Hurlingham Autumn 2019 - page 66

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66
A R C H I V E
S L A D M O R E G A LL E RY, LO N D O N
P O L O O N T H E M A L L
Jemima Wilson explores the origins of one of US polo’s greatest
traditions – polo on the DC National Mall
As the First World War was drawing to
a close in 1918, the US Army was keen to
maintain morale within its ranks. For
them ‘physical fitness, teamwork and
combativeness’ was key – and polo was
a great way to enhance these attributes.
Over time, the military launched a remount
programme and built indoor riding
armouries throughout the country. Thanks
to the support from the military, the profile
of the game was boosted on a national level.
One of the largest remount stations built
was in Front Royal in Virginia, where a large
number of US cavalry officers from the War
Department were based. The game became a
useful tool for the training and development
of officers. Those who remained calm and
strategic under pressure on the polo field
quickly moved up the ranks, while others
would enhance their skills through the game.
By 1920, army officers from Fort Myer were
playing polo in the Washington DC National
Mall; a place that has since played host to the
International Polo Cup.
The following year, the War Department
held the first Annual Military Polo Ball in
Washington, combining sport, military and
society. Guests President Warren G Harding
and his wife Florence were the first tenants
of the White House to attend a polo game
on the National Mall, and the president
became the first patron of the polo match
on the DC National Mall, a tradition that
has continued with every US president since.
That match led to the first International
Polo Match to take place on US soil, which
saw the War Department take to the field
against Cuba.
Military polo continued to grow in the
US and abroad. The matches on the National
Mall championed the military tradition
of sportsmanship while boosting patriotic
support of the game. This post-war spirit
helped to maintain relations between the US
and other countries, and today – almost 100
years since that first foray into polo on the
Mall – the International Polo tour remains
as vital to the spirit of the game as ever.
From left:
Doug Vere Nicoll. Roger
Rinehart, Raymond Vere Nicoll,
Owen Rinehart at The Mall in 1972
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