POLO FOR DUMMIES

• Polo Basics:

Two teams of four play on a 300 by 160 yards field

A game is played in four periods; each period, also known as a chukker, is seven minutes long.

Polo horses are traditionally called ponies

Each player is given a zone, offense in the front to defense in the back, indicated by the number he wears on his shirt ( 1 is most forward and 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 pony in each of the four chukkers. If a pony appears to be tiring before the end of a chukker, the player may switch horses.

Players’ performance is measured by handicap ranging from -2 for the beginners to 10 for the virtuosos of the mallet.

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

• A few elementary rules:

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 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.