Horse polo is one of the world’s oldest games, and with that comes a lot of fascinating facts and unique events that even some of the game’s ten-goal handicap players may not know.
Initially played as a cavalry training exercise around 600 BC, the game has since evolved into a worldwide phenomenon, and the ultimate test of tactics, sportsmanship and ridecraft.
It has also developed something of a mythology, and with that in mind, here are three facts about polo you may not know.
Dazzling Whites
Polo players tend to wear a range of different coloured shirts, gloves and helmets, but will nearly always wear white trousers.
The reason for that is a matter of practicality; during the 19th century it was a popular sport with Indian royalty, and given India’s rather hot climate, they tended to wear light coloured fabrics that could breathe easily.
This tradition spread throughout the polo playing world and now it has become the standard.
No Southpaws
Around 10 per cent of the population in the world is left-handed, and for people with a different dominant hand, actions need to be accomplished differently.
In some sports such as boxing, cricket, fencing and tennis, being left handed actually provides a tactical advantage, but there is only one sport where it provides a distinct disadvantage.
Because of the nature of polo rules, you have to play holding the mallet in your right hand, and if a challenge was attempted with someone holding the mallet in their left hand, a head on collision would be all but inevitable.
Stomp Those Divots
In between chukkas there is a tradition unique to polo where the spectators walk onto the field and stomp on the grass to remove the holes and divots caused by the octet of horses rushing around the field.
Not only is it a fun way to get spectators involved, it actually is the most efficient way of getting the field in playing condition, which reduces the onset of nasty falls and allows balls to bounce further and with more accuracy.