10 Things You Didn't Know About Polo

Did you know....that Polo is a Persian game?  Or that Prince Charles met his mistress at a Polo match?  Well, now you do. And there's more where that came from!

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For your all your Bridgehampton small-talk needs, here are ten things you didn't know about the Hamptons' favorite sport:

Polo is originally a Persian sport. The first games took place in a few centuries BC.

Prince Charles met his mistress at a Polo match.

Early Polo shirts introduced the button-down collar to fashion; Lewis Lacey invented the modern-day polo in 1920.Prince Charles met his mistress at a Polo match.

Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim Emperor of North India, died accidentally in 1210 playing polo.  He ruled as an emperor for only four years.

Irony at its finest: Calcutta, the poorest city in the world, is home to the world's oldest Polo club.

Polo must be played right-handed.

Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby is modeled after America's greatest polo player,  Tommy Hitchcock, Jr.

The horse may be the most popular vehicle, but really any will do (see: Elephant Polo).

Just like volleyball, Beach Polo is gaining fans in Miami, Dubai and recently in the UK as well.

Hunky Hamptons regular and Polo star Nic Roldan is captain of Prince Harry's charity team, Sentebale.

Well there you have it - ten things you didn't know (and probably didn't need to know) about Polo!  We'll see out next Saturday.

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