A lone player during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament at the Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Saturday, December 13, 2014.
A referee for the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament is silhouetted against the evening sky during the quarter finals match for the two-week long tournament that included 21 clubs at the Langjing polo grounds in Imphal, Manipur on Saturday, December 13, 2014. In recent years smaller tournaments sponsored by private citizens have increased to provide more platforms to watch and play polo other then the larger state-level tournaments such as the Governor's Cup.
Bomcha Wangkhem, 19, gets help putting on the traditional head gear for Sagol Kangjei, translated as “horse” and “mallet” the traditional Meitei game that is the precursor of the modern game of polo, today Manipur has completely embraced International polo rules, with Sagol Kangjei only played now as an exhibition match, Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Sunday, December 28, 2014. Sagol Kangjei is played with 7 players per team, there are no goal posts, the entire width of the opposing end lines are used instead, players ride barefoot, and are allowed to catch and pass the ball with their hands as well as dismount opposing riders by pulling them from their pony.
A traditional Sagol Kangjei saddle constructed out of wood, cane, cloth and iron, with a tradtional harness and a cane polo mallet, the saddle has been passed down through 5 generations of the well known pony trainer and traditional healer Ibohal Maibam's family, his grandfather, Chaoton Maibam, was one of the Sarung Hanjaba, royal horse keepers for the king of Manipur, Nambol, Manipur, India, Saturday, December 27, 2014.
Somola Thoudam, 44, prayers to Lord Ibudhou Marjing, at his shrine in the village of Heingang, Lord Marjing is the Meitei ancestor that tamed the first winged pony and gave his people the game of Sagol Kangjei, Imphal, Manipur, Monday, February 15, 2015. Devotees pray to Lord Ibudhou Marjing to help in some endeavor they are going through, he is suppose to remove obstacles as well as help the person to progress quickly through a task. Ahead of school exams you will see many students praying at the temple with pens to be blessed.
Pony tracks can be seen imprinted in the dust of the Langjing polo ground after a match during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament, Imphal, Manipur, Thursday, December 25, 2014.
Pony boy, Sunin Khangum, 19 years, of Tangjing Polo Club waits with his clubs ponies in-between matches during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament, Imphal, Manipur, Thursday, December 16, 2014.
Artik Longjam, 9, of the Nambul Mapal Polo Club, holds a senior riders boots during the 12th General Assam Rifles Cup State Equestrian Championship at Kangjeibung Mapal polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Sunday, February 8, 2015.
Members of K & M Memorial Riding School preparing ahead of the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament at the Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Thursday, December 18, 2014.
Young players from the K & M Memorial Riding School relax after preparing the school's ponies ahead of the senior players match during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament at the Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Thursday, December 18, 2014.
Bhorot Thiyam, 36, is a mason by trade and after 18 years of playing he is helping revive the polo club located in Heingang next to the shrine of Lord Ibuthou Marjing, the Meitei's ancestral god who tamed the first winged pony and gave the game of Sagol Kangjei to the Meitei's, Marjing Hills, Imphal, Manipur, India, Friday, February 6, 2015. There is a proposal to build a Pony preserve on some of the agricultural land of Heingang, while the pony is in desperate need of land it can occupy year round, and the people of Heingang are in favor of ponies being reintroduced to the area, many are concerned with a proposal to put a race course inside the preserve and the lack of concrete compensation terms for those who would lose land as well as their commitment to continue to fund and maintain the preserve.
A Sagol Kangjei exhibition match during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament, Imphal, Manipur, Thursday, December 25, 2014. Sagol Kangjei, translated as “horse” and “mallet” the traditional Meitei game that was to be the precursor of the modern game of polo, today Manipur has completely embraced International polo rules, with Sagol Kangjei only played an exhibition matchs. Sagol Kangjei is played with 7 players per team, there are no goal posts, the entire width of the opposing end lines are used instead, players ride barefoot, and are allowed to catch and pass the ball with their hands as well as dismount opposing riders by pulling them from their pony.
Players compete during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament at the Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Saturday, December 13, 2014.
Spectators during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament at the Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Saturday, December 13, 2014.
Enao Tomba, 34, of the Khurai Polo Club sits on the sidelines while his team plays after being thrown from his mount during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament at the Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Tuesday, December 16, 2014.
Injuries for ponies and riders are common due to the intensity of the game play, and ponies are particularly vulnerable to careless swings from the polo mallet, this pony was unlucky to receive such a blow, but didn't suffer a broken bone, seen during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament at the Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Thursday, December 18, 2014.
Spectators watch a match during the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament at the Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Sunday, December 14, 2014.
Early morning, ponies can be seen penned in at the Manipur Pony Breeding Farm run by the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association, before being let out to graze on land that has been provided as a seasonal Pony Reserve mphal, Manipur, Monday, February 15, 2015.
An employee of the Manipur Pony Breeding Farm paints a cart located on the farms campus, Imphal, Manipur, India Friday, December 19, 2014.
Avinass Laishram, 8, leads one of Imphal Riding Club's ponies to the stable after capturing the animal from the small herd kept at the Manipur Pony Breeding Farm in preparation for their opening match at the 30th N. Hazari & N. Tombi State Polo Tournament, Monday, February 15, 2015. Avinass's father and 15 year-old brother are both players for the Imphal Riding Club, polo often involves entire families and is shared from generation to generation. But with the financial difficulties many players face because of lack of official patronage from the state, players often have to quit polo because of the strain that is placed on them on their families, an their children are increasingly choosing not to take up the game.
A member of the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association displays his lapel during the opening ceremony of the 30th N. Hazari & N. Tombi State Polo Tournament on the Kangjeibung Mapal polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, India Monday, February 15, 2015. The Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association is not the apex body for polo in the state, but MHRPA is by far the most influential, its ranks filled with former high ranking government officials and army officers. Despite being a somewhat controversial organization amongst the players, with their influence they have undoubtedly done the most in raising the exposure of polo and the Manipuri Pony, but many feel they have neglected the players themselves, the caretakers of both pony and Sagol Kangjei.
'Nungshaba' or 'The Lion' rolls on his back after a late evening ride and training session with his owner Vivek Anandan, 32yrs old, a Constable in Manipur Police, Imphal, Manipur, India, Friday, December 19th, 2014. Polo ponies range in price from 20,000INR ($322USD) for young female ponies to as much as 150,000INR ($2,400USD) for a fully trained male.
Jotin Pallungbam, 39, of the Khurai Polo Club, poses for a portrait inside the Khurai Polo Club house, Jotin, has played on Manipur's international team twice and once as captain, despite his skill he has trouble being able to balance play and practice with earning enough to care for his family, as a daily wage earner, finding odd jobs where he can and occasionally selling bootleg liquor, he rarely has time to spare for polo and has been reconsidering his future in Polo, as he says “their is none,” Imphal, Manipur, India, Saturday, January 24, 2015.
A member of K & M Memorial Riding School prepares a pont to wash ahead of the 2nd Trophy Open Polo Tournament at the Langjing polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, Thursday, December 18, 2014.
A pony is tied up in a small wetland area of the Manipur police pony grazing grounds on the outskirts of Imphal, Manipur, India Friday, December 19th, 2014. The only polo club that receives state funding is the police team, the members are given time to practice and take care of their animals in addition to the land and stables that are provided for their ponies.
Pony boys and girls ride their ponies back to their respective clubs along Imphal's busy street after the start of the 30th N. Hazari & N. Tombi State Polo Tournament on the Kangjeibung Mapal polo ground, Imphal, Manipur, India Monday, February 15, 2015.