Women in Polo: How Female Players Are Changing the Sport

These days, it sometimes feels as though everything comes in a men's and women's version. Razors, shampoo, headphones—even food products have been given the gender treatment. Polo, rather refreshingly, hasn't got the memo.
Men and women can compete against each other on the same field, under the same core rules, with no separate games required. For a sport once seen as a man's domain, that makes women in polo particularly interesting.
But the change didn't happen overnight.

Women Are Changing Polo

For much of its modern history, polo was dominated by men. Women played, but reaching the highest levels was another matter. One pioneer was Sue Sally Hale, who reportedly disguised herself as a man to compete when women were not allowed to play against men.

Her daughter, Sunny Hale, took that challenge even further. In 2000, she became the first woman to win the U.S. Open Polo Championship, playing alongside male teammates. It wasn't simply a historic trophy; it was proof that a woman could compete—and win—at the highest level of mixed polo.

More than two decades later, Hale's breakthrough looks less like an exception and more like a blueprint.

Nina Clarkin became the first woman to receive a 10-goal ladies' handicap in 2018 and has competed in mixed high-goal polo. Hazel Jackson was named MVP of the 2026 U.S. Open Women's Polo Championship, while Milly Hine has won the tournament three consecutive times.

These aren't participation trophies. They're some of the biggest achievements available in women's polo.

And the numbers tell an even bigger story. According to the U.S. Polo Association, women now represent nearly 50% of its players, while women make up more than 60% of collegiate polo players. Women aren't simply producing a handful of exceptional polo players; they're becoming a major part of polo's player base.

Why Does Mixed Polo Matter?

The biggest difference is that polo doesn't simply create a women's version of the sport and keep the two separate. Women can play alongside men at every level where mixed competition is offered.

That matters because polo is built around skill, teamwork and communication between rider and horse. Players need to read the game, control their mounts, strike the ball accurately and make quick decisions under pressure. Those skills don't come with a gender label.

Mixed polo also gives talented female players the chance to test themselves against some of the world's best male players. Instead of being limited to a separate competition, they can earn their place on mixed teams and compete for some of the sport's biggest prizes.

Women's polo still has an important role, too. Dedicated women's tournaments give female players more opportunities to compete, develop their skills and attract new fans to the sport. The two forms of competition can exist side by side without one taking anything away from the other.

Equestrian disciplines such as dressage, jumping and eventing also allow men and women to compete directly. But polo is one of the rare team sports where men and women can compete against each other professionally under the same core rules.

That doesn't mean polo has completely erased the barriers women have faced. Women's polo still needs its own competitions to create more opportunities for female players and help the sport continue to grow. But the ability to compete alongside men at the highest level is a powerful sign of how far the sport has come.

Polo may still be called the “sport of kings,” but it no longer belongs to men alone. The field is big enough for everyone—and the future of polo looks better because of it.