Polo: A Brief History..

Polo is over 2000 years old, making it the oldest game in the world. It is thought to have originated in China and Persia around 6000BC. A prestigious game, it has always been played by kings and princes for centuries and now by presidents. Polo is played by over 77 countries and has a glittering following of enthusiasts.

Initially Polo was played as a training game for cavalry units, the kings guard and elite troops participated in polo as though it was a miniature battle. At times it was played with as many as 100 players per side!

Soon Polo became a national sport for Persia and was played extensively by the aristocracy. Men and Women participated in games of Polo, in fact there are even references to the queen and her ladies engaging King Khosrow II Parviz in a game in the 6th century AD.

During the middle ages the game was played all the way from Constantinople to Japan. Polo being an important training tool was known as the Game of Kings. Tamer lane's Polo grounds can still be seen in Samarkand.

The game was first witnessed by British tea planters in India in the early 1800's. In the 1850's the British Cavalry instigated the earliest rules and by 1869 the game was well established in England.

The first club in England, the Monmouthshire, was founded in 1872 and others, including Hurlingham, followed quickly. Handicaps were introduced by the USA in 1888 and by England and India in 1910.

The Monmouthshire was the first Polo club in England, founded in 1872. Other clubs quickly followed, Hurlingham being one of the earliest to do so. Handicaps were introduced to the game by the USA in 1888. England and India brought about handicaps to Polo in 1910.

From 1900 to 1939, polo was an Olympic discipline and has now been recognized again by the International Olympic Committee.

After the last war, mechanization of the cavalry - the traditional 'nursery' for polo players - and national austerity boded ill for the future of the game. But the enthusiasm of players such as the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, 'father' of modern English polo, saw a revival in the late 1940s.