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Columbus Polo
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Polo FAQ'S:
What is the 'mallet'?
A
polo mallet is usually between 49 and 53 inches long. Length used
depends on
the height of the pony and style of the player. Most mallets are made
of bamboo
or graphite with a wooden head. The grip is similar to a tennis
racquet.
Unlike
croquet, the polo ball is struck with the side of the mallet head,
rather than
the point.
What is the ball like?
A
field polo ball is between 3 and 3 1/2 inches in diameter, or about the
size
of an orange. Balls used to be made of wood or other hard natural
substances.
Now they're a heavy polymer(plastic).
What do the numbers on
the jerseys mean?
Those
are the positions, from offense to defense. Watch how the players line
up
with the umpire to start the game. The players closest to the umpire
play the
‘1’ position, while those farthest away are ‘4’s.
You might notice that when play begins Number 1 breaks for the opponents' goal and looks for a pass from his teammates. He leads the offensive plays, supported by Number 2. Number 3 is the ‘quarterback’. He's usually the strongest hitter, since his job is to move the ball from Number 4, the defensive player, back up the field to 1 and 2 for an offensive play.
Like most sports, it's legal to block plays and steal the ball in polo, so players on the defensive team ‘cover their man' and look for an opportunity to steal the ball and create an offensive drive of their own.
Okay, there was a big
jumble and some guy in a striped shirt blew a
whistle. What happened?
Like
any sport, it takes a while to see plays or, in this case, fouls in
polo.
The riders in striped shirts are the umpires. They are responsible for
enforcing the rules and designating penalties. A minor mistake could
just
result in possession of the ball going to the opposite team. Extremely
dangerous or aggressive fouls can result in free points to the other
team or
even players being kicked out of the game. It helps if you read a copy
of the polo
rules. You can request a current rule book from the USPA for a small
fee, or
print the rules from their website for free (.pdf reader required).
It seems awfully cruel
to the horses. Why do you make them play?
You
might be surprised to learn that most polo horses absolutely love
playing
polo. Some enjoy 'bumping' other horses or chasing the ball so much
that it's
hard to get them to do anything else. The polo pony is a cooperative
partner on
the field, so horses who are scared (spook from the ball or other
ponies),
angry (buck), or who otherwise won't play polo (won't run, won't stop)
really
can't be forced to play. Some of these horses enjoy arena polo, and
those who
don't like polo at all usually do fine in some other discipline.
Additionally,
most polo ponies are treated like the valuable athletes they are. Since
the
pony is worth 60 to 70% of the player/rider team on the field (and a
well-playing horse can cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars),
smart
players take excellent care of their ponies. Come on over after the
game and
meet them.
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