madiz123
Well-Known Member
I was just reading a thread about welfare in polo, and it made me want to explain why polo tack is like it is...
A little about me - I currently own 3 polo ponies (have had another two in the past) and have played for 10 years. Over these years, I have experimented with all manner of tack (starting with a snaffle bridle and a snaffle) and have ended up using traditional polo gear.
I come from a non-polo background, so shared a lot of the concerns about all the tack that polo players use. I will explain each piece of polo tack:
1. Standing martingale - This is solely to prevent the player being smacked in the face by the horse lifting it's head too high when a player is leaning forward. What people often don't understand about the game is quite how mobile players need to be - and leaning forward over the horse's head is something a player will commonly do. Last summer, a friend who is a beginner player broke her jaw due to the horse's head coming up too high.
2. Running martingales - We DON'T use these. You cannot neck-rein properly as the runners get in the way.
3. Running Reins (or draw reins) - These are fixed to the girth, run through the bit and into the player's hand. Remember, polo players need to use their reins all the time, whether in the middle of a ride-off or mid-shot. What the running reins do is ensure that the pressure on the horse's mouth is exerted in the correct direction. For example imagine I am doing a back-hand shot, and want my horse to slow down at the same time. I am leaning right out to the right hand side of my horse, with my hand about level with the horse's ears. Without the running reins, I would be pulling my horse's head upwards and round to the right. With the running reins, the pressure is exerted straight back. It is not about preventing the horse's movement, but actually making the player's instructions clearer and less messy.
4. Breast Plate - To prevent the saddle from slipping too much as player's often lean far out from the saddle, increasing the chances of the saddle slipping.
5. Pelhams, Gags etc - This is NOT because polo ponies are impossible to stop so they need strong bits. Quite the contrary, polo ponies have very sensitive mouths. What these bits do for the player is enable tiny corrections and movements to be done. Say I miss-hit the ball slightly to my left, I need to check my speed and turn left at a full gallop. This would be near impossible in a snaffle as the horse would not feel my instructions clearly enough.
Have I missed anything?
Polo is a super fast game and the ponies love it. They are the most well-behaved horses I have ever come across. Players have to be crazy good riders to be any good at the game and the dexterity of both horse and rider cannot be compared to other equestrian sports, which are all very different.
I read a suggestion that we should play polo more slowly, well, anyone who says that has never played!
A little about me - I currently own 3 polo ponies (have had another two in the past) and have played for 10 years. Over these years, I have experimented with all manner of tack (starting with a snaffle bridle and a snaffle) and have ended up using traditional polo gear.
I come from a non-polo background, so shared a lot of the concerns about all the tack that polo players use. I will explain each piece of polo tack:
1. Standing martingale - This is solely to prevent the player being smacked in the face by the horse lifting it's head too high when a player is leaning forward. What people often don't understand about the game is quite how mobile players need to be - and leaning forward over the horse's head is something a player will commonly do. Last summer, a friend who is a beginner player broke her jaw due to the horse's head coming up too high.
2. Running martingales - We DON'T use these. You cannot neck-rein properly as the runners get in the way.
3. Running Reins (or draw reins) - These are fixed to the girth, run through the bit and into the player's hand. Remember, polo players need to use their reins all the time, whether in the middle of a ride-off or mid-shot. What the running reins do is ensure that the pressure on the horse's mouth is exerted in the correct direction. For example imagine I am doing a back-hand shot, and want my horse to slow down at the same time. I am leaning right out to the right hand side of my horse, with my hand about level with the horse's ears. Without the running reins, I would be pulling my horse's head upwards and round to the right. With the running reins, the pressure is exerted straight back. It is not about preventing the horse's movement, but actually making the player's instructions clearer and less messy.
4. Breast Plate - To prevent the saddle from slipping too much as player's often lean far out from the saddle, increasing the chances of the saddle slipping.
5. Pelhams, Gags etc - This is NOT because polo ponies are impossible to stop so they need strong bits. Quite the contrary, polo ponies have very sensitive mouths. What these bits do for the player is enable tiny corrections and movements to be done. Say I miss-hit the ball slightly to my left, I need to check my speed and turn left at a full gallop. This would be near impossible in a snaffle as the horse would not feel my instructions clearly enough.
Have I missed anything?
Polo is a super fast game and the ponies love it. They are the most well-behaved horses I have ever come across. Players have to be crazy good riders to be any good at the game and the dexterity of both horse and rider cannot be compared to other equestrian sports, which are all very different.
I read a suggestion that we should play polo more slowly, well, anyone who says that has never played!
