La Low Goal
November Issue
Winter is well and truly here. And that means were quickly running out of things to write about. Luckily however, this month both Tommy Llorens and Diana de Souza Leão Jensen agreed to talk to us, filling your pages with two very different accounts of polo has meant to them.
Elsewhere we’ve also taken a look at the HPA’s statistics about polo injuries, as well as the updated list of helmets which will be accepted for the 2020 season. And as if that wasn’t enough we’ve taken a quick look at the whole AirBnB, World Animal Protection mess, and why it could be catastrophic for polo.
Finally, we’ve also got a (whisper it) Christmas guide for all of the gift ideas for your polo savvy friend. I know its only just November, but as I said, its been a quiet month.
Enjoy the issue
Connor Kay
(editor)
1
by low goal for low goal
Contents Page 5
Crisis Point? -A look at the AirBnB and WAP scenario
Page 7
ROR - A look at retraining racehorses for polo
Page 13
Tommy Llorens - Talks his introduction to polo and the rise of Luff and Llorens
Page 16
Helmets - You’re guide to the updated HPA polo helmet guidelines
Page 19
Christmas Gift Guide - Everything you need for your polo mad friend
Page 28
Ignacio Fernandez Llorente -Changes not written in polo rules
Page 30
Chukka Wellness - Nutrition tips
Page 33
HPA Statistics - A look at the validity of the HPA injury statistics
Page 37
Diana de Souza Leao Jensen - On her unorthodox polo experience
Page 42
Club News - Match reports from all over the UK
Page 45 2
#lalowgoal -The latest from our online contributors
Crisis Point? As of late September, AirBnB changed their animal welfare guidelines. Their new guidelines, co written with the World Animal Protection banned a number of inhuman sports such as bear baiting, cockfighting and bull fighting. This meant that any of AirBnB’s current listing offering these services were instantly removed from the site. Crucially though, Polo and Horse Racing also managed to find their way onto this list.
Although this is obviously a headache for those using the platform and working in polo, the much bigger issue here is the stigma that polo has found attached to it, and the possibility of these large scale cooperations in spreading these false rumours.
Both AirBnB and the World Animal Protection are huge, international entities. Both have millions of users/followers, meaning both could be hugely influential in shaping the public’s perception. The greater risk to polo as a whole, is that the World Animal Protection especially, and to an extent, AirBnB begin convincing the general public that polo, as a sport is inhumane. As soon as that happens, the sponsors leave, new players dry up, crowds disappear and polo falls into a continual decline. We simply cannot risk this being the case, and therefore the issue must be treated as an absolute priority.
So, what can we do? Of course childish threats have been levelled on social media, calling all polo players to “boycott airbnb”. However when we are talking about an international behemoth of a company, they really aren't going to care or notice. Instead we need to calmly educate, a point the HPA will almost certainly be pushing behind the scenes. With initiatives such as the spur ban coming into force soon, we need to continue the push towards better animal welfare, and convince these organisations to change their minds before it is too late. The future of polo as we know it could depend on it.
7 5
La Low Goal t-shirts
£18
available at lalowgoal.co.uk
Retraining of
Racehorses
Q. Do the RoR support the retraining of ex racehorses specifically for polo?
 Yes, of course, we currently stage two challenge events a year and we give two awards, namely the RoR Elite Polo Pony Performance Award and the RoR Young Pony Producer Award. Also, there are best playing pony prizes at international matches. The challenge at Cowdray is held on the day of the English high goal semi-finals and showcases the best examples of RoR ponies currently in polo. Meanwhile, the challenge held at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club has a total of four classes and caters more for the grass roots and is aimed primarily at the producers. This event allows the producers to showcase their work and the ponies they are working with. Both events are well supported within the polo community and details can be found on the RoR website.
Q. Is it best to source an ex racehorse from a retrainer or direct from a racing yard? That depends. For a person experienced in retraining racehorses, either direct from racing via a trainer’s yard or from the sales are both good options. For amateurs, it is probably best to try before you buy and therefore buying from a producer might be best. RoR currently works closely with a number of producers, such as Will Brasher, Jack Richardson and Ed Hitchman, to name just a few.
Q. Where could interested people look to find a racing yard or producer/retrainer to buy from? They can contact us direct in the office or visit the ‘RoR Source A Horse’ website, which is designed to facilitate the sale, purchase or loaning of former racehorses either directly from the trainer's yard or for those horses that have been out of training for a period of time. Whatever their level of retraining, this is one place to advertise or source a former racehorse.
