Tip 50: Backing up…in polo? The good riders are doing it all the time, while they are going forward. What….?? Backing a horse properly is the same as properly collecting a horse, even at a gallop. “We need to go back to the basics”, as a very famous football coach once said “ This is a football” That is what Vince Lombardi said to what would become the national champions, the Green Bay Packers.
Well…that little round white thing that has taken control of our lives is a polo ball. And to get to that little round thing more times than your opponent, you have to be quicker on your four feet…er…hooves.
To be quicker…you need to know all about extension and collection. Most of you…if you are playing, know the running part. However, if you do not know how to properly collect a horse at any speed, you will not be as quick to the ball. So lets start with backing up from a standstill.
To properly back a horse, you need to first gather up your reins…not pull…just gather them up, (they really already should be). Next you squeeze with both legs as you lean back a little with your shoulders…a more sensitive sided horse should only need a slight touch of your heels or lower calves. They will then start to step forward. You keep an even pressure against the reins and as they step forward, they will go up against the bit. When they feel your leg combined with your hand and seat, they will take the next route away from pressure and should start to step backwards. Now as they start to back….you need to keep them straight by guiding them with your legs. If they turn their hindquarters to the right, you add right leg. Now horses are not always real good at backing…so do this carefully at first. You pull and release with your hand as you to continue to ask with your legs. When you back a horse, it should be down carefully, and only take a few steps at a time, until you or your horse become more at ease with backing. There should be only one gait while backing, the walk. If things get quicker than a walk, ease up on the reins and encourage your horse back forward. Going backwards faster than a walk, is not a good thing.
If you have a horse that is very stubborn…you may want to dismount and back them up from the ground with a similar rein action and possibly even voice command. If a horse freezes…they will not back up. Be careful…if you become too aggressive, you could cause the horse to rear up or even over.…again….not a good thing.
So you have now learned to gather or collect a horse. These same commands are used at every gait to collect the horse or shorten their stride. You may not necessarily want to slow down, you may just want a shorter stride and get them more onto their hindquarters to prepare for a more balance turn. If a horse is fully extended in their gait, they tend to be less agile. Of course…there are some exceptions. In high goal polo, many horses are trained to turn at speed without a lot of collection….but they are in the “don’t try this at home” category for many amateurs.
If you want to collect a horse at a gallop, you start to pull and release on the reins as you add leg. This tells the horse you still want to gallop, just at a higher rpm and less mph. In other words…shorter strides, just more of them in any given distance.
This really helps you to properly balance a horse before quick turns, switching leads, and preparing for a rollback or a tight circle. It tells your horse to prepare for a change…without catching them off guard. Making a fast move without properly communicating with your horse can reduce the effectiveness of your movement and can also be hazardous to your health. Throwing a thousand pound horse off balance at speed is not an advisable move. Most horses are incredibly talented at making up for our lack of balance, but we only make it easier and safer by being in balance with our four legged teammate. So who says you can’t back up in polo, most of us are doing it a lot of the time. Happy Polo !!!
Feedback: E-mail: polotom@usapolo.com
