If your horse were to take off unexpectedly and you are not able to stop them, circling is a great way of gaining leverage and therefore re-establishing control by turning them into smaller and smaller circles until they stop.

Being able to adjust a horse a few inches or a few feet from one side to the other is what allows the better riders to adjust to a bouncing outdoor ball, to win more ride-offs, and to get their horse closer to the boards in the arena than you seem to be able to do. Not to mention getting a better balanced frame on your horse while moving around the field.

Reining may seem like pretty simple stuff initially…but there is a lot more to it. The beginner rider starts out pretty much all hand, while more advanced riding is all about the combination of seat, legs, eyes, voice, hands, and position. Hands or reining is only a piece of the puzzle, but certainly an important one.

Probably the key to a great polo seat. The old hunt/polo seat saw a much longer stirrup and a straight leg that resulted in what they call a deep seat. The riders were usually more to the rear of the saddle. Those polo players of yesteryear even used to turn their mallet a quarter revolution clockwise in their hands to make up for the fact that they weren’t getting up in a hitting position and turning their shoulders as we do now, well, at least some of us, ahem.

In this video Claire moves away from stick work and onto horsemanship. She shows us the proper way to warm a polo pony up, how to check-up, and how to turn. Additionally, she explains how to maintain your balance and grip while in two-point. She also shows us some more advanced techniques like flying lead changes and rollbacks.

In this video, again from HorseTV.com, Claire Tomlinson moves from foot mallets and wooden horses to real horses and long mallets. She discusses common faults like running over the ball, swinging too hard, and crossing the line during backhanders. Later, she demonstrates the basics of polo horsemanship — balance, the half-seat, leg aids, lead changes, and turning.

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.

In polo the running rein is used almost universally. It is used with great effect by many and has a place in the game, but although it’s virtues could be sung by many a player I am sure they would all agree that if it is used incorrectly it is a scourge for the horse.

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.

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.