Q. Is there any polo specific advice that can be found for retraining racehorses and if so where can it be found? RoR have previously hosted Polo Clinics and are working on arranging a low goal clinic hopefully to be finalised in the New Year and run in the current arena season, early in 2020. This will have a lot of information available to people plus producers and experienced trainers on-hand, giving advice. The objective is to help people move up the ranks and hopefully on towards entering the Royal Berkshire challenge themselves. RoR also currently run club nights for RoR members, these are not specific to polo but it is another
way to meet likeminded people
part of an overview of the breadth
influence where the char
who are retraining racehorses and
of RoR’s activities.
funding is allocated.
Although there many former
RoR is funded through s
racehorses active in polo, because
from British racing, from
Q. Is polo likely to be featured in the annual RoR Showcase in the future?

the ponies do not have to be
owners, racecourses and
registered with RoR to participate,
stakeholders, and there a
in terms of representation on our
budgets to fulfil. So, it is
Yes, it is the intention that polo
database polo comes a long way
understandable that grea
will feature at the Showcase, as
behind the likes of showing and
resource is put into those
dressage. This in turn does
with higher levels of reg
learn and support each other in the retraining journey.
rity’s
support
m the
d all the
Q. There are a list of “approved trainers” on the RoR website but currently it shows only 1 for polo, Are there any more that trainers that people may approach? We have recently added a further two trainers to our approved trainers list and will be looking to adding more trainers in the future.
Q. Where can people increase their knowledge of RoR ex racehorses, welfare and retraining? In 2018 we ran over 120 education events across 15 different disciplines, we have the rd RoR Showcase on 23 November at Hartpury, a day dedicated to retraining former racehorses, with a great line-up of experts attending. The best way to find out about the work we do with polo is to attend one of the RoR challenges, which will provide information and links to experienced trainers, like David Morley. There is also a DVD that is available to purchase via Equestrian Vision which shows the transitional stages from Racehorse to Polo pony. So there is a lot of information there and please The way to ensure that the RoR
do contact us directly, if need be. We really do
can put on more clinics, demos and
encourage people to register their ponies with
on-line training videos is to
RoR for free, so that in the future polo can get
increase the number of polo ponies
more support from RoR and in return we can
registered with the RoR. I
look forward to expanding the options and training available. Keep an eye out for an
are tight
For RoR registration is important
upcoming RoR clinic this winter and check out
s
as it provides us with greater
the ‘Source A Horse’ link to find your new
ater
traceability and shows us which
project and don’t forget to watch the polo series
e activities
discipline the former racehorses
in the summer of 2020 to learn from the best.
gistration.
are moving into. The HPA also
Tomas
s Llorens
15
How did you first get involved in polo? I got into polo through family and family friends. My first job was working for my brother, he was a 4 goal professional in the UK.
What services do you offer at Luff and Llorens? What Luff & Llorens offers is according to what people need. We’ve got a product that can adapt easily to whoever wants to put a foot in polo. We take a lot of pride in our horses, who we carefully select and put them towards the team. We offer livery and a lot of polo.
When, and why did you decide to start Luff and Llorens? We started L&LL 6 years ago, without a clear idea of where and how far we wanted to take the brand. Today, personally, we think we have an excellent organisation, with excellent people working for us and vast range of very good horses. It feels this is just only the start, we're very excited about the future and how we'll keep mutating as an established polo brand in the UK.
What are your plans for this winter and beyond? This winter we will be playing at Emsworth, where we consider is the best place to play arena in the country, professionally ran by ambitious people who want the best for the sport.
2020 Helmets 2 years on from the HPA’s controversial attempt to bring polo up to date by passing new regulations on polo helmets. These regulations standardised 3 point chin straps and required all helmets to conform to the BSI kitemark. Originally, very few existing polo helmets were suitable under these regulations, provoking outrage among many players who were forced to go out and buy new helmets. Since then however, more and more helmets have been added to the approved list. The new list, for 2020 is now as follows:
ARMIS £550 Casablanca
NEU £590
Charles Owen
Palermo Edition
£209
Charles Owen
Palermo II
£239
Charles Owen
Young Rider Polo
£154
GPA
Speed Air/X2
£399
Instinct Polo
Instinct mk1
£530
KEP Italia
Cromo
£210
La Martina
Windsor
£249
Salvavita
£540
Samshield
£211
as ChifrtisGtum id e G G
I can only apologise. I am well aware that, as this issue is released, November has only just begun. I am also well aware that for many people, myself included, Christmas will not even cross their minds until well into December. I am informed however, that there are people who like to start their Christmas shopping unreasonably early (like before the 23rd of December). Furthermore, polo players are notoriously difficult to buy for, as usually it is impractical and very expensive to wrap a new pony year after year. Instead, we’ve put together a handy guide of possible alternatives to keep your polo addicted friends happy during these winter months.
