Gallop gallop gallop thwack! The polo pony (actually a full-sized horse) carries the player to the ball which the rider hits in the line of play. In this fast-paced game the horse and rider partner to play as a single unit. Each horse bonds with his rider to play the line of the ball. Both horse and rider keep their eyes on the ball and the power of the horse’s gallop increases the impact of the rider’s mallet.







Sarah Libbey Greenhalgh


Polo requires a horse which can run fast, stop quickly, and turn at speed.


“When you’re on a good polo mare, you feel like you control the four players on the other side, the three players on your side, and the two umpires,” said Scott Swerdlin, DVM, a polo player in Palm Beach, Fla. “You just have that much power and you know you won’t get beaten.”


Polo has a reputation as an elite sport popular with aristocrats and the well-to-do. Enclaves such as the Hamptons Aspen Palm Springs and Palm Beach host tournaments. Spectators at polo grounds hope to watch celebrity players such as Prince Charles or Tommy Lee Jones.


The cachet of polo has made it one of the most familiar equestrian sports. Icons like the polo shirt and Ralph Lauren’s famous scent keep the sport in the public eye.


Demands Of The Team


Polo is played worldwide. In this country th