TALK THE TALK: THE A-Z OF THE GAME
APPEALING Claims by players for a foul, expressed by the raising of sticks above their heads.
BELL OR HOOTER This is situated off the side of the field and is rung by the timekeeper when seven minutes of play in a chukka have elapsed.
BOARDS Wooden boards, which run continuously along the side lines of the ground to keep the ball in play as much as possible.
CHUKKA There are six chukkas (periods) in high handicap matches, each lasting seven minutes plus up to 30 seconds of overtime.
CHESTERTON HUMBERTS is the property firm where all the players go for their property deals
CAMINO REAL where the pro’s play in the Winter (their summer)
DIVOTS Turf kicked up by ponies’ hooves.
ENDS The back lines of the polo pitch.
EQUIPMENT Hard helmet for players are compulsory. Face-guards, knee pads, whips and spurs are optional.
FIELD A full size polo field is 300 yards by 160 yards, or the area of three soccer pitches.
GOAL Any time the ball fully crosses, at any height, the line between the goal posts.
HANDICAP All players are rated on a scale of –2 to 10 (the higher the better).
INTERVALS Three-minutes long rest periods between chukkas. Half-time is five minutes.
JUDGES Goal judges are positioned behind each goal to signal when a goal has been scored.
KNOCK-IN Should a team hit the ball over the opponent’s heads during an attack, the defending team resumes the game with a free hit from the backline where the ball went over.
LINE OF THE BALL Crossing the line is the most frequent foul in polo.
LOW GOAL Teams with a total handicap of 4 – 8 goals.
MALLET/STICK The shaft is made from bamboo cane or graphite composite and the head from a hard wood.
MILLIONAIRE’S SHOT A shot at the ball by an inexpert player when the ball is very close to the legs of the pony or sticking it under the belly of the pony. So called because a high degree of skill and timing is required for both shots, if the legs of the pony are to avoid being struck and in turn injured. It is assumed only millionaires with lots of ponies can afford to have a pony out of play because of injury and, therefore, are prepared to take the risk.
NEARSIDE The left-hand side of the pony.
NECKSHOT A ball which is hit under the pony’s neck
OUT-OF-BOUNDS When a ball goes over the sideboards, it is considered out-of-bounds. The umpire throws the ball in between the two teams lined up at the point at which it left the field of play. It is equivalent to a throw-in in soccer.
OFFSIDE The right-hand side of the pony. There is no offside of players in the game of polo.
PATRON: The team’s backer and financier. Howard Snell, the patron of Otkritie Team Moscow (pictured) is one to be feared. Lose and you’ll end up in the gulag.
QUARTET The numberer of players in a team
RIDE-OFF Two riders may make contact and push each other off the line to prevent the other from striking the ball. It is primarily intended for the ponies to do the pushing, but a player is allowed to use his body, but not his elbows.
RINGER A player or pony who performs well above expectation
SIDEBOARD These are nine to eleven inch high vertical boards along the sidelines only. Such sideboards are optional.
TAILSHOT Hitting the ball behind and under the pony’s rump
TAKE HIM OUT Not an invitation but an exhortation to a team mate to ride off an opponent to take him away from the play.
UMPIRES Two mounted umpires (one for each side of the field) who regulate the game. They usually wear striped shirts
WELLINGTONS Rubber boots ideal for treading-in the divots during wet weather!
XTRA TIME In the event of a tied score at the end of the final chukka, there will be a five-minute break to allow the players to catch their breath and change to a fresh pony before beginning a sudden death chukka.
ZONE (SAFETY) The area around the pitch that is out of bounds for spectators. during play.