The Sport of Kings: Polo | The Museum Of Polo And Hall Of Fame

This is breef tour showing some of the main trophies that the polo museum has. Also The Museum is a rich repository of documents and physical treasures which include works of art, historic trophies, artifacts, books, statistics, periodicals, films, videos, recordings and memorabilia. 

While the sport of polo is older than recorded history, we know that its origins are in the inspirational relationship between humans and horses. This special bond and the unique blending of athletic talents between horse and rider have helped polo evolve into The Sport of Kings.

The Origins of the Sport:
Mounted nomads in Central Asia played a version of polo that was part sport and part training for war, with as many as 100 men on a side. The game followed the nomads’ migration to Persia (modern Iran) some time between 600 B.C. and 100 A.D.

In Persia, polo became a national sport, played by the nobility and military men. The game was formalized and spread west to Constantinople, east to Tibet, China and Japan, and south to India.

The Modern Game:
Modern polo originated in Manipur, a northeastern state of India. The Silchar Polo Club was founded in 1859 by British military officers and tea planters, after Lieutenant Joe Sherer saw the locals playing polo and said, “We must learn the game!” From India, polo spread as fast as its enthusiasts could travel, appearing in Malta in 1868, England in 1869, Ireland in 1870, Argentina in 1872 and Australia in 1874.

On a trip to England, James Gordon Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald, saw his first polo game. Early in 1876, he returned to New York with mallets, balls and a copy of the Hurlingham rules. The first game was played at a city riding academy; in the spring they moved outdoors to a field in Westchester County. That summer, the New York players took polo to Newport, R.I. Soon the galloping game was being played across North America.

International Polo
Polo has been an international sport since at least 821 A.D., when Chinese ambassadors in Japan played a team fielded by the Emperor.

In the U.S., the first international match was in Newport, R.I., in August 1886. The Westchester Polo Club challenged the British, put up a silver trophy (today’s Westchester Cup) and after two convincing losses saw the prize sail away. The Cup is presently in England, who won the most recent challenge in 2013.

The first Cup of the Americas (Copa de las Americas) – U.S. vs. Argentina – was played in 1928 at Meadow Brook before 100,000 spectators. The U.S. won, and again in 1932, but it has been all Argentina in the meetings since then.

The Camacho Cup – U.S. vs. Mexico – was inaugurated in 1941 when the polo-playing President of Mexico, General Manuel Avila Camacho, donated the trophy. The U.S. won the first five meetings, but in 1976, Mexico triumphed and has won every time since, most recently in 2009. Today, upwards of 84 countries play polo. In 2015, the Federation of International Polo, established in 1982, will sponsor tournaments in the U.S., China, Chile, Canada, Azerbaijan and Germany.


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Special thanks for a President of Museum Melissa Ganzi.