Polo in the Park
On Sunday we experienced some true British culture in the form of our first polo match!It was fast-paced fun. It was classy. It was British... Pimms included.
Here are some FUN polo facts :) :
- the matches are divided into 4 or 6 or 8 chukkas (kind of like quarters, but chukka is a way more fun word, I am thinking about incorporating it into American sports culture...)
- the first polo match was played in 600 BC (whatttt?) and polo is considered the oldest team sport (obv)
- the horses are called polo ponies-- despite that they are full-sized horses, in fact usually 14 to 16 hands high (a very curious unit of measurement...)
- depending on the length of the match, each polo player may use anywhere from 2-3 ponies up to 10 or more (I believe on Sunday there were over 300 horses available for the 4 matches we watched!)
- the polo ponies' tails are braided up to prevent injury to other players or ponies
- you must play polo right-handed. the lefties were banned many years ago because of safety reasons...
Feeling like Julia Roberts there and stomping in the divots between chukkas!