Virginia is America's BIG horse country. escape... sent Jeannine Williamson to test her riding skills in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains

THE sound of the mallet swishing through thin air was matched by Yo-Yo's audible sigh as she peered at the ball lying on the ground.

The sight of a field full of motionless polo balls made earlier fantasies about emulating dashing characters in Jilly Cooper novels rapidly disappear.

In fact, the only person who could have stepped out of her pages onto the sun-baked Virginian polo ground at the Willow Run Polo School at Great Meadow was our bronzed Argentinian instructor Jean Marie Turon. And he wasn't even on a horse.

Virginia, the chic state where Jackie Kennedy learned to ride, is America's BIG horse country and polo is a sport where riding skills are tested to the full.

Even if you're not a regular rider you can have a go.

Jean Marie has been credited with using "revolutionary techniques" in his rapid development of polo players, and, as he cast an expert eye over the disparate members of our team it was clear radical tuition was needed.

After scrambling on board my seemingly outsize pony Yo-Yo - first rule of polo is horses are called ponies whatever their size - Jean Marie explained how to hold the mallet and hit the ball.

Easier said than done. Eventually the exasperated Yo-Yo kicked the ball with her hoof and obligingly trotted after it.

But Jean Marie's patience paid off. Even though the exciting evening 'twilight' match at the same ground made our earlier efforts appear like slow motion, we were fired with renewed enthusiasm for our second lesson. This culminated in a mini-match and a spectacular own goal from the other side that narrowly gave us a 5-4, and hotly debated, victory.

If you don't fancy polo, you can take life easy and wend through lonesome pines at the foot of those famous Blue Ridge Mountains.

We headed on down to the Marriott Ranch in Hume (where the main house lends a truly amazing perspective to its humble description as a B&B) and hit the trail with Hubie. Forget clicking and kicking, if you want his horses to canter, it's much more romantic than that. "You just kiss and lope," he explained as he pursed his lips, sounded a smacker and headed east.

For the non-horsey there are plenty of other attractions in Virginia, arguably the most historic of all 50 States. It is part of the Capital Region, which includes the neighbouring state of Maryland and the nation's capital, Washington DC.

Trumpton-style fire stations, perfect fields and lawns manicured to within an inch of their lives make way for Civil War trails, atmospheric ghost walks, more than 200 golf courses, quaint shops, and small restaurants serving beer produced by micro-breweries.

It's also one of the top 10 wine-producing states, with more than 40 wineries.

Virginia is ideally situated if you want to combine a country-based break with a taste of city life in Washington DC.

The burgeoning number of B&Bs are much cheaper, and more fun, than huge resort-style hotels. At one our landlady served up wonderful meals and juicy local gossip in equal proportions.The ornate beds were so high they came complete with a mounting block.

On the last night I sank into the enormous mattress, feeling a bit like the princess who lay on the pea.

My aching limbs and sunburnt face firmly ruled out any dreams of being a glamorous Jilly Cooper heroine.

But at least I had found out that it's pukka to chukka...