Officers of the 9th Lancers at Woolwich Playing the New Game of Polo This exciting game , which was at first referred to in the press as ' hockey on ponies ' , was introduced into England from the East over a year ago by the roth Hussars and the 9th Lancers . The rules of the game are precisely those of hockey applied to mounted players . A match between two equally matched teams was playd on Woolwich Common last Friday in the presence of thousands of spectators , including the Prince Imperial . 1872