Polo

horses · team sports · ancient games

Played on Horseback. Polo is unique because the entire game happens while riding horses. Players gallop across a huge grass field called a pitch, which is even bigger than four football fields put together.

Stick and Ball Game. Players hold long mallets (sticks) and try to hit a small ball into the other team's goal. It takes amazing coordination to swing a mallet while controlling a fast-moving horse.

One of Oldest Sports. Polo is ancient and was played in Persia and Central Asia thousands of years ago. Some people think it may have started as training for warriors on horseback.

Four Players per Team. Each team has four riders who work together to move the ball down the field and score points. Different players have different jobs, like defending or attacking.

Quick and Intense. A polo match is split into periods called chukkas, and each chukka is only seven and a half minutes long. The pace is fast and exciting because horses need to rest between chukkas.