Horsin' Around

Last year when we stayed in Buffalo, our neighbor, Carole Mariol, and I visited the pasture adjacent to the RV park at least once a day to visit with the friendly bay gelding that was kept there.  Unfortunately, he went to a new home, so this year Carole and I have missed our daily “horse fix.”  A couple of weeks ago, though, I was excited to see these two beauties munching grass on the other side of the fence.  

Unfortunately, they are beautiful, but would not come to the fence for a carrot or a pat, so we have only enjoyed them from a distance.  

I found another way to get a horse fix, however. We went to Sheridan on September 4 with Ross and Carole to watch the final polo match of the year.   It was a little damp, but we enjoyed watching our first polo match and learning a little about the sport.  A polo team has four riders, and because they change horses several times during each match, every rider has an average of eight mounts. The ponies are small and agile, and come in all colors.  Their legs are wrapped to prevent injury from the mallets, and their tails are also wrapped to keep them out of the way.  

There were some remarkable horsemen and horsewomen on the field. and the action was non-stop.  Unfortunately, we had light rain most of the time and the pictures were taken with a cell phone, so the  images aren’t especially good.  However they will give you a flavor for the sport

And, then, between chukkars (the 7.5 minute periods of play that divide the game) and at halftime, we were treated to "Cowboy Polo.”  Instead of polo mallets and a regulation ball, Cowboy Polo is played with padded brooms and a soccer ball. 

As far as I could tell, in contrast to the actual polo match, this one had only two rules.  (1) Before play started, each participant had to chug a full beer, and (2) There were no other rules. 

 After beer chugging, good-natured mayhem ensued.

I’m not sure you can call it a sport, but it was a hoot to watch! 

We ended our trip with scrumptious burgers and brew at Smith Alley in Sheridan and called it a day.