Enjoy
For the player If your planning on splashing out you can always consider the RJ Polo complete bundle, with everything a polo player needs to get playing including:
• Pro Zip Boots
• Kneepads Adults or Children’s
• Pampeano Whites for men and ladies
• ONA Gloves - All Weather Gloves
• RJ Polo Socks - Small or Large £570 rjpolo.com
Hurlingham 1875 polo whites. £120 hurlinghampolo1875.com
Argentine Leather broadband in your choice of colours. £19 lapampapolo.com
Equine Photoshoot. Prices vary depending on individual requirements. markbeaumont.co.uk
For the groom Mother chukka mug by My Line polo £17.95 zazzle.co.uk
You knew this was coming. But, obviously the perfect gifts this Christmas, comes from yours truly. Enjoy our small range of hoodies and TShirts, all available online at lalowgoal.co.uk.
Hoodie: £22 T-shirts: £18 lalowgoal.co.uk
For the spectator If they are planning on attending some polo events, why not help them look the part with this equine inspired dress, available online at redbubble.com £39.13 redbubble.com
Lets drink champagne and play polo cushion £15.60 redbubble.com
Why not give whatever you buy this festive season a polo theme with this polo wrapping paper designed by insimalife? £15.40 zazzle.co.uk
And finally, to top it all off, you can always send some polo themed Christmas cards, such as these by Astrid Strahm £1.95 redbubble.com
Struggling for Christmas gift ideas or tired of meaningless material gifts? How about saving your loved ones the stress of finding a home/cupboard/shelf or wall space of whatever ‘stuff’ you finally decide to get them this year and consider giving a non materialistic gift that truly enhances their lives.
Experiences make us happier than things, and the memories will last longer than most traditional Christmas gifts.
A carefully selected non material gift can show thought and value beyond anything shop bought so why not consider a gift that can’t fit under the tree?
1. Experiences
- How about a polo lesson? It could be a one-to-one for the experienced polo player in your life with a professional coach. The benefits will be appreciated well beyond xmas and into the long, hot, polo summer.
Or
A beginners couples or group session. Make the whole experience more fun, as you go as a couple, for some quality shared experiences or as group of friends out for a laugh. Everyone is in the same boat trying out a new skill and you never know it might be the beginning of a whole new polo based lifestyle!
MHF Plonker to Pro course £400 mhfpolo.com 1 hour intermediate coaching at Ham Polo Club £150 hampoloclub.com
Bespoke training for experienced players at Guards Polo Academy. £195 guardspoloclub.com
2. Tickets - book your tickets and ensure they have something to look forward to past boxing day.
How about a ticket to the RoR showcase where they can learn all the skills they need to retrain their own ex racehorse and turn it into their very own polo pony
Or
Tickets to next summers Gold Cup where they will enjoy the best polo the country has to offer for the summer of 2020.
ROR Showcase tickets £15 ror.org.uk
2020 Gold Cup Final Tickets Not currently on sale cowdaypolo.co.uk
3. Membership - show them that you really know them and that all you really want is to play more polo! Their 2019 summer membership covers them for the arena season so all you would have to do is call the club and purchase them the club membership for the rest of the arena season. If they don’t fancy the cold, write out an IOU to cover the 2020 summer HPA membership and they can cash it in as the sun begins to find its strength again in April.
HPA or SUPA membership. Available online at a range of prices. supa.org.uk hpa-polo.co.uk
5. Favours - not everything in polo has to cost the earth. A well timed favour can mean the world. How
about offering to take the pressure off while they have a holiday by agreeing to check the overwintering ponies everyday or mucking out for the week.
Maybe having you by their side for support during that first grass match of the season will give them the gift of self belief and confidence to kick off the season right, so agree to be head groom or stick chick for the weekend.
