Polo is popular and spectators with riders in South Africa

This exciting sport probably originated in Persia and was used for training cavalry. Today, players compete internationally, writes Dr Mac.

- Dr Mac

While horse racing is known as the Sport of Kings, polo is called the Game of Kings. Watching the princes of the British royal family galloping their polo horses around a field attests to the truth of this.

Polo is played on a pitch 150m wide and 275m long. On each end is an 8m-high goal post that is flexible. A polo pitch is traditionally a grass lawn that has a sand base. Before each match, washed sand is sprinkled over the surface and rolled in. The game is usually played out in the open, but there are also indoor polo arenas with specially designed surfaces.