Polo is a
ball game
This is a list of ball games and ball sports that include a ball as a key element in the activity, usually for scoring points.
Ball games
Ball sports fall within many sport categories, some sports within multiple categories, including:
*Bat-and- ...
played on
horseback, a traditional
field sport
Field sports are outdoor sports that take place in the wilderness or sparsely populated rural areas, where there are vast areas of uninhabited greenfields. The term specifically refer to activities that mandate sufficiently large open spaces and ...
and one of the world's oldest known
team sport
A team sport includes any sport where individuals are organized into opposing sports team, teams which compete to win or cooperate to entertain their audience. Team members act together towards a shared objective. This can be done in a numb ...
s. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of
scoring
Score or scorer may refer to:
*Test score, the result of an exam or test
Business
* Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio
* Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company
* Score Media, a former Canadian m ...
using a long-handled wooden
mallet
A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and proport ...
to hit a small hard
ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
through the opposing team's
goal
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...
. Each team has four mounted riders, and the game usually lasts one to two hours, divided into periods called ''chukkas'' or "''chukkers''".
Polo has been called "the sport of kings", and has become a
spectator sport
A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its competitions. Spectator sports may be professional sports or amateur sports. They often are distinguished from participant sports, which are m ...
for equestrians and
high society
High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...
, often supported by
sponsorship
Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...
. The progenitor of the game and its variants existed from the to the as equestrian games played by
nomadic
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...
Iranian
Iranian may refer to:
* Iran, a sovereign state
* Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran
* Iranian lan ...
and
Turkic peoples.
In
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, where the sport evolved and developed, it was at first a training game for
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
units, usually the
royal guard
A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess. They often are an elite unit of the regular arm ...
or other elite troops.
A notable example is
Saladin
Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سهلاحهدین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...
, who was known for being a skilled polo player which contributed to his cavalry training. It is now popular around the world, with well over 100 member countries in the
Federation of International Polo
The Federation of International Polo (FIP) is the international federation representing the sport of polo, officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. It was founded in 1982 by representatives of eleven national polo associatio ...
,
played professionally in 16 countries, and was an
Olympic sport
Olympic sports are contested in the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. The 2020 Summer Olympics included 33 sports; the 2022 Winter Olympics included seven sports. Each Olympic sport is represented by an international governing b ...
from 1900 to 1936.
Arena polo
Arena polo is a fast-paced version of polo played outdoors on an enclosed all-weather surface, or in an indoor arena.{{cite web, title=Arena Polo , url=http://www.us-polo.org/new_08/arena_polo.htm , access-date=2010-01-06 , url-status=dead , archiv ...
is an
indoor or semi-outdoor variant with similar rules, and is played with three riders per team. The
playing field
Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...
is smaller, enclosed and usually of compacted sand or fine
aggregate, and often indoors. Arena polo has more maneuvering due to space limitations, and uses an air-inflated ball slightly larger than the hard solid ball used in field polo. Standard mallets are used, though slightly larger-head ''arena mallets'' are an option.
History
Origins and etymology
![Polo game from poem Guy u Chawgan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Polo_game_from_poem_Guy_u_Chawgan.jpg)
The game's English name derives from the
Balti language
Balti (Nastaʿlīq script: , Tibetan script: སྦལ་ཏི།, ) is a Tibetic language natively spoken by the ethnic Balti people in the Baltistan region of Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan, Nubra Valley of the Leh district and in the Karg ...
, from its word for 'ball', .
It is cognate with the
Standard Tibetan
Lhasa Tibetan (), or Standard Tibetan, is the Tibetan dialect spoken by educated people of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. It is an official language of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
In the traditional "three-branch ...
, also meaning 'ball'.
Although the exact origins of the game are not certain, many scholars suggest it most likely began as a simple game played by
Iranic
The Iranian peoples or Iranic peoples are a diverse grouping of Indo-European peoples who are identified by their usage of the Iranian languages and other cultural similarities.
The Proto-Iranians are believed to have emerged as a separate ...
and
Turkic equestrian nomads
The Eurasian nomads were a large group of nomadic peoples from the Eurasian Steppe, who often appear in history as invaders of Europe, Western Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Asia, and South Asia.
A nomad is a member of people having no permanent ...
in
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
.
It was developed and formalised in
Ancient Iran
The history of Iran is intertwined with the history of a larger region known as Greater Iran, comprising the area from Anatolia in the west to the borders of Ancient India and the Syr Darya in the east, and from the Caucasus and the Eurasian Step ...
(
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
) as "
chovgan
Chovgan, Chowgan or Chogan (Persian: چوگان ''čōwgan''), is a sporting team game with horses that originated in ancient Iran (Persia). It was considered an aristocratic game and held in a separate field, on specially trained horses. The g ...
" (), becoming a national sport played extensively by the nobility. Women played as well as men.
During the period of the
Parthian Empire
The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conque ...
(247 BC to 224 AD), the sport had great patronage under the kings and noblemen. According to ''
The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity
The ''Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity'' (ODLA) is the first comprehensive, multi-disciplinary reference work covering culture, history, religion, and life in Late Antiquity. This was the period in Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Near Eas ...
'', the Persian ball game was an important pastime in the court of the
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
(224–651).
It was also part of the royal education for the Sasanian ruling class.
Emperor
Shapur II
Shapur II ( pal, 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 ; New Persian: , ''Šāpur'', 309 – 379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran. The longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history, he reigned fo ...
learnt to play polo at age seven in 316 AD.
Middle Ages and Early Modern era
![Polo Statue Located near APSACS Gilgit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Polo_Statue_Located_near_APSACS_Gilgit.jpg)
Valuable for training cavalry, the game was played from
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, where Emperor
Theodosius II
Theodosius II ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος, Theodosios; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450) was Roman emperor for most of his life, proclaimed ''Augustus (title), augustus'' as an infant in 402 and ruling as the eastern Empire's sole emperor after ...
constructed a polo ground early in the 5th century, to Japan by the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
. The game also spread south to
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
and to India and Tibet.
