Editing Polo (section)

=== Modern game ===
==== India and Britain ====

In use in Manipur were the game's Tibetic names, {{Transliteration|bft|polo}} or {{Transliteration|bo|pulu}}, referring to the wooden ball, and it was these terms, anglicised, which were adopted for the sport's name in its slow spread to the west. A European polo club was established in the town of [[Silchar]] in [[Colonial Assam|Assam]], India, in 1859, the English tea planters having learnt it from Manipuri incomers.<ref name="manipurpolo">{{Cite web |title=The Mists of Time: Origins of Polo |url=http://www.indiapolo.com/Polopedia/History/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328122313/http://www.indiapolo.com/Polopedia/History/history.html |archive-date=28 March 2009 |access-date=28 September 2008 |website=Indianpolo.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stephen |first=J. K. |date=25 March 2007 |title=Manipur Polo: History of Polo in Imphal |url=http://www.indianpolo.com/manipurpolo/history.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190211023839/http://www.indianpolo.com/manipurpolo/history.asp |archive-date=11 February 2019 |access-date=25 January 2012 |website=Indianpolo.com}}</ref>

[[File:Manipur Polo Players 1875.jpg|thumb|Manipuri polo players in 1875]]

{{Transliteration|mni|Sagol kangjei}} was one of three forms of hockey in Manipur, the other ones being [[field hockey]] (called {{Transliteration|mni|[[khong kangjei]]}}) and wrestling-hockey (called {{Transliteration|mni|[[mukna kangjei]]}}).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=L.Joychandra |url=https://search.lib.umich.edu/catalog/record/990141923980106381 |title="Origin of Polo game" |publisher=Guinness Publishing |year=1991 |isbn=9780851123745 |edition=1st |location=Enfield, Middlesex, UK |language=English |access-date=22 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722175615/https://search.lib.umich.edu/catalog/record/990141923980106381 |archive-date=22 July 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Local rituals such as those connected to the {{Transliteration|mni|[[Ibudhou Marjing]]}}, the winged-pony god of polo and the creation-ritual episodes of the {{Transliteration|mni|[[Lai Haraoba]]}} festival enacting the life of his son, {{Transliteration|mni|[[Meitei deities|Khoriphaba]]}}, the polo-playing god of sports. These may indicate an origin earlier than the historical records of Manipur. Later, according to {{Transliteration|mni|[[Cheitharol Kumbaba]]}}, a royal chronicle of King Kangba, who ruled Manipur much earlier than Nongda Lairen Pakhangba ({{CE|33}}) introduced {{Transliteration|mni|sagol kangjei}} ({{Transliteration|mni|'kangjei}} on horseback'). Further regular playing of this game commenced in 1605, during the reign of King [[Khagemba]] under newly framed rules of the game.

[[File:Polo-field old kangla imphal.JPG|thumb|Old polo field in [[Imphal]], Manipur]]
In Manipur, polo is traditionally played with seven players to a side. The players are mounted on the indigenous [[Manipuri Pony]], which stands less than {{hands|13}}. There are no goal posts, and a player scores simply by hitting the ball out of either end of the field. Players strike the ball with the long side of the mallet head, not the end.<ref>J. del Carril editions:
* {{Cite book |last=Carril |first=Justo del |title=Essential Tips: Polo |date=March 2009 |isbn=978-987-02-7039-3 |page=9 |chapter=Introduction |access-date=3 December 2022 |chapter-url=https://issuu.com/hcpgroup/docs/polo_tips |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203045317/https://issuu.com/hcpgroup/docs/polo_tips |archive-date=3 December 2022 |url-status=live |via=Issu}}
* {{cite book |last1=Carril |first1=Justo del |title=Essentials Tips: Polo |date=1 November 2013 |publisher=Editorial Dunken |location=Ayacucho, Buenos Aires, Argentina |isbn=978-987-02-7039-3 |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GNRGAgAAQBAJ |access-date=3 December 2022 |language=en |chapter=Introduction: The equipment |archive-date=15 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715003716/https://books.google.com/books?id=GNRGAgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Players are not permitted to carry the ball, although blocking the ball with any part of the body except the open hand is permitted.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rule F12 International Rules for Polo |url=http://www.fippolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/THE-INTERNATIONAL-RULES-FOR-POLO-August-2010.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818041007/http://www.fippolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/THE-INTERNATIONAL-RULES-FOR-POLO-August-2010.pdf |archive-date=18 August 2018 |access-date=8 December 2018 |publisher=Federation of International Polo}}</ref> The sticks are made of [[Cane (grass)|cane]], and the balls are made from the roots of [[bamboo]].  Players protected their legs by attaching leather shields to their [[saddle]]s and [[Girth (tack)|girths]].<ref name="crego 2003"/>{{rp|26}}

