MYOPIA
history of polo
A POLO TIMELINE 600 B.C.: The earliest form of polo is played in the Persian Empire. 1862: The world’s oldest active polo club, the Calcutta Polo Club, is established. 1868: The oldest polo club outside of India, the Malta Polo Club, is founded. 1874: The Hurlingham Rules are codified, limiting the number of players on a team to five, and it institutes the offside rule. 1876: A group of players establish the first formal club in the U.S., the Westchester Polo Club, at Jerome Park race track in New York. 1879: The first official polo match is held in Argentina. 1887: Myopia Polo Club, the oldest active polo club in the U.S., is founded. 1888: Handicaps and player ratings are introduced to polo in the U.S. 1900: Polo is added as an Olympic sport, until 1936. 1910: India and England add handicaps and player ratings. 1915: The Indoor Polo Association is established.
Gay Boy with J.A. Crawford, above, and in the prime of his career in the 1920s, left.
1922: The Argentine Polo Association is established. 1926: The 1926 Open pits the Hurricanes against Argentina as more than 30,000 spectators look on. 1928: More than 100,000 people witness the Cup of the Americas at Meadowbrook. 1967: The USPA moves its headquarters from New York to Oak Brook, Illinois. 1982: The Federation of International Polo is established. 1986: The USPA moves its national headquarters to Lexington, Kentucky. 1990: The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame is founded. 2005: The Women’s Championship Tournament is created. 2013: The National Youth Tournament Series is established. 2016: There are more than 275 polo clubs registered with the USPA, with more than 4,500 members. Myopia hosts the NYTS Championships.
28 myopia polo 2020
The Pull of the Ponies
“Two heads, four legs and one heart,” is often used to describe the connection between horse and rider on the pitch. there is an almost mythical allure to the sport of polo, and much of that draw can be attributed to what many consider to be the best athletes on the field: the horses. Often afforded nearly as much of the spotlight as the riders, these four-legged athletes gallop at top speed, cut sharply and turn on a dime.
They are strong, beautiful and the best among them show a drive and willingness that help them stand out. What is it about polo that captures people’s imagination? “It’s the horses, for sure,” says Brenda Lynn, director of development at the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in Lake Worth,
