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Dear Guests, Welcome to Jodhpur, a city synonymous with polo. Lord Louis Mountbatten played his first game of polo in Jodhpur when he accompanied Edward VII, The Prince of Wales, on his 1921-1922 tour of India and the Far East. Mountbatten had to step in at the last minute to replace an injured player and although he only hit the ball three or four times he wrote in his diary: “I’ve gone absolutely dippy about polo, which in my opinion is the best game in the world.” He in turn, taught his nephew, Prince Philip, who taught his son, Prince Charles, who in turn taught Princes William and Harry who have played for both Eton and the Army - the two traveling British teams for this, the second British Polo Day India. In 1889, Sir Pratap Singh, younger brother of the Maharaja and Prime Minister of Jodhpur State, invited Col. Stuart Beatson of the Bengal Lancers to help him raise the Jodhpur Lancers. It was against this backdrop that the first British Polo Day in Jodhpur took place last year with the British Army team beating the Jodhpur Eagles in a thrilling contest. This year The British Army will be pitted against The President’s Bodygaurd team. Another polo fixture this weekend steeped in history is Eton v Mayo College. Eton’s connection with India goes back for centuries. Eleven viceroys of India have been educated at Eton as well as five Governor-Generals and three High Commissioners, and of course, His Highness The Maharaja Gaj Singh II Of Marwar-Jodhpur whose kind patronage of this event we are indebted to. Mayo College is also known as the “Eton of India” and has a long friendship with its British counterpart. Mayo beat Eton last year, but a strengthened Eton team returns this year to settle old scores! We hope, above all, that you have a great weekend. The British Polo Day India Committee
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The blue city Known as the "Sun City" or the "Blue City" due to the blue-painted houses that circle the Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located 335 kilometres (208 mi) west from the state capital, Jaipur and 200 kilometres (124 mi) from the city of Ajmer. Jodhpur previously known as Marwar has a history that revolves mainly around the Rathore Clan. Rao Jodha, the chief of the Rathore clan, founded Jodhpur in 1459. During the British Raj, the state of Jodhpur was the largest in Rajputana.
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12 H A C K E T T. C O M
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E S S E N T I A L LY B R I T I S H
Sponsor of British Polo Day, India
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The Itinerary wednesday 12th December 20:00 -
Royal Polo Gala at Seaside Lawns, Taj Land’s End, Mumbai
FRIDAY 14th December 19:00 -
Cocktail Party at The Umaid Bhawan Palace
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saturday 15th December 09:00 - Explore: “......from the bastions of the Jodhpur Fort one hears as the gods must hear from Olympus...� - Aldous Huxley 10:00 -
Beulah London Fashion Shoot - The Mehrangarh Fort Ramparts
13:30 -
Cycle Polo & Elephant Rides
15:00 -
Eton College vs Mayo College
17:00 -
Prize Giving
17:30 -
High Tea
18:00 -
Sunset
20:00 -
Mehrangarh Fort
23:00 -
Carriages
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SUNDAY 16th December 09:00 -
Explore “ Englishman and Rathore, brothers in sport, ride o’er, the sandy plain of of Jodhpore”
15:30
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The British Army vs The President’s Bodyguard
16:30
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Prize Giving
17:00
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High Tea
18:00
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Sunset
20:00
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Banquet in The Umaid Bhawan Palace & Fashion Show
Loud Auction on behalf of: The Indian Head Injuries Foundation & Head Injuries Through Sport (HITS)
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Beulah London Fashion Shoot at British Polo Day India 2011
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Beulah london The Blue Heart Campaign Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs and Lavinia Brennan With a heart to help women who had been caught up in the sex trade, Natasha and Lavinia spent two months in the southern slums of Delhi, Lado Sarai, working with an aftercare home called “Atulya”, literally meaning “woman without price; immeasurable; unique”. They helped look after girls who had come out of the sex trade, or who were living locally in absolute poverty, by spending afternoons with them in a local production unit. The aim was to provide these girls with a place of safe refuge and to give them the skills and tools they needed to become financially independent. These skills would also allow for the girls to provide for their families and give hope to future generations.
www.beulahlondon.com
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Rules of Polo 1
The blue player has the line, and at fair speed the white player would be crossing the line without sufficient safety margin, resulting in a penalty against white.
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When travelling in the same direction the white player may draw level with blue and then force him across the line and take possession of the ball without committing a dangerous foul.
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Two players riding for a ball from opposite directions in the open must both give way to the left and take the ball on their right or offside.
