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Horse polo or simply called polo, is a contact sport played on horseback. There are two types of horse polo: field polo that is played using a solid plastic sphere ball, and then there’s arena polo that is played with a small air-filled ball, which is similar to a soccer ball.

Two teams can play with four members each. The team members can be a mix of male and female. The polo equipment are equestrian helmet, colored shirt, riding boots, and white trousers. Optional equipment are kneepads, face mask, whip, and gloves.

The main objective of the game is to score goals against the opposing team. Using a mallet, the players can score a goal by driving a small wooden ball into the opponent’s goal. The traditional polo is played at speed on a field with measures up to 300 yards. The modern polo game lasts about two hours and is divided into periods which are called chukkas, which is sometimes called chukkers.

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Horseback Polo Sports

• Arena Polo — a minified version of polo that is played on horseback on a field much smaller in size and enclosed by walls on all sides.
• Elephant Polo — a form of Polo, played on the back of Elephants instead of on horseback.
• Yak Polo — a Mongolian variation of the sport polo played on yaks instead of on horses.
• Snow Polo — a variation of Polo on horseback that is played on compacted snow on flat ground or a frozen lake.
• Bicycle Polo — similar to Polo, though played on bicycles instead of horses.
• Beach Polo — polo on horseback though played on a sand field with sideboards so the ball is always in play.
• Canoe Polo — participants in canoes throw or hot the ball with their paddle through a goal is suspended around two meters above the water.
• Cycle Polo — similar to Polo though played on bicycles instead of horses.
• Cowboy Polo — similar to regular Polo, though riders compete with western saddles, usually in a smaller arena and with an inflatable rubber medicine ball.
• Segway Polo — similar to horse polo though players ride a segway.
• Polocrosse — an equestrian sport combining the sports of lacrosse and polo.
• Tennis Polo — an outdoor team sport, where players attempt to throw a tennis ball through a goal defended by a goal keeper with a tennis racket. Also called Toccer.
• Water Polo — a team sport played in swimming pools, the aim is to pass the ball over the water and into the goal net.
• Auto Polo — like polo though the players are on automobiles instead of horses (extinct sport).
• Tuk Tuk Polo — a variation of polo, in which players are on vehicles called tuk tuk (unusual sport)

Similar Sports

• Buzkashi — a Central Asian sport like polo in which riders on horses attempt to drag a goat carcass toward the goal. There is a variant known as kokpar which is quite similar.
• Pato — a cross between Polo and Basketball played on horseback. It is the national sport of Argentina. A similar sport is Horseball.
• Water Basketball — a mix of basketball and water polo played in a swimming pool with basketball goals.
• Motorcycle Polo — although it is called polo, it is more like (Association) football on motorbikes
• Cricket on Horseback — a short-lived sport where players attempted to play cricket while riding a horse. [historical sport]

Related Pages

• Polo was once at the Olympic Games and also at the Commonwealth Games
• List of all sports involving horses
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports