It is often said that horses contribute 80% to polo, with the balance made up by the player’s skill in utilizing the horses’ skills and powers. Although we may play polo for many different reasons, all polo players I know, whether newbie amateurs or 10 goal pros, will seek to have the best horses they can afford. It stands to reason that the better a polo player is able to communicate and interact with his or her horses, the better the joint performance and the better the ‘return’ on our investment in horses.

 

Riding skills - riding for polo - come next. Being able to clearly communicate your intent to your horses, while balancing horse and rider in a variety of situations: acceleration, deceleration, turns, ride-offs, and of course, hitting, is essential and art that we continuously need to develop and embed in habits and muscle memory. 

 

It also stands to reason, that the material that connects horses and players, should allow the horses to carry players as comfortably as possible, should give them freedom of movement to unleash their full potential, and should provide a solid connection between horse and rider as well as stable hitting platform.

 

However, all too often, polo tack, and especially our saddles, are ill fitting, restrain our horses movements and does little to facilitate a strong platform and connection between horse and rider. The polo saddle is often the weakest link between the skills of horse and rider. This is, in part, because polo is such a small sport, that it exists almost entirely independently of all the other equine sports. The big world class saddle makers, rarely have in-depth knowledge of polo, and the smaller, specialist polo saddleries are rarely able to invest in product development. Our mission is to help polo players at all levels get the most out of their polo, supporting horsemanship and playing skills development, and sourcing and developing polo saddles, tack and other polo gear, that help us both protect and get the most out of our polo investments.

 

Our range of technical polo saddles and tack by Ainsley Saddlery incorporates unparalleled insights into the anatomy and biomechanics of both polo ponies and polo players, as well as of the demands of the game itself. For example, our flagship polo saddle, the Ainsley MVP, uniquely amongst polo saddles, offers on the spot width adjustment, oversize, sculpted panels and unparalleled grip. The HUSK tendon boots are another example of innovative thinking, designed to protect our horses’ legs from overheating and impact injuries. Other products in our shop protect players, with a view to limiting or avoiding injuries and to keep you in the game. We also provide select recommendations on instructors, polo fitness, and literature, that will help you develop your polo skills.

 

We hope you enjoy your visit to www.performance-polo.com. Please get in touch with us at info@performance-polo.com if you have any questions or suggestions.