Polo: work begins before entering arena

By Emily Neumann













Polo players have quite a bit of work to do even before they enter the arena. Dr. Jim Dinger, coach of the UConn polo team, weighed in on what it takes to ready a pony for the game.

Some of the equipment for polo ponies is standard for regular riding:

- A saddle pad is placed on the horse's back. Whether or not a pad or blanket is used is up to the rider.

- Polo ponies are then outfitted with an English saddle, which is slightly longer than a standard saddle. The extra length is designed to compensate for the rider's constant movement.

- Next is the bridle. The type of bridle used depends on the horse. In the case of Spider, this 20-year-old gelding, Dinger uses a gag bridle.

In addition to standard equipment, polo ponies wear a few additional items:

- Their legs are wrapped with cloth polo wraps to prevent damage from mallets.

- Some polo ponies, including the ponies at UConn, wear bell boots around their hooves. These prevent the horses from catching the heels of their front feet with the toes of their back feet as they run. Polo ponies are built for speed, so bell boots are necessary for most of these horses.

- Dinger said players also tie up their ponies' tails so the tail doesn't get tangled in the swinging mallets. In general, the horse's mane is also shaved, according to Dinger.

The tack for each horse costs thousands of dollars, and every pony has its own equipment.

If a horse is limping or bobbing too much, the rider must remove all of the tack and start over on another horse. Dinger said lame horses still run even if they are injured, so each player has a responsibility to recognize the symptoms that indicate the horse is in pain before they take them into the arena.