Watch penny farthing polo in action (and other strange variations of the game)
This Saturday (16 May 2015) you can watch England take on Scotland in the international penny farthing polo match at Cowdray Park. And to celebrate, we’ve rounded-up a few other versions of polo that don’t require you to be an Argentinian 10-goaler with the muscles (and tan) to match.
1. Penny farthing polo
You may have thought that penny farthings were resigned to the history books, but that’s not the case where polo is concerned. “It’s a poor man’s polo,” says Penny Farthing Club founder Neil Laughton. “You don’t have to have stables, you don’t have to muck out, you don’t have to brush the horses. It’s a bike and we can trailer them around. We go to a lot of venues and have a lot of fun.” Watch England take on Scotland this Saturday (16 May 2015) at Cowdray Park at 12pm, before the St Regis International at 3pm. Find out more at www.pennyfarthingclub.com
2. Segway polo
If you’re currently Googling what segway polo is — you’re way behind. The sport originated in the USA in 2003 and now there’s an official body in the Britain, UK Segway Polo. In April there was the UK Segway Polo tournament, put if you missed it — don’t panic. Sign yourself up for a segway polo bootcamp. Find out more at spolo.co.uk
3. Elephant polo
Looking for a sturdier mount? Fondly known as the biggest sport in the world, elephant polo is played using two metre long sticks. The World Elephant Polo Association established the governing rules for the sport in 1982 and the association has its headquarters at the Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in Nepal, where the World Elephant Polo Tournament is played every year. The first elephant polo games were played with a footballs — but these were quickly replaced with standard polo balls after the elephants discovered a penchant for stamping and popping the footballs. Find out more at www.elephantpolo.com
4. Camel polo
While comfort can’t be guaranteed, settling in between the humps for a chukka on the back of a camel must be worth it for the novelty factor. Visit www.jacamels.co.uk to find out about having a go.
5. Bicycle polo
In its glory days, bicycle polo was an Olympic sport (it made an appearance in 1908 in London) — and at the peak of its popularlity in 1938 there were over 170 official teams in 100 clubs, with more than 1,000 players. It might not be on the cards for Rio, but who’s to say that by 2028 we won’t have seen a resurgence… Watch this space. Find out about having a go at londonbikepolo.wordpress.com
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A graduate from Durham University, Madeleine joined H&H in 2011 and became Features Editor — producing content across the magazine and website, including the popular inside back cover article ‘The horse that made me’ and the weekly ‘The best of my fun…’ interview. She has written on topics as diverse as hay making and headcams, to hot totty in the horse world and circus horses. Madeleine now works as a freelance feature writer for Country Life, The Telegraph, Horse & Hound, cntraveller.com, The Spectator and The Field, as well as writing obituaries for The Times.