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
Baghdad had a large polo ground outside its walls, and one of the city's early 13th century gates, the Bab al Halba, was named after these nearby polo grounds. The game continued to be supported by Mongol rulers of Persia in the 13th century, as well as under the
Safavid dynasty. In the 17th century,
Naqsh-i Jahan Square in
Isfahan
Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...
was built as a polo field by King
Abbas I. The game was also learnt by the neighbouring
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
at an early date. A (stadium for playing , the Byzantine name for polo) was built by Emperor Theodosius II () inside the
Great Palace of Constantinople
The Great Palace of Constantinople ( el, Μέγα Παλάτιον, ''Méga Palátion''; Latin: ''Palatium Magnum''), also known as the Sacred Palace ( el, Ἱερὸν Παλάτιον, ''Hieròn Palátion''; Latin: ''Sacrum Palatium''), was th ...
. Emperor
Basil I
Basil I, called the Macedonian ( el, Βασίλειος ὁ Μακεδών, ''Basíleios ō Makedṓn'', 811 – 29 August 886), was a Byzantine Emperor who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a lowly peasant in the theme of Macedonia, he rose in the ...
() excelled at it; Emperor
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
() died from exhaustion while playing and Emperor () died from a fatal injury during a game.
![Tang court playing Polo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Tang_court_playing_Polo.jpg)
After the
Muslim conquests
The early Muslim conquests or early Islamic conquests ( ar, الْفُتُوحَاتُ الإسْلَامِيَّة, ), also referred to as the Arab conquests, were initiated in the 7th century by Muhammad, the main Islamic prophet. He estab ...
to the
Ayyubid
The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni ...
and
Mameluke
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') i ...
dynasties of Egypt and the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
, their elites favoured it above all other sports. Notable
sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
s such as
Saladin
Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سهلاحهدین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...
and
Baybars
Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari ( ar, الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري, ''al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Rukn al-Dīn Baybars al-Bunduqdārī'') (1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), of Turkic Kipchak ...
were known to play it and encourage it in their courts. Polo sticks were featured as one of the suits on the
Mamluk precursor to modern-day
playing cards
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a f ...
. Europeans transformed the polo stick suit into the "clubs" of the
"Latin" decks, as polo was little known to them at that time.
![Georgians playing Polo by Castelli](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Georgians_playing_Polo_by_Castelli.jpg)
The game spread to South Asia where it has had a strong presence in the northwestern areas of present-day
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
(including
Gilgit
Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...
,
Chitral,
Hunza Hunza may refer to:
* Hunza, Iran
* Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan
** Hunza (princely state), a former principality
** Hunza District, a recently established district
** Hunza River, a waterway
** Hunza Peak, a mou ...
and
Baltistan
Baltistan ( ur, ; bft, སྦལ་ཏི་སྟཱན, script=Tibt), also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet ( bft, སྦལ་ཏི་ཡུལ་།, script=Tibt), is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilg ...
) since at least the 15th–16th century.
Qutubuddin Aibak
Qutb ud-Din Aibak ( fa, قطبالدین ایبک), (1150 – 14 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination in ...
(), originally a
Turkic slave who later founded the
Mamluk dynasty (1206–1290)
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). , was accidentally killed during a game of polo when his horse fell and he was impaled on the pommel of his saddle.
Polo likely travelled via the
Silk Road
The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...
to China where it was popular in the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
capital of
Chang'an
Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...
, and also played by women, who wore male dress to do so; many
Tang dynasty tomb figures
Tang dynasty tomb figures are pottery figures of people and animals made in the Tang dynasty of China (618–906) as grave goods to be placed in tombs. There was a belief that the figures represented would become available for the service of the ...
of female players survive. According to ''The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity'', the popularity of polo in Tang China was "bolstered, no doubt, by the presence of the Sasanian court in exile".
A "polo-obsessed" noblewoman was buried with her donkeys on 6 October 878 in
Xi’an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqin ...
, China.
An archaic variation of polo, regionally referred to as ''
buzkashi
Buzkashi ( Pashto/ fa, بزکشی, lit=goat pulling) is a traditional Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat or calf carcass in a goal. It is played primarily in Afghanistan. Similar games are known as kokpar, ...
'' or ''kokpar'', is still played in parts of Asia.
Modern game
India and Britain
The modern, international, game of polo is derived from the form played in
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
, India, where it was known as . Also in use in Manipur were the game's Tibetic names, or , referring to the wooden ball, and it was these terms, anglicised, which were adopted for the sport's name in its slow spread to the west. A European polo club was established in the town of
Silchar
Silchar is a city and the headquarters of the Cachar district of the state of Assam, India. It is located south east of Guwahati. It was founded by Captain Thomas Fisher in 1832 when he shifted the headquarters of Cachar to Janiganj in Silchar. ...
in Assam, India, in 1859, the English tea planters having learnt it from Manipuri incomers.
![Manipur Polo Players 1875](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Manipur_Polo_Players_1875.jpg)
The origins of the game in Manipur are traced to yet earlier precursors of . This was one of three forms of hockey in Manipur, the other ones being
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
(called ) and wrestling-hockey (called ). Local rituals such as those connected to the , the winged-pony god of polo and the creation-ritual episodes of the festival enacting the life of his son, , the polo-playing god of sports. These may indicate an origin earlier than the historical records of Manipur. Later, according to , a royal chronicle of King
Kangba, who ruled Manipur much earlier than Nongda Lairen Pakhangba () introduced ( on horseback'). Further regular playing of this game commenced in 1605, during the reign of King
Khagemba
King Khagemba (Conqueror of the Chinese; 1597–1654), was a monarch from the Kingdom of Kangleipak. He also introduced a new form of polo and new apparel styles. Under his regime he focused on a new form of Manipur and built many markets in ...
under newly framed rules of the game. However, it was the first
Mughal emperor
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...
,
Babur
Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
, who popularised the sport in India and ultimately made a significant influence on England.
![Polo-field old kangla imphal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Polo-field_old_kangla_imphal.JPG)
In Manipur, polo is traditionally played with seven players to a side. The players are mounted on the indigenous
Manipuri Pony, which stands less than . There are no goal posts, and a player scores simply by hitting the ball out of either end of the field. Players strike the ball with the long side of the mallet head, not the end. Players are not permitted to carry the ball, although blocking the ball with any part of the body except the open hand is permitted. The sticks are made of
cane
Cane or caning may refer to:
*Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking
*Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance
*White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are b ...
, and the balls are made from the roots of
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
. Players protected their legs by attaching leather shields to their
saddle
The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...
s and
girths.
![Traditional Polo in Manipur India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Traditional_Polo_in_Manipur_India.jpg)
In Manipur, the game was played even by commoners who owned a pony.
