Ponies and Players

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Polo - Ponies and Players

by Saskia Mier

The polo pony ranges from 14.2-16 hands (147-163cm) in height and is usually a thoroughbred or thoroughbred cross. Polo ponies are selected carefully for their ability to move in quick bursts of speed, and their great stamina, agility and manoeuvrability. It is vital that the horse remains responsive under pressure and does not become excited or difficult to control.

Polo Players

Polo must be played right-handed and each position assigned to a player has certain responsibilities. There are four players in a polo team.

Player Number One is the most offence-oriented position on the field.
Player Number Two either runs through and scores, or passes to Number One, getting in behind them.
Player Number Three is the tactical leader and solid defence. They must feed balls to Number Two and Number One.
Player Number Four is the primary defence player, moving anywhere on the field and, above all, preventing goals from  being scored. 

Each player is given a handicap, rated on a scale of -2 to 10 goals, with a -2 indicating a novice player and the highest 10 goal handicap, for professionals. It is very rare for a player to receive a 10 goal handicap: there are only ten of these players in the world (all Argentine). Handicaps of 5 goals and above generally indicate a professional players. It is important to note that referring to goals does not mean the number of goals a player scores in a game, but the player´s worth to their team based on sportsmanship.