Teenagers in Hastings are saddling up ponies and swinging mallets as they learn to play polo, a sport which resembles hockey on horseback.
Polo, aka the "sport of kings", is often regarded as exclusively for the rich and famous, but a local polo club is changing that.
Well over 100 young people have been through the programme since it started 14 years ago, says Birchleigh Polo Club's owner and founder Richard Kettle.
It was initially aimed at at-risk youth but now about a dozen students from both Flaxmere College and Hastings Girls High enrol for the programme each polo season (October to March) and gain NCEA credits.
"These kids turn up and they haven't ridden a horse or been near a horse," Kettle says.
"By the end of it, they're out there on the horses whacking the polo ball around and having a lot of fun."
Photo: Supplied
The Birchleigh Polo Club programme was initiated by owner and founder Richard Kettle, centre Photo: Supplied
Learning to play polo can be a big challenge for most 14 to 17-year-olds, Kettle says, so to get their confidence up the team first teaches them about grooming and tacking up.
Kettle is well aware of the sport's image as elitist and only within reach of a few, but says his club was keen to break down barriers.
"We could see no reason why the sport shouldn't be available to anyone, so basically the Birchleigh Polo Club has an open gate, so if anyone wants to come along and have a go, we take them through it."
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
The Birchleigh Polo Club training programme keeps running thanks to financial support from local trusts, Sports Hawke's Bay and private funders.
After completing the course, a couple of the students have carried on playing polo, Kettle says, gaining handicaps and playing at the club level.
"It's [learning to ride] the horse that does it all. It offers them a whole lot of new challenges that they learn to overcome and it's something they can relate to. It's a life skill they learn.
"They give a lot to the horse and realise what the horse gives them back and (that) you can treat people the same way."
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