And what about you? Do you really need another set of face creams or some cufflinks you will never wear? So instead of looking blank next time someone dear to you asks what you would like this year, why not suggest that they donate to charity on your behalf.
There are many many worthy charities out there but as a horse lover and polo fanatic a charity that should be close to all polo players hearts is Polo Pastures.
If you don’t already know Polo Pastures is a charity based in Basingstoke, Hampshire for the rehoming and retirement of Polo Ponies when they come to the end of their careers in Polo. They do great work and their aim is to find suitable homes for ponies who are no longer able to play Polo due to age, injury or unsuitability. All of the Ponies they re-home go out on a loan basis only, and are never placed back into Polo. They also work on advising and helping owners make the right decision when it comes to finding suitable retirement options for their ponies.
Polo Pastures are currently the only Charity dedicated to the rehoming and retirement of Polo Ponies in the UK. and are a Non Profit Organisation who rely on the generosity of supporters to ensure the ponies get the very best care. All of the donations go towards, regular farrier, dental and veterinary visits, extra hard feed, hay and haylage over the winter, and rugs for cold, wet winter months.
Every gift/donation to the charity goes towards the ponies welfare and rehoming. Take a look at their website and see if you are in a position to re-home an ex polo pony or make a gift that ensures this charity can continue to care for the ponies between finishing playing and finding their perfect forever home.
You could be going to bed on Xmas day knowing that the gifts you received from your friends and family mean that there are retired polo ponies in Hampshire, going to bed, warm, rugged, well fed and well cared for. And that feeling surly will add to the warm glow from the xmas pudding and the days merriments and what better way to head towards a new year?
la_low_goal
My horse instantly pooing in his cleaned stable after hours of mucking out
Me:
la_low_goal
7
Ignacio Fernandez Llorente
Changes not written in the Polo Rules As everyone knows, the polo rules have changed very little throughout history. The essence of the regulations, based on the line of the ball, the rights of way, the use of the mallet and dangerous riding have not changed. But throughout history there have been changes in the application of the rules. The rules are based on a fast and linear game. In the beginning any turn that will be carried out was a reason for danger and therefore it was foul. It was uncommon to turn with the ball, since the fields and horses did not allow it. You used to see very fast horses, but they had a hard time braking, or they simply didn't stop. Times have changed, horses slow down, bend and in many cases play a few minutes and are changed, so they do not get tired. The game is changing, the rules are essentially the same, but the application of these rules is changing. The players are looking for a way to play challenging the limits of the rules. A player who left the game 10 years ago, returned to play this year and is finding it very difficult to adapt because it seems them that the umpires never blow a foul. It is true before millions of fouls were blown. This player can perfectly say that he read the regulations and saw no changes. So how can it be so different? It is still very difficult to understand how polo rules apply, and especially if nobody explains or can explain it. Nobody wants it explained to them either, and everyone sees it as they want to see it. A player / spectator who wants to understand the rules by reading will not understand, he has to watch games, but above all participate in games so that with practice he can learn. But when he manages to learn, changes appear and he always has that feeling that he doesn't quite understand. Most of the fouls are based on the priorities given by the players on the line, within a distance of "Possibility of shock or danger” FOUL = Line (Priority) + Little distance (Possibility of shock)
For many years prevailed who had the line. The polo became slower, tangled, less colourful. Everything was foul, and there were 7 players looking at the one who had possession of the ball, unable to participate. All plays led to fouls. This era was taken advantage of by the professionals who took the ball and did not release it anymore. It was an individualistic game. This issue was attempted to be solved by blowing fouls on those who turned the ball, and stopped on it (although little was actually blown). There were two ways to apply rules to make players hit the ball. Currently the application of the rules, especially in the high handicap, takes into account that there has to be a possibility of shock or danger for foul. The polo is very fast, very colourful and nice, but in many cases dangerous. And above all very dangerous for a player who does not have good control of the horse. The rules cannot be applied the same in the high handicap as in the low handicap since horses and players have different handling and control of the horses. Players have to have more training, and better riding to participate, since you have to go faster in order to stay safe. This game favours the team, and this does not favour individualistic professionals. What is more pleasant is that we did not find 8 players in 2 square meters asking for foul. Now you run more and there are fewer interruptions. The application of the rules is something that changes day by day, the referees set the limits and the players look for ways to impose their game. Before a change of application, the polo player immediately invents a new way to push the limits to favour themselves. Polo players are really extraordinary. The players each game surprise in their way of adapting to the limits set by the referee. Will the application of the rules continue to evolve in this direction? Will it stay as it is today? Or will it return to the game where the professional took the ball and finished in a foul?
