The sheen of expensive horseflesh, the thunder of galloping hooves, the crack of mallet against ball, impeccably attired spectators stomping divots on acres of manicured grass: these are just some of the sights and sounds of polo, a high-speed and heroic test of athleticism and heart by horse and rider.
While perhaps best known as the logo for Ralph Lauren, the Game of Kings has been around so long, more than 2,000 years to be exact, that the it pre-dates recorded history. First conceived as military training for royalty’s elite cavalry, ancient oral accounts mention the sport in areas so vast—from Constantinople to Baghdad, from Persia to China and Japan—that historians have been unable to establish an exact place of origin. These matches were said to mimic a battle with up to 100 men on a side, becoming a favored pastime of kings, emperors, shahs and sultans.
While perhaps best known as the logo for Ralph Lauren, the Game of Kings has been around more than 2,000 years
British military, returning from India, introduced the sport to the U.K. From there, polo spread worldwide.
Here is an offering of polo estates to usher the sport into its next era.