71. Check out the Cartier International Polo

I probably should have read up on the rules of Polo before going to the premier polo event in the world - the Cartier International Polo day.

We arrived a little early (the first game started at 11am) so we wondered around the market stalls that were set up for the day. These were the most up-market stalls I had ever seen. Instead of the usual rif-raff there were cashmere scarfs, designer jewellery, equestrian equipment and luxury holiday tours.

We settled into our seats to watch the first polo game. It's surprising to see how much ground eight horses can cover and I quickly forgot the separate identities of man and horse. The merged entities gracefully moved from one end of the pitch to the other and I was amazed how they managed not to whack each other with their polo sticks.



The only rule I managed to pick up was that there were periods called chukkas and that no horse could run in two successive chukkas. I haven't bothered reading the rules but if you want to find out more, you can try this link (Polo - Wikipedia)

When half time started, everyone left their seats to help stamp the divets back into the ground (the holes made by the horses hooves). I was too slow as by the time I got onto the ground, all the divets were covered up.



The highlight of the day was the 3pm Coronation Cup game between England and Argentina. With Argentina dominating and only one chukka to go, we called it a day and left to avoid the crowds going home, plus it was probably one of the coldest summer days I've had to sit through through.