Polo: More Than Just a Clothing Company
Chances are that you’re familiar with the sport of polo purely because of the clothing company that shares its name. In fact, small embroidered men on horses are probably the only exposure most people in the world have had to the centuries-old sport.
History
The first games of polo were played as far back as 6 centuries BC in Persia and Iran. Over the next few centuries, the sport spread from Persia to other Asian countries. As British colonists explored the globe, they picked up the game from India and brought it back to their home country, where it developed into the modern form of the game that exists today.
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Equipment
Because polo is played while riding a horse, players wear riding gear including colored riding helmets, riding boots and a colored shirt numbered according to their position. Players also have the option to wear gloves, kneepads, facemasks and spurs.
Polo mallets are between 48 to 54 inches long and are made of wood. Each mallet has a rubber handle with a thumb sling that is wrapped around the hand. At the end of every mallet is a cylindrical head called a cigar that varies in weight. It might be assumed that the flat, round ends of the cigar is used to hit the ball, but in actuality, the long, rounded edges are what are used to make contact.
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There are two varieties of polo balls, indoor and outdoor. Outdoor polo balls are made of hard, white plastic and are roughly 3 ¼ inches in diameter. Their indoor counterparts are inflated and covered in leather, and measure around 4 ½ inches in diameter.
A polo field is 300 yards long by 160 yards wide – about nine times the sixe of an American football field – with two goal posts placed eight feet apart at the center of the two farthest ends.
Rules
Outdoor polo is played by two teams of three people.
The game is divided into eight seven-minute periods called chukkas, and play is only stopped for penalties, broken equipment or injury to horse or player. The object of the game is to score goals by hitting the ball downfield between the opponent’s goal posts, no matter how high in the air.
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