JUST HORSIN' AROUND : WITH MALLETS TOWARD NONE, A GOOD WORKOUT FOR ALL, POLO RIDING HIGH AS POPULAR PASTIME FOR EVERYDAY FOLK.

Byline: Jenifer Hanrahan Daily News Staff Writer

Nina fidgeted. Maggie Ryan figured the horse could sense it was playtime, for both of them.

Moments later, the polo match began with the toss of a white ball into a dirt arena.

Nina and Ryan charged downfield. Leaning precariously to the side, Ryan lifted her mallet, took a swipe at the ball and ... missed.

Spotting her chance, Sarah Demont whapped the ball in the opposite direction. Some 20 yards from the goal, it hit the ground and started rolling. Slower and slower. Would it have the momentum to make it?

``Score!'' yelled her teammates, slapping their mallets together overhead.

If you know anything about polo, you'll probably think of blue blood and snobbery, white men, thoroughbreds and wealth.

If you don't know anything about polo, it might be because its heyday in this country ended when the U.S. Army disbanded the cavalry after World War II.

The equestrians at the California Polo Club in Lake View Terrace are trampling stereotypes and trying to revive polo's popularity, this time as a sport for the common man and woman.

``The image of polo is Prince Charles and lots of money,'' said Ralph Rosato, an investment adviser and one of a trio of polo enthusiasts who founded the California Polo Club. ``We want to make it affordable.''

The club, which opened in 1994, has about 30 members and 30 students - none of whom have royal titles. Ryan, 38, of Sunland is a secretary and mother of two children, ages 3 and 5. Demont, 28, of Studio City is a marketing manager.

To take polo lessons, you don't need to own a horse or even know how to ride. When they started taking lessons a year and a half ago, neither Demont nor Ryan had ridden a horse since childhood. It took a year of brushing up on their riding skills and learning basic polo maneuvers before they played in their first practice ``chukker,'' a 7-1/2-minute period in a polo match.

`Unbelievably fun'

``At first, it's a little overwhelming,'' Ryan said. ``You have all these people coming at you and all these horses coming at you. It can be confusing and scary at first, but it's unbelievably fun.''

The going rate for an hourlong polo lesson at polo clubs in the Southland is $50, which includes use of a horse, equipment and coaching.

If it still sounds like a king's ransom, consider the alternative - owning your own horse. Trained polo ponies cost $3,000 to $50,000. An average polo player needs at least two, since games consist of a minimum of four chukkers and no horse can play two consecutively.

Serious players have at least four horses. The sponsor, or patron, of a top-notch professional team has to maintain a stable of 10 to 60 horses.

Horses need shoes every six to eight weeks at a cost of $40 to $50. Vet bills will total about $250 per horse annually. A comfy stable for the horse (meals included) runs $250 to $450 a month.

``It's not like skateboarding,'' said George Alexander, executive director of the United States Polo Association in Lexington, Ky. ``But you can compare it to golf. You can play golf on a shoestring, or you can get really expensive.''

Still, polo hasn't completely shed its reputation as a rich man's sport.

The average household income of the more than 3,400 members of the United States Polo Association is a whopping $174,000, according to a survey by Polo Magazine. More than 93 percent hold professional and management positions; 40 percent hold titles of chairman or president. More than 40 percent belong to a country club.

More than worth the price

Those who are willing to pay say it's more than worth the price. Demont said the workout on the horse is so vigorous, she no longer needs to drag herself to a gym.

Ryan says not only is polo ``unbelievably fun,'' riding has made her legs stronger and has improved her posture.

``It has tightened everything,'' Ryan said. ``I am a little more aggressive than I used to be. ... I feel bigger, better, burlier.''

Neil Newsom, 56, started playing polo three years ago, when his wife signed him up for lessons as a Christmas present.

``It's better than going to a therapist,'' said Newsom, a Los Angeles attorney who now plays on the club team.

There are two types of polo: outdoor and indoor.

Outdoor polo, the more traditional form, is played on a field about the size of 10 football fields. The nearest regulation-size outdoor polo fields are in Will Rogers State Park, Huntington Beach, Santa Barbara and Indio.

Indoor polo, the type played at the California Polo Club, is not actually played inside a building, but in an arena about one-ninth the size of an outdoor field (100 yards by 50 yards) that's enclosed by 4-foot-high walls. Arena polo also is offered at the Moorpark Polo Club, the Fair Hills Polo Club in Topanga and the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank.

Arena polo tends to be less expensive than outdoor polo for several reasons. For one, arena polo teams use three horses at a time, while outdoor teams use four. And an arena is less expensive to maintain than the larger outdoor fields.

Another factor is the cost of the horses. Polo horses need strength, fearless attitudes and a tolerance for a mallet being swung over their heads.

Horse lets you know

``A horse has to like polo to play it,'' said Fred Russell, manager of the Los Angeles Polo Club at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. ``He will let you know real quick if he likes it or not.''

However, outdoor polo horses require more stamina, while indoor horses need to be especially agile and able to turn and pivot.

Experienced polo players say the ability to guide and control the horse is 90 percent of the game.

The better the players, the faster the pace. For safety, riders wear a helmet with a face guard, gloves, knee and elbow pads, and boots.

The horses, aside from the bridle and saddle, wear leg wraps, protective gear that's akin to shin guards.

Despite the protective gear, ``you have to put your trust in this massive beast that it's going to keep you safe and not succumb to its own whims while you're riding,'' Ryan said.

To determine if a student is ready to play on a competitive team, where the action is sure to be swift and rough, most clubs require that riders be tested by a safety committee of experienced polo players.

Steven Molina, 38, never rode a horse before signing up for polo lessons two years ago. During the game on a recent Saturday morning, Molina, a psychologist, tried to sideswipe Ryan with his horse, called a ``ride-off'' in polo lingo.

Neither Nina nor Ryan flinched. Ryan, wearing white jeans and riding boots, squeezed her thighs together to stay put.

After 45 minutes of play, the three were sweaty and grinning.

``This hits on every aspect of life - the social, physical and mental,'' Molina said. ``And there is an element of risk and danger that adds to the experience.''

For polo hopefuls

Here are local clubs that offer opportunities to play arena, or ``indoor'' polo:

Los Angeles Polo Club at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 480 Riverside Drive, Burbank, [phone]. Cost: $50 for a one-hour group lesson.

Moorpark Polo Club, 7816 Grimes Canyon, Moorpark, [phone]. Cost: $40 for a one-hour group lesson.

California Polo Club, 11035 Osborne Ave., Lake View Terrace, [phone]. Cost: $50 for a one-hour group lesson.

Fair Hills Polo Club, 2735 Santa Maria Road, Topanga, [phone]. Cost: $45 for a one-hour group lesson.

For more information about polo, call the United States Polo Association at [phone].

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) PROLETARIAN POLO

Blue-blood sport gallops into commoners' arena

(2) ``The image of polo is Prince Charles and lots of money,'' says polo enthusiast Ralph Rosato, who co-founded the California Polo Club. ``We want to make it affordable.''

(3) Indoor polo, the type played at the California Polo Club, is not actually played inside a building, but in an arena about one-ninth the size of an outdoor field. Arena polo tends to be less expensive than outdoor polo.

(4) ``At first, it's a little overwhelming,'' says polo student Maggie Ryan of the sport. ``You have all these people coming at you and all these horses coming at you ... but it's unbelievably fun.''

(5) Maggie Ryan: ``I am a little more aggressive than I used to be. ... I feel bigger, better, burlier.''

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News

Box: For polo hopefuls (See Text)