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Even at a far lesser angle the white player would still be crossing the line if he continues in that direction, and committing a dangerous foul.
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The white player may move in parallel with the line and play a shot providing he can do so without interfering with the blue’s mount or causing him to check back. If white would cross the line to the dotted position it would be a foul.
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When two players are approaching a ball in the open from different directions, the player (white), with the line of the ball on his offside, right hand side, has right of way.
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History of Jodhpur Polo Miniature paintings in the Mehrangarh Museum reveal that the Rathores first played polo with the Mughals but it did not become a passion until much later in the Nineteenth Century. It was in 1889, to be precise, that Sir Pratap, younger brother of the Maharaja and Prime Minister of Jodhpur State, invited Col.Stuart Beatson of the Bengal Lancers to help him raise the Jodhpur Lancers. And it was with the Englishman that polo came to Jodhpur in its modern form. The Rathores took to it like fish to water; here was a splendid substitute for war. The blood-rushing charges, the all-or-nothing riding-off, the frantic change of horses - it was all there. Only four years later, the Jodhpur Team brought home its first trophy, The Rajputana Challenge Cup of 1893. That team, captained naturally by Sir Pratap himself, included Beatson, Harji (Thakur Hari Singh, the great horseman), and Thakur Dhonkal Singh, the latter rated by many as one of the finest exponents of the sport ever. In 1897, when Sir Pratap traveled to London for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, he brought his polo team along, who were amongst the very first Indian teams to travel abroad, and for that matter, the very first foreign teams to invade England. They won many matches there, at Hurlingham and Ranelagh, and returned with their reputation enhanced; the finest Indian team during those years. It was not surprising then that the 4th Hussars’ Regimental Team, determined to win the prestigious Inter-Regimental Cup of 1899, decided to spend a few days training in Jodhpur with Sir Pratap before the tournament. Playing at the No.1 position for the 4th Hussars was Lieut.Winston S.Churchill who wrote excitedly to his mother on 11th January 1899 from his regimental headquarters in Bangalore, “…I am going next week to Madras to play polo…the week after that where we all stay practicing for the Tournament with Sir Pratap Singh…” But misfortune struck in Jodhpur. On the 9th of February Churchill wrote to his brother Jack (John Strange) from the Rose-Red House, nearly in tears, “I am staying with Sir Pratap Singh. All the rest of our team are here and everything smiled till last night; when I fell downstairs and sprained both my ankles and dislocated my right shoulder…” Such was Sir Pratap’s and Dhonkal’s instruction, however, that the 4th Hussars did in fact go on to win the tournament, the injured young Winston scoring three goals of four. On 1st December 1921, however, when young Lord Mountbatten galloped on to the Chammi Ground for his first game, he was amazed at the standard of play. A member of the Prince of Wales’ Staff he wrote in his diary, “Jodhpore, Thursday 1st Dec…This day is a red letter one for me, as besides getting my first pig, I played in my first game of polo. In the last chukker, to my own intense surprise, I actually hit the ball three or four times! Anyway I loved it…” In February 1922, Jodhpur beat Patiala in Delhi to become champions of the whole Indian continent. It was a match often described as the finest ever. A crowd of over a hundred and fifty thousand people, including the future King-Emperor, the Viceroy, Sir Pratap himself, and fifty Maharajas, watched spellbound as the Jodhpur Team; Thakur Prithi Singh of Bera (Sir Pratap’s daughter’s son), Thakur Dalpat Singh of Rohet, Ram Singh and Rao Raja Hanut Singh (Sir Pratap’s third son); scored in the last minute of the last chukker to win. Jodhpur thus avenged in style their defeat years earlier at the hands of Patiala. The magnificent Bhupinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala, let his horses loose in the crowded by-lanes of the capital and ordered his team to burn their sticks. They never entered the field again… That victory was only the beginning- ‘”Indian Prince With Four Wives And Seventy Ponies Storms London” screamed English headlines as Maharaja Umaid Singh (1918-1947) arrived in England early in the summer of 1925. The first assertion was incorrect (the Maharaja was the first Marwar ruler to marry only once), but the ponies were certainly there; and mounted by an extremely talented quartet that included Rao Raja Hanut Singh (playing at a handicap of 9 and already rated as one of the finest in the game) Thakur Prithi Singh,
