Polo is the oldest known ball sport and was first played on the plains of Persia as early as 450 BC.  It was played on tiny Manipuri ponies, hence how the modern day horses got their name "Polo Ponies".

British officers serving in India first brought polo to the United Kingdom during Queen Victoria’s reign.  It then migrated to America in 1876.. 

First played on Long Island, polo in the US passed through many forms, including a night game played with 8 players on each side, that must have resembled a packed cavalry charge.

The Playing Surface

Outdoor Polo is played on a grass field measuring 300 yards in length by 160 yards in width.  This expansive field takes up 10 acres and is the approximate size of nine football fields.  The goal posts are set eight yards apart on either end of the field.

The polo field requires constant maintenance to stay in good playing condition.  This is done by frequent mowing and watering.  Divot maintenance is also a big part of maintaining a field.  Spectators aid in Divot maintenance by the widely practice polo tradition "divot stomping".  Divots are created by the horse's hooves while running and sliding on the field

Indoor Polo is played in a 300' x 150' boarded arena.  The ball is like a small soccer ball, as opposed to an outdoor ball which is solid plastic.  The rules are basically the same for indoor with a small variance.  The biggest difference between outdoor and indoor is that indoor is played for four chukkers with 3 players per team.

The Game

Modern day polo is played with 4 players per side, two mounted umpires and a referee on the side lines.  There are six periods in the game of polo called chukkers.  Each chukker lasts 7 minutes and begins with what is called the throw-in.   This is where each team lines up facing the Umpire horizontal to the goals and on opposing sides.  The umpire then throws the ball in-between the teams.  The throw-in also happens after a goal is scored.  Both teams come back to mid-field and lines up.  The only time the clock stops is for injuries, penalties, or tack repair.  There are no time-outs otherwise allowed.

Each team is made up of four players.  Each player is assigned a number from 1-4, which represents their position on the team.  Both teams wear team jerseys. The positions are as follows:

Number 1 player:  This is the most offensive position and is the player that should be concentrating on scoring.  Number 4 position is the most defensive player.  This position is mainly used to defend its teams goal.  The Number 2 and 3 positions are usually held by the best players on the team.  The Number 3 player is viewed as the "captain" or "quarter back" of the team.  This player feeds the ball to the other players and organizes the offense.  All players are assigned to a player on the opposing team and must be ready to switch from offense to defense in a split second. 

There are approximately 3500 registered polo players in the US today with additional unknown number of unregistered players.  The governing body of polo in America is the United States Polo Association which has offices in Lexington, Kentucky.  All United States Polo Association Members are given a handicap.  This handicap works as an evening component when putting a game together.  Players are rated C, B, A (-2 to 0) and 1 thru 10, 10 being the best rated player allowed.  Players are evaluated and approved by the board as to their handicap.  Each players handicap should reflect his ability and value as a player.  Games are made up of all four players ratings added together to make the game a rated level.  If one team ends up with a lower rating then the other points to make up the difference are awarded to the lesser rated team prior to the start of the game.

Swings in polo

There are four basic swing of the mallet in polo.  They are named by which side of the horse and what direction the swing takes.
 

There are also many more shots which are classified as variations of the basic shots, just at different angles.

Player's Equipment

Each player is usually outfitted in a helmet, jersey, knee-pads, white jeans, tall boots, and whip.  They carry a mallet, which normally made of a bamboo shoot with a wooden head.  Mallets are different lengths depending on the size of the pony.  The ball used in outdoor polo is made of solid plastic and approximately 3 inches in diameter and weighs roughly 4 ounces. The polo mallet: shafts are made of tapered cane with heads of bamboo tree root. 
    

The Polo Pony

The polo pony makes up 80-85% of the game.  Most polo ponies are the American thoroughbred.  They are considered to be one of the most athletic horses performing today.  This is due to the requirement of sprinting, stopping and turning.  With acceleration speed and top end for seven minutes at a time.  We say that the polo pony makes up most of the teams worth because the players proficiency hinges on the ability and athleticism of his mount. 

The horses are protected by leg wraps, splint boots and bell boots.  This aides in keeping their legs uninjured from balls, other horses, and mallets.  Any horse used for polo is referred to as a polo pony even though the horses height can range from 15.0 hands to 16.0 hands.  After each chukker the player will change mounts so to give the used horse a rest.  This is due to the hard demands placed upon the polo pony during one chukker.  You will find that 90% or more of the horses used today in polo are not only thoroughbreds, many ex-race horses, but are mares.

