Polo!

One really can't fully experience Argentina without something horse-related, as Argentina loves its horses. There are two kinds of horse traditions here: the gaucho and his trusty horse, herding cattle through the Pampas, and the civilized, British horse sports of horse-racing and polo. Watching and learning to play polo has been high on my list of things to do while in Argentina. My interest in playing polo waned considerably, however, when I learned that the polo mallet is swung only with the right hand. That's pretty intimidating for a lefty! I mean, its really hard to learn to play polo so why start out with a major handicap. So, I scrapped plans for lessons and spent the money on new riding boots instead.

So, that leaves me as a spectator. But that's still OK, as I saw an amazing polo match yesterday in BA. The match was part of the uber prestigious Argentine Open, one of three tournaments played in Argentina and known collectively as "the triple crown" of polo. The best polo ponies and players in the world come from Argentina, so I got to see some first class polo.

Polo has a reputation as a snooty sport, but I sat in the cheap seats, and the crowd was a mix of preppy and bleacher bum. The sport is fast and furious, as there are only four players on each team, no goalie and a large field, the biggest of any organized sport. The horses do most of the work and so a player usually has to change ponies after every 7-minute chukker. That means that each player has many horses, and some pretty deep-pocketed sponsors to pay for them.

It is an extremely complicated sport, with two athletes, the horse and rider, with the rider hitting the ball with a stick down the field without injuring themselves or their horses. The ponies are stunningly beautiful, a cross between Thoroughbred and native Argentinian horses. They are smaller than Thoroughbreds, but the most fit and healthy horses I have ever seen.