35 Thakur Dalpat Singh, Ram Singh and an Englishman, Capt.A.H (Bill) Williams. Described in the Tatler as “Hot as Mustard”, the Jodhpur Team had a most wonderful season, beating every team there was to beat, including the U.S.Army; and winning the Hurlingham Champion Polo Cup and the Roehampton Open Polo Cup among many other lesser trophies. Only the Indian summer of 1933 was hotter than that of ’25 as Rao Raja Hanut returned to England with his younger brother, Rao Raja Abhay Singh, in the Jaipur Team that year. Polo was, in fact, Jodhpur’s gift to the Maharaja of Jaipur, the suave Sawai Maan Singh II, popularly known as the dashing Jai. Many years earlier, after ensuring Jai’s succession to the Gaddi of Jaipur, Sir Pratap had dispatched Dhonkal to Jaipur to teach him polo. The old man had done well but it was only after the young Maharaja’s double marriage in Jodhpur (Maan Singh II married Umaid Singh’s sister and niece many years before he married the beautiful Ayesha of Cooch Behar) that Jaipur polo really took off. In a Rajput home there is none more privileged than the son-in-law and Maan Singh II returned to Jaipur with, as he desired, not only sixty of the finest Jodhpur ponies and the Rathore Master-of-Horse, M.Amar Singh, but also the legendary brothers (Hanut and Abhay were married to daughters of the late Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Madho Singh II). The Jaipur Team, which even sported the Jodhpur Colors, green and gold, is a part of polo history. A cartoon in the Punch magazine said it all, illustrating them on an elephant, scattering frightened English teams about! Talented Jodhpur players now found places in all the prominent teams of the late twenties and thirties; among them the royal teams of Bhopal, Kashmir, Kishengarh and Alwar. Indeed, it was a hallowed tradition; the all conquering Maharaja of Alwar’s quartet that took home the magnificent Delhi Durbar Cup in 1911 had two Jodhpur players, Rao Raja Amar Singh and Moti Lal. The famous Kishengarh team was powered by another Jodhpur player, Baney Singh. It was Jodhpur everywhere. So much so that a Nawab from Hyderabad was heard complaining one sunny afternoon in Delhi, “Polo players seem to spring up like bloody mushrooms in Jodhpur!” Sadly it all ended with the outbreak of the Second World War. The Jodhpur Lancers however, stubbornly continued to play whilst waiting to be mechanized in Risalapur (now in Pakistan). “In fact,” recalled M.Prem Singh, grandson of Maharaja Takhat Singh’s son Bhopal Singh, “we won the Championship there beating well known teams like Probyn’s Horse.” M.Prem Singh (7), along with M.Jabbar Singh (8), also Takhat’s descendant, Hanut’s eldest son, Rao Raja Bijai Singh (7) and Thakur Kishen Singh Bhati (5) were the most accomplished of Jodhpur’s third generation polo players. Jabbar, at his prime an 8 Goaler, the highest post Independence Indian player, also remains the only Indian to play in the Argentine Open. Bijai and Kishen were part of the 1957 Deauville Coupe d’Or winning Indian team with Hanut and the Maharaja of Jaipur; three Jodhpur players out of four. Three other Jodhpur players have held aloft the World Cup; Prem, who, in fact, was the first to win it in 1953; Rao Raja Hari Singh, Hanut’s second son; and M.Jabbar in 1968. Hanut, of course, won it three years running, in ’55, ’56 and ’57. Of the seven Indians who have held aloft the Gold Cup, six hail from the desert kingdom. Rao Raja Hanut Singh continued to field his own team, Ratanada, with two of his sons, and, on one occasion, a grandson. Ratanada, named after a part of Jodhpur, won almost every tournament in India for many years. They were finally beaten in the sixties by the Indian Army, with the veteran Hanut in his sixties too. The victorious quartet led by another Jodhpur player, Colonel Thakur Kishen Singh…who also happens to live in Ratanada. His Highness The Maharaja Gaj Singh II has always taken a keen interest in equestrian sports and nurtured an ambition to re-establish Jodhpur as a premier center of equitation and polo. In pursuance of this goal in 1993 he re-launched the Jodhpur team, which has since made its mark on the Indian polo scene. Excerpts from ‘The House of Marwar’ by Kanwar Dhananajaya Singh. Roli Books, 1994.