La Low Goal
Hoodies
£22 + delivery
Do you ever think about what you’re eating before or after an important tournament? Do you find yourself snacking on biscuits, crisps, sandwiches? Have you become reliant on caffeine or sugar? It is essential to stay alert throughout chukkas as polo is about making quick decisions and reacting rapidly during fast play so maintaining high energy levels through the correct nutrition is a great place to start. At Chukka Wellness we understand that during the busy polo season it can be difficult to find the time to cook healthy meals so we thought we would provide you with a few quick and easy suggestions.
Pre/Post Chukka Snacks The following snacks are packed full of goodness and can be chucked in the horse lorry to eat later on in the day! We recommend snacking on these in the hours running up to your chukkas to reduce the risk of falling blood sugar levels which can lead to low energy levels and an increased desire for a sugary snack.
-
Banana
-
Handful of nuts
-
Peanut butter
-
Fruit
-
Olives
-
Protein bar
-
Protein shake
Staying Hydrated No this doesn’t mean drinking lots of Redbull or coffee, it means sipping on water throughout the day. However, during a busy day of chukkas you may need something a little more than just water.
Isotonic drinks I.D aim to improve the intake of water, minerals and nutrients and replenish any stores the body has lost through exercise i.e. glucose and sodium. An isotonic drink is easily absorbed and quickly leaves the stomach to avoid any indigestion during athletic performance. We recommend taking 1-2 sips of your isotonic drink in-between chukkas and then slowly finishing it off after chukkas have finished.
If you are interested in creating your own Isotonic drink here is a simple recipe:
- 250ml real fruit juice - 250ml water
- A pinch of salt Mix together and chill in the fridge
Post Chukkas or Training Let’s not forget about fuelling your body after you’ve exercised or played. On a nice sunny day a beer or a white wine spritzer seems appetising straight after a polo game but that’s not really the best option for the health and recovery of your body. Along with drinking lots of water for rehydration, be sure to add some protein in to your evening meal to help repair and protect the muscles.
Protein Suggestions Turkey Meatballs in a tomato sauce Scrambled egg and smoked salmon on toast Chilli (or bean chilli or vegetarians) Chicken Sausages and mash with vegetables Tuna and baked potato
CHUKKA WELLNESS TIPS: •
Choose some snacks that you can keep in the horse lorry or your car
•
Always have a large bottle of water with you
•
Make sure you have a protein filled meal or snack within 1 hour after polo or training.
For more snack and meal options, visit our website for our FREE RECIPE DOWNLOAD https://chukkawellness.co.uk
Numbers don’t lie?
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics" Benjamin Disraeli
Despite their outwardly concrete status, anyone who has studied maths beyond a GCSE standard will be able to tell you that statistics very rarely tell a full story. Instead, they can be manipulated and altered in order to convey a number of different, and often conflicting arguments. And the latest batch of statistics released by the HPA, regarding injuries in polo are no exception. (warning lots of maths below)
Firstly, I would like to begin by congratulating the HPA on attempting to achieve this data at all. No matter how inaccurate or misleading it may turn out to be, it will always be better than nothing. It may also prove very useful in the future, allowing the HPA to reliably track and monitor the safety of players, and compare the effectiveness of any future rule changes, designed to improve player safety. For example, although they may have missed the bus on the new helmet regulations, you would have hoped to have seen an obvious reduction in brain and head injuries after these were put in place. Hopefully this can go some way to allowing the HPA to continue their quest to prioritise safety, in what is, after all, a very dangerous sport.
However the data is far from concrete, a fact that, to their credit, the HPA has noted. Although their response rate was very high, at 20% giving them a total of 439 submissions, this is likely to be a biased sample, meaning conclusions will be hard to draw from it. Due to the form being voluntary, it is more than likely that people who had not suffered any injuries are going the skip the form, while those who had suffered an injury will be more likely to take the time to respond. This means that the data will show a greater number of injuries than the actual total when extrapolated out over the entire polo community.
