Horse Polo Rules

The field

Polo is most often played outdoors. The outdoor grass polo field is 300 yards long and 160 yards wide, slightly larger than nine football fields and almost 10 acres in size, it is the largest field in organized sport. The goals are located in the center 8 yards of each end line between two goal posts. The goal posts are 24 feet apart and a minimum of 10 feet high. The goal posts are at least 10 feet high, round and of equal diameter throughout. They are in vertical position and light enough to break upon collision. The run-off area is recommended to extend 30 yards beyond the the back line. Side boards cannot exceed 11 inches in height..Penalty lines are marked at 30 yards from the goal, 40 yards, 60 yards and at midfield.

Arena polo

Polo can be played in winter as well, in covered arena. The circumstances are different: smaller the field, higher the side boards, different the surface( eg.sand), bigger the ball, less player, usually 3 are playing. Arena polo also exist in open arena and on snow as well. Arena polo has its own rules.

Game rules

Polo game rules can alterate according to different associations, but the they are very similar in the basic principles. In the Magyar Polo Club, the FIP ( Federation of International Polo) rules are the guidelines. Local tournament organizers can decide within the given possibilities about their own regulation (eg.number of chukkers) which must be announced in the tournament description.

In general there are four to six chukkers (chukka) in a polo match. Each chukker is seven minutes long. Breaks between chukkers are 3 minutes long, with a 5 minute of halftime.
There are two mounted umpires who officiate the match, but one umpire is alllowed on agreement. The game clock is stopped by the umpire in case of a foul, fallen pony or rider, pony or player injured, broken tack, loss of helmet, or if the ball rolls out of bounds. After each goal scored the teams change goals.

A polo game begins with a Throw-In at midfield at the beginning of each chukker and after each goal. Each team lines up in numerical order, directly behind the other. Play is resumed with a Throw-in from the spot, if the ball rolls out of bounds. A Knock-In is used to resume play when the ball crosses over the back line without passing through the goal mouth. The defending team hits the ball back into play from the back line. No time-out is allowed for a Knock-In.

The object is to score goals by hitting the ball between the the goal posts, across and clear of the goal line, no matter how high in the air.

Most of the rules of polo are for the safety of the players and their ponies. The primary concerns are “right of way” and the “line of the ball “ which is an imaginary line that is formed each time the ball is struck. The player who last struck the ball is considered to have right of way, riding on the left side of the line, being off –side, and no other player may cross the line of the ball in front of that player. Bumping or riding off is allowed as long as the angle of attack is less than forty five degrees, and any contact must be made between the pony’s hip and shoulder. A player may hook or block the opponent’s mallet with his mallet, but no deliberate contact between players is allowed. The mallet may only be held in the right hand – bad luck for the left handed players. Individual situations based on the cirsumstances ( position, speed of the players, and the ball) shall be judged by the umpires.

An infraction of the rules, especially when safety is involved, is a foul. The other team is usually awarded a penalty shot. Crossing the Line is the most common foul in a polo match. The goal can be defended or it can be a free hit depending upon the severity of the foul. The more severe the penalty, the shorter the hitting distance to the goal mouth. Penalty shots are given from any position the umpires choose, from the goal line to midfield, with or without a defender allowed in the goal mouth, depending on the severity of the foul.In polo, penalty shots are numbered from 1 to 10 depending on the severity of the infraction. Penalties are strucked from 30 yards from the goal, 40 yards, 60 yards, from midfield and from the spot.

Players must change horses after each chukker due to the extreme demands placed on the polo pony.
During half time, spectators go onto the field to participate in a tradition called "divot stomping" to help replace the divots created by the horse's hooves.