The kings of Manipur had a royal polo ground within the ramparts of their
Kangla Fort
The Kangla Palace ( mni, /kəŋ.la/), popularly as well as officially known as the Kangla Fort, is an old Fortification, fortified palace at Imphal in the Manipur state of India. It was formerly situated on both sides (western and eastern) of ...
. Here they played on the (). Public games were held, as they still are today, at the (), a polo ground just outside the Kangla. Weekly games called () were also played in a polo ground outside the current palace.
The oldest polo ground in the world is the Imphal Polo Ground in Manipur State. The history of this polo ground is contained in the royal chronicle starting from . Lieutenant (later Major General)
Joseph Ford Sherer
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
, the father of modern polo, visited the state and played on this polo ground in the 1850s.
Lord Curzon
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...
, the
Viceroy of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...
visited the state in 1901 and measured the polo ground as "225 yards long and 110 yards wide" ().
The
Cachar Club, established in 1859,
is located on Club Road in the heart of
Silchar
Silchar is a city and the headquarters of the Cachar district of the state of Assam, India. It is located south east of Guwahati. It was founded by Captain Thomas Fisher in 1832 when he shifted the headquarters of Cachar to Janiganj in Silchar. ...
city in Assam. In 1862, the oldest polo club still in existence,
Calcutta Polo Club
Calcutta Polo Club is a polo club located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established in 1862 and is considered as the oldest polo club of the world in existence.
History
The modern game of polo, though formalised and popularised by ...
, was established by two British soldiers, Sherer and Captain
Robert Stewart. Later they spread the game to their peers in England. Polo was first played in England by the
10th Hussars in 1869.
The British are credited with spreading polo worldwide in the late 19th century and the early 20th century at the height of its
empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
. Military officers imported the game to Britain in the 1860s. The establishment of polo clubs throughout England and western Europe followed after the formal codification of rules.
The 10th
Hussars
A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...
at
Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...
, Hants, introduced polo to England in 1834. The game's governing body in the United Kingdom is the
Hurlingham Polo Association
The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) is the governing body for polo in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and many other countries. The Federation of International Polo produces the International Rules of Polo through a coop ...
, which drew up the first set of formal British rules in 1874, many of which are still in existence.
This version of polo played in the 19th century was different from the faster form that was played in Manipur. The game was slow and methodical, with little passing between players and few set plays that required specific movements by participants without the ball. Neither players nor horses were trained to play a fast, non-stop game. This form of polo lacked the aggressive methods and required fewer
equestrian
The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse".
Horseback riding (or Riding in British English)
Examples of this are:
* Equestrian sports
*Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...
skills. From the 1800s to the 1910s, a host of teams representing Indian
principalities
A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...
dominated the international polo scene.
The
World Champions Polo League
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
was launched in
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
in 2016. It is a new version of polo, similar to the
Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...
format of cricket. The pitch was made smaller and accommodated a large audience. The first event of the World Champions Polo League took place in
Bhavnagar, Gujarat, with six teams and room for 10,000 spectators. The rules were changed and the duration of matches made shorter.
Argentina
![Campeonato Argentino de Polo 2010 - 5237109478 e7ed034169 o](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Campeonato_Argentino_de_Polo_2010_-_5237109478_e7ed034169_o.jpg)
British and Irish immigrants in the
Argentine pampas started practising polo during their free time. Among them, David Shennan is credited with having organised the first formal polo game of the country in 1875, at Estancia El Negrete, located in
Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
.
The sport spread quickly among the skilful gauchos, and several clubs opened in the following years in the towns of Venado Tuerto, Cañada de Gómez, Quilmes, Flores and later (1888) Hurlingham. In 1892 The River Plate Polo Association was founded and constituted the basis for the current
Asociación Argentina de Polo. In the Olympic Games held in Paris in 1924 a team composed of Juan Miles, Enrique Padilla, Juan Nelson, Arturo Kenny, G. Brooke Naylor and A. Peña obtained the first gold medal in the country's olympic history; this also occurred in Berlin 1936 with players Manuel Andrada, Andrés Gazzotti, Roberto Cavanagh, Luis Duggan, Juan Nelson, Diego Cavanagh, and Enrique Alberdi.
The game spread across the country, and Argentina is credited globally as the capital of polo; Argentina is notably the country with the largest number ever of
10 handicap players in the world.
Five teams were able to gather four 10 handicap players each, to make 40 handicap teams: Coronel Suárez, 1975, 1977–1979 (Alberto Heguy, Juan Carlos Harriott, Alfredo Harriot and Horacio Heguy); La Espadaña, 1989–1990 (Carlos Gracida, Gonzalo Pieres, Alfonso Pieres y Ernesto Trotz Jr.); Indios Chapaleufú, 1992–1993 (Bautista Heguy, Gonzalo Heguy, Horacio Heguy Jr. and Marcos Heguy);
La Dolfina
La Dolfina (currently named La Dolfina Sancor Seguros due to sponsorship reasons) is an Argentine polo team, founded by Adolfo Cambiaso and Bartolomé Castagnola in 2000, based in the city of Cañuelas, Buenos Aires Province.
La Dolfina won th ...
, 2009–2010 (
Adolfo Cambiaso Jr.,
Lucas Monteverde
Lucas Monteverde (born December 18, 1976) is an Argentina, Argentine professional polo player with a handicap of 9 (formerly 10). He grew up near the town of Veinticinco de Mayo Partido, 25 de Mayo, Buenos Aires Province, at the estancia ''El Rin ...
,
Mariano Aguerre y
Bartolomé Castagnola); Ellerstina, 2009 (
Facundo Pieres
Facundo Pieres (born May 19, 1986) Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province is a professional Argentine polo player with a 10 goal handicap. As of October 2022, he is ranked number one in the world.
Biography
Facundo was born into a family of polo ...
,
Gonzalo Pieres Jr.,
Pablo Mac Donough
Pablo Mac Donough is a professional polo player from Argentina with a 10-goal polo handicap.
Biography
Mac Donough was born in Pehuajo and began playing polo with his family at a young age.
Career
His career has included wins in the Argent ...
and Juan Martín Nero).
The three major polo tournaments in Argentina, known as "Triple Corona" ("Triple Crown"), are
Hurlingham Polo Open, Tortugas Polo Open and
Palermo Polo Open. Polo season usually lasts from October to December.
