The horse whisperer: polo captain Samir Suhag

When and how did you develop an interest in Polo?

After my 12th standard exams, I spent a lot of time watching my father play Polo and that’s when I started taking interest in the sport and decided to give it a shot and got on a horse!

Read FHM India in the digital libraryEvery issue, every shoot, on TCG Media.

How come you only chose to follow your dad’s lead on the saddle and not into the army as well?

I always dreamt of being in the Army just like my dad. It was in 1993 when I got an offer to play professionally for one of the best teams in India. That changed my thinking and life forever.

As a curator of the sport, how do you see the evolution of the game of ‘Pulu’, as it was played in Manipur, into the modern Polo as we know it today?

Not everyone knows that Polo was originally called Pulu and was India’s gift to the world. It was the British who developed a love for the game and took if to different parts of the world. Pulu was played 8-a-side and was practically played without safety rules, something that the English changed. They got it down to 4-a-side and introduced a lot of safety rules for the player as well as for the horses.

It’s always been an elite game played by kings and army men with a certain air of exclusivity attached to it. How does a common man make an entry?

Polo still remains a very elite game. It's not easily accessible to the common man. But having said that, there are a few clubs across the country that subsidise riding and polo lessons, enabling more and more participation in the game.

Your Arjuna Award is not only a personal honour bestowed on a highly decorated sportsman; but, as a gesture, is also a big boost to Polo itself. Has this led to things gliding higher on the scale of popularity in India?

Every sportsperson who plays any game in India always dreams of a national award. I had played several time for the country and always wanted the country to recognise my effort. With the Arjuna Award that dream came true. This was also a boast for the game as a lot of people now understand the effort required for the sport. They now take it more seriously and not just as a social event.

You’ve had your share of injuries on the ground, seriously hurting your head and collarbone in two different matches. Has it taken a toll on your performance?

The head injury that I got in 2000 did put me back in reaching my goal by quite a few years. It not only took time for me to just walk on my own but also a lot of effort to get myself on a horse. It then took several years for me to get back to my game.

Tell us something from your coaching days. Was Maharaj Prem Singh a strict teacher?

I remember very vividly how Maharaj Prem used to teach us. I have yet to come across a teacher with the level of patience that he exhibited. He would also take it upon himself to get on and show us exactly what he wanted us to do. Even in his 70's he would hit the ball with so much ease that we in our teens could not even dream off. I am very grateful that I got the chance to learn from him and then my father taught me everything else I know.

India doesn’t have a women’s polo team. How hard is it for a woman to get into the sport?

Unfortunately, India still does not have a ladies team. Though we have around seven women players but they have to compete in the tournaments along with their male counterparts. We are in the process of making an all ladies team and organising some tournaments for them. But it is still much further away than other countries.

What region around the world produces the best polo horses? What sets them apart from the rest?

Argentina, by far, is called the Mecca for Polo. Not only is their breeding of Polo Pinkies the best but also the players are something we cannot even imagine to get close to at the moment. Most of the players there come from a farming background and have gone ahead to make a mark in the game. They have set an empire for Polo that the world admires.

How early does their training start?

The basis of riding can start as early as when a kid can walk. Though anything serious only starts around 12 to 13 years of age when the kid is strong enough and smart enough to understand the need for controlling the horse and playing the game.

Tell us something about your horses. Do you have any pets other than horses?

Horses are considered very intelligent animals. Each of the horses that I own is trained by me and the pleasure I get in the training is almost equivalent to training a dog. It's actually amazing how responsive they are and how sensitive they can be. I also have a pair of Jack Russell Terriers at home.

How is the training of a ‘polo pony’ different from that of a horse trained for other equestrian sports?

There are different needs in each equestrian event from the horse. In Polo we can spare him to a football player. He needs the agility, the sprints and the toughness to be able to take on bumps from the other horses. The springs are only in short spurts and not a lot of endurance is needed of a polo pony unlike that from an eventer.

What does a typical day in your life look like? How much time do you dedicate to working out?

A typical day in a player’s life starts quite early. We're normally on horseback at the break of dawn. After having risen your sting of horses we need to work on our fitness. The gym workout, which involves strength training, core workout and then suppleness, all come very handy in the game. A typical evening is either playing a game, which finishes off with us in the stable making sure the horses recover well from their workout and are fresh to start the next morning.

Horses don’t always come handy on the road. So, what do you prefer more, bikes or cars?

With the current traffic situation, a car is the best vehicle to have. Having said that, I love cruising on a motorcycle on and off. I sometimes hope and wish that we were still in the era where horses and horse driven carts would come handy on the roads.

What do you like to do when you take a break from work?

Spending some time with my children is high on priority when I am not playing. It's the best stress reliever to be able to sit home with the family. I do play a lot of different games with my son, Yash, and I enjoying playing polo and teaching my daughter, Sanya.

Books or movies?

A bit of both. It really depends on the status of the mind at that time. There’s a time when it's difficult to leave a book and then sometimes I have to make an effort of pick one up. Not too big a fan of movies but I do enjoy them once in a while.

Samir Suhag has been appointed the Brand Ambassador of the Swiss watch brand, Frederique Constant, in India.