Tip 51: Circling & Rollbacks - Funny how many sports seem to fall into one of two main categories. Those that go up and down the field and those that go around in circles. Polo seems to combine both. So sometimes stopping and rolling back into the opposite direction is the desired move and other times a little collection and then circling into the new direction is the quicker method.

Circles

So the fastest way back down field if you are at speed, is to first collect and slow just a little, begin your circle, and after the mid-point of your circle, begin to accelerate back out. It is very much like taking a curve at speed in a car. You brake a tad before the turn and then accelerate as you come back out of the turn.

To turn your horse, make sure you turn your eyes and upper body into the direction you wish to turn along with your reining and outside leg (left leg when turning right). If you use your upper body along with your hand and leg, the horse will come around much sooner. This technique is especially good for when you are trying to turn in small circles and maintain pace.

Take care not to try to pull too sharp a circle when the surface conditions are slick. Wet fields, hard fields, and fields with thick turf. Horses do much better stopping on a straight line in slippery conditions. Actually horses will adjust very well to different conditions if the entire field is the same. The real problem is if most of the field is dry and there are a few wet spots…or most of the field is soft and there are a few hard spots. A lot of outdoor fields have a good deal of vehicle traffic on the sidelines or end lines. Those areas will be more compact and more slick as well.

Rollbacks

Rollbacks are a ton of fun if you have a horse that is well schooled to do them and you are well versed in the proper aids for asking. Just don’t over-do the roll-backs. Just like sprints for us, roll-backs are a lot tougher on the horse, as they almost come to a complete stop and then have to come back up to speed.

Rollbacks are more when your speed is down and you want to get back a short distance in a hurry. Rollbacks are much more common in arena polo. However, they are excellent training and tuning for horses in any level of polo as you are teaching the horse to collect and use their hindquarters.

To get a roll back, you gather your reins and begin to lean your shoulders back some. It is best to do it along a wall or fence if one is available. You decide which way you are going to turn and shorten those reins just a tad…before you start your roll back. You then pull and release a couple of times while letting your legs go forward to brace for the action of the horse stopping. If your horse is green or untrained, you may want to use your leg to ask the horse to engage their hindquarters (that means they tend to transfer more of their weight on to their hindquarters by shortening their stride and becoming lighter in front).

As the horse begins to stop, you wait until they get balanced on their hindquarters and right before they stop altogether, you turn your upper body into the direction you are turning and let your lower legs start to swing back behind the girth so you are able to push off your lower legs as the horse pivots, spins, and accelerates out of the rollback. You should be coming out of the turn on the same tracks you went in. A good horse will pivot right around on their hind legs with their fore legs slightly off the ground.

If you are knew to this…start at a walk and then a trot. At a walk or trot, bring the horse to a halt, take one step back and then turn into the new direction. This engages the horse’s hindquarters at a slower gait. At the canter, you turn just before the complete stop, as you need the horse to have that remaining bit of energy for the spin or pivot. If you are not sure…get a lesson so someone can help watch you. If you cued the horse with your reins prior to the turn and use your outside leg when pivoting around, the horse should come out on the correct lead. There have been a few horses that I have come across in my time that turn well…but turn on their front end…and pretty much refuse to turn on their hindquarters. This is acceptable…but they are much harder on their own front legs and have a tendency to break down. It is also a little challenging for some riders as that type of horse really throws you forward when they stop. But I will take a horse that stops on their front end before a horse that doesn’t stop at all !

I wish you the fastest and safest way back to the ball !

 

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