![Jaeger-LeCoultre Polo Masters 2013 - 31082013 - Match Legacy vs Jaeger-LeCoultre Veytay for the third place 44](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Jaeger-LeCoultre_Polo_Masters_2013_-_31082013_-_Match_Legacy_vs_Jaeger-LeCoultre_Veytay_for_the_third_place_44.jpg)
Polo has found popularity throughout the rest of the Americas, including Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and the United States of America.
United States
James Gordon Bennett Jr.
James Gordon Bennett Jr. (May 10, 1841May 14, 1918) was publisher of the ''New York Herald'', founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett Sr. (1795–1872), who emigrated from Scotland. He was generally known as Gordon Bennett to distinguish him ...
on 16 May 1876 organised what was billed as the first polo match in the United States at Dickel's Riding Academy at
39th Street and
Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...
in New York City. The historical record states that
James Gordon Bennett established the
Westchester Polo Club The Westchester Polo Club was the first formal American polo club. It was established in the spring of 1876. Events were held at the Jerome Park Racetrack in New York. The club was responsible for the International Polo Cup. The club moved to Newpo ...
on 6 May 1876, and on 13 May 1876, the
Jerome Park Racetrack
Jerome Park Racetrack was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1866 until 1894. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1874. Jerome Park Racetrack was the home of the Belmont Sta ...
in
Westchester County
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
(now
Bronx County
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Yor ...
) was the site of the "first" American outdoor polo match.
H. L. Herbert, James Gordon Bennett and
August Belmont Jr. financed the original
New York Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...
. Herbert stated in a 1913 article that they formed the Westchester Club ''after'' the "first" outdoor game was played on 13 May 1876. This contradicts the historical record of the club being established before the Jerome Park game.
There is ample evidence that the first to play polo in America were actually the English Texans. ''
The Galveston News'' reported on 2 May 1876 that
Denison, Texas
Denison is a city in Grayson County, Texas, Grayson County, Texas, United States. It is south of the Texas–Oklahoma border. The population was 22,682 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Denison is part of the Texoma region and is one ...
had a polo club which was before James Gordon Bennett established his Westchester Club or attempted to play the "first" game. The Denison team sent a letter to James Gordon Bennett challenging him to a match. The challenge was published 2 June 1876, in ''The Galveston Daily News''. By the time the article came out on 2 June, the Denison Club had already received a letter from Bennett indicating the challenge was offered before the "first" games in New York.
There is an
urban legend
An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
that the first game of polo in America was played in
Boerne, Texas
Boerne ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Kendall County, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country. Boerne is known for its German-Texan history, named in honor of German author and satirist Ludwig Börne by the German Founders of the town. The pop ...
, at retired British officer Captain Glynn Turquand's famous Balcones Ranch.
The Boerne, Texas, legend also has plenty of evidence pointing to the fact that polo was played in Boerne before James Gordon Bennett Jr. ever picked up a polo mallet.
During the early part of the 20th century, under the leadership of
Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.
Early years
Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as the eldest son ...
, polo changed to become a high-speed sport in the United States, differing from the game in England, where it involved short passes to move the ball towards the opposition's goal. Whitney and his teammates used the fast break, sending long passes downfield to riders who had broken away from the pack at a full gallop. In 1909 a United States team defeated an English team with ease.
[
In the late 1950s, champion polo player and Director of the Long Island Polo Association, Walter Scanlon, introduced the "short form", or "European" style, four period match, to the game of polo.
]
Rules
All tournaments and levels of play and players are organized within and between polo clubs, including membership, rules, safety, fields and arenas.
The rules of polo are written to include the safety of both players and horses. Games are monitored by umpires. A whistle is blown when an infraction occurs, and penalties are awarded. Strategic plays in polo are based on the "line of the ball", an imaginary line that extends through the ball in the line of travel. This line traces the ball's path and extends past the ball along that trajectory. The line of the ball defines rules for players to approach the ball safely. The "line of the ball" changes each time the ball changes direction. The player who hits the ball generally has the right of way, and other players cannot cross the line of the ball in front of that player. As players approach the ball, they ride on either side of the line of the ball giving each access to the ball. A player can cross the line of the ball when it does not create a dangerous situation. Most infractions and penalties are related to players improperly crossing the line of the ball or the right of way. When a player has the line of the ball on their right, they have the right of way. A "ride-off" is when a player moves another player off the line of the ball by making shoulder-to-shoulder contact with the other players' horses.
The defending player has a variety of opportunities for their team to gain possession of the ball. They can push the opponent off the line or steal the ball from the opponent. Another common defensive play is called "hooking." While a player is taking a swing at the ball, their opponent can block the swing by using their mallet to hook the mallet of the player swinging at the ball. A player may hook only if they are on the side where the swing is being made or directly behind an opponent. A player may not purposely touch another player, another player's tack
TACK is a group of archaea acronym for Thaumarchaeota (now Nitrososphaerota), Aigarchaeota, Crenarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), and Korarchaeota, the first groups discovered. They are found in different environments ranging from acidophilic th ...
, or a pony with their mallet. Unsafe hooking is a foul that will result in a penalty shot being awarded. For example, it is a foul for a player to reach over an opponent's mount in an attempt to hook.
The other basic defensive play is called the bump or ride-off. It's similar to a body check in hockey. In a ride-off, a player rides their pony alongside an opponent's mount to move an opponent away from the ball or to take them out of a play. It must be executed properly so that it does not endanger the horses or the players. The angle of contact must be safe and can not knock the horses off balance, or harm the horses in any way. Two players following the line of the ball and riding one another off have the right of way over a single man coming from any direction.
Like in hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
or basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, fouls are potentially dangerous plays that infringe on the rules of the game. To the novice spectator, fouls may be difficult to discern. There are degrees of dangerous and unfair play and penalty shots are awarded depending based on the severity of the foul and where the foul was committed on the polo field. White lines on the polo field indicate where the mid-field, sixty, forty and thirty yard penalties are taken.
The official set of rules and rules interpretations are reviewed and published annually by each country's polo association. Most of the smaller associations follow the rules of the Hurlingham Polo Association
The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) is the governing body for polo in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and many other countries. The Federation of International Polo produces the International Rules of Polo through a coop ...
, the national governing body of the sport of polo in the United Kingdom, and the United States Polo Association
The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of polo in the United States.
Introduction
Established in 1890, by David Grubbs the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual members and 250 polo club ...
.
