News from AngloINFO

Ponies and Paella

11/09/2009

There was quite a bit of horsing about going on in Beaucaire on Saturday 5 September 2009 as AngloINFO Provence and AngloINFO Languedoc teamed up with Château de Prémont to provide an exciting day out on the polo field.

The day kicked off with a lively polo match between the Château de Prémont team and Friends Polo Farm team. Following the morning match was a demonstration of Acoso y Derribo. New to many of the spectators, the Spanish Acoso y Derribo was historically a way of gathering and bringing down bulls in a field using two horsemen and wooden lances so that medicines could be administered or marking of the bulls could be done. It was faster and easier for the garrochistas (lancers) to use their horses to do this rather than to try to herd the bulls into a pen. The activity is now a regulated sport and is a challenging test for both the riders and horses, who have to learn to accelerate and change direction quickly, and of course avoid the fallen bull in their pathway.

Both riders and spectators worked up quite an appetite in the morning, and the fantastic lunch of paella served with wine from Château de Campuget reinvigorated the crowd for the afternoon entertainment.

This combined event was the idea of polo enthusiast Steve Gray, who was bitten by the polo bug just 3 years ago, leading him and wife Ceri to construct their own professional polo field, in front of their Château de Prémont!

Over 150 people were on hand to take in this exciting equestrian day out. Both AngloINFO Languedoc and AngloINFO Provence were pleased to support the event as it was a great opportunity to show the diversity of activities open to the international community in the region. Both enthusiasts and the curious came and were thrilled to witness two very different sports involving horses!

Stay tuned for the next exciting polo match as well as other events by visiting the AngloINFO Provence What's On guide.

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