Polo is the oldest known ball sport and was first played on the plains of Persia as early as 450 BC. It was played on tiny Manipuri ponies and enjoyed by men and women alike.

British officers serving in India first brought polo to the United Kingdom during Queen Victoria’s reign. It then migrated to America in 1876.. 

First played on Long Island, polo in the US passed through many forms, including a night game played with 8 players on each side, that must have resembled a packed cavalry charge.

Modern day polo is played with 4 players per side, two mounted umpires and a referee on the side lines. Thoroughbreds generally make the best polo ponies but quarter horses and quarter/thoroughbred crosses are also used. Both players and horses wear protective equipment including double layer boots, knee guards, and helmets (players) and leg wraps, hoof guards, special saddles and bridles (horses).

A polo field is approximately 300 yards long by 180-200 yards wide. Goal posts are set at 24 feet apart and are quick breakaway for safety.

There are approximately 3500 registered polo players in the US today with additional unknown number of unregistered players. The governing body of polo in America is the United States Polo Association which has offices in Lexington, Kentucky

Winston Churchill once said that the best passport in the world is a polo handicap. There are approximately 10,000 polo players worldwide. It is played in numerous countries around the world, most notably England, Argentina, Brazil, France, the Caribbean countries, and many Arab emirates, to name a few. It has been adapted to indoor play with slight rules changes and has also been the basis for other polo-like sports such as polocrosse, a combination of Polo and Lacrosse.

Known as the Sport of Kings, polo is played at all levels. On the field in any given game you will find business tycoons and cowboys, doctors and sales people, truck drivers and farmers, all enjoying an aged old sport.

If you would like more information on participating in this fast-paced, exciting sport CLICK HERE

We also offer club matches at multiple times each Sunday. during the outdoor season For more information call the DPC Polo Hotline at (248) 684-5200