Young polo players
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Transcript of Young polo players
‘Polo is brutal,’ says 14-year-old Charlie Hitchman. ‘I love it.’ This doesn’t sound quite right. I
associate polo with the wealthy, with champagne, posh frocks and designer shoes, plummy accents
and princes. That couldn’t be further away from what Charlie is telling me, or where he’s saying it.
I’m standing in the middle of a ground at Longdole Polo Club in Gloucestershire, with three
other keen teenage Pony Club Polo players, about to stick and ball. There’s nothing exclusive about
this – in fact, it feels as down to earth as a five-a-side football match on a Sunday morning.
‘Despite what a lot of people think, polo is an accessible sport,’ says Suzannah Turk, branch
manager at the Berkeley Hunt Branch of The Pony Club. All three of her children play. ‘The Pony
Club is keen for more young people to try the sport. The previous branch manager was looking for
new children to play so she ran a “come and have a go” session. My eldest son was 11 at the time.
He really enjoyed it and hasn’t stopped playing. He’s 17 now.’
The Pony Club is an international voluntary
organisation for youngsters up to the age of
21. It aims to introduce people to riding and its
associated sports, of which polo is one, and
teach them how to care for horses. It isn’t
necessary to own your own pony – children can
learn to ride on horses at the Pony Club Centres,
and try out equestrian disciplines such as polo.
Audi has supported the charity since 2010,
helping nurture grass-roots polo by sponsoring
the annual Audi Pony Club Polo Championships.
It’s a logical fit, since most of the 50 top
players in the UK got into the sport through The
Pony Club. As sponsor of the England team,
Audi is keen to ensure future players enjoy
similar levels of opportunity and success.
Thirteen-year-olds Tom Coid, Rosanna Turk
and Katherine Witchell, along with Charlie,
have been playing polo since they were aged 10
or 11. ‘It’s fast,’ says Rosanna, ‘You can’t be a
poncy girl if you want to play, and you have
to be a good rider because there’s lots of
stopping and making sharp turns.’
‘It’s really exciting,’ says Tom, adding: ‘My
mum is petrified whenever I play.’
‘You can't be a poncy girl. You have to be a good rider because of the stops and turns'
Where most equestrian sports at junior level
are dominated by girls, this is one of the few
disciplines that has an equal mix of girls and
boys taking part. ‘You have to be fairly brave,’
says Katherine. ‘You can’t be afraid of bumping
into someone, and the more you play, the more
competitive you become.’
Some of these teenagers may go on to
become professionals, but in the meantime
they’re learning to play a fun and fast-paced
sport. ‘My favourite things about polo? Scoring
a goal, winning, the speed of the game, the
competition and the contact,’ lists Charlie. He
could be talking about football or rugby, it’s
just that this sport involves horses.
Meanwhile, Rosanna reels off a list of the
bones she’s broken – and how many times.
Although there’s a part of the polo universe
where canapes and social chit-chat on the lawn
does exist, this isn’t it. This is lots more fun.
_Many thanks to Longdole Polo Club
Words_Johanna Derry Photography_Nick Ballon
f ield of dre a ms
From the top of the game right down to grass-roots, Audi is supporting excellence in UK polo. Four young Pony Club polo
players explain why they love the sport
Charlie Hitchman, Katherine Witchell, Rosanna Turk and Tom Coid, all Pony Club polo players, in the grounds of Longdole Polo Club in Gloucestershire
040_ _041Audi Magazine_Vorsprung_