Hazel Jackson had a fantastic 2018. She closed the year playing the Argentine Open for El Overo Z7 UAE, and made it to 10-goals in Argentina, matching Nina Clarkin’s rating, the only lady player with a perfect handicap. This year, Jackson was successful in Thailand, where she won the Queen’s Cup Pink Polo at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club, and now, she is in Dubai playing the medium and low goal season for UAE Polo Team.
Hazel Jackson, one of the most dominant polo players in the women’s circuit, spoke to Pololine in Dubai:
“Polo has been my passion since I was young. As soon as I finished studying I went out to New Zealand, I was working with the horses and playing as much as I could,” she shares.
“Ten years ago when I entered this world of polo, it really was quite male orientated, so for a woman to enter this world and, you know, try and compete against this guys, of course these people didn’t understand so much. Personally, I’m very competitive and I’ve got this passion, so I can’t leave it. I’ve always been fighting to make it through. Luckily, the polo world changed and is so mixed now, we got plenty of woman playing, I don’t know the statistics but I think it’s balancing out.”
“I think for a woman now in the sport, or getting into this sport, it’s a lot more accessible, and you find organisations and patrons who search out to help you. The thing they need to see is that you are keen, that you are hungry, that you want to learn, that you have the passion for the sport, that you ride well. I think realistically now it’s a lot more accessible for women, we feel very welcome, we’ve made our mark. And thanks to some of the people the likes of Claire Thomas, Sunny Hale, they changed the path, and now is very easy for us to come through.”