Further more, the actual responses seemed a little vague as well. The third most common injury sustained in 2018 was classed as a ‘minor injury’ while other things some people would often associate with being minor (bruising/concussion) found their way into second place. It also begs the question that if an injury was more minor the a bruise, are most people even going to class it as an injury? By polling the players themselves and not the medical staff on site at each event, the lines between each of the categories can become blurred and the statistics less reliable. The HPA claim this is an unavoidable evil due to the fact that most clubs rely on volunteer medics (unlike sports such as racing) and as a result cannot be expected to collect data for the HPA. However it is hard to see how the HPA can ever expect “reliable" data when people will have such differing ideas of what kind of injury they have sustained.
Another interesting point raised is the surprisingly low injury rate per chukka, at 0.12%. The HPA goes on to compare this to Irish point to point who have an injury rate of 0.89% and Irish national Hunt at 1.07%. This seems to imply that polo is pretty safe. The obvious issue here however is that it is judged per chukka. Surely a compete race is the equivalent to an entire game, and therefore we need to, at the very least multiply this figure by 4, giving us 0.48% per game. Admittedly this is still barely half of the Irish point to point figures, but this is still extremely high. A study carried outing the US found that the NFL has an injury rate of 0.0754% per game, 6 times less than polo. And this was a worryingly high figure for them. Other sports such as baseball and basketball have even lower injury rates, sometimes lower than 24 times less risky than polo. So do not be fooled by the figures. Although there is always something more dangerous, polo still ranks highly among the top dangerous sports, and safety cannot be taken for granted. That is why these figures, no matter their final accuracy are so important.
Graph showing the risk of injury pregame in different sports Polo Baseball(MLB) 1.2
0.9
0.6
0.3
0
Irish Point to Point Basketball (NBA)
Irish National Hunt NFL
English Premiership Rugby
Diana de Souza LeĂŁo Jensen PoloPeoplePlaces
30 38
D
iana is a Danish/Brazilian polo enthusiast, who is on a mission to spread the word about polo and get more people involved in the sport. She travels around the world following the high goal polo tournaments sharing her experiences on her blog
1) How and when did you get into polo? My very first encounter with polo was actually Palermo Open in 2010. I did an exchange semester at the Universidad Austral in Buenos Aires during my Bachelor’s degree. Many of my classmates told me that I should go watch a polo match, so my friends and I went and it just happened to be the Semifinal of Palermo Open, of course I was amazed with the beauty, power and speed and I became a fan of polo immediately. We also went to the final the following week, Ellerstina won that year.
2) How long were you a spectator, and what was your motivation to get on and give it a go? I watched from the sidelines for a little over 3 year’s before getting on myself. My blog actually made me get on a horse and give it a go. When I told people about PoloPeoplePlaces, they would ask if I played, so I decided it was time to give it a try. I was a little scared of horses back then and I was living in Bahrain at the time, where there was no polo. So I had to travel all the way to Wellington, Florida for my first lesson. I remember thinking "I hope I don't like it" cause I knew it would take over my life entirely, well it was the biggest thrill of my life that first canter down an open field and the sound of the mallet making contact with the ball and just like that I was hooked!
3) When did you start blogging about polo and travel? And why? I wrote my Master’s thesis about sponsorship in polo, I spent 6 months writing about polo and after handing my thesis in, I missed it, so I decided to start a blog about my polo adventures and the people I met along the way. I had already traveled to Dubai, Spain, England and the US for polo, so I just started writing about it. I wanted to tell people about this amazing sport I had fallen in love with and hopefully inspire them to get involved as well.
4) How many different clubs and countries have you played in?
Well, I still haven’t played an official tournament. My learning curve has been wide and sporadic. I was working as a flight attendant on private jets for most of my polo learning time, so my life was kind of crazy and it was very hard to be consistent with my riding. But I have had lessons and stick and balled in: Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Sotogrande in Spain, several places in England, Denmark, Wellington (USA), Tianjin in China, Argentina, Brazil, Aiken in South Carolina, Malta and recently Denver, Colorado. 3931
5) Where has been your favourite so far?
8) What has been the best piece of polo advice you have ever received?
This is such a hard question! I always feel like I am home when I go to Polo Valley in Sotogrande, Spain, and I learned so much and made great friends at La Trade Polo Club and El Venado Polo Days in Argentina. It’s always fun doing an intense week of polo when there is high goal polo to watch as well.
