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When,
inspite of having the opportunity to create unique custom adventures for our
clients, accompanying them, or reconnoitring a trip for them , we at TigerPaw
and IJ’s Horseback
& Polo Holidays have on occasion, the opportunity to experience some epic transcontinental
adventures ourselves. RUGBY SCHOOL PLAYS POLO IN
SOUTH AFRICA
Dating back to 1567, it was a student of the famous Rugby School who was responsible for starting the game of rugby when he “ picked up the ball” rather than kick it, thus breaking a habit of yore to create a new sport!
Ever since
being invited by Jane Phelps of Rugby School, to suggest options to take the
School’s polo team
overseas, we began the process of identifying the international venue that best met their
needs, using singular expertise and network strengths which mark out
IJ’s as a
unique worldwide and worldwise provider of
polo plus holidays and clinics.
With the aim
being for students to
“ get in
shape” before the
English season, and find a venue that
“fit the
bill” in all
aspects, we homed in on Franshoek
Mountain Lodge and the nearby Franshoek Polo School .These, in South
Africa’s Orange Free State , in the region where the Drakensburg and Maluti
Mountain Ranges abutted Lesotho, a unique mountainous country destination in
itself. Countess
Sophia Aboyne who represents IJ’s Polo
Holidays in the UK, mediated with
Jane at the School while we at
fine tuned the school’s
requirements with the Lodge and Polo staff at Franshoek .This included chalking
out the polo curriculum so that without being overly taxed, students would
improve their game and yet enjoy in between hours. Finally, on
the 27th of March I personally met the 10 strong School group accompanied
by Jane and her husband Nigel, at Johannesburg airport and escorted them down to
Franshoek carrying amongst other things a few supplementary polo sticks of odd sizes,a first aid
kit, a general polo orientation folder for each student, T shirts, trophies and
posters. A grand trophy for the final presentation added to my baggage which
travelled with him all the way from New Delhi to Johannesburg by way of Mumbai,
Mombasa, and Nairobi. With four of
the trophies damaged on arrival, I had to go into the industrial area of
Johannesburg before the group arrived to have them repaired rather than let any
one student come away empty handed. The Fairlawns Hotel in
Johannesburg’s upscale
Morningside area a unique private estate was most helpful in accomplishing this
.Their excellent and ever smiling driver
“Tando” helped in
finding the right place for the job.The Fairlawns is extremely well appointed
and their Gandhi Suite which I was put up in was par
excellence. Leaving Johannesburg airport, we drove in two vans for four hours across Transvaal and Orange Free
State , crossing rolling hills and
open plains covered in cosmos flowers, a mosaic of white and pink, punctuated by
the Vaal River. Poplar and Cypress trees and the willow gum tree added to the
scenic beauty. As anywhere, the people around you had a story to tell and vehicle
drivers were an interesting source. Lawrence
,who was of Slovak origin narrated how during the apartheid days he operated
undercover for the police in the
“anti gun
smuggling unit“¼sporting
earrings, long hair and jeans
whenever on an assignment. He decided it was too stressful after a while
and took up chauffeuring. Later on the trip, another of my van drivers , this one a Black south
African explained how he had married a girl from another tribe something which
just was not possible in the apartheid days. There was a near impossibility in crossing village or tribal zones in
that period and the strictures it posed
on the population in something like finding a marital mate were
insurmountable. For them and others on either side of the colour divide including the young
English émigré who owned the transport company, the new South Africa was energetic and full of
optimism, and the lifting of apartheid was the best thing that could have
happened. Occasionally, there were others, of an older , apartheid era generation
who held biases and older notions .But to the credit of all South Africans I
found it amazing that on radio talk shows both sides could frankly and bluntly,
without being hostile, discuss and put across their views on the subject of race
related issues. As a Sikh from India who emigrated to Canada, a country most
mature and sagacious in dealing with such sharp divides, I found this aspect
most fascinating during my stay in South Africa. Both in South Africa and in
Kenya which I visited later, the bonhomie amongst white and coloured rose
several notches in rural areas.   On arrival
at Franshoek , the children’s fairy tale
like Franshoek Lodge , run by Roz
Evans and Ona, both delightful hostesses , set amidst the magical Malutis was the perfect venue for the next
week.Ona was a On arrival the first
day we immediately introduced ourselves to the horses and went off on an hour
long hack into the hills and high plateaux. Cantering through the tall grass,
seeing the lodge Mascot chase an Impala and breathe the pure open air was one of
the best introductions we could have had. And of
course the next day onwards there was POLO!
Their ages
ranging from 16 to 18, the group of 10 students of which 7 were girls was
divided into two groups for the clinic. They were all generally good riders
barring one and it is to their credit as well as the team of instructors, and
the horses , that each saw an improvement in their riding and polo skills at the
end of the clinic. In the pre
lunch sessions, while one group practised the polo swing on the wooden horse and
used the pool, the other was on the ground practising stick and ball in teams of
two. In the afternoons the two groups played as teams against each other,
accounting for 8 students , the other two practising the role of umpiring a polo
match. Mornings
were thereafter devoted to instruction and practise under the expert tutelage of
Rod Guteridge along with the Findlay family, the owners of the polo school. Rod
Guetridge A one time soldier in the elite Zimbabwean army, and a one time 7
goaler and needless to say had numerous tales to tell, and various talents to
show off, not all polo related. These included a floor performance called the toilet
papier dance and flouncing waves of loo paper flowing from the wrists of both
partners was one such!
Excellent food literally
“designed” by Ona, with ne’er a repeat on the table, and
the safe and serene, verdant surroundings were soothing to say the least. A log
fire at the hearth at all times surrounded by deep leather sofas invited one and
all whenever there. The resident Labradors gradually inveigled their way on to
the sofas after pretending to display affection to the unsuspecting and trusting
guests.
Every
evening after polo the group either
went back to the lodge immediately or some trooped up to Rod’s beautiful
and quaint lodge on the high meadow overlooking the polo fields below with the
masiffs in the distance forming a backdrop. A coolade and a golf swing were the
order of the hour in the presence of Jane‘s husband
Nigel, the golf enthusiast . Nigel had cleverly practised the art of left handed
golf and brought the largest left handed driver possible. Needless to say his
swing was par excellence and reached the far end of the polo field while lesser
mortals including myself usually hit the post and had to dive for cover to avoid
the recoil. By the time we mastered left handed golf and found a right handed
driver, we had to re learn right handed golf all over again. Nigel¼.
A couple of
evenings saw the neighbours bring their African bongo drums and other
instruments and all to enjoy
around the fire. A dance with rather funky music compiled by Damien,was another
evening highlight.
The final evening was reserved for a grand prize ceremony which included nominations for most
valuable player and players who had shown huge strides during the clinic.
Needless to say , the shedding of silver lightened my bags significantly!!. Ben
Hickman the senior most and most experienced student player gave away some nice
Rugby momentos and words of thanks. After one last round up session we e all left with some sadness the next
afternoon with not a little sadness
for it had been a magical week.
If you are ready for your Exotic Polo trip contact us.
Take a POLO HOLIDAY from
www.poloholidays.com
Take a HORSEBACK HOLIDAYS from www.horsebackholidays.com
Take an EXOTIC ADVENTURE
from www.tigerpawadventures.com
CANADA : 8034-112 B.,Street Delta,BC,
V4C5A7 +1 6045011652 Fax +1 6045019213
email tigerpaw@istar.ca
INDIA
India: 5-E 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi 110049
Phone: Fax: +91-11-26496137, mob 9810128999 e-mail: tigerpaw@istar.ca
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May 2005 
