We were advised to "say yes to everything" when we moved here, and the latest thing that came up was Coutts Polo at the Palace - Emirates Palace, that is, which of course isn't actually a palace but a lavish hotel.
For a week before the event, we saw people setting up the field, tents and stands from our apartment, and even saw some of the action on the first day of the event. But it was much more interesting up close.
Neither of us was too familiar with the rules of polo, and the rules for this series were tailored to its palatial venue. (Abu Dhabi seems to enjoy having their fancy things individualized -- even the designer stores carry special Abu Dhabi lines of merchandise.) The matches were on smaller-than-usual fields, so play was three to a side, which made for plenty of open space but also a lot of chasing after the ball. The ball was more like a soccer ball than a traditional small, dense polo ball, which meant that long passes and shots almost always missed their mark.
We picked all this up from the copious reading material that accompanied our entrance fees. But we were well versed enough to know that halftime was a chance to get on the field and replace divots!
At this event, halftime was also a time to go shopping for sports cars and real estate.
We won't go out of our way to make it to another polo match, but did enjoy hobnobbing with the Abu Dhabi glitterati and most of all, admiring the horses. Next stop: camel racing!
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