About Polo - Polo History
The game of polo originated in Persia more than 2,500 years ago - making it the world's oldest team game. The word polo is derived from the Tibetan name for willow root 'pulu' of which the balls were originally made.
From Persia it spread eastwards. In 1854 tea planters and army officers in India learned polo from tradesmen in Manipur and the game soon spread throughout the Indian empire. Most of the English cavalry regiments had teams, as it was a good way to keep both their soldiers and horses fit during peacetime. By 1869 the game of polo had been transported to England from India and the first game was played on Hounslow Heath.
The first game to be played in Argentina was in 1875. Gauchos were quick to adapt their skilled riding and admirable hand-eye co-ordination, gained from their cattle ranching experience. From that point onwards the Argentines, capitalised on their abundance of land and ponies to develop the game.
Argentina is frequently referred to as the home of polo. Indeed, they have monopolised the polo pony breeding and the world's best players. Sadly no Englishman has reached a 10 goal handicap since WWII. Argentina is the ultimate country to learn in!
