HISTORY:

"Let other people play other things - the king of game is still the game of kings."

This verse is inscribed on a stone tablet next to a polo ground in Gilgit, north of Kashmir, near the fabled silk route from China to the West.

The exact details of the history of polo vary from country to country and story to story.  There is however one fact that historians agree upon; polo is the oldest team sport.  More than likely it was played by nomadic warriors in Asia over 2,500 years ago.  Polo spread as cavalries used the game to practice battle ground maneuvers. 

British tea planters in India first saw the game in the early 1800's.  The sport became popular amongst European nobility however it was in the 1850’s that the English cavalry drew up the first rules.

James Gordon Bennett, a noted American publisher, brought polo to New York in 1876. Within ten years, there were major clubs all over the east including Long Island.   Over the next 50 years, polo achieved tremendous popularity in the United States. By the 1930's, polo was an Olympic sport and crowds in excess of 30,000 regularly attended international matches at the Meadow Brook Polo Club on Long Island.

During the early part of the 20th century, under the leadership of Harry Payne Whitney, 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 toward 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.  This tradition continued during the 1930’s with John Hay (Jock) Whitney here at Llangollen.  Jock Whitney kept his string and played polo on the wonderful land we are fortunate to play on today.

Polo is now an active sport in 77 countries, and although its tenure as an Olympic sport was limited to 1900–1939, in 1998 the International Olympic Committee recognised it as a sport with a bona fide international governing body, the Federation of International Polo.

In the 1950's, intercollegiate polo was played by only four teams. Today, it includes more than 25 colleges and universities. Player membership in the United States Polo Association has more than tripled with over 250 active clubs, with almost 1000 polo clubs worldwide in almost every country on the globe.

THE POLO PONY:

A polo pony is a horse of any breed that has the talent to run like a race horse, stop and turn like a cutting horse, push other horses like a work horse and be as brave and big hearted as as a war horse.  Typically a polo pony is a thoroughbred that stands 15.2 hands (4” = hand) high.  Manes are roached (clipped short) in order not to interfere with the mallet and reins.  Tails are braided and tied to avoid getting tangled with the mallet.

There are over 300 polo pony breeders in the United States however, the Raza Polo Argentino, is the only purpose-bred polo pony.  In 2006 The American Polo Horse Association was created to recognize the Polo Pony and coordinate a breed registry. 

Most players would agree that the polo pony is at least 80% of the equation when it comes to the success of the player and therefore the team.

THE PLAYER:

All players are annually reviewed and given a ranking = handicap.  Players can be rated at -2 to 10.  Only the best players in the world reach 10.  Currently there are ten 10 goal players and 80% of the population is under 2 goals.  Often you will hear a persons rating described as goals, e.g. “he is 5 goals”.  Goals is the jargon for handicap or rating it does not refer to how many goals a player scores per game.   Another unique feature of polo is that it is co-ed.  There are tournaments specifically geared to encourage women and juniors but it is otherwise open to all ages, men, women and juniors playing together at all levels.

THE MATCH:

There are 4 players to a team; #1 is offensive, #2 works for the the number 3 clearing the way, #3 is the quarterback and #4 is defensive.  The field is 300 yards long by 165 yards wide (the equivalent of 9 football fields).  The objective is to deliver the ball through the goal posts receiving one point per score and the team with the highest score wins.  Every time one team scores they reverse direction and shoot at the opposite goal.  This is to eliminate any disadvantage that may be caused by the sun or wind for example.  There are 6 periods known as chukkers each 7 minutes long.  In actuality they last 15 minutes, including time out for penalties.  Most players use 6-8 horses per match as horses may be changed mid chukker if necessary.  A festive tradition occurs at halftime when the spectators are invited onto the field to “stomp divots”.  This is the art of pushing the pieces of turf back into their place while socializing with your friends or new acquaintances.

THE RULES:

While there may be many rules that are learned over time there are basic principles governing how the rules are devised;

a) safety of horse and rider and
b) advantage.

The primary rule is the “line of the ball” which is an invisible line that the ball travels on. The offensive player hitting the ball has a right to that line so no other players may cross the "line of the ball" to steal the ball.  The opposition may however strategically place himself in a way to limit the offensive players chances of successfully hitting the ball all the way to goal.  For example the defensive players may use his horse to push the offensive player off of “the line of the ball” or the defensive player may keep his horse clearly on the other side of “the line of the ball’ but he may hook (use his mallet to hit the offensive players mallet) the player who is trying to hit the ball or he may strike at the ball.

THE EQUIPMENT:

Ball; plastic or wood about the size of a baseball
Mallet; rattan cane (shaft) with tipa wood head, rubberized grip, varying in length depending on the size of the horse from 49 to 54 but most players use a 52.
Goal Posts; 10’ tall dense foam rubber covered in vinyl or the classic old style using rattan
Player’s Boots; sturdy leather to protect leg from injury from ball or horses
Knee Guards; padded leather to protect player from impact of other players and horses
Horse’s leg protection; bandages and boots to protect from injury from running or being hit by the ball
Saddles; most similar to English riding saddle, can be suede or smooth leather
Bridles; most popular are pelhams and gags often used with draw reins.

WHY PLAY POLO?

Here are a few words used by beginners through high goal players;

• Full body work out
• Family oriented sport
• Competitive
• Unique challenge
• Team sport on horseback
• Invigorating
• Great de-stressor
• Accommodates all skill levels
• Accommodates all budgets

WHO CAN PLAY POLO?

Anyone who wants to have fun.

POLO 101 - click here for a helpful guide to polo playing