Polo 101

“A Polo handicap is a person’s ticket to the world.”
— Sir Winston Churchill

As one of the oldest team sports, polo is an exhilarating combination of horsepower, athleticism and control. Competing on a 300 by 160-yard grass field (outdoor polo) or a 300 by 150-foot dirt arena (indoor polo), players score by driving the ball between the opposing team’s goal posts using a bamboo mallet while riding at speeds of up to 35 mph. The team with the highest score after 4 to 6 chukkers (periods) of play win the game. If both teams are tied at the end of the final chukker, play will go into overtime. The game follows some established rules that keep the horses and riders safe.

  • A full-sized outdoor, or grass, playing field is 300 by 160 yards, approximately the area of nine football fields.

  • Like most team sports, to score, the ball must go between the opponent’s goal posts to score the most goals to win the game.

  • A polo match generally lasts one to two hours and is divided into periods called chukkers, which last seven-and-a-half minutes each. Excluding overtime, a polo game, outdoor or indoor, consists of between four and six chukkers, depending on tournament stipulations.

  • The initial direction of each team is chosen based on a coin toss at the beginning of the game. Teams move in the direction of their goal until the first goal is scored, after which teams switch goals. Direction is changed after each goal is scored.

  • All players, even left-handed, must carry the mallet in their right hand at all times for safety reasons. The only exception to this rule is left-handers registered with the USPA prior to January 1, 1974.

  • A handicap is a rating given to a player to indicate his/her skill level relative to another player. Provided to actively Registered Player Members of the USPA, handicaps are expressed as “goals” that range on a scale from C (-2) to 10, with 10 being the highest. These ratings are unrelated to the number of goals a player scores, but rather reflect a player’s skill, horsemanship, strategic ability, knowledge of polo, team play and sportsmanship. Twice per year handicaps are reviewed and can change either up or down the scale dependent on these factors. For example, a 4-goal player has a handicap of four.

Players and types of shots

Polo is played with 4 players on each team. Players can play multiple horses throughout the game and in many cases will play a different horse in each chukker.

  • Players wearing jersey number 1 or 2 are forwards or attacking players. They must be able to hit the ball accurately on goal.

  • Like most team sports, to score, the ball must go between the opponent’s goal posts to score the most goals to win the game.

  • Focuses on defence and moves the ball up to the attacking players.

  • An off side shot is a shot that is taken with the mallet on the right-side of the horse.

    *Polo players are only allowed to play with the mallet in their right hand, a rule which began in the ‘70s.

  • A nearside shot is a shot played on the left side of the horse. This is a difficult shot as polo has been played with the mallet in the right hand since the 1970’s.

  • A neck shot is a shot taken with the mallet, under the horse’s neck, from either the near or offside.

  • A backshot propels the ball in a direction behind the horse and rider from either side of the horse.

  • A ball hit behind the pony’s hind end from either side.

What can you expect on the day?

If it’s your first time to polo, you’ve come to the right place. We love introducing new people to the sport. Below covers a few of the basics.