AG E N DA
the rules
FOUL A foul is an infraction of the rules. The most common types of fouls are right-of-way infractions, walking the ball, turning the ball, dangerous riding, rough or abusive play, improper use of the mallet and unsportsmanlike conduct. DANGEROUS RIDING A foul which occurs when a player executes an improper or dangerous ride-off, zigzags in front of another player traveling at speed, slides across the back legs of another player’s horse close enough, so there is a risk one or both horses could trip, rides an opponent across the right-of-way of an oncoming player at an unsafe distance, deliberately rides his/her horse into the swing of another player, or generally exhibits a disregard for the safety of other players and/or their horses. IMPROPER USE OF MALLET A foul occurs when a player executes an improper hook, such as high hook (above the shoulder), a cross hook (from the other side of the horse) or a slash hook (excessive force), or uses a mallet in a way that endangers his/her mount, an opponent, an opponent’s mount, an umpire or a spectator.
Law and Order
The rules of polo are simple and designed to keep the game flowing and to protect the horses from injury. 16 myopia polo 2022
APPEALING FOR A FOUL Trying to influence the call of an umpire, most often done by lifting the mallet up in the air. Appealing for a foul is itself a foul, though seldom called.
PENALTY The result of a called foul or infraction of the rules. The umpire imposes a penalty to either compensate the other team for the loss of advantage or to sufficiently penalize the fouling team for a rule violation that did not cause a disadvantage to the opponent, such as unsportsmanlike conduct. Penalties range in severity from taking possession of the ball from a team
photograph by jacqueline miller
