Sun staff
The Cincinnati Polo Club will be holding their first clinic of 2013 on June 22 at the club’s headquarters at Wilshire Farm in Goshen from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m to teach the basics of the game and debunk some preconceived notions surrounding the sport.
“(The goal of the clinic) is to introduce more and more people to the sport of polo,” Torie Front, the secretary of the CPC, said. “We want to help them to understand that it’s doable, no matter what your age or gender and affordable and that it’s really fun. We just want to take some of the mystique out of it and let people know that anyone can play polo that wants to.”
The CPC has enjoyed continual growth since its resurgence under new leadership a few years back. Front said that since last summer’s season, the club has added a handful of new members, ranging from high school students to emergency room doctors.
At the June 22 clinic, anyone over 14-years old is able to attend, whether or not they have any prior experience with horses or polo. The price varies depending on attendees access to a horse. The four-hour informative session costs $55 if you bring your own horse or $80 if you use one of the club’s horses.
Kit Collins, an internationally recognized polo swing analysis instructor, will teach the clinic. Collins is privy to some of the best technology in the world when it comes to analyzing a swing, very similar to what you would see with a golfer or a baseball player when slowing down the swing to break down the fundamentals.
The clinic will begin on foot with some chalkboard talk, going over the rules and basics of the game, imitating what would happen on horseback with the clinic attendees.
From there, clinic attendees will use foot mallets to practice their swing and ability to hit the ball. Connected to that is a neat piece of equipment the CPC uses called “Dreamer.” Dreamer is a mechanical horse that is set up in a way that closely mirrors a batting cage. Balls are fed towards the rider on Dreamer, giving the rider the chance to practice hitting on a moving horse without the fear of falling off.
Finally, the clinic will conclude with attendees actually getting on horseback to practice hitting and then go through a scrimmage.
Last year’s clinic’s were very informative and entertaining for those who attended. The polo club is a very open and accompanying group of people who are interested in growing the game in the Clermont County and Cincinnati area.
Attendees should wear jeans or riding breeches, boots with heels and a fitting helmet if you have one.
For more information about the clinic, call Torie Front at (513) 456-6113 or email vandvfarms@gmail.com. More information about the Cincinnati Polo Club, their future clinics as well as game schedules and upcoming events can be found on the club’s webpage at cincinnatipoloclub.com.