Outdoor polo
Outdoor or field polo lasts about one and a half to two hours and consists of four to eight seven-minute chukkas, between or during which players change mounts. At the end of each seven-minute chukka, play continues for an additional 30 seconds or until a stoppage in play, whichever comes first. There is a four-minute interval between chukkas and a ten-minute halftime. Play is continuous and is only stopped for rule infractions (fouls), broken tack (equipment) or injury to horse or player. The object is to score goals by hitting the ball between the goal posts, no matter how high in the air. If the ball goes wide of the goal, the defending team is allowed a free 'knock-in' from the place where the ball crossed the goal line, thus getting ball back into play.
Indoor and arena polo
Arena polo
Arena polo is a fast-paced version of polo played outdoors on an enclosed all-weather surface, or in an indoor arena.{{cite web, title=Arena Polo , url=http://www.us-polo.org/new_08/arena_polo.htm , access-date=2010-01-06 , url-status=dead , archiv ...
has rules similar to the field version, and is less strenuous for the player. It is played in a enclosed arena, much like those used for other equestrian sports; the minimum size is . There are many arena clubs in the United States, and most major polo clubs, including the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, have active arena programmes. The major differences between the outdoor and indoor games are: speed (outdoor being faster), physicality/roughness (indoor/arena is more physical), ball size (indoor is larger), goal size (because the arena is smaller the goal is smaller), and some penalties. In the United States and Canada, collegiate polo is arena polo; in the UK, collegiate polo is both.
Some of the most important arena polo tournaments held are:
# The U.S. Arena Polo Championship, a 12-18 goal tournament, is one of the highest levels of fast version of polo competition currently played in the United States. Its history dates back to 1926, where the first tournament was held and won by the Yale University team of Reddington Barret, Winston Guest and William Mui.
# The Arena Polo Grand Prix held in Argentina, promoted by La Carona Polo Club along with the Argentine Polo Association, was organized for the first time in June 2019, and was the start for the Arena Polo in Argentina.
# The Arena Polo European Championship. The first tournament of this championship was held in 2015. Alongside the Equestrian Federation of Azerbaijan Republic (ARAF) the tournament was organized by the team of World Polo
Polo ponies
The mounts used are called 'polo ponies', although the term pony
A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...
is purely traditional and the mount is actually a full-sized horse. They range from high at the withers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ar ...
, and weigh . The polo pony is selected carefully for quick bursts of speed, stamina, agility and manoeuvrability. Temperament is critical; the horse must remain responsive under pressure and not become excited or difficult to control. Many are Thoroughbreds
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are con ...
or Thoroughbred crosses. They are trained to be handled with one hand on the rein
Reins are items of horse tack, used to direct a horse or other animal used for riding. They are long straps that can be made of leather, nylon, metal, or other materials, and attach to a bridle via either its bit or its noseband.
Use for ...
s, and to respond to the rider's leg and weight cues for moving forward, turning and stopping. A well trained horse will carry its rider smoothly and swiftly to the ball and can account for 60 to 75 percent of the player's skill and net worth to their team.
Polo pony training generally begins at age three and lasts from about six months to two years. Most horses reach full physical maturity at about age five, and ponies are at their peak of athleticism and training at around age six or seven. However, without any accidents, polo ponies may have the ability to play until they are 18 to 20 years of age.
Each player must have more than one horse, to allow for tired mounts to be replaced by fresh ones between or even during chukkas. A player's "string" of polo ponies may number two or three in Low Goal matches (with ponies being rested for at least a chukka before reuse), four or more for Medium Goal matches (at least one per chukka), and even more for the highest levels of competition.
Players
Each team consists of four mounted players, which can be mixed teams of both men and women.
Each position assigned to a player has certain responsibilities:
* Number One is the most offence-oriented position on the field. The Number One position, which generally covers the opposing team's Number Four, is usually the rookie of the team.
* Number Two has an important role in offence, either running through and scoring themselves, or passing to the Number One and getting in behind them. Defensively, they will cover the opposing team's Number Three, generally the other team's best player. Given the difficulty of this position, it is not uncommon for the best player on the team to play Number Two so long as another strong player is available to play Three.
* Number Three is the tactical leader and must be a long powerful hitter to feed balls to Number Two and Number One as well as maintaining a solid defense. The best player on the team is usually the Number Three player, usually wielding the highest handicap.
* Number Four is the primary defense player. They can move anywhere on the field, but they usually try to prevent scoring. The emphasis on defense by the Number Four allows the Number Three to attempt more offensive plays, since they know that they will be covered if they lose the ball.
Polo must be played right-handed to prevent head-on collisions.
Equipment
The rules for equipment vary in details between the hosting authorities, but are always for the safety of the players and mounts.
Mandatory equipment includes a protective helmet with chinstrap worn at all times by all players and mounted grooms. They must have a rigid exterior shell as well as interior padding to protect the rider's head in case of a crash or fall. Helmets must be to the locally accepted safety standard, ''PAS015'' (UK), ''NOCSAE'' (USA). A faceguard is commonly integral with a helmet.
Polo boots and kneeguards are mandatory in the UK during official play, and boots are recommended for all play everywhere. The UK also recommends goggles, elbow pads and gum shields. A shirt or jersey is required that distinguishes the player's team, and is not black and white stripes like an umpire shirt.
White polo pants or trousers are worn during official play. Polo gloves are commonly worn to protect from working the reins and mallet.
Not permitted is any equipment that may harm horses, such as certain spurs or whips.[ USPA Rules:
*
*
*
* ]
[Hurlingham Polo Association rules:
*
*
* ]
Ball
The modern outdoor polo ball is made of a high-impact plastic. Historically they have been made of bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
, leather covered cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, hard rubber, and for many years willow root. Originally the British used a white painted leather covered cricket ball.
The regulation outdoor polo ball is to in diameter and weighs to .
Plastic balls were introduced in the 1970s. They are less prone to breakage and much cheaper.
The indoor and arena polo ball is leather-covered and inflated, and is about in diameter.
It must be not less than or more than in circumference. The weight must be not less than or more than . In a bounce test from on concrete at , the rebound should be a minimum of and a maximum of at the inflation rate specified by the manufacturer. This provides for a hard and lively ball.
