A dance that leaves traces.

Thoughts on impacts, forces, elasticity and tensegrity.

What can we interpret from the marks left on the field after a match?

When the grass rises as if it were snow and the horses slide and skate on it...; of the holes, some deeper than others, of the marks, all of them, the symmetrical and bilateral ones or those that are only on one side as if more weight were supported on one leg than the other and only the one that receives more weight from the player's body leaves a mark...? I wonder..., could we transpose what we see reflected in the grass to the horse's body, and also why not to the player's body?, and imagine, what did those bodies have to do or what did they have to not do to leave that mark? Can we travel through the anatomy of the animal, taking that mark as a starting point and follow the path that takes us to the beginning of the application of force?

Some people may wonder what is the point of me making these thoughts or mental anatomical journeys, and I do not judge their doubt... for me it is simply a pertinent way and a way to make each case unique, from its analysis to finally its treatment and maintenance.

Each application of forces that enters the body leaves traces; and the succession of them causes paths or chains to begin to form.

Through these pathways there will be structures in the body that absorb the impact and others that do not... generally the joints absorb the impact and generate a line of movement through the muscles. Hence their importance in the biomechanical maintenance of their physiological movement. These joints, if not treated, will suffer microtraumas due to repetition, where they will be less and less able to absorb the shock.

That is why it is important for me to be able to "read" these paths and do the work of an ant, going through, palpating and testing each joint, so that the life of these athletes is fluid. Also providing assistance so that the soft structures -myofascial- and rigid -bone- can give support and the necessary flexibility for effective movement to occur.

Tensegrity

Another way of analysis

Back to earth...the footprints help us to understand this sport better. We can visualize the particularity of polo and the impact on the structure of the horses. Surely there is a physical equation where speed°2/depth is = …..and we can define the impact with it, but I can't analyze things that way...the only thing I can share with you is the analysis of the movement and how it influences or not, the capacity that our body and that of the horses have to remain flexible.

With the braking we can imagine a moment of the game that requires a change of direction, either because the player lost the ball he was carrying or because the opposing team started a play in another direction that requires the horse and the player to brake suddenly to reposition themselves....the possibilities that can cause these marks are endless and listing them or trying to do so would be completely utopian since the game of polo is about surprises, speed, adaptation and improvisation.....although we cannot determine with cause what determined the mark, we, the specialists, can describe and treat, what anatomical structures were requested in said action, whether by way of contraction or relaxation for example.

We can imagine at these moments - which in high-goal matches are moments of very high speed - how far the horses' legs sink into the ground and with that imagine how the soft elements of the flexor tendons - which are located in the palmar area - are stretched, either anterior or posterior, depending on what is requested by the game and by the player. We honor these soft structures in the horse's body that give resistance and recoil and are able to adapt to what is requested by the player.

Another of the traces that leave a mark are the slides that we can also associate with moments of the game where braking is required, but not with a sharp blow as in the previous case, but rather like a dance...

Polo, if we can put aside the rigid, the rough and the fast if you like, is a dance. It is impossible to play the game that is played when you play real polo, if the horse and the player do not dance, as well as each team, one of the teams individually and at the same time together... where they follow each other, turn, stretch, slow down and float in the air together in each gallop.