Polocrosse - with great soundtrack

by ElegsabiffMotril-ish, Andalusia, Spain Jul 2016 1,082 Views 2 Comments

I played this game for about 10 years, never got above a 3 handicap (like polo, the range is -2 to 10) but loved loved loved it

Sometimes called poor man's polo, or one-horse polo, it is played by 2 section-teams of 3 riders each, and they play alternating chukkas of 6 or 8 minutes. The #1 is the only one who can cross the line into the scoring area, and can't carry the ball across the line so it has to be thrown across the line, or bounced across. The #3 defends in the other scoring area. The #2 (my favoured position) is as disruptive to the other team as possible

A raised stick behind the goalposts means a goal, swung sideways means a miss. This isn't the best polocrosse clip ever but has the best soundtrack

And no it is not cruel to horses. A horse that doesn't enjoy it simply won't throw its heart into the game, and my horse watched the ball so closely he nearly lost me once or twice as he spun back for a dropped ball in the melee. The ball is foam, and all the rules about sticks are to protect the horses - no downward hitting, for example. The riders have take their chances ... knee padding and a faceguard for the sissies. I was a sissy.

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Comments (2)

Mapmaker•Jul 17, 2016•Inland near Jaen, Andalusia Spain

Great vid Biff, I tried playing a few times but seemed to have an adverse relationship with the horse, Its an upper class sport these days, but fun to watch.

ElegsabiffOP•Jul 17, 2016•Motril-ish, Andalusia Spain

Polo IS very upper class, you have to have at least 4 horses to hope to play, and 16 to ever get a high ranking, but polocrosse is open to every kid with a pony, every farmer with a spare horse, anyone with a hack. I lived on a smallholding so the horses were free-range and often pretty shaggy

Bear in mind this is a world championship game, so the horses are pretty top drawer. My club had players from 10 years old to nearly 70, and horses with either the hairiest fetlocks you ever saw all the way through T'bred ex-racehorses. It's a family sport in the countryside, and a good laugh.