Exciting times on the Sydney grounds as the World Polo Championship comes Down Under this October
This prestigious sport originates from Persia more than 2,500 years ago, and it’s usually the king’s guard or other elite troops who used to play this game and thus it remained with the nobility and royalty.
The modern game of polo first made its way from Manipur in India. The first polo club was established in the town of Silchar in Assam, India, in 1833. The oldest polo ground in the world is the Imphal Polo Ground in Manipur State. Polo became popular with the Brits when they discovered it in India in the mid-1800s.
Later in 1862 the first polo club, Calcutta Polo Club, was established by two British soldiers. They spread the game to their peers in England. Thereby the British are credited with spreading polo worldwide in the late 19th century and the early 20th century.
There is not much known about the start of polo in Australia. My research says that “polo was introduced to Australia by officers of the Indian Army who used to vacation here”. The Sydney Polo Club is the most prestigious and historic polo club in the southern hemisphere, having been formed in 1800s.
Having attended a few polo matches, and learning how it’s played and how the right equipment is used, has been an absolute delight and makes me go back in time where I feel I am a part of a history lesson, watching the polo match with the kings and their troops. The sound of the horses, smell of the leather, open fields, women in their pretty hats…
I had the pleasure of catching up with Riley Higgings, a young polo player who says he has been on the polo grounds from the age of one literally. His father is a polo player too, and therefore he has grown up learning, watching and playing polo from a very young age in his life.
I am very excited to know that Australia is the host country for the upcoming World Polo Championship this year in October, and is going be played right here at the Sydney Polo Club. Continue reading to know more about my polo passion.
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