AG E N DA
the rules
Dangerous situations and injuries usually result in a violation of the rules, and it is the responsibility of the two mounted umpires and the referee on the sidelines to maintain order on the field.
Law and Order
The rules of polo are simple and designed to keep the game flowing and to protect the horses from injury. APPEALING FOR A FOUL
DANGEROUS RIDING
IMPROPER USE OF MALLET
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.
A foul which occurs when a player executes an improper or dangerous ride-off, zig zags 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 horse into the swing of another player or generally exhibits a disregard for the safety of other players or their horses.
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 mount, an opponent, an opponent’s mount, an umpire or a spectator.
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. 14 myopia polo 2020
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 which 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 and bowling it in to ejecting a player from the game. RIGHT-OF-WAY
The right-of-way is best thought of as a highway, with the line of the ball creating the center line. The player traveling in the direction of the ball, with the ball on his offside and at the least angle to it, generally has the right-ofway over the other players. photograph by andrew katsampes
