The care of the mallet will be discussed in detail in the following chapter.

Polo Studs A polo pony needs special polo shoes. The raised inner rim and light construction allow the horse to maneuver much more easily in different situations without losing its footing. Often the so-called “polo studs” are used. They are attached to the outside heel of the hind shoe to improve the pony’s stops and turns on the hind legs.

Leg Protection You should try to protect the horse as effi ciently as possible but without affecting its movements. Besides leg bandages and brushing or tendon boots, some players choose bell boots to protect the horses’ bulb and to prevent them from accidentally kicking off their front horse shoe.

Tips from the Pro

Keep in mind lining up for a game fully-equipped, i.e. with correct and complete equipment.

Protective clothing from other sports can be a reasonable supplement to the obligatory equipment.

The walking stick is part of the polo player’s basic equipment.

The polo ponies’ keeping, grooming and training should be left to routine and professional groomers.