The world's oldest team sport, equestrian polo, is believed to have spread with Islam throughout Asia, where it was picked up by the British in India. However, the ‘king of games' is yet to gain solid ground in the homeland of Islam, as barring the efforts of a few polo lovers in the Kingdom, arena polo is still in its fledgling state here. “Arena polo in the Kingdom is more like a practice and less a competitive sport through which we are able to prepare our horses and riders for away games,” said Mohammed Riyaz, instructor at the Riyadh Polo Club. The club has 20 members, five of whom are Saudis, while others are from Jordan, Ireland, America, etc., and according to Riyaz, the numbers are increasing. “Two years back, no one here knew what polo was. But now, the sport is increasingly finding enthusiasts among our Saudi friends as well. When they, especially the young Saudi boys, see us with the horses, gear, etc. they get very excited,” he said, adding that new horses are being brought in. The Riyadh Polo Club also has a separate girls' polo team consisting of around 15 members. Arena polo differs from field polo, in that the 300 yard x 200 yard grass field is replaced by a conventional show jumping arena, the smallest ring measuring 90mx45m. The reduced size of the playing area allows the players to use the same mount for the entire match rather than the four to six fresh horses needed for field polo. “Arena polo is more popular here as field polo games are hard to arrange due to unavailability of large grass fields and the expenses involved, usually the sponsors cannot provide us with big places,” said Riyaz. He said that because his team consists of many expats who are always on the move, they want to “bring in more Saudis so that we can have a permanent team and represent the country on an international level.” Riyaz said he had been approached by a few Saudis recently who expressed interest in establishing a polo club. On a smaller level, arena polo has two teams with three players in each team and on a higher level, each team has four members. Bruce Cowley, a British national and one of the founding members of the Jeddah Polo Club and creative director of Publicis-Graphics, and his team play at MOKA Arabians, the private stables belonging to Sheikh Mohammed Omar Alesayi. “Only a handful of people are currently playing, as it requires highly trained horses, which are not available here, and good riding skills. Arena polo provides the horse and the rider an opportunity to practice all of the skills required for a mounted battle,” Cowley said. Explaining the sport, he said: “In the game, two teams of horsemen - with ‘mallets' attempt to put the ball through the opposing team's goal. Players may physically force other players off the ball (or ride-off) in order to take possession.” “Unfortunately,” he said, “in Riyadh, people have attempted to charge exorbitant prices to people wishing to learn the game. As they are not offering international class facilities, they should be more supportive of new players, until the time comes when the game is being played properly,” Cowley said. He said that there are not many grass fields and trained horses here to buy and that they practice on ‘improvised dirt fields'. “This makes it very difficult for people wishing to enter the sport. However, with the support of our sponsors, Mercedes-Benz (Juffali Automotive Company), and Sheikh Mohammed Omar, we have played several away matches and actually drew 4-all against a team in Cairo last month,” he said, adding that anywhere that is flat can be a polo field. Cowley said that ideally the two kinds of polo should be played in places of the measurement: 160m x 280m for field polo (grass), and 100m x 60m for arena polo (soft sand). “The Alesayi stables are private but people interested in playing polo are welcome. Sheik Omar is being most supportive of our attempts to introduce the sport here,” he said. Jeddah Polo was the first foreign team to play tribal Polo in the Northern Areas of Pakistan last November. In December 2008, Jeddah Polo bagged its first victory against Val de Vie in South Africa. “Polo players all over the world are like a family - everyone knows someone who knows someone,” Cowley said, adding that his team will be playing with friends in a number of international locations this year. “Polo is considered the most difficult sport in the world - as it requires a combination of horsemanship and ball skills - which one needs to use simultaneously. Basically you need to be able to hit and control the ball while riding a horse at up to or over 60km/hr and fending of other riders who are trying to take possession from you. As a team sport, it also requires a high level of strategy and co-operation between members of the team,” added Cowley, who owns his own horse. “I do own my own horse - but this is a major commitment of time, and is not for ‘weekend' riders,” he said. Cowley and his team plan to introduce beach polo in the Kingdom this year. In 2006, the Blue Team, led by Riyaz won the Mercedes-Benz Cup in the first-ever official arena polo match in the Kingdom. The team was playing against the White Team led by Cowley. The polo players represented a cross-section of expatriates from Britain, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, India and Palestine. Riyaz said a similar match between the Riyadh and Jeddah polo clubs will be held in the coming month or the next month. Historically, polo has been used by everyone, from the Mughals to the British as an indicator of leadership, teamwork and courage. It is said that both the empires would often select the future leaders of their cavalry regiments based on their performance on the polo field. In the west, the game has been seen as exclusive and for the wealthy. “It sure is a luxurious game. However, polo lovers in the Kingdom play elsewhere. Many Saudi princes play in Europe and Dubai” said Riyaz. Polo, apart from being the world's oldest, is also the world's most dangerous team sport. “Players who are not very good riders call it dangerous. If you play with in the rules and are a good rider, then the sport is not unsafe. This is why we never allow beginners to directly start with polo,” said Riyaz. He said to get started, first, one must learn horseback riding and become a good rider. “Second, we train them to hit the ball and smaller shots on a wooden horse. Next, the horse is taught to walk, trot and canter, only after which the rider is trained to hit on the target or goal post, hit big and high shots,” Riyaz said, who first played equestrian polo as a hobby in 1995 in his home country, India. Malonie Deasy, a hair color expert from Seattle, whose hobby is to learn equestrian polo and to introduce the sport to Saudi Arabia, thinks that polo is the perfect team sport for the Kingdom. “It is like playing football on a horse. It is a great exercise, both mentally and physically. The team owner or patron can be an active participant as well,” she said. Deasy said polo players, which include men and women, can vary in age from 10 to 60 years old. “This is the only equestrian sport that is team focused. Polo will gain popularity in the Kingdom once the Saudis see it being played,” she said. Deasy, who lives in Riyadh, doesn't consider the game as dangerous. “All the rules of polo are safety focused. It is like driving, you have to stay in your lane” she said.
