Polo is one of the oldest ball sports in the world. Long before Christ, the sport was already practiced in Persia in the form of a game with hundreds of participants on each side. This mainly tested which horses were strong enough for wartime.
British tea plantation owners in Burma came into contact with the sport of polo around 1850. British soldiers also discovered the sport of polo in Northern India and Pakistan. It turned out to be a great way to train military horses. They founded one of the first polo clubs in 1863 – Polo Club Calcutta. In 1869 the first match was played in England, after which polo was enthusiastically adopted by the British army; they described it as “Hockey on horseback”.
The Hurlingham Polo Club in London quickly became the center of polo. The first official rules of the game were drawn up here in 1875. Important was the introduction of the handicap system, which ensured that players of different levels could play together. This gave polo a social character and the sport spread to other parts of the world.
In 1875, the first polo match was played in Argentina, the country that is now considered the Valhalla of polo. Argentina not only has the ideal conditions in terms of climate and facilities, but also the best horses and players. Other renowned polo countries are England, Ireland, India, Brazil, United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
