Polo Tip #30: Playing Smart – Overmounted or Improperly Mounted

If you are uncomfortable with a horse, Get Off.

Most of you know that the game of polo is all about the horse. If you don’t, you will. The most important factor is being comfortable on your horse, at whatever level of play. If you and a horse are not a match, that is as simple as it gets. It does not matter how fast the horse is, how pretty they are, and whether or not anybody else likes it. The important part is that you feel secure and safe. Your requirements for certain characteristics of a horse’s playing performance are going to continually change due to your changing riding abilities and levels of play. If you are comfortable on a horse that can jump inside out, do 360’s faster than a spinning top, reach full speed an a couple of strides, great. If you have to be to work on Monday morning and have others to provide for, you might want a more solid, slightly less responsive model. One that doesn’t flip over on you just because you held onto them a little too tight, or at least that is what your trainer is telling you as you are looking at them with a glaze over your eyes, with a thousand pounds of horse now on top of you. Not only are you unclear as to who that trainer is, you are wondering why this stranger in an emt outfit is asking you what day it is and what your name is. I can not tell you how often I have avoided serious incidents in my forty years of playing, with a very simple dismount.

Draw Reins and Draw Backs

By Christian Moon

A client asked me to re-tread two of his horses after playing in the 12 goal leagues for the summer. He told me a bit about each horse over by his trailer right after the last game and we agreed that the horses should come to my place and that I would play them, though the likelihood of being able to was somewhat dubious.
After a new set of shoes the horses arrived and were assimilated by the herd and incorporated into the schooling program.

Their owner had not given these horses much accolade other then their original cost which I assumed should reflect their original quality. The owner could care less about that now and was most annoyed that these two horses, his most expensive, were now useless to him after just two years. One was a leaper, and the other a run away. His flowery descriptions of their behavior told the rest of the story. … Continue Reading

Rege Ludwig Explains His “Rider’s Checklist”

Scott Weir interviews Rege Ludwig, the internationally known polo instructor and coach, about his “rider’s checklist.” Rege explains the importance of balance in polo and gives some tips on how to improve your balance — and consequently your polo game — while riding.

Polo Tip #15: Emergency Dismount From A Moving Horse

Simply put, eject without a parachute. Bail. Get off quickly. This is the second thing that should be taught to everyone on horseback, right after learning how to get on one. I have saved a situation many a time with a simple dismount. You need to be comfortable with the quickest way off a horse and how to land in a manner to minimize the potential for injury.

1. Shorten your reins.
2. Kick your feet out of both stirrups (being dragged is not a good thing).
3. Discard any whip or mallet.
4. Pick which side is better to get off. Practice both sides.
5. Press against the horse’s neck with one or both hands.
6. Kick your leg over the horse in a vaulting motion. It is important to clear the rump of your horse.
7. Land off to the side of the horse, with your legs bent to absorb shock. You should be facing the side of the horse as you land onto your feet.
8. If you are at speed, be prepared to roll when you hit the ground. If you ever watch snowboarders when they fall, they usually roll right back onto their board. It is sudden stops that will increase the impact. Strangely enough, when we are going fast, we are usually thrown into a roll naturally. Then we go down slowly, we put out a hand, or lock our knees and the result is a more serious injury.
9. Try to hold onto your horse if you land on your feet
10. If you are on the ground, be aware of additional traffic and clear out of the way if possible.

Use safety girths (overgirths), keep your tack in good repair, and always use large stirrup irons and thick stirrup leathers (buffalo leathers are very popular). Practice your emergency dismounts at a standstill initially and then maybe at a moving walk or trot with professional supervision. The better you are at it, the more familiar it will be when the time calls for reacting as opposed to thinking.

Polo Tip #12: Changing Leads

Ok, I know how to shift gears on this thing, but how do I change leads? By the way, what are leads?

As a quick review, while you are cantering or galloping, your horse is on one lead or the other. If they have both of their legs on the right side of their body going further forward than their left ones, they are on the right lead which is better for them and you when they are turning right. They get better traction so to speak when they are on the proper lead for the direction they are turning. … Continue Reading

Polo Tip Video – Striking On The Near Side Without Fouling

In this video, Christian demonstrates how to execute a nearside shot without crossing over the line of the ball, a common foul. He shows how to practice the shot with your horse so that its performance, as well as your own, will be consistent on game day. Another great video by Christian Moon demonstrating how sound horsemanship will lead to good striking in polo.

Schooling a Green Horse for Polo – Tobacco Video 1

In this video, Christian plays on Tobacco, a horse he started in April 2009. Christian demonstrates the importance of acclimating the green horse to the mallet by continually taking practice swings, on both the nearside and offside of the horse, throughout the chukker. This reinforces to the horse that Christian won’t hurt it by swinging.

Additionally, Christian demonstrates stops, checks, and both right and left turns throughout the chukker. He emphasizes keeping a relaxed grip on the horse, keeping the horse balanced and on the proper lead, and using soft contact with the horses mouth via the reins.

Riding Style And Reality: How To Properly Apply Your Leg When Executing Checks and Rollbacks From The Gallop

I recently asked regular contributor Christian Moon for some advice on how to properly grip a horse with your legs, particularly when checking or executing sharp turns or rollbacks. I want to reprint the original question, and Christian’s response, here in hopes that it may help other readers. Enjoy!

PoloGringo:

I’ve developed that habit of riding with my toes pointed slightly out, like a duck, in order to get more grip with my calves. I find that I really rely on this extra grip when checking or doing rollbacks. The problem with this is that if I were to grip like this with spurs, I’d be in for a whole lot of trouble as I’d be unintentionally spurring the horse while trying to slow down.

The most common advice I’ve heard is to just grip with my knees, toes pointed straight ahead — but there’s only so much you can do with your knees and thighs, especially when you don’t have a suede saddle. The other advice I’ve been given is to “stand up” more when checking.

What’s your take on this? It’s one of those things you don’t really notice in club chukkers, but becomes obvious at a game pace.

… Continue Reading

Schooling a Green Horse for Polo – Video 7

In this video, Christian plays Hanalei in her 6th ever chukker. Hanalei’s balance is good enough that she is doing natural lead changes when necessary, but she’s not quite at the level of queued flying lead changes yet.

Christian talks about acclimating the green horse to other horses on the field, and the swinging mallets that come with them. He talks about introducing the ride-off and using the trot to help balance the horse by changing diagonals rather than being forced to balance the horse by changing leads at the canter.

And perhaps most important of all, Christian uses the chukker to help reinforce in Hanalei’s mind that he will not lead her into painful situations. When she accepts this, she will truly be able to start enjoying the game. Enjoy!

Fit And Ready – Get Your Horses In Shape So You Can All Enjoy The Season

By Tiana and Dale Smicklas

Trainers exercise polo horses at the Santa Barbara Polo Club in Summerland. Photo by Stephen Osman / LA Times

By this time of year, many clubs, both arena and outdoor, are gearing up for a full season of winter polo. If you play at one of these clubs, you are likely beginning to think about getting yourself and your horses ready for the season. Don’t wait until it’s too late. As your season approaches, get your horses into a fitness routine so they will be ready when the season starts. If you don’t give your horses enough time to prepare, they likely won’t last the season.

Injuries are much more likely to occur when horses are not fit enough. Imagine not exercising for months then deciding to jog for 10 days before running a marathon. It is equally ridiculous to play a horse that has only had a week or two of exercise. Why risk injury to begin your season? … Continue Reading