Muhammad Babangida discusses a few of the most common misconceptions you'll find in Polo.

1. COMMON POLO
MISCONCEPTIONS
Muhammad Babangida

2. The sport of polo has been around centuries,
dating all the way back to the 6th century. When
something has been around that long, it’s not
uncommon for people to develop
misconceptions about that thing. It’s hard to
blame someone for having these misconceptions
if they’re not a part of that culture, and with Polo
often being considered a more niche activity,
none of this really comes off as a surprise. Here
are a few common misconceptions seen
surrounding polo and the truth about them.

3. Polo Isn't For
Everyone
For years polo was believed to be a man’s sport, and not
just a man’s sport but a rich man’s sport. This is likely due
to polo’s roots being traces all the way back to sixth
century Persia and how it was used to train cavalry units
back then. Older men were also who we typically saw
play polo due to likely being retired and having more
time to put into the sport, as it can be very involved and
requires large amounts of time dedicated to it. Luckily as
time moves on, things change and that’s exactly what
happened with polo. Today polo is more accessible than
ever before, especially to women and younger players.

4. To Play Polo You
Must Own A
Horse
With many horse-related activities, it’s often believed that
you must own a horse in order to partake in that activity.
This may also stem back to polo and other horse-related
activities being only for the wealthy, but luckily this
misconception is further from the truth. Many modern
polo players will rent or lease the horses they play with,
and some collegiate programs will lease their horses as a
way of paying for their program. Having your own horse
and stable is definitely ideal, but anyone can play polo if
they can afford to rent a horse.

5. You Need A
Particular Body
Type To Play Polo
When you see someone tall you may say to yourself “oh
they’d be good at basketball” or when you see someone
with muscular, broad shoulders you may go “oh they
could be a football player”. This isn’t something that
happens very often with polo, as there is no particular
body type that is best suited for the sport. Polo players
don’t really have any defining physical aspect that gives
them away, and you’ll often even find that they may be
short or have no muscle at all but can still play polo at
the top level.

6. Thanks!
LINKEDIN
Muhammad Babangida
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MuhammadBabangida.ng