Elephant Polo. The name alone conjures images of romance and glory. I will not rest until I see a game. A variation of standard polo, the game take place using elephants instead of horses, (as one might surmise from the title). I can only imagine the chaos that results. The home of the game, and the World Elephant Polo Championships is Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in Nepal, but matches can also be found in Sri Lanka, India and England. While New York has a team: "The Blue Elephants", the current champions are England's own "Air Tuskers".
Basic polo equipment is used, although the mallet is modified to reach from the back of the elephant to the ground, some six to nine feet. The field or "pitch" is shorter than a standard polo field (the reasons for this will be discussed in a moment). Due to the difficulty in steering perhaps, each elephant has two riders. The first is the "mahout". Familiar to us from Rudyard Kipling novels, this is the guy who rides on the elephant's head and encourages both movement and direction. The second rider actually plays the game by whacking the ball and calling out directions to the mahout.
As one would expect (and indeed, pay for) several differences to standard polo are immediately apparent. For one thing, elephants are not aerodynamic. They do not turn well, and frankly, they do not care for running as a general rule. This explains the shorter pitch mentioned above. The game can move glacially slow. Particularly if one of the participants steps on the ball. This requires a shovel for retrieval as it will be buried several inches into the turf. In addition, the ball is often lost, hidden behind and under the mounts legs. This is part of the attraction for me. I enjoy sipping cool drinks watching grown men make asses of themselves.
As proof of this, the game re-emerged about 26 years ago reportedly after a bout of heavy drinking by the owner of Tiger Tops and his friends. The game enjoyed some popularity during the British Colonial period in India but fell into disfavor. Celebrity players include Ringo Starr, Bryan Ferry, Steven Seagal, and the late Sir Edmund Hillary.
The game is played under the auspices of the World Elephant Polo Association (and yes, you can get a polo shirt!) which governs the play in Nepal and Thailand. The rules regarding elephant welfare are strictly enforced. Tournaments are not lengthy, and generally are played for charity once a year. Other prizes eagerly anticipated include the coveted Best Dressed Team Award.
The tournament takes place at the end of November and early December.
The championships are usually scheduled at the end of November and beginning of December.
Basic polo equipment is used, although the mallet is modified to reach from the back of the elephant to the ground, some six to nine feet. The field or "pitch" is shorter than a standard polo field (the reasons for this will be discussed in a moment). Due to the difficulty in steering perhaps, each elephant has two riders. The first is the "mahout". Familiar to us from Rudyard Kipling novels, this is the guy who rides on the elephant's head and encourages both movement and direction. The second rider actually plays the game by whacking the ball and calling out directions to the mahout.
As one would expect (and indeed, pay for) several differences to standard polo are immediately apparent. For one thing, elephants are not aerodynamic. They do not turn well, and frankly, they do not care for running as a general rule. This explains the shorter pitch mentioned above. The game can move glacially slow. Particularly if one of the participants steps on the ball. This requires a shovel for retrieval as it will be buried several inches into the turf. In addition, the ball is often lost, hidden behind and under the mounts legs. This is part of the attraction for me. I enjoy sipping cool drinks watching grown men make asses of themselves.
As proof of this, the game re-emerged about 26 years ago reportedly after a bout of heavy drinking by the owner of Tiger Tops and his friends. The game enjoyed some popularity during the British Colonial period in India but fell into disfavor. Celebrity players include Ringo Starr, Bryan Ferry, Steven Seagal, and the late Sir Edmund Hillary.
The game is played under the auspices of the World Elephant Polo Association (and yes, you can get a polo shirt!) which governs the play in Nepal and Thailand. The rules regarding elephant welfare are strictly enforced. Tournaments are not lengthy, and generally are played for charity once a year. Other prizes eagerly anticipated include the coveted Best Dressed Team Award.
The tournament takes place at the end of November and early December.
The championships are usually scheduled at the end of November and beginning of December.
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