Its hard not to use colourful and exotic words when describing it, because the desire to explain and get across the pure exhilaration you get from this is often overbearing and overtakes ones enthusiasm, to portray the game in a light that would encourage and excite those listening to find out more or participate, but I will try not get carried away.
Polocrosse I’d like to think combines a number of elements that any sports enthusiast seeks to satisfy when they approach a sport or activity. The first is when ones curiosity is aroused by something new and challenging, I remember it when I first started playing rugby, it looked pretty skillful, there were lots of funny rules, some stuff didn’t make sense and there was a lot of contact, so it was pretty scary, but there were kids doing it who were if not my age, a little older and they were fine so why shouldn’t I be? Polocrosse is…. if not only scarier a whole lot more enticing as you are met with the challenge of combining riding a horse with catching and throwing a ball, whilst at the same time avoiding ride-off’s and other people on horses !! This, if not arouses some sort of curiosity in the individual will surely stir up some fear or consternation.. But why aren’t the people we are watching playing this game scared? They don’t look any different to me or the next guy? In fact they don’t look scared they are actually really into this!!! You watch any game of polocrosse and sure there are those who finish a chukka cursing and angry at themselves etc, but most of the time you watch their eyes and you can see this look of pure exhilaration or with the older chap’s pure exhaustion but normally exhilaration.
The pity is however that the newcomer or spectator to the game will miss out on everything else that goes on off the field during and before the tournaments the build ups that draw us back for more. Before tournaments a lot of work is done and this all contributes to the experience of polocrosse, sure some people think this is the boring part but let me explain myself… you get yourself a horse, now you want to play polocrosse.. You can’t just get on it and play, well you could if you were prepared to hang on tight! You would need to school your horse and get it fit for the game, so how does one do that? Oh ho ho there are lots of theories, tricks and methods out there many of which would work but I would suggest going to a game and watching for a player who’s horse, riding style and style of play looks like what you want and then ask them! Most of polocrosse would be more than happy to dish out some advice or offer help where they can. OK where was I? right.. preparation … so now you have found out the methods or style you want, so you go home to teach your horse to do this, easy ? not… ok some horses take longer to get right some are nearly right to start off with, some riders take longer to get there too, the point is you as the individual get to decide when you and your horse are ready and you as the individual determine what you will get out of it. In doing this as with all horse sports you develop a bond with your horse and a bond which will provide extreme satisfaction one day, the day when the effort and time culminates into that big occasion when you first ride out together and play. OK so I lied … you can’t just school your horse and then decide when it’s ready and go out and play it? How the heck would you know? This is where clubs and teammates come in, another fantastic element that is not only great on the field but off the field too. So you think you have your horse ready, now you need some people to try it on against or test it with, so you join a club and you go to practice on the Sunday, they having a braai for lunch there are lots of kids around, you bring your partner/kids/nephews/family or whatever, you have a great day your partner/kids/nephew/family also have a great day, one of your club mates have an old mare or miniature horse, and they got to ride it around and try it out – they also made some new friends .. Fantastic- you have found something that the whole family or your friends can do, and … your club mates have helped you with some tricks and tips that will help get your horse into the lineout or to make contact in a ride off. This is the social aspect of polocrosse, a camaraderie that is built through a common purpose and of course the excuse to have a beer and braai with friends. You will eventually find that the more you play the more you understand and get used to the sport, and pick up areas in which you need to improve, this all depends on you but it is gratifying once you do get there, for you, your club and your teammates.
So now you ready to go to your first tournament, and hey its been a long time coming and you are itching to get on there and see what you can do, you arrive on the Friday and set up camp. You go to the clubhouse for supper and meet everyone once they hear you are new to polocrosse. You will spend one of the nights stuck in a corner talking about anything to do with polocrosse until the early hours of the morning, it is inevitable. This is the fun off the horse side of the sport, the Saturday night parties, the fun sometimes heated conversations with other players and of course the meeting of new people and ideas. The fact is that it’s going to be a ball and your weekend will be great. Ok so I have walked you through what it could be like getting into polocrosse, so everyone’s different and not all of us will go through the same experience the point is I have no point I just wanted to tell you about this fantastic game in a way that maybe it hadn’t been told to you before and hopefully peek your curiosity to get you to come see for yourself. I will finish with this.
It is in playing our best polocrosse that we achieve that ultimate and pure exhilaration you get from the game where combining stick work, teamwork, riding skills, preparation and an ability to read the game all in one, this all culminates into an extremely satisfying experience for the individual and those in their team. A satisfaction often sought after prematurely as it is with time and effort that this satisfaction can be truly appreciated. But one which once achieved like anything will drive you to reach that pinnacle again and again.
Terrance Keith
BOMBERS EQUESTRIAN EQUIPMENT
