The Culver Military Academy Varsity Polo Program is well rooted in the traditions of the Horsemanship program offered at Culver Academies. CMA Polo holds the distinguished honor of winning more National Championships in the history of the USPA Scholastic Tournament than any other scholastic program. The Varsity season typically spans from November thru April of the Academic year. The season consists of a package of home and away games that culminate with the USPA Central Regional Tournament in March.  

All home games are played at Culver's  Vaughn Equestrian Center's Riding Hall, one of the largest indoor heated arenas in the country. The arena and stabling facilities, both newly refurbished and upgraded, now bring Culver on par with the most elite facilities in the world.

If successful at Regionals, the team then advances to the National Scholastic Tournament in April. CMA has gone onto the Nationals and has reached the National Finals for the past four years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, ranking CMA Varsity Polo, #2 in the nation.

The sport's heritage dates back to Persia, 600 B.C. Polo is a game on horseback that has been used for centuries to develop equestrian skills in the military. It is only in recent history that Polo has become more associated with royalty and celebrity, mainly due to Hollywood's more glamorous presentations and the participation of members of the Royal Family. Polo made its way into the ranks of the US Cavalry and was then later used as Officer Training to determine the true character of the military leaders in battle. Polo is such an intense game with speeds of 35 mph and 800 pound horses crashing into each other, that it was impossible for an officer to hide their true emotional conduct that surfaces in a more stressed environment. The military would get a true picture of the performance of that officer and how they would most likely conduct themself out on the field of battle. Polo turned out to be the perfect simulator.  

Polo is a team sport that requires incredible individual skill. The success of any athletic team is the exact formula for life; hard work, risk taking, teamwork, and of course, leadership.  But, as on the field of battle, leadership by example. Any successful team rides with the formula that the team's overall strength is greater than the sum of their individual parts. That is the philosophy of CMA Varsity polo. The development of individual leadership/playmaker qualities that are then blended into a team effort.  The most important components of any CMA varsity player are horsemanship, attitude, field awareness, mallet skills, and teamwork.