As the oldest of equestrian sports, polo
was coined in Persia as a game used to train
cavalry units to simulate a type of set scale
battle. With time, polo progressed into a
Persian national sport. The game caught
traction in Arabia and Tibet, then China and
Japan. In China, 910 AD, it is said the death
of a favored relative to Emperor Abaoji led
to the beheading of the surviving players.
By the time the game took to India, British
tea planters in Assam became the fi rst
Europeans to play the sport. They formed
the fi rst European polo club in 1859. By
the 1860s, the Calcutta Polo Club was
introduced. As the sport spread across
England, it became equally popular in
Argentina, now referred to as the capital of
polo after The River Plate Polo Association
54 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • January/February • 2021
was founded to lay the foundation for the
Asociación Argentina de Polo.
James Gordon Bennett, a sportsman and
newspaper publisher, caught wind of the
game in 1876, which would lead him to
hold the fi rst match in the states. Informal
games began in cities like New York. By
1890, the Polo Association was founded
to bring standards to the sport. Outside
of the United States, the Hurlingham Polo
Association has governed polo in the United
Kingdom, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates
among numerous countries.
As for the horses, they are as important
to the history and popularity of the sport
as the equestrians are. Often called a “polo
pony,” a horse used in the game is typically a
thoroughbred, though referred to as a pony
from its agile composition. These horses
undergo immense preparation and training.
If a horse is not conditioned correctly, their
natural tendencies can be a danger to the
players and other horses. Their manes and
tails are also braided to avoid hair tangling
in mallets.
Polo isn’t just a sport;
it is a game of artistry
and preparation.
The Sarasota Polo Club equestrians keep a sharp eye on
their opposing players while driving the ball home.