POLO Close Window Polo is many centuries old and the origins of this sport are shrouded in myths. As far as the British are concerned it was Tea Planters near the Indian Burmese border who discovered the game in the 1850’s and founded the world’s first polo club at Silchar. Other clubs followed and the oldest remaining is the Calcutta Club, established in 1862. The game spread to Malta in 1868, played by army and naval officers stopping off on their way home. The arrival of the game in England is generally thought to be through a returning Cavalry regiment from India. The birthplace of Polo in England is Aldershot, where the 10th Hussars were under canvas in 1869. Edward ‘Chicken’ Hartopp, a young officer in the regiment read an account of the game in The Field and with his fellow officers organized a game. Horses where saddled, crooked sticks and a billiard ball were used and they started playing - without great results. Nevertheless the game showed promise and before long ponies were purchased in Ireland and they began to play in earnest. It was nick named ‘Hockey on Horseback’. The 10th Hussars mentioned this new sport to the 9th Lancers, then quartered in Hounslow and they too entered into the spirit. The first match was played on Hounslow Heath with a shortlist of 10 basic rules. The first proper rules were formulated by John Watson of the 14th Hussars in the 1870’s. The first British polo club was established in 1872 by Capt. Herbert of the 7th Lancers at Clytha Park near Abergavenny. Hurlingham soon followed. The 10th Hussars took the game to Australia through Lieut. Colonel Thomas St. Quintin in 1876. In this year it also reached America. By now the game had achieved world wide appeal and it was included as an Olympic sport in 1900. PIG STICKING The obvious training benefits to the cavalry officer in Pig Sticking need little explanation but more than this, the fun to be had from such a dangerous sport held a great attraction to the British soldier. Not only did it test courage and practise lancing skills but it also gave the participants an awareness of the country in which they may need to ride into battle. Henry Roberdeau, an officer posted to Mymensingh, Bengal, in 1801 gave a good account of the sport : ‘(Hog hunting) is thought very fine, in as much as the animal is fleet, wild, savage and resolute to the last extremity… There is something grand in first rousing a Boar, for the grass being as high as your Horse’s Belly, you cannot see the game until you are close upon it. When he perceives his danger he gives a loud grunt and sets off as hard as he can go. Tally Ho ! You ride after him at a strong gallop and by keeping this pace you soon blow him… It is not until he gets tired that… the Boar turns and charges and this is the moment to deliver the Spear…’ Roberdeau used the call of the Fox Hunter in his description and the two pursuits had similarities. Pig Sticking was controlled, in much the same way as Fox Hunting, by individual tent clubs who were responsible for their area of the country. It is believed that The Poona Tent Club, instituted before the battle of Kirkee in 1817, is the oldest. They secured permissions from local officials and land owners and supervised the chase. Some clubs, such as the Shikarpore Hunt, wore hunt coats with buttons engraved with a boar’s head. Tent clubs had committees and pigs were only hunted in season and then of an appropriate size to ensure numbers. There was an etiquette to follow and rules to be observed. However, the pig was a much more dangerous prey than the fox and if caught demounted the hog’s razor sharp teeth could prove fatal. A pig sticking meet made use of much of the equipment that an officer might use for camp life. Tents were filled with folding furniture to accommodate the members for first a pre-hunt breakfast and then tiffin when the flag was raised for lunch. Portable saddle and lance racks were also useful. The members would have a number of horses and spare bamboo lances were essential as they easily broke when driven home. There were many annual competitions which brought the tent clubs together, the most famous being the Kadir Cup, founded in 1869. The trophy now rests in the Cavalry and Guards Club in London and was won by many notable men including the father of the Scouting movement, Baden Powell in 1883. Baden Powell also wrote ‘Pig Sticking or Hog Hunting’ in 1889, whilst a Captain in the 13th Hussars. The Kadir Cup was painted by the noted sporting artist Lionel Edwards and the subject of pig sticking was depicted by other artists such as Snaffles who is known for both his sporting and military pictures. As well as Pig Sticking, the cavalry used other exercises to hone a cavalry man’s skills and these often culminated in Assault at Arms, which were the fore runner of the Military Tattoo and were used as public entertainment. Perhaps the most popular competition at these events was Tent Pegging. The game has ancient origins but the 5th Royal Lancers lay claim to introducing it to Britain. The game was played in India where apparently members of the regiment would ride in between the camp’s tents, having great fun by causing chaos through either cutting the guy ropes or uprooting the tent pegs. It was decided by the officers that a course would be set with tent pegs to allow the sport to be enjoyed without the disruption of the camp. In 1875 the London Illustrated News described the first exhibition of the sport in Britain by the 5th in the grounds of the Gun Club at Hurlingham. It was watched by a number of members of the Royal family and its importance in the training of cavalry was recognised by the magazine. Other similar sports played at Tattoos were Lemon Cutting, Lance vs. Bayonet, Jumping and Tilting the Ring all designed to improve horsemanship and weaponry skill.