What is the most common pony breed?

What are polo horses bred for?

The typical American polo pony is a cross between the thoroughbred, discussed above, and the American quarter horse. Quarter horses are cutting horses, bred to be limber, agile animals for herding cows and other livestock. Their agility enables polo horses to make quick directional changes followed by quick bursts of speed.

How important is Your Pony on the polo field?

The importance of your pony on the polo field cannot be underestimated. His athletic ability, training and your ability to manoeuvre him accurately will determine your value as a player. Most players you talk to, when asked, will readily tell you their ponies are 80–90 per cent of the game.

What breed of horse is used for polo?

Britain was the first western country to play polo and used to have a Polo Pony Stud Book based on native pony mares crossed with small Thoroughbreds. In America, Thoroughbred horses crossed with American Quarter Horses are bred to produce polo ponies.

What is hobby horse polo?

It uses parts of the polo rules but has its own specialities, as e.g. ‘punitive sherries’. The Hobby Horse variant started 1998 as a fun sport in south western Germany and lead 2002 to the foundation of the First Kurfürstlich-Kurpfälzisch Polo-Club in Mannheim.

What skills do you need to be a polo player?

In a contact sport like polo, it is so easy to get riled up by an opponent, a badly behaving pony or simple frustrations. Being able to keep a cool head is imperative.

What is polo and how is it played?

With thousands of people now signing up for weekend games at clubs all over the country, this ancient sport is slowly garnering new audiences. To the untrained eye, polo is a blend of golf and hockey played on horseback. But what does it cost to play this game?

Is Polo a skill or a skill set?

It definitely does require a great deal of skill and knowledge to play the game of polo. To most players, the horsemanship is taken for granted as being a strong skill, and the skill set of the game that comes afterwards is where players are differentiated beyond their riding abilities.

What do you need to know about polo?

1 To play polo you need a ball and a mallet. 2 The polo ball is white and made of plastic. 3 Balls measure three and a quarter inches in diameter and weigh around 4.5 ounces. 4 As a rule polo mallets measure 49 to 54 inches long.

Why are these sports considered as separate sports?

These sports are considered as separate sports because of the differences in the composition of teams, equipment, rules, game facilities etc. Polo is not played exclusively on horseback. Such polo variants are mostly played for recreational or tourist purposes; they include canoe polo, cycle polo, camel polo,…

How many players do you need for arena polo?

Create two teams with three players on each team. Unlike outdoor polo, arena polo only requires three players, mostly to keep the safety of the horses and riders in mind. The players’ jerseys should indicate their number as Player 1, 2, or 3.

What is a polo team composed of?

A polo team consists of four players, each wearing a shirt with a number ranging from 1-4. Each of these players is assigned a specific position in the field to help create the most successful alignment for the attack. Here’s how the players and their ponies are arranged:

What are the rules and regulations of arena polo?

In the U.S., the USPA Rules and Rules Interpretations govern all sanctioned events. The rules of arena polo are very similar to those of outdoor field polo with the main differences accounting for the presence of the walls surrounding the playing field. Penalty shot lines also account for the smaller size of the field.

Can horses go high speeds in arena polo?

While they don’t go high speeds over long distances, horses need to utilize acceleration, strength, maneuverability and heart to play arena polo. It is especially important in arena polo for horses to be comfortable with other horses and riders, as they often run into one another in the smaller area.

What is the difference between field and arena polo?

The playing field is smaller, enclosed and usually of compacted sand or fine aggregate, and often indoors. Arena polo has more maneuvering due to space limitations, and uses an air-inflated ball slightly larger than the hard solid ball used in field polo. Standard mallets are used, though slightly larger-head arena mallets are an option.

What are the different forms of arena polo?

Forms of arena polo include beach polo, played in many countries between teams of three riders on a sand surface, and cowboy polo, played almost exclusively in the western United States by teams of five riders on a dirt surface.

What is the sport of polo?

The sport is overseen by the Federation of International Polo. The object of Polo is for a team to score more points than its opposition, thus winning the game. Each team attempts to move the ball into the opposition’s half of the pitch with the aim of eventually hitting it through the goal to score.

What is a polo team made of?

Each team of four is made up of attackers and defenders, but realistically all members of a polo team are expected to be flexible and make any play whether offensive or defensive and change position as necessary to benefit the team.

How long does it take to become a polo horse?

Horses usually take a year or two to train to become polo horses, and can play into their twenties. Generally, there are three players per team in arena polo as opposed to four in the outdoor version.

What is arena polo?

Arena polo is a fast-paced version of polo played outdoors on an enclosed all-weather surface, or in an indoor arena. Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA, Great Britain) and US Polo Association (USPA, USA ) have established their own rules for arena polo, and these rules are often used in other countries as well.

What is the difference between arena polo and grass polo?

Compared to a grass field, arena polo fields make it possible to play no matter the weather. Some polo clubs even have fields with special lighting to play at night. While they don’t go high speeds over long distances, horses need to utilize acceleration, strength, maneuverability and heart to play arena polo.

What are the different types of horse polo?

There are two types of horse polo: field polo which is played using a solid plastic sphere ball, and then there’s arena polo which is played with a small air-filled ball, which is similar to a soccer ball. Two teams can play with four members each. The team members can be a mix of male and female.

How many players are on a polo team?

The Players Generally, there are three players per team in arena polo as opposed to four in the outdoor version. In 2016, Dallas Burston Polo Club in the UK became the first to build an arena suitable for four players on each team, nicknamed the ‘SuperArena’.

What is the difference between Arena and outdoor polo?

Unlike outdoor polo, which is played on a 10-acre field, arena polo is played on 300 feet by 150 feet field, enclosed by walls of four or more feet in height. The normal game consists of four chukkas, or periods, of seven and one-half minutes each. A polo ball is similar to a mini soccer ball, larger than the hard plastic ball used outdoors.

What is the difference between Arena and hard field polo?

Arena polo has similar rules, and is played with three players per team. The playing area is smaller, enclosed, and usually of compacted sand or fine aggregate, often indoors. Arena polo has more maneuvering due to space limitations, and uses an air inflated ball, slightly larger than the hard field polo ball.