TIPS:
Watching and Enjoying Polo
Standard polo fields are 150 yards wide by 300 yards long with 24 foot wide goal posts centered at each end. Goal posts are lath and mounted on stakes set in the ground so they will readily fall over if hit by a pony. 
   The polo mallet: shafts are made of tapered cane with heads of bamboo tree root. They are different lengths depending on the size of the pony.
   The polo ball: made of white high impact plastic; 3 1/8” in diameter, 4 oz. in weight.

The Team
   There are four members per team, each assigned a number 1 trhough 4 with specific duties as follows:
   No. 1 man should stay out front. His duties are to score goals or turn wide passes back to the goal mouth where a team mate may score.
   No. 2 man should be within range of No. 3 man’s shots to pass the ball to No. 1 man, then cover him or shoot for the goal if a set up is made.
   No. 3 man should be the field captain and the strongest team member. Primarily a defensive player, he should be able to quickly change places with No. 4 man to defend the goal and be equally able to go ahead of his No. 2 man to carry an offensive drive up the field.
   No. 4 man should have great power on his back shots, as his play is defensive and heads off plays toward his own goal.
   Modern polo is like a great wheel spinning horizontally on the field in that the players do not hesitate to leave their positions when the situation demands

Officials and Time of Play
  One umpire handles average games, but for important matches, two umpires are on the field with a referee in the stands. A timekeeper times the play and allows for time outs.
   The usual outdoor game consists of six 7 minute “chukkers” in polo language. No time our allowed to obtain a new mallet; to change from a tired to a fresh pony; or for a player unhorsed (but uninjured) unless the loose pony interferes with the game. Time out may be taken for a foul, safety, injury, broken tack (bridle, saddle, helmet, etc.), broken or buried ball.
   To start a polo match, the umpire faces the players which are paired off and bowls the ball in between their ponies. This same procedure is used to resume play after a time out is called or for a ball out of bounds over the sidelines. The ball is always put into play at the point where it left the playing field.

Handicaps
   Players have ratings from B to 10 goals. This is a value of his ability as a player and provides a means of comparing one player with another. It does not mean he will score this many goals in a game, however. The goal rating of each team’s players are totaled, subtracting the lesser team’s rating from the greater and giving the difference to the weaker team establishes the handicap. In some championship matches, no handicap is allowed
 

Scoring of Goals
  A ball driven between the goal posts or their lines projected upward is a goal. Because of wind conditions in outdoor polo the teams change goals after each score.
   With a tie score at the end of the last period, after the normal time between chukkers, a last “sudden death” overtime period is played. The first team to score is the winner.

Fouls
   It is a foul........
     .....if a man reaches over or under a pony to    hook
     .....for a man not on the ball to strike into the legs of the pony of the player on the line.
     .....to zigzag in front of a galloping man whether he is on the ball or not.
     .....to stop on the ball in such a manner as to interfere with a player coming down the line.
     .....to cross the line of the player on the ball or to impede the progress of two players riding each other off the line of the ball.     
    A player may not butt with his head or use his elbows. A pony showing lack of control must be taken off the field.

We also offer club matches at multiple times each Sunday. during the outdoor season For more information call the DPC Polo Hotline at (248) 684-5200