Articles By: Christian Moon

Hitting the Near Side Shot Without Fouling

Hitting on the near side in polo often results in a foul, especially when attempted by beginners. In this article we discuss how to hit on the nearside without fouling.

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Schooling a Green Horse for Polo – Video 3

This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series Schooling A Green Horse for Polo

Christian shows us how to prompt the horse to move forward with her rider and the proper reward for desirable behavior. He also shows us how only through proper repetition can we teach the horse to respond favorably to the mount and dismount

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Schooling a Green Horse for Polo – Video 2

This entry is part 2 of 8 in the series Schooling A Green Horse for Polo

In this second video in the “Schooling a Green Horse for Polo” series, Christian introduces Hanalei to her first saddle and her first attempts at learning to steer.

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Rein Action, Weight and Leg Action

Polo horsemanship: a discussion with Christian Moon about reining, weight distribution, and leg action.

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Schooling a Green Horse for Polo – Video 1

This entry is part 1 of 8 in the series Schooling A Green Horse for Polo

Christian Moon has posted the first in a series of videos on schooling a green horse for polo. In this first video, Moon shows us how to acclimate the green horse to its first mallet and its first saddle. Moon talks about introducing the “whoa” command, keeping the intensity of the training session low to keep the horse relaxed, and punishment vs. positive reinforcement. 

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Riding off an opponent

When riding off, change your horse’s lead to the opposite one to the side your opponent is on. As you draw up alongside your opponent and when you are at the same speed and shoulder to shoulder give the aid to change leads to the side your opponent is on. The momentum of the horse changing from one diagonal to the other will usually win the ride off.

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