Chasing Summer: A Polo Season in New Zealand

Summer would be a generous word to describe what was a very upside-down, pouring down and blowing all around season, that was meant to be filled with polo, sunshine and blue skies. Despite a historically miserable summer, the polo season persevered, with tournaments every weekend, with semi-finals played on Saturday and Finals on Sunday. Unfortunately, the weather had a knack for realizing when I had made a final, with unprecedented amounts of rain and wind cancelling polo the next day. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one with this seeming curse on playing in finals. My good friend Conner Eaton also unknowingly royally pissed off whatever gods were controlling the moody weather system in New Zealand. Between the two of us, we played in 1 final each, in almost 4 months of polo, with both of us managing to lift trophies. However, it was difficult to hold grudges as travelling to each polo club for tournaments brought a unique drive in our famous horse truck, the Goldy, each one more breathtaking than the last. From rolling hills on the way to Culverden to green grass fields lining the straight roads on the way to South Canterbury, each drive was filled with lovely scenery, great music and the constant double-barreled beat of Snorkle expressing how excited she was to be travelling to another polo club.

Throughout the season, I was working predominantly for 2 people. I would spend mornings working for Roddy Wood under the Spanish guidance of the local Argie: Agus Ballester. Roddy had 2 sets of horses, 16 made playing horses and 13 brand new horses off the racetrack. Each morning looked slightly different depending on which lot of horses I rode. Often, if the playing horses were playing chukkas in the afternoon, Agus and I would bring in 6-7 of the young horses and spend the morning working with them. Working with Agustin, I was able to learn so much not only about working with young horses but also the very Argentine characteristic of wanting to fix everything yourself, from horses, to cars, to trailers, to houses - there is nothing that he didn't know how to do, and if there was, he pretended and tried until he did. Being around these kinds of people is so interesting because you are able to learn so much just by watching and listening. By the end of the season, I was fixing everything from caution lights in Toyotas to brake pads and even trailer jacks and tail lights. The key was not necessarily that I learned how to fix all of those different things, more that I was more willing to try and fail until I learned, and asking only when I was truly stuck or thought what I did might blow everything up, kind of like hints in a breakout room.

In the afternoons, I would work for Charlie Wood, teaching the occasional lesson where I was commonly known as "King Juliannnn" by the young schoolkids from neighbouring schools. However, my main focus was 4 first season horses, meaning they had come into work the year before and were taught how to be polo horses, but that had never stick and balled or played in any chukkers before. My job was to teach them how to play polo and get them ready to play high-level polo with Charlie in the following season. The horses were "B2", "Dora", "Tinke" and "Catalina". B2 was clearly the most advanced horse at the start of the season, being 1 year older than all of the other horses, at times she didn't act like it. B2 was a horse that had a very interesting personality. She loved to throw her head up and give you a big grin, showing off her white teeth, which was usually not a good sign because she took great pride in making a big mess, throwing blankets all over the place, stepping on gear and chewing whatever stick or branch was closest to her. All of which would be greatly exaggerated when she was in season with the added bonus of aggressive kicks. On the polo field, the best way to describe her was argumentative. She would do almost everything you asked pretty well, she would question you before everything. By the end of the season, she was going really well and was a lot less argumentative. She was a strong horse that you could send into any situation without fear of her spooking or letting you down. Tinke was a very athletic horse that had trouble releasing the bit. For the first 3 months of the season, she would grab on tight and run through your hands. She got better throughout the season but never fully gave me the release I was looking for. At the beginning of March, I took Dora, B2, and Catalina(her paddock mates) to play a 2-goal down in Porthills, meaning she was alone in the paddock for the weekend. That next Tuesday, she must have figured out what she needed to do not to get left behind because I got on her and never again did she hang onto the bit. From that day onwards, I started playing her in tournaments, and she was by far my best horse, and gave me so much confidence and power to make plays the other young horses were not yet able to. Dora was my favourite horse of the bunch. She was the only horse out of the lot that never raced, and therefore was alot more calm and easy going than the rest. At the beginning of the season, she was not convinced of turning right and didn't move very quickly at all. By the end of the season, she was by far the handiest pony that would spin and stop on a dime. She was a super safe horse that had not a bad bone in her body and never put a foot wrong, especially when doing flying changes! The only thing she had yet to learn was to run, but by the end of the season, I saw glimpses of moments where she looked like a really special horse.

Thank you to the Wood family for having me for 4 months and always giving me plenty of horses to ride/play, and lots of great company! Despite the incredible scenery, lovely horses and endless learning opportunities, the thing that made New Zealand stand out was the great company that surrounded the polo, especially at Waireka. Lots of great piss ups after Friday night polo and asados with great singing, dancing and guitar playing from many special Kiwi and Argie talents, there was always a laugh to be had and a beer to be drunk. See you at the bottom!