POLO 1O1

Presented by Brooks Ballard Partner of Engel & Völkers Houston and Member of the Houston Polo Club

Polo is one of the only sports in the world where men and women play side-by-side at the professional level and are rated on the same handicap scale. Players in North America are assigned goal ratings by the United States Polo Association, based on their experience and skill on the field. Beginners are assigned a B (-1) rating. From there, as skills improve, the players are rated from A (or 0) to the top rating, a 10-goal player. Players above a 2-goal rating are usually professional players.

Each team has four players, whose positions are denoted by the numbers 1–4 on their jerseys.

POSITION 1 The Offensive Leader is the most offensive player, hard and accurate “attacker” of the ball, and the usual scorer. When on defense, they are responsible for the opposition’s position 3 player. POSITION 2 The Offensive Assistant assists position 1 player in the attack or is set up for an attack by position 3. They also have a strong defensive role. POSITION 3 The Tactical Leader is the quarterback and usually the best player on the team. They bridge the defense and the offense and thus must be able to accurately pass the ball upfield to the position 1 and 2 players to set up a strategic attack. POSITION 4 The Main Defense is tasked with defending the team’s goal. After a successful defense, they are responsible for quickly transferring the ball to position 3 or the other offensive players.

Hook: The hook is a defensive play in which one player uses their mallet to “hook” another’s mallet. Ride off or bump: A player can press their horse’s shoulder into the shoulder of an opposing pony to drive them off the line of the ball.

THROW-IN

STANDARDS OF PLAY

Traditional polo fields are 300 yards long and 160 yards wide.

Each polo match consists of 4–6 “chukkers” (periods), each lasting any height. Each time a team scores, both change field direction to

7:30 minutes. If the score is tied, the teams will either have a shootout or the teams

The umpire starts the game with a throw-in; this is also how play is resumed after a goal.

When a player presses their horse’s shoulder into the shoulder of an opposing player to drive them off the line of the ball, this is called a “bump” or “riding them off.”

The hook is a defensive play in which one player uses their mallet to interfere with an opponent’s swing. The flexibility of the bamboo mallets can make this play very effective.

The most significant rule governing play is “right of way,” as designated by the “line” of the ball. Once the ball is in play, the “line of the ball” is established. The player who is closest to the ball with the narrowest angle has the right of way. Opposing players cannot cross the line too close to the “on-line” player, nor can they approach the player at too sharp an angle, or they risk a foul and subsequent penalty.

Penalties are called by two mounted umpires; a Third Man on the sidelines is the final word on any disagreements between umpires. The severity of the penalty depends on how dangerous the

SCORING

In polo, a goal is scored when the ball is hit between the goalposts at mitigate any ground or weather advantages.

infraction was to the horse or player. play sudden-death chukkers. The first team to score in the additional chukkers, wins.

Houston Polo Club has a Polo School that runs twice a year for beginners wanting to experience what it is like on the field. See page 42 for more details!