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D O R S E T P O LO C LU B , R O B E R T P I P E R
T I B U S E A Q U A E C O N S E E L
E A R UMQ U AT I S U T Q U E I P I T E M
I N I E N D E V E S I G N A
There is a quiet revolution taking place on
polo fields up and down the country. No
longer the preserve of the Hooray Henry
set, polo is shedding its elitist image (not an
easy task, granted, when Prince Harry and
George Spencer-Churchill are two of the
sport’s biggest names in the UK). But with
events such as Chestertons Polo in the
Park drawing ever bigger crowds, and
charities such as Power Of Polo (
powerofpolo.
org.uk
) reaching inner-city youth, there is
a distinct feeling of change in the air.
‘The press prefers to sell polo as an
exclusive sport for royalty and celebrities,
or “Argentine demi-gods”,’ says Nathaniel
McCullagh, COO of London Alumni Polo
Club (
alumnipolo.co.uk)
, whose film
The Polo
Kid
aims to bring the sport to a wider
audience. ‘They don’t talk about the reality
of the tens of thousands of active polo
players around the world who come from
ordinary backgrounds.’
‘Books such as Jilly Cooper’s
Polo
describe
a rarefied world that you have to be born into,
or win the lottery to buy your way into. We
need to dispel these myths and get as many
people as possible to come and watch a polo
game, or better still, to participate.’
But how, or more specifically, where do
you begin? Well, as with so many things in life
(some more ill-advised than others), university
seems to be the place to start dabbling. In
fact, the Schools and Universities Polo
Association (
supa.org.uk
) lists nearly 60
participating establishments on its website.
Founded in 1991, SUPA organises and
runs national tournaments at all levels, as
well as hosting international teams at the
annual SUPA International Festival in early
July. Last year, the organisation celebrated
its 25th anniversary by launching a
programme called ‘Introduction to Polo’
comprising three to four group sessions to
encourage newcomers to take up the game.
The key thing about university polo is
that it’s open to any student and requires no
previous riding experience. Clubs take part in
friendly chukkas against other universities in
mixed teams and also compete in larger SUPA
league tournaments. Crucially, there is no
need to own your own string of ponies as The
Association of Polo Schools and Pony Hirers
(
apsph-polo.org.uk
) can rent you a ride.
‘In clubs like Alumni Polo, no one owns their
own horses,’ explains McCullagh. ‘You can
work your way up to being a really strong
amateur player – up to say, one or two goals
without owning horses, and for many players
this is enough. However, many Alumni Polo
members do, in time, go on to become
members and patrons of the larger clubs.’
So with horse ownership no longer
a barrier to entry, what’s stopping every
Tom, Dick and (non-royal) Harry from
joining in the sport? Cost is the answer
that comes up again and again.
As McCullagh points out, ‘When you
are learning, and for the first few years
afterwards, polo is not any more expensive
than, say, playing golf. And as a spectator
it offers incredible value for money. What
other sport allows you to watch some of the
best players and athletes in the world, in
a beautiful setting, for £5 per person? After
you have bought a couple of drinks and some
food, you get a full afternoon’s entertainment
for about £25 – much cheaper than going to
watch a football game. You can also bring
a picnic to make it even cheaper.’
And if, after watching a few chukkas
with a glass of champagne in hand, you
fancy giving it a go, then many smaller clubs
around the country are more than happy to
show you the ropes.
Two hours’ drive from London,
Dorset Polo Club (
dorsetpolo.co.uk)
offers
special packages including the Polo Starter
Package, which is aimed at those who have
had a go and want to take their love of the
Y O U C A N B E C OME A S T R O N G A M AT E U R
P L AY E R W I T H O U T OWN I N G H O R S E S
