I have ridden and been around horses for fifteen years. I have taken lessons and competed in the lower levels of dressage, hunters, equitation, and jumpers. Over the last three years, I have completed on the IHSA and IDA teams at my college. Aside from lessons, I have traveled as a groom to both rated and local shows, given beginner lessons, and have worked in barns over the years that house from five to 75 horses. I most definitely thought that I had experienced most of what the equestrian world was about, but I was incredibly wrong. I did an internship at Virginia Beach Polo Club this past summer and I learned so much in the short three months I was there.
One of the lessons I learned right away while at the polo farm was that I need to get comfortable going out of my comfort zone. Riding polo ponies, whether in a game or not in a game, was totally going out of my comfort zone. These horses were some of the most athletic animals I have ever had the pleasure to ride. They are smaller, faster, and more agile than the horses I am used to riding. Galloping back and forth across a field with seven other horses in very close proximity was not even on my comfort zone radar, but I did it and I'm glad I did because it was some of the most fun I've ever had. In order to experience new things and learn from them, you must go out of your comfort zone.
Over the last fifteen years, I have ridden English and ride the same way aside from the obvious differences in the disciplines. Although many people are either strictly English or strictly western, once you know the basics of riding, it generally isn't that hard to switch back and forth between two disciplines. The problem is that once we as riders are comfortable with something, we don't often try what we consider to be different. The hardest difference for me to get used to with polo was the neck reining. It took me a couple weeks to get used to using neck reining versus how I normally hold the reins, but once I got it, I was able to switch back and forth between the two very easily. Being able to do both made me feel like a more skilled rider. Going out of your comfort zone and being versatile only helps your riding abilities.
Another thing I learned about myself very quickly was that I was not as physically fit as I thought I was. I generally ride five times a week for about an hour at a time. When I'm riding, I normally never get out of breath or tired, so I just assumed that I was very physically fit. After my first day at the polo farm, I quickly realized that I was wrong. The polo's ponies are worked twice a day. In the morning they go out in sets on a mile-long track and we canter them for four laps. This is four miles of cantering on the back of a horse. After the second lap, I thought I was going to die. After a few weeks though, it got easier and easier for me. During my first game, by the end of the first chukker - the seven and a half minute periods in the game of polo - I was out of breath and my arms felt like they were going to fall off. I learned that doing the same thing everyday will make you fit doing what you're doing but you aren't as fit as you think you are. You have to push yourself and change the routine to be truly fit. The more fit you are, the better your riding will be.
The most important thing I learned this summer is that when you play polo, you must trust your partner - your horse. Polo is a dangerous sport. I know all riding is dangerous, but polo is just a little step above the rest. You're going incredibly fast with other horses all around you chasing after a hard plastic ball that goes flying through the air. If you know anything about horses, you know that for a normal horse this would be a huge disaster. But polo ponies aren't phased by any of this. They know their job and you have to trust them enough to let them do it. You learn your horse very quickly. You have to be so in tune with everything the horse is doing as well as everything you are doing on their backs. It was such an incredible feeling to be so connected to a horse that I want to channel that feeling whenever I ride.
While working at the Virginia Beach Polo Club, I found out very quickly that it was one big family. This was definitely a different feeling for me because most of the barns I have ridden at in the past have been full of drama and very cliquey. This was not the case this summer. Everyone worked so closely together everyday and went out of their way to help each other. It was such a tight-knit community that going to work never felt like going to work.
Most importantly, riding polo this summer taught me to be confident in myself. I have always underestimated my riding ability. This summer, I realized that I actually am talented and that not only helped me be comfortable with polo, but it carried over into my everyday riding and made me a better rider. Riding has always been my biggest passion, but I have learned to love it even more now that I am confident in myself and proud of my riding.
Although I learned so much more than I could ever type out in words this summer, these are the things that really stuck out to me the most. Going out of your comfort zone can help you in so many ways possible. You grow as a person and as a rider from trying and learning new things. Working at the Virginia Beach Polo Club this summer was honestly one of the best experiences I have ever had. I am so thankful for all of the people and horses that I met that taught me so much.
