28/07/2026
🐴 Did you know that more than 150 horses took part in International Day?
From tiny Biscuit, proudly carrying the England flag, to breathtaking Guri Espanola, winner of the coveted Bendicks Best Playing Pony prize, every horse on the field is unique, and every one is a superstar.
What many people don’t see is that the match itself is just a small part of a polo pony’s life.
High standards of horse welfare are built on year-round care. This includes carefully managed fitness programmes, balanced nutrition, regular veterinary, farriery, and dental care, and much more. Crucially, they benefit from experienced horsemanship thanks to a highly skilled team of grooms dedicated to their care.
Polo also places welfare at the centre of the game itself. Horses play in short chukkas to avoid fatigue, with players changing horses regularly so that no horse plays for more than a few minutes at a time. After each game, horses are cooled down, rehydrated, and assessed before returning home, with recovery forming an essential part of their routine.
The responsibility doesn’t end when the season finishes either. Whether they continue playing, enjoy a lighter workload, or retire from the sport, the welfare of polo ponies remains a top priority even after their playing careers. And polo can be a second career too; we welcome many former racehorses into the sport and are proud to work with to celebrate them.
Every member of the polo community plays their part, and at the HPA our Equine Manager Vix Chapple and Welfare Chair David Morley lead the way. Vix has spent a lifetime with horses - in polo, polocrosse, reining, and more - while David’s commitment and knowledge is unparalleled. With the help of our Welfare Committee - including several vets - Vix and David work tirelessly to protect, promote, and monitor pony welfare through rules, welfare checks, drug testing and more.
International Day celebrates outstanding polo and world-class players, but above all it celebrates the remarkable horses who make the sport possible. To our grooms and ponies: THANK YOU 👏
📸 TheArtOfPolo