Fortnum & Mason • Big Ben • Afternoon Tea • Changing the Guard • Bond Street The Grand National • Stonehenge • The Royal Family • • Wimbledon • The Tower of London • Harrods •
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Although the ancient sport of polo began in Persia and China many centuries ago, the British reinvented the modern game in the nineteenth century. Sir Winston Churchill, one of the greatest proponents of the game, once famously said “a polo handicap is a passport to the world� and polo is still thriving everywhere it is played, from Argentina to New Zealand. British Polo Day carries on the tradition of the British playing polo against friends in a host of different countries around the world.
www.britishpoloday.com
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Teams and Players ETON
MAYO
Jaeger-LeCoultre
GAM
1. Mr Richard Paton-Philip
(2)
1. Vikrmaditya Singh
(0)
2. Mr Guy Schwarzenbach
(2)
2. TBC
3. Mr Alex de Lisle
(3)
3. R.K.K.V. Singh
(3)
4. Lord Wrottesley
(0)
4. Bhawani Singh Kalvi
(3)
(TBC)
TOTAL 7
TOTAL 7
THE BRITISH ARMY
THE PRESIDENT’S BODYGUARD
Hackett London
Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces
1. Lt Doug White QRH
(1)
1. Col T.S. Mundi
(0)
2. Maj Rupert Lewis RHG/D
(1)
2. Nb/ Ris Jasmail Singh
(0)
3. Capt Jack Mann (Retd) RHG/D
(2)
3. Mr P.D.S. Kohli
(1)
4. Col Michael O’Dwyer Late IG
(1)
4. Mr Angad Kalaan
(4)
TOTAL 5
TOTAL 5
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Eton Eton is intrinsically linked with both Polo and India. Eleven viceroys of British India were educated there (including Lords Dufferin, Curzon and Linlithgow), as well as five GovernorGenerals and three High Commissioners after independence. The first Etonian linked with the subcontinent seems to have been the seventeenth-century diarist John Evelyn. Later, another Etonian founded R. Thomas and Co, a firm involved in the indigo and jute businesses in Calcutta. As well as His Highness The Maharaja Gaj Singh II Of Marwar-Jodhpur, who attended the school in the 1960s, Maharajah Duleep Singh's two sons (Princes Victor and Frederick) were at Eton in the 1870s, and many more Indians since. Lord Curzon, when Viceroy, initiated the first “Fourth of June� dinner for Old Etonians, a tradition revived by Roddy Sale for the many Old Etonians living in India in the present day. On the polo field, Princes William and Harry are perhaps the most well known but Eton has produced many fine players, including Luke Tomlinson, Captain of the England Polo Team and a 7 goal player.
Mr Richard Paton-Philip
+2
Mr Guy Schwarzenbach
+2
Mr Alex de Lisle
+3
Lord Wrottesley
+0
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Mayo Mayo College was founded by the 6th Earl of Mayo, who was Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872. The founder's intention was to create an Eton of India and it has fulfilled those ambitions creating one of the most exclusive private boarding schools in India. The 1st Earl of Lytton, Viceroy of India, said in a speech on campus in 1879: "What was most needed for the education of India’s young rulers and nobles was an Indian Eton. Ajmer is India’s Eton and you are India’s Eton boys." To this day the Rajasthan school maintains an exchange programme under which Mayo pupils study at Eton and Etonians spend gap-year time teaching at Mayo. The famous Mayo Coat of Arms was composed from the design furnished by Mr. Lockwood Kipling, a former Principal of the School of Arts, Lahore and father of the famous Rudyard Kipling. Mayo College has always produced strong polo players, including Lokendra Singh Ghanerao, Captain of the Indian Polo Team at the World Cup and Apji Vijai Singh who represented India in Polo tournaments in Australia, Brunei, Nigeria and USA.
Vikrmaditya Singh
+0
TBC
+TBC
R.K.K.V. Singh
+3
Bhawani Singh Kalvi
+3
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THE BRITISH ARMY As history has shown, Polo and the Army are intrinsically linked. The modern Army still actively promotes polo. The Army Polo Association (APOLOA) was founded in 1998 to co-ordinate and encourage polo in the Army, both at home and abroad. The APOLOA runs the InterRegimental which is the oldest Polo tournament in the World. This tournament focuses on the highest standard of military polo and looks to encourage all Regiments/Services to enter. Spread over 3 weeks and 3 rounds, the final is played at Guards Polo Club on The Queen’s Ground on a Sunday in June. Often quoted as the sport ‘played’ by kings, Hackett’s association with polo is well known and immortalised in the now iconic Hackett Polo Shirt. From humble beginnings of providing shirts for the Guard’s Polo Team, Hackett has made a welcome return to the polo field by becoming the sponsor of the British Army Polo Team. The Army Polo Association now keeps polo the game alive under the watchful eye of its Chairman, Colonel Simon Ledger who will also be our guest commentator for the day.
