Pre-Season Gear Check

About this time last year, I wrote about the Pre-Season Tack Check.  At the start of this season, I’d like to add your gear to your list of checks.  It is something everyone should do at the start of each season.

Helmets – I have said before that a player must always have more than one helmet or mallet. I am fortunate to have several polo helmets, all of which have the mandatory three-point harness.

One of the rules of Helmet Safety is that you replace a helmet after any impact. Every impact, no matter how small, causes the microbubbles in the expanded polystyrene (EPS) layer of the helmet to burst. This is what protects your head the most in the event of a fall. In some cases, the damage may be invisible to the naked eye.  Every impact relates to even dropping your helmet from table height, not just significant falls.

Most people don’t know that equestrians are more likely than combat veterans to have a traumatic brain injury,” said Ansley Grimes Stanfill, PhD, RN, associate professor and associate dean of research in the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

“Helmets are really the most important piece of equipment a rider can have,” she continued. “We (medical professionals) can pin your bones back together, and we can sew up your lacerations. But your brain is hard to fix, so you really need to be sure you’re protecting it correctly.”

Mallets are easier to fix than brains, and I go through my batch of tournament mallets and training mallets at the start of each year. Yes, I have mallets I save for tournaments, and mallets I use for stick and ball or teaching.  My favorite mallets now are Logi Polo mallets.  I have some with big heads and a bunch with normal head.  I have a lot of lengths of mallets, from  50, 51, 52, 53, 53 1/2 and 54.

I also have them sorted for weight and whippiness.  My preference is for stiff mallets of medium weight, around 500 gms in total weight.   I also have some heavier, and even stiffer mallets with big heads for when I need to do some big hitting.

With at least three of each length, and between tournament and training, normal and stiffer mallets, I have over 40 mallets to check at the start of each season.

Grips and thongs are easy to spot if they need replacement.  Zack’s Tack has some rubber grips.  I like replacing the grips myself, but the shop also offers a service where we get your mallet re-gripped for you.

I also check to see if they are wrung – twisting bottom, where the cigar joins the cane is the usual place.  I get these mallets either spliced or shortened, again a service Zack’s Tack provides.

Whips – I’ve had a fascination with whips since my racing days. I still keep my favorite whips, which include an Ian Kendall race-whip, a leather plaited Stuebben, and a leather covered polo whip.  For day-to-day riding, I use a rubber handled polo whip.   I like to take the thong off so that I can switch hands easily, especially when schooling.  Remember, your whip is there only to reinforce your leg aids, never as punishment.  In your pre-season check you need to make sure that your whip isn’t broken, and that it has a tail or flap.

Boots – While I ride most days in mini-chaps and jodhpur boots, I also love riding in my Fabbri jumping boots, a pair that I made in my jumping days and have used for nearly 30 years.  It pays to buy good quality products!

I play polo in Lascano Polo Boots.  They provide me with the feel and protection I need.  Like mallets and helmets, always have more than one, otherwise it only takes a broken zipper to derail your polo for weeks or even months.

Charlie Lascano, one of the owners of Argentina’s Botas Lascano will be coming to Malaysia in August, his first trip here since 2018, when Zack’s Tack brought him in.  Charlie will measure and make Pro, Premier and even Cordovan Polo and Riding Boots for anyone who wishes.  Till then, if you need a pair urgently, please let me know and I will do the measurements for you.

Knee-Pads and Elbow Pads need to be checked as well.  Many a time it is the elastic that goes. There is nothing more frustrating than missing a shot because your knee pad or elbow pad slipped and put you off.

Protective Eye-wear and Mouth Guards are often ignored or forgotten.  If you don’t use a faceguard, it is essential equipment, because polo balls are harder than your face, eyes and teeth.  I check the nose-guard of specs, and my spare lenses.

Mouth Guards can be purchased from Zack’s Tack and moulded to your mouth, but for comfort it’s best to get one made. Your orthodontist should be able to help you with this.

Polo Jeans and Gloves are the other essentials I always check.  Make sure your whites haven’t stretched out of shape or lost colour.  Keeping whites white are possibly the biggest problem we all have as polo players, other than finding jeans that help us stay on.  I use only Zack’s Tack Technical Polo Jeans because of the 4-way stretch cool and dry fabric, and the silicone grip strips.

Like Adolfo Cambiaso, I haven’t found any polo gloves better than MacWets.  I check these wear and tear and for rips, especially around the thumb.

If you are looking for deals, Zack’s Tack has orders being readied for us in Argentina. If anyone wishes to order custom-made boots and knee pads from Lascano or customised carbon, leather or fabric helmets, with logo and/or initials please let me know by Wednesday to still order these at 2023 prices.

Lascano 2-Ply Premier Polo Boots RM4,380
Lascano Triple Leather Premier Boots RM4,850
Additional:
RM40 per initial
RM800 per logo (please provide Adobe Illustrator file)

Carbon Polo Helmet custom design RM3,800
Leather Polo Helmet custom design RM1,980
Fabric Polo Helmet custom design Rm1,850

Once you have done these checks or made your orders, you are ready for the new season.  It’s looking like a great season at the Kuala Lumpur Polo Club.  And wherever you are in the world, I hope you keep safe and enjoy your riding and polo.