HAMPSHIRE POLO INTERVIEW
Trot, gallop and ride your way to victory with our sparkling new experience – polo lessons in Hampshire! Anyone can now try their hand at the wonderfully royal game as you get to grips with your pony and all the basics of polo. Not to worry if you’re a complete beginner or if you’ve dabbled in the sport before, as the lessons can be tailored to suit your needs. We couldn’t wait to find out more, so we caught up with the owner of the polo school, Sean.
Hi Sean, please give our readers a brief introduction to your journey that lead you to the excellent ‘Hampshire Polo School’ we know today.
Hi! Well I’ve been riding since I was nine years old and have been playing polo for 16 years. My parents were amazing at horse-riding and actually taught me themselves. I gained my instructors’ qualifications, taught polo for a couple of years, and then went on to set up Hampshire Polo School in October 2010. I haven’t looked back since … I love it!
Sounds like a fantastic journey! If you could pinpoint your favourite part of the job, what would it be?
Nothing beats the pride I get from my students achieving, especially in tournaments when they win or receive awards for their playing.
What challenges keep you interested on a daily basis?
I really enjoy finding different ways to get the most out of my students, especially when they find it hard; it makes my job more interesting to approach the lesson from a different angle and get them improving their riding at a suitable speed.
What has been the biggest or most memorable event you’ve provided?
Occasionally we run incredibly competitive tournaments at the club or between universities and schools, and they are fantastic – really great ways to get people involved and started in polo. On a personal level, I have been reserve for the Dubai team in the British open tournaments, namely the Queens and Gold Cups, in which the best player in the world is a member of the team – it’s really exciting!
Definitely sounds it! Is there any other inside information you can give us?
We are all about making it fun at Hampshire Polo School; just ensuring we don’t push anyone too far, and making sure we get the best results from our students.
Which of your experiences you would choose or recommend for our Experience Days readers?
Tricky decision … but I think I would have to go for a group lesson! Our customers love the game at the end of the session, which is great for the four to six people in the lesson. It’s such an addictive sport that we pretty much guarantee you’ll want to come back for more, no matter which experience you go for!
Do you have any exciting plans for the future that you’d like to tell us about?
We have so many plans to look forward to – we’re actually currently building a lovely new barn on some new land! The barn is specifically being built to develop the Hampshire Polo School so we can take it further, and really get the most out of the school and our students. We’re constantly trying to improve the success of our school and any other changes would be to the number and quality of our horses and clients we deal with.
What a brilliant insight into the world of Hampshire Polo, and an even better way to discover more about the school and what you offer! Thank you Sean for talking to us and we can’t wait to hear about your future plans!
