Polo - British style.

When you move to a new country, you always have in your mind a list of things you want to do, a list of things you have never done and you want to experience in this new country.

Despite living in the UK for 16 years,  going to a polo match was still not ticked on my list. What could be a better first polo match than going to The (Cartier) Queen’s Cup at Guards Polo Club? The Club was founded by Prince Phillip in 1955 and this trophy was first presented to the Club by HM The Queen in 1960. So, I went with my family to watch the finals on Sunday.

You drive through the beautiful Windsor Great Park to arrive at the car park and immediately you see those elegantly dressed people having their picnics near their cars. I am always amazed at what Brits call picnics at these open air events: tents, chairs, tables, proper tableware and food and drinks that look more like a banquet.

There is something quintessentially British about Guards Polo Club. The only luxury is really the lawn that is simply perfect in all of the 10 grounds or 130 acres. In fact, I never realised that one polo field is the size of 3 football pitches.  The royal box and the clubhouse are the only buildings on site and all other stands, hospitality, snacks area and even toilets are tents and removable structures.

The final match starts right on time. The narrator not only is very witty but also explains the rules and jargons as the game progresses. We learned that there are 6 chukkas (periods) in the game and that ‘ponies’, which are actually big horses, cannot play more than 2 chukkas in a row. The 4 players on each team change their horses constantly.

During half time, all spectators are invited to partake in ‘divot stamping’ together, which consists of walking on the fields to help put the earth and grass that are torn up by the horses back in place and also socialising. There was even a guards’ band playing. This is an opportunity for celebrity spotting.

The final score was Zacara 15 vs  9 El Remanso. We managed to be in a prime position to watch the trophy presentation done by none other than the queen herself!                                                                      

 

What a great first polo match!

There are other matches coming up. Check the websites of Guards Polo Club and also the Hurlingham polo Association. Both websites also have information on learning to play polo.

You can also learn more about the A- Z of polo

by Ana Beatriz Alencar

Visti the Focus website: www.focus-info.org