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Polocrosse is our newest Pony Club activity, and it has proven to be extremely popular with both our clients and instructors, not to mention the ponies!!
As the name implies, the game is a combination of polo and lacrosse. It is played on horseback, each team with 6 riders that use a cane stick with a loose twisted-thread net to carry and pass the ball and score goals.
Only three players from each team are on the pitch at a time, playing in alternate chukkas with the other three. Players are allowed only to play one pony, except in the case of injury. There is no restriction on their
height, although the ideal should not exceed 15.2 hands. Horses of all breeds play polocrosse. We have had several different ponies playing, from Sporran and Archie the Highlands to Seren who is part Shetland!
The ball is made of sponge rubber and is approximately 4" across. The objective is to score goals by throwing the ball between your opponent's goalposts.
Polocrosse players from the Celyn Polocrosse Club and Coachmans Riding School in North Wales very kindly came along at the beginning of July to teach us how to play, and by the end of our first session some of us could pick up the ball from a canter!
Since then we have invested in our own equipment, racquets and balls, and have included polocrosse on our Pony Weeks over the summer.
Our first official match took place on Friday 3rd August with two teams of three. The play was great to watch, and our audience of parents enjoyed themselves
as much as the riders! After the final whistle the winners were Emma's team of Buster,Archie and Sporran, with the second placed Louisa's team consisting of Seren, Prince and Smartie. All
six riders voted the polocrosse as their favourite activity of the week, and it was equally popular the week after!
Watch this space for polocrosse sessions during the next term! To find out more about polocrosse click here.
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