Polo is played at the club seven days a week from May to September and the groundstaff often find themselves working twelve hour days just to keep on top of things
seven day, seven hour a day operation; therefore one member of staff is constantly mowing pitches throughout the growing season.
On most occasions the polo pitch is
prepared for play on the day of the match, usually completing the work two hours before the commencement of a game. Each polo pitch will be mown, marked and set out. Pitches are marked out using a spray jet ride on marker with water-based paints
Grass height on the polo fields is kept between 22-30mm with a Ransomes five gang hydraulic cylinder mower. Grass adjacent to the boards which extend along the touchline is cut using strimmers.This operation alone takes forty minutes to cut one polo field surround.
As with all equine related sports the safety of the horse is paramount, so the condition of the sward and, more importantly, the state of the ground is critical when playing. Mark tries to maintain a ground that is good to firm. The underlying soil structure is
predominantly a sandy loam soil on top of a chalk limestone sub soil structure, which makes it fairly free draining. Therefore, it is essential that Mark has a decent watering system to help keep the grounds in the condition he desires. With such large areas of ground to
irrigate Mark has recently upgraded the watering facilities, buying another Briggs irrigator to add to the one they already have, together with the purchase of a new water pump to extract water from their newly enlarged water reservoir. The new pump can supply 70 cubic
metres of water per hour, with the two Briggs irrigators on the go, they can efficiently water a single polo pitch within a day applying some 300 cubic metres. Mark ensures that the last watering application is at least two days before any polo match, allowing the soil to get to its optimum good to firm playing condition. A programme of aeration is carried out several times throughout the year using a combination of hollow core tines and slitting blades however, in most cases, these operations can only be done when ground conditions are favourable. Over 2500 tonnes of topdressing is applied each year, usually in three applications (May, June and July). The pitches are also harrowed after matches to restore levels.
Each polo field has to cope with over fifty games per season. Each game is
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played over four, five or six periods of seven minutes called chukkas. but generally a game
will last for four chukkas making a total of twenty-eight minutes a game. There are four players in each team who often use two horses per game. You can well imagine the damage caused by these horses, especially when ground conditions are wet. The main divot damage centres on the goal areas and the central areas of the field where the game is started after each goal scored. A tradition of the game is to ‘invite’ spectators to repair divots at half time and full time. Mark rotates the use of the pitches to
ensure wear is kept to a minimum, and he keeps a keen eye on ensuring that the premier pitches remain fit for play and look their best for the premier fixtures that will attract well over 5,000 spectators to each game. End of season renovations consist of cleaning up the surface using brushes and overseeding using a direct drill seeder sowing a Polo seed mix of grasses that include:
• 20% AberElf Perennial Ryegrass • 30% Esquire Perennial Ryegrass
• 20% Herald Strong Creeping Red Fescue
• 10% Mentor Hard Fescue • 20% Wilma Chewings Fescue
An application of a granular autumn fertiliser is applied (Headland 25.5.15) to help condition the sward through the winter months. Nitrogen is applied during the season at the rate of 75kg/acres when required. Broad leaved weeds and clover need to be eradicated as they create a slippery surface which is dangerous for the horses.
Moles and rabbits are the main pest concerns as their burrowing activities can cause huge problems to the horses foothold. Regular controls are in place to deter these pests, usually in the form of traps and shooting.
During the winter months grass height is raised to around 30mm and cut as and when required. Mark and his staff spend the remainder of the winter months carrying out a number of other tasks at the club, such as hedge laying, repairing boards and goal posts and maintaining the outdoor artificial practise areas.
Mark’s machinery list is as follows:
New Holland TN90 Tractor New Holland TN75 Tractor Ford 4000 Tractor Iseki SX Garden Ride on Mower
Spearhead Trident 5000 Flail Mower
Ransomes TG4650 Hydraulic Gangs Double Quick Multi Corer Pasture Slitter -4
4 metres
John Deere Gator with Fleet White Liners
5 Metre Maxi Brush
Amazone 10 tonne Sand Spreader Amazone Grass Collector Hardi 600 litre Sprayer Nickelsons Paddock Sweeper 2 x Stihl Strimmers Assorted Trailers
What’s in the shed?
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