Polo - An Equestrian Pastime with a Long History

A Portland, Oregon, executive focused on real estate investment, Barclay Grayson oversees a diversified portfolio of holdings that span office, retail, multifamily developments, and hotels. With a strong community presence, Barclay Grayson attends events such as the annual Polo Noir, held at the Portland Polo Fields in Willamette Valley.

With the roots of polo extending back more than 2,000 years, the equestrian sport has nomadic origins and was popular in ancient civilizations such as Persia, China, and Constantinople during the time of the Roman Empire. With a wide range of rules in play, one primary use of polo was in training cavalry, and the first recorded match took place between Persians and Turks around 600 BC.

The formal rules of the sport were set down by a British captain in India with the Calcutta Polo Club, established in 1863 and still active. The sport quickly made its way to the United States, with the Westchester Polo Club, founded in 1876. This led to the financing of the original New York Polo Grounds by the trio of James Gordon Bennett, H.L. Herbert, and August Belmont. This polo location famously became the home of the New York Giants baseball team until they moved to San Francisco in the early 1960s.