The rules of the Polo

The rules of the Polo. Each Polo match is played by two teams, each consisting of four runners, who must score goals in the opponent’s goal, usually on grass pitches as large as 4 football pitches.

These are the rules of the Polo . The four players are also called knights or amazons. It is refereed by two mounted judges (“referees”) and by a third line judge (“referee”) who observes the game from a central turret and intervenes in case of disagreement between the two referees on the field. The skill of the players is measured with a scale of values ranging from -2 to 10; these values are called handcaps (hp) and are calculated on the basis of the specific criteria of each national federation. The competition field has a maximum length of 275 meters, a minimum of 230 meters, a maximum width of 180 meters and a minimum of 146 meters. The goals, 8 meters wide, consist of two three-meter high poles built with lightweight materials to avoid damaging players and horses. The ball is made of wood with a maximum diameter of 9 cm and weighs about 130 gr . The aim of the game is to score the most goals . The goal is considered valid every time the knight pushes the ball between the goal posts. In fairness, teams change sides of the pitch every time a goal is scored. A game lasts from four to eight halves (chukker) , established before each game, of seven effective minutes each with intervals of three to five minutes to allow players to change horses. The end of each time is signaled by the sound of a bell or a horn. If the ball is still in play at the time of the bell ringing, it is allowed to continue for another 30 seconds at the sound of a second bell, unless a game interruption factor intervenes (goal, foul, ball out of bounds. game) which decrees the end of time. At the end of the match, if the result is void, the game continues until one of the teams scores a goal . Have we intrigued you? How about a nice horse holiday between Cordoba and Mendoza where you can go trekking on horseback and get close to polo? Follow this link to discover our horse riding trip in Argentina.

Being a sufficiently dangerous sport, there are rules that control the behavior of horses and riders on the field, aimed at avoiding and limiting any accidents during matches and to ensure maximum fairness and safety in the field. race. Fouls are severely punished by awarding the shot to the opposing team at the same spot where the offense was committed. After being thrown, the ball draws an imaginary line that the players cannot cross. Only the player who has just thrown the ball, and whoever follows his line, is in possession of the ball. Consequently, he has the right of way over other players. It is also forbidden to risk dropping or tripping a horse . Attempting to take possession of the ball by passing the cue under the neck in front of the horse’s legs is another strictly prohibited action. Similarly, it is not allowed to catch an opponent’s bat while his arm is over his shoulder or while he is not in the throwing action. It is forbidden to zigzag in front of an opponent. Excluding the inevitable contacts with the opponent, all actions that do not respect the sporting spirit of the game, brutal scoring, impropriety and intimidation are banned and constitute a violation of the rules. The rules of this sport are very similar to those of football, with one big difference: in Polo there is no offside . A dismounted player cannot re-enter the game. A player can receive outside help during a game to change horses, to change the horse’s cue or harness, but all this must be done without interrupting the game. Here the website of the Italian federation to find out more