Horse polo is one of the oldest games in history, and during this time a considerable number of variations and games inspired by the sport of kings have emerged.
Ever since its earliest developments in Ancient Persia through to its introduction by the British Empire to many parts of the world, polo has seen alterations, changes to its rules and even entire games being built up by altering the equestrian elements of the sport.
Here are some of the most unique variations of polo you can play in the world.
Elephant Polo
One of the most expensive games you can ever play, elephant polo replaces the agile, quick, exceptionally skilled horses with elephants. This works about as well as one could expect.
Played only in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Nepal, the game has been modified somewhat to be actually playable. Polo mallets are significantly longer and are typically made of bamboo.
This gives them a tendency to bend, meaning that an overly committed shot will simply miss. The ball can often end up under one of the mammoth creatures, and shots that would seemingly be a sure thing in a game of equestrian polo can be easily blocked by huge trunks and legs.
Pato
Argentina loves polo perhaps more than any other country in the world. Many children are trained from a very young age to ride horses and 15 of the best 20 players in the world are Argentinian.
However, the true national sport of Argentina combines polo with basketball to create a truly unique combination sport known as pato, where a ball with six handles is thrown through a large basket.
Snow Polo
Snow polo is traditional equestrian polo except played in the snow in places such as St Moritz and Switzerland.
Because snow is far more variable than a traditional grass pitch, it can create some truly unpredictable games at times.