Lt Doug White QRH
+1
Maj Rupert Lewis RHG/D
+1
Capt Jack Mann (Retd) RHG/D
+2
Col Michael O’Dwyer Late IG
+2
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The President’s Bodyguard The President’s Bodyguard is an elite household cavalry regiment of the Indian Army. It is senior-most in the order of precedence of the units of the Indian Army. The primary role of the President’s Bodyguard is to escort and protect the President of India which is why the regiment is based in the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi, India. It is equipped as a mounted unit, with horses for ceremonies at the presidential palace and BTR-60 vehicles for use in combat. The personnel of the regiment are also trained as paratroopers and nominally are expected to lead in airborne assaults in the role of pathfinders. The President’s Bodyguard was raised by Governor Warren Hastings in Sep, 1773. Hastings handpicked 50 troopers from the ‘Moghal Horse’, which was raised in 1760 by local sirdars, Sirdars Mirza Shahbaz Khan & Sirdar Khan Tar Beg. In the same year, Raja Cheyt Singh of Benaras provided another 50 troopers that took the strength of the unit to 100. The first commander of the unit was Capt. Sweeny Toone, an officer of the Honourable East Indian Company (HEIC).
Col. T.S. Mundi
+0
Nb/ Ris Jasmail Singh
+0
Mr P.D.S. Kohli
+1
Mr Angad Kalaan
+4
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The Yuvraj Shivraj Singh of Jodhpur Cup Eton vs Mayo
The Jubilee Cup The British Army vs The President’s Bodyguard
Presented by His Highness The Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur Philip Treacy OBE
Presented by His Highness The Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur The Lord Vestey
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History of the Game Polo is perhaps the oldest game in the world – having been played over 2500 years ago - and is truly international. The name polo is said to have been derived from the Tibetan word “pulu”, meaning ball.
Ancient Polo In 600 BC the first recorded game of polo took place between the Turkomans and Persians. The Turkomans won. Polo began as a training game for cavalry units, usually the king’s guard or other elite troops. To the warlike tribesmen, who played it with as many as 100 to a side, it was a miniature battle. Persian literature and art give us the richest accounts of polo in antiquity. Ferdowsi, the famed poet-historian, gives a number of accounts of royal polo tournaments in his 9th century epic, Shahnameh (the Epic of Kings). In the earliest account, Ferdowsi romanticizes an international match between Turanian force and the followers of Siyâvash, a legendary prince from the earliest centuries of the Empire. The game spread into North India. In fact Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim Emperor of North India, actually died accidentally in 1210 playing polo. From Persia, in medieval times polo spread to the Byzantines (who called it tzykanion), and
Sir Winston Churchill Old Harrovian
The Prince of Wales in Jodhpur 1922
Modern Polo after the Muslim conquests to the Ayyubid and Mameluke dynasties of Egypt and the Levant, whose elites favored it above all other sports. Notable sultans such as Saladin and Baybars were known to play it and encourage it in their court. Polo sticks were features on the Mameluke precursor to modern day playing cards.
The modern game of polo, though formalized and popularized by the British, is derived from Manipur (now a state in India) when British tea planters discovered the game in Manipur (Munipoor) on the Burmese border with India and established the first polo club in the world at Silchar, west of Manipur in 1862.
Polo was passed from Persia to other parts of Asia including the Indian subcontinent and China, where it was very popular during the Tang Dynasty and frequently depicted in paintings and statues.
In 1869, Edward “Chicken” Hartopp, 10th Hussars, read an account of the game in The Field, while stationed at Aldershot, and, with brother officers, organised the first game known then as “hockey on horseback”- on a hastily-rolled Hounslow Heath against The 9th Lancers. The 1st Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards were quick to follow suit on grounds at Hounslow and in Richmond Park; and then on a small ground near Earl’s Court known as Lillie Bridge. The first polo club in England was Monmouthshire, founded by Capt. Francis “Tip” Herbert, 7th Lancers, at his brother’s seat, Clytha Park,
The Moguls were largely responsible for taking the game from Persia to the east and by the 16th century the Emperor Babur had established it in India. Polo was revived in Japan by the 8th Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684-1751) and was played until early 20th century. It was the favourite sport of the last Shogun who surrendered power to the Emperor in 1868.
near Abergavenny in 1872. In 1875, the first official match in Argentina took place on 3rd September, where the game had been taken by English and Irish engineers and ranchers.
