Nothing compares to a day on the polo grounds

We’re missing the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth. She had a sense of humor that was rare among royals. She was also a good sport and enjoyed watching sporting events. Some more than others.

 

One day, she was accompanied by Lord David Triesman, chair of England’s venerable Football Association, to an important game in London. (We’d call it a soccer match.)

 

Not overly impressed with the action on the pitch, Queen Elizabeth muttered: “There are no horses in football.” But she politely endured the contest. Afterward, Lord Triesman asked her if she thought anyone played particularly well? 

“The Band of the Scots Guards,” she replied. 

There are horses in the sport of polo, and that’s where Queen Elizabeth’s heart always was. As a young mother, she would take her children to Windsor Park to watch her husband, Prince Philip, mount up.

 

Every generation of royals has followed suit, including Charles (now the king) and his princely sons, William and Harry, who were often photographed on competing teams. Next up could be Prince George, son of William and Kate, who’s now 9.

 

Polo is an equestrian sport played by two teams, each having four members. Participants on horseback whack a small white ball with a mallet through goalposts on either end of a field. It’s believed to be the oldest known team sport that was first played by nomadic people in Persia and Central Asia. 

The game was a competition used to train the king’s cavalry. Polo helped develop coordination and balance on horseback, traits useful for warriors riding horses.

 

The word “polo” may be derived from “pulu,” which means ball. Polo was introduced to Great Britain in 1859 by British soldiers who had been deployed in India. The game was introduced in the United States in 1876. 

Sam Khu of Fact City.com, based in Bournemouth, England, tells us a bit more about the sport. 

First, regulation polo fields are the largest playing fields of any sport, equating to 10 acres (about the size of nine English football pitches linked together), Khu said. 

“Polo is a rare sport with regard to consideration of whether players are right- or left-handed,” he said. “The play must be from a ‘right-handed perspective,’ considered essential for the safety of both humans and equines.” The idea was to eliminate the possibility of head-on collisions. The horses may weigh half a ton and can travel up to speeds of around 30 miles per hour.” 

“The duration of matches depends on the level being played but all are divided into short periods of high-intensity action. These periods are seven minutes long and are called chukkas,” Khu said. “That is about as long as the horses (called polo ponies) can comfortably endure vigorous exercise.” 

“Most polo players will use between four and seven horses per match. The ‘average professional’ player may bring as many as 10 horses,” according to Suh. This ensures the player has a sufficient number of horses in reserve, should the contest require an overtime period.

 Grooms work behind the scenes to keep the polo ponies healthy.

Polo players are required to wear white trousers. As a summer game played in India, high temperatures were usually a factor. White britches helped guard against burning rays of sun. 

The “stomping of the divots” is a polo game tradition. Midway through the match play is suspended so spectators can trudge out upon the pitch to stomp upon the divots caused by the ponies’ hooves. For smoothing the playing field, their reward may be a refill of their champagne glasses. 

First-timers need to be cautious to differentiate divots from deposits.