[[File:Traditional Polo in Manipur India.jpg|thumb|Polo players of Manipur in {{Transliteration|mni|Mapal Kangjeibung}}, the world's oldest polo playground]]

In Manipur, the game was played even by commoners who owned a pony.<ref name="crego 2003"/>{{rp|25}} The kings of Manipur had a royal polo ground within the ramparts of their [[Kangla Fort]]. Here they played on the {{Transliteration|mni|manung kangjei bung}} ({{lit|inner polo ground}}). Public games were held, as they still are today, at the {{Transliteration|mni|mapan kangjei bung}} ({{lit|outer polo ground|lk=no}}), a polo ground just outside the Kangla. Weekly games called {{Transliteration|mni|hapta kangjei}} ({{lit|weekly polo|lk=no}}) were also played in a polo ground outside the current palace.

The oldest polo ground in the world is the [[Imphal Polo Ground]] in [[Manipur]]. The history of this polo ground is contained in the royal chronicle {{Transliteration|mni|Cheitharol Kumbaba}} starting from {{CE|33}}. Lieutenant (later Major General) Joseph Ford Sherer, the father of modern polo, visited the state and played on this polo ground in the 1850s. [[Lord Curzon]], the [[Viceroy of India]] visited the state in 1901 and measured the polo ground as "225 yards long and 110 yards wide" ({{convert|225|x|110|yard|disp=output only}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of polo |url=http://royalpoloclubrasnov.ro/history-of-polo/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203231600/http://royalpoloclubrasnov.ro/history-of-polo/ |archive-date=3 December 2017 |access-date=2 December 2017 |website=Royal Polo Club Rasnov}}</ref>

The [[Cachar Club]], established in 1859,<ref name="brit 1998"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Pony Returns - Indian Express |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/the-pony-returns/1040905/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728085542/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/the-pony-returns/1040905/ |archive-date=28 July 2020 |access-date=6 January 2020}}</ref> is located on Club Road in the heart of [[Silchar]] city in Assam. In 1862, the oldest polo club still in existence, [[Calcutta Polo Club]], was established by two British soldiers, Sherer and Captain Robert Stewart.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polo Club |url=http://www.calcuttapolo.com/about.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903221104/http://www.calcuttapolo.com/about.html |archive-date=3 September 2020 |access-date=2 December 2017 |website=calcuttapolo.com}}</ref> Later they spread the game to their peers in England. Polo was first played in England by the [[10th Hussars]] in 1869.<ref name="EB1911">{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Polo |volume=22 |page=11 |first=Thomas Francis |last=Dale |author-link=Thomas Francis Dale}}</ref> The British are credited with spreading polo worldwide in the late 19th century and the early 20th century at the height of its [[British Empire|empire]]. Military officers imported the game to Britain in the 1860s. The establishment of polo clubs throughout England and western Europe followed after the formal codification of rules.<ref name="crego 2003"/>{{rp|26}} The 10th [[Hussars]] at [[Aldershot]], Hants, introduced polo to England in 1834. The game's governing body in the United Kingdom is the [[Hurlingham Polo Association]], which drew up the first set of formal British rules in 1874, many of which are still in existence.

