Over fifty years ago, the game of Polocrosse was created in the typically Australian spirit of horsemanship and daring. Today, this fast-paced, exciting game is one of our great international sport exports, involving the skill and dedication of people from all walks of life.

It began as an exercise designed to enhance the hand, eye, balance and coordination skills of the students at the National School of Equitation in England. The exercise captured the imagination of George and Marjory Hirst, who, in 1939, brought it back to the Ingleburn Horse and Pony Club in Australia. Here they practiced, refined, honed, developed and debated the rules of what was to become a unique horse sport, Polocrosse.

Ideally suited to Australian outdoor conditions, in the fifty years since the game began it has

spread to New Zealand, North America, Africa and Papua New Guinea. The reasons for its popularity are manifold. Polocrosse is a fast-paced, exciting game which presents an incomparable athletic challenge. It involves speed and stamina, and demands lightning quick reflexes of both the horse and rider.

Polocrosse is one of the very few team sports where men and women compete on an equal footing - it is a game which requires an even mix of both mental and physical agility. And it is a game that involves the entire family, children being catered for in the junior divisions. The players come from every walk of life and range in age from six to seventy.

Polocrosse is transportable. Wherever you can take a horse and racquet, the game can be played. And it is. From the rolling hills of Victoria to the dry, dusty plains of Arizona, families in trucks and cars pulling horse trailers set out every weekend to join in the sport and camaraderie of the carnivals. It is here that the months of physical and mental conditioning are finally tested.

Polocrosse: Australian Made, Internationally Played is the first-ever published book on the game. This comprehensive guide covers the history, rules and practices of Polocrosse and draws on the understanding of noted identities in the Polocrosse world.

A book for pleasure as much as for reference, Polocrosse will entrance sports enthusiasts, horse lovers, players and supporters alike. The superb photographs and authoritative text captures all the excitement of this daring game.