The Dwindling Sports of Polo from the Lens of Rinaa Shah, First Indian Woman Polo Player!

The 4-Goal Army Polo Cup of 2014 was the first professional tournament for Rinaa Shah. Just two minutes before the game could end, her horse slipped and the next moment Shah was under the horse. Recounting the incident, Shah, who was 40 years of age says that people already thought that she was dead. "Then, in one minute, I woke up and got back on the horse," she says. The team won the game with Rinaa Shah being the first professional woman polo player, a sport that never gained recognition among the commoners in India. 

While it was already uncommon for people to witness a girl on the ground playing a sport like Polo which is dominated by men, the sport itself has been an unusual affair for the country that is supposed to have contributed to its origins. Last year was a mega affair for the sport when The Indian Polo Association and PS Ventures conducted the first edition of the Indian Arena Polo League (IAPL), a four-week long league that was played in Delhi and Jaipur with the players from 20 countries participating in the auction process.

In Mumbai's Bombay Gymkhana, polo made a comeback after a century when the Amateur Riders’ Club (ARC), considered the home of polo in the city, helped conduct a one-off polo game between the ARC and Bombay Gym teams. A club member, Shah, who now owns her own polo team, mentioned that the sport "does not generate money," highlighting the reasons for the sport's lack of popularity in India, despite its association with the country since Mughal times.

Polo reportedly traces its origins back to the Mughal era when it was known as 'Chaugan.' History records that the first Sultan of Delhi, Qutb-ud-din Aibak, died in Lahore in 1210 CE after falling from his horse during a polo match. Some historical accounts also mention the sport in the histories of Kashmir, Leh, and Manipur. During the British era, polo was introduced to the British by the Indians, becoming a royal pastime. After India's independence, up until the 1980s, the Indian Army dominated the game, with only a few civilians participating.

It is Equisport, India’s first and only organisation that also offers consultancy and specialised management related to polo and since 1996, has been working to revive the heritage and authenticity of polo in India. Even Shah aimed to keep the spirit of polo alive through her entrepreneurial journey with a special product line, including equestrian-inspired shoes and handbags, under her brand Rinaldi, which shut down operations a few years ago.

Why is Polo behind the race?

Two years after returning from New York to Mumbai, Rinaa Shah had gone to watch a polo match at Mahalakshmi Race Course with a friend when she fell in love with horses. "The game looked so majestic that I got an urge to ride the horse," Shah narrates. The journey started for her soon after in 2011 and she wanted to check whether she could even ride a horse or not. "One of the major challenges with Polo is that it is viewed as a dangerous sport in India," she says. 

Such perceptions could be the reason why Shah did not receive the support of her family and friends in the initial days. However, Shah had to go for this danger as she says, "I was willing to sacrifice my friends and family and lost a lot of people in that bargain. Because, for me, it was worth doing what I committed to". The training included riding horses from morning to evening, while Shah would also practice yoga and play squash for stamina. "I would also swim for endurance and be very particular about my sleeping patterns and food habits", Shah says adding that neither would she go to parties nor did she have friends then.

However, it was the athletic nature of Shah's personality that helped her crack a sport like Polo that requires sheer strength. Rinaa was an athlete while growing up who would often take part in 100 metres swimming."I always wanted to be an athlete when I was in school, " says Shah who was already a designer and entrepreneur when she took up Polo later in her life. Shah considers Polo to be the hardest thing that she ever did physically. "I would always get injured. There is no count as to how many aches and injuries I would get and would think of quitting but I never did", she says. Shah injured herself two years back when her ribs and vertebra were broken and hence, is away from the sport, on doctors' recommendations.

To prevent injuries in the early days, however, Shah had to go to other countries for training. According to Shah, another significant issue with polo in India is the lack of quality training facilities or a dedicated polo school. She went to Argentina, the UK, and even America for that. "I went to Argentina to a club where they teach polo because Argentina is Mecca of polo," Shah says. Talking about the Polo culture in India with other countries, Shah opines, "Polo is not in the culture of India. If you go to Argentina, even the cleaner and the ones who take care of the horses are also good player while in India, there are not even 100 active players".

In a country that might have a deep history with the sport, the recurrence of poverty counts as a reason behind its unpopularity. According to a report, a hus, a top-class polo pony can easily cost anything between Rs. 4-10 lakh. While a young horse can be cheaper, up to about Rs 1 lakh but it takes two years to be trained. "One needs to have a good horse, very big land and money for it and it cannot be possible in sports like Polo in India," Shah says. Even for the people who own a team like her, she mentions, one needs to have the "best player" in the team. "The owner can never get a cash prize otherwise," she says adding that a lot of money is put and it never comes back. "Only crazy people like me can continue in this context," Shah states with a chuckle.

The cultural biases and how they changed

Other than the affordability, Polo's association with the specific communities in India also plays a role in keeping it away from others. Even Shah had to deal with the biases over which she says, "People from affluent families or the Army and the Rajputs who might have had horses around them can play Polo and I always faced biases and there was no respect as I did not come from these backgrounds."  

For a sidelined sport like polo, which is dominated by men, encountering gender bias is not unusual, and Shah experienced it in many places. "Being a Gujarati girl, I was never exposed to sports or allowed to participate in them. My family was not supportive. They would often question why I needed to pursue this and were scared for me," she recalls. Beyond her family, Shah mentions that people would bet that she would eventually quit polo. "I was laughed at, and no one took me seriously," Shah says.

Things changed for her when Rinaa Shah returned from Argentina and went straight to Jodhpur to play in an amateur tournament. "This incident changed the perception of people and my parents also accepted me after three years and even friends supported me on seeing my sheer determination for the sports," Shah states. Shah has been part of Raikabagh team in Jodhpur in 2015, ARC Arena Polo Tournament, Hermes Cup, in 2016, Royal Salute Tournament in 2016, Trunks Polo Cup in 2017,and various international tournaments. "It is a thrilling experience to have different horses in various countries. I have learned and grown with that," she says.  

The injuries Shah sustained from polo led her to take a break, during which she explored another passion. Initially a drummer, Shah also played the piano and turned to music in search of solace. Known as Viking Soul, she is now experimenting with Afro-tech music as a DJ. She trained at the DJ school in Amsterdam, and her visit to Africa in 2022 inspired her to embrace the genre. But why choose a style of music that isn’t very popular in India? "I started everything very late in life. When you enter a field late, you either need to shine or be different," she explains.

Along with continuing music for life, Shah is eying to play smaller unprofessional tournaments from December this year and seems ready to ride the horses once again. "Even if I don't take part in the sports, I will always ride horses till I die," she says adding that there is "still no joy than playing that 14-minute polo match".