Chapter 5 - Cleaning Tack and Straightening Up

When play has stopped and all the horses are bathed and tied to the trailer, you might think it's time to relax. Not quite yet! Your boss will most likely be resting and discussing the game with his fellow players or, hopefully, partaking in an awards ceremony. If you are an organized groom, most of the tack should be in one place and some of it should even be washed by now. First things first. Make sure all the ponies have had plenty of water.

Dunk all the bridles, breast collars, and girths in the soapy water (we use Murphy's Oil Soap -- about third of a bottle to five gallons of water. The mixture will turn cloudy) to get all the sweat off. Swish the tack around a couple of times then hang up on a tack hook. Go over each leather piece with a sponge and use the Murphy's in a spray bottle for additional cleaning. Lexol is another good leather conditioner to use. With a damp, soapy sponge, go over each saddle, underneath and on top and be sure to include the billet straps and the stirrup leathers. With a clean towel dry each piece before putting them back in the trailer's tack room. Don't forget to clean your boss's knee pads and boots if they are available.

Polo players have a nifty trick of handing their tack so that it is all contained and easy to grab by the head stall of the bridle. With the head stall of the bridle in one hand take the reins, the martingale, and the breast collar in the other. Now take the cheek strap/throat latch and loop it twice around the reins, martingale, and breast collar and then secure it in its buckle. Now each time you need that bridle for a certain horse, all you have to do is grab the top of the bridle and you're ready to go. This makes organizing the tack an easy process and keeps you from having to fumble for the separate bridle pieces.

Lay the saddle blankets out in the sun to dry until they can be laundered later and all of the leg wraps should be air drying. Now you can start putting everything else away. Gather up the mallets, whips, brushes, sweat scrapers, bell boots and put them back in its proper place in the trailer. Keep the refreshment cooler and the chairs out for your next step. Sit down, reach into the cooler and pull out something cold to drink and relax for a bit. You've done a great job and you deserve this rest. Your boss should allow you this tiny pleasure and may even serve you as appreciation for a job well done!

Part I - Polo Handbook by Sandy Herron | Part II -Handbook By Sue Sally Hale |

Part III - Grooming the Polo Pony by Carol Barker | Introduction | Preface
Chapter 1| Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4| Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Summary