Mallet
The polo mallet consists of a cane shaft with a rubber-wrapped grip, a webbed thong, called a sling, for wrapping around the thumb, and a wooden cigar-shaped head. The shaft is made of manau-cane (not bamboo, which is hollow) although a small number of mallets today are made from composite materials. Composite materials are usually not preferred by top players because the shaft of composite mallets can't absorb vibrations as well as traditional cane mallets. The mallet head is generally made from a hardwood called tipa, approximately 9" inches long. The mallet head weighs from to , depending on player preference and the type of wood used, and the shaft can vary in weight and flexibility depending on the player's preference. The weight of the mallet head is of important consideration for the more seasoned players. Female players often use lighter mallets than male players. For some polo players, the length of the mallet depends on the size of the horse: the taller the horse, the longer the mallet. However, some players prefer to use a single length of mallet regardless of the height of the horse. Either way, playing horses of differing heights requires some adjustment by the rider. Variable lengths of the mallet typically range from to . The term ''mallet'' is used exclusively in US English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances ...
; British English
British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
prefers the term ''polo stick''. The ball is struck with the broad sides of the mallet head rather than its round and flat tips.
Saddle
Polo saddle
The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...
s are English-style, close contact, similar to jumping saddles; although most polo saddles lack a flap under the billet
A billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, a billet was a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier.
Soldiers are generally billeted in barracks or garrisons when not on combat duty, alth ...
s. Some players will not use a saddle blanket. The saddle has a flat seat and no knee support; the rider adopting a forward-leaning seat and closed knees dissimilar to a classical dressage seat. A breastplate
A breastplate or chestplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing. It is ...
is added, usually attached to the front billet. A standing martingale must be used: so, a breastplate is a necessity for safety. The tie-down is usually supported by a neck strap. Many saddles also have an overgirth. The stirrup
A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a ''stirrup leather''. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal ( ...
irons are heavier than most, and the stirrup leathers are wider and thicker, for added safety when the player stands in the stirrups. The legs of the pony are wrapped with polo wraps from below the knee to the fetlock to minimize pain. Jumping (open front) or gallop boots are sometimes used along with the polo wraps for added protection. Often, these wraps match the team colours. The pony's mane is most often roached (hogged), and its tail is docked or braided so that it will not snag the rider's mallet.
Polo is ridden with double reins for greater accuracy of signals. The bit
The bit is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communications. The name is a portmanteau of binary digit. The bit represents a logical state with one of two possible values. These values are most commonly represente ...
is frequently a gag bit
The gag bit is a type of bit for a horse. Because the cheek piece and reins attach to different rings (instead of freely moving on the same ring, like in a snaffle bit) there is leverage action. Severity of leverage action depends on where t ...
or Pelham bit
A pelham bit is a type of bit used when riding a horse. It has elements of both a curb bit and a snaffle bit. In this respect a pelham bit functions similar t ...
. In both cases, the gag or shank rein will be the bottom rein in the rider's hands, while the snaffle rein will be the top rein. If a gag bit is used, there will be a drop noseband in addition to the cavesson, supporting the tie-down. One of the rein sets may alternately be draw reins
Draw reins and running reins are pieces of riding equipment used for training that use the mechanical advantage of a 'single movable pulley' to cause the horse to bring its head down and inward. While a regular rein is the strap that attaches to ...
.
The field
The playing field is , the area of approximately six soccer fields or nine American football fields (10 acres), while arena polo is 96 x 46 metres. The playing field is carefully maintained with closely mowed turf providing a safe, fast playing surface. Goals are posts which are set eight yards apart, centred at each end of the field. The surface of a polo field requires careful and constant grounds maintenance to keep the surface in good playing condition. During half-time of a match, spectators are invited to go onto the field to participate in a polo tradition called "divot stamping", which was developed not only to help replace the mounds of earth (divots) that are torn up by the horses' hooves, but also to afford spectators the opportunity to walk about and socialise.
Contemporary sport
Polo is played professionally in many countries, notably Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Iran, India, New Zealand, Mexico, Pakistan, Jamaica, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and is now an active sport in 77 countries. Although its tenure as an Olympic sport was limited to 1900–1939, in 1998 the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
recognised it as a sport with a bona fide international governing body, the Federation of International Polo
The Federation of International Polo (FIP) is the international federation representing the sport of polo, officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. It was founded in 1982 by representatives of eleven national polo associatio ...
. The World Polo Championship
The World Polo Championship is a polo (Horse Polo) competition between countries (Up to 2022, only for men). The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the Federation of International Polo (FIP), and is contested by the national teams ...
is held every three years by the Federation.
Polo is unique among team sports in that amateur players, often the team patrons, routinely hire and play alongside the sport's top professionals.
Some of the most important tournaments, at club level, are Abierto de Tortugas, Abierto de Hurlingham
The Hurlingham Open ( es, Campeonato Abierto de Hurlingham) is a yearly polo competition that takes place at the Hurlingham Club
The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive private social and athletic club located in the Fulham area of London, Engl ...
and Abierto Argentino de Polo, all of them in Argentina (la ''Triple Corona'').
East and Southeast Asia
Polo has been played in Malaysia and Singapore, both of which are former British colonies, since being introduced to Malaya during the late 19th century. Royal Johor Polo Club was formed in 1884 and Singapore Polo Club
The Singapore Grounds, or better known as Singapore Polo Club is a varied sports centre in Singapore. It is one of the oldest grounds in Singapore.
History
Polo was introduced to Singapore by officers of the King's Own Royal Regiment who were s ...
was formed in 1886. The oldest polo club in the modern country of Malaysia is Selangor Polo Club, founded in 1902. It was largely played by royalty and the political and business elite.
Polo was played at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games
The 2007 Southeast Asian Games ( th, กีฬาแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ 2007, Kila haeng echiye tawan oak chiyeng tai 2007), officially known as the 24th Southeast Asian Games, was a South ...
, 2017 Southeast Asian Games
Seventeen or 17 may refer to:
*17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18
* one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017
Literature
Magazines
* ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine
* ''Seventeen'' (Japanes ...
and 2019 Southeast Asian Games
The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, was the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport event which ...
. Nations that competed in the tournament were Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines (2007), Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand (2017) and Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines and Malaysia (2019). The 2007 tournament's gold medal was won by the Malaysian team, followed by Singapore with silver and Thailand with bronze while the 2017 tournament's gold medal was won by Malaysia, followed by Thailand with silver and Brunei with bronze. The 2019 tournament's gold medal was won by Malaysia, followed by the Philippines with silver, and Brunei receiving bronze.
