The Necessity of Preparing Your Horse for Higher Polo Playing

Horses are just like people and they need to be conditioned in order to achieve their maximum performance. It wouldn't be wise to over push a horse that isn't ready for a hardy polo game. So conditioning is needed to maximize performance.

Consider conditioning with your horse so you are both growing together. Read this study and consider your best options. The Spatiotemporal Characteristics of 0–24-Goal Polo

Best, R., & Standing, R. (2019). The Spatiotemporal Characteristics of 0–24-Goal Polo. Animals, 9(7), 446. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9070446

You may want to check out the Polo Research Page

2025 U.S. Open Polo Championship- La Dolfina/Catamount vs Park Place

Is Your Horse Happy According to Research?

If you are a horse enthusiast and love the smell of horse poop, like riding horses, and whispering to yourself and the horse then you may be interested in the study below. As a horse enthusiast I love to be with horses and spend a lot of time around my four-legged tail whipping friends. However, I often wonder if they are truly happy.

Yes, they do snort, and I have read a study saying that because they snort that is an indication of happiness. I would suspect that if they come by you when you show up, they are also somewhat friendly. However, some of the other cues and behaviors can be misinterpreted.

Consider the study Is Your Horse Happy?

2025 U.S. Open Polo Championship- Globalport vs La Dolfina/Tamera

Research Indicates that Polo Player and Horse Personality Impact Performance

Many polo coaches have discussed how horses and players have certain personalities that interact. Those interactions could have an impact on handicap and play. However, it is hard to describe how that happens. According to the research below there is a definate interaction between the two.  

Do Horse And Human Personalities Affect The Game Of Polo?

-Player neuroticism and openness had negative main effects on player handicap and level of play by horse.

-Positive interaction between player neuroticism and horse neuroticism. 

-Positive interaction between player openness and horse intellect in outcome of player's handicap. 

-Positive interaction between horse intellect and player openness in level of horse performance

Weise, A. & Johnson, T. (2009). Do Horse And Human Personalities Affect The Game Of Polo? [Dissertation] Edinburgh Research Archive, https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/3558

2025 USPA Gold Cup Semifinal- Coca-Cola vs Brookshire

2025 USPA Gold Cup Semifinal- La Dolfina/Catamount vs Park Place