IMPHAL, Dec 3 � The Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association (MHRPA) is set to take up various measures to conserve the endangered Manipuri polo ponies, the magnificent breed of horses.
The MHRPA is preparing to organize the 8th Manipur Polo International in November next year to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first modern polo (exhibition) match played between a Manipuri polo team and a British team at Calcutta in March 1868.
�Our objective to organise regular polo tournaments is to save the Manipuri ponies from extinction, to popularise the game of polo and to promote polo tourism,� said S Buddhachandra, president of MHRPA during an interaction with media-persons on today. There are just 1,218 ponies as per the latest Livestock Census report of Manipur Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department.
�This time we will be inviting 6 to 8 top polo teams of the world, including Argentina, UK and USA,� informed MHRPA�s vice president Lt Col M Ranjit Singh (retd). �Besides, we are also inviting Britain�s Prince William, who is in the second line to the throne of England, to attend the mega event.�
Polo, which is regarded as a symbol of peaceful coexistence between man and animal, is said to have originated in Manipur. According to the 1991 Guinness Book of World Records, the origin of polo can be traced back to 3100 BC when people in Manipur played the sport as Sagol Kangjei (horse stick). According to veteran journalist and MHRPA member N Tombiraj, the oldest known polo club was the Cachar Club founded in Assam in 1859 and oldest surviving polo club, of course, is the Calcutta Polo Club, formed in 1862.