Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2013 | Page 63

EQUESTRIAN

It has been described as Quiddich on
horseback, but without the broomsticks! It is also a bit like polo, but
you don’t hit the ball, you pick it up,
pass it and ultimately try to throw it
through a large metal hoop to score a
goal, writes Peter White.
It is called Horseball, and since it was
introduced to the Island earlier this
year, it has proved popular with riders
of all ages.
The game was invented in France in
the 1970s, and Vav Simon, an Island
chiropractor for humans, horses,
dogs and other animals, had been
treating both horses and riders
of a mainland Horseball team
for some time before she saw the
game being played.
When she finally watched it
she realised it was a fast and furious horseback team sport, and
she was hooked! She said: “It’s a
whole new ball game that anyone
with a pony could join.”
The ball is football-sized and
has leather handles attached to it
so it can be picked up easily from
the ground. To do this, the rider
has to lean right down out of F