Arena polo is a minified version of polo that is played on a field much smaller in size and enclosed by walls on all sides. It is a close variant to Beach Polo. It was developed with the intent to make the game of polo more accessible to everyone. The sport is currently practiced only in the United States and Great Britain.
Arena polo can be played both outdoors; on dirt surfaces and indoors on asphalt courts. The size of the field required is 300 x 150 feet, enclosed by at least 4ft high walls. Unlike regular polo where a plastic ball is used, the ball used for arena polo resembles a mini soccer ball. The mallets used are the same as the ones used for regular polo.
A match lasts for four chukkas, where each chukka is played for seven and a half minutes. The objective of the game is to score as many goals as possible. The rules and the game play are exactly the same as polo, the only major difference with arena polo is that there are no out-of-bounds and the ball is always in play.
Though more fan friendly, arena polo is not as popular as polo, and most competitions conducted are only at a club level.Similar Sports
- Polo (Horse Polo) — a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to hit a ball into a goal using a long-handled mallet.
- Beach Polo — polo on horseback though played on a sand field with sideboards so the ball is always in play.
- Cowboy Polo — similar to regular Polo, though riders compete with western saddles, usually in a smaller arena and with an inflatable rubber medicine ball.
Related Pages
- List of all sports involving horses
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports