polo – Page 2 – Sporting Road

Stick and Balling a Green Horse

https://www.gavsayspoloacademy.com/blog/stick-balling-a-nappy-horse Stick & Balling A Nappy Horse Transcription Hi guys, Gav again. I've been giving quite a lot of polo lessons lately to people that are bringing on young horses and also beginners that are getting themselves into polo. And I see them making the same mistake with their horse so often, because remember this, that a horse is a herd animal. It wants to go back to the pony lines. It wants to go back to the stables. So you see these beginners making mistakes because they don't get into the horses head. And what do I mean by that? Get into the horses head. They don't think like the horse. You've got to think like a horse to be able to overcome those problems. And the horse is telling you something all the time if you learn to interpret it's body language and what is telling you. But the number one issue I'm seeing is the nappyness - the natural urge the horse has to want to go back to the horse lines or the stables. So what people are doing and the mistakes they're making are for example, the horses on the left, okay. And they are going and playing on the off side - now as they play the shot, the horse veers off and runs away from the ball. Why not? Because it's scared of the ball. A lot of them aren't, they just want to go back to the horse lines, but you're interpreting that as it's being scared of the ball. But if you turn round and actually canter the other way and put the ball between the horse lines or stables and the horse, suddenly you find

By Sporting Road|March 1st, 2024|Categories: polo, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Awl for Leather Repair

How to Repair Leather with an Awl

By Sporting Road|October 4th, 2023|Categories: Hunting, polo|Comments Off

Dribbling in Polo and Inconsistent Aim

Polo Swing Technique & Stickwork Riding https://www.gavsayspoloacademy.com/blog/dribbling-techniques Here's just a few brilliant takeaways from the Interview and Lessons I created with 7-goaler Chris Mackenzie. Advice on dribbling, body position, tapping, and distributing +++ MORE... Fixing Inconsistent & Misdirected Shots Transcription: So, often poor or inconsistent shots are caused by one or two fundamentals not being done correctly. Firstly, an incorrect grip causes problems. Secondly, poor posture. And third, not paying attention to a correct swing plane, are usually the major contributing factors in the inconsistent and misdirected shots. If you look in this still picture, you can see that Chris's finger is protruding here. And if one goes back to the video I did on the grip, you will see immediately that if you look at the back fingers, there, that they are across the mallet and not with the mallet. Okay. So, the most important thing for me, is that these two knuckles are on top of the mallet. If you look, there's a ridge down the top of the mallet where it bends to go down, okay. That ridge, this knuckle here, needs to be on top of that ridge and this knuckle needs to be just below it, so that the finger is wrapping around like that. A really easy way to do it is to make sure that your fingers and hands are running with the mallet like this, put that knuckle on top of the mallet and then take the grip. Because what that will mean is that mallet from the front hangs absolutely below my arm. If you allow this knuckle to slide off round the side like that. Immediately you see this finger protrude. When this finger protrudes, these three fingers of your hand have gone from, with the shaft

By Sporting Road|September 29th, 2023|Categories: polo|Comments Off

Las Modelos

By Sporting Road|March 23rd, 2023|Categories: Photography, polo|Comments Off

College Polo Teams

Coll

By Sporting Road|February 22nd, 2023|Categories: polo|Comments Off

Polo Tailgates

Photos from our friend Carolyn, who makes the best polo tailgate picnics. Discover the joy of crafting delectable platters with simplicity and elegance. Carolyn uses artistry and mindfulness her creations. From procuring the perfect ceramic dishes to savoring the seasonal bounty of fresh produce, her tale offers a glimpse into a culinary journey brimming with flavor and intentionality. Tailgates should embody a quest to slow down, appreciate the nuances of each ingredient, and savor the essence of seasonality—a journey that transcends the confines of the kitchen and enriches every aspect of daily life—one that celebrates simplicity, mindfulness, and the joy of savoring each moment.

By Sporting Road|February 1st, 2023|Categories: polo|Comments Off

Racing speeds of quarter horses, thoroughbreds and Arabians

B D Nielsen 1, K K Turner, B A Ventura, A D Woodward, C I O'Connor Affiliations expand PMID: 17402407DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05528.x Abstract Reasons for performing study: While Quarter Horses are recognised as the fastest breed of horse, direct comparisons to race times with other breeds can be misleading. Quarter Horse races begin when the starting gates open. Thoroughbred and Arabian races begin a short distance from the gates after horses have started running. This study compared speeds of these breeds as they accelerate from the starting gates and during the middle and end of races. Objectives: To compare racing speeds of the 3 breeds, and to compare speeds during various segments of the races. Methods: Video tapes of races were obtained from a local track. The various race segments were viewed and the winning horse timed by 5 individuals. Fastest and slowest times were removed and the 3 remaining times averaged. Results: Quarter Horses averaged faster speeds than Thoroughbreds even when Thoroughbreds were raced at a distance (402 m) similar to Quarter Horse races. Both breeds were substantially faster than Arabians. Quarter Horses racing 336 m or less gained speed in each segment of the race while Arabians and Thoroughbreds racing 1006 m ran fastest during the middle of the race and had decreased their speed in the final segment of the race. Conclusions: Despite similar race times reported for 402 m, Quarter Horses averaged faster speeds than Thoroughbreds when timed from a standing start. In short races, both breeds accelerate throughout the race. Arabians, despite being known for endurance, had slowed by the end of the race. Potential relevance: This study demonstrates that Quarter Horses achieve faster racing speeds than do other breeds. It also reveals a potential flaw in race-riding strategy as a more consistent pace throughout

By Sporting Road|August 30th, 2022|Categories: polo|Comments Off

Doing Laundry and Washing Whites

Many people are curious about our close father–daughter relationship. Some have even said it seems more like a sibling dynamic. That isn’t quite accurate, but it gives a sense of what it’s like when you help shape your child into a kind of shared reflection of yourself—close friends who genuinely enjoy each other’s company and the everyday activities we do together. That includes everything from field sports like polo to ordinary chores, including laundry. Advice for my daughter doing laundry in college Doing laundry in college can feel like a challenge at first, but it’s generally easier than it seems. Anyone can learn to do it well. The key is to read labels, sort carefully, and take your time. For detergents, I like Tide for whites along with about 1/4 cup of Clorox bleach. I use Free & Clear for everything else. For stains, OxiClean tends to work better than Spray & Wash for pre-treatment on grass and other marks. Preparation Preparing to wash clothes often takes more time than the washing itself, but it’s a simple process once you learn it. Start by reading clothing labels, especially on anything valuable or delicate. Fancy dresses, button-down shirts, or specialty fabrics often need dry cleaning. Always check tags carefully (usually inside the neck, waist, or side seam) to avoid damage. Anything requiring a specific temperature or special care should be separated from the rest. Next, sort new clothes separately. Freshly purchased items tend to bleed dye, whether they are dark colors like black and navy or bright colors like white and green. Wash new clothes on their own the first time to avoid staining other items. Then separate by color: Darks: blacks, blues, browns, denim

By Sporting Road|June 21st, 2022|Categories: Foxhunting, polo, Ranching, Uncategorized|Comments Off

A Day at the Races, Behind the Scenes

Shesasmartypants by Smarty Jones gets a bucket of oats Racehorses Get A Lot of Exercise They get turned out walking on a hot walker for 20-45 minutes once or twice a day. They get galloped, breezed or worked (each is progressively faster and the work is a timed workout reported to the track which must be completed twice in 60 days if the horse hasn't been raced in 6 months, and every 6 months thereafter for horses actively racing). And they share a lot of useful remedies with other disciplines to keep horses sound, but they have some of their own. Their Bits are All Snaffles Racehorses Eat A Lot Fiber is an energy source that is often overlooked in horse nutrition. Horses have a highly developed hindgut that houses billions of bacteria and protozoa capable of fermenting large quantities of fiber. The end products of fiber fermentation can be used as energy sources throughout the day because fermentation continues long after a meal has been eaten. Racehorses are generally fed unlimited hay, which amounts to a staggering 15-20 lb (a whole small bale) per day of clean grass hay such as timothy or oaten hay. Smaller quantities of alfalfa hay (2-4 lb or 0.9 to 1.8 kg per day) may also be offered. This level of hay intake will meet the racehorse’s maintenance DE requirement and help protect against gastric ulcers and colic. Feeding hay alone would leave the racehorse with an energy deficit of around 15-20 Mcal DE, and this must be supplied from other energy sources. Traditionally, these extra calories needed to fuel the racehorse were supplied by straight cereal grains such as oats, corn, and barley. The main fuel source in

By Sporting Road|October 6th, 2021|Categories: Hunting, polo|Comments Off

Why We Hose Off Polo Ponies After Playing

From Dr. David Marlin HORSES, HEAT, SWEATING, COLD-WATER, COOLING, SCRAPING At the risk of preaching to the converted, as a few people are still sending me articles, often written by lay people, sometimes from vets, and telling me how wrong I am, I thought I'd try a pictorial approach 🙂 Per litre, Ice-Cold water (0-5°C) removes heat faster than evaporation of 1 litre of water or sweat. Per litre, the complete evaporation of 1 litre of sweat or water removes 13x more heat than 1 litre of ice-water BUT evaporation takes 10-15x longer to remove the heat. COLD WATER = QUICK COOLING, BUT WASTEFUL OF WATER (INEFFICIENT) - USE FOR RAPID COOLING EVAPORATION OF WATER OR SWEAT = SLOW, BUT DOESNT WASTE WATER (EFFICIENT) - USE FOR KEEPING HORSES COOL MYTHS Myth 1 - “You should never put cold water on a hot horse"Explanation - Ice-cold water(0-5°C) on hot horses does not cause shock, laminitis, kidney damage, muscle damage, tying-up or heart attacks! Myth 2 - “Water left on a horse will heat up and insulate and make the horse hotter."Explanation - Flawed physics! Water is a better conductor of heat than air. A wet horse will actually cool faster than a dry one, even if humidity is 100%. Myth 3 - “Scraping is essential." Explanation - Scraping just wastes time that could be better used putting more water on to cool by conduction. Scraping also wastes water when water is in short supply. Water which could evaporate on the horse. Water evaporating on the ground doesn't cool horses down. Myth 4 “Concentrate on large veins, arteries inside the back legs, large muscle groups"Explanation - NO. Cooling by evaporation or conduction works by cooling

By Sporting Road|August 17th, 2021|Categories: Hunting, polo|Comments Off