POLO ON THE FRONTIER Mongolia
Late nights were spent listening to stories of the club’s founders, the development of camel polo in the Gobi desert, elephant polo in Nepal and the alluring history of a country that entices guests back year after year.
The fi nal day saw the crowds swell with a few extra-confused rural Mongols, as the main event drew near - Mongolia vs the Rest of the World for the Shanghai Tang Gold Cup. We quickly agreed I should sit this one out as we pushed forward our best players from the amassed international contingent. As the game started we all realised that the Mongols may have been previously holding back. They now openly re-enacted a savage beating more akin to Genghis Khan’s bygone age than a so-called 21st century friendly. With the fi nal score 8-2 our brave touring warriors exited the stage only to be heard mumbling the famous words ‘It was defi nitely a 60, not a 50’ regarding a missed opportunity in a now long passed fi rst-chukka!
As the grand event drew near competition heated up as local Mongolians revelled in the opportunity to exhibit their superior equestrian expertise on the local 12hh packhorses. Sturdy, half-wild and perennially sure-footed, Mongolian horses have been key to the development and movement of civilisations across central Asia for centuries and they remain the life partners of the Nomads.
The line-ups for the Shanghai Tang Silver Cup included representatives from nine nations across four teams in a schedule designed to make best use of the available horses and short summer days. The competition ahead looked hard as we challenged experienced players from India, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mongolia for the coveted Silver Cup. The play may not have ranked with the Gold Cup or The Roehampton, but the competition saw every player vying hard for the impressive prize. After the fi nal whistle blew, with sweat dripping from my brow, I swore to send someone better in my place next year; our team was last only by a marmot’s tooth in the fi nal chukka.
16
The fi nal evening remains one I will always remember as new friends and generous hosts joked and laughed long into the night, cocooned in the warmth of a felt ger amidst the great wilderness of the Mongolian Steppe. Story after story reaffi rmed the great reach that polo carries across the world.
As we left the camp on the fi nal day I will never forget that beautiful vista. The ger camp stands atop a hill beneath which the Orkhon River meanders into the far distance towards Genghis Khan’s ancient capital, Karakorum.
Finally, I would like to offer my thanks for the kindness and vision of our host Christopher Giercke, as we extend an open invitation from Ham and long-established reciprocal club connection to the Genghis Khan Polo and Riding Club, Mongolia.
DRIPPING from my brow, I SWORE TO SEND
“With sweat
BETTER in my place next year.”
SOMEONE
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