Grand Touring Polo Experience

eekend. You have to understand this first of all: I am not very good with animals of any kind. I never had a pet nor have I ever been on a horse in my life. So to put someone like me (who has never been near a goldfish let alone a horse! ) onto a pony that was specifically-trained to play polo at the highest level, control her with just one hand and while at the same time be asked to hit a ball the size of an orange on the ground with a stick made from bamboo and not much else while at speed… As the day finally arrived, my reaction for having to sit (while still trembling with trepidation) for the first time on a majestic, live animal was that of uneasiness. There was so much discomfort. I wasn’t sure whether my steed would bolt into a gallop if I accidentally sneezed or made a cry for help too suddenly (nor would I know instinctively what to do about it). After trying to overcome the sense of the occasion for quite some time, my Argentinian pro Juan then instructed me to try and hit a ball with the mallet that I was holding with my right hand (which I wasn’t aware of until he told me…). My first three attempts at the ball with the mallet resulted in three consecutive assaults on the pony’s right ear on my follow- through (much to her annoyance as she glared back at me…). I was informed by Juan to then lift myself off from my saddle, brace myself to my pony with just my legs, bend lower and off to the side in order to reach for the ball. At this stage, things were starting to get too complicated to comprehend for a simpleton, such as I. My head hurts from all the things I had to memorize simultaneously. I felt so unbalanced and looking down, vertigo began to set in as the ground looks really far away when you realized that you are nearly 10 feet above it… Well, I wish I could say that I felt great afterward. After that 30-minute lesson, I was completely bed-stricken the following day. The whole day. I had a fever, a terrible sore on my lower back and both my legs were completely numb. But here’s the thing about being paralyzed from the neck down for an entire day: your mind started to wander. You began to recollect of all the things that you had just done the day before. The exhilaration of the ride itself, the satisfying sound of that first solid “whack” you finally made with the mallet and the ball---and the ability to be in control in doing so (if only for a short while). There was this sense of euphoria that transpired into a personal curiosity. So much so that it led me to call Juan for another lesson the very next weekend. Then another lesson followed--- and then another. Suffice to say I became totally hooked. After just ten lessons and still with a rusty ability, I took part in my very first polo match---four months after that very first ride. I didn’t play well, of course. But that wasn’t the point. What I felt throughout this period of not so auspicious start was pride, a sense of personal accomplishment---and a huge dose of adrenaline rush every time. It has gotten to the point where I am now frightened. But not from the riding but from the enjoyment that I never felt before from anything else… หน้า 2 จาก 2Ladies and gentlemen, the story that I had just shared is my confession to you that I have become a POLO ADDICT. I found out soon enough that it’s one of the most beautiful and elegant sports in the world to be a part of and provides a wonderful sense of accomplishment once you try it. I am telling you like it is because I want you to join me in the GRAND TOURING POLO EXPERIENCE, a personalized tour for all ages who are eager to learn the sport of polo with proper tuition at Thai Polo Club in Pattaya, Thailand, one of the most established riding facilities in the world. Do come and join me and with fellow beginners to take part in the GRAND TOURING POLO EXPERIENCE yourself and find out what could be a life-changing moment for you—as it did for me.