POWER OF POLO TEAMS UP WITH ALABARÉ FOR COURSE AT OFFCHURCH BURY

Last week eight participants aged between 18 and 24 spent four brilliant days on a Power of Polo residential course at Offchurch Bury Polo Club. The participants were brought to Power of Polo by long-term charity partner Alabaré, a national homelessness charity.

Power of Polo’s courses strive to deliver a range of experiences, foster resilience and develop teamwork skills and that was certainly the case on this course. Most of the participants had minimal riding experience and some had never been near a horse before, but by the end of the week they had been taught to groom, muck out and tack up a pony, had learnt the rules of polo and were playing in a mini tournament under the expert eyes of club instructors Grant and Tessa Collet. They also enjoyed a veterinary talk from Avon Vale Equine’s Carys Morgan, had a thrilling visit to learn trick-riding with the Knights of Middle England, attended a first aid course from a trainee paramedic, and took part in regular reflection sessions with Alabaré’s Gemma Snell, who has recently become a Power of Polo trustee.

A fascinating talk on how horses communicate and the importance of the human-animal bond allowed participants to think about their own relationships and it was clear to see the impact the entire week had on these young people, all of whom are facing challenges in their lives.

“Coming out here… to be able to slow down and breathe and spend time with animals has helped me massively. Horses are just amazing. Being able to meet new people has also helped my anxiety; if you wake up in the morning and you're feeling low you literally come out here and by the end of the day, you're feeling incredible. There is something about these animals that calms the nervous system. This is something that I think everyone should do, or at least everyone should have the opportunity to do it at least once in their life, because it makes such a positive impact and at the end of it, you feel free.” POP Course Participant.

Power of Polo’s next course is from 26th-30th May and will take place at Cool Hooves Polo in partnership with South Central Youth.