Polo is considered one of the oldest games in the world. For some people its origin must be searched in Persia, for others it saw the light in China. However, there is overall coincidence that it was the Mongols who spread it throughout Asia. These nomad peoples travelled invading other regions, and their horse herds were made of tough races capable of enduring such impious journeys. Being essentially wanderers, they set up temporary camps, and it is very probable that these courageous warriors enjoyed playing with their horses. It was not only another pastime, but an efficient way to keep in shape for future conquests.
The first known polo records date back to about the year 600 B.C. At first the game had extremely violent characteristics compared to its later development, because it was played in fields surrounded by a walling. Fun was derived from squashing rivals against the stone walls, an antecedent of the chest shove we are familiar with. Today the oldest field in the world is found in Tibet, built in stone. Even now its goals and remnants of the surrounding walling may be witnessed. Furthermore, the term ‘polo’ derives from the Tibetan ‘pulu’, meaning ‘willow’, which was the wood used to make the balls.
In Persia polo was practiced regularly towards the IV century B.C. and was such a success that it became formal as a diplomatic contest. It then spread towards the west through Constantinople, while arriving eastwards to Tibet and Japan. Finally it is in India where it becomes deeply rooted and develops in the course of time.
History tells that Alexander the Great, who conquered the Persian empire around 331 B.C., was an accomplished player. His rival and later defeated enemy Darius of Persia sent him a mallet and a ball for him to practice before declaring war. Alexander answered: “I am the mallet and the ball is the world. Be alert�.
Like all cultural expressions of a civilization, polo is reflected in art. In this sense polo is no exception. Pictures of horsemen in the unmistakable position of striking a ball may be seen in chinaware of the oldest dynasties. In the Indo-Persian miniatures, a faithful reflection of the splendorous times of the great Mongol rulers, the different elements composing the game may be observed: horse riders wielding mallets, the distant goals, the servants, and the ball. We also find it in architecture, in the form of rose granite stables with a capacity to house some three hundred ponies, which were secured with a chain to one of their forelegs. The attraction that the game generated prompted the renowned emperor Ackbar to erect a marble monument representing his horse in full size. This would be the first equestrian sculpture inspired in this sport.
So far architectural and sculptural testimonies have been presented; nevertheless, poetry also reflected that this age-old game had reached a summit. The greatest of Persian poets, Ferdusi (930-1020), in his work “The Book of Kings� mentions polo no less than as the “national sport�.
In the XV century several factors coalesced to obscure it, but this did not cause its practice to be abandoned. Other nations adopted it, and in this way the game continued to grow. Under these circumstances, in the small state of Manipur, between Cachar and Burma, in the north of India, polo was considered around 1550 as a very popular game.
The first narration in which the game is described with precision is owed to what is known as travellers’ literature. As a matter of fact, in the chronicle depicting the visit of Anthony Sherleys to the court of Sha Abbs, in 1599. In a game played before the palace, whenever the monarch managed to hit the ball with his maze was cause for celebration.
Polo became very popular in India, where it was practiced without any caste discrimination by gentlemen and servants alike. It was modified and subject to rules with the arrival of the English, at the same time spreading to the west. The British Army and the British tea planters established in the country quickly adopted the game, and between 1859 and 1863 the Calcutta Polo Club, nowadays considered the oldest club in the world, was founded. C. B. Stewart, R. H. Hills, John Thomas, Elliot Angelow and Richard Readon are remembered as some of the earliest members. But the most enthusiastic of this group of pioneers was undoubtedly captain Sherer, who is credited with having organized the first match between Manipur and Calcutta.
The 10th. Regiment, Hussars, and the 9th., Lancers, practiced it with great zeal, and it fell upon an Irishman, captain John Watson, thirteenth Hussar (1852-1909) to formulate the basis of the present- day international rules of polo.
The first polo club in Europe, the Monmouthshire Polo Club, was founded in England in the year 1872. Two years later the mythical London Hurlingham Club came to life, and in 1876 the Champion Cup was played for the first time.
In the same decade lieutenant colonel Thomas St. Quintin introduced polo in Australia, and James Gordon Bennett Jr. organized the first game in the United States.
Towards the end of the XIX century polo underwent an impetuous growth, and consequently did not take long to arrive in Argentina. Proof of this is the first mallet to enter the country, brought by Thomas Taylor in 1873. This piece, donated by Luis L. Lacey, is proudly kept and exhibited at the Venado Tuerto Polo Club.
The first local official game was played by Irishmen, estancia owners and English engineers. This event took place on August, 30, 1875 at the Villanueva estancia in Ranchos, in the province of Buenos Aires. From then on the game did not cease to grow across the country, and the first institution, Flores Polo Club, was founded in 1880. Prominent players soon began to emerge: Sixto Martínez, his brother José, and Francisco Rodríguez. The sport continued to develop and subsequently new clubs appeared in different localities throughout Argentina. The pioneering institutions were Lomas Polo Club (1885), Belgrano Polo Club (1886) and the legendary Hurlingham Club (1886), which was to be the ruling institution of the game of polo for several years.
In 1893 an open tournament was held for the first time between the Venado Tuerto, Media Luna and Cañada de Gómez, while towards 1895 the first delegation of Argentine polo players appeared in London, achieving an excellent and memorable performance. Since then Argentine polo has maintained first place among international teams.
Acknowledged as an Olympic sport, Argentina competed in the 1924 and 1936 Oylimpics, held respectively in Paris and Amsterdam, earning the gold medal in both instances.
At present the game is played in approximately 80 countries around the world.
At any time during the year the game of polo is in fact being enjoyed in some place in the world. From England to Argentina, from the United States to India, Spain, and also Switzerland, where it is even played on snow. Countries attaining top level are Argentina, England and the United States, closely followed by Australia and New Zealand. Lately a popular renaissance of the sport has taken place in India, with many new adepts but impelled by the old states and families.