Dan's Papers - June 15, 2007

This past Friday, I zipped up my boots and mounted the wooden horse at the Southampton Hunt & Polo Club for my first polo lesson. Believe it or not, the wooden horse intimidated me more than a live horse ever could, as I had never excelled at any sport that required me to use a tool to propel something in a specific direction. Horses I can handle. But a mallet? That's another story.

My lesson began with a short talk from Frank MacNamara, the founder and President of the club. Frank explained that I should hold the mallet like a hammer and turn my body as if I were about to take a golf swing. Instead of the classic hunter/jumper leg position, with toes pointed in and legs hugging the horse, the polo position requires that your legs work independently. When you are coming up on the ball, Frank explained that you must place your left hand on the horse's withers for support while rising out of your saddle, with your left knee locked and your left leg turned in for balance and your right foot balanced on the ball of your foot. Meanwhile, your upper body needs to turn to the right, shoulders parallel to the horse's body, as you swing your arm back, perfectly straight, then let your mallet swing forward, grazing the top of the grass and, ideally, hitting the ball. All while controlling a galloping horse.

Frank set a ball down near the wooden horse's foreleg and let me take a few swings. All of the components were overwhelming to remember at first, but after a few swings, I got the hang of it. With an expert by my side and a perfectly positioned, stationary ball, I could make mallet-to-ball contact. Success.

At this point, John Bianco took over my lesson. After showing me how to use the safety strap, which would secure the mallet around my wrist if I lost my grip, we were off to hit some balls out on the field. I was ashamed to admit it, but even before I mounted my trusty steed, my wrist, hand and forearm were already throbbing from those practice swings. Thankfully, my horse, Max, was a saint and ensured that I would not have to worry about anything but my swing for the rest of the afternoon. John was the picture of patience as he trotted alongside me, deftly tapping the ball so it rolled right into the perfect hitting position - just behind Max's right foreleg - and reassured me that if I could hold my mallet upright, it wouldn't feel so heavy. He was right, but at this point my arm was so tired that I decided it would be best to rest it on my shoulder in between swings. Despite my malfunctioning limb, I did manage to hit the ball a few times and when I hit one at the trot I was delighted to find that the ball is propelled by the force of the horse, not the strength of the arm holding the mallet. I could get into this sport.

After we hit the ball around the field for a while, we trotted over to watch some real polo players in action. Nothing looks more graceful than a thundering field of polo players and their ponies galloping through the goal posts with mallets swinging and multicolored bandages cutting through the fog. While I was struggling to hit the ball at the walk without smacking Max on the nose, these players were galloping full speed ahead, turning their arms and mallets into powerful windmills propelled by raw horsepower as they fought to score the winning goal.

Judging from how much fun I had during my first lesson, I think this is something I could stick with. What could be better than a sport that combines the power, speed and agility of riding with the satisfaction of scoring a goal for your team? If you want to take a swing at this phenomenal sport, get in touch with Frank and John at the Southampton Hunt & Polo Club by logging on to www.SouthamptonPolo.com, sending an email to SouthamptonPolo@yahoo.com or by calling (516) 848-1650.