Alexandra Pierce faces off against Cody Krupp on the Empire Polo Field

Every Sunday, people don their Sunday best and flock to the Polo fields to catch the fast-paced game. But do most spectators know much about how the game is really played? In order to find out for themselves, Alexandra Pierce and Cody Krupp saddled up to get schooled in the game of polo at the Empire Polo Club.

Polo instructors Jessica Bailey and Domingo Questel walked them through the basics.

“Anyone can play polo no matter your age, athletic ability. For some people, it takes a little longer, but absolutely everyone can play polo,” Bailey said.

First, the two learned the swing.

“It’s all about the rotation of your shoulders and your hips,” Bailey said.

Pierce had the swing down, but making contact with the ball, that was a different story.

“This reminds me of golf, I’m not good at that,” Pierce said.

Krupp was a bit more consistent with his swing. Once they had their swings down, it was time to get on the horses.

“The better relationship you have with your horse, the more your horse is going to give you. To me, it’s the most important relationship on the polo field,” Bailey said.

For Pierce, the riding was the easy part. After a little bit of practice, it was time for entertainment to face off against sports. While polo is typically a fast-paced game, the two kept our match slow and steady.

Pierce scored the first goal, but Cody tied it up and eventually took home the win.

Both Pierce and Krupp said after their lesson they have a greater respect for polo players and of course their horses.

If you would like to learn how to play polo, Empire offers private and group lessons every day of the week except on Mondays.