Susan Leslie

How did I fall in love with polo?  I saw my first game in Lahore, Pakistan in 1971 – I was there on diplomatic duty with my father and family. I love horses, and the sport was so exciting to me.  I never consciously thought of playing it myself, because I was a young girl – this was an absolute man’s world.  I am still a “girl” and it is no longer a “man’s world.”  Thank you!

Riding and writing, living my dream.  The title, Chukker by Chukker, is a tribute to Anne Lamott’s book on writing, Bird by Bird.  In it she describes a time when her brother was overwhelmed, facing a deadline on a report about birds.  His dad comforted him and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”

This is how I take learning to play polo – period by period.  My goal is to become a much stronger rider and to play respectably – no easy feat at 64. I have played very inconsistently over the years and never had the chance to get good at it – a perpetual polo school student.