​The Royal Navy’s connection with polo has been long and distinguished. Polo was played by naval teams in a number of overseas stations from as early as the 1860s, and in 1874 the staff of Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet helped to found the Malta Polo Club. The Royal Navy Polo Association (RNPA) was founded in 1929 by Admiral Lord Keyes and continues to this day, alongside the
​Royal Navy and Royal Marines Equestrian Association.

When the Royal Navy withdrew from Malta in 1962, the RNPA and its ponies returned to the UK to Taunton Vale Polo Club in Somerset. With the subsequent establishment of a base for Combined Services Polo at Tidworth in 1994, the RNPA moved to its current home at Tedworth Park Polo Club, where it maintains a string of ponies for members’ use.