Polo UK Terminology

Appealing Claims by players for a foul generally expressed by the raising of stick above the head or by swinging the stick around in a helicopter motion.   Appealing is generally discouraged and can result in a penalty being awarded against the appealing player.

Polo Ball   White, made of plastic or wood. It weighs four and a half ounces and is three and a half inches in diameter.

Bell  Rung by the timekeeper to inform umpires when seven minutes of play in a chukka have elapsed.

Bump (aka Rideoff) A player is permitted to spoil an opponent's shot or to ride him out of the play. The angle of contact must be no more than 45 degrees or it may constitute a foul. The faster the pony travels the smaller the angle must be.

Chukka  There are between four and eight chukkas (periods of play), depending on the standard of the match (usually four in low goal up to eight in world class matches.  Each chukka lasts seven minutes plus up to 30 seconds of overtime.   During the extra 30 seconds, if the ball hits the sideboards, goes out of bounds, or the whistle is blown for a foul, the chukka is over.  There is no overtime at the end of the final chukka unless the score is tied.   Chukka comes from the Indian word for a circle or round.

Divots Turf kicked up by a ponies' hooves - replaced by treading in!

Ends The back lines of a polo pitch. Teams change ends, i.e. switch the halves they defend, each time a goal is scored in order to equalise wind and turf conditions.

Polo Equipment  Hard helmets for players are compulsory. Knee-pads, whips and spurs are optional

Extra -Time In the event of a tied score at the end of the final chukka, there will be a five minute break to allow the players to catch their breath and change to a fresh mount before beginning a sudden-death chukka. The first team to score wins. In extra time, the goal area is usually widened by moving the goal posts an extra 8 yards apart.

Polo Field A full size polo field is 300 yards by 160 yards, or the area of three soccer pitches. The goal posts, which collapse on severe impact, are set eight yards apart.

Goal Any time the ball crosses, at any height, the line between the goal posts, it is considered a goal regardless of who knocks it through, including the pony.

Polo Handicap All players are rated on a scale of -2 to 10 (the higher the better). Although the word 'goal' is often used after the rating, it bears no relation to the number of goals a player scores in a match, but to his overall playing ability.
A player's horsemanship, range of strokes, speed of play, team and game sense are the factors considered in determining his handicap.
The team handicap is the sum of its players' handicaps. In handicap matches of six chukkas, the team with the lower handicap is awarded the difference in goals at the start of the game. For example, a 26-goal team would give two goals start to a 24-goal team.
For matches other than six chukkas, the side with the lower handicap starts with a number of goals start according to the following formula.
The difference in the teams handicaps is multiplied by the number of chukkas to be played and then divided by six. Fractions count as half a goal. 

Hook Provided the player is on the same side of the opponent's pony as the ball, he may spoil the opponent's shot by putting his stick in the way of the striking player's.

Intervals Three- minutes long rest periods between chukkas. Half time is five minutes.

Judges Goal judges are positioned behind each goal to signal whether a goal has been scored. Hards hats are worn for protection.

Knock-in Should a team hit the ball across the opponent's backline during an attack, the defending team resumes the game with a free hit from the backline where the ball went over. It is equivalent to a goal kick in soccer.

Line of the Ball 'Crossing the line' is the most frequent foul in polo. The line of the ball, namely the imaginary line along which the ball travels, represents a right of way for the player following nearest that line. There are strict rules governing opponents entry in to the right of way.

Polo Mallet/Stick  The shaft is usually made from bamboo cane and the head from a hard wood. The wide face of the mallet head is used to strike the ball and not the ends, as in croquet. Polo mallets range in length according, principally, to the height of the pony played, and extend from 48 to 54 inches.

Nearside: The left hand side of the pony.

Neckshot: A ball which is hit under the pony's neck.

Out-of-bounds When a ball goes over the sideboards, it is considered out-of- bounds. The umpire throws the ball in between the two teams lined up at the point at which it left the field of play. It is equivalent to a throw-in in soccer.

Offside The right hand side of the pony.

Patron  The team owner/sponsor - usually plays at number 1.

Penalty A free hit towards goal is awarded when a foul is committed. The hit is taken from a set distance, dependent on the severity of the offence. Distances are as follows:
Penalty 1:....Automatic goal
Penalty 2:....30 yards to an open goal
Penalty 3:....40 yards to an open goal
Penalty 4:....60 yards to a defended goal
Penalty 5:....from anywhere on the ground
Penalty 5B:..from the centre of the ground

Polo Ponies  Players use a fresh pony for each chukka.  Although termed 'ponies' they are usually horses- ie, above the 14.2 hands height of a normally defined pony. Many are Argentinean Criollo breed or pure or cross thoroughbreds, bred for speed, stamina, with the ability to accelerate, stop and turn quickly with fantastic temperaments.   Bandages or leg wraps are used for support and protection. A pony can account for as much as 80 per cent of their overall performance.  

Positions Each of the four team members play a distinctly different position. Since polo is such a fluid game, players must momentarily change positions, but will try to return to their original assignment.
No. 1:...essentially a goal striker.
No. 2:...also a forward, but plays harder, especially on defence.
No. 3:...the pivotal player between offence and defence who tries to turn all plays to offence. He is usually the highest rated player on the team.
No. 4:...or back, is the most defensive player whose primary responsibility is to protect the goal area.

Ride-off: Two riders may make contact and push each other off the line to prevent the other from striking the ball. It is primarily intended for the ponies to do the pushing, but a player is allowed to use his body, but not his elbows.

Safety (penalty) Also known as a Penalty 6, awarded when a defending player hits the ball over his own backline, the shot is taken 60 yards out from the backline, opposite the point at which the ball went over.  It is equivalent to a corner in soccer and no defender can be nearer than 30 yards from the ball when it is played.

Safety Zone The area around the pitch that is out of bounds for the spectators during play.

Sideboards These are nine to eleven inch high vertical boards along the sidelines only. Such sideboards are optional.

Tailshots Hitting the ball behind and under the pony's rump.

Third-man The referee sitting at the sidelines who will arbitrate if the two mounted umpires on the field are unable to agree a foul.

Time-Out Called by an umpire when a foul is committed, an accident occurs or at his discretion. A player may call time-out if he has broken a key piece of tack or is injured. Time-out is not permitted for changing ponies or for replacing a broken mallet, although a player may do so at any time

Treading-In The replacement at half time of divots of turf. 

Umpires Two mounted umpires (one for each side of the field) who regulate the game. They usually wear striped shirts.