Polo - The King Of Horse Games

Horses are used in a very long list of sports that are enjoyed by riders and hunters and even chosen as a profession by the jockeys. This list of sports may include Western, English and other regional sports. The western horse riding games are barrel racing, pleasure riding, trail classing and many more while the English play horse games like show jumping, hunting, cross country jumping, dressage, fox hunting, racking, racing, polo, steeple chasing and many more. Out of all these games polo is the most popular game and is played in most of the countries.

Polo is a very fun horse game. Still, you won’t believe that this game is 2,000 years old and it hailed from China and Persia. The word "polo" is derived from a Tibet word "Pholo" that means ball. The first polo club was established by the British in the 1850's, however, the first recorded game was played in 600 BC. Those who enjoy this exciting game are now working to have it included in the Olympic games.

If you are interested in participating in this horse game, then it is necessary to learn the basic rules and tips of the game. First of all, learning the basics is important. There are two types of Polo games; The Arena Polo and The Outdoor Polo. Arena Polo consists of 3 players in each team, which gives you a total of 6 players in the arena. There is a Pivotal player in both the games who has to turn the game into offensive play and have to strike goals. This player is usually the third player. The first player is responsible for defending the opposite team’s strikes, just like the goal keeper of a soccer game. The second player plays according to the game’s condition or the pattern chosen by the team. In the outdoor game there are a total of 8 players on the field at a time, each team having 4 players. The 4th player is the Pivotal player of the game. The 1st player is the defender while the 2nd and 3rd players play according to the pattern. Usually, Outdoor Polo games are played in a Polo Stadium, hence it is called “Outdoor” Polo.

Now that you know about the basic information of the game you should also learn the rules. A goal is achieved when the ball is hit by the mallet across the two goal posts with a distance of 24 feet in between. This game consists of three umpires that judge fouls and award a team with either a free hit or even a free goal depending upon a foul made by the opposing team. This game is even shorter than a soccer match, it consists of 8 periods. Each period is played for 7 minutes and an extra period of 30 seconds. This makes a normal polo game around 60 minutes long. Each period within the game is called a “Chukka”. 

A Polo pony cannot run more than in 2 chukkas since they have to gallop for about 300 meters per chukka. Professional Polo games only allow one pony per chukka so that the game can be played at a faster pace. If you are interested in playing this game it is a good idea to join a Polo Club.  This will prepare you to play professional outdoor polo games. This sport requires horse riding skills so be sure you learn how to ride before applying. There are many clubs that will even help you learn horse riding. Search online for such nearest Polo club and join one today. This sport can be played by anyone so give it a go and be proud of your new sporting hobby!