Polo Facts
- a full polo match is divided into six chukkas, but
beginner games may consist of only four or five chukkas
- a chukka is seven to seven and a half minutes long
- after the third chukka, spectators may be invited to
tread the divots, or help level out the field
- a polo field, or polo pitch, is 300 yards long and 200
yards wide, and is often surrounded by boards eleven
inches high
- the goal posts are about ten feet high and eight yards
apart
- in a regular polo match, there will be four players from
each team on the field at any given time
- in an indoor polo game, there will be three players from
each team playing at any given time
- the traditional polo ball is wooden, is 3 1/2 inches in
diameter, and weights 4 1/2 ounces
- a volleyball is often used in practice and beginner
games, and was used in 4-H matches before polo was
discontinued in the 4-H horse program
- a polo mallet consists of a bamboo shaft and a wooden
head
- although their has not been a height limit since 1916,
polo mounts are referred to as polo ponies, and are
usually between 14 and 15.3 HH
- a polo ponies tack consists of an English bridle, most
commonly a pelham, a standing martingale, a breastplate,
a saddle with a polo seat, and protective leg wraps
- a polo player must wear a helmet with a face mask, knee
pads, brown boots, white breeches, and a team shirt;
blunt spurs and a polo whip are optional
- the four team positions are Number One and Two, or the
forwards, Number Three (usually the team captain), and
the Number Four, or Back
- a polo players handicap is a number indicating his skill;
a beginner will have a handicap of -2, while the highest
handicap possible is a +10
- a team handicap is determined by summing up the handicaps
of the players
- polo matches are run by two mounted umpires, a referee
seated above the stands, and two goal judges at each goal
