Jolly good sport - on horses (From Stroud News and Journal)

Jolly good sport - on horses

Polo is the oldest ball game in the world. Best described as hockey on horseback it originated in Central Asia in the 6th Century but didn't become established in England until the mid 1800's. Unlike most sports polo is played somewhere in the world all year round. Reporter Sian Davies went along to the Beaufort Polo Club, near Tetbury to try her hand at the game that attracts everyone from kings to couriers...

WALKING into the gorgeous well-kept grounds of the Beaufort Polo Club - where Prince Charles plays - I'm distinctly nervous at the prospect of learning to play polo, especially as I've not ridden a horse for six years.

To play the game you not only have to stay on the horse, control it to go exactly where you want while hanging over the edge and swinging a stick around - you also have to hit the ball.

But with expert tuition from coaches Caspar West (corr) and Claire Tomlinson, who famously transformed Woody for CH4's Faking It, into a convincing polo player, and advice from Woody himself as well as champion jockey Richard Dunwoody, I was bound to succeed.

Caspar broke us in easily with a game of foot polo but the game began to resemble a session of hockey at school and my gung-ho approach to it proved slightly dangerous when I almost hit one of my fellow classmates in the face.

Once we progressed to the wooden horse however I seem to be getting the knack of it as well as plenty of praise from my instructors.

Having nearly fallen off the wooden horse twice however, which clearly doesn't move, my chances of staying on the real thing seemed slim.

Unlike Malcolm 'Woody' Woodcock, the 32 year-old bicycle courier who also learnt to play at Beaufort for the tv programme I had actually ridden before so I thought I would at least have an advantage.

However Caspar told me that you don't need to be an experienced horse-rider to take up polo.

He said: "If you're not already used to riding the conventional way when you learn how to ride you can learn specifically for the game.

"If you know how to ride you have to get out of the habit of riding the conventional way."

Once aboard my horse Rabbit, who I was assured is very trustworthy I realise what Caspar means.

It takes me a while just to work out how to hold my reins at the same time as the stick and it's no mean feat trying to get the horse near enough to the ball to actually hit it.

I was however actually starting to get quite confident, envisaging myself as the next pro, until Woody, Caspar and Richard got on board and showed us how it is really done.

After the polo, Woody, who impressed everyone with his transformation on Faking It in 2004, told me he has not played since the end of the programme:

"People expect me to still be playing but how could I be? I live in the city centre and don't have that sort of money.

"The reality would be if I got asked back here, but then I would have to come back as a groom - if I had the opportunity to play again I'd jump at it."

Beaufort Polo Club is keen to promote the sport as accessible to all and not just the rich or royalty and Caspar and Claire clearly seem proud of Woody who proves that Polo players can break the mould.

Woody, with his long black hair, numerous piercings and gothic image is far from your typical polo player.

But he told me that despite their image and lifestyle differences he got on with everybody at the club: "I went in with no assumptions about what they were going to be like and just thought that if I like them and they like me it would be great.

"The film crew were trying to depict me as evil and them as saintly and they kept asking all the team how they got on with me. But I got along with absolutely everybody."

Woody said that although polo is much harder than it looks he really enjoys it. "At first I was so cocky I just thought I can do this. But then after the first week my legs didn't work, my bum was killing me and I had a broken rib - I was thinking there's no way I'm doing this it's too hard.

"But I really enjoyed it in the end. Suddenly when eight horses go thundering past you it is really exciting."

Beaufort Polo Club offers individual and corporate lessons to beginners as well as experienced riders and have a number of horses available for hire for anyone who wants to get started.

For anyone just interested in watching a game, the club is about to start its busiest ever season with a charity polo day on Sunday June 5 and a test match between England and Argentina on Saturday June 25.

In 2003 the Beauford Polo Club distributed more than £190,000 to charities.

For more information about the club fixtures or to book tickets visit www.beaufortpoloclub.co.uk.