Pig sticking was a sport in India long before the British arrived and there are records of it being done in the middle ages. The starting of the season was "dashmi" festival which is in approx end sept/beginning of oct. This was the most popular form of shikar.
Polo was invented in india but not as a practice sport for pig sticking. I think you have it confused with tent pegging which was invented for this purpose. British on coming to India took a real shine to pig sticking and the famous tournaments were muttra cup and khadir cup.
The basic rules of the game was to ride into the grassland and try to spear a wild pig. The person who drew first blood (in case one pig was killed) , or the one who speared the heaviest boar (in case more than one boars were killed) was declared the winner.
Sounds easy ......but believe me guys , this was the most difficult way to hunt the Indian Wild Boar. An animal known for it's fearless nature. Not an easy prey at all and not one to go down without a fight. There were times when men and mount were killed or badly injured facing the charge of an injured boar. One needs to be an excellent rider and nerves of steel.
pig sticking also requires split second timing. unlike a tent peg which comes out uprooted, a pig shoulder doesnt.
the momentum of the horse and rider brought to sudden stop by the pigs body can snap a wrist in two.
"You who sit at home will naturally condemn it. But again I say, like the drunkard to the parson, try it before you judge.
See how the horse enjoys it, see how the boar himself, mad with rage, rushes wholeheartedly into the scrap, see how you, with your temper thoroughly roused, enjoy the opportunity of wreaking it to the full
Yes, hog-hunting is a brutal sport--and yet I loved it, as I loved also the fine old fellow I fought against. I cannot pretend that I am not inconsistent. But are many of us entirely consistent ? Do what we will and say what we like, although we have a veneer of civilisation, the primitive man's instincts are still not far below the surface. Murder will out. Did we not see it in all its horridness in the War ?
But apparently the Churches recognised the fact; at any rate one does not remember that they made any attempt to stop us killing our fellow-men, our fellow-Christians.
Until we get our education upon a more spiritual foundation instead of being content with mere academical scholarship, more of character training than standard of knowledge, we shell only have the veneer."
Badden Powel