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How easy is it to become a polo master?

Charlotte Lytton gets a polo lesson - Andrew Crowley
Charlotte Lytton gets a polo lesson - Andrew Crowley

It is best known as the pastime of the privileged; an event that calls for the upper crust trifecta of glossy manes, royals and free-flowing fizz. But now one man is on a mission to prove that polo is no longer the preservce of the elite. Enter Nic Roldan, US team captain, part-time model and, on a cloudy morning in West Sussex, my coach.

“There’s a misconception that polo can only be played by royalty or the wealthiest people,” says 34-year-old Roldan, who became the youngest ever winner of the US Open Polo Championship aged 15. “We want to make it more approachable and accessible.”

Don’t overthink the rules and remember the riding is the most important thing

Nick Roldan

He is desperate to show that anyone can master the sport - which sees glamorous events held in destinaations like Buenos Aires, St Moritz and South Africa - even if you’ve never played before.  The Hurlingham Polo Association, its governing body, currently has more than 2,600 members across 70 UK clubs, but Roldan hopes that this number will grow.

To that end, today sees his inaugural UK Sunset Polo charity fundraiser for hospice Chestnut Tree House and animal welfare charity Brooke - an event that has attracted well-known faces from the sport, including Olympic gold medallist Nick Skelton CBE. 

At the Beaufort polo club in Gloucestershire - which has seen Princes William and Harry take to the turf - a one-to-one lesson will set you back somewhere between £80-£100, though the price is lower for groups.

Prince William playing polo at the Beaufort Club earlier this month - Credit: Mark Cuthbert 
Prince William playing polo at the Beaufort Club earlier this month Credit: Mark Cuthbert

Polo clubs are the place to start if you are planning to get into the swing of things, Roldan advises, particularly if you’re a novice. But any horse riding school should set you up - even if it’s just moseying around a paddock. 

“Horsemanship is key,” says Roldan. “Being comfortable [enough] to lean out of the saddle and hit the ball. Don’t overthink the rules and remember the riding is the most important thing.”

This proves my first sticking point. The last time I got in the saddle was two years ago on holiday in Cuba and I was thrown off - landing face down in a muddy ditch with blood running down one arm. My only other attempt to take the reins was a brief attempt at pony-trekking at school.

Don’t overthink the rules and remember the riding is the most important thing

Nick Roldan

It is fair to say, then, that the world of equestrianism and I have not exactly bonded. Yet I am confident that, under Roldan’s expert tutelage, my fortunes are set to change. I will join the ranks of polo’s well-heeled fans, who have ranged from the old school Hollywood glamour of Clarke Gable to the Duchess of Cambridge. Even Katie Price has tried her hand at the sport. At the very least, I’ll find fodder for a Jilly Cooper-esque novel about my mount.

I arrive at Cowdray House, billed as the home of British polo. Ahead of our session, a breakfast of pastries, jam and cream is laid out, with Roldan - who is signed with MOT models - urging that “we have to eat before we ride”. At least one aspect of the sport comes naturally to me.

But so to actually doing the thing - or at least trying to - with my equine companion for the morning, polo pony Red (a cross between a thoroughbred and an Argentine criollo). I gracelessly clamber into the saddle in my skinny jeans which, it turns out, are not particularly conducive to riding a filly 15 hands high. 

Meghan Markle watched as Prince Harry played in the Audi Polo Challenge last month - Credit: James Whatling 
Meghan Markle watched as Prince Harry played in the Audi Polo Challenge last month Credit: James Whatling

Can I really become a polo master? Will the memories of being tossed from my Cuban colt vanish once I’m out in the field with the wind flowing through my hair? Can I expect a call from Prince Harry inviting me to join him at Ascot next year? The answers, you may be unsurprised to hear, are no, sort of, and no chance.

We begin by padding slowly across part of the 16,500 acre Cowdray Park estate, which I am told I must do with only one hand on the reins in order to free up my other for wielding the mallet.

Then, the next challenge: actually hitting the ball with the stick. More than that: hitting the ball with the stick while sitting on a giant horse you are holding onto with only your left hand. And leaning off the horse to do so - while a clutch of breeders, a polo champion-come-Ralph Lauren model and photographer, look on.

Charlotte Lyton about her having a Polo lesson from US Polo team player Nick Roldan - Credit: Andrew Crowley 
Charlotte Lyton about her having a Polo lesson from US Polo team player Nick Roldan Credit: Andrew Crowley

But under Roldan’s patient tutelage, I soon find myself able to hit said ball while on said horse, which is walking at a pace of approximately 0.1 miles per hour.

I am feeling quietly smug until Roldan reminds me that this is, of course, the easy part. The somewhat greater challenge comes when the thing is tearing across the pitch at the velocity of a car on a country lane, with sticks flying, and tens of equine limbs enmeshed in the action.

“You have to have balls, because we’re playing at high speeds,” Roldan says after our game of ‘walking polo’ ends. “You be afraid. It’s a very intense game. And you have to have very good hand-eye coordination.” 

It is very practical - if pointed - guidance. And perhaps, with enough horse acumen, anyone could become a polo master. But as for looking chic while doing so? That’s probably best left to the experts.  

For more information, visit nicroldan.com/events.

Polo tribes 

The royal set

The monarchy has nurtured a longtime passion for polo, currently beloved by the Princes and Zara Tindall. Games are something of a family affair, with Kate Middleton, Mike Tindall and Meghan Markle coming to cheer on their other halves, sending the nation’s hearts aflutter as they canoodle in between chukkas.

The die hards

Hell hath no fury like a sports fan scorned, and that extends to polo, too, where regular attendees will inevitably find themselves lamenting the decisions of the umpire. No, there likely won’t be shouts of ‘red card, ref!’, but you can expect to hear old boys threatening to report the arbitrator of the game to the Hurlingham Polo Association, and lots of tutting.

The glamorous groupies

Who do they know here? Who cares? These beautifully turned out-types only attend to add further glitz to the geldings, wafting across verandas, champagne flute in hand. Expect at least two outfit changes, each more fabulous than the last, and for them to repeatedly walk past any photographers in the hopes they might grace a thumbnail image in Tatler.

Lady Violet Manners (L) and Lady Alice Manners attend the Cartier Queen's Cup Polo final at Guards Polo Club on June 18, 2017 - Credit: David M Benett 
Lady Violet Manners (L) and Lady Alice Manners attend the Cartier Queen's Cup Polo final at Guards Polo Club on June 18, 2017 Credit: David M Benett

The great pretenders

This lot haven’t grown up watching steeds gallop across the vibrant green pastures of Britain’s best estates but, seduced by the promise of well-heeled attendees and daytime drinking, they’re willing to give it a go. You can spot them by the conspicuous headgear - not riding hats, of course, but elaborate millinery creations that block anyone wanting to actually watch the polo from doing so.

The foreign legion

Buenos Aires and Palm Beach are host to some of the year’s biggest competitions, and players up mallets wherever the next cup takes them, so a steady contingent of international players and their entourage are always on hand. Usually easy to spot owing to their being incorrectly dressed for the weather, and misquoting Winston Churchill’s assessment that “a polo handicap is a passport to the world.”