With historical evidence that the ancient Persians and Chinese played versions of the sport centuries ago, there are competing claims for the title of cradle of polo. One compelling theory traces its origins to the nomads of Central Asia who spread it from the Mongolian steppes in the east to the shores of the Caspian Sea in the west. Yet it wasn't until recently that polo found a footing in modern-day Mongolia.
In a country where few had seen a game being played, the Genghis Khan Polo Club recently played host to the fourth international competition at its base in the Orkhon Valley, about 389 kilometres from the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator.
Billing the event as the 'renaissance of polo in Mongolia', the hosts organised several days of friendly matches between mixed teams of Mongolians and players from Britain, France, the Netherlands and Singapore before the locals were pitted against the visitors. Villagers sat under an open-walled tent to watch the fast-paced games, the crowd breaking into laughter when a foreign player lost his seat and his horse attempted a fast getaway into the hills.
At the final match for the Shanghai Tang Cup, a team of players from 12 countries faced off against the home side. It wasn't much of a contest: although most of the Mongolians had not picked up a polo stick until about six years ago, they trounced the visitors 8-2.
There were some home-ground advantages: the teams played on scrubby turf and rode smaller - and more inflexible - Mongolian steeds.
'The horses here are incredibly sturdy but not responsive in the way you train an international polo horse to be,' says Steve Wyatt, chairman of the Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club in Shanghai, who took part. He and his friends are more accustomed to manicured greens and bigger, faster horses groomed for the sport at top polo clubs. 'Here, you pull hard and the horse won't respond.'