Montana State’s Luke Howe takes collegiate polo to the international stage

BOZEMAN - The beginning of a new semester at Montana State University is always busy and exciting. For junior Luke Howe, the start of this spring term was even more so.

Just after the first day of classes on Jan. 13, Howe was on a plane to England to represent MSU in the Intercollegiate Challenge Cup, an international competition organized by the U.S. Polo Association. Howe, an athlete on MSU's club polo team, was one of four U.S. college students selected to play in the match against a similarly chosen group of British athletes. He represented the U.S. along with students from California Polytechnic State University, Texas A&M and the University of Virginia.

"I was very fortunate to get picked," said Howe, who is originally from Connecticut and is pursuing a degree in environmental science. "It was a great experience to be a part of."

Howe was encouraged to apply for the international opportunity by his high school polo coach. The annual event, which was held on Jan. 17, was hosted by the All-England Polo Club in Hickstead, England. The collegiate match was followed by a professional one, also between American and British teams.

It was an opportunity for Howe and his fellow American athletes to learn about and compete in a sport with a long history in the United Kingdom, with travel and competition costs covered by USPA. The American and British versions of the game have slightly different rules, Howe said, requiring some extra practice ahead of their game with both new teammates and borrowed horses.

"Polo's a bit of a complicated sport," Howe said. "I feel like the best way I could describe it would be like hockey on a horse. They provided horses for us, very graciously, and they mounted us very well."

MSU's club plays arena polo, the more widely played version of the game in the U.S. Compared to outdoor field polo, it has fewer players and a different type of ball, but also a more unique strategy, since players can use the arena walls to their advantage. The game is played in four periods called chukkas, and players rotate so that each plays in three. The U.S. team for the Intercollegiate Challenge Cup was made up of two men and two women, and athletes are assigned a handicap, similar to golf, which aims to balance the competition between players with different skill and experience levels.

The only collegiate polo club in Montana, the MSU team trains in the Bob Miller Pavilion near campus, with both varsity and full-club practices each week. Competitions pose an added challenge, as nearby opponents are few. To compete in its regional tournament this spring, the team must play at least two other intercollegiate teams, so the athletes, led by coach Thea Johnson, plan games with clubs from other universities and often travel the country to compete. This spring, they plan to play in California, Colorado and New York.

Howe said that the MSU team, which was founded in 2001, has become a place for interested students to cultivate fun and engagement, regardless of their experience with polo or horseback riding more generally.

"Anyone who just wants to know a little more about the sport can come and join," Howe said. "It's a nice team sport, because we all get to know each other and it's a really welcoming environment."

Howe will graduate in 2027 and hopes to become involved in environmental research. In the College of Agriculture, he has found himself drawn to courses and projects on plant life, water quality and wildlife, so he feels well prepared to pursue his interests beyond graduation, whether in the form of graduate school or advancing directly into a career.

In the meantime, he hopes to continue as an ambassador for polo throughout the rest of his time at MSU. The American team ended up narrowly losing the Intercollegiate Challenge Cup by a score of 13-12, but Howe said the opportunities afforded by the event far outweighed any competitive disappointment.

"Especially coming from Montana, a lot of the people I met in London didn't know we had polo here," he said. "It was a really good opportunity just to get the school's name out there, both for me and my teammates."