Polocrosse Anyone? It’s A Pleasant Point To Ride By Nancy Brannon Point Pleasant Farms in Mt. Pleasant, MS offers something that other stables in the area don’t: a Polocrosse team and training for horses to play Polocrosse. That’s the purview of trainer and player Cody Clarkson, who also specialize in starting/ breaking colts and trains a few roping horses. For those who are not familiar with the game, “it’s LaCrosse on horseback,” Cody explained. But that is not all that Point Pleasant offers. “We welcome all disciplines,” said trainer Robyn Miller. “We encompass many disciplines n trail riding, Western riding, dressage, jumping.” Robyn specializes in fixing problem horses and teaches private or group lessons. She works on ground manners, behavior problems, riding problems. “I use all natural horsemanship techniques. I don’t follow just one clinician’s methods, but have listened to and learned from all. My approach is a combination of methods and getting a good understanding of the horse’s mind and needs.” Point Pleasant Farms is a newly renovated barn that offers full time boarding and training of horses. Twelve stalls are open for boarders, who have their own private lockers for tack storage. Full board is available, either in stalls or pasture, which included twice daily feeding, stall cleaning, shavings provided, turnout, water buckets scrubbed daily, and water troughs scrubbed twice weekly. The farm is on 100 acres, with 500 adjacent acres with permission for boarders to ride across. There is a 170 X 250 foot riding arena, with future plans to light the arena. The arena can accommodate a dressage arena, a full jump course, or be converted to a roping pen. With a sand and limestone base, it provides solid, non-slip footing even in rainy weather. More about Polocrosse: it is played with three-man teams n a scorer, a mid-fielder, and a goal defender. The ball is caught and thrown with a racquet. The game is played in 8-minute chukkas and a match is two chukkas. Tournaments are played all over the country, and Cody and crew just got back from one in Texas where they placed third. “You can play in any saddle without a horn,” Cody explained. “A lot of people plan in Australian Cattlemen’s saddles. My preference is an endurance saddle. We will soon hold tournaments here. They are a lot of fun to watch!” The requirements for a good Polocrosse horse are: “A horse with a good stop and a nice depart,” Cody said. “They need a little speed and a nice stand. They need to tolerate other horses because they may get shoulder to shoulder with other horses. They must leg yield well. There are lots of stops and spins, like reining horse skills, so reiners, cutters, and ex-roping horses do well. There are a lot of small Thoroughbreds ridden because you need lots of stamina. There’s a team of little girls, called the ‘M & Ms’ who play on Haflinger ponies. It’s a family-oriented sport.” Cody is recruiting more members to play Polocrosse. A couple of ropers plan to start soon. “There’s no age limit,” said Cody, “from the girls on the ponies to an 80-year-old man who still plays. Sixty-year-old Graham Bennett is the highest ranked player in the world. The youngest players have ‘seat belts’ to help keep them in the saddle and are let by their parents.” So, for lots of trail riding, Polocrosse, and a stable to accommodate just about any discipline, Point Pleasant Farms may be the place for you. It is located at 6841 Hwy. 311, off Hwy 72 in Mt. Pleasant, MS. To inquire about services at Point Pleasant Farms, call Mike or Allison Drake at 901-412-1008. More information about Polocrosse can be found at the American Polocrosse Association web site: http://www.americanpolocrosse.org/