Prince Philip playing polo
Join the british polo day around the world As British Cavalry Officers travelled the four corners of the earth, they learnt to play and love polo, spreading the game from Argentina to Australia. Polo is thriving everywhere it is played. British Polo Day celebrates the heritage of the game in each country, reviving some of the old rivalries whilst bridging cultures, in a quintessentially British Day. www.britishpoloday.com British Polo Day India, December 2012 British Polo Day Dubai, March 2013 British Polo Day Abu Dhabi, April 2013 British Polo Day United Kingdom, June 2013 British Polo Day France, June 2013 British Polo Day Germany, July 2013 British Polo Day Russia, September 2013 British Polo Day Singapore, September 2013 British Polo Day Mexico, November 2013 British Polo Day Brazil, 2014
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In countries all over the world, polo has a long history of raising significant funding for worthy causes. Wherever possible, British Polo Day is entirely committed to bringing to bear the full weight of our Partners, network and creative talent to this end. In partnership with our host in each case, British Polo Day divides the fundraising proceeds from charity auctions and raffles that are held at any event between local & British Charities. In so doing, the polo ties between two nations are reinforced further through shared philanthropic aims. The Indian Head Injury Foundation (IHIF) was founded by His Highness Maharaja Gajsingh of Marwar-Jodhpur in February 2007 and it began in a very modest, unassuming way: “A father concerned for his injured son. This is a story that can be understood by all peoples of all nations.” Since then, the Foundation has remained focused on its mission – to build a comprehensive system in India for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury, and to provide neuro-rehabilitation to such patients. Head Injuries Through Sport (HITS) was founded by Sandra Cronan, Greta Morrison and Francesca Schwarzenbach to help those who have suffered head injuries through sport and to further the work of The National Brain Appeal, a charity dedicated to raising much needed funds for The National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery, London. British Polo Day is committed to raising significant funding for these two Charities year-on-year – both founded for personal reasons on behalf of those who endure head injuries – and would urge guests to bid freely and generously during Sunday’s Loud Auction in aid of these aligned causes.
The British Polo Day India Fundraising Committee
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The Indian Head Injury Foundation (IHIF) was founded by His Highness Maharaja Gajsingh II of Jodhpur in February 2007. HH Maharaja’s son, Shivraj Singh, met with a serious head injury while playing polo in 2005. He lost consiousness following the injury, was rushed to the SMS Hospital, Jaipur and subsequently to Bombay Hospital, Mumbai. After surgery he was taken to The United States of America for neuro-rehabilitation at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York. As a result of this experience, His Highness became acutely aware of the enormous problem with treating head injuries in India. In fact, India has the highest incidence of head injuries in the world, with essentially no infrastructure for rapid response and treatment. It became obvious to His Highness that specialists for physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and neuropsychological support had to be brought from the USA to work, as a team, in Jodhpur, as there is no dedicated neurorehabilitation Centre in India. Shivraj has amazed everyone as he continues to improve almost six years following his injury through an intensive neuro-rehabilitation program, supervised by rehab specialists from India and abroad. This experience led the Maharaja to establish IHIF so that other Indians, especially those who do not have extensive resources, can receive high-quality aid immediately following injury, as well as neuro-critical care in hospital and finally neuro-rehabilitation, to allow patients to independently manage their activities of daily living as quickly as possible.
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HEAD INJURY
THROUGH SPORT
HITS (Head Injury Through Sport) was Co-Founded with Sandra Cronan, Greta Morrison and myself last year for similar reasons to those which lead His Highness Gajsingh II to establish the Indian Head Injury Foundation. Each of our lives had been touched by the trauma of head injuries sustained personally or by loved ones with life-threatening consequences, whilst playing polo. Our mission at HITS is to help those who have suffered head injuries through sport by enhanced medical management and subsequent aftercare. Research has shown that recovery and good outcome is vastly improved by early, accurate diagnosis and treatment, as well as aftercare to deal with long term disability. We are extremely proud, and humbled, to have raised over ÂŁ100,000 earlier this year at a Charity Gala evening in London. This money helped to close the ÂŁ1.35 million target of The National Brain Appeal to create a Neuroimaging Analysis Centre at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. HITS is delighted to be associated with British Polo Day India 2013, and we wish all the participants an exciting and successful tournament.
