Janiqueel takes a look at the fast-moving sport of URBAN POLO – the traditional game but with a few twists

Without good horses, you are nothing. In polo, it’s 70 per cent horse, 30 per cent rider. And I have the best horses.

Adolfo Cambiaso

Mid-October is here and so is the fabulous, food, fashion, and fun event of the season – URBAN POLO. And the best news – it’s right here at Singapore Polo Club. You can almost taste the anticipatory excitement. On the event day, the exhilaration is palpable. Perched next to the polo field, spectators will hear the pounding hooves, whiff the horse scent, and watch the action as the horses and their riders race from one end of the field to the other in order to hit the hard, green ball with their mallet and score an elusive goal. 

One really doesn’t need to know much about the ancient game to appreciate the drama that superb horses guided by expert players present as they strive to whack that green ball into the GOAL. Here are some polo terms you can throw around before and during the game: back, bowl-in, bump, and chukka. knock-in, line of the ball, ride-off, tail shot, etc. You can study to know what they mean or just throw them around at what seems appropriate moments. The idea is to have fun, show off your best polo-casual attire, enjoy premium food and drinks available at the event and soak in the heady atmosphere of tons of well-muscled horse flesh thundering just beyond the spectator fence. This is excitement of the first order.

Urban Polo is designed to make your heart race. Imagine what the skilled players and their steeds are feeling. Similar to regular polo, urban polo features a smaller field and three instead of four players – an attacker at the front; a defender at the back; and a centre versus four for regulation polo. The chukkas (time periods) are shorter making the play more intense and faster-paced than the traditional game. The sometimes arcane rules of the traditional game are simplified in Urban Polo making for maximum action that doesn’t stop except for rare infractions and injuries. 

Your tickets get you through the gate where you’ll find ample food and drinks on sale in an attractive outdoor setting. No re-entries are permitted, so come prepared to spend the afternoon with your friends and associates and return home thinking that you, indeed, have had an afternoon to remember. Clothes? Wear something light and frothy – think straw hats, flowing dresses, tailored shirts, and shorts are the norm. Sunglasses and sunscreen, of course, are the order of the day. You’ll go home sporting a healthy glow and with tons of stories to tell about your day at the match.

If you and your friends are looking for something completely different to do on a summer afternoon, you need to look no further than watching a sport you may never have experienced before – URBAN POLO at Singapore Polo Club.

For more information, you can visit www.urbanpolo.com.sg

Research and writing help from JKJ