A novice like me needs a lot of advice, so they are all good! But the most inspirational was when I was first starting and one of my good friends Andrea said: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” She borrowed that one from Walt Disney, but it is a great line and so true, if you can envision yourself doing something and really believe in it, you are halfway there and you can achieve it! Also to focus on my followthrough, I get that one a lot.
6) Do you have a list of places you still would like to visit? Oh, for sure! I really want to go to Santa Barbara in California, I have heard great things about Costa Careyes in Mexico, Val de Vie in South Africa would be a dream and New Zealand is on my bucket list too. Lots of places I still want to visit for polo.
7) Do you have a favourite instructor/ coach/team mate? Many! I feel it is unfair to the rest to say I have a favourite, but my friend Kylie Sheehan has been great, she has lots of patience with me, but also pushes me when I am being lazy and she knows that I am capable of more. I have had many lessons with Kylie in Wellington, Florida.
9) How do you find the best club or coach for you to visit on each trip? Or do you just book in wherever you are working? I usually ask around, by now I have polo friends all over the world and everyone is connected. If I don’t know anyone where I am headed I go on Instagram and search hashtags, like #poloschool and then the location, then I look at what people post from there.
10) Are there any elements of the game you have seen abroad that you thought should be implemented into U.K. polo?
Better weather ;)
11) What are your future plans and where can we follow you? I have a trip to Polo Valley in Sotogrande planned in a few weeks time, for a Ladies’ Week of practice and a mini tournament at the end and I will be heading over the pond to Florida for the high goal season. People can follow along on Instagram @polopeopleplaces and on my blog www.polopeopleplaces.com
lalowgoal.co.uk
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Club News
Sheffield Hallam Uni Equestrian does polo... first lesson ending in a competitive game đ&#x;?Ž đ&#x;?ž đ&#x;?†
Do you ever wonder why some people have truly happy horses? Horses that never colic, bang on stall doors, misbehave while with you on the ground and under saddle? It's not all due to training. Its because some horses are allowed to be horses.
Chester Polo - July 2020
Arena Polo Season 2019/2020 đ&#x;Žą
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WIP Vera Cup (ladies 12 goal) Congratulations to Hampshire Polo school who managed to break the draw in the final chukka to win win 8-5!
The sand school is nearly complete!!!!
Exciting works being carried out in our indoor arena - we will reveal more in the next few weeks
Welcome to all of our members; both new and old, we have a very exciting year ahead for all of our University clubs! To kickstart the year the SUPA Uni Challenge returns for the second time this November, our Winter University National Championships in February and of course the Summer University National Championships in June. We look forward to you all joining us at these events this year!
Winner winner chicken dinner!! A fantastic win for Reading against Royal Holloway at Ash Farm today with a final score of 8-2 đ&#x;’Ş đ&#x;’Ş well done team! A deserved win â?¤ đ&#x;?Ž A fab way to start the year
Who doesn't love an Oxford vs Oxford final. Thanks everyone at Rugby Polo Club for a great weekend!
#lalowgoal Saving the nation’s scrolling fingers
Use the hashtag or tag us in your photos on Instagram and facebook to be featured next month!
This months submissions
#lalowgoal @happyallam
It’s only been 2 weeks and I’m missing polo season already!
@malta_arena
Throwback to the WPPG Cup in Rugby đ&#x;?†
Post of the month @krizanovich Hampshire Polo School
This is not your ordinary photo of polo players or is it? Everyone thinks polo is just for billionaires. I’ve written about the sport as I see it so let me talk you through this photo. At first you see the sky, a new glorious arena and the players awaiting the beginning of an award ceremony - but look closer and you’ll see a side of polo that surprised me when I first started taking lessons. You’ll see the player playing with her child and another practising with a hand mallet with a dog avidly watching the ball.
At its roots, polo isn't this billionaire's game only for the meg-wealthy. It's a game that so many people can play and do play. It has a much more casual joy to it. It’s a game of good sportsmanship, goofing around, family and fun. People who aren't billionaires play it all the time. As for the horses, they're the happiest, calmest and typically sanest horses I've ever ridden. It's also great for fitness as Chukka Wellness founded by India Parker-Smith shows by bringing a new dimension to the game.
This Month’s Contributors: -
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Tomas Llorens Chukka wellness Diana de Souza Leao Jensen Clare Hamilton ROR Ignacio Fernandez Llorente Connor Kay
@la_low_goal La Low Goal
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