External Loading Characteristics of Polo Ponies and Corresponding Player Heart Rate Responses in 16-Goal Polo

When compared with other equestrian sports, Polo players engage in a high number of player-pony interactions. To ensure optimal performance of the player-pony dyad, an understanding of the workloads performed by each pony and the physiological cost placed on the rider are required. This investigation examined the relationship and interaction between Polo pony performance (speeds attained, distance covered, and movements performed) and the corresponding heart rate responses in Polo players, within and between games across a 16-goal Polo tournament. Descriptive statistics revealed Polo is played at an intensity that imposes considerable cardiovascular exertion, with players' average heart rate (HR_avg) and maximum heart rate (HR_max) frequently exceeding 165 bpm and 200 bpm, respectively, within most games. Data also demonstrated that both HR_avg and HR_max have small to moderate relationships (P < .05) with numerous discrete measures of pony external workload, especially, pony accelerations, decelerations, impacts, and sprints. These findings highlight the chukka and game-specific interactions between pony actions and the players' cardiovascular responses to these movements. If the cardiovascular conditioning of the player is insufficient to meet the demands of Polo play, the combined performance of the player-pony dyad may be limited.