Six rookies. One season. A demanding sport—and the journey from learning the ropes to taking the reins.
To the untrained eye, polo can look like a graceful dance on horseback—ponies streaking across the field, mallets sweeping through wide arcs, players leaning into the rush of wind and the thunder of hooves.
But learning to play polo is anything but effortless.
Behind the elegance is one of the most demanding athletic challenges in sport, requiring balance, strength, coordination, endurance, quick thinking, and an extraordinary connection between horse and rider. For the six players completing this season’s Coaching League, the past several months have been a journey into all of it: learning the fundamentals, finding their balance, reading the field, understanding the rules—and discovering what makes the game so addictive.
Finding Your Balance
Athleticism begins long before the first throw-in. Hours in the saddle develop balance, core strength and agility, while players learn to move with—and eventually as one with—a thousand-pound equine partner.
Then comes the mallet.
At a gallop, players must maintain their balance while leaning from the saddle, sometimes nearly parallel to the ground, to make a precise strike. At the same time, subtle movements of the reins, knees and body weight guide the horse.
It is a remarkable combination of athlete, equestrian and strategist, all happening at speed.
For some of this year’s rookies, the physical challenge has become one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.
“The camaraderie and the people are great – new tips that everyone’s willing to share are awesome.”
— Kyoko Okamura
Learning to Think at 40 Miles Per Hour
Polo is often described as “chess at 40 miles per hour,” and once you begin learning the game, it becomes easy to understand why.
Players aren’t simply chasing a ball. They are reading the field, anticipating the movement of teammates and opponents, calculating angles and making split-second decisions about where to be next.
There is also an entirely new vocabulary to master: right of way, the line of the ball, marking, passing, turning, defending, positioning. Eventually, what initially feels like a flood of information begins to become instinct.
“I’ve found a passion in polo that’s difficult to put into words. It’s the horses, the speed, the competition, the people—somehow it all comes together in a way that makes you want to keep coming back. I’m still learning, but I already know I’ve found something I don’t want to give up.”
— Dave Dent
And then there is the moment when a player begins to see the game differently—not simply watching where the ball is, but anticipating where it is going.
“For me, it’s been about understanding the game, understanding how the partnership between horse and rider works, and figuring out how to bring that competitiveness onto the field. Learning how to swing a mallet and hit a small ball while going full speed is probably the most fun part of it. And, obviously, the crew here is amazing—everyone is so nice and so friendly.”
— Kim Dressendoerfer
That may be one of the great milestones in becoming a polo player: when the game starts to make sense before it happens.
The Other Half of the Equation
Of course, there are two athletes in every polo partnership.
Learning to play means learning to communicate with a horse through reins, legs, weight and the smallest changes in movement. It means discovering how different horses move, learning their rhythms and building the trust that allows horse and rider to respond almost instinctively to one another.
For a new player, that relationship can be one of the most rewarding—and humbling—parts of the journey.
“Every time I come out here, I learn something new. Whether it’s someone riding for the first time or someone like John Wigdahl, who’s been riding for 60-some-odd years, everyone has something to teach me. John teaches me something new every time, and that spirit of sharing is what makes this such a great community.”
— Danielle Diamond
Behind every successful play is a partnership: the rider asking, the horse responding, and both moving toward the same objective.
It is one of the things that makes polo unlike almost any other sport. The player isn’t simply training their own body; they are learning how to become part of a two-athlete team.
Six Players, Six Paths to the Field
This year’s Coaching League class arrived with different backgrounds, experiences and reasons for taking up polo. What they share is a willingness to learn a sport that rewards patience, persistence and plenty of practice.
Over the course of the season, they have moved from lessons and drills into the rhythm of actual play—building confidence in the saddle, developing their stick work, learning to read the field and discovering how much more there is to learn with every chukker.
Ask them what they have enjoyed most, and their answers reveal something about the appeal of polo itself: the fun isn’t just in playing the game. It’s in learning to play it.
“I enjoy the community aspect of learning grass polo as a complement to arena polo training, and the opportunity to learn and grow alongside others at the same level.”
— Andrew Biafore
“I’ve enjoyed learning to play polo right along with my triplet 10 year olds! My favorite quote from my daughter after a lesson with Coach Minnie was “Hand me a mallet, Mom!””
— Amy Wright
The Final Exam
Now, after a season of lessons, practice and putting those lessons into play, the class is approaching its biggest test: the Coaching League Graduation Tournament.
For these six players, graduation isn’t about having mastered everything. Far from it. Polo is a lifelong pursuit, and every match presents another lesson.
It is about reaching a new level of confidence—understanding the rules, reading the field, communicating with a horse and teammates, and having the courage to put it all together when the ball is thrown in.
And then there is one final honor still to be decided:
Rookie of the Year
Who has made the biggest leap? Who has demonstrated the greatest combination of horsemanship, athleticism, game sense, sportsmanship and determination? Who has gone from learning the fundamentals to looking like a polo player?
We’ll find out at graduation.
Because behind every seasoned player is a rookie who once had to learn where to put the mallet, how to read the line, when to make the move—and, perhaps most importantly, how to stay on the horse.
Every polo player starts somewhere.
For this year’s Coaching League graduates, the making of a polo player is well underway.
Kyoko Okamura
Dave Dent
Kim Dressendörfer
Danielle Diamond
Andrew Biafore
Amy Wright
