Probably the only place you have watched a match is either on TV or if you happened to make a trip to “Golly Old England” where Polo (Persian: چوگان, chowgan) or the foundation is solid in some areas.
Polo was originally started by the Persians and is (sometimes) called the “Sports of Kings” which is a term still used in various circles to this day
Another place you might make plans on seeing the event is this coming Saturday August 6th at the Southlands Riding Club.
The long and extensive history of Polo dates back in Vancouver to 1913, when the Vancouver Polo Club was established and extended to matches on weekends in the 50ties and 60ties.
The Southlands Riding Club roots dates back to 1943 and the field was originally part of the McCleery Golf Course.
The event, which will be their third one is set to start at 11 AM and will feature a full afternoon of exhibition matches with those attending coming from across Canada, South America and the States.
This is the marquee fundraiser for the club which has over 300 members and you should know the club is a non-profit society.
I am told that those attending will age from 19 to 75 years young and given the nature of the sport, a dress code is in order for everyone.
It’s more of a social outing for all spectators which featured several well dressed Men and Women who will be in the running for “special” awards as well as a category for “couple”.
Aside from the interesting and colourful individuals that understand Polo, for those who are unfamiliar with the sport, Polo is divided into timed periods that are called chukkers played over a seven minute span.
It’s not uncommon for the rider to change horses after each chucker as the game changes direction after each goal.
This is in order to set the same standards such as wind and field conditions so each rider is on the same playing field.
A Polo team consists of 4 riders and their mounts all of whom play a specific role on the pitch, while playing both offence and defence.
The game itself is played at variable speeds on a grass field measured 330 yards long by 160 wide, but on this specific day the pitch will be substantially smaller with better sight lines for everyone.
Field Polo is played with a solid plastic ball which over the years has replaced the older wooden ball that was used
dating back decades.
Relating to another sport, it’s sort of like hockey on horseback only instead of using a puck, it’s riding a horse and hitting a ball, which takes special hand eye coordination.
Most Canadians understand or know about Equestrian events in part due to the history of the equestrian rides.
The space is home for training all level’s of athlete’s and is the home to several non-profit groups that cater to today’s youth riders with special needs.
This includes the Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society, the Vancouver Pony Club, the New Stride Thoroughbred Adoption Society and the Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities.
If you are interested in purchasing tickets, please contact http://www.pacificpolocup.com/
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