This version of polo played in the 19th century was different from the faster form that was played in Manipur. The game was slow and methodical, with little passing between players and few set plays that required specific movements by participants without the ball. Neither players nor horses were trained to play a fast, non-stop game. This form of polo lacked the aggressive methods and required fewer [[equestrianism|equestrian]] skills. From the 1800s to the 1910s, a host of teams representing [[princely state|Indian principalities]] dominated the international polo scene.<ref name="crego 2003"/>{{rp|26}} The game had reached [[Samoa]] by the 1890's.<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 April 1893 |title=Polo Tournament - The Final |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/samoa-times-and-south-sea-advertiser-pol/150170729/ |work=[[Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser]] |location=[[Apia, Samoa]] |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

The World Champions Polo League was launched in [[Jaipur]] in 2016. It is a new version of polo, similar to the [[Twenty20]] format of cricket. The pitch was made smaller and accommodated a large audience. The first event of the World Champions Polo League took place in [[Bhavnagar]], Gujarat, with six teams and room for 10,000 spectators. The rules were changed<ref>{{Cite news |last=Das |first=Deepika |date=19 December 2016 |title=Polo league to kick off in March |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/in-other-news/191216/polo-league-to-kick-off-in-march.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811110449/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/in-other-news/191216/polo-league-to-kick-off-in-march.html |archive-date=11 August 2022 |access-date=11 August 2022 |work=Deccan Chronicle |language=en}}</ref> and the duration of matches made shorter.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=India's First Official Polo League Announced in Jaipur |date=17 December 2016 |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/indias-first-official-polo-league-announced-in-jaipur-607190876.html |language=en |access-date=11 August 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811110632/https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/indias-first-official-polo-league-announced-in-jaipur-607190876.html |archive-date=11 August 2022 |author1=Champions Polo League |agency=PRNewswire}}</ref>

==== Argentina ====
[[File:Luis lacey 1922.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|Luis Lacey, former captain of Argentine Polo Team in 1922]]
[[File:Campeonato Argentino de Polo 2010 - 5237109478 e7ed034169 o.jpg|thumb|Argentine Polo Open Championship]]

Polo was brought to many parts of the Americas, but in Argentina, it took off like nowhere else. [[Irish Argentines|Irish]], [[Scottish Argentines|Scottish]], [[Welsh Argentine|Welsh]], and [[English Argentines|English]] immigrants in the Argentine [[pampas]] started practising polo during their free time, and eventually some of them began to put together games. Among them, David Shennan is credited with having organised the first formal polo game of the country in 1875, at Estancia El Negrete, located in [[Buenos Aires Province]].

The sport spread quickly among the skillful [[gaucho]]s, and several clubs opened in the following years in the towns of [[Venado Tuerto]], [[Cañada de Gómez]], [[Quilmes Atlético Club|Quilmes]], [[Flores Athletic Club|Flores]] and later (1888) [[Hurlingham Club (Argentina)|Hurlingham]]. In 1892 The River Plate Polo Association was founded and constituted the basis for the current [[Argentine Polo Association|Asociación Argentina de Polo]]. In the [[1924 Olympics|Olympic Games held in Paris in 1924]] a team composed of [[Juan Miles]], [[Enrique Padilla (polo)|Enrique Padilla]], [[Juan Nelson]], [[Arturo Kenny]], G. Brooke Naylor and A. Peña achieved the first gold medal in the nation's Olympic history. The title was defended at the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin Games]] with players [[Manuel Andrada]], [[Andrés Gazzotti]], [[Roberto Cavanagh]], [[Luis Duggan]], Juan Nelson, [[Diego Cavanagh]], and Enrique Alberdi.

