Polo arena requires careful maintenance

By Valerie Calderon

It's an hour before the start of a polo match. The dim lights come on in the polo arena as University of Connecticut polo coach James Dinger starts to prepare the facility for the game.

The polo arena on Horse Barn Hill has white walls lightly lined with dust. Small metal pipes criss-cross above the ring.

"The biggest problem we have here is dust," Dinger said.

To combat the dust, the rink is watered. The overhead pipes are sprinklers and can water the dirt inside the arena in three minutes.

"If you don't water the rink, it turns into a dust bowl," Dinger said. "This isn't good for the horses or the players."

In the winter, the pipes sometimes freeze. Watering the rink with a hose by hand can take two to three hours to have the same effect as the sprinklers.

After watering, the rink is dragged. A tractor with a metal spiral attached to the back levels the dirt so polo balls don't get stuck in divots. It is dragged in such a way to pack the dirt. Packed dirt is preferred for polo play. The arena is also dragged at half time during each match.

Before the game, the goal and boundary lines also must be drawn onto the dirt, a process called lining.

"Whoever is available will help line the field," Dinger said. "If the guys are playing, the girls will line the field or vice versa. It no one else is available, the coaches will do it."

Whoever is in charge of lining will go into the rink and set the lines for foul shots, the goal, and half court. Lime creates the white lines.

Rope netting drops down before the game to protect fans from stray polo balls. The scoreboard flickers on for testing. The balls are placed in the arena. At least two balls are on the field at all times, but four or five are available just in case.

The arena is finally prepared and the horses and players take the field.

Photo credit: UConn animal sciences dept.