Polo fans will be used to watching plenty of great events on the grass, but the year’s biggest sand polo event is just days away.
The British Beach Polo Championships, Polo at Sandbanks, will start on July 8th and 9th, with around 6,000 spectators expected to see the event, the Bournemouth Echo reports. As the paper notes, this scale of crowd makes the event the largest of its kind in the world.
It will not be played across the full expanse of beach on the peninsula in Poole, but rather a flattened sandy arena enclosed by spectator seating, marquees and other facilities to provide a great experience for all present.
As the action goes on in the middle, guests will be able to enjoy a range of food and drink in a convivial party atmosphere, making it a grand summer occasion.
While the action on the sand will keep those interested in the competition excited, the evening will bring its own vibe as the horses return to the stables, the riders climb out of the saddles and the evenings are marked by partying with more food, drink and musical performances ranging from Soul and Motown to orchestral music and Jazz.
The sport itself will be subtly different from the polo played on grass, not least because the softer surface will mean the horses cannot run so fast, nor the ball travel so easily, making the sport a little slower. In this respect it is like comparing grass and clay tennis courts, where the former is much quicker.
A bonus for the riders is that in the event of a fall, they will have a softer landing, something Prince Harry might have appreciated after recently suffering a fall while playing for his Los Padres team in California.
Fortunately, he was not too badly hurt and was soon back in the saddle.
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