Some young people thinking of taking up polo lessons might be a little daunted by the reputation of the sport – and all equestrian activities – due to their reputation as being just for the wealthy.
However, this stereotype has been rebutted by president of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), Ingmar De Vos, Spanish news provider Laprensalitana reported this week.
Speaking at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Mr de Vos, who is Belgian, told news agency Agencia EFE that those who end up riding horses do not always come from gilded backgrounds, but work their way up from simple beginnings.
“Many of them start as employees in the industry, they start as stablehands and trainers and then find the opportunity to ride,” he observed.
The comments come after a recent report by the Equine Business Association stated that the horse industry has a global economic value of $300 billion (£220 billion) and provides 1.5 million full-time jobs.
In Spain itself, the most recent figures, from 2012, indicated the industry contributed €5.3 billion (£4.5 billion) to the national economy and generating 61,000 jobs. The Royal Spanish Equestrian Federation is currently carrying out a new survey to update those figures.
The opportunities for people of different backgrounds to get into equestrian sports, including polo, may come as an eye-opener to many, but this may encourage many more youngsters to get involved, not least as they can combine learning to play with other aspects of horse care, getting more used to the animals along the way and thus developing greater handling skills.
Of course, there is still plenty of media coverage put there that can perpetuate the stereotypes. For example, recent royal coverage has focused on the revelation that Kate Middleton has had to stay on the sidelines when Prince William is playing polo because she is allergic to horses – the implication being that this is a particular problem due to the association of royalty with all things equine.
However, just as the Queen’s love of equestrian sports is shared by a broad range of people, so at any polo match there will be many who are not remotely blue blooded.
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