Francesca Schwarzenbach
“A LEGEND IN MOVEMENT” Certain legends draw their strength from their age. Frozen in the past, immobilised forever, they speak only of the past. But sometimes, the magic is so great that a strange phenomenon takes place: the legend lives, breathes, mutates, becomes more beautiful, all the while retaining its aura. A long time ago, back in 1931, in a dusty vortex and to the accompaniment of horses’ hooves hammering, an idea was born: a watch with a dial that could protect itself from shocks, all the while offering a personalised engraved case-back. Eighty years later, the Reverso has progressed from watchmaking icon to cult status. The Reverso is so unique that with the passing of time, it has been made in many other guises without losing its essence. Today, wearing a Reverso from the current collections on your wrist is an entry to an exclusive world – not only in terms of watchmaking history, but above all to a universe of technical perfection and aesthetic refinement. By inventing the Reverso, a small group of men with great imagination and innovative spirit did far more than create a simple reversible case. They gave birth to an emotion which has lasted more than 80 years, and designed a watch whose endless possibilities are still being discovered. The Reverso’s strength lies both in its past, but just as much in its future. Jérome Lambert, CEO Jaeger-LeCoultre
A Tribute to 1931 Reverso, the definitive Polo Players watch by Jaeger-LeCoultre.
re, o l p x e o t d e e n d the n a d l i w e h t ll of u p to. e h d t e n t l r e a f e y r e v y e l p e v m , or si s u h If you ha t i w d e l l e trav e v a ya. h n e u K o y h g r e u h o r h t whet y ourne j a n o u o y e Let us tak Safari of a Lifetime in Kenya with The Safari Collection (5 nights/2 adults) Value $6,420 USD British Polo Day India Loud Auction Lot 2
THE SAFARI COLLECTION Exceptional experiences in East Africa
www.thesafaricollection.com During this adventure of a lifetime you will be experiencing some of Africa’s most unique destinations. You will stay at Giraffe Manor, the only hotel in the world where you can eat breakfast with the endangered Rothschild giraffe. Solio Lodge, which is nestled between the dramatic slopes of Mount Kenya and the rolling peaks of the Aberdare Mountains. It is the best place to see black and white rhino in East Africa. Finally Sasaab, perched above the Ewaso Nyiro River, where you will be blown away by the sensational views from your room. Fill your days with game drives (during which you can see some of Kenya’s more unusual wildlife such as the grevy zebra and wild dog), walks, mountain biking, camel riding and a truly genuine cultural experience. Alternatively you can just relax in your private pool or enjoy a massage overlooking the river. - 2 nights at Solio Lodge in Laikipia - 2 nights at Sasaab in Samburu - 1 night at Giraffe Manor in Nairobi This prize is only valid for travel completed before 31th September 2013. It is subject to availability, non transferable and cannot be combined with any other offers or special rates.Please be aware that international flights, internal flights, park and conservation fees are not included. To organize the details of your holiday please email: info@thesafaricollection.com
www.thesafaricollection.com
GIRAFFE MANOR | SALA’S CAMP | SASAAB | SOLIO LODGE
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Per Aquum Desert Palm (3 nights/2 people) - Value $1,000 USD British Polo Day India Loud Auction Lot 3 Prize is for a three nights stay for two people at Desert Palm retreat on a complimentary bed and breakfast basis with complimentary round trip transfer to and from Dubai airport. Set on a private polo estate, Desert Palm brings Per AQUUM chic to Dubai with its elegant, understated design and naturally modern suites and villas. This exclusive retreat features a LIME spa, two award winning restaurants – Rare and Epicure, Red bar, The Polo Bar, infinity pool, landscaped gardens and spectacular views of the Dubai skyline. The property is located on a private estate, which features four polo fields, riding school, stabling facilities for over 300 horses and 90 residential villas. Desert Palm’s guest accommodation includes 13 beautifully appointed Palm Suites with views over the main polo fields and estate grounds, five new Polo Suites with balconies leading down to the gardens, six one-bedroom Pool Villas, each with private pool, 13 two-bedroom Pool Residences with private pool, and a contemporary inspired Presidential Suite, Villa Layali, also with its own private pool. Desert Palm offers outstanding culinary options, with fresh produce flown in from around the world. Signature restaurant Rare showcases succulent cuts of the finest steak; in Red, guests can enjoy meticulously sourced vintages from the Old and New Worlds; while Epicure offers a deli café experience with international all day dining delicacies and refreshing drinks next to the infinity pool. LIME Spa complements the Desert Palm experience with tailored massages, beauty services and relaxation with sauna, steam, ice room, ice plunge pool and heated beds. Room will be allocated on arrival - Prize is subject to availability - Prize cannot be transferred or exchanged for cash - Insurance is not included - Valid until 30th September 2013.
www.peraquum.com
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BRITISH POLO DAY PERSONALITIES Lord Wrottesley Player - Eton Clifton Wrottesley is a 0 goal player who has Polo in his blood. However, he only started playing when he joined the British Army in 1992. On leaving the Army in the mid-1990s he had to give up Polo to compete at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games, coming fourth in the Skeleton event. He took up Polo again in 2004, winning the coveted Gerald Balding Cup in 2005 and 2011. Clifton is a passionate rider of the Cresta Run in St. Moritz, Switzerland and has won several of the major races there over the last 15 years. Clifton is married to Sascha, and they have 3 sons, Victor, Magnus and Luca.
