Veterinary Cover for Polo

It was important that clubs understood that they had a responsibility to ensure that:

(i)                 Their local or duty practices were informed when polo was being played and had confirmed what the “on call” arrangements were, in particular how quickly a vet could get to the club if there was a serious incident.

(ii)               The veterinary practice was able to send a vet who could deal with horses, ideally one who had attended a casualty management course.

(iii)             A vet was present for any high profile match that attracted members of the public.

Injured Pony. A lame or injured pony should be walked off, preferably accompanied by the umpire or another player. It was important that everyone at a club knew what their role was should a more serious accident occur. It was agreed that the procedure to be followed in the event of a serious injury should be set out and be available on the HPA website as follows:

·                     The umpires should take charge and ensure that the players surrounded the injured pony.

·                     The horse ambulance and any cars should be used to help to screen the injured pony.

·                     The club vet or manager should then take over from the umpires to deal with the problem.

·                     The club should have a team of four or five knowledgeable individuals of whom two or three would hopefully be available to assist.

·                     Commentators should have a prepared script for when a pony (or player) was injured. It is important that the commentator keeps the commentary going, covering such things as what veterinary support there is for polo, the small number of serious injuries sustained during matches, how many years ponies might normally play for and to what age etc. He should not need to summon the vet (or doctor) over the loud speaker and he should not comment on the play that resulted in the injury, in particular whether he felt that it was a foul, dangerous play etc. Radio communications, which are not expensive, between the umpires and the referee who was usually close to the commentator are recommended. If they are able to provide any positive updates for the crowd after the horse has left the field this is helpful.

·                     The horse ambulance should include the following:

o                    A separate headcollar and rope.

o                    A strap with two handles to assist loading a horse.

o                    A working electric winch with a back up manual winch if possible.

The decision to load the horse onto the trailer or to walk it off the ground could depend on where the pony was injured and the amount of spectators but it was often quicker and better for the pony to walk it to the end or side of the ground where it could be dealt with.