After Dedicating One Year and over 100 Hours to Playing Polo Here’s What I Learned and Would Like to Share
Roughly a year ago when I stepped out on the polo field at the Menlo Circus Club for my first riding lesson, I didn’t know what to expect. I simply came as a person who admires horses and wanted to learn more about the sport. Before this time I had a few opportunities to ride at a family ranch in Madisonville, Texas and the hills above my hometown of Oakland, California but nothing that could ever be considered serious riding. It wasn’t until I was 32 years old that I could reasonably muster the energy, resources, and time to satisfy my curiosity; and so there I was standing at the edge of a lush green field eagerly awaiting what would come next.
I didn’t know what to expect. I simply came as a person who admires horses and wanted to learn more about the sport.
I’d be delighted to tell you that the first lesson went well, the reality was the opposite. Ironically, the first words of advice given to me by owner and manager of the South Bay Polo Club, Francesca Finato, were not on the horse but on the ground. She very tactfully informed me that I put my half chaps on backwards. This of course was after she’d asked me if I’d ever ridden and I’d emphatically said “yes.”…
