Polo Club

Rachel was really excited about getting to join the Polo Club for their open day today.
When we arrived we got to see so many horses. It was also great to see Jenny there with her two girls who had attended the open day last year. It always helps to have a few familiar faces around. :-)

The polo field is huge. And how beautiful with those trees lining the side. It really was magnificent surroundings.
First they got some basic training with some short practice mallets.

Learning how to hold them and how to swing them (so that they didn't hit their horse).
And when the horses arrived it didn't take Rachel long to get on. :-) She hasn't ridden since July, so she was thrilled to be back on a horse again.

Getting some riding practice first.

It's a different way to ride. Not only that you use just one hand on the reigns, but you hold the reigns very high (why most of the horses' manes have been cut off) and you "steer" in the opposite way to normal.

Getting the hang of it really quickly. It was great to see her trotting so comfortably.

And then time to get the proper mallets.

Practice swinging.

There were some small soccer balls (which are bigger than the polo balls) to get some practice on.

It's much harder than you would imagine.

One happy girl. She just loved the time.

And such a beautiful surrounding.
A quick look at some of the other horses before we headed home.

So picturesque.

We had a lovely afternoon together.