Empire Polo Club’s equestrian elegance

As the cliché goes, polo is the sport of kings…in which case, Empire Polo Club in Indio reigns supreme. Lush green fields, majestic horses, and players adorned in full polo regalia create a captivating scene, completed by dressed-to-impress spectators in stands and on picnic blankets.

Founded in 1987 and situated in Indio, California, Empire Polo Club features 12 grass polo fields, a regulation-sized polo arena, two exercise tracks, both polo and hunter/jumper stabling, The Tack Room Tavern Restaurant and the Date Shed Night Club. The Club accommodates a turn out of 700 horses, making it one of the largest polo clubs on the west coast.

HISTORY:

The sport of polo has a rich history, originating in central Asia. It was first played in Persia (Iran) between the 6th century BC and the 1st century AD by the nomadic Iranian people. Women played as well as men. It was originally a training game for cavalry units, usually the king’s guard or other elite troops. To the warlike tribesmen, who played with as many as 100 to a side, it was a miniature battle. The game was played from Constantinople, where Emperor Theodosius II constructed a polo ground early in the 5th century, to Japan by the Middle Ages. The game also spread south to Arabia and to India and Tibet.

The game quickly spread throughout Europe when the soldiers broughtthe game back to England, and it became more formal with leagues and teams.

British and Irish immigrants in the Argentine pampas started practicing polo during their free time. The sport spread quickly among the skillful gauchos in Argentina, and Argentina is now noted for having the largest contingent of 10 handicap players out of any other country.

The modern, international game of polo is derived from the form played in Manipur, India, where it was played even by commoners who owned a pony.

James Gordon Bennett Jr. organized what was recorded as the first polo match in the United States at Dickel's Riding Academy in New York City in May, 1876. Bennett established the Westchester Polo Club.

Polo has become a spectator sport for equestrians and high society, often supported by sponsorships. It is now popular around the world, with well over 100 member countries in the Federation of International Polo, played professionally in 16 countries. Polo was an  Olympic sport from 1900 to 1936.

HOW TO PLAY:

Taking place on horseback, polo is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ball through the opposing team's goal. Each team has four mounted riders, and the game usually lasts one to two hours, divided into seven-minute periods called chukkas or chukkers.

Arena polo is an indoor or semi-outdoor variant with similar rules and is played with three riders per team. The playing field is smaller, enclosed and usually comprised of compacted sand or fine aggregate. Arena polo has more maneuvering due to space limitations and uses an air-inflated ball slightly larger than the hard solid ball used in field polo. Standard mallets are used, though slightly larger, and head arena mallets are an option.

SEASON:

Empire Polo Club’s winter season begins in December with pre-season weekend tournaments. The main season starts in January and continues through the first weekend in April, offering one-goal, four-goal and eight-goal leagues. Polo games are open to the public, and spectators are invited to attend. Sunday Polo kicks off with Opening Day and Hat Day in early January, and there are weekly featured matches at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tailgating and general admission are free with a $20 parking fee at Empire Polo Club. VIP seating is also available for an additional fee.

The Empire Polo Club hosts local, national and international matches and tournaments. The grounds are owned by Alex Haagen, III. Since 1993, the Empire Polo Club has leased its polo grounds annually to the organizers of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Festival, bringing awareness of the polo venue to hip crowds who swarm the east valley each year to immerse themselves in music.   

Newbies interested in learning how to play polo can sign up for sessions offered by the Los Angeles Polo Training Center & Polo School which is located on property at the Empire Polo Club.

If you’re new to the sport, just remember to clap lightly so as not to startle the horses. It’s pretty easy to look like a pro, and thereality is that anyone can play and/or watch polo.