The game spread across the country, and Argentina is often credited as the capital of polo;<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-19 |title=Polo in Argentina: Where Tradition Meets Excellence |url=https://vakiano.com/blogs/press/polo-in-argentina-where-tradition-meets-excellence |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=Vakiano |language=en |archive-date=30 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930093521/https://vakiano.com/blogs/press/polo-in-argentina-where-tradition-meets-excellence |url-status=live }}</ref> Argentina is also noted for having the largest contingent of [[Polo handicap#Ten-goal players, highest handicap achieved in outdoor polo|10 handicap]] players out of any other country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Handicaps |url=https://poloplus10.com/polosport/handicaps/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=POLO+10 |language=en-US |archive-date=10 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610074955/https://poloplus10.com/polosport/handicaps/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Five teams were able to gather four 10 handicap players each, to make 40 handicap teams: [[Coronel Suárez]], 1975, 1977–1979 (Alberto Heguy, [[Juan C. Harriott Jr.|Juan Carlos Harriott Jr.]], Alfredo Harriot and Horacio Heguy); La Espadaña, 1989–1990 (Carlos Gracida, Gonzalo Pieres, Alfonso Pieres y Ernesto Trotz Jr.); Indios [[Chapaleufú Department|Chapaleufú]], 1992–1993 (Bautista Heguy, Gonzalo Heguy, Horacio Heguy Jr. and Marcos Heguy); [[La Dolfina Polo Team|La Dolfina]], 2009–2010 ([[Adolfo Cambiaso]] Jr., [[Lucas Monteverde]], [[Mariano Aguerre]] y [[Bartolomé Castagnola]]); Ellerstina, 2009 ([[Facundo Pieres]], [[Gonzalo Pieres Sr.|Gonzalo Pieres Jr.]], [[Pablo Mac Donough]] and Juan Martín Nero).

The three major polo tournaments in Argentina, known as "Triple Corona" ("Triple Crown"), are [[Campeonato Abierto de Hurlingham|Hurlingham Polo Open]], [[Tortugas Polo Open]] and [[Argentine Polo Open|Palermo Polo Open]]. Polo season usually lasts from October to December.<ref name="palosantohotel">{{cite web|url=http://www.blog.palosantohotel.com/2013/11/15/polo-basics-quick-facts-polo/|title=Polo Basics: Quick facts about Polo|publisher=blog.palosantohotel.com|access-date=28 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406214033/http://www.blog.palosantohotel.com/2013/11/15/polo-basics-quick-facts-polo/|archive-date=6 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Jaeger-LeCoultre Polo Masters 2013 - 31082013 - Match Legacy vs Jaeger-LeCoultre Veytay for the third place 44.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.15|Polo player, with referee]]

'''High season vs. Low season'''

Argentina Polo School in Mar del Plata<ref>{{Cite web |title=Argentina Polo School - Escuela de Polo |url=https://poloschoolargentina.com/esp |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=poloschoolargentina.com |language=es}}</ref> reflects the rhythms of the region’s climate and tourism. The high season typically aligns with the Argentine summer, from November to March, when the weather is warm and ideal for outdoor events. During this time, polo tournaments and social gatherings attract players and enthusiasts, creating a vibrant atmosphere. Conversely, the low season falls in the winter months, from May to September, when activities slow down, allowing fields and players a period of rest and maintenance. This seasonal flow highlights Mar del Plata’s dual role as a sports hub and a seaside retreat.

Polo has found popularity throughout the rest of the Americas, including [[Sport in Brazil|Brazil]], [[Sport in Chile|Chile]], [[Polo in Mexico|Mexico]], and the [[Polo in the United States|United States of America]].<ref name="crego 2003"/>{{rp|26–27}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://polobarn.com/events/events2005/05_05/051805_fip.html |title=FIP World Cup VIII – 2007 |publisher=Polobarn.com |access-date=25 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125005357/http://polobarn.com/events/events2005/05_05/051805_fip.html |archive-date=25 January 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Even with the global spread of the sport Argentina has remained the largest producer of the highest quality horses and players. The country's fertile farmland around Buenos Aires and its long standing tradition of polo has made Argentina the center of the polo world. Every major polo tournament in the world is filled with players and horses hailing from Argentina.

==== United States ====
{{see also|United States Polo Association}}
[[File:Polo At the Kentucky HOrse Park (5995905109).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.15|A polo match at the [[Kentucky Horse Park]]]]
[[File:Polo Stadium in The Villages Florida.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Polo Stadium in The Villages, Florida.|Polo stadium in [[The Villages, Florida]]]]
[[James Gordon Bennett Jr.]] on 16 May 1876 organised what was billed as the first polo match in the United States at Dickel's Riding Academy at [[39th Street (Manhattan)|39th Street]] and [[Fifth Avenue]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|title=Polo In The United States And The Ascension Of The Polo Giant: USPA|url=https://www.lapolo.in/blog/polo-united-states-ascension-polo-giant-uspa/|access-date=19 March 2021|website=www.lapolo.in|archive-date=17 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517182801/https://www.lapolo.in/blog/polo-united-states-ascension-polo-giant-uspa/|url-status=live}}</ref> The historical record states that [[James Gordon Bennett Jr.|James Gordon Bennett]] established the [[Westchester Polo Club]] on 6 May 1876, and on 13 May 1876, the [[Jerome Park Racetrack]] in [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]] (now [[The Bronx|Bronx County]]) was the site of the "first" American outdoor polo match.

