A YOUNG woman from Newton Valence, near Alton, secured a place in equestrian history last month when she took part in the world’s first ladies’ snow polo tournament.

Larissa Westall, 17, and her team mates Mimi Figgins and Tina Flatau finished third behind two other UK teams in the event which took place in the Austrian town of Bad Gastein from February 20-21.

Held as part of the global roll out of the Polo Instructors and Players’ Association (PIPA) Polo World Series, the inaugural ladies event has been described in the national media as “fast, furious and action packed” and proved an amazing experience for the young competitors.

Now in her last year at St Swithun’s School in Wincester, Larissa started playing polo as an extra-curricular subject with the school when she was 14 and is now captain of the St Swithun’s Polo team. She was taught by Sean and Heloise Wilson Smith at the Hampshire Polo School and, according to mother, Linda, “has been passionate about the sport ever since”.

The family has six polo ponies living at home, all mares, and Larissa competes with her team in arena and grass tournaments throughout the year, playing regularly at Knepp Castle in West Sussex, Tidworth in Hampshire, Ascot, Burningfold and Hurtwood Park in Surrey, and Longdole in the Cotswolds, where last year she was named ‘most promising player’ at the SUPA tournament.

She is currently studying for her A-Levels and, when she leaves school in the summer, hopes to undertake an internship at a polo club in the UK, followed by ‘playing groom’ work in New Zealand before heading off to university in 2017.

Larissa’s connection with Women In Polo and the PIPA World Cup comes through Four Marks-based mum-and-daughter partnership Sarah and Georgie Wood, who set up Women In Polo in 2014 to “create greater opportunities for female players and supporters of the sport”.

Georgie says: “In a heavily male-dominated sport it is easy for women to be overlooked, but the female game is just as exciting as the male game.”

The trip to Austria came about as a result of an association between Women In Polo and snow polo organisers PIPA.

Sarah added: “Women In Polo has been invited to be the female delegate on PIPA’s board going forward which should ensure many more opportunities for female players in continental Europe across all types of polo – grass, arena, beach and snow.”

Further to the success of the February event, the intention of PIPA is to grow the Ladies’ World Cup on Snow championship to include three events in January and February 2017.