&
& Proud property sponsors of MINT Polo in the Park
lingo
POLO RULES the teams
To promote a more open and fast paced game, each team will consist of three players instead of four.
player handicaps
Depending on aptitude, each polo player plays with a handicap ranging from -2 to +10. Around 90% of all polo players have handicaps in the range 0 to +2. When a team is put together, the handicaps of the individual players are added up to give the team handicap.
the polo pony
The present-day polo pony has a height of between 14.5 and 16 hands, or 155-160cm. These tough little horses are masters of the sudden burst of speed. Brave and pugnacious, their agility and alertness are second to none.
goal hit outs
Players will hit out after a goal when the umpires call play.
goals
direction of play
Any time the ball fully crosses, at any height, the line between the goal posts, it is a goal regardless of who knocks it through, including the pony. A goal scored inside the ‘D’ ring is rewarded with one goal and goal scored out of the ‘D’ is awarded two goals.
The complicated rule of changing ends every time a goal is scored has been replaced with the new rule, (similar to the rule played by most sports) of changing ends after each half of the game.
ball out of play
line of the ball
If the ball goes out of play there will be a throw in. However if a player is deemed to have deliberately hit the ball out of play, a spot hit will be awarded to the opposing team.
umpiring
The game is umpired by one or two mounted umpires with a single side line umpire, who is not mounted. mint polo in the park has adopted more advanced judgement techniques. With the backup use of television playback (as with rugby for instance), umpires will have access to comprehensive close up camera shots of the play. This avoids any difficult umpire decisions being disrupted.
the field & ‘d’ ring
The pitch is made up of 8 sides. The pitch is a shorter length at 215 yards and width of 90 yards. The corners have been ‘cut off ’ in order to keep the ball in play much longer. The goal posts are still 8 yards apart and there is a centre line with a starting marker in the middle of it. The difference here is that the penalty line markers have been removed and replaced with a ‘D’ ring, as one might find in hockey.
chukka
In Europe a match normally consists of four chukkas, each lasting 7 ½ minutes. The last chukka of the game lasts exactly seven minutes. A pony can be played in no more than two chukkas in any one match, and not in consecutive chukkas. This means that ponies are changed between chukkas. At half-time (generally after two chukkas), there is a five to ten minute break, during which the public are asked to walk on to the field and ‘tread in’ the divots of turf carved up by the ponies’ hooves.
The fundamental and most important rule of the sport of polo is known as ‘Right of Way’ (ROW). Whenever the ball is in play, a right of way exists and is always deemed to be held by the player who is established on, or at the closest angle to, the Line of the Ball (LOB = the extended path along which the ball has travelled, or is travelling).
tapping techniques
In principle the ball is tapped on the right side of the pony, known as the ‘offside’. Tapping takes place in a forward (offside forehand) or backward (offside backhand) direction. For a ‘nearside’ play, which takes place on the pony’s left side,
the player has to twist in the saddle and, holding the stick in his right hand, bring it to the other side of the pony. Nearside forehand and nearside backhand are the corresponding forward and backward plays. ‘Under the neck’ refers to strokes performed in front of, or under the neck of, the pony. Among the trickiest manoeuvres are ‘round-the-tail’ strokes, performed to the rear of the horse.
fouls
No other player may enter or cross this ROW. Players may not position or check their ponies over the line if this poses the slightest risk of collision with the player who currently has ROW. The player with ROW can only lose ROW by being ‘ridden off ’ or ‘hooked’. It is forbidden to hook over the body of the opponent’s pony. ‘Riding off ’ means trying to force an opponent, who is riding parallel, off course by a kind of body check, so that the player can no longer hit the ball. Riding off is allowed, provided it takes place parallel, and not at an angle, to the player who has ROW.
POLO LINGO ball Traditionally a white colour
and made of plastic or wood. It weighs four and a half ounces and is three and a half inches in diameter.
bell or hooter This is situated off the side of the field and is rung by the timekeeper to inform umpires when seven minutes of play in chukka have elapsed.
bump A player is permitted to ride-off another to spoil his shot or to remove him away from the play. The angle of contact must be no more than 45 degrees. The faster the pony travels, the smaller the angle must be. A good bump can shake discs and dentures loose! divots Turf kicked up by ponies’
hooves during the game.
ends The back lines of the polo pitch. Teams change ends, i.e. switch the halves they defend, each time a goal is scored in order to equalise wind and turf conditions. equipment
Hard helmets for players are compulsory. Face-guards, knee pads, whips and spurs are optional.
hired assassin polo player.
A professional
during an attack, the defending team resumes the game with a free hit from the backline where the ball went over. It is equivalent to a goal kick in football.
hooking The use of the stick to prevent an other player from retrieving or striking the ball. This is done by blocking the opponent’s stick during a swing or while the other player is tapping or dribbling the ball.
mallet/stick Made from bamboo cane or graphite composite and the head from a hard wood.
knock-in
millionaire’s shot
Should a team hit the ball over the opponent’s backline
A shot at the ball by an inexpert player when the
ball is very close to the legs of the pony or sticking it under the belly of the pony. It is assumed only millionaires with lots of ponies can afford to have a pony out of play because of injury and, therefore, prepared to take the risk.
riding off When a player forces an opponent off course using a kind of body check so that they can no longer hit the ball.
event information A TRULY WORLD CLASS EVENT
WHERE TO FIND US
Polo players from all over the world come to battle each other in a furious display of horsemanship at MINT Polo in the Park.
PARSONS GREEN
MU NS TE R
Join us for a quintessentially British summer’s day out MINT Polo in the Park is the leading outdoor polo and lifestyle event in Central London, offering a mix of sport, entertainment and VIP experiences.
AD S RO KING NEW
AD M RO GHA IN L R HU
PUTNEY BRIDGE
ENTRANCE
E LAN USE HO OM BRO
ET TRE HS HIG HAM FUL
AM LH FU
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Visitors to the event enjoy a quintessentially British summers day, complete with a luxury shopping village, on-pitch entertainment, champagne garden, world class hospitality and the best display of polo in the world. MINT Polo in the Park has made a few little crucial changes to the game in order to create a much more spectator friendly game whilst still retaining some old-fashioned traditions. See the rules on reverse.
EEN LANE PARONS GR
For three days every year since 2008, the hallowed turf of Hurlingham Park in Fulham reverberates with the hooves of high-class polo ponies.
THAMES
CHESTERTON HUMBERTS ARE PROUD SPONSORS OF MINT POLO IN THE PARK
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Hurlingham Park Address: 91 Hurlingham Road Closest Tube stations: Putney Bridge
7min walk
Parsons Green
9min walk
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