The Jet-Set Logistics of Polo

The hidden infrastructure behind the sport of kings.

By Business of Polo Editorial Team

Polo looks like champagne, linen suits, and slow-motion horses charging down perfect grass. What you don’t see is the grind. Behind every chukker is a freight schedule, a stack of customs papers, and a jet full of ponies crossing time zones. The sport doesn’t move without a global supply chain that feels closer to Formula 1 than a weekend hobby.

The World Tour

• Argentina (Sept-Dec): The Argentine Open in Palermo sets the standard.

• Palm Beach (Dec-Apr): The U.S. Open Polo Championship anchors the American season.

• UK (May-July peak): Guards and Cowdray Park define the summer.

• Spain & France (July-Aug): Sotogrande and Deauville extend the season under Mediterranean sun.

• Dubai & the Middle East (Oct-Apr): Desert polo and private tournaments complete the map.

Players follow the seasons. Horses do too, which is where the challenge begins.

Horses on Planes

Top players rotate 20-30 ponies each year. To get them across oceans, you call Emirates SkyCargo or FedEx Equine Transport.

• Price tag: USD 10,000 to 15,000 per horse.

• Setup: Three horses per container, with grooms riding alongside.

• Protocol: Quarantine stops in the U.S. or Europe. Health checks. Vaccines. Paperwork thicker than a novel.

No one drugs a pony to keep it calm. Diets are tracked, hydration measured, heart rates monitored. These horses arrive fresher than most humans do after a red-eye.

The People Behind the Ponies

Every player brings with them a team:

• Grooms who know each pony’s quirks.

• Veterinarians to handle emergencies.

• Farriers to keep hooves competition-ready.

• Logistics managers who juggle stabling, customs, and paperwork.

In polo hubs like Wellington, entire Argentine families relocate for the season. They form units that travel from Palm Beach to Sotogrande, building lives around the same circuit as the players they support.

The Price of Movement

Keeping a string of horses moving can cost USD 1 to 2 million a year, before you even add the price of the ponies themselves. Cargo flights, stables, housing staff, quarantine, and feeding bills stack up fast.

A horse that wins Palermo in December might be playing in Palm Beach by February. The turnover is brutal, but that’s the reality of keeping the circuit alive.

What You Don't See

From the outside, polo is private jets and champagne toasts. From the inside, it’s one of the hardest logistical puzzles in sport. The glamour is real, but so is the grind.

Polo moves because horses move. And behind every horse is an entire ecosystem working quietly to make sure the game never stops.

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