The recent resurgence in south-east Asia has resulted in its popularity in cities such as Pattaya
Pattaya ( th, พัทยา, , ) is a city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, within, but not part of, Bang Lamung district in the province of Chonburi province, Chonburi. Pattaya City ( ...
, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
. In Pattaya alone, there are three active polo clubs: Polo Escape, Siam Polo Park and the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club. Indonesia has a polo club (Nusantara Polo Club). More recently, Janek Gazecki and Australian professional Jack "Ruki" Baillieu have organised polo matches in parks "around metropolitan Australia, backed by wealthy sponsors."
A Chinese Equestrian Association has been formed with two new clubs in China itself: the Beijing Sunny Time Polo Club, founded by Xia Yang in 2004 and the Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club in Shanghai, founded in 2005.
West Asia
Polo is not widely spread in West Asia, but still counts five active clubs in Iran, four active polo clubs in the UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, one club in Bahrain and The Royal Jordanian Polo Club in Amman
Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...
, Jordan.
Polo in Iran is governed by the Polo Federation of Iran. There are five polo clubs in Iran: Ghasr-e Firoozeh, Nowroozabad, Army Ground Forces, Kanoon-e Chogan and Nesf-e Jahan. Iran possesses some of the best grass polo fields in the region. The country currently has over 100 registered players of which approximately 15% are women. Historically, Kurdish and Persian Arabian horses were the most widely used for polo. This was probably also the case in ancient times. Today Thoroughbreds are being increasingly used alongside the Kurdish and Persian Arabian horses. Some players have also been experimenting with Anglo-Arabians. Iranians still refer to the game of polo by its original Persian name of "Chogan", which means mallet. Iranians still maintain some of the ancient rituals of the game in official polo matches.
India
The governing body of polo in India
India is the birthplace of modern polo. The modern game of polo is derived from Manipur, where the game was known as 'Sagol Kangjei', 'Kanjai-bazee', or 'Pulu'. It was the anglicised form of the last, referring to the wooden ball that was used, wh ...
is the Indian Polo Association
The Indian Polo Association (IPA) is the governing body for polo in India. Most of the IPA's major activities are executed by the 61 Cavalry Unit of the Indian Army. The IPA's registered office is co-located with the 61 Cavalry's B Squadron.
His ...
.
Ireland
Polo first began its Irish history in 1870 with the first official game played on Gormanstown Strand, Co. Meath. Three years later the All Ireland Polo Club was founded by Mr. Horace Rochford in the Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...
. Since then the sport has continued to grow with a further seven clubs opening around the country. The sport has also been made more accessible by these clubs by the creation of more affordable training programmes, such as the beginner to pro programme at Polo Wicklow.
Pakistan
The annual Shandur Polo Festival
Shandur Polo Festival () is a sports festival held annually from 7th to 9th July in Shandur Polo Ground, Ghizer, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The polo tournament is played between the teams of Gilgit-Baltistan Districts and Chitral District, un ...
at Shandur Top Shandur Pass( ur, ) is a pass located in Ghizer, District of Gilgit Baltistan . It is often called 'Roof of the World.
During the annual ' Shandur Polo Festival,' there are polo matches played in Shandur Polo Ground on Shandur Top, between the ...
in Chitral District
Chitral District ( ur, ) was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, covering an area of 14,850 km², before splitting into Upper Chitral District and Lower Chitral District in 2018. Part of the Malakand Div ...
is an international event attended by enthusiasts from all over the world. The Shandur polo ground at Shandur Pass Shandur Pass( ur, ) is a pass located in Ghizer, District of Gilgit Baltistan . It is often called 'Roof of the World.
During the annual ' Shandur Polo Festival,' there are polo matches played in Shandur Polo Ground on Shandur Top, between the ...
is the world's highest, at approximately . The governing body of polo in Pakistan is the Pakistan Polo Association
The Pakistan Polo Association (PPA) is the governing body of polo in Pakistan to promote and organise polo in Pakistan. The Association was formed in 1947 as successor of the Indian Polo Association. The Association is based in Islamabad.
It is a ...
. There are more than twenty-one polo clubs in Pakistan and over forty polo championships held all over the country every year. Pakistan has qualified for the preliminary rounds of the World Polo Championship
The World Polo Championship is a polo (Horse Polo) competition between countries (Up to 2022, only for men). The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the Federation of International Polo (FIP), and is contested by the national teams ...
three times. Pakistan's Hissam Ali Haider
Hissam Ali Hyder born March 7, 1982, in Lahore, is a +6 goal Pakistani polo player.
Hissam, also known as "Namoo", learnt how to play polo from his father Irfan Ali Haider, who was a +4 goal player.
References
External linksWorld Cup 2004
...
is the highest capped played in the Asian circuit. He has played for Cartier Cartier may refer to:
People
* Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
* Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player
Places
* Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australia' ...
in the St. Moritz Snow Polo World Cup and the Commonwealth team in the Royal Salute Coronation Cup, both of which were won by his team.
United Kingdom
The governing body in the United Kingdom is the Hurlingham Polo Association
The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) is the governing body for polo in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and many other countries. The Federation of International Polo produces the International Rules of Polo through a coop ...
, dating from 1875, which amalgamated with the County Polo Association in 1949. The UK Armed Forces Polo Association
The UK Armed Forces Polo Association (formerly the Combined Services Polo Club) oversees the sport of polo within the three armed services of the United Kingdom. The Royal Navy and Royal Marine Equestrian Association, the Army Polo Association and ...
oversees the sport in the three armed services.
United States
The United States Polo Association
The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of polo in the United States.
Introduction
Established in 1890, by David Grubbs the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual members and 250 polo club ...
(USPA) is the governing body for polo in the U.S. The U.S. is the only country that has separate women's polo, run by the United States Women's Polo Federation The United States Women's Polo Federation (USWPF) formerly coordinated the activities of its United States member teams, arranging and supervising women's professional polo matches and tournaments. It has now been merged with the United States Polo ...
.
Variants and related sports
These variants are considered sports separate from standard polo because of the differences in the composition of teams, equipment, rules, game facilities, and so on.
Variant forms of arena polo
Arena polo is a fast-paced version of polo played outdoors on an enclosed all-weather surface, or in an indoor arena.{{cite web, title=Arena Polo , url=http://www.us-polo.org/new_08/arena_polo.htm , access-date=2010-01-06 , url-status=dead , archiv ...
include beach polo
Beach polo is a team sport and close variant of arena polo.
