{"id":156267,"date":"2018-03-13T02:25:37","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T06:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=156267"},"modified":"2018-03-13T02:25:37","modified_gmt":"2018-03-13T06:25:37","slug":"tourists-turn-polo-players-for-a-day-in-argentina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/03\/13\/tourists-turn-polo-players-for-a-day-in-argentina\/","title":{"rendered":"Tourists turn polo players for a day in Argentina"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"FILE<\/a>
FILE (Photo<\/a>: Argentina Polo Day\/Facebook<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CAPILLA DEL SENOR, Argentina \u2014 Riding a polo horse on Argentina’s Pampas grasslands, Martin Folan swings a mallet in a wide arc and hit the ball with a loud clink, slotting it between two posts to cheers of \u201cGoal!\u201d<\/p>\n

Not bad for his first time on a horse.<\/p>\n

Polo has traditionally been an exclusive, glamorous sport reserved for the rich elite. But in Argentina, home to the world’s top polo players, tourists can ride horses, learn from the pros how to hit the high-impact plastic ball and even play a match on a real field for less than $200 a day.<\/p>\n

‘It was my first time on a horse and they’re quite intimidating honestly for a man standing on the ground. But it was fabulous to be trotting around,\u201d Folan said as he gripped the reins atop his horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought I would have done this at the beginning of the day,\u201d the Londoner added.<\/p>\n

Polo is believed to be one of the oldest team sports, dating as far back as 600 B.C. in Persia. It then spread throughout Asia and later reached Britain through India. But Argentina, with its wide plains and its rich culture of horseback riding among the Argentine cowboys known as gauchos, has gone on to dominate professional polo globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolo is played in the countryside a lot and in a much more informal way,\u201d said Juan Pablo Alessandrini, spokesman for Argentina’s Polo Association. \u201cKids start riding horses at a very early age and they get to know polo. That’s a huge advantage over other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are about 3,000 registered polo players nationwide, and many more informal ones. The Argentine Polo Open Championship held annually in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires usually sells out the 14,000 seats at the stadium that is revered by many players as the cathedral of world polo.<\/p>\n

The tourist-oriented Argentina Polo Day is based at La Carona Club about an hour’s drive north of the country’s capital. Its founder, Ruben Jabib, said the idea came to him when he owned a restaurant just blocks from the Palermo polo grounds in Buenos Aires and he would often meet tourists interested in the sport.<\/p>\n

He used two outdoor fields and built an indoor field so tourists with no previous experience can play year-round under all weather conditions. The polo day package also includes transportation, wine and a traditional Argentine barbeque.<\/p>\n

Other clubs offer similar polo day services, but for the most part, the \u201csport of kings\u201d is often played by the super-wealthy at upscale villas and resorts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we did was to make polo informal,\u201d Jabib said. \u201cBefore this, people needed a groom, a horse and stables. Here, I provide them with everything \u2014 helmets, boots, horses \u2014 and they’re ready to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a recent day, French polo instructor Stephane Buton was teaching a group from Britain, Russia, Iceland and United States how to hit the ball with the mallet. Nearby, a group of ponies neighed and splashed in a pond, cooling off after a game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this different for the English because they drive their horses on the left,\u201d Jon MacLeod, 74, from Seattle, Washington, joked, causing the group to break into laughter.<\/p>\n

His brother-in law, Jed Hulsey, 62, from Newport Beach, California, swung the mallet like a pendulum with a whoosh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI play golf and I play tennis and I like to swing rackets. I think this is kind of similar in a way,\u201d Hulsey said. \u201cThough (adding) riding a horse to the equation makes it a little bit different, more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sport is sometimes referred to as field hockey on horseback. But Nacho Figueras, the Argentine polo star, says it’s more like playing golf during an earthquake.<\/p>\n

During the lesson, Buton explained that a game usually consists of six 7-minute periods called chukkas. The tourists took turns ringing a bell signalling the end of a chukka while they watched club players battle it out at a breathtaking pace in a practice game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s very strange because I always thought that polo was for the very rich, the aristocrats,\u201d said Alina Gorlino from St. Petersburg, Russia. \u201cI thought even to come to Argentina, it would be impossible to see polo because you’d have to be a member of a club. So for me, it’s very pleasant to be able to see it, and it’s another pleasure to be able to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

During lunch, Jabib, the club owner, joked that his club is so informal that while British polo clubs might own pedigreed Russell terriers, he takes pride in a pack of friendly mutts who wait beneath the table for tourists to throw them a bone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to learn polo, you have to come to Argentina. It’s much more accessible, it’s much more grass-roots polo,\u201d said James Margetson, 22, from London, who came to the club on a six-month internship. He helps take care of horses in exchange for polo lessons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem with polo in England is that it can be very niche. It can be very hard to get into the right clubs, and it’s very expensive,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Argentina, you can be a cowboy, with four, five horses and rock up and play a polo game.\u201d<\/p>\n

After lunch, the group put on knee pads and head protection and got ready to saddle a horse.<\/p>\n

The game is slow at first but it picks up speed. Despite their novice status, Folan and fellow Englishman James Cannan scored two goals each.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a bit nervous at first but it ended up being really exciting!\u201d Cannan said beaming after the game.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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