My polo season really started the previous weekend, when Pedro Plus Ten played in the World Patron Championship at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club. I had travelled to Thai Polo for an end of Thai season meeting there. A few handicaps were adjusted mid-season, and a number of decisions were taken for the 2020 Malaysian season and Thai Polo’s 2021 season. The WPC game was fun, played in a great spirit, with good friends.
I had played only 4 chukkas prior to playing in Thailand, but it did not stop me from having a decent game. It helps that I lost 8 kg in a Keto diet this year. I am far lighter in the saddle now. In the last few years I have been spin cycling at Aloha Cycle to help my aerobics, but there is nothing like losing weight to make a difference for the horses.
Thank you to Dominic James for these amazing photos from the World Patron Championship. Thank you also to Dato’ Mohamed Moiz, for inviting me to play in this game. I have been playing with and against Mohamed since the 70’s, so it was nice to have this game in Thailand again. That picture on the right shows two blur old farts still going at it against each other, after forty-years.
This past weekend I decided to school the KL Academy of Polo ponies. I played six straight chukkas on Saturday, and four on Sunday, starting some of my own string then, as well. Suddenly I’m fighting fit and raring to go!
Having done a lot of coaching in the last two months, we finally got some newbies on the field on Friday with the start of Friday Instructional Chukkas (FRIC). Six new players, Michelle Wakefield, Aisha Sterk, Terese Vikse, Nik Aryssa Ghani, Raphael Azman, and Hritvik had their first instructional chukkas with KL Academy of Polo, at the Royal Selangor Polo Club. We will be trying to do this weekly with new FRICsters to be added to this group. Finally, we are getting some new players onto the field.
Natasha and I shall be going to Perth this week. Perth Polo Club kindly invited RMPA to send a team for a match, and a Malaysian Selection has been made. Australian immigration, being what it is, may bugger up the selection as not all players have gotten visas to travel yet! We will have to make do with who can fly.
I shall be course designing show jumping event there too, as part of an international show jumping and polo weekend at the Perth Polo Club. I’m glad this is still going ahead, as my course designing seminar in Singapore and the AEF Young Rider Jumping Challenge final both fell victim to coronavirus fears. Covid-19 is a very real worldwide concern now, and it will have an effect, no doubt, not only on show jumping, but our polo season as well.
