Irish polo is losing its men-only image, helped by the staging of an international women's tournament, writes Eoin Lyons
Think of polo and it's fair to say the countries where the sport originated, Argentina and England, come to mind first. But tomorrow 24 players from these countries as well as Ireland and America, will make up six teams in a polo tournament, taking place in Co Wicklow.
The final will be played in the Phoenix Park on Sunday.
What makes the event more unusual is that all the players are women. The best known is model and dedicated polo player Jodie Kidd.
As well as not being particularly associated with this country, polo is perceived by many as a male sport. Even so, the International Ladies Polo Tournament at the Phoenix Park is now in its fourth year.
Wendy Herbst of the largest polo club in the Republic, Polo Wicklow, says the number of women who play is steadily increasing. "Women were inhibited in the past as it was seen as a game only for men," says Herbst who was born in Ireland but educated in England.
"When I came back 30 years ago there wasn't even a ladies' toilet at the club but now the gap in numbers between male and female players has lessened.
"Polo is one of the few sports where, in physical terms, women can play equally with men on the same team. It's also played with a handicap system and at a slower pace than in Argentina but it is still an exciting and graceful game to watch."
Herbst refutes yet another perception about polo - that it's a dangerous sport. "There is an element of danger with equine sports but the horses are so well trained and fit it isn't as great."
Herbst's husband, Michael, plays polo internationally but she became more involved with Polo Wicklow through her daughter, Siobhán (21), who is captain of the Lamorlaye team which won the tournament for the past three years.
"When I was 16, I started playing polo because it combined two things I loved - horses and hockey," says Siobhán . She now gives polo lessons at Polo Wicklow's all-weather arena, part of her parents' farm.
She says polo isn't as inaccessible as some people think. "It's not an elitist sport but you do need some money to get started. English groupies have given it a bad name turning up to matches in Gucci shoes but the most expensive thing to buy is two horses and keep them. You have pay a membership fee when joining any club and lessons at €70 an hour might seem a lot but after three you can go straight in and try a game."
Elaine Monaghan, another Irish polo player, explains why players need two horses: "The game is divided into seven-minute periods of playing called chukkas. After each one there's a quick break before you change horse and go again."
The polo these women will play on Sunday isn't a soft-core version of men's polo. "We play against men most of the year anyway," says Elaine's sister Derville Hoey who started to play last June. "It's just the same."
Apart from polo, the tournament on Sunday will raise money for the Bubblegum Club, a children's charity founded in 1994 which arranges special surprise outings for children in hospitals around the country who suffer from life-threatening illnesses. The latest was helicopter trips in July for children from hospitals in Galway, Castlebar and Portlaoise.
Despite all the sportsmanship of the players, for many others Sunday will be a dress up and be seen day. But Jackie Rafter who works as a fund-raiser with the charity, hopes to raise €20,000 for the Bubblegum Club by selling tickets which include lunch, a fashion show and the usual best-dressed prizes.
