Basics of Polo

Modern polo is played between two teams of four, on a field 300 yards by 160 yards, with posts on either end delineating a goal that is eight yards wide. The winner is the team that scores the most goals in a six-period game. Each period, also known as a chukker, is seven minutes long. No time-outs are allowed except for penalties, or in the event a player or horse is injured, and no substitutions are allowed unless a player has to be replaced.

Each of the four players is given a zone of responsibility, from the player on offense in front to the player on defense, in the back. The numbers worn on the jerseys, the “Polo Shirts” indicate that zone – number 1 is the most forward, and number 4 the most defensive. By custom, number 3 is the on-field captain, and usually the highest-rated player on the team.

Typically, each player uses a different horse in each of the six chukkers. And although the horses are traditionally called ponies, among present-day players the two terms are used interchangeably, much as “game” and “match” are used to mean the same thing. If a horse appears to be tiring before the end of a chukker, the player may switch horses. But, as time-outs are not given on request, the player who wants to change his pony must pick a time when there is a lull in the action, make it to the sidelines, change horse, and make it back on to the field before play resumes.

Horses are credited with being at least 80 percent of the player’s effectiveness. Occasionally an exceptional pony will be played in two chukkers with one or more chukkers in between to rest. Polo ponies are usually in such good physical condition that they are able to play at least two periods or more.

Goals are switched after each score to equalize the conditions of weather, terrain and lighting.

With a game as hard and fast and intense as polo, danger rides along with the players; safety is of utmost concern. The control of the game rest in the hands of two mounted umpires and a referee stationed on an elevated platform at midfield. The so-called line of the ball, the line described by the ball’s path, and its interpretation by players, umpire and referee, determines many of the issues of safe and unsafe play.
Defensive maneuvers include interfering with an opponent’s swing using the mallet to block the shot, and riding the opponent off the ball using the horse’s weight, known as a ride-off.

If a foul is called, the fouled team is awarded a penalty shot. The severity of the foul will determine the distance the hit is taken from the goal, and whether or not the goal is guarded.

The game begins when one of the umpires throws the ball in at mid-field between the two teams lined up in columns. A throw-in from mid-field will also follow each goal. From then on, the action is fast and furious. There are few, if any, pre-determined plays so that it is paramount to be able to act an react quickly in the excitement and controlled pandemonium of charging and spinning horses, and the shouts of players.

The tendency of polo spectators is to watch the ball. But, because much of what determines the outcome of the game is the ability of the team to position itself in anticipation of developing on-field situation, trying to get an overall picture adds immeasurably to the enjoyment of watching.
Most importantly, be patient. The more you watch polo, the more you will see. And the more you see, the more your fascination will grow. It is that ability to excite and to fascinate that goes to the heart of the sport, and explains why the game has lasted for more than 2,500 years.