Phil in SF quoted The Ipcress File by Len Deighton
Len Deighton's classic first novel, whose protagonist is a nameless spy – later christened Harry …
The polo, the pigsticking, the punitive actions against the tribesmen who enjoyed the fighting as much as the young English aristocrats did, the sun, horses galloping in the open hill country, drinks and mess dinners, and other young subalterns wrecking the mess in horseplay — all these things were things of his father's life, and when his father died he immediately asked for a posting to another unit.
— The Ipcress File by Len Deighton (Page 78)
New word: pigsticking
the sport of hunting wild boar with a spear, typically on horseback