This article will briefly explain how to play polo. Velocity, resistance, precision and a glorious tradition. This defines a polo game. Originated 2500 years before in Central Asia, polo started with goal posts that were placed, generally, at kilometers of distance and with the peculiarity that the game used to continue until one of the teams ran out of fighters.
Nowadays, to play polothere must be two teams with four players (on horseback) each. Players have a taco on their right hand with which they will try to hit a 8.8cm ball through the goal posts, while staying at gallop. The goal posts, at each end line, are generally made of wicker and are spaced eight yards apart. With each converted goal, which counts one point, teams must change their side.
A polo game has between 6 and 8 chukkers, being a chukker a period of time of 7 minutes. The game is usually so intense that it is useful to know that polo ponies have to be replaced once each chukker is finished.
However, there is an exception. Matches in the“Triple Corona”, which is composed by the most important tournaments of the world (all of which take place in Argentina), has eight chukkers. This represents at least eight polo ponies per player. That means that in a four player’s team, 32 polo ponies are necessary. That’s 64 polo ponies in a match! Incredible, isn’t it? This mainly explains why polo fields are so big: 300 yards long and 160 yards wide – which is roughly the equivalent of 7 American football fields-.
In relation to the dynamic of the polo game, the coordination between the player and the polo ponies requires synchronization and rapid reactions from both of them. This is what makes a polo game so exciting to see.
