Polo 101

101 GUIDE to

Polo by USA’s leading player:

Roll up, roll up… Obviously you’re interested in horses, as otherwise you would not be looking at this publication, but have you given polo a chance? Here we sit down with 36 year old Nic Roldan, the present captain of the USA polo team, who’s passionate about introducing the sport to more people and often feels people are held back due to over thinking it, or misconceptions. Many of you may be in Wellington, Florida this winter, so why not make use of the opportunity. Go and watch a game or even give it a go yourself.

Nic was very clear that rule number one is the same as with any equestrian discipline in that it’s all about the horses! These ponies are the greatest athletes in the equine world. We ask these ponies to go flat out, stop and turn on a dime, bump into other horses whilst swinging a stick off the top of them, they have to be as quiet as a seaside donkey and stop with 2 fingers! Most will be able to perform a preliminary Dressage test to boot. The first time a racehorse’s feet hit the ground out of the gate, it has three times its body weight on its front two feet. How many times does a polo pony do that in a chukker? “A cutting horse will cut a cow for a maximum of two minutes, our ponies do that for 5 minutes or so”, Roldan comments. The ponies are the true heroes of the game and so it’s no wonder The Jungle Book’s Rudyard Kipling wrote a book called “The Maltese Cat” about the dialogue they share between themselves in the pony line field side. Hearing Nic talk about his ponies, it’s clear that he is in wonderment of them and treats them almost as kids describing each of their personalities.

Nic tells about how last year whilst he was playing in Argentina where at the highest level each player may take some 15 horses to a game, that grooms casually walk with 3 ponies in one hand. He took a moment to take in the site of seeing a whole “string” of ponies belonging to some of the best players of the game tied to a simple strand of rope. It could not be more alien from other disciplines where each horse is handled with cotton gloves, but don’t be fooled, the values of these equine athletes at that level would be on a par with that of other equine disciplines. One big difference, though, is that mares rule in this sport, with 80% of the horses on the field being female.

Nic goes on to explain that for the majority of polo, one can go and watch for free, or at very little cost, and simply tail gate in your jeans and t-shirt. People get a bit hung up on the big 3pm Sunday games, which of course are great fun.

Nic says that people also get hooked on truly trying to understand the rules and nuances of the game, instead of simply enjoying the experience and taking a more immersive approach. He suggests, if possible, try and watch the game as high up as possible to give you more of a birds eye view, which makes it easier. If you’re not in Wellington, check out the USPolo.org website and you will no doubt be surprised to find a club near you. You will also find sites like chukker.tv that can bring polo into your home by live streaming games.

at a huge advantage. “Give it a go”, he implores, “Who knows where it will lead you, but beware as there is no known cure to the polo bug!” he jips.

Top equestrians in other disciplines spend the year traveling and often find themselves at a different show each weekend. Polo is a little different as at the top level there are clear seasons: Palm Beach, England, Aspen and Argentina, for example. So Nic will find himself based in different places for several months at a time. Hence, he really gets to know each place as an insider and so is perfectly positioned to share some tips with us.

Nic’s insider guide to Wellington: Having been brought up in Wellington and calling it home to this day, Nic was a great person to ask to get a few inside tips on what the locals refer to as “Welli-World”, the winter hub of the equestrian world:

Variety: Nic points out that Wellington truly is an equestrians dream: the facilities, tack stores, the amazing stables etc. Often people forget to step outside their bubble, even though it’s right on their doorstep. In January there is one of the richest horses races in the world just down

info@nicroldan.com www.nicroldan.com