Polo Association 1901 Annual

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[162] pp.

1901

5 3/4" x 4 3/8"

Established in 1890 by David Grubbs, the USPA provides resources to over … Read more [162] pp.

1901

5 3/4" x 4 3/8"

Established in 1890 by David Grubbs, the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual members[3] and 250 polo clubs[4] across the U.S. and Canada, including promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its member clubs and registered players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions and games and providing rules, handicaps and conditions for those tournaments, competitions and games, including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. The first chairman of the USPA was H.L. Herbert (1890-1921).

Polo was first played in the United States in 1876, introduced by James Gordon Bennett Jr. (1841–1918), who had first observed the game played in England. Bennett came to be known as the father of American polo as it was he who assembled the players, knowledge, equipment and Texas horses to play the first loosely structured matches in the United States. During that winter of 1876, the first game was held indoors at Dickel's Riding Academy in New York and the first formal U.S. club was established, the Westchester Polo Club.

Westchester alternated seasons between New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, before making Newport its permanent home. On May 13, 1876, the Jerome Park Racetrack in Westchester County (future home of the New York Giants baseball team and hence the name “polo grounds”) was the site of the first outdoor polo match. Then in 1879 Meadowbrook became a polo club and began play on the Mineola fairgrounds of Long Island. The foundation had now been laid for American polo and the sport was here to stay and flourish.

As players and teams proliferated, the development of the sport demanded a governing body. The Polo Association (later known as the United States Polo Association), with H. L. Herbert serving as first chairman, was founded March 21, 1890. The USPA's purpose was to coordinate games, standardize rules and establish handicaps. Herbert was credited with instituting a handicapping system in 1888 so that teams could be more evenly matched in games. His rating system is essentially the same today, with player handicaps spanning minus one through 10, with 10 being highest handicap. See less