H. L. Herbert, James Gordon Bennett and [[August Belmont Jr.]] financed the original [[New York Polo Grounds]]. Herbert stated in a 1913 article<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|date=19 May 1913 |url=http://gracytravel.com/may%2019%201913%20westchester%20established%20after%20mid%20may%20game%20at%20jerome%20park.pdf |title=Polo in America has Advanced: H.L. Herbert Tells of the Game from Its Start in This Country |access-date=2 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326121018/http://gracytravel.com/may%2019%201913%20westchester%20established%20after%20mid%20may%20game%20at%20jerome%20park.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2012}}</ref> that they formed the Westchester Club ''after'' the "first" outdoor game was played on 13 May 1876. This contradicts the historical record of the club being established before the Jerome Park game.

There is ample evidence that the first to play polo in America were actually the English Texans. ''[[The Galveston News]]'' reported on 2 May 1876 that [[Denison, Texas]] had a polo club which was before James Gordon Bennett established his Westchester Club or attempted to play the "first" game.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Galveston News|url=http://gracytravel.com/may%202nd%201876%20denison%20has%20a%20polo%20club.pdf |title=State News: Grayson County |date=2 May 1876|access-date=2 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326120937/http://gracytravel.com/may%202nd%201876%20denison%20has%20a%20polo%20club.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2012|quote= Mr Lane, living near Denison, has 25-acres of wheat headed up and nearly ripe{{nbsp}}... Denison has a Polo Club; also counterfeit metal dimes, base ball players and lightning rod men{{nbsp}}... This section was visited by the hardest storm of the season Thursday night.}}</ref> The Denison team sent a letter to James Gordon Bennett challenging him to a match. The challenge was published 2 June 1876, in ''The Galveston Daily News''. By the time the article came out on 2 June, the Denison Club had already received a letter from Bennett indicating the challenge was offered before the "first" games in New York.<ref>{{cite news|quote=Grayson County:<p>"At Denison Monday evening while Messers Harold Gooch and Will Lowe were practicing at the game of polo, quite a serious accident happened to former. Mr. Gooch's saddle turned throwing him into the ground when his horse gave him a severe kick, cutting a gash about five inches long across his head over the right ear. Dr. Berry rendered the necessary medical attention, and Mr. Gooch is doing well.</p>"Will Lowe, Secretary of the Denison Polo Club, wrote James Gordon Bennett asking him if arrangements could be made for a match game between the Denison and New York Clubs. Mr. Lowe received a letter from Mr. Bennett Monday, in which he says he will lay the matter before the club at the next meeting. There is little doubt the New York club will invite our boys to play them. The Denison club will go into training at once, as they are confident the game will come off.|url=http://gracytravel.com/jun%202nd%201876%20gooch%20playing%20polo%20in%20denison%20highlight.pdf |date=2 June 1876 |title=State News: Grayson County|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326121007/http://gracytravel.com/jun%202nd%201876%20gooch%20playing%20polo%20in%20denison%20highlight.pdf|work=The Galveston News |archive-date=26 March 2012}}</ref>

There is an [[urban legend]] that the first game of polo in America was played in [[Boerne, Texas]], at retired British officer Captain Glynn Turquand's famous Balcones Ranch.<ref name="gracytravel">{{cite web |url=http://gracytravel.com/balcones%20peculiar%20in%20the%20newspaper.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326121102/http://gracytravel.com/balcones%20peculiar%20in%20the%20newspaper.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 March 2012 |title=Gracy Travel – Balcones Ranch |publisher=gracytravel.com |access-date=28 July 2016}}</ref> The Boerne, Texas, legend also has plenty of evidence pointing to the fact that polo was played in Boerne before James Gordon Bennett Jr. ever picked up a polo mallet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://texaspoloclub.net/Amenities.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326120937/http://texaspoloclub.net/Amenities.php|url-status=dead|title=The Texas Polo Club|archive-date=26 March 2012}}</ref>

