AGENDA the rules

Law and Order

The rules of polo are simple and designed to keep the game flowing and to protect the horses from injury.

APPEALING FOR A FOUL

Trying to influence the call of an umpire, most often done by lifting the mallet up in the air. Appealing for a foul is itself a foul, though seldom called.

FOUL

A foul is an infraction of the rules. The most common types of fouls are right-of-way infractions, walking the ball, turning the ball, dangerous riding, rough or abusive play, improper use of the mallet and unsportsmanlike conduct.

DANGEROUS RIDING

A foul which occurs when a player executes an improper or dangerous ride-off, zigzags in front of another player traveling at speed, slides across the back legs of another player’s horse close enough, so there is a risk one or both horses could trip, rides an opponent across the right-of-way of an oncoming player at an unsafe distance, deliberately rides their horse into the swing of another player, or generally exhibits a disregard for the safety of other players and/or their horses.

IMPROPER USE OF MALLET

A foul occurs when a player executes an improper hook, such as high hook (above the shoulder), a cross hook (from the other side of the horse) or a slash hook (excessive force), or uses a mallet in a way that endangers their mount, an opponent, an opponent’s mount, an umpire or a spectator.

PENALTY

The result of a called foul or infraction of the rules. The umpire imposes a penalty to either compensate the other team for the loss of advantage or to sufficiently penalize the fouling team for a rule violation that did not cause a disadvantage to the opponent, such as unsportsmanlike conduct. Penalties range in severity from taking possession of the ball from a team and bowling it in, to ejecting a player from the game.

RIGHT-OF-WAY

The right-of-way is best thought of as a highway, with the line of the ball creating the centerline. The player traveling in the direction of the ball, with the ball on their offside and at the least angle to it, generally has the right-of-way over the other players. When the player’s progress to the ball within that right-of-way is improperly impeded, a foul is called. Examples of right-ofway violations include entering the right-of-way at an unsafe distance or speed (comparable to cutting in from an on-ramp while driving too slowly), crossing over the line of the ball in front of someone on the right-of-way, stopping on the ball or one player meeting two.

ROUGH OR ABUSIVE PLAY

A foul that occurs when a player abuses their horse, another player or another player’s horse. This can include seizing or striking with the hand, elbow, head, mallet or whip.

SAFETY

When a defending team hits the ball over its own end line. When a safety occurs, the attacking team is awarded a Penalty 6, which is a defended penalty shot from 60 yards out and perpendicular to the end line at the spot the ball went over the end line.

TURNING THE BALL

Technically known in the USPA rules as a Quick Line Change, turning the ball is when a player slows down dramatically and changes the line in a very small space. When defended, this is a foul. Until recently, this rule was rarely enforced. In the last several years, all three major associations have begun enforcing the rule to create a more open and flowing game. To distinguish between running a turn, which is not a foul, and turning the ball, which is a foul when the player is defended, look at the distance between the player with the ball and the defender. When running a turn, the distance between the two players does not close. When turning the ball, that distance closes quickly and is considered unsafe.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

When a player uses vulgar or abusive language; is disrespectful to another player, coach, umpire or spectator; argues with an umpire; delays the game by feigning injury or requesting an unnecessary tack time-out; or appeals for a foul, especially by windmilling their mallet.

WALKING THE BALL

Carrying the ball while slowed down to a walk. In outdoor polo, this is a foul for delay of game. When called, it results in a throwin at the spot of the infraction. In arena polo, the player must maintain “reasonable pace” when along the wall. There is no rule governing pace in the arena when not along the walls.