Polo

Although the sport of polo has an elite image fed by glossy photos of celebrities sipping champagne on manicured lawns while top players and patrons jet around the world with strings of ponies, it is played at all levels from Pony Club upwards. The sport’s governing body is the Hurlingham Polo Association.

Participation is growing across the board and it is quite possible to play polo on a budget, with one pony, and enjoy both the game and the social life for similar costs to competing in other disciplines. If you want to give it a try, you can book a lesson at your local club, which will typically include horse hire.

The sport hit the headlines over concerns about the safety requirement of players’ headgear. Guards Polo Club introduced a rule requiring a higher safety standard of hat after one of its players was left in a coma following a serious fall during summer 2014.