Player's Handbook

A thinking man's game, polo is a sport of speed, timing, and finesse. Polo started as a military training exercise over 2,500 years ago and they would actually use the head of the enemy as the ball. As the ages went on polo moved to India and when the Brits invaded India they took the sport back to England in 1868, added rules and gentrified it as we see it today. 

Polo is played in the arena or on the grass but for the rest of the article I will be explaining outdoor polo or polo that is played on the grass. The game is a lot like hockey, chess and golf at 35MPH. Hockey, if you take the goalie and blue lines away. One point per goal and you pass back and forth to your teammates as you drive down the field. Chess, because you need to think several plays ahead of time and the variables are endless. Golf comes in to play from your swing, keep your head down and follow through. Oh, right... and you are going 35MPH leaning off the side of a 1000lbs horse. Its a sport for the thinking man who needs a little extra jolt of adrenaline. Did I mention its the second most dangerous sport to F1 Racing when its played at its fastest levels!

Ever wonder why Ralph Lauren has the #3 on most of their clothing? 

In polo you have 4 positions, cleverly named “One,” “Two,” “Three,” and “Four” (those Brits are so smart). Position #1 is your most forward player. Their job is to stay in front of the pack and score goals. The #2 is the work horse of the team.They help the #1 but are also in charge of defending the #3 who is the Quarterback. The #3 position sets up most of the plays and sees them through as the teams drives the ball down field. They are the center point for both offense and defense. The #4 is your defense man. Their job is to catch the #1 and fizzle their play and get the ball turned around so they can hit it up over the other players to their #1. 

That's my line!

The basic rule of the game is the line of the ball. It is an imaginary line behind the ball when the ball is hit or has bounced off another horse or object. Think of it like driving down the highway, the dotted lines create the flow and direction and we are all supposed to stay in our lanes. 



When you are merging onto a highway you need to merge with a lesser angle than if you were at a stop light. You also have 2 defensive plays called a bump and a hook. You can bump or check the other rider over the line of the ball and take the ball. You can also hit or hook the other person's mallet out of the way so they can't hit at the ball. All the rules are designed for the horses safety, so no worries if you fall, we'll just keep playing unless you are in the way. : )

No fancy show bridles here!

Polo tack is basically the same as hunter jumper tack but instead of being designed for “show” its designed for working. The leather is a lot thicker and designed for more tension and wear. The saddles are close contact English saddles. The bridles have the same mechanics as a normal bridle but the difference is like Toyota Camry brakes (regular horse bridles) versus NASCAR brakes (polo bridles). We also wrap the horses legs with polo wraps, hard plastic boots and bell boots. Their manes are shaved, and we also wrap up their tails so that the mallets, balls and other equipment doesn't get stuck in their hair.

The basic rule of the game is the line of the ball.

“Your handicap is your passport to the world” - Sir Winston Churchill

Just like in golf polo players have handicaps but the higher the number the better you are. Players are rated on a system of -2 to 10. When you first start playing you are a -2 which means you are a detriment to your team. But they will put up with you because they get 2 points on the board before the game starts. As you move up in the ratings it means you can accomplish certain things under pressure or at speed. There are only eight 10 goalers in the world. They are all from South America. The majority of players are -2 to 0. The highest rated women player was 5 goals for a season. The last few years they have changed the -2, -1 and 0 goal to read “C,” “B,” and “A” to sound more PC.

My gear bag is bigger than yours! 

Polo has a lot of different pieces to assist the players, horses and teams. It starts from the polo mallet, shaped like a giant croquet stick the polo mallet stands at an average of 52 in high and weights approximately 180grams or 7 ounces. The mallet is made from bamboo and has a considerable amount of whip and give. The polo players also have knee pads, elbow pads, whip and spurs. The polo helmet is designed with a wider brim and some even have a face mask attached to protect your face from flying objects. If your helmet does not have a mask or metal cage then eye protection is a must. The saying  goes, “you can get a new face but you can't get new eyes.” The polo boots are also a bit different in the sense that they are thicker so they player doesn't feel every bump, rub and smack as well as our legs are moving more and a finer leather would be shredded in no time. 

Look at the junk in the trunk! 

The polo pony is no longer a pony but rather a small horse standing 15-15.2 hands high. The most popular breed for a polo pony is a Thoroughbred or quarter horse. 

A polo player wants the agility of a reiner and the speed of a race horse. Most polo ponies have a short back, long neck, medium bone structure and a big, Nicky Minaj, booty. We want them to be short, round and lean. Most players have 2-4 horses and then when you start to play faster levels the numbers jump in to the 100's. Its a rule that 1 horse can only play 2 periods so with a 4 chukker (4 period) game you need a minimum of 2 horses or you can split a man of equal or lesser value. As in any sport everyone has their specific preferences, but we try to keep the polo string or group of horses we own the same confirmation from horse to horse. 

Want to Play on the Grass?

You must become a USPA member.

Your USPA handicap will be used for all Margarita and Champagne practices and tournaments, as well as arena tournaments.