𝐄𝐏 | 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 – 𝐉𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐉 𝐑𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 | 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐁
One of the great things about polocrosse is the variety of people it brings together, and few stories are as unique as that of Jairaj Rajaram from the Moorooduc Polocrosse Club in Victoria.
Originally from India, Jairaj's horse journey began at just seven years of age. His early riding education came from officers of the Indian Army's prestigious 61st Cavalry Regiment and the historic Madras Riding Club, one of the oldest riding clubs dating back to British rule in India.
His equestrian background is incredibly diverse, with success in gymkhana events, showjumping, dressage, tent pegging and polo. He even rode endurance horses for the Sultan of Oman in the Royal Stables before later moving to New Zealand and eventually Australia.
Away from competition, Jairaj followed his passion for horses into a career as an equine dentist, becoming double qualified across Australia and New Zealand, ranking 8th nationally and among the top five in Victoria.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐣
Jairaj first discovered polocrosse in 2010 when he met Michael Semmens at Equitana Melbourne.
"I was given a horse called Bella to play. Coming from polo, I thought it would be very similar. I tried to score my first goal, not realising I had to pass it to Number 1 first!"
Like many players, one game was all it took.
What kept him coming back was the skill level, game awareness, affordability and camaraderie.
"It's the king of one-horse sports. You can travel with one horse, play multiple games across the weekend and make lifelong friends."
𝐀 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞
Being one of the few players of Indian heritage regularly competing in Australian polocrosse has certainly made Jairaj stand out.
"I always stand out like a buckskin in a game," he laughs.
But he believes the sport's greatest strength is its ability to bring people together from all walks of life.
"The polocrosse community is like an extended family. Everyone is willing to help, coach and encourage you to improve."
𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭
Jairaj is passionate about introducing new people to polocrosse and believes the sport has enormous appeal for riders from all backgrounds.
As a Level 1 Pony Club, RDA and Polocrosse coach, he regularly works with riders at pony clubs and Riding for the Disabled centres, encouraging them to give the sport a try.
His dream?
"One day I'd love to take polocrosse to India."
He has already seen riders from various cultural backgrounds become involved through Moorooduc, including visitors from Mongolia and Italy who have taken their experiences home with them.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞?
When asked how he would describe the sport to someone who has never seen it before, Jairaj has a simple answer:
"It's a cross between lacrosse, netball, polo and rugby. The king of one-horse sports."
He also loves the unique family atmosphere that exists within the game.
"I've seen three generations of families playing together. There aren't many sports that can offer that."
𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝
Moorooduc Polocrosse Club has played a significant role in Jairaj's journey.
After spending time with other clubs, he eventually returned to help strengthen Moorooduc when player numbers were low.
"Moorooduc is a fantastic club and very welcoming. Helping build the club back up was important to me."
𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝
Having only started playing polocrosse at 38 years of age, Jairaj has no plans to slow down.
His goals are simple:
Keep playing as long as possible
Continue improving his game
Travel and meet new people through the sport
Play hard, play fair and play safe
And after making finals at nearly every tournament during his first two years in the sport, it's safe to say he's made quite an impact already.
From the cavalry grounds of India to polocrosse fields across Australia, Jairaj's story is a reminder that our sport can bring together people from all backgrounds, cultures and experiences.
Thanks for sharing your story Jairaj, and for being a great ambassador for both Moorooduc Polocrosse Club and the wider polocrosse community.