The premise behind so many sports, be it soccer or hockey or American football, is to get a ball into the opposing team’s goal area. The sport of polo is no exception, though players must use a mallet to hit the ball while riding horses instead of using their hands or feet to launch a ball into a goal.
History
Polo is considered the oldest team sport, though its precise origins are unknown. Sport historians believe it originated in the region once known as Persia (present day Iran) around the 6th century BC. Polo may once have been a tool for training cavalry, but it eventually became a sport, spreading quickly across the east.
It wasn’t until the mid 19th century that polo established a foothold in Europe. Englishmen Captain Robert Stewart and Major General Joe Sherer were responsible for introducing the game to the west after the pair witnessed a polo match while stationed in Manipur, a state in northeastern India. It would be nearly 20 years later before Americans were introduced to the sport and the first formal American polo club was established.
Play
A polo match is typically played outdoors on a field. The match lasts about 90 minutes and is divided into six timed periods called chukkers. Breaks of three minutes are included between chukkers, and there is a five-minute halftime as well.
Each team is made up of four players. Their positions are designated by the numbers 1 to 4 and are worn on their team jerseys. The roles of players are flexible, and players can make any play that benefits the team.
Players use a wooden mallet to hit a plastic ball down the field toward the opposing team’s goal posts. A series of shots are used to move the ball, and these shots include forehand, backhand, neck shots, tail shots, and belly shots. The shot is determined by the side of the horse’s body from which the ball is hit. Certain defensive and offensive strategies are allowed during play. A certain amount of “hooking,” or using a mallet to grab another player’s mallet, as well as bumping away of other players is legal. In a ride-off, a player rides his horse alongside an opponent’s mount in order to move an opponent away from the ball or to take him out of a play.
Polo ponies
The mounts used in play are called polo ponies, although the horses are not really ponies but full-sized horses. Horses are chosen carefully for their quick bursts of speed and agility. The mount must remain responsive during pressure and not be easily spooked. Trainers acclimate polo ponies to being handled with one hand and help them grow accustomed to responding to changes in the rider’s leg and weight cues. Horses begin training early and may require up to two years of training before they can become efficient members of a team.
Polo is played all over the world. However, it is only played professionally in a few countries, including Canada and the United States. The United States Polo Association is the sport’s governing body for polo in the U.S., which is the only country that has a separate league for women’s polo; this league is governed by the United States Women’s Polo Federation.
— Metro Creative
