La Estancia: we visited a professional polo club in Hungary
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On the outskirts of Etyek lies the La Estancia Polo Club, a private estate of the Zimmermann Family and one of the strongholds of the Hungarian polo sport. The owners breed and train Argentinian polo horses, and as the sport is not very common in Hungary, the professionals and their horses attend mostly international competitions.
Polo – from the beginnings to Hungary
Horse polo is a sport that is still rarely practised in Hungary but has a long tradition and history. Since not many people are really familiar with it, we thought we would introduce it briefly.
Its name comes from the Tibetan word pulu, meaning ball. The history of polo dates back to 600 BC, and Persia was its birthplace. It became a national sport in the Persian Empire and spread throughout the empire. Later, polo became popular in other areas, such as India, with the spread of Islam. The British cavalry officers stationed there quickly took a liking to it, and then it was introduced to Europe. From the latter half of the 19th century, the term polo was regularly used by Indians and Englishmen. It was even an Olympic sport before the Second World War, with a total of five Olympic Games (1900, 1908, 1920, 1924, 1936).
Surprisingly enough, there used to be a dominant polo scene in Hungary before WWII. The regiments fielded 16 teams, and there was an intense competition scene. For instance, at the 1936 Olympics, the Hungarian team (Kálmán Bartalis, István Bethlen, Tivadar Dienes-Öhm, Dezső Kovács, Imre Szentpály) finished 4th. After the political changes, the sport was revived in the early 1990s, mainly by foreigners working and living in Hungary and some Hungarian enthusiasts.
Currently, there are 4 polo clubs in Hungary.
Polo in brief
Polo is a team sport, with teams of 4 to 4 riders competing against each other. Due to the high performance of the horses, the size of the field is much larger than, for example, a football pitch: a standard field is 300 yards (about 274 m) long and 200 yards (about 182 m) wide, with a goal at each end to hit a hard ball into. The ball can accelerate up to 150 km/h, making it dangerous for players. Thats why the sport has strict rules to avoid possible accidents and injuries for players and horses. The standard equipment is a helmet and knee pads. White trousers to play is a must! Each player uses several horses in a match and changes after each quarter. 1 or even 2 referees ensure the rules are respected during the game.
Social manners are expected from the players on and off the field!