Game play
A game of beach polo consists of two three-player teams as opposed to the usual four-player teams in field polo. A game consists of four seven-minute periods of play, called ...
, played in many countries between teams of three riders on a sand surface, and cowboy polo
Cowboy polo is a variation of polo played mostly in the western United States. Like regular polo, it is played in chukkas (periods) with two teams on horses who use mallets to hit a ball through a goal. It differs from traditional polo in that five ...
, played almost exclusively in the western United States by teams of five riders on a dirt surface.
Another modern variant is snow polo, which is played on compacted snow on flat ground or a frozen lake. The format of snow polo varies depending on the space available. Each team generally consists of three players and a bright coloured light plastic ball is preferred. Snow polo is not the same sport as ice polo, which was popular in the US in the late 1890s. That sport resembled ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
and bandy
Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...
but died out entirely in favour of the Canadian ice hockey rules.
Water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
shares a name with polo, but more closely resembles handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
. , the polo variety discussed above, is arguably a version of polo though it can also be seen as the precursor of modern outdoor polo.
Variants that are related but clearly diverge from the polo format include:
* Cowboy polo
Cowboy polo is a variation of polo played mostly in the western United States. Like regular polo, it is played in chukkas (periods) with two teams on horses who use mallets to hit a ball through a goal. It differs from traditional polo in that five ...
uses rules similar to regular polo, but riders compete with western saddles, usually in a smaller arena, using an inflatable rubber medicine ball
A medicine ball (also known as an exercise ball, a med ball, or a fitness ball) is a weighted ball whose diameter is about a shoulder-width, (approx. ), often used for rehabilitation and strength training. The medicine ball also serves an impo ...
.
* Horseball
Horseball is a sport played on horseback where a ball is handled and goals are scored by shooting it through a hoop with a diameter of 1m. The sport is a combination of polo, rugby, netball, and basketball. It is one of the ten disciplines off ...
is a game played on horseback where a ball is handled and points are scored by shooting it through a high net. The sport is a combination of polo, rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
, and basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
.
* Pato
', also called ' (, literally "duck game"), is a game played on horseback that combines elements from polo and basketball. Since 1953 it has been the national sport of Argentina.
' is Spanish for "duck", as early games used a live duck inside a ...
was played in Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
for centuries, but is very different from modern polo. No mallets are used, and it is not played on grass.
* Polocrosse
Polocrosse is a team sport that is a combination of polo and lacrosse. It is played outside, on a field (the pitch), on horseback. Each rider uses a cane or fibreglass stick to which is attached a racquet head with a loose, thread net, in whi ...
is a combination of polo and lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...
and is also played on horseback. It was developed in Australia in the late 1930s.
Played on vehicles or other animals
Polo is not played exclusively on horseback. Such polo variants are mostly played for recreational or tourism purposes.
Non-equine variations include:
On other animals
* Camel polo is played in Mongolia
* Elephant polo
Elephant polo is a variant of polo played while riding elephants. It is played in Nepal, Rajasthan (India), and Thailand. England and Scotland regularly field teams. Equipment consists of a standard polo ball and six to ten foot cane (similar to ...
is played in South Asia.
* Yak polo
Yak polo (or ''sarlagan polo'') is a Mongolian variant of the sport polo. It is played on yaks instead of on horseback.
Originally invented in the early 2000s as a tourist attraction, the sport is as of 2006 reported to have attracted a modest f ...
is played in Mongolia and western China.
On vehicles
* Auto polo was a motorsport invented in the United States in the early 1900s. Its rules and equipment were similar to polo but automobiles were used instead of horses.
* Canoe polo is played around the world in kayaks and governed by the International Canoe Federation
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated ...
.
* Cycle polo
Cycle polo, bicycle polo, or bike polo (''polo-vélo'' in French; ''Radpolo'' in German) is a team sport, similar to traditional polo, except that bicycles are used instead of horses. There are two versions of the sport: grass and Hardcourt B ...
is a similar game played on bicycles
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bic ...
instead of horses. A variant of cycle polo is also played on penny-farthing
The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler or ordinary, is an early type of bicycle. It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds (owing to its travelling a large distance for every r ...
s.
* Golfcart polo
* Motoball Motoball (also known as motorcycle polo) is a motorsport similar to association football, with the main differences being that all players (except goalkeepers) are riding motorcycles, and the ball is much bigger. Motorcycle polo first began as an ...
(motorcycle polo) was invented in the United States.
* Segway polo originated in the United States.
A lighthearted variant, hobby horse polo (german: steckenpferdpolo), was devised in 1998 in south western Germany. The Polo-Club in Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
was founded in 2002 to organise matches and promote the game. Since then, the variant has gained further interest in other German cities. It is played on hobby horses, the toy, instead of polo ponies. While following standard polo rules in part, it has some more unusual rules: Goals, for example, are the height and width of bar stools; and any departure from accepted gameplay standards will attract "penalty sherries" to be consumed by the offending player.
See also
* Dakyu
is an equestrian sport in East Asia with some similarities to polo.
It also goes by the name of gyeokgu in Korea () since the Hanzi character 擊 () is transliterated as: ''gyeok'' or and carries the same meaning as the , which translates as: ...
* Commercial animal cloning
Commercial animal cloning is the cloning of animals for commercial purposes, currently, including livestock, competition camels and horses, pets, medical uses, endangered and extinct animals, as first demonstrated in 1996 for Dolly the sheep.
...
* List of polo players
Ten-goal players
*Mariano Aguerre - Argentina / USA
* Alex Ferrer - Pompano Beach
* Gerald Balding (1903–1957) - England's last 10 goal player
*Adolfo Cambiaso (born 1975) (h) - Argentina
* Bartolomé Castagnola (born 1970) - Argentina
* Polo handicap A polo handicap is a system created by Henry Lloyd Herbert, the first president of the United States Polo Association, at the founding of the USPA in 1890 so teams could be more evenly matched when using players with varying abilities.
The players ...
* PIPA Polo Instructors and Players Association
The Polo Instructors´ and Players´ Association (with or without the apostrophe) is the usual term for the worldwide organization of polo players and instructors. The organization is responsible for both male and female players and instructors ...
* U.S. Open Polo Championship
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
{{Authority control
Former Summer Olympic sports
Mixed-sex sports