One of the fondest memories Samir Suhag has from the years he spent playing polo is the time he played in the Indian Polo Association Championship with his father. “I remember looking at the trophy and telling him that we should win it one day, as we were the underdogs in the match, but two hours later we were holding it,” he recalls.
Samir, whose polo career has seen him captain the Indian team and rack up awards within the country and abroad, was in Bengaluru to conduct a polo workshop organised by luxury watchmaker Frederique Constant, for whom Samir is a brand ambassador.
“We wanted to conduct a camp for polo players from Bengaluru and nearby areas to give players with high goals an opportunity to polish their skills,” says Samir, adding that the main reason polo has not grown as much as it should have as a sport in India is the lack of grounds. “Every decent city has one or two golf courses but there are only about 15 polo grounds in the entire country, so people don’t know where to go to learn the game.”
According to him, the perception that polo is a game reserved for the elite or wealthy is gradually changing. “It is referred to as the game of kings, but in today’s world, the corporates are the real kings. It is also good to see that more youngsters are showing interest in the sport, which was not the case when I started off.”
Samir is quick to add that while young blood is good, there are no real barriers of entry into polo. “As long as you are physically fit and have a good head on your shoulders, you are good to go. Of course, the learning curve, is double that of normal sports, as you first need to love horses and be able to control one on the field on top of regular hand-eye coordination. The number of polo clubs is also on the rise, and they subsidise riding charges and ground fees. So we are getting there in making the game more accessible.”
The game has also been drawing its share of women players, and being one of the sports where men and women play together with the same handicaps, he believes it is a step forward for gender equality. “There are about 80-90 active polo players in the country, and we have about 10 women who play.” He has also passed on the experience of playing polo with a parent to his daughter Sanya, who is also actively pursuing the sport. Samir has always been clear about wanting to coach young talent and take polo forward in India, but at the moment he is focused on the world cup qualifiers to be held in China, after which it is polo season as usual. “I think I have another five to seven years of polo left in me, so that's my primary goal for now, after which I want to move on to coaching.”
Ask him what the most important aspect of polo is, and the reply is one that touches on the fundamentals. “The love for horses is the key, so the first step is forming that rapport. The most important thing is to treat your horses like you do your pets at home.”
