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Part 1 of 3
With the Inter-Regimental Polo Tournament fresh in our minds and the new Barbour Autumn Winter ’14 Polo Club range expected to land at Outdoor & Country any time now; this 3 part blog takes a closer look at the origins of the iconic game, discovers the history behind Barbour’s Household Cavalry team and revels in their journey to the semi-finals of one of the oldest and most prestigious Polo tournaments in the world…
Where it all began…
The oldest of equestrian sports, polo is a game of two teams of four players all on horseback, each who use mallets to drive a ball down a grass field between two goal posts, which may sound mundane in writing, but believe us it is anything but! As we discovered at the Inter-regimental semi finals with Barbour, we also learnt a thing or two about its origins…
Believe it or not, Polo originated in Persia as a training exercise for cavalry units such as the King’s Guard as far back as the 6th century BC – it was played with as many as 100 players on each side! Back then, polo was treated as a mini battle helping to develop the agility, dexterity and finesse necessary for successful combat on horseback.
From here on out polo spread to Arabia, China, Japan and India developing a strong hold across Eastern countries where it became extremely popular amongst nobility – with some games so serious that players were beheaded for foul play!
The first British to play the game were tea planters from Assam who went on to develop one of the first ever polo clubs. When a British Captain stationed in India saw a match being played at Assam in 1866 he immediately formed a team of his fellow officers. The sport rapidly spread through the Armed Forces and their families, soon becoming a worldwide phenomenon widening through Europe and reaching Britain, where by 1875 polo matches at Hurlingham were attracting more than 10,000 spectators per game.
More to follow…
So now you know the basics, stay tuned for part 2 of 3 – our one stop guide to Polo which looks at the rules and regulations of the game today…