The Goal of the Game and Basic Rules

There are many rules to the game of polo, mainly to keep the game playing safely for both players and mounts.  The right-of-way is the direct line that the ball travels at any given time.  This line extends in both directions into infinity.  This line and the penalties that go with it are to keep the game safe and under control.  Thinking of the line of the ball as the divider line on a major highway is the easiest way to envision it.  This line enables players to play at full speed and avoid collisions.  This line may not be crossed except under special circumstances or to legitimately gain control of the ball, such as "bumping" your opponent off the line and stealing the ball.  Crossing the line-of-the-ball illegally will result in a penalty called. 

For more information on Penalties go to Penalty in the glossary.

Glossary

BUMP:  A player is permitted to ride into another player so as to spoil his shot.  The angle of collision must be slight causing no more than a jar.  The faster the horse travels, the smaller the angle must be.

CHUKKER:  Also called a period.  There are six chukkers in a polo game lasting 7 minutes.

FIELD:  The ground is 300 yards long and 160 yards wide with boards and 200 yards un-boarded (9 acres).  The goal posts, which are collapsible on severe impact, are 8 yards apart.

GOAL:  Any time a ball the line at any height between the goals posts, it is considered a goal, regardless of whether a horse or mallet cause the ball to go through.  Inn order to equalize wind and turf conditions, the teams change sides after every goal.

HANDICAP:  All registered  players are rated on a scale of -1 to 10.  Over 80% of the players are 1 or 2 goal players and there are two 10 goal players in the U.S.  The word "Goal" has no relation to the number of goals a player might score, only his ability.  The handicap of the team is the sum total rating of its players and in handicap matches, the team with the higher handicap gives the difference in ratings to the other team.

KNOCK-IN:  Should a team, in an offensive drive, hit the ball across the opponent's backline, the defending team resumes the game with a free hit from their backline.  No time-out is allowed for knock-ins.

NEAR-SIDE:  The left-hand side of the horse.

NECK SHOT:  A ball which is hit under a horse's neck from either side.

OFF-SIDE:  The right-hand side of the horse.

OUT OF BOUNDS:  When a ball crosses the sideline, it is considered out-of-bounds and the umpire throws in another ball between the two teams at that point.  No time-out is allowed for an out-of-bounds ball.

PENALTY:  A free hit toward the goal from a set distance.  The severity of the foul committed determines what penalty will be awarded -- the range is as a follows:

1.  An automatic Goal.
2.  A free hit from 30 yards to an undefended goal.
3.  A free hit from 40 yards to an undefended goal.
4.  A free hit from 60 yards to a defended goal.
5.  A free hit from the point of the infraction or from midfield.
6.  Safety (see below.)

PONIES:  The best polo ponies are Thoroughbred blood whose main qualities are heart, speed, wind, stamina, and the ability to accelerate, stop and turn quickly, and whose temperament is amenable to the rigors of the game.  There is no height limit for the horses, although most are between 15 and 15.3 hands.  The age of the pony is generally between 5 and 15 years.  Players concede the pony accounts for up to 75% of their game.

POSITIONS:  Each of the four team members plays a distinctly different position.  The players may momentarily change positions, but will try and return to their initial assignment.  No. 1 is the most offensive player.  No. 2 is just as offensive, but plays deeper.  No. 3 is the pivot player between offense and defense and tries to turn all plays to offense.  No. 4 of the Back, is the defensive player whose role is principally to protect the goal.

RIDE-OFF:  This occurs when two riders make contact and attempt to push each other off the line of the ball so as to prevent the other from striking.

SAFETY:  Penalty No. 6.  When a defending player hits the ball across his own backline,  the other team is awarded a free hit 60 yards from the backline with the ball placed at the same distance from the sideline as when it went out.

SUDDEN DEATH:  In the event of a tie score at the end of the final chukker, there is a five minute intermission to allow players to catch their breath and change to a fresh mount before beginning a "sudden death" chukker in which the first team to score wins the match.

TAILSHOT:  Hitting the ball behind and across the horse's rump.

THIRD MAN:  The referee sitting at the sidelines is the third man.  If and when the two umpires on the field.

THROW-IN:  The referee sitting at the sidelines is the third man.  If and when the two umpires on the field are on disagreement, the third man makes the final decision.