PTJan/Feb 2010 p82 week JM GM YC 22/1/10 15:40 Page 2
The last word
the Berkshire to ride look extremely thin, but
AWeek
I get there.
The arena and exercise track are firmly
buried (for the next two weeks, as it turned
inthelifeof...
out), so I start ringing round to find
somewhere else to exercise the ponies. Jamie
Le Hardy’s aunt, Rosie Lord, runs the nearby
Berkshire Riding School and kindly offers
their indoor arena for us to use.
For the rest of Wednesday, though, I get
together the kids and anyone else game for a
laugh and we go out in the snow for a bit of
fun on the quad bikes at the Berkshire.
Eventually, polo manager Michael Amoore
played Scrooge and put a stop to us tearing
around on the club’s grounds.
MY BRIONI TEAMMATES for St Moritz –
Amr Zedan, David Stirling and Gaston Laulhe
– are not yet in England but their ponies are
based down at Coworth Park, which was also
shut due to the snow. Their ponies need
exercise as much as mine so on Thursday I
arrange for them to join in the trips to the
riding school for some indoor exercise with
my ponies.
Although the five ponies I am playing are
usually used for the outdoor season, they are
strong, stocky and experienced. This makes
them perfect for the snow tournaments, and
they have been taking to the arena extremely
well, as I expected.
After exercising all our ponies indoors for
the first time, Jonny Good gets in touch with
MY PONIES HAD SOME unexpected cold-
an offer of some quad bike action at his farm
weather conditioning ahead of the St Moritz
that I really can’t refuse. So, after an
Polo World Cup on Snow this January when
enjoyable afternoon with him, warm drinks
the cold snap struck the UK just after New
by the fire are called for in order to bring my
Year and snow settled for almost two weeks.
Chris
body back towards room temperature!
My grooms and I were kept busy trying to
find every possible way to keep the 17 ponies
ON FRIDAY MORNING I set off with all my
I am responsible for fit and under the saddle
ponies and grooms to Epsom Polo Club for
every day, particularly the five travelling with
some practice chukkas in the indoor arena.
me to Switzerland, where I’m playing for Hyde
As well as St Moritz, I also have the Westbury
Saudi patron Amr Zedan in the Brioni team.
Arena Gold Cup and the International Arena
Test Match in February, so it’s doubly
MONDAY 4 JANUARY I arrived at the yard at
The former St Moritz winner tells Georgie
important that I keep the ponies and myself
8.30am to start exercising ponies along with
playing some competitive polo.
my two one-goal Argentine grooms. They look
May about snow, quad biking and When I get back home from Epsom, after
after my arena ponies, while the St Moritz squash ahead of his return to the Swiss
all the running around it’s great to chill out
horses are owned by Ocho Rios polo team and
extravaganza at the end of January
and spend time with the family. Jack and
are under the charge of another groom. We
Finley are keen riders and this afternoon they
joined up with him to play some two-on-two
are busying themselves with the horses at
chukkas for an hour, paying special attention I FOLLOW A SIMILAR schedule on Tuesday,
the yard. Under normal circumstances, when
to giving a thorough workout to Ginny, Kenny, racing up to the yard early to get in some stick
the kids are at school, Maggie and I would
Mystique, Hanson and Gazza, the New and balling with the grooms, giving each pony
usually find something to do together, such
Zealand and Australian-bred ponies I am 20 or 30 minutes of hard exercise, before
as a trip to John Lewis – especially with the
playing in St Moritz. heading to my regular squash session. I play
sales underway!
I make sure they are exercised every day so every Tuesday and Thursday as it’s a great way
they remain in super condition, but it’s also to keep fit and is more interesting than the gym.
WEEKENDS AT RCBPC are usually jam-
important for me to keep in shape, which The snow starts blowing our way in the
packed, with a constant stream of chukkas,
means three days a week in the gym. Today, as afternoon so, post-squash, I end up sitting and
matches and fun low-goal challenges at this
usual, I go straight from the yard to the gym dreading how the next few days are going to
time of year. However, the snow makes this
and then head home for lunch. The kids – pan out if the country comes to a predicted halt
one a write-off, leaving us forced to spend it,
Jack, 12. Finley, 9, and twins Max and Josh, 5 – before spending another quiet evening at home
with much regret, yawning and waiting for
ez
aren’t back at school yet, so the afternoons in with my wife Maggie and the children.
the weather to clear.
the holidays usually revolve around them.
Fortunately, at least the ponies seemed to
However, with the snow due to come in, I
A VERY WHITE WINKFIELD [near Ascot]
have dealt with the snow quite well, and its
y
T
ony Ramir
want to get as much in with the ponies as
greets me as I open the curtains at 6.30am on
certainly been a good warm-up, so to speak,
r
aph b
possible and so spend most of the afternoon
Wednesday. This certainly means no school for
for the bitter cold and snow that is
Photog at the Berkshire [RCBPC].
the boys, and the chances of me even getting to
unavoidable in the Swiss Alps. F
82 January/February 2010
www.polotimes.co.uk
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