The Play
A polo game is divided into six periods, called chukkers. The word “chukker” sometimes spelled “chukka” is derived from the Sanskrit word referring the turn of a wheel, which was the way chukkers were once timed. Each chukker consists of seven and a half minutes of playing time. The clock is stopped for foul shots, but keeps running after a goal is scored or if the ball goes out of bounds. If the ball does go out of bounds and rolls up to your foot, you must resist the urge to toss it back onto the field. The umpire will call for a line-up and bowl the ball in.
The play begins with a line-up at the center of the field. The umpire bowls the ball between the two teams, and each fights to gain possession. Most of the rules in polo are based on the concept of the “line-of-the-ball.” The line of the ball is an imaginary line that the ball creates when it is hit. Generally speaking, players must not cross this line if there are players behind him who are “on the line” and therefore have the “right of way.” This sometimes means that a player must take the ball on the left side (near side) of his horse, and sometimes means he is not allowed to hit it at all.
A goal is scored when the ball passes between the goal posts at any height. When this happens, the players return to the center of the field for another line-up and bowl-in. After every goal, the teams switch directions. This equalizes field conditions, but can be a bit confusing to the novice spectator, who may not understand why the team he was cheering for suddenly seems to be going the wrong way and shooting at the wrong goal. If the ball does not pass through the goal posts but merely goes over the endline, the defending team gets a free hit, or “knock-in” from the point where the ball went out.
Defensive play in polo consists mostly of “hooking” and of “riding off.” Players may use their mallets to hook or strike an opponent’s mallet while the opponent is in the act of hitting the ball. Players may reach across their own horses, but they may not extend their mallets in front of, over, under, or behind their opponent’s mount. A player also may not hook his opponent’s mallet when it is above the level of the shoulder, nor may he strike it with undue force.
A player may use his horse to “ride off” his opponent so as to push the opponent away from the ball or otherwise spoil his shot. Polo is a contact sport, and horses and players often bump each other quite hard in the heat of the action. However, it is a foul to bump with undue force, or to do anything that endangers the other player or his mount.
If any player infringes on the rules, the umpires blow their whistles for a foul. The team fouled then gets a penalty shot or a free hit. Depending on the severity of the foul and where it occurs, the ball may be hit from the point of the infraction or moved down the field closer to the fouling team’s goal.
Polo being a “gentleman’s game,” it is a foul to appeal a foul. It is also a foul to argue with the umpires. Umpires may call a technical foul on players exhibiting unsportsmanlike behavior. They do this by pulling a red handkerchief from their back pockets.
The Horses
The animals used in polo are called ponies, but they are not really ponies at all. In America, most are Thoroughbreds, and some even began their careers as race horses. Others were bred specifically for polo, and still others were imported from Argentina, where polo-pony breeding and training is a big industry. Aiken has a growing reputation as a top place to breed, train and bring along young horses.
Polo ponies generally stand between 15 and 16 hands at the withers (a hand is four inches.) They are trained to stop and turn quickly, to boldly face oncoming horses, to tolerate flying mallets and balls, to ride-off, bump, and run like the wind when asked. Players say the horse makes up 60, 70 or even 80 percent of a player’s worth. An exceptional string of horses can make the difference between a good and a great player. Conversely, a player mounted on a slow, sluggish, unwilling or unmanageable horse can be quite useless to his team. After all, you can’t hit the ball if you can’t get to it.
Since each game is six chukkers long and a horse may play in one or possibly two chukkers, every player must have a minimum of three horses to play a full game. Most have more: six horses is a good number to bring to the field, and many players have one or two extras as well, or even a whole second string, especially if they are playing year-round tournament polo. Not surprisingly, building, conditioning and maintaining a good string is one of the primary preoccupations of players at every level. Everyone wants faster, handier, quicker, easier ponies. Top horses are hard to come by, and it is rare for a player to have an entire string of great horses all at the same time.
The Life
Polo was once the sport of kings, played only by the wealthy leisure classes. Today, although the sport certainly requires a significant investment of time and money, it is played by men and women from many different walks of life, from England’s Prince Harry to the local veterinarian, real estate agent, blacksmith or fence builder. Polo can be played on many different levels and by players of all ages and abilities. Polo professionals and serious amateurs may play polo full time and year-round. More casual players might play on the weekends, or on occasional evenings after work.
Whatever their level of commitment, all polo players share in the special world of polo; a world with its own language, its own worries and its own set of celebrities. They are united by a shared passion for horses, a shared commitment to the sport, and a shared connection to the traditions of the past.
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