Philip Treacy OBE Fashion Partner British Polo Day Treacy’s career over the last two decades has been prolific and high profile. Using fashion catwalks as his platform around the world to convey his message and to challange peoples perception of the hat. HRH Duchess of Cambridge says “Philip Treacy’s hats are a work of art -he is a true millinery genius”. Winning the British Fashion Accessory desginer of the year award no less than 5 times he is nominated for a 6th award this year. Adding to a number of global awards including Travel and Leisure, ‘Best Interior desgin for the G Hotel in Ireland of which he is the creative director’. His first time in India, we are delighted to welcome Philip Treacy to British Polo Day India.
Lord Vestey British Representative - British Polo Day India Lord Vestey started playing polo with The British Army in 1960. He then continued in England at Guards Polo Club in 1961, before playing with his regiment The Scots Guards in Kenya in 1962/63. In 1961 Lord Vestey and his brother Mark started their Stowell Park and Foxcote teams with Eduardo Moore and Hector Barrantes. During the next twelve years they won The Cowdray Gold Cup five times and The Queen’s Cup seven times. Lord Vestey was Chairman of Cirencester Park Polo Club for 12 years and also a steward of the Hurlingham Polo Association. He retired from polo in 1983, after winning The Queen’s Cup for his brother who had an accident the previous year.
Simon Ledger Master of Ceremonies Simon Ledger is a retired Lt Col in the British Cavalry regiment, The Light Dragoons. He joined the Army in 1975 and has served all over the world including Northern Ireland, UK, Germany, Norway, Cyprus, the Middle East and Kosovo. Playing polo since 1976, he has run the Tidworth PC as well as the Cyprus Polo Association and the CSPA. He began commentating in 1987 (polo, eventing and race calling) and since 1994 has commentated for all the major polo tours at Tidworth PC, Guards PC, Sandhurst and all British Polo Days worldwide. Chairman of the Army Polo Association since 2003; he organises all Army Polo activity..
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Specialists in Contemporary Equestrian Paintings and Sculptures
The Osborne Studio Gallery, 2 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8JU Tel: 020 7235 9667 Fax: 020 7235 9668 Email: gallery@osg.uk.com
www.osg.uk.com
Taj. Forever s edu c t i ve, f o re ve r t r u st e d , f o re ve r e n c h a n t i n g. Fro m a u t h e n t i c In d i a n p a l a c es t o l a ndma rk c i t y h o t e l s, f ro m d a z z l i n g re so r t p ro p e r t i e s t o p a st o ra l sa f a r i l odg es, enj oy a t ho u gh t f u l b l e n d o f t ra d i t i o n a n d m o d e r n i t y i n t h e d i st i n c t i ve a n d hi g hl y p er s onal Ta j m a n n e r. Fa b u l o u s su i t e s, sp l e n d i d d i n i n g, a n d t ra n q u i l Ji va sp a s a w a i t . Di s c over t he Ta j d i f f e re n c e a t ove r 8 5 h o t e l s a ro u n d t h e w o r l d . For r e s e r v a t i on s a n d s p e c i a l of f e r s , p l e a s e v i s i t t a j h ot e l s .c om , c a l l 0 0. 8 0 0.45 8 8 .18 2 5 t ol l f r e e , e m a i l r e s e r v a t i on s @ t a j h ot e l s .c om , or c ont a c t y ou r t r a v e l c on s u l t a nt . India
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N e w Yo r k • B o s t o n • S a n F r a n c i s c o • L o n d o n • C a p e To w n • Z a m b i a Dubai • Maldives • Sri Lanka • Langkawi • Bhutan • Sydney
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Marrakech
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map of jodhpur *
BRITISH POLO DAY Places of interest
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Fort Mehrangarh & Museum
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Umaid Bahawan Palace
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The Polo Ground
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partners
info@britishpoloday.com - +44 (0) 207 235 6606 - www.britishpoloday.com