During the early part of the 20th century, under the leadership of [[Harry Payne Whitney]], polo changed to become a high-speed sport in the United States, differing from the game in England, where it involved short passes to move the ball towards the opposition's goal. Whitney and his teammates used the fast break, sending long passes downfield to riders who had broken away from the pack at a full gallop. In 1909 a United States team defeated an English team with ease.<ref name=EB1911/>

In the late 1950s, champion polo player and Director of the Long Island Polo Association, Walter Scanlon, introduced the "short form", or "European" style, four period match, to the game of polo.<ref>Newspaper article from the 1950s – the actual article uploaded on Wiki commons</ref>
[[File:Director Walter Scanlon. Bethpage, LI - Newspaper polo article..jpg|thumb|Director Walter Scanlon, Bethpage, Long Island]]

The rules of polo are written to include the safety of both players and horses. Games are monitored by umpires. A whistle is blown when an infraction occurs, and penalties are awarded. Strategic plays in polo are based on the "line of the ball", an imaginary line that extends through the ball in the line of travel. This line traces the ball's path and extends past the ball along that trajectory. The line of the ball defines rules for players to approach the ball safely. The "line of the ball" changes each time the ball changes direction. The player who hits the ball generally has the right of way, and other players cannot cross the line of the ball in front of that player. As players approach the ball, they ride on either side of the line of the ball giving each access to the ball. A player can cross the line of the ball when it does not create a dangerous situation. Most infractions and penalties are related to players improperly crossing the line of the ball or the right of way. When a player has the line of the ball on their right, they have the right of way. A "ride-off" is when a player moves another player off the line of the ball by making shoulder-to-shoulder contact with the other players' horses.

The defending player has a variety of opportunities for their team to gain possession of the ball. They can push the opponent off the line or steal the ball from the opponent. Another common defensive play is called "hooking." While a player is taking a swing at the ball, their opponent can block the swing by using their mallet to hook the mallet of the player swinging at the ball. A player may hook only if they are on the side where the swing is being made or directly behind an opponent. A player may not purposely touch another player, another player's [[Horse tack|tack]], or a pony with their mallet. Unsafe hooking is a foul that will result in a penalty shot being awarded. For example, it is a foul for a player to reach over an opponent's mount in an attempt to hook.

The other basic defensive play is called the bump or ride-off. It's similar to a [[Checking (ice hockey)#Body checking|body check]] in [[ice hockey]]. In a ride-off, a player rides their pony alongside an opponent's mount to move an opponent away from the ball or to take them out of a play. It must be executed properly so that it does not endanger the horses or the players. The angle of contact must be safe and can not knock the horses off balance, or harm the horses in any way. Two players following the line of the ball and riding one another off have the right of way over a single man coming from any direction.

Like in [[hockey]], ice hockey, or [[basketball]], fouls are potentially dangerous plays that infringe on the rules of the game. To the novice spectator, fouls may be difficult to discern. There are degrees of dangerous and unfair play and penalty shots are awarded depending based on the severity of the foul and where the foul was committed on the polo field. White lines on the polo field indicate where the mid-field, sixty, forty, and thirty yard penalties are taken.

The official set of rules and rules interpretations are reviewed and published annually by each country's polo association. Most of the smaller associations follow the rules of the [[Hurlingham Polo Association]], the national governing body of the sport of polo in the United Kingdom, and the [[United States Polo Association]].<ref>{{cite web|title=USPA Rulebook|url=https://www.uspolo.org/assets/docs/2017-USPA-Rulebook-web.pdf|website=uspolo.org|publisher=United States Polo Association|access-date=8 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109023557/https://www.uspolo.org/assets/docs/2017-USPA-Rulebook-web.pdf|archive-date=9 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>