Jarvis Ropiha (left), Jyzxy-Reign Patuwai and Te Aute Maaka of Flaxmere College learning all things horse polo with Birchleigh Polo club manager Richard Kettle. Photo / Warren Buckland
Jarvis Ropiha (left), Jyzxy-Reign Patuwai and Te Aute Maaka of Flaxmere College learning all things horse polo with Birchleigh Polo club manager Richard Kettle. Photo / Warren Buckland
Horse polo is a relatively niche sport in New Zealand.
However, a few Hastings high school students have been lucky enough to give the prestigious sport a go with the Birchleigh Polo Club.
A new club on the scene at the time, it connected with Flaxmere College, which identified kids in school who could really benefit from giving it a go.
For the past five years, the college’s students have been taking part in the polo training programme, which not only teaches the students about polo, but also helps with the personal and behavioural issues they may be having.
Birchleigh Polo Club manager Richard Kettle said polo was an “elitist type sport and definitely has that image”, however he wants to bring it down to ground level and make it available to everyone who wants a go.
“It helps build the kids’ confidence and helps them overcome different challenges and expose them to a sport they normally wouldn’t have anything to do with.”
Flaxmere College student Jarvis Ropiha has enjoyed learning how to properly look after the horses at the Birchleigh Polo Club. Photo / Warren Buckland
At the Birchleigh polo club’s grassroots programme, students start from the ground up learning everything about the horse from caring for it and putting the gear on it, through to riding lessons.
Kettle explained the challenge for students is that it is something completely foreign to them - they need to overcome the fear of getting up close to the horse and then get confident to get on and start riding it around the small field.
Once students are confident on and around the horses, students then can get out onto the polo field, learn to hit the ball around, and have a few laughs.
“I guess what it really does for them is give them a little more direction and help with behavioural issues as they seem to go back to school a more confident person and they are communicating better with adults and in school,” Kettle said.
The best part of the programme is seeing the kids get into the sport and enjoy their time learning.
“We just find that these kids are loving it,” he said.
While the polo manager is proud of all the students he did have to brag that he has had students go through the programme that go on to win youth awards with the district council.
A couple of students have even stayed on with the club, playing in polo tournaments and gaining official handicaps.
Birchleigh Polo Club’s grassroots horse polo programme has made it possible for Flaxmere College student Jyzxy-Reign Patuwai to fall in love with a sport he may never have looked twice at. Photo / Warren Buckland
Flaxmere student Jyzxy-Reign Patuwai has been a part of the polo programme for a year now and said he loves working with the horses.
When asked if he was nervous when he first started, Patuwai said: “To tell you the truth, yeah I was a bit worried and it took me a bit of bravery to get onto one of the horses.
“I was a bit freaked out but if you keep jumping on you soon get the hang of it and it gets better and better every time.”
Along with Patuwai, Flaxmere students Jarvis Ropiha and Te Aute Maaka joined the polo programme around the same time and have been loving it ever since.
Flaxmere College students have been learning how to look after a horse at the Birchleigh Polo club. Photo / Warren Buckland
Sam Bond, the Flaxmere College teacher in charge of polo, said the interest in the non-traditional school sport has grown over the years from four students travelling to training in a staff member’s car, to 10 students.
It now requires the school van.
“Our students really love polo, and a number have never ridden a horse before and can be quite nervous.
“Watching their confidence and skills grow around caring for the animal and the equipment, and the relationship that they form with the horses is quite beautiful to watch,” Bond said.
“Flaxmere College is extremely grateful to Richard Kettle and Issy Kelsey from Birchleigh for their support in making polo available to its students.”
Kettle is thankful for the grants he has received to help keep the grassroots programme going. When he first started he didn’t know about any of the grants and funds available, and without them, he said, the programme was expensive to maintain.
