As the game of polo gained popularity, the need to confer a balance in play became a matter of concern. An efficient tool had to be found to erase unfair superiorities or differences between players, resulting in an unequal share of opportunities. Enacting a system of handicaps proved to be the precise solution to this challenge. On the other hand, the addition of handicaps among members of a same team allowed beginners to learn from their more experienced fellow players, thus improving their game.

The handicap system was established in the U.S. in 1888, being adopted by British polo immediately after. At first the maximum value was set at 5, but when it became official a top value of 10 and a minimum of 0 were proposed. It must be noted that -1 and -2 exist in England, to group players with a low level.

The first player to obtain a 10 handicap was Foxhall Parker Keene, followed in 1911 by the Englishman Walter Buckmaster. Argentine polo acceded to a 10 in 1913, when it was obtained by Luis Lacey, and a few years later by Juan A. E. Traill. Juan A. Campbell and Hugo Scout Robson are remembered as 9-handicap players.

As it happens with any new system, it had to go through a period of adjustment, progressing gradually until acquiring both acknowledgment and fairness. A point has been reached in which a previous basis of evaluation of skills has been established, granting a fair tool to assess the players’ performances. This appreciation holds for our country, where the decisions by the Argentine Polo Association proudly bespeak an equitable and fair.