For Benjie Davis polo is in the blood and right now is the Richmond player’s bread and butter.
 

The 28-year-old has been at Ham Polo Club since he was 13 having been introduced to the game by his father, who – in turn – had grown up playing the game alongside his dad in Nairobi.
 

The turf is in good condition, the horses are at their peak and the Petersham-based club – and Davis, whose brother Hugo also plays – is gearing up for a summer to remember.
 

“This is probably the busiest schedule we have had,” said the Hugs & Co founder, who missed out on the Ham House Trophy last month.
 

“We’ve put some Friday evening things in and there are a huge number of charity and private days. Some weekends there is polo Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which is busy
 

“The tournaments this year are better subscribed than they have ever been and we already have plenty of entries already, which is great.
 

“With events like the Dubai Trophy, people do tend to identify more with the bigger days and there are more people come down to watch.“
 

Ham hosts – among other tournaments – the Petersham Bowl in June and the Roehampton Trophy in August, which is hoped to become part of the national six-goal tournament next year.
 

And if you fancy giving the sport a go rather than simply watching, while it is not cheap, it is not as expensive as you might think after initially shelling out for four ponies at £4,500-a-go.
 

“Horses are not cheap and not cheap to look after. Some people share horses with other players to keep the cost down,” added Davis, who won the Roehampton Trophy with Rios Profundos in 2010.
 

“To keep your horses here is not as expensive as elsewhere – it is about £140 a week – and this is a very good place to keep horses. It is a full livery service, with professional grooms.
 

“The track is great and you can take the horses to Richmond Park too, the playing surface is amazing at the moment and is about as close to perfect as you can get.”