Peter Morris on the high octane compelling sport of polo, his belief in the power of horses to heal and why he has no regrets his rugby career predated the pro era.
Watch a PREVIEW of the chat with Peter Morris below (apologies for poor video quality on this recording):
Watch or listen to the FULL CHAT with Peter Morris below (apologies for poor video quality on this recording):
Polo – a compelling spectacle
Peter Morris is a little biased as he’s a polo commentator. But he is surprised that the high-octane sport – that fuses athletic humans trying to hit a ball with a mallet while sat aboard majestic ponies travelling at high speed – doesn’t have a bigger following.
“From a spectator point of view, you could go along to Cirencester on a Wednesday afternoon and you could see the equivalent of Arsenal playing Man City,” Morris told Sport and Life.
“You’ve got top players from Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain. It’s a high octane sport with all the tension and excitement and disappointment.”
The special bond between humans and horses
Morris’ love of polo is based on his deep affection for horses.
“I grew up in Pembrokeshire and had a mate at school and his parents had a pony trekking centre,” Morris told Sport and Life.
“And we used to take them down onto this beautiful beach and gallop them up and down.
“Being on a horse with my mate on the beach was just wonderful.”
Combining riding and rugby
Whilst working as a solicitor in young adulthood he also played for Wasps in the amateur era of rugby union. But he had a secret hobby in the off season.
“I hated golf. I still hate golf! I had this hidden secret. I’d sneak off to Richmond Park and ride horses.
“And also I had an illness and part of the recuperation from that was being around horses. I always had to ride very big horses, but they were very sympathetic to the way you were feeling.”
No woe at not playing pro
Morris has had an eclectic career. He left law to become a broadcaster before moving into managing media personnel at huge events such as the London 2012 Olympics.
Had he been born later he may well have played his beloved rugby professionally.
But he has no regrets.
“I was a lawyer, that’s what I did nine to five every day. My safety valve to let off steam was rugby.
“We weren’t the most fashionable at Wasps but we had a great, great camaraderie.
“I don’t want to get too dewy-eyed about it it. The amateur era was great, and we had fun, there were great characters, great matches.”
Here until September
When you see Morris in commentating action at Cirencester Park Polo Club you’re immediately struck by his knowledge and skill at relaying that knowledge over the public address system.
The nights are staring to draw in and you might have missed the polo boat for 2026. But Morris says next year they’ll return with the swallows for another summer of fun.
“You’ve got until September. If you’ve got a free Sunday afternoon go along and watch.
“I commentated on a game on Sunday and it was six-six. If that had been in the World Cup there would have been people shouting.”
For more information head to the Cirencester Park Polo Club website:
