Polo Match - Apes Hill Club, Barbados
Seaduced
John & Jane Craven
Fri 11 Mar 2011 01:22
When they start, they basically line up the horses, one after the other and the umpire throws the ball in. It is then a scrum of ponies, testosterone driven players, and mallets to get the ball out and down towards your opponents goal - much like any other sport then! After that the point is just to score as many goals as possible. The game was divided into 4 chukkas, each lasting for 7minutes, and about half way through each chukka the players change horses. Games can be as much as 8 chukkas in some tournaments and there is no limit to the amount of times you can change horses. All the players can go anywhere in the field so when the ball is moving all 8 players just charge after it. There are 2 umpires, and as the rules are complicated and open to interpretation, there can be a lot of yelling and shouting from the players on the field and from those watching as well, whenever the umpire makes a decision or stops the game. The commentator at this match was very entertaining and did a great job of keeping us amateurs up to speed with what he thought was happening both on and off the field - whenever the action was slow, ie a pony change, he turned his attention to the spectators instead!
The game is fast and dangerous, and for those spectators sitting on the sidelines it is a good idea to keep a very close eye on the game as the ball has to be kept within the boards surrounding the field, which are about 10 inches high, but the ponies do not have to stay within the boards and they often had to take quick evasive action as the ball and ponies came charging towards them! I hope that these photos give you some idea of the fun we had watching the games.