{"id":28578,"date":"2023-08-29T09:16:50","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T07:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/?p=28578"},"modified":"2023-08-29T09:16:50","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T07:16:50","slug":"the-new-face-of-polo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/blog\/2023\/08\/29\/the-new-face-of-polo\/","title":{"rendered":"The new face of polo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Outdoorsy, active and passionate about polo, Kayla Swart would love to see the sport grow and thrive on the North Coast.
\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cI was on a horse before I could even walk,\u201d laughs Kayla. The Ballito-based estate agent has been playing polo competitively for the last 10 years, and inherited her love for horses from her stepdad Lionel Foster, who is also passionate about the sport. Two years ago, the family started the Ballito Polo Club, where they teach people of all ages and abilities to ride and play.<\/p>\n

\"\"For Kayla, the polo community is like a family. \u201cThe same crowd plays tournaments every weekend, so you end up spending a lot of time together. Polo is a generational sport, and very family-oriented,\u201d she says. The club members are very social, often hosting cocktail parties after practices and going on holidays together.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolo has a stigma of being snobby, but it\u2019s really not like that. Players walk around in their dirty jeans and slops afterwards! It\u2019s a lot of fun!\u201d
\nMany of polo\u2019s traditions remain strong, but one significant change, says Kayla, is the rise of women in the sport. \u201cWomen used to be on the side making tea and eats, and looking after the kids. Now, they\u2019re actually playing, which is nice.\u201d There was a time when there weren\u2019t enough women to play a tournament in KZN, and now there are a number of local women\u2019s events planned, with the Ballito Polo Club made up of mostly female players.<\/p>\n

The bond Kayla shares with her horses is something special. \u201cThey are like my babies,\u201d she says. \u201cYou have to trust the horse you are on, and they have to trust you.\u201d This love of horses, along with the adrenalin that comes from playing the game, is what keeps Kayla coming back for more. \u201cThe horses give their hearts to us. It\u2019s amazing to see the progress they make and their personalities grow as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayla\u2019s favourite quote is from Winston Churchill: \u201cA polo handicap is your passport to the world\u201d, and the sport has taken her on some amazing travels \u2013 from Egypt and France, to Argentina. Her family hosts international polo players almost every year, and she has met people from all over the world, with whom she has formed meaningful connections.<\/p>\n

When it comes to training, it\u2019s important to stay fit. \u201cThe more you ride, the better,\u201d explains Kayla. During the season, there\u2019s usually a tournament every weekend and players will compete for three consecutive days. Kayla spends most weekends on a horse, and keeps fit by training at gym every day of the week, or by running. She\u2019s a farm girl at heart, and loves the outdoors. Kayla\u2019s family founded the Ballito polo school because they want to bring new people into the sport, and it\u2019s been well received so far. \u201cMost of the girls at the Ballito Polo Club started off not even knowing how to ride, and now they\u2019re playing tournaments,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The Ballito players currently play matches on the Ottowa polo field . \u201cWe have lots of old Springbok players in the area, so our practices are really good because we get to play with them,\u201d says Kayla. The club members would really like the sport to take off in the area, and would love to extend the six-month season to a full year. The club is open to anyone who is interested, and even complete newbies are welcome to start with riding lessons before trying out the game for themselves.<\/p>\n

Details: www.ballitopoloclub.co.za<\/a>, @ballitopoloclub, @kaylaswart<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two years ago, the family started the Ballito Polo Club, where they teach people of all ages and abilities to ride and play.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":28579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,18],"tags":[9374,768,9376,3888,9375],"class_list":{"0":"post-28578","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personalities","8":"category-whats-on","9":"tag-ballito-polo-club","10":"tag-horses","11":"tag-ottowa-polo-field","12":"tag-polo","13":"tag-tournament"},"yoast_head":"\nThe new face of polo - Get It Ballito & Umhlanga<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/blog\/2023\/08\/29\/the-new-face-of-polo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The new face of polo - 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