FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES MARCH 2014 91
Spectators at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in
Normandy will have the opportunity to watch horse-ball.
for pickup are simple: The horse has to be galloping (or at a trot
when the players are younger, usually 12-years-old or less) when
a rider picks up the ball. Stopping during pickup is against the
rules; it can hurt the horse’s
back and usually means that
the player has less of a swing
to pull himself back up, which
can cause him to lose a stirrup
or fall off.
In Europe, even young
children
play
horse-ball.
During part of each day of the
Games event, there will be
demonstrations by six-year-old
players, with divisions for boys
and girls.
The sport can be played
indoors or outdoors. The
Games tournament will take
place in an indoor area. Sernin,
who has played the game for 25
years, said the indoor arena at
Saint-Lô is the best venue for a
match, as it is extremely large
and well laid out. The arena has
seating for 3,000 spectators and
he predicts the stands will be full
of loud, cheering fans.
He explained the allure of
horse-ball: “I love jumping and
dressage, but in those sports
you are alone with your horse.
Horse-ball is a team sport
that you play with your friends
and with your horse. It is very
different than other equestrian
sports.” (Polo is probably the
closest.)
Some
former
Games
attendees have had an
opportunity to witness horse-
ball, which was featured in a
demonstration match at the
2002 World Equestrian Games
in Jerez. Fabien Grobon, CEO of the 2014 Games, who plays
polo, said he finds horse-ball fascinating. When the demonstration
sports were being selected for Normandy, horse-ball and polo
won out. That came as no surprise to Fabien, who said one of the
organizers’ goals is to attract underrepresented groups to watch
the Games. “When it comes to youth, and especially boys, they
like the excitement of a team sport that is aggressive and fast,” he
said. “Horse-ball is all that and more.”
Saint-Lô, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy,
is located in northwestern France, about an hour’s drive from the
main Games venues in Caen, an hour-and-a-half from Rennes
and three hours from Paris. It can also be reached by train from
Caen, Rennes, Caen, Cherbourg and Paris. The nearest airport
is located in Caen-Carpiquet, about 45 miles east of Saint-Lô.
For more information on the Horse-Ball demonstration at the
Games, ticketing, lodging and transportation, visit normandy2014.
com/the-disciplines/10/Horse-Ball
About the writer: Darlene Ricker is CEO and Editorial Director of Equestrian
Authors, LLC (equestrianauthors.com), a firm that writes, edits and markets
equestrian books, articles and films. A former equine law attorney and author of
several published books, she covered equestrian sports as a staff writer for
the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times. She was executive editor for the
Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 and will be covering the 2014 Games in
Normandy.
