If you could play hockey on horseback, the game would be a lot like polo. A team sport, polo requires skill and bravery of the rider, and boldness and athletic prowess of the horse.
The object in polo is to score goals against an opposing team. Each team has four riders. Scoring is achieved when a rider drives a ball into the other team’s goal. Riders use a mallet long enough to reach a small ball on the ground. Riders on each team are assigned positions with numbers. Number one plays offense and covers the opposing team’s number four. Number two attempts to score, or passes the ball to number one for scoring. Both of these players cover the opposing team’s number three player.
Number three is the tactical leader and feeds balls to number two and number one as well as playing defense. Number four is the primary defense player.
Arena polo matches usually consist of four to six-minute periods, called chukkas. Field polo matches consist of between four and eight seven-minute chukkas, depending on the level played. Each match lasts around seventeen minutes.
Polo is played on a grass field, which can be as small as a football field or as large as three football fields.
Mounts used in polo are called polo ponies, although they are not true ponies, but rather horses that stand anywhere between 14.2 to 16 hands. Thoroughbreds and Thoroughbred crosses are common in polo, which requires a horse capable of sprinting speed, endurance, and agility. Polo ponies must be calm of temperament since the game can become very exciting